Monday, June 23, 2008

Joshua 1:9 “I have commanded you, be strong and of good courage for the Lord God is with you wherever you go, right there with you; watch and listen for Him!”


Being diagnosed with a terminal illness is a very difficult situation, perhaps one of the most difficult that anyone ever faces.

As I sit in this chair, typing these words I am very cognizant of the disease that is eating away at me from the inside. My hips are sore, I have pains in my back, and my jaw is numb for some reason.

Over these past days I have had occasions where tears well up in the corners of my eyes as I watch my wife and my children interact. Thoughts of not being with them to laugh or play or to just simply sit and watch them weighs heavily on me.

Yet, in the midst of this kind of turmoil my God has commanded me to be strong and of good courage!

Well, to everyone that reads this page I want to reiterate that I intend to do exactly as I have been instructed……I lay claim to His provision, with His help I will be as strong and as courageous as I possibly can, and most importantly, I will watch and listen for Him.

We will visit with Dr. Barlogie on Tuesday afternoon to find out what the treatment plan will be. Once we start down that road, it will be several weeks before we know if “it’s working”.

I think we (people in general) tend to not think about how God works in our lives and it takes difficulties to make us refocus and declare, at least to ourselves, how we will respond.

I truly believe that God is totally in charge and I am so grateful that He is on my side.

As always all of your prayers, comments, and offers of help are greatly appreciated.

Frank

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are all such an example of true faith. Thank you for living that out so well for the rest of us to see. God is truly using your family to minister to so many people. I know you hear that a lot...but it's so true. I miss all of you and am on my knees praying for you!

I love you all!

Jane

Anonymous said...

Frank & Peggy - You guys are such magnificant Christian examples and we feel so blessed to know you. You are having positive and far-reaching impact for Christ. Your struggles and your reactions to those struggles are such an inspiration for those of us who aspire for Christ centered lives. Thank you for sharing all of this with us. We love you and our prayers continue ... Michelle, Francisco, Emily, John Robert, Franky & Laura Hidalgo

Anonymous said...

Frank,
I am continuing to pray day and night the prayers that God has given me for you.
Love you sweetie
Paula

Sandy Brody aka Nana said...

The battle is not ours...but the Lord's and you are sooo right on!!! He is in you, with you, beside you and over you!! Praises and Prayers!! Love, hugs and kisses, Nana xoxox

Anonymous said...

Frank,
I am in such awe of you. In my 50 years I am not sure I have met a true hero other than my dad. You though, are my hero, my friend, and brother in Christ. I can offer you nothing more than my humble word to be vigilant in prayer for you, Peggy, Chandler, Zach, and Chase. God has used to you to teach me how to be a better man...for I have the ultimate role model in you. I love you, Frank.

Anonymous said...

Keep on believing!! I love you for so many reasons ... yes because your my family, but today because in the face of uncertainty ... You choose to be obedient and from that God will bring you peace and joy. Those two words sound ironic when you think of fighting this fight, but my prayer for you since Friday has been that the heaviness you feel would somehow be lifted to give you peace and secondly that you would be able to find joy in the midst of where you are. I never understood until just recently that obedience yields joy. Obedience to the Lord, to authority, in just the simple things like staying on a diet ( I would be MORE joyful if I could be MORE obedient in that last area! ) I love you so much. Thank you for your openess to share ... God is definately glorified thru your journey and our prayers and praises will continue with you and the many other that love you, in every step of this next chemo. Hugs and kisses, see ya' soon.

Lisa

Anonymous said...

Mr. Frank -
you are in my prayers. feel better. love katie grace young