Sunday, February 9, 2020

Reflections from the Home Team - February 9, 2020


“Make a conscious effort to surround yourself with positive, nourishing and uplifting people – people who believe in you, encourage you and applaud your victories.” Jack Canfield

Greetings from Cedar Falls,

This past week has been challenging…  I’m sad to share that one of my former students, Will Reinart passed away at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital at the age of 19.  Will had been battling leukemia since he was 9 years old.  I will always remember Will as a caring and loving person who definitely had an ongoing streak of optimism and determination as he dealt with a number of recurrences throughout his ten-year cancer journey.
Will’s journey reminded me of the importance of having our own personal “Home Team” to help offer encouragement, positive influence and support during the challenging times we all will face in our lives. Will definitely had a supportive Home Team which started with his parents, Scott and Susan, his brothers, Sam and Daniel and also included his many classmates, instructors and friends. Surrounding yourself with positive people throughout your life who will compliment you, push you when needed and encourage you will start to seep into your daily life and character.  I know Will’s spirit of optimism and determination definitely impacted my life journey in a very inspiring way!
As you all know, there will be many ups and downs throughout a cancer journey. A comfort for me has been some words that were shared when I was originally diagnosed and working through treatments. Those words were; "Often our prayers and faith don’t save us from something, but rather, they save us for something." That statement has provided me a focus over the years.  I often reflect on that as I've battled the anxieties and difficulties that go with living through cancer. Having faith, family and friends, despite those uneasy and often painful times we face as cancer patients and survivors gives us the strength and stamina to continue on. Will’s journey, and its impact on others through his optimism and determination certainly has helped provide many others, including myself, an inspirational boost. My hope is that each of us, as we struggle with whatever those “afflictions” may be in our lives, be encouraged to take the opportunity to be open about those struggles and seek out faith and friends as a means of support to provide hope and comfort.
One of my most vivid memories of Will at Holmes Jr. High that truly defines the “Home Team” concept, was when our students came through with an incredible support project for Will who had a relapse in eighth grade after he had just undergone a stem cell bone marrow transplant. The Holmes Art Department, along with four of Will’s classmates and a number of Holmes students showed their support for Will by taking orders for yellow paper hats in recognition that September was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. They then sold yellow paper hats at the beginning and end of the school day to help raise funds to support Will and his family during his treatments. Students were given a yellow hat on Friday, September 27th during our Intervention/Enrichment period called “Tiger Time”.  All the students and staff went to the gym and donned their hats to shoot a school wide video.  The video was then shared with the Reinart family and the greater Holmes Junior High community via youtube as a gesture of our caring support for Will and his family.  The money raised along with the video was a way to show our school’s support for the Reinart family. I have listed a link below to view the video to share the story of our students and staff coming together as part of Will’s “Home Team” to provide Will and his family the hope and comfort that only friends and family can provide during such a difficult time.

You Tube link: “A Rally for Will”:

The Assembly made me once again realize how important our friends and loved ones are in helping summon the strength and courage to "fight the battle" against this disease.  I feel so fortunate to have such a team in my “dugout” and I know Will’s family have all of us in their dugout to help provide love, encouragement and support during this difficult time in their lives.  I am so proud of our students for rallying for Will and grateful for having them as a means of support to provide hope and comfort… We often hear people complaining about their suffering and that brings to mind a comment made by Joel Osteen which has stuck with me and seems appropriate after watching our students and staff at the assembly.

“Encouragement is a wonderful thing, and people do not receive enough during difficult times. You need to be around people who are encouraging.”  I have to say, we couldn't be in a better place to have that happen than in our school system and in this community we call home!

This week also brought to mind a couple of verses that I have struggled with regarding the concept of the spiritual disciplines of celebration and gratitude given this past week’s happenings…

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
Philippians 4:4

“Weep with those who weep.” 
Romans 12:15


As I stood in line at Will’s visitation, I couldn’t help but think back to when the initial results of my cancer biopsy in Iowa City were shared with me on my 55th birthday…  I have to be honest… on that day, I literally flunked the Spiritual Discipline of Celebration and Gratitude test. I had been racing from one completed job to another as a Principal prior to that day without stopping to enjoy any of the accomplishments and celebrations along the way. Yet every time I completed one of those jobs and moved on to another, I felt God’s gentle invitation to grow in this discipline. My soul was hungering for the joy, the delight, the opportunity to dance with God in celebration.


The discussion of the spiritual discipline of “celebration” can be quite confrontational and deep. Typically, we celebrate what we intrinsically value. If we look at our discipline(s) in life and/or lack thereof… it might actually point to an unsettling reality that we do not value with our actions what we often profess to value with our words. For me it begs the question of how often do I celebrate my comforts, preferences, or freedoms instead of celebrating Christ for what He accomplished on the cross for me?

I did some reading that morning and the scripture referenced a verse from John 16:33. It really struck home for me talking about how to handle disappointment. I’ve had my share over time, and John speaks true wisdom on how to handle that.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

I’ve often been told we can do whatever we put our mind to do. If we wish hard enough, we can “click our heels” and end up wherever our heart desires most. Some Christians say the same thing in a little different way, that Jesus is our “spiritual candy machine”, dispensing dreams and hopes at the push of a prayer. They say that God wants us to be happy and wants us to have everything we've ever wanted. We just need to believe and pray harder.

But so often, the reality of our life speaks otherwise. Disappointment is part of life in this fallen world. We shouldn't be surprised when things don't work out, when we face difficulty, or when life is disappointing...

We get a health diagnosis that requires treatments that wear us down physically, emotionally and spiritually. We deal with people issues at work that are difficult to navigate a solution for. We feel left out of community in our church. Our children have no interest in spiritual things... the list can go on and on.

Indeed, the disappointments in this life are too many to count.
But John points out there's hope even in the midst of our disappointments.
Jesus said we will have sorrow. We will have disappointments and heartaches. Anyone who tells us otherwise is preaching a false gospel. But Jesus also pointed to our hope, "I have overcome the world." Our hope and joy and contentment/celebration are not found in the things of this world but rather in Christ and what he has accomplished for us.

God often uses our struggles to help us learn from the challenges so that when disappointments come, we can ask ourselves, "What might God be doing?" "What do I need to learn from this?" "How can I seek him in this?"  And rather than despair over our disappointments, we can remember that what disappoints us now will in the end make us more like our Savior. I continue to pray for help in having an eternal perspective... to see my disappointments in the light of what Jesus purchased for me at the cross. I also need help reminding myself that I need to seize disappointments as opportunities to draw closer to Christ, not further away from Him while feeling and seeing His love and grace for me.

May our life journeys and celebrations continue together in and through Christ!

Blessings your way! 

Sincerely, Dave


Are you or someone you know fighting cancer... struggling with the physical, emotional and spiritual issues that accompany a cancer journey or other serious health issue? Making ourselves available to others can open up the doors of opportunity for deeper relationships, healing, and transformation. For many, time is one of the most valuable commodities in today's fast-paced world. Sharing time with others is a wonderful gift. It says, "Here I am... for you. To listen, to care, to serve." The power of presence should never be underestimated!  

Be an encourager in someone else’s life!

To learn more about being an encourager, and to view the Reflections blog, visit the Reflections from the Home Team website at:




























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