Ip Man 2 and the Christian Worldview

I just watched "Ip Man 2" on Netflix. I really enjoyed the movie. But it got me wondering, "So how does the Christian worldview compare with Ip Man's worldview?"

In the film, the main character has the unusual Chinese name Ip Man. He's the kung fu grandmaster who eventually trained kung fu legend Bruce Lee. It's an exciting film, culminating with a bizarrely conceived Chinese-Western boxing match. Ip Man using martial arts, and Mr. Twister using Western boxing techniques, duke it out. I'll leave it for you to guess who wins. Definitely an adrenalin rush.

This movie has all kinds of great themes. It has a modest, respectable hero who, even though he can beat up a whole gang attacking him with knives and staves, discourages fighting and goes out of his way to care for people around him. It has good vs. evil, where the evil is unambiguously so. It has reconciliation, discipleship, death. And the good guy usually prevails and the bad guy usually gets his comeuppance.

And you can't help but think that the Chinese-Western boxing match is a metaphor for two worldviews.

I am a Christian. I am the man I am because of God's hand on my life. Jesus Christ allowed himself to be murdered in order that he might reconcile people like me to God. (I know, it's not obvious how murdering Christ brings about reconciliation. But it does, and it's magnificent! If you're interested, I'll gladly talk to you off-line about that.)

I admire Ip Man. He faces challenges with an unflappable demeanor. He has this air of moral rectitude. He stands for God and country. Nope, strike that. He stands for country and traditional culture. Is that bad? On the surface, the answer is "obviously not."

But isn't it interesting that the fantasy worlds constructed by Hollywood (and Hong Kong, in this case) in film after film never have a sovereign God? In this respect, art miserably fails to imitate life.

Hear me with the right tone here. I am not whining. I'm not asking for men to give God a fair chance. I'm announcing emphatically that God condemns them for omitting Him from their thinking and their lifestyle. (See for yourself: Jeremiah 29:17-19; John 3:18-19; Psalm 14:1-3; Mark 16:16 )

In Chinese film, there's a sense of deity in the culture and heritage of the people. In American film, there's a sense of truth, justice, and the American way. Both are inadequate, incomplete substitutes for a godly life. Hear the whole story from a biblical prophet (Micah 6:8):

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

In the Hollywood constructs, they're all about the "justice" and "mercy" stuff. It's the requirement "to walk humbly with your God" that causes them to stumble. Every single time. Observe:

1. It's a requirement to walk humbly with your God. It's a requirement levied by God Himself. As the old joke goes, "They're not The Ten Suggestions." The prophet said, "God has shown you what He requires of you." We're not ignorant. "I'd prefer not, thank you very much," we politely demur. But no matter how nicely we say it, our serene sense of entitlement to do our own thing is stubborn rebellion. (When we see our children do it, we recognize it for what it is.)
2. The requirement is about a walk. That's symbolic language for a lifestyle. God's not interested in merely a weekly performance, but in your whole life.
3. He requires us to walk humbly with God. In America we get "humble" wrong. To us, humble means "modest" or "self-deprecating" (instead of ostentatious). It means puny or poor ("a man of humble means"). These are side effects of true humility, which is a sense of bowed, reverent submissiveness to God. When someone is really humble before God, their life habits will likely be modest. But modesty by itself misses the core of humility.
4. When we get a better sense of God's God-ness and our smallness, humility comes more easily. After all, we are flesh and blood creatures who can be stopped cold by bombs and cancer and hunger. And God? God merely spoke and just about everything we attribute to the Big Bang happened. On top of that, He got involved. He was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.
5. And when the one true God becomes your God, you've got Him right where He wants you.

So Ip Man's worldview, though noble, misses the mark of the divine requirement. And when you get that wrong, you're on the path to destruction. So when the credits roll at the end of the movie and the hero stands triumphant, realize that that's not really the end of the story (see Hebrews 9:27).

Take to heart what the prophet proclaimed and make it your life's purpose to walk humbly with God. More than decency and morality, that's the essence of the Christian worldview (see Matthew 6:33).

Why are Christians not as radical as we should be?

My Sunday School class has been working our way through the Radical book by David Platt. Today we explored the question, "Why are Christians not as radical as we should be?" Or rather, "Why are you not as radical as you should be?" Before you read our list (and a couple more I've picked up), what reason would you give? What's holding you back from being more radical for Christ?


1. Uncertainty about the future - what would really happen to me or my family if I were to sell my house and move to Sudan or to the housing projects? What about our safety, my kids' teeth? What if I get sick, mugged, or eaten by cannibals?

2. Repercussions from family and friends - they'll ostracize me and reduce even further their chances of hearing the gospel and trusting Christ to be their Savior.

3. Pearls before swine - "I've been pretty open in the past and found that sharing my faith is generally a waste of time. They don't want to hear it."


4. We are so integrated into our society - the things society values and needs are the very same things I feel I need.

5. Being radical requires a major intentionality, especially in the face of an already demanding routine. So, when a wife and mother is already spending her whole day running her household, she don't have time to add on other activities.



6. We don't really see the greatness of Christ. If the kingdom were more real to us than what we can see... If, deep down, we really believed that Christ rejecters will experience eternal regret under the wrath of the God they'd spurned, we would be willing to lay it all on the line.


I believe that last one is really the key. Our vision of Christ needs focus. He is great (e.g., Heb 1:1-8). He does love us (Jer 31:3 John 3:16). He is with us forever (Heb 13:5 Mt 28:20). And he gives us the opportunity to be radically His. Let's roll!

It's all about the waiting

The traffic light at the end of our street takes two minutes to change. Doesn't matter if any cars are coming. That light makes us wait an unfair amount of time! And I have a life to live! Things to do! Places to go!

And now, during this extended medical treatment, I have learned a lot about waiting. Waiting to be seen. Waiting for results. Waiting to improve. I routinely wait around for a few hours a day. And that's just the way it is.

Of course, I become restless, and need to fill that time with something. Chatting. Reading. Watching TV. Facebook. Praying. And so I am gradually become acclimated to a lifestyle of waiting.

It must be good for me.

The 15 Verses Project

There are two things that really bolster the strength of my soul: my friends and the Scriptures. Here's an idea that brings them both together. I'm calling it "The 15 Verses Project." It's really simple, each friend videos someone (or themselves) reading a 15-verse passage from the Bible, starting with the book of Luke, and posts that video on facebook.

Details:

1. Select 15 verses in a row from the book of Luke. If the section of the chapter is shorter than 15 verses, just stop at the end of the chapter.
2. Passages should begin on even 15-verse boundaries. That is, Luke 1:1, Luke 1:16, Luke 1:31, Luke 1:45, etc. Sometimes, that means that your reading will start in the middle of a paragraph. That's perfectly OK.
3. You can read it yourself, have a family member read it, or make it a dramatization involving several. Be as creative as you please.
4. Choose whatever setting you like: home, office, car, park, Burger King, etc.
5. Be respectful of the God whose Word you are reading.
6. When you upload your video, title the post "15 Verses Project--Luke x:yy-zz", where x is the chapter you picked, and yy-zz are the starting and ending verses. For example, 15 Verses Project--Luke 24:16-30 
7. When you upload the video, tag me in it so I'll be notified.
8. Don't be surprised if multiple people pick the same passage. That's OK (Prov. 16:33)!

Feel free to do more than one 15. In no time, we'll have the whole book of Luke online, suitable for sharing with other friends. If we pass it on, we could eventually have the whole Bible available. How cool is that?

And in the near term, I'll receive the great blessing of hearing the greatest story ever told as creatively produced by my friends and my family. I can't wait to see it!

Testimony from "Help is on the way"

I was introduced to Christ and the Scriptures when I was 8 years old. Throughout my life, I’ve learned to wrestle with the Scriptures and turn to the Lord for the hard questions. I receive guidance and peace as God speaks to me through His Word.

There's a difference between believing something and walking through it. As of today, my future is a big question mark, followed by an exclamation point. I am going through a relapse of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This time around, it’s not responding to the chemo, so the medical team has come up with Plan B. I don’t know if I’ll survive it. I don’t know if it will take care of the cancer. That’s the question mark.

Not only is my future a question mark, it’s followed by an exclamation point. God is on His throne. He's Lord of heaven and earth, and there's not one dust mote that's out of his control. Jesus said that I'm in His hands, and He's in the Father's hands. And He said that He is with me always, even to the end of the age.

God has been gracious to come alongside me and minister even more grace to me than I've ever experienced before. I'm so glad to have brothers and sisters in Christ who have creatively and generously loved us with their availability, their prayers, their counsel, encouragement, and practical helps.

I can’t think of Scriptures that promise that everything will come up roses in this life. In fact, Jesus said that in this world we’d face tribulation, but, he also said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

So I’m trusting that God has me safely strapped in for the roller coaster ride of my life. And someone said the best way to ride a roller coaster is with your hands in the air, lifted up to the Lord.

Three weeks of radiation

The idea is that, since I have one spot that is chemo resistant, we should kill that spot and minimize the burden of disease before going into the stem cell transplant process. There are several things that need to be balanced when getting radiation therapy. Things like:
1. Using enough radiation to actually kill the cancer, with enough margin around the tumor to account for invisible cells and motion from my breathing
2. Pinpointing the radiation so that it treats a minimal amount of healthy tissue.
3. Keeping the dose to known safe limits for surrounding organs. The pancreas is pretty tough. Kidneys are very weak. Intestines almost as weak.

After a 90-minute consult with the radiation oncologist, we again learned even more about cancer treatment than we ever wanted to. In sum, here's what I'm undergoing.

First, a CT scan to see where my organs and the cancer are. This isn't a full CT scan like I've had in the past. It's just enough to map out my body and figure out how to set up the radiation treatment. With the CT scan, I also get my own custom beanbag. I lay down on the beanbag, and then they sucked all the air out of it, turning it into a rigid shell that is perfectly conformed to my body. When I began treatment a week later, I lay down in that rigid beanbag so that my body can be as precisely positioned as possible.

First day of treatment involves getting several X-rays, making sure I'm positioned right in my beanbag, and marking my skin in strategic places with sharpie so that they can line me up exactly the same way every time. There are these harmless laser beams from the ceiling and the sides of the room that they line me up with.

The actual machine they use to zap me with is a Varian Trilogy machine like the one in this picture. The two arms on the side are used for low-energy X rays. The big round head above is where the treatment rays come from. The whole thing can rotate, so that head can shoot me from above, the side, and below. The machine weighs about 9 tons. It's got a lot of lead shielding inside. And the treatment room is in the basement of the hospital in order to contain the radiation.

I show up, take off my shirt and lie down in my beanbag, arms lying on the bed over my head. They usually scoot and twist me a little to get my body lined up with the lasers, and then they leave the room. The machine rotates and shoots me from the left side for 45 seconds, then from the right side for 45 seconds, then from the top for 15 seconds.

So on Monday through Friday, I'm staying in an apartment across the street from the hospital so I don't have to drive back and forth to Huntsville 5 hours round-trip. Thankfully, the Vanderbilt Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) center is providing that accommodation for me. That's probably where I'll stay during the SCT as well. I'll try to remember to take some pictures to show you.

As of this writing, I've had 8 of the 15 radiation treatments with minimal side effects. I'm able to drive home on the weekends. I'm able to walk and ride my bike. I'm able to work from the apartment. I don't have any real nausea. I have my appetite.

The plan is to complete the radiation by Tuesday, 4/26. I'll get a week off. Then they'll start the preadmission for the SCT on Tuesday, 5/3. Once that starts, I'm stuck in Nashville until I'm well enough to go home--about 35 days.

On a side note: I've found brothers and sisters at Belmont Heights Baptist Church, an easy bike ride from the apartment. It's great to be part of God's family.

Everything you ever wanted to know about apheresis

In apheresis, you are hooked up to a machine that processes your blood, extracts the part they need, and then gives your blood back to you. It doesn't hurt a bit. I have a catheter that hooks into my jugular vein. The catheter has three lines coming out of my chest: one for "in", one for "out", and one for "misc." They attach the "in" and "out" lines to the machine and the machine does the rest.

The machine reminds me of an old Star Trek-like computer with knobs twisting and clear plastic tubing everywhere. All the tubing is brand new, installed from a sterile "kit" by the nurse for each patient. (It would be unimaginable that they would somehow be able to clean and sterilize that tubing for multiple uses, so they don't.)

The way apheresis works is the machine pumps out a little of my blood at a time and sends it to a centrifuge under glass (under the small black 'countertop' in the photo). As the centrifuge spins, it separates my blood into layers, based on the weight of the blood components: red cells are the heaviest, then stem cells, platelets, white cells, and plasma. There's a skimmer that selects the layer they want to extract (in my case, the stem cells). They position the skimmer in the centrifuge based on the color of the product. They use what looks like a paint pallet card to recognize the right position for the skimmer (the white card above right-hand side of the 'countertop'). After they're done extracting from that blood, it leaves the centrifuge and gets merged back together and sent back to my body. After initial setup, the process is very automatic. They just let it run and run. The machine is not quite as loud as a sewing machine, with lots of clicking, and my stem cells end up filling about a fourth of an IV bag (the right-most IV bag hanging over the machine). In the course of a single four-hour session, all my blood is circulated through the machine almost five times!

They have me lying in a bed with cable TV and remote control, very good wi-fi, and a nurse at my beck and call for everything. I need to hold pretty still or I may pinch a line or cause pressure to drop. As a result, I was treated like a Persian prince. Using the bathroom? portable urinal, followed by careful hand-cleaning.

One thing the nurse had to do was feed me a lot of Tums (like 25 or so). There's some chemical they use in the apheresis process that breaks down in the presence of calcium. If they don't feed me extra calcium, the chemical uses the calcium in my body, which results in tingling in hands, feet, lips, as if they had fallen asleep. The Tums makes the tingling stop almost instantly.

Another thing the nurse had to do was make sure I stayed warm. The blood that comes back from the machine is a little cooler than the blood I sent to it. As a result, I needed a few blankets and hot packs to stay warm.

Leilani was in the room the whole time, just being there and taking care of the little things.

For autologous stem cell transplant for lymphoma, the goal is two million stem cells. Don't ask me how they count them. After the first day, they got almost half of that. Today was my second day. The nurse said that the rest of my blood counts were a little down this morning from yesterday, so she expects that I'll have to come back again tomorrow to reach (and exceed) that amount.

Here's what we did yesterday and today (so far):
Wednesday
7:30 Arrive at clinic to receive Neupogen shot. Wait an hour for it to maximize its effect. Eat something at the cafe or whatever.
8:30 Go to the apheresis room, draw blood for labwork, and get hooked up to the machine.
12:00 Lunch while on the machine
1:00 Wrap up. I'm tired, though I haven't done anything.
4:00 Get phone call with collection results. Did they get enough? If not, come back tonight for a Mozabil shot.
9:00 p.m. Arrive at the hospital for the Mozabil shot.
9:30 p.m. Receive the shot. Wait around an hour to make sure you don't react poorly to it.
10:30 p.m. Go home from receiving the shot.

Thursday

7:30 Neupogen shot.

8:30 Apheresis room, draw blood for labwork, and get hooked up to the machine.

12:00 Lunch while on the machine

1:00 Wrap up.

Four days of shots but not stem cells. Plus, radiation news.

[Caution: this is a long and rambling post because there is lots of stuff going on in my life, body and soul.]

I've learned to give myself shots in my abdomen. It's a daily injection of filgrastim (Neupogen) for the next few days to stimulate my bones to increase stem cell production. After four days of shots, the lab reported that I have great white blood cells, but the stem cell level is "undetectable."

Turns out a low (even undetectable) stem cell count is normal for people who have had lots of chemotherapy like I have had. The doctors anticipated this, so I'll go to the hospital tonight at 9:30 p.m. (!) to get another drug called Mozabil. Mozabil is supposed to make the stem cells "slippery," whatever that means. The appointment is at 9:30 because of the drug's timing. They'll hook me up to the apheresis machine at 8:30 tomorrow morning and begin the stem cell collection process when the Mozabil effect is at its peak. Of course, I still have to give myself the Neupogen shots.

Prayer point: I pray that they'll collect enough over the next two or three days to make the stem cell transplant viable. If not, it's on to Plan C. Stay tuned. God is faithful (1 Corinthians 10:13).

It seems that, to everyone I talk to, is the idea that getting these new stem cells into my system is what will cure me of lymphoma. That's not it at all. As one doctor put it, it's really "a high dose of chemotherapy, followed by a stem cell rescue." That is, the stem cell transplant (called "autologous" because I'm having my own stem cells transplanted back to myself) is done to save my life after the high dose chemotherapy wipes out the lymphoma and takes my whole immune system with it. They'll give me back my stem cells in order to restart my immune system so I won't die from catching a cold.

We met the radiation oncologist and learned a new twist in my treatment plan. I'll be receiving radiation five days a week for about four weeks before they do the stem cell transplant. There's only one chemo resistant spot that needs attention, so they're going to blast it to smithereens with radiation. Because of where the spot is, that radiation will be hitting other cool things like my spinal cord, stomach, kidney, pancreas, bowel, ribs. The doctor said that they'll be careful to minimize impact on the other areas, but that I'll likely lose about a third of my kidney function in one kidney. Thankfully, God gave me two healthy kidneys, so I'll likely chug along with no noticeable difference in kidney function. (Did you know kidneys regulate blood pressure??)

Prayer point: Nine weeks of treatments in Nashville! Four for radiation, five for the next phase of the stem cell transplant. That's a lot of time away from home and away from work (though I should be able to telecommute). It'll be quite a challenge to help Leilani run the household and take care of the kids. We all have a lot of growing up to do through this.

I have a CT scan scheduled for tomorrow afternoon so the radiation team can put together the treatment plan. I don't yet know when that will start. Maybe Monday? Stay tuned.

Prayer point: It may eventually come to the point in the next few years where I need stem cells from someone else. Would you consider becoming a stem cell donor? It's an easy way to literally save someone's life. Check out http://www.marrow.org/DONOR/When_You_re_Asked_to_Donate_fo/Steps_of_Donation/index.html.

And now a word from our sponsor:

Psalm 139
A Psalm of David
 1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.

 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
    You understand my thought afar off.

 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
    And are acquainted with all my ways.
 4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
    But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.

 5 You have hedged me behind and before,
    And laid Your hand upon me.
 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    It is high, I cannot attain it.

 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
    Or where can I flee from Your presence?
 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
    If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
 9 If I take the wings of the morning,
    And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
      And Your right hand shall hold me.

 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
      Even the night shall be light about me;
 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
      But the night shines as the day;
      The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

 13 For You formed my inward parts;
      You covered me in my mother’s womb.
 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
      Marvelous are Your works,
      And that my soul knows very well.

 15 My frame was not hidden from You,
      When I was made in secret,
      And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
      And in Your book they all were written,
      The days fashioned for me,
      When as yet there were none of them.

 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
      How great is the sum of them!
 18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
      When I awake, I am still with You.

 19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
      Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
 20 For they speak against You wickedly;
      Your enemies take Your name in vain.
 21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?
      And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
 22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
      I count them my enemies.

 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
      Try me, and know my anxieties;
 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
      And lead me in the way everlasting.

My reflections
vv1-4 David's psalm is also my psalm. I feel like this journey has been part of God's searching of my soul.
The good news is, God is intimately familiar with what I'm going through, and the things that cause that sinking feeling, even before they happen.

vv5-12 And through it all, God is here! I'm guided and protected by my maker.
I cannot escape His care. I can't somehow accidentally leave Him behind. Neither my highest highs (when I feel invincible) nor living through my worst nightmares don't separate me from Him. He leads me. He holds me. He holds me! [Oh, that I would be filled with this truth!]

vv13-16 My body was specially designed by God, lymphoma and all. And it's all for His glory (John 9:3). [BTW, "the lowest parts of the earth" (v15) is a metaphor for the womb (v. 13), which, in David's day, was a dark, mysterious, unreachable place.]
God has personally crafted my days for me, even before I was born.

It's great to know that God is with me, thinking about me with innumerable thoughts. I can sleep soundly, knowing that when I wake up, God's presence is not merely a dream. We (He and I) really are going through this thing together.

[vv19-22: It's easy, when you're zealous for God, to resent those who hate Him. Despite David's sentiment, God has proven that His patient love gives even His enemies hope, if they will but submit to Him (2Peter 3:9).]

v23: As for me, I lay myself open and vulnerable to God. I invite His purifying gaze into my life to root out my wickedness, and I crave and submit to His leadership for my life.

Dear reader, if you've stuck it out this far, my prayer for you is that of Hebrews 13:20-21:
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ...make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

[And now off to my 9:30pm appointment.]

Beginning the journey through Radical

My Sunday School group is going through the book Radical by David Platt. (Check out an ad for the book at http://www.radicalthebook.com.)

We had a terrific discussion in today's session. How far does Jesus really want us to go? Should we sell our homes and move into mud huts? (Maybe.) Should we stop going to Disney World for vacation? (Maybe.) Should we stop hoping and expecting for things to turn out OK in this life? (Maybe.)

We're just starting this journey together. I believe all of us are willing to follow Jesus even to the end of the earth, if that's where He wants us to go. The issue for us right now is for us to discover where the Lord would have us to go, and be willing to say "Yes". Consider Luke 14:25-33.

Great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. ... So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

This is unfamiliar territory for most of us. And it sounds kind of scary. Could Jesus really mean that I need to give up everything to follow Him?

No guilt trips allowed! As we consider what it means to live a life of radical obedience, I encourage you not to beat yourself up over where you are today, decisions you've made, or the things you hope to achieve or obtain. Instead, express to your Lord your willingness to follow as He leads. We all desire to trust and obey our Lord to the best of our ability. Jesus calls and saves us where we are and then, as we follow him, we are shaped and changed.

At this point in our journey, we're just getting ready to get radical. I think it's reasonable for us to take inventory and create a (figurative) pile of all our belongings, our family, our friends, even our own lives, and say, "Lord, these people and things are all yours, not mine. Teach me to do with them what you would have me to do."

Some practical points you might consider guardrails on the journey (all open for discussion!):

• Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn us, but to redeem us (Joh 3:17-18).
• We are after more than sentiment. You need to bring forth fruits consistent with repentance (Luke 3:8, James 2:18). Egyptian civilians recently rallied, risking their lives to make their world a better place. Are we ready to put it all on the line to follow Jesus?
• If you are parents of young children, then you have a responsibility to raise those children (Prov 22:6; Eph. 6:4). (Of course, that doesn't stop you from taking your family to the mission field...)
• It's OK to enjoy the fruit of your labor on this earth, but you should live with intentionality (1Tim 6:17-19; Mt 11:19). If you've been abundantly blessed, then it's almost natural for you to abundantly give (Mt 10:8b), to "pay it forward" for the glory of the Lord and the good of the world.

Next week, on to chapter two.

The parable of the 10 virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

We want everything that has to do with this life and our eternal destiny to have a happy ending. In Matthew 24-25, Jesus is describing the end of the world to his disciples in response to their question: "What will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" (Mt. 24:3) He describes signs leading up to His return (war, earthquake, false religion, abounding lawlessness, business as usual), and the scene of His arrival "coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Jesus said that just as no one knew when Noah's flood would occur, there will be no warning before His return, and that we are simply to be ready (v. 44).

Then Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. It doesn't have a happy ending. The bridegroom was delayed, so the five unprepared bridesmaids end up locked out and completely miss the wedding! The groom shouts through the door, "Sorry, I don't know you!" What's going on here? Let's think about it.

Weddings, New Testament-Style

(From Chuck Swindoll, Clearing the High Hurdle of Unpreparedness)

• The groom is central, not the bride.
• The groom's family, possibly even the groom himself, pays for the wedding.
• The marriage process is in 4 stages:
1. Engagement - as children, arranged by the parents
2. Betrothal - at 12-18 yrs old.
• legal and binding
• unfaithfulness during this phase = adultery
• death during this phase = widowhood
• lasts about 12 mo's.
• a permanent, firm, arrangement
3. Ceremony - the groom takes the bride
• marriage is at his or his father's house
• the virgins are bridesmaids / the bride's friends
• The groom came whenever he wanted to. The people never knew the day nor the hour.
  When the door is closed, no one is permitted entry.
4. Honeymoon - a 7-10 day feast w/ riddles, games

Questions to consider:

• Why ten virgins? Why not just two: one wise and one foolish? Ans: This is a big wedding feast. Also, it's easier for a listener to think of herself/himself as one of ten rather than one of two.
• Were they ten separate virgins located in different places, or were they in two groups? Ans: They were all individuals. I've found that God doesn't count by groups, but by ones.
• Why didn't the wise virgins invite the foolish to go with them in the light of their own lamps? Ans: That may be like a modern bridesmaid attempting to participate in the wedding without the matching dress or bouquet.
• Why didn't the foolish try to make their way to the wedding without lamps? Ans: That'd be like a modern bridesmaid traveling by air and making it to the wedding, but her luggage didn't make it.
• Why is it wise to have extra oil? Ans: Because you don't know when the groom's return will occur.
• So, which is better, being late to the wedding because you're take care of last-minute preparations, or being on time for the wedding but unprepared?
• What disqualified the 5 virgins from participating in the wedding?
  • Not denying the groom.
  • Not forgetting lamps (they had lamps).
  • Not going to sleep (else the other virgins would've been disqualified, too). As you await the coming of the Lord, it's OK to sleep. We're not in some frenzy, waiting.
  • They failed to be ready for an indefinite delay.
• This parable is speaking of the kingdom of heaven and about being ready for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be personally ready for His return?
• Saved (this is enough to get to heaven, but the Lord also wants us fruitful, John 15:16)
• Anticipating His return at any time (see 2P 3:14)
• Being a good steward (see Mt 24:45-46ff)

The coming of the Lord is 2000 years nearer than it has ever been. And, in a sense, even if the Lord's return is another thousand years away, our own personal journey of life will end with the coming of the Lord. Are you ready? Acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Master. Prepare for His return.

My stem cell pre-test days

I'm getting ready to undergo an autologous stem cell transplant (the kind of transplant where the patient donates his own cells for later implantation). I had several appointments over the course of two days at Vanderbilt in order to figure out how my lymphoma is responding to the preparatory chemotherapy, to determine if I am healthy enough to have a stem cell transplant, and to establish baselines.

I was very grateful to have my precious wife with me throughout. She's a trooper. She schlepped all the papers and took notes and made sure we got home safely.

On day 1 (Thursday), my first appointment was at 9:30, so we ate breakfast and left home by 6:40. (Nothing else to eat until after the bone marrow biopsy.) With a detour for construction, we got there just in time for the 9:30 appointment. This appointment was with an insurance specialist who had done the research and knows that BC/BS will pay for the treatment with some copays and deductible, but won't pay for lodging during the 40-day treatment time. Vanderbilt has free lodging if we can get in, so maybe the lodging won't be a problem, either.

Our second appointment was with the social worker, who asked questions about the family, and whether I was ever depressed. She wanted to be sure I had a caregiver and a backup caregiver. She gave us a DVD that describes the stem cell process from a logistics perspective. We signed up Leilani as the primary caregiver, but we still need to find backup caregivers.

Backup caregiver job description: provide relief to the main caregiver for two days in a row so she can get rest and take care of things at home, or in case she gets sick. Live in the apartment with me and provide company, transportation to/from the hospital and accompany me to all my appointments; monitor for signs of fever and call/transport to hospital; take care of all needs in the apartment (meals, cleaning). (Apartment is furnished with kitchen, TV, wifi.) I should be able to dress and bathe myself, and I probably won't be throwing up thanks to powerful anti-nausea drugs. You can bring a laptop and do work while you wait with/for me at the hospital, but wifi and 3G are limited.

Next was a CXR - chest x-ray. Quick and painless.

Last appointment for the day was a bone marrow biopsy (BMBX). I was hungry all day because of this appointment (because of the sedation). They do BMBX differently at Vandy than they did at Huntsville. They only use "moderate sedation," meaning a smaller dose of Versed. Perhaps if they had waited a little longer for the Versed to take effect it might've gone better. I didn't feel a thing as I lay on my stomach and they prepped and numbed the top of my hip. But I groaned aloud as they actually extracted bone marrow three times, each time the nurse saying "I'm sorry." The pain lasted only for the second or two that they were actually extracting the marrow. Then I fell asleep. About 30 minutes later, they plopped me into a wheelchair, gave me extra-strength Tylenol, and handed me over to Leilani, who wheeled me to the door. I was able to walk with her the rest of the way to the car n the parking garage.

We had pricelined a Hampton Inn just a couple miles from the hospital. Usually $180/night, we got it for $50. (After taxes and mandatory parking fee, it was more like $90.) Thank you to our generous friends who gave us money to pay for such things. We strolled in the cold and slight drizzle to the nearby Joe's Crab Shack (the sedation had worn off so I was sore but practically normal). Since I had a PET scan the next day, I had to have low-carb food, so I ate a Cobb salad without avocado and with snow crab legs. It was good, but Leilani's crab nachos looked and smelled better. To our friends, thanks again!

Day 2 (Friday)

[Turned on the TV and saw the Japanese earthquake news. Oh God, have mercy!]

Breakfast (no carbs!) at the glorious free breakfast buffet at Hampton. I had to pass up everything but the eggs and sausage. No waffle. No yogurt. No juice. At least Leilani got to enjoy the treat. Nothing else for me to eat or drink until after the PET scan.

First appointment at 9:30 was pulmonary function test (PFT). (Leilani dropped me off so she could drive over and check out the Hospitality House lodging.) Some of the chemo drugs they use in stem cell transplant could have lung toxicities, so they needed to get this baseline. I sat in a chair with a clip on my nose and breathed through my mouth into this snorkel-like mouthpiece attached to a machine that measured my air capacity and chemistry.They had me to inhale as deeply as I could, and exhale as deeply as I could. That was remarkably hard work!

Next was labs. The nurse put in an IV and drew about 20 vials of blood.

Next appointment was with the stem cell nurse practitioner, Katie. She asked all the background questions and provided us with a draft calendar of events. Assuming that the PET scan I have this afternoon shows good progress, we start the stem cell process on 3/23 and go until about 5/11.

The stem cell process. The first week, they give me drugs to put my bones into overdrive and produce more stem cells. Then they harvest those stem cells from my blood through apheresis and freeze them for later. A few days later, they give me high-dose chemo for four days straight, then they let me rest a day and then they inject my stem cells back in. For the first two weeks, my blood will be weak-no white cells, low platelets, low everything. But then the stem cells will just automatically know where to go and they'll "engraft" and restart my immune system. I'll probably need blood transfusions during this time.

We then met Dr. Jagasia, one of Vandy's six stem cell transplant doctors. He said we're looking at about a 40% chance of cure through this process, depending on what today's PET scan shows. Chances are  better if the PET scan shows little or no activity. Honestly, I don't like those odds, but this treatment is my best option.

Next was an echo cardiogram. It's an ultrasound of the heart that took about 30 minutes. He imaged each of my heart's valves and measured my heart's ejection fraction, a measure of the heart's ability to squeeze.

Last was the all-important PET scan. After injecting radioactive sugar, I rested in a recliner for about an hour. Then they scanned me in the machine, looking for where I might be glowing. That got done at 5:00.

Leilani drove us to the nearest Cracker Barrel on our way home. Thanks again to our generous friends!

We got home at about 8:30 Friday night.

How to visit someone in the hospital

It's almost always a good thing to visit your friend when they're in the hospital. If you're asking yourself, "Should I go visit or not?" just go ahead and do it! It's good for the patient and it's good for you, even if it means a stretch outside of your comfort zone. (On the other hand, if you barely know the patient, or you really don't want to visit, don't.)

Different hospital patients have different needs. Rest is usually one of them, so it's important for visits to be relaxing and enjoyable for the patient.

Before you go, there's nothing wrong with praying: "Lord, bless our time together. As we talk, open our eyes to ways we can encourage and help..." You are helping already by showing very tangibly that you care. Other needs may surface during your visit.

• Plan to keep your visit short. 30 minutes is usually plenty of time. If you find you're staying longer, suggest that you should leave and wait for the patient to insist that you stay longer. And if the conversation flags after 15 minutes, or the patient drops off to sleep, you don't have to stay the rest of the time.
• If you are a praying person, plan to pray with the patient. Tell them so early in the visit: "We just wanted to see how you were doing, let you know what's going on in the outside world and pray with you. Would that be alright?"
• Sample introductory lines when you arrive at the patient's room:
• Hey, how you feeling? 
• OK for us to visit with you for a few minutes? You're not feeling too tired, sick? You don't have a procedure coming up in the next few minutes? 
• Please don't feel like you have to entertain guests. If you need to rest, just let us know.
• Can we refill your water? get you a soda? (Nurses and techs do this, but sometimes they could use a hand.) Did you know they have popsicles here! and juices (orange, apple, etc).
• Scripture pictures/cards are lasting encouragement after you go. Bring scotch tape and see if you can find a place to put one up that's within the patient's range.
• A small number of snacks, both sweet and salty, help with munchies for the patient or their family. Single-serving size is best. mini rice cakes, pretzels, cheese&crackers, chips, cheetos. (Crumbs are bad.) If you do snacks, a small thing of handiwipes would also be helpful.
• If you see debris around, you can just throw it away: wrappers, tape, etc.
• If you go to the trouble of going to the patient's room, but they're asleep or out of the room for some reason, it's great to leave a note. Coordinate with the nurse about the best place to put it.
• If you have a chance to call ahead before your visit, ask if there's anything the patient wants/needs that you can bring by. A magazine? a DVD? handouts from last night's Bible study/business meeting? a newspaper? A forgotten item from home.

Too many suggestions for one post! It all boils down to this. Just go. Be natural. Be brief. Love your friend. That's what it's all about.

R-ICE chemotherapy

The first time I had chemo, they gave me R-CHOP. This time they're giving my R-ICE. It's an acronym for the medicines they use in the therapy. One nice thing about R-ICe is that none of the drugs are vessicants -- drugs that burn your veins.

The way they do this chemo varies from place to place. Here's how they are doing it for me. Unlike R-CHOP, R-ICE takes 3-4 days to administer each time.

Day 1: Rituximab / Rituxin - First, they gave me some IV Benadryl, which made me cough (ironic) and then made me very loopy. After 30 minutes, they started the Rituxin. Since I'd had it before as part of my previous chemo, they thought they could give it to me this time at a higher rate, but it gave me a very scratchy throat. They gave me another antihistamine and then really slowed down the Rituxin, so that it took well into the night for this to finish. The scratchy throat problem totally resolved.

Day 2 (today): Etoposide - Premeds for this are anti-vomiting drugs: Zofran and Decadrol. The etoposide will take about an hour to infuse.

Day 3 (tomorrow): Etoposide, Ifosfamide, Carboplatin

I'm getting a lot of Ifosfamide. It'll take ~24 hours to administer. Ifosfamide is given along with Mesna, which is a drug that specifically fights a side effect of Ifosfamide that irritates the bladder. Another interesting side effect that occurs about 20% of the time is CNS (central nervous system) effects. Namely, moodiness, confusion, hallucinations. This only about 3 days. If you see me acting more strangely than normal, let me know.

Carboplatin is a platinum-based drug. Studies have shown that carboplatin often has the side effect of causing some hearing loss in 10 to 15 years. They'll be watching my platelets as well. There's no such thing as a platelet booster drug, so if my platelets get too low,

Day 4 (Saturday): Etoposide. I should be home by lunch time.

Post-treatment: I don't know what the plan is yet. Could be Neulasta and Emend. I'll keep you posted.

Of course, I'm expecting all my hair to fall out in the next couple weeks. That's a side effect of all three drugs in ICE.

Parable of the Bratty Toddler

I know a bratty toddler. He can be sweet, but he's usually ungrateful, disobedient, wasteful, and thinks the world revolves around him. It pains me to be around him.

This episode really happened.
Dad: You better do what the boss [meaning Mom] says!
Boy: I am the boss!
Dad: No, you're not!
Me (to myself): Yes, he very clearly is. Dad saying his son's not the boss doesn't make it so.

If only those parents would realize that they've got to win in those head-to-head's with their son. Good news: "It's never too late to start doing what's right."

Now the parable part. Next time you see a brat, consider him a mirror of your own soul.

Bratty behavior makes people unlovely. It's bratty to celebrate Someone's birthday by refusing to say his name, but eating his food, drinking his wine, breathing his air, and going around with a sense of entitlement to more, more, more.

At Christmas time, God sent His Son to save brats. Not toddlers who are under-guided by their parents, but full-grown brats who think they've got it all figured out on their own without God, thank you very much.

But if I could see through my delusion, I'd marvel that, instead of the doom that every brat deserves, Christ came to offer me a new home. With Him. Because He loves me. Even though I'm unlovely.

"God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Merry Christmas, fellow brats!

P.S. It's also bratty to resent it when someone presumes to correct me.