Peace in the process

I had an amazing opportunity to speak to the young men of Trinity International University's football team last night. I'm so grateful for a chance to meet and hopefully make a difference in the lives of these great guys. They were nothing but gracious and encouraging to me. God continues to open some awesome doors for me to share my story.

I'm sitting here in a hotel room waiting to go see the doctor where I'll learn how effective the treatments have been. I'm doing really well. I can't explain it. I haven't been nervous for the last week. Maybe this morning just a little, but I'm really doing well. God has blessed me with a wonderful gift of peace in the midst of the storm.

I'm relatively symptom free through this process, but I think the gift of peace is the best gift God could give me. My family doesn't always share that deep seated sense that I have. It is not because I'm any more grounded in faith, quite the opposite. I think it's two things;

1. It's easier to be the cancer patient than caretaker. I come out like roses either way. My family has more to lose than I do, and so they appropriately carry a larger burden than I do. As well as they have to watch me go through some uncomfortable times.

2. God has given me this sense of peace as a way to encourage and uplift those around me. I don't deserve it, and certainly haven't earned it.

This is not to say that my family doesn't have peace, they do. However I seem to have fewer down moments than those around me. The other reason is that so many of you guys are praying for us every hour of every day. This is so valuable and we can't put a value on it. We feel your prayers.

In a few hour we'll meet with our doctor again. I'm optimistic about where my body is at. Either way though it will be a long journey. Good news isn't a guarantee that I'll be healed, bad news doesn't mean I'm dead. Things are going to go up and down no matter what the news.

Thank you for our prayers.