And just one more

A life well lived especially hard cirumstance is an honor to Christ.

"Living in the moment" has held a deeper meaning for me as I've journeyed with Jesus through my own struggles. I pray you will continue to draw closer to Him and see the beauty in each day. He is in the details!

Thank you for your honesty--I find your story and how you tell it to be very inspiring.

The translated Rumi excerpt that I mentioned in my previous message is shown below:

Borrow the Beloved's eyes.
Look through them and you'll see the Beloved's face;
everywhere.
No tiredness, no jaded boredom.
"I shall be your eye and your hand and your loving."
Let that happen, and things you hated will become helpers.

A certain preacher always prays long and with enthusiasm
for thieves and muggers that attack people on the street.
"Let your mercy, O Lord, cover their insolence."
He doesn't pray for the good, but only for the blatantly cruel.
Why is this? his congregation asks.

"Because they have done me such generous favours.
Every time I turn back toward the things they want, I run into them.
They beat me and leave me nearly dead in the road,
and I understand, again, that what they want is not what I want.
They keep me on the spiritual path.
That's why I honour them and pray for them."

Those things which return our attention to the Beloved, which strip away the layers of illusion, and return us to that naked state which alone allows us to directly apprehend, are the best friends, even as they arrive in the guise of hardships. This is a very difficult lesson to learn, and it is learned only through experience and practice.

The worst thing would be if we were to live forever. What value is given to that of which there is an infinite supply? It is precisely because our lives are of limited length, and because there is no guarantee that we will see the dawn, that life is appreciated fully; but we must remember this, and not become lost in the distractions. Live with intimate awareness of death's proximity. Death is the friend who teaches the value of life, of this moment, and it restores us from the stresses of the inconsequential by directing our attention to the Presence which permeates life. Do not stand in terror as you approach the threshold, but with joyful anticipation of full immersion in the Beloved's gaze wait as a bride awaits her groom to part the final veil.

May the Lord bless you with a complete and speedy recovery!

Thank you, David, for your honesty both in your blogs and your book, which after reading it made me see how your faith was growing even before confronting the tumor. You saw so much of how hypocritical "religious" and even believers in Christ can be, but you kept your eyes of Jesus. We will always be failed by ourselves or others but not our Saviour.
As I have fought metastatic cancer for the past beautiful and horrible four years, I continue to have my moments of wanting to "see the angels" too. Then just when I wonder if I can keep going through all the chemo side effects and good news/bad news diagnostic testing results, God sends me what I need to make it through that day or even hour. Tonight, it was your blog. I thought through moments when a family member or friend, a pastor, a beautiful piece of God's creation or some music has encouraged me to take another step forward.
Thank you David for sharing your faith and life experiences, esp. the difficult ones. I pray that since you posted that you and your family have been sensing God's love and will have a blessed Christmas.
I will be looking forward to your future blogs and books (thinking about it?) Merry Christmas and praying you have a wonderful coming new year.

Best in the new year, Brer David.

As one who lives with a chronic illness (Juvenile Diabetes), I have come to realize what I see as a curse truly can be a gift from God.

I tell people it makes me "live life on purpose".

I pray for a complete recovery from the cancer for you!

you should try alternative medicine. you as a christian should know that humans were created in the image of god, so if humans are constantly sick and need pharmaceuticals, wouldn't that be saying God is weak?
natural medicine helps the body's immune system defeat the cancer. the FDA and big pharma is as much corrupt as the neocons that destroyed America in the last 8 years.