Good on the Outside

We all strive to look good on the outside. We take care of our hair so that others will take notice of us. We wear nice and, at times, uncomfortable clothes so we can fit in with the right crowd. We buy moisturizers, makeup, and concealers so people won’t see our actual flaws. We go to the gym so we can grow big muscles that we will only use at the gym and so that others will be impressed by how strong we are. We spend much time working on our outsides because that is easier than working on our insides. Jesus didn’t care about the way people looked on the outside. Jesus didn’t care how many birthdays you had seen. Jesus didn’t care about the color of your skin or the numbers in your bank account. Jesus saw beyond the surface and wanted to heal the inside. One overriding sin can cause all kinds of trouble. You see, a single sin never stays a single sin. When King David lusted, that sin sent fingers into almost every part of David’s character and his soul. Just one sin controlled David so much that he became an adulterer, liar, and murderer, and he included others in his sin. The same thing can happen to all of us. Sin always leaves a mark, and it can only be overcome by the power of Jesus Christ. Before this cancer journey, I looked good on the outside. I had no idea how much was wrong on the inside. My cancer, Multiple Myeloma, was causing all kinds of issues throughout my entire body. This little cancer made my bones weak, giving me anemia and kidney issues. This little cancer was starving the rest of my body of healthy red blood cells. The Doctors could have chosen only to attack each symptom, not the disease. The symptoms might have gone away for a short time, but they would have returned because the root of the issue remained. With my body, the Doctors are attacking the root issue, and the other problems seem to improve as the root issue is addressed. I will carry some of the residual scars, maybe for the rest of my life, but they are just a reminder of the healing that has taken place. In your spiritual walk, you must figure out the root sin that allows all other sins to access your life. Often time people lie because pride is their ruler. People take from others because they have never dealt with greed. Just as I will be taking pills for some time to come, all of us need to take prayer as a prescription from God to help us grow in our walk with Him. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Last Sermon for awhile

Next Sunday will be the last Sunday that I can worship with the Austin Avenue Church Of Christ in person for a little over three months. I am not looking forward to that absence because this church body has been a great source of strength to Julie and me. While I cannot feel your hugs and see your smiles, I know of your great love. You blessed Julie and me with the freedom to work on my treatments and recovery. You took away so many concerns with your generous gift. We know we are not alone; you surround us with support; even when we cannot see you physically, we know of your love and concern. We are not alone; we know that Christ is with us every step of the way. I am reminded of David’s great passage of comfort, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me.” This next Sunday, I want to share the most important message I know how to give. I want to talk to you about pursuing God. It is not about rules; it is about relationship. I am grateful that God has led me to this point and this place. I want you to know the peace that comes from trusting in Christ and trusting that He is enough. For all of those who are in covenant with Him, trust Him. For those who are not in covenant with Him, don’t wait any longer. The next step in my treatment will not be easy, but it is necessary. God has prepared Julie to be my caregiver. God has prepared me to endure. God has prepared you to be a light of faithful trust to a whole community that is watching. May we all live a life worthy of our calling. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Stem Cells and The Holy Spirit

I operate under the paradigm that truth is always true, and all truth can teach us something about, or from, our Creator. An easy-to-understand example is when you add something to something else; you end up with something that has been changed from its origin. We are changed when we add something to our lives or take something out of our lives. The trick is finding those things that help us grow in a positive and godly direction. The next step in my cancer treatment is to go through stem cell therapy. They will kill my immune system and then reintroduce my stem cells (after they have been purified) back into my body. This process will leave me vulnerable to diseases and infections until I have grown a new immune system. This process will take twenty-eight days in a hospital facility and seventy-two days in isolation at home. I will not be restored for one full year, but I should be able to function with caution after the first one hundred days. In addition to quarantine, I will be put on maintenance medication to help me continue fighting cancer in my body. As I think about and ponder on the things that are ahead for Julie and me, I could not help but think of how the Holy Spirit functions in the life of a believer. As my immune system, the Holy Spirit helps me fight the disease and cancer of sin. When I became a Christian, all my sin was washed away, but that doesn’t mean the attack of sin was eliminated. I need the power of the Holy Spirit to fight the sin that wants to reclaim me, and I need the maintenance that comes from prayer and The Word to help me continue my journey of sanctification. This isn’t going to be easy, but true repentance is seldom easy. I am going through this procedure because it gives me hope. We go through the process of repentance because it gives us hope and leads us to the One who gives us life. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Count it Pure Joy?

In his letter, James teaches a hard truth, listen to what he says in James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (NIV) We can only make it through the hard times is to keep our focus on the end results. High School boys focus on the first football game of the season when they are suffering through two-a-days. Backpackers focus on the comfort of the campfire they will have that night as they push on down the trail. As Christians, we focus on Christ and the splendid reward that is waiting for us when we are under attack from the enemy. As I visited with my new doctor this past Monday, she told me about the difficulty I will go through when I have the stem cell procedure. First, they will harvest my bone marrow. Next, Julie and I will spend four weeks in isolation in Dallas. The first 14 days will be in the hospital, and the next 14 days will be spent in the hospital’s apartment. During that time, they will kill my immune system with a harsh chemo drug, and after that, they will put my stem cells, which have been purified, back into my body. I have been told that I will get very sick, but I will be good to go for a few more years when everything is over. Too often, we miss out on the more significant reward by settling for the lesser comfort of the right now. We don’t want to go through the difficult times that bring us to the greater reward. That is true in our physical life and our spiritual life. Trials given to us by God are not meant to defeat us; they are there to strengthen us. They can help us learn to lean on Him more and, in the process, increase our faith. I may not be looking forward to the four weeks of treatment ahead of me, but I am looking forward to week number five. Set your focus on Christ in your Christian walk and start looking forward to week number five. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Don’t Be Surprised

Have you ever found yourself surprised? We pray, and then we find ourselves surprised by how God chooses to answer. I am in my last round of chemo (at least this type of chemo) before starting the next phase of my treatments. My appointment at U.T. Southwestern in Dallas was initially scheduled for August 2nd. That appointment seemed a long way off, and Julie and I didn’t want to lose any ground that we had made up to this point in my treatment, so Julie began to pray. On Monday, I received a call, and my appointment had been changed to May 2nd. That’s right; my appointment was changed from 3 months away to this Monday at 2:00. Julie and I were amazed and grateful. God’s plan is always better than mine. I don’t know what you are worried about, but I know this, God has an answer, and it is better than the plan you have in mind. Give it to Him and trust that He will do what is best for you and His glory.

It’s not Over until It’s Over

First days can be difficult. After your first yard workday, you are sore in places you had forgotten about all winter long. After your first day of weightlifting, you are sore in places you didn’t know could be sore. After your first day of serious running, you question why you did such a torturous thing to your body. We all want the results, but a journey must be taken to achieve those results. There are no real shortcuts in the process. James puts it this way in James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. I have been told about a great outcome in my cancer walk, but I still have a journey ahead of me. This week has been difficult. I was given good news (mild remission), and I must continue taking the drug that makes me hurt and gives me a fever. While this is the last month (for a while) that I need to take this drug, I still need to go through the journey to get to the place where they need me to be. I have been told of a great outcome in my Christian walk (salvation and a home in heaven), but I still have a journey ahead of me. Some days will be difficult, but the promise is still true. I still need to go through the journey to get to the place where God wants me to be. May we all be faithful through the journey until we hear the trumpet. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Good News and Better News to Come

This week the Doctor gave Julie and me some good news. He said I was in mild remission. He took me off all my medications except the one that makes me weak, sore, and nauseous. We are now waiting for the next step. Julie and I are now waiting for a call from U.T. Southwestern so we can get started on preparing for the Stem Cell procedure (they will kill my immune system, remove my stem cells, clean them, and put them back in me). Julie and I will go through this month-long procedure and recovery after my body has rested and no chemo medications at all (Yea). I want to thank all of you for your prayers and concern during this six-month journey; yes, this started in October. For the next two weeks, I will continue to have all the symptoms I am currently experiencing, but I can see a brief respite. It seems like a long time since I have not carried a high level of pain and nausea, but I am looking forward to that day. Over the past six months, I have learned many lessons. I have learned to accept help, let others do what they can do, humility, and be reminded of what is essential. People don’t need to be comfortable with Christ; they need to be confronted with Him. I have been reminded, with a laser focus, that this life is not all there is; in fact, this life is not the best there is. I have also been convicted that Jesus Christ is my salvation's basis, root, and total sum. I am saved because I am in Him, not because of who I am or what I have done. I am saved because He is enough, and His promises are true. I don’t need to fret over my past because it has been forgiven. I can sleep at night because I know. My prayer is not for long life, my prayer is for eternity, and I have the same prayer for you. That prayer is only answered In Christ Alone. I want you to have His peace, and I want you to experience the blessing that comes from being involved in His Body. Life may be short, but His promises are true, lean into His promises and receive His blessings. In Him J. Tom Washburn