In this blog and the accompanying book Cancer's Windrunners, I want to share with you what I have learned from a group of amazing patients who journeyed with God through their cancers. They seemed to live lives of more purpose, meaning and joy — and often longer than I ever expected. Whatever was going on with them I wanted — and wanted to pass on to my other patients. HERE IT IS IN BLOG FORM. For opportunities of a secular journey in a life with cancer, see the Bell Lap Blog.
Submitted by Dr. Robert F. Lane on
After quoting Philippians 1:6, Wendell told me that his calling was to be on the pulpit of the church up the street every Sunday, “so Doc, give me the best stuff you got that will get me on that pulpit in two days and every Sunday thereafter for long as possible".
Submitted by Dr. Robert F. Lane on
REMEMBER - start with Blogs 1-74 on the CancerDocTalk.com for practical advise on running your Bell Lap, understanding and making the most out of interaction with doctors, evaluating data and making decisions.
Wendell had something I had never seen before. I might have mistaken it for courage, but it was something else - something that didn't need courage. He was 55, fit and healthy, just a little pale and a little slower on his track workouts
Wendell never saw it coming, but AML, Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, had just arrived which in 1982 was a virtual death sentence.
Submitted by Dr. Robert F. Lane on
So I gave Wendell the mild office chemotherapy thinking it was little more than a placebo and pretty soon I started seeing what a Windrunner looks like. There was no wild spiritualizing, no touting God’s grace, love and power, and no boasting about his own faithfulness and commitment, no claiming what God owed him or how God was certain to rescue him. He simply went on with his family life, loving his wife and raising his daughters and son -- and with his ministry – but with even more power and eloquence. There was a peace about him I could little fathom nor much understand.
Submitted by Dr. Robert F. Lane on
Where did the strength and courage to acknowledge those painful, frightening feelings come from? They endeared him to people and increased his credibility, but where did they come from? He told me it was not about bravery; it was about trust. He confessed that the first time he trusted Jesus to direct his steps, inhabit in his circumstances, and mold his heart, it took courage, but now that he had done it so many times, confidence had replaced the need for courage.
Submitted by Dr. Robert F. Lane on
Today I want to introduce you to some of the Windrunners whose stories inhabit the pages of the book CANCER'S WINDRUNNERS. Next week will address Divine Healing from Chapter 11
Before meeting some Windrunners remember that everyone Jesus healed eventually died - including Lazarus and all the disciples - most in horrific ways. Remember that when the ending of this life, the hor d' oeuvres course, comes, it only means the main course is about to be served. But only to those at the table - ie those who actually make it to Heaven. Let your appetite be piqued.
