Hi CCI Family,

Since Nathan is keeping everyone up to date on my venture with Lymphoma, I wanted to share just a bit on a personal note.

A good place to begin is with the song which says, ‘It is well with my soul.’ This song was written by Horatio G. Spafford, in 1873, following some terrible tragedies in his life. You can listen to the song and a bit of background at this site:

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

By way of encouragement just remember what I have often shared with you through the years. In any trial that comes your way, always look for the greater glory and for the deeper blessing. The Lord is faithful, always, and in every situation. Simply keep your eyes and ears towards the Lord. There is nothing more important for a child of God than that of hearing from the Lord on a personal level. Out of this hearing comes the governing peace that we are to live our lives by.

This is the peace that has sustained me all these years. And this is why none of this has been a struggle for me. I know in my heart that when it is time to go home, I’ll make the transition with no regrets. John said it best in saying that God’s ‘perfect love’, casts out all fear. The fear of death has long departed from my world. Jesus said that there is no death for a believer. There is only a transition of life.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I do deeply regret all the sins and failures and mistakes that I’ve made in life. If I were to dwell on the sins of my past, it would be more than I could bear. But that is not the case. I can attest to the truth of what it means to be a sinner saved by grace, and my soul knows it very well. I’ve learned that one of the greatest keys of life is to learn to dwell on the goodness of the Lord, to believe in the message of the cross, and simply to remain focused on the reward to come.

In all of life I’ve come to fully embrace the message of the cross. God’s love and mercy through the cross have made amends for all my sins. This is why I carry in my heart a special seal that the old timers called ‘divine assurance.’ (All believers have this seal.) That seal cannot be broken. Paul calls it the seal of redemption. I know that when it comes time to make the transfer out of this life, I will forever be with the Lord. But you also know about the seal.

But to carry this further, the Lord has fully assured me that out of all this will come His greater glory. I know this in the deep of my being. I have this from the Lord. And whatever this may mean, I truly want the Lord to be glorified in my life. So, it is not a matter of having to confess something into reality. It is a matter of letting the Lord carry me through.

This is why I love what the Psalmist said, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.” (Ps115:1)

Just keep in mind what I have taught you over the many years. Nothing takes the place of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. To know Him personally is to know life. To know Him personally will always be your first defense against strange teachings.

Anyway, I will be in services as time and circumstance allow. Last evening I watched the service on my computer. John brought a wonderful message. And I deeply appreciate Nathan keeping you updated on my progress.

Tomorrow I will have the drain tube removed. (Or whatever you call that thing.) Next week begins the varied appointments. Aside from ‘it is well with my soul’, on the natural side I am much encouraged. The doctor said that if I follow his instructions any sickness I may feel would be minimal.

The only thing that bothers me is when he said I would lose my hair. Well, I’ve thought it over. Maybe all the men in the church would like to shave their heads as a show of solidarity of faith. Yuk. Yuk. (Hope you know that I am kidding.

By the way, don’t ever lose your sense of humor. The devil does not like to hear the laughter of faith. So, giggle a lot, laugh a lot, and chose to live in the joy of the Lord. That is what I am doing. Moses said it best, when he said, “Chose life in order that you may live!”

Well, I plan to be in services Sunday. May even share a song with you. (I also plan to teach our Shepherd’s Heart Class Sunday evening.)

Love all of you more than you can know,

The Lord bless you,

Buddy

Posted: November 30th, 2006 under NHL.
Comments: none

Hello all,

We just returned from Bro. Buddy’s visit with the oncologist. It was a good visit that confirmed what we suspected. Bro. Buddy does have large cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Further classification of the lymphoma will be done after some more tests next week. Bro. Buddy will go in for a whole-body PET scan and they will also test his bone marrow. These tests will help determine the “staging” of the lymphoma and help the doctor determine the actual treatment.

At this point the doctor plans on starting chemotherapy in two weeks. Bro. Buddy will go in every three weeks for a chemo treatment (probably Adriamycin). He will have 6-8 treatments, with another PET scan after the 3rd treatment to determine the effectiveness of the treatment. So essentially Bro. Buddy will undergo chemotherapy treatment for 18-24 weeks (i.e., 4-6 months). This is the doctor’s first impression. There may be some adjustments based on the outcome of the PET scan and the bone marrow test next week.

The doctor was very upbeat. He said although large cell NHL is an aggressive lymphoma, it is very treatable and he felt Bro. Buddy’s prognosis was good. It’s a tough treatment but we were encouraged by the doctor’s upbeat attitude. He acknowledged that all healing ultimately comes from the Lord (or “from up there”) as he put it.

Hopefully that’s not too much information. I don’t want to bog you down with details but I do want to let you know what we’re facing. I will be preaching on Sundays until Bro. Buddy feels up to it. Hopefully he’ll be up to getting on the computer soon and responding to the mountain of emails I know he’s receiving! Thank you all for your prayers, emails, phone calls and other expressions of love. We deeply appreciate it!

Blessings,
Nathan

Posted: November 29th, 2006 under NHL.
Comments: none

Hello everyone,

I’m writing this from the hospital, standing next to Bro. Buddy’s bed. He came through the surgery just fine and is resting comfortably. The surgeon told us he removed a lymph node about the size of a baseball. It does appear to be lymphoma but they won’t know exactly what kind until further tests are done on the removed node. Bro. Buddy will meet with an oncologist later this week to determine the precise course of treatment, which will probably include some sort of chemotherapy, possibly in conjunction with radiation therapy. That treatment will be dictated by the type of lymphoma, which the further testing will reveal. That’s all the update I have now. Bro Buddy is doing well, in good spirits and will be discharged fairly soon. He asked me to let everyone know via email since he probably won’t feel up to getting on the computer soon. Thank you for your prayers!

Blessings,
Nathan

Posted: November 27th, 2006 under NHL.
Comments: none

Hi Family,

Last week I shared with our Board of Counselors concerning some health issues that I am facing. Perhaps it is time for me to share a bit with all of you concerning my health.

About five years ago the VA hospital diagnosed me with CLL. (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.) This is a condition where too many of a certain type of white blood cell accumulate in the body. (CLL usually develops in people who are 60 or older. I’m now 66.) I was placed on “watch and wait” status.

The interesting thing is that my white blood cells returned to normal and have continued as normal over the past few years. They remain normal to this day. But one of my doctors thinks that CLL may have run its course and that I could now have lymphoma.

Monday, November 27th, I am due for a biopsy. A lymph will be removed for lab examination. If it proves to be lymphoma I’ll then be referred to an oncologist who will determine what treatment is to be had.

On the spiritual side, I am doing very well. There is no fear. Whatever the future holds, I am secure.

Anyway, I thought it would be good to share with all of you. Simply let the Lord guide you in whatever prayers He would have you to pray.

The Lord bless you,

Bro. Buddy

Posted: November 17th, 2006 under NHL.
Comments: none