I have been writing this blog now for more than 12 years. Originally it started out as a way to share our ministry on Guam with Liebenzell Mission USA and at Pacific Islands University with mission partners and anyone interested in what was happening in the churches of Guam and Micronesia. There are more than 10 years of archives, pictures and stories about that and those will be there as long as I am able to have this blog outlet. But, God has brought some different challenges and direction into my life over the last two years – yes we have been on the “cancer adventure” for almost two years now. This has brought some big changes into my writing, some of which were beginning to happen even before we left Guam. Over the last 5-6 years I have been posting more of my devotional and theological thoughts, quotes and thoughts from books I have been reading and other things that interest me. I mainly did it to force myself to organize my own thoughts and try to think better. It seems that some people were blessed by this, learned something from it and follow it, and for that I am thankful.
Two years ago I was diagnosed with cancer and my life changed. We moved from Guam to California for medical treatment and are still in the cancer treatment process. I have been cancer free for 9 months now and am looking forward to being officially “cancer free” after the 1 year mark in December. The LORD gave me a vision for these last two years to be a “minister” through all of this to continue reading the Bible and sharing what God was teaching me; to be open, frank and (sometimes) funny about the whole cancer process and how it related to my faith in Jesus Christ; and to try to share God’s blessings in the normal everyday life of family, friends, and normal stuff that happens to all of us. The world is a messed up place and we suffer, but relationship, connection, joy and meaning with and to God has already been accomplished, and is available in Christ. God isn’t mad at us. He loves us and goes through all of it with us.
Thus, the blog takes a new turn on September 1. Some things will be the same. I will be reading through the Old Testament over the next couple years and blogging through theologies, commentaries on it as before. I will be teaching a PIU OT course this Fall on line as a volunteer teacher and I am excited about that. Joyce and I also plan to begin some itinerant ministry with Micronesian groups and any interested churches this Fall. We will start slowly as I recover from the effects of cancer and chemo. I will also continue to share what God is doing in my life. I will begin posting original devotionals from my New Testament readings on MWF next week, beginning with the Gospel of Mark. In these I want to focus on how the Spirit is applying God’s word to my life.
My life “Mission Verse” is Ezra 7.10, “Now Ezra had focused his life on the detailed study of Yahweh’s Torah (God’s revelation of himself) to applying it to his daily life and to teaching all its elements to the people (Israel) around him. (My applicational translation/paraphrase). I believe God has given me a ministry of teaching the Bible wherever I go, in a way that relates it to the people around me, whoever they are. So I will continue sharing what is going in my head, my life, my family, my challenges, my trials, my heart etc. I’ll try my best to do it openly and honestly and to share what God’s is saying to me through his word and other things he brings into my life without holding anything back. I welcome your comments here or on Facebook.
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