Divine Intervention...Divine Process* and a Theology of Rx

February 11,  2012

The Lichi Report

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the Name that is above every other Name; The Lord Jesus Christ!

PRAISE FIRST!!

Had an exciting call from Dr. Lewis, my oncologist Thursday evening that "the numbers are finally coming down to where we want them and the treatments are doing what they are supposed to be doing!" She wanted us to know as soon as she got the results from my most recent blood tests. I don't know all the details but that's good news! Thank you Jesus! Thank you friends and family for your faithful prayers!

Here is the weekly update from our end. 

·         The next round of Revlimid may actually be covered by the insurance after all. Will let you know...but either way I'll be off of this chemo medication for a week before resuming another

3-week course of treatment.

·         Meeting last week with Dr. Samar Narouse, Pain Specialist resulted in setting up a series of 3 lumbar epidural steroid injections. First one is on Valentine's Day!

·         Was able to get in a full week's work at EMERGE.

·         The interview with the Akron Beacon Journal will most likely be printed on February 18th or 19th. The weekend editor told Ms. Collette Jenkins that the "story needed more space."  (Long winded psychologist!) My hope is that Jesus will be lifted up and someone will be encouraged. May He be glorified!

COMING UP

·         Outpatient surgery February 14th, 28th and March 8th for L5  (Lumbar epidural injection)

·         Begin round 5 of chemo-therapy treatment on February 20.

·         February 21st orientation to inpatient treatment at University Hospital.  It will let us know what to expect when I finally do go into isolation to prepare for the bone marrow transplant.

Divine Intervention....Divine Process

Please continue to pray for God's Divine Intervention in this whole cancer treatment process. By this I mean a direct, unmistakable, dramatic, sudden, spectacular, headline grabbing, testimony giving, new book printing touch from our Father. If on the other hand our Father brings healing to my body through His Divine Process (including the prayers and support of the Body of Christ, my chemo-therapy, numerous medical appointments, surgeries, a bone marrow transplant, a host of other  medications I take twice a day) then please pray God will be glorified nonetheless! Does that cover all bases?

I believe in Divine Healing. I believe that Jesus provides for this in the Cross and in His suffering. I don't understand it. I believe at various times in my life I experienced it. One example;  Last May I was scheduled at the General Council of the Christian & Missionary Alliance for two seminars and a book signing for "BROKEN WINDOWS OF THE SOUL" which I co-authored with my dear friend Dr. Arnold Fleagle. I suffered a kidney stone attack when I left Akron, agonized through the airport in Detroit and cried out to God for a miraculous healing on the flight from Detroit to Kansas City. I mean literally cried out for God's miraculous touch! When I got off the plane, I passed the stone and within a day was running as usual and everything went off without a hitch!. Dramatic healing! Answered prayer....yea!

I pray for Divine Healing...but I also believe in Divine Process. And in the midst of Divine Process...I don't want to miss any of God's Divine Moments! In the past three months post-diagnosis there have been literally hundreds of these! Moments where I know God has intervened and opportunities to see Christ lifted up that I could not even imagine pre-diagnosis! The most simple things like prayer with the nurse who is giving me the injections, that "in Jesus name, this medication will do exactly what it is intended to do and kill those cancer cells!"

Is it possible that the discoveries of cancer-killing medications and the advances that have occurred in the treatment of Multiple Myeloma have come because of the common grace of God to exercise dominion over this part of the earth?

A Theology of Rx

So may I talk just a moment about a "theology of RX?" Taking medication for the treatment of cancer represents, for some, a lack of faith in the healing power of God. No one has said that to me mind you..it just comes across in some of the things I've heard and read in the past 3 months

I get confused at times when I hear things like this. "Don, I know it is not God's will that you have this cancer!" "You are not designed by God, as a Christian to get sick!" I agree... I think.

However we live in a fallen world and so many times out of so many times people are visited with the various effects of the "fall." For some it is bad eyes. For others diabetes, hearing loss, heart disease....well you get the idea right? Are the effects of the fall God's perfect will? Of course not! Nor was the "fall" itself..but it happened for which to some degree we are all affected! Thanks Adam and Eve for not obeying God about that tree! (Genesis 3:3)

Now...stay with me for a while longer o.k.? Our dominion mandate as a human race was given to us before the fall in Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." That's about all there was at the time to take dominion over (creeeeeppppiiiinnngggg thhhiiinnngggsss!)

For what are we to take dominion over now?

·         Runny noses (Kleenex)

·         Bad hair days (I know a great cosmologist)

·         The air (Delta)

·         The sea (ships except certain Italian cruise lines)

·         The ground (Fords and Toyotas)

·         My desk? (please don't get so personal!)

·         Cancer! (working on it)

In other words, the "dominion mandate" didn't change with the fall and entrance of sin to this planet. God has given through both special and common grace the ability to think, to discover, to create, to invent, to research, ....to take dominion over this planet! What a great challenge and privilege to do so!

I happen to believe that much of Divine Process is to partner with God in this incredibly exciting journey of discovery and dominion over a particularly ugly part of this earth....and yes I'm talking about my cancer. Take dominion! Let those cancer cells be killed....all to the glory of Jesus!

If you are sick...pray for healing. Call the elders. Let them anoint you and pray for you! Grow in your faith! And....take your medication. Divine Intervention...Divine Process.

Final Comment

Saturate your heart and mind with God's Word. I love to listen to Scriptures on healing and believe that there must be some special way that these Scriptures go deep to my soul. I encourage you to draw close to Jesus for whatever journey God has called you to travel at this time of your life. He loves you! He values you! He is willing to forgive you! He is changing you! Amen!

Much love to you dear friends and family!

Don and Marcie

*Special thanks to Dr. M. Wayne Benson, former President of Emerge Ministries for introducing me to the concept of Divine Intervention and Divine Process.