And this too shall pass.

This past week, Julie and I got some good news. We started this journey with my numbers being around 5,738 and after only three rounds of treatment, my numbers are now 640. The Doctor said that because the numbers are looking this good, we should only have three more rounds of this treatment instead of five to seven more rounds of treatment. All my recent biopsies from the upper and lower GI were benign and I am looking forward to not doing that again for a while. After my body rest from the chemo, one of the last treatments they will give me is stem cell therapy. This will be a month-long treatment that requires isolation. I am telling you all of this because I want you to know that everyone is going through something. Julie is going through her set of issues; I am going through my set of issues, and you are going through your set of issues. All of us need to know somebody cares. All of us need to be held up from time to time. All of us need His peace and His care. All of us need to be faithful through the journey. It is true that God is often best seen through the trials of life. Anyone can be faithful through the easy times, even though those seem to be the time’s complacency sets in, but faith is most clearly seen in the trials of life. When the world says, “I would give up if I was you” if you keep walking in faith, your life is a light to all who are watching. So, no matter what your trial is today, keep on walking in faith because the glory of God is shining through. In Him J. Tom Washburn

Ding, Ding, Round Four

We have finished three rounds of treatment with an extra procedure just for fun. Round four starts this Monday. I wish I could tell you I knew what to expect, but each round has had challenges all its’ own. Even though I can not see around the corner, even though I do not know what this round holds for me, there are some things I know for sure. I know that Julie will stay with me and pray for me through whatever is ahead. I know that Christ is the ever-present unseen companion on this journey. I know this is just for a time. I know there is coming a day when the “C” word will not take up so much of my thoughts. I know this low-level constant pain will someday be a distant memory. I know that eventually, I will have my strength back. I know that someday I will be able to walk and even run without growing faint. I am reminded of the passage in Isa 40:29-31 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. N.I.V. I look forward to the day when my cane stands in the corner and is unneeded. Until that day comes, I will lean on the arms of my wife, family, and friends, and I will lean heavily into the power of Christ. In Him J. Tom Washburn Fully Rely On God

Health Update and Old Clothes

Before I share with you some of the things I have learned from my journey, I want to share with you my present health update. I am still in treatment and some days are better than others. The past two or three weeks have been difficult. Every treatment cycle seems to come with its own challenges and new side effects. This cycle seemed to have more nausea than the first two cycles. The new development of this cycle is that my skin feels like it has been scalded. I have a hard time feeling hot or cold and whenever I am touched, it feels like little pins are rubbing on my skin. This past week my legs have felt like they are on fire from the inside, and it seems to have weakened my legs a bit. Next week I will have an upper and lower G.I. procedure and then my body can rest until the twenty-first. All in all, I am doing well, and I am grateful to have a good family and church family. Old Clothes In Colossians chapter 3, Paul talks about getting rid of the old and clothing yourself with the new. This past weekend Julie and I went to a mall, and we found some new clothes that fit my new shape. My old clothes don’t fit the new shape I carry around. My old pants, fall right off if I don’t tighten my belt. My shirts just hang off my shoulders. It was time for the things people see on the outside to match the things that are going on with the inside. As Christians, we need to change clothes. The old clothes of greed, anger, rage, slander, and malice don’t fit the new you. We don’t need to try and make them fit. Words like “that’s just the way I am” aren’t true of the new you. We need to let those old clothes fall away and we need to clothe ourselves with clothes that show the world our new character. Compassion, kindness, humility, and gentleness are the new wardrobe of the Christian. So, check your closet. Get rid of all those old clothes that don’t belong in your life any longer. Let the world know, let the world see, that you are a new creation, and the old things are gone forever. In Him J. Tom Washburn

The Big Shiny Bell

When you enter the Walker Cancer Center, one of the first things you notice is a big shiny bell. This big shiny bell with a braided rope attached to the clapper is not a high-end decoration; it is a symbol of victory and hope. Patients who have completed their treatments are encouraged to ring the bell as a way of announcing to the world, “I have overcome; this illness did not get the best of me.” When I finished my radiation treatments, the nurses asked me if I wanted to ring the bell? I was shocked because I had only started my course of treatments; radiation was just a tiny part of the overall treatment plan I was going to go through. I politely told the ladies that I would prefer to wait until I was finished before ringing the bell. I want the bell to be the last thing I hear in my ear when I leave the cancer center for the last time after the final treatment. I don’t want to grow complacent by celebrating the journey’s beginning like it is the journey’s end. Sometimes, we celebrate the beginning of our walk with Christ as though it was the end. We must stay focused on the end. Entering the covenant relationship with Christ is not the end of the journey; it is the beginning. Repenting is not the final phase; it is the first. When I started my cancer walk, I had, and still have, a very specific prayer “God help me be faithful to the end.” I want the sound of the great shiny bell to be ringing in my ears as I walk into the arms of Christ. My journey looks like it will be longer now than it did when we began this journey, but my prayer is still the same. There will be victories and celebrations along the way, but they are never a stopping point; they are not the end; they are just encouragements that keep me going. I will ring the big bell at the Walker Cancer Center someday, and it will be a good day, but the best day is still ahead of me. And when people ask why all of these things happened, I hope they will be able to give an answer that points people to Christ. John 9:3 "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” NIV In Him J. Tom Washburn