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Saturday, August 15, 2009

Note from Dad

I have to be honest. I was broken hearted when I read this weeks note! I did NOT want to post it and I think you all will understand why. Satan counterfeits everything from Jesus. A sermon, power, a book. Gods power is available to all of us Eph 6:10 says be strong in HIM and in His mighty power. Jesus teaches the true sermon on the mount in Mathew 5,6, and 7 in HIS WORD. I shared with my dad when I spoke to him on Friday that sooo many people had prayed for him on Thursday and I believe that is why he felt so much better on Friday. (This was before he ever wrote this note)

As I prayed, cried out to the Lord asking for the deceit to be revealed and Truth to be received by my dad, it was in that time that I knew I should ask you all to come in agreement with me. I read a story posted on the InCourage website written by SarahMae about her mother who was an alcoholic and only had 2 months to live. She heard the voice of God clearly telling her to put down her Vodka which she did and has since surpassed her doctors diagnosis and 10 months later is still here and living for HIM! It gave me great hope and has encouraged me to continue to believe that my dad can also accept Jesus! His gift of Salvation, His Forgiveness and life Everlasting!

My dad knows that I post his notes but he does not read my blog. I am not sure why. He has seen his prayer button and I would read comments to him from each of you which he appreciates and is very humbled by but for whatever reason he doesn't read my blog. Anyway ~ here is his note.

Doug Woods: "The Sermon on the Mount" by Emmet Fox

Doug's Notes|Notes about Doug|Doug's Profile
"The Sermon on the Mount" by Emmet FoxShare
Yesterday at 10:07pm
I’ve been out of pocket this week – mostly because of fatigue. I couldn’t even muster the energy to get on Facebook. I think the accumulated radiation treatments took their toll on my energy. I worked each day, but then I spent the evenings resting and trying to get my energy back. My best day was today – after yesterday’s chemotherapy treatment. I felt the best I’ve felt all week.

Fortunately, yesterday’s chemotherapy treatment went without a hitch again. I did react to the sedative they gave me. It was the first time the sedative had an effect on me. The way I knew things weren’t going well was when it took me an hour to write a 4-line email to my assistant. I couldn’t get my fingers to type correctly and I kept starting over and making errors. After I finished that one email I shut my laptop down and didn’t work anymore.

This week I finished 5 more radiation treatments (bringing the total to 23 of the planned 28) and another chemotherapy treatment (for a total of 5 of the planned 8). I will have my next chemotherapy treatment this coming Wednesday and my final radiation treatment will be on Friday. After this week’s chemotherapy treatment, I will have two more – each three weeks apart.

Besides fatigue, my throat is still sore from the radiation and I still have a cough. For my throat, I am taking some medication before I eat. It helps. For the cough, I take some medication when I go to bed. At least it allows me to get some sleep.

Barbie and I made some progress on preparing for the EMDR but we didn’t get started on the actual process. Hopefully, we will do something this weekend. I am very anxious to start as I feel there are some big rewards that will come from the going through the process.

-----------------------

Personally, one of the most important books I think I ever read is a book by Dr. Emmet Fox entitled “The Sermon on the Mount”. I read this book about five times during my second year of sobriety. It had a profound impact on my life and how I viewed and dealt with things. Dr. Fox’s book was very influential in formulating many of my views. I picked it up again this week and began to read it again.

Just to sidetrack a minute…I think that the period around the mid-1930s was a remarkable period. There is so much correlation among the great thinkers of that period. Some of the people who lived at that time were Dr. Fox, Carl Jung, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob (AA’s co-founders). One thing I think is remarkable is that they all had a hand in the formation of AA and in a couple of cases they did not know their actions contributed to the formation of the organization.

Back to “The Sermon on the Mount”: The following statement by Dr. Fox is one of the transforming statements that had an impact on me. Dr Fox wrote: There is “a source of universal power that is rightfully yours. ‘This Power’ is the real source of all things that exist. It needs only to flow into your being and transform itself into health, into true prosperity, into inspiration, or into anything else you may be needing. The Power is there. It is present everywhere. It belongs to nobody in particular because it belongs to all. It is waiting at all times for men and women to call it into use – not merely in crisis, but in every problem however small every day of your life.”

Dr Fox continues: “The fact that most people do not suspect the existence of the Power does not change the fact that it is there.”

It was the idea that this Power was available to me (and everyone else) that opened my eyes to the possibility that I could open myself and let It transform me. All I had to do was to “seek systematically to destroy in myself everything which I knew should not be there, things such as selfishness, pride, vanity, sensuality, self-righteousness, jealousy, self-pity, resentment, condemnation, and so forth – not feeding them or nourishing them by giving into them, but starving them to death by refusing them expression.” Obviously, I fall far short of achieving this lofty goal, but it is something I work toward each day. When I am aware of one of these defects, I try to not give into it and by doing so I grow.

This approach applies to how I deal with this cancer. I don’t fall into self-pity – nor do I give into fear. I have no resentments about this disease. I know the Power is available to me and I am trying to let it transform me into health, true prosperity, and anything else the Power thinks I need. I have come to trust this Power and let It work in my life in any way It thinks best. I expect to continue this approach and attitude as I deal with this tumor.
Doug Woods

Please join me in praying for the TRUTH to be revealed to my Dad. JESUS the one and only is the teacher of all of these things and the giver of life, the healer. He alone will show us how to live, renew our minds, and how to die to our flesh by giving us HIS nature. It is in HIm that we grow and it is in HIM that we have Power!

Love and blessings to you all


9 comments:

Beth Herring

Loren - I will definitely be praying about this situation with your Dad and praying for the HOly Spirit to intervene and reveal to him Truth that is the fact the Jesus is THE ONE AND ONLY!

I am sorry you are having to endure this sweet friend - I lift you up also.

Hugs!

Kim @ Homesteader's Heart

Wow my friend. I will certainly be in prayer through all this! I can see why it bothered you so!
Love you and please let me know if you need anything.
Hugs.
Kim

Heart2Heart

Loren,

Some people are just blind by the fact that something as simple as believe in Jesus can completely change their life. It just sounds unreal to anyone who truly can't bring themselves to accept it as truth, yet it is true that can't argue what that power is.

God is working on your dad's hard heart and He is breaking through. Give it time because I know based on your actions alone, not anything you say, will win your dad over.

I was having a discussion today with a proud atheist at our skate rink. I didn't preach to him, I didn't thump him over the head with my Bible or my beliefs. I believe too many people had beat me to the punch on that, and changed and warped his perception of what being a Christian means. He even stated that to me and my hubby.

For now, we are going to sell him on our faith, by our actions alone. We are going to become his friend and let God work through us to find common ground before we share what we believe. He already knows where our religious beliefs are, but it is imperative not to push right now.

Sure his life could be gone tomorrow, but I don't feel lead to push. When Jesus met the woman at the well, he didn't judge her lifestyle after apparently knowing her current situation. He won her over by his actions to her. That is what I believe we are here to do.

Too many people are going around with their judgmental fingers and pointing out everyone's wrong doings, but I believe that's wrong. Its not our place to judge. That's God's job. Ours is to lead, to light the way, and let God do what God does best, open doors of opportunity.

I am confident that your dad is on his way there, just keep praying for him and letting him know you are there for him. There will come a time, when you may be able to reach him, but then again, it may not be you to lead him to God.

You never know how God works, but seeds planted still grow. Let's just make sure that they are planted well, adding plenty of food, water and sunshine and leave the rest to God.

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Charlie Curran

Loren

Your heart for your dad... that he might know the truth and by knowing the Truth,he will be set free... will bear fruit. Keep sowing seeds of love, hope, and truth... God will honor that.

Praying for you too....

Charlie

RCUBEs

I just prayed Paul's awesome prayer from Ephesians 3:17-19 applying your dad's name to the blank:

"And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home at ______'s heart as ___trusts in Him. May ____'s roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may ___ have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is.May___experience the love of Christ, though it is so great ___will never understand it. Then ___will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.


Everything happens in His perfect time. May the Lord continue to work in your dad's heart. May you be filled with His peace, knowing that there is nothing impossible with Him. Praying with you sister Loren and there is no place or time that can ever stop that. Love you in Christ.

Lisa

I will be in prayer for your Dad...that he will awaken to the truth of the Gospel and come into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!

God a Have Faith

Loren,

I pray at the Lords feet that your Dad will come to realize that the "Power" he is talking about comes from only the one true God. May your Dad get through this and beat his fight with Cancer. I will pray for him to somehow see the light.

Thank you for sharing your post!

Steve,

Andrea

Loren, I am continuing to pray for your Dad's "heart" as well as the rest of his being. GOD is indeed penetrating through and speaking to him. Hang in there! Much love, hugs, and prayers, andrea

Jennifer {Studio JRU}

Oh my dear friend... wishing I could give you a big ol' hug!!! I will keep praying for your dad to know Jesus, to really know Him!!
Love & Blessings,
Jennifer

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