Reflections from the Home Team, July 26, 2012                                  

“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” 2 Corinthians 5:1; 

Greetings from Cedar Falls,

I wanted to share an update with you as it’s been a while… I continue to be cancer free and what I prefer to refer to as a “determined survivor”.  I have had some more  throat concerns over the past few weeks, but am working through those as they appear yet again to be side effects from chemo and radiation treatments. I continue to successfully manage the arthritis symptoms in my jaw and neck through my bio-feedback and daily exercise routines each morning.  The routine helps keep me motivated to “work out” each day which is certainly a good thing.

I have had an opportunity to continue my reading (Do Not Lose Heart by Dave Dravecky) as we spent some time away up in Door County with our family, and that was awesome. We have spent many years traveling to our favorite spot there as a family, camping, biking, swimming and fishing.  It gave me some time to reflect on my journey not only with cancer, but with my family as we have spent all those years camping in tents, trailers, cabins and more recently vacation homes. If you go camping, you may live in a tent for a few days, you can even make the tent very comfortable, you can bring with you chairs and tables, cookery, utensils and a mobile air condition unit to cool down in a baking hot summer day, but you know where you are is still a tent, and you would soon need to pack up and go home after camping because a tent is a temporary shelter. It’s fun to camp in a tent, but let’s face it, it’s not home. There is no fireplace, no cozy chair, and no soft bed. It’s cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and leaky when it rains. And the older it gets, the more it sags. Eventually it frays and tears. (I have my 40^th High School class reunion this weekend, and I think we may hear a few stories of sagging, fraying and tearing, just all part of the “maturing” process.)

In his book Do Not Lose Heart, Dave Dravecky shares a powerful example that illustrates our bodies as temporary tents. The piece reminds me that our focus must be on the building to come which we have with God, not the “tent” we have now. The title of the piece is, “O Mr. Tentmaker” and it has provided me a great perspective as I move forward on my journey with this disease.

 

Writing to the Tentmaker The Tent-Dweller writes:

 
O Mr. Tentmaker;
It was nice living in this tent when it was strong and secure and the sun was shining and the air warm. But Mr. Tentmaker, it’s scary now. You see, my tent is acting like it is not going to hold together; the poles seem weak and they shift with the wind. A couple of stakes have wiggled loose from the sand; and worst of all, the canvas has a rip. It no longer protects me from beating rain or stinging fly. It’s scary in here, Mr. Tentmaker.

Last week I went to the repair shop and some repairman tried to patch the rip in my canvas. It didn’t help much, though, because the patch pulled away from the edges and now the tear is worse. What troubled me most, Mr. Tentmaker, is that the repairman didn’t seem to notice I was still in the tent; he just worked on the canvas while I shivered inside. I cried out once, but no one heard me. I guess my first real question is: Why did you give me such a flimsy tent? I can see by looking around the campground that some of the tents are much stronger and more stable than mine. Why, Mr. Tentmaker, did you pick a tent of such poor quality for me? And even more important, what do you intend to do about it?

In his reply, the Tentmaker writes:
O little tent dweller, as the Creator and Provider of tents, I know all about you and your tent, and I love you both. I made a tent for myself once, and lived in it in your campground. My tent was vulnerable, too, and some vicious attackers ripped it to pieces while I was still in it…on a cross. It was a terrible experience, but you will be glad to know they couldn’t hurt me. In fact, the whole experience was a tremendous advantage because it is this very victory over my enemy that frees me to be a present help to you.

O little tent dweller, I am now prepared to come and live in your tent with you, if you’ll invite me. You’ll learn as we dwell together that real security comes from My being in your tent with you. When the storms come, you can huddle in my arms and I’ll hold you. When the canvas rips, we’ll go to the repair shop together.

Someday, little tent dweller, some day your tent is going to collapse. You see, I’ve designed it only for temporary use. But when it does you and I are going to leave together. I promise not to leave before you do. And then, free of all that would hinder or restrict, we will move to our permanent home and together, forever, we will rejoice and be glad.

When we ourselves, a friend, relative, parent or anyone very dear to us is struggling with cancer, or some other life threatening disease, sometimes we feel numbed, bereaved, disappointed, and angry as all kinds of negative sensations flood the mind. As Christians we need to remember that though we are suffering the trials of fighting such a battle, it is our earthly tents which are being impacted, and that we can look forward to forevermore living in a new building, not temporary tents anymore, but rather a new building built with hands by God. There we can live forever and neither death nor suffering will have any sway over us.

2 Corinthians 5:1; “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”

May you enjoy the rest of your summer!

Sincerely, Dave

Link to: Reflections from the Home Team BLOG
http://reflectionsfromthehometeam.blogspot.com/

Link to Youtube: Reflections from the "Home Team"... Go the Distance
 

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T48dqzhPah4&feature=related

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP2ZapPoWtY&feature=related

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eaJ71v_lQ8&feature=related
Link to: Tommy Emmanuel and "Angelina"
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhR04kmcSXU

Reflections from the Home Team April 30, 2012

"I've had my share of "falls" in the past few years and I know that cancer has introduced me to real suffering. In turn, suffering is what has truly strengthened my faith. I need to remain focused, determined and rely on my faith so that I can recover as I experience those falls."

Greetings from Cedar Falls,

Just getting back from Iowa City where I had my 3 month labs and scans done today.
I’ve had an upper respiratory problem that has been impacting me for about a month
and the side effects of treatments continue to be persistent. I have been successfully
managing those side effects through my bio-feedback and daily exercise routines each
morning. Typically, the thought lurks in my mind that my “opponent” has returned to go
extra innings. That makes the journey a continuing challenge from an emotional and
physical standpoint. The respiratory concerns were addressed today by my team of
doctors and the very good news is that my lungs are clear as the labs and scans have
shown that my cancer has not returned, and, just as importantly, I have been referred to
the “SURVIVORS CLINIC”! I will continue to work with my oncologist, Dr. Claman, but
the rest of my treatments and follow up will be processed through the survivor’s clinic on
a regular basis until I successfully reach my 5 year anniversary. That has been a goal
of mine for the past two years, and I’m excited to have attained it!

As often happens when in Iowa City, I get to visit with people who are experiencing
difficult circumstances and I always appreciate the opportunity to interact. As I was
sitting in the waiting area between tests today, I had a chance to visit with a young lady
who had lost both her legs in a motorcycle-car accident about two years ago. As she
was riding with her fiancee, a drunk driver hit them while crossing the center line and
her fiancee was killed and she lost both her legs. I was amazed at her upbeat attitude
as she talked through the accident. I asked her what she found to be her source of
strength as she recovered from the accident. Her reply was simply, “God has always
been with me and I’m not alone”. Her positive and upbeat approach while we discussed
her accident and the trials that followed inspired and challenged me to remain focused,
determined and positive as I move forward on my own journey. It seems God always
puts someone in my life just as I need them to keep me upbeat and moving forward. We
shared a prayer together for others in the waiting area who were waiting to be treated
and went about our appointments.

I continue to read to find comfort and inspiration as my journey moves on, and a thought
by Richard Rohr in his book Falling Upward really sticks with me; "There will always be
at least one situation in our lives that we cannot fix, control, explain, change, or even
understand... and in turn we learn how to recover from falling by falling”. I've had my
share of "falls" in the past few years and I know that cancer has introduced me to real
suffering. In turn, suffering is what has truly strengthened my faith. I need to remain
focused, determined and rely on my faith so that I can recover as I experience those
falls.

I've also found comfort in reading Dave Dravecy's books When you can’t Comeback
and Called Up which target the focus, determination and faith it takes to “come back”
from a journey with cancer. In his seventh year in Major League Baseball while pitching
for the San Francisco Giants, a cancerous tumor was discovered in Dave’s pitching
arm. The next years were a whirlwind of surgery, radiation, pain and depression.
Eventually, Dave’s arm was amputated to stop the spread of the cancer and save his
life.

I heard Dave speak a couple years ago at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes rally I
attended, and some words he shared that evening have truly stuck with me. “When
God wants to do an impossible thing, He takes an impossible man and crushes him.”
I've experienced this, and witnessed it in Iowa City on numerous occasions as I visit
with others who are facing challenges in their lives, including the young lady I had the
privilege of visiting with today. When facing these challenges, our mindset needs to be
what Dave talks about during his comeback from cancer surgery to professional
baseball.

“God doesn't promise us a life full of mountain-top experiences. There will be valleys to
go through, too. Dark valleys. Disorienting valleys. Valleys of depression and despair.
What He promises is not a road map that will give us a detour around those valleys, but
that He will walk through those valleys with us. When we emerge from those
experiences, we look back and realize that that is where the growth is. It isn't on the
mountaintops, above the timberlines; it's in the valleys.”
 
Sometimes it's hard to visualize growth opportunities in the midst of challenges facing
us, but that is where our faith, mindset, and supportive friends and family enter the
picture. I continue to thank each of you for being part of my journey and wish you and
your families good health as we stay focused, determined and true to our faith as we
face each of our own lives’ challenges!

Sincerely,

Dave

Link to: Reflections from the Home Team BLOG
http://reflectionsfromthehometeam.blogspot.com/

Link to Youtube: Reflections from the "Home Team"... Go the Distance
 
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T48dqzhPah4&feature=related

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP2ZapPoWtY&feature=related

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eaJ71v_lQ8&feature=related

Link to: Tommy Emmanuel and "Angelina"
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhR04kmcSXU

Reflections from the Home Team, February 26, 2012

  Reflections from the Home Team, February 26, 2012

 "We often can find God’s strength in our times of greatest weakness!  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. "

Greetings!

It’s been a while since my last update and I wanted you to know I am excited that today, I am celebrating my three year anniversary since being diagnosed with cancer on this date in 2009. Still cancer free and a survivor!!  My next full scan will come in April and my hope is to get referred to the “Survivors Clinic” at the University of Iowa’s Clinical Cancer Center. The journey continues as I have had some recent “tune up and maintenance” sessions in Iowa City with regard to some lingering side effects from treatments, but I am attempting to manage them through bio- feedback for pain management and daily exercise routines. I am really trying to continue to avoid the “medication route” if at all possible and so far it’s been working for me.

As my journey continues, I have had several recent discussions with friends and acquaintances all having a similar connection.  Each has had experiences with multiple cancer diagnosis in their families, and all have asked the question “Why has God allowed this to happen to our family?”  I have to be honest, that question was one that often came to mind for me during treatments and journey as well.  As I was sitting in the waiting room in Iowa City earlier this month, a young lady was sitting beside me having a hard time keeping her composure as her husband had been recently diagnosed with a malignant tumor, just after he had lost his father to cancer several weeks earlier.  We began to visit, and she just felt overwhelmed at the situation.  I shared I was sorry to hear her news, but told her that her husband was in great hands with the team of doctors who work with cancer patients here in Iowa City.  Sometimes, the best thing we can do is listen, so I did and offered my prayers for her and her family.  

The question this young lady raised is one my family and I have struggled with many times, and one that sticks in my mind as I celebrate my third anniversary since being diagnosed with cancer. A comfort for me has been some words that were shared when I was originally diagnosed and working through treatments, and then again were shared at a recent Sunday morning service. Those words; "Jesus doesn't save us from something, He saves us for something" have provided me a focus over the past three years.  I often reflect on that as I've battled the anxieties and difficulties that go with living through cancer, and in turn, have firmly decided that I'm not about to give up!   I truly believe that God cares about our afflictions and is more than able to bring us through them.  We often get placed in what has sometimes been referred to as the "fiery furnace of testing",  and having faith that Christ is with us always despite those uneasy and often painful times we face as cancer patients and survivors gives us the strength and stamina to continue .  I believe we can have an impact on others who may be facing similar trials by modeling a positive and determined "attitude" as we battle this disease each and every day.  Just could be that is what God is "saving us for".

The picture above comes from the photographic studio of Rob Bohning and depicts for me both the strength and peace that can come from having faith, despite the afflictions that we often have which will test each of us.   We often can find God’s strength in our times of greatest weakness!  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.   I can't thank all of you enough for the prayers, love, support and strength you have provided both me and my family during the past three years, and hope that as we prepare for this Easter season, we all keep in mind that He suffered, died and has risen for each one of us.  I’m truly excited to be able to have the opportunity to celebrate yet another Easter season together!

Dave

Link to:  Reflections from the Home Team BLOG 

http://reflectionsfromthehometeam.blogspot.com/

Link to Youtube: Reflections from the "Home Team"... Go the Distance
http://vimeo.com/53873087

Link to: Tommy Emmanuel and "Angelina" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhR04kmcSXU

Reflections From the Home Team, December 11, 2011

Reflections from the Home Team, December 10, 2011

“Though all three men faced the same hardship, their differing perceptions of it appeared to be shaping their fates. Louie and Phil's hope displaced their fear and inspired them to work toward their survival and each success renewed their physical and emotional vigor. Mac's resignation seemed to paralyze him and the less he participated in their efforts to survive, the more he slipped. Though he did the least, as the days passed, it was he who faded the most. Louie and Phil's optimism, and Mac's hopelessness was becoming self-fulfilling.”  Louis Zamperini

Greetings from Cedar Falls,

I just wanted to fill you all in following my regular 3 month check in Iowa City this past week. Lab work and screens on Thursday revealed what I was expecting for the most part.  The aches and pains from the treatment regimen continue with some additional pain I've been experiencing in my upper back. That problem has been intensifying over the past few weeks.  It appears that the arthritis from the radiation treatments in my neck and jaw area has found an additional home in my upper spinal area.  The good news is that no cancer cells appeared to be present. Amen.  Some treatment options were shared, all of which have additional side effects and I've decided to hold off on them as long as possible and just stick with some anti-inflammatory "stuff" to get through it.  I told my doctor that I continue to work out every day, and it's tough to get loose in the mornings, but once I get going, it seems to dissipate a bit.  Guess it’s more about "mindset" than medication at this point.  I think the ups and downs of not knowing what may be next are the most difficult part of the journey…

As usual, I had my nose in a book, (actually a couple of books) to help pass the time waiting and to seek some inspiration from others who may be struggling with their own "mindset" as they faced some of life's challenges.  Nearing Home by Billy Graham was the first book, which in turn inspired me to read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.  Both reads offered some wonderful suggestions on dealing with some of the challenges all of us may someday face in life and I'd strongly recommend them.  Billy Graham focuses on several things that struck home with me such as; living a life that matters, staying strong despite your circumstances, and most importantly, the hope of Heaven, which are subjects that span all generations and circumstances. He says that the Bible makes it clear that God has a specific reason for keeping us here.  He models how we not only learn to cope with the fears and struggles and growing limitations we face as we age, but actually how we can grow stronger inwardly in the midst of these difficulties.  Graham starts out his first chapter using a sports analogy (I always relate to those...).  He discusses how he loved baseball and was focused on pursuing it more until God got a hold of his life and changed his direction. The chapter is aptly named “Running Toward Home.”  (Sounds kind of familiar doesn’t it...) Starting in the first pages and continuing throughout the book, he candidly discusses the hardships associated with aging and the challenges it brings to all.  I especially like how he not only describes how to deal with aging, but also how to prepare for it!  Some sound advice for all ages.

 Unbroken I just couldn't put down...I found myself dog tired after reading it, having spent much of the night reading, eager to find out whether the story of Louis Zamperini, Olympic runner turned World War II POW, ends in redemption or despair … the following quote made quite an impact on me while Louis and two other POW's faced internment in the Japanese Prison camps:

“Though all three men faced the same hardship, their differing perceptions of it appeared to be shaping their fates. Louie and Phil's hope displaced their fear and inspired them to work toward their survival, and each success renewed their physical and emotional vigor. Mac's resignation seemed to paralyze him and the less he participated in their efforts to survive, the more he slipped. Though he did the least, as the days passed, it was he who faded the most. Louie and Phil's optimism, and Mac's hopelessness, was becoming self-fulfilling.” 

What a message for anyone who may be facing the ups and downs of a cancer journey, or for that matter, any challenges they may be facing in life. I experienced this back in Iowa City when 6 of us entered treatments with the same diagnosis and only 3 of us made it through. Our mindset of either optimism or hopelessness can most certainly become self-fulfilling!

My visits to Iowa City and the opportunities I have had to visit with others who are facing similar journeys always brings to mind Regina Brett’s quote in God Never Blinks; 

“If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.” 

That certainly has rung true for me over the past two years, and I so appreciate the love and support all of you have provided both me and my family throughout that journey. As we prepare for the Christmas season, let’s take the time to pause and reflect on what should be in the Christmas "gift box". KEEP IT SIMPLE, and make a path for Jesus to come into our hearts as we face our daily challenges while allowing our optimism to become self-fulfilling in each of our lives.

Wishing each of you a Merry Christmas and a productive and enjoyable New Year.

Dave

 

 Link to:  Reflections from the Home Team BLOG 

http://reflectionsfromthehometeam.blogspot.com/

Link to Vimeo: Reflections from the "Home Team"... Go the Distance
http://vimeo.com/53873087

Link to: Tommy Emmanuel and "Angelina"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhR04kmcSXU