SOAP: God Speaks

SOAP {Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer}:

ABOUT SOAP

Scripture: Isaiah 47:10-11

Observation: Humble yourself. Your wisdom and knowledge, your arrogance, create a false sense of security. Quit riding the wave and buckle down. Get to work.

Application: My former boss was a fourteen-year veteran with our company. When I started, he worked for me. He was quite a corporate politician and rose through the ranks quite suddenly in the past three years. He had connections. He felt confident and sure of himself. He was a maverick who got away with doing things his way and bucking company methods. He had those to whom he would "delegate" tasks in order to make his job easier and make him seem more efficient. I was one of those.

I was good at my job, followed policy, achieved results. Until I started working for him. I took on some of his responsibility and felt important, valued. In return, he left me alone to do my own thing.

Doing our own things didn't pay off. It was good for a while, feeling honored and valued, almost beyond accountability. That all ended abruptly two days ago when my boss was fired for not achieving the results expected of him. Fourteen years: over. A wife, kids, and a child support obligation; house payment and other bills. He is in my prayers now.

Last night, as I do every night, I asked God to speak to me and blindly opened the Word. To Isaiah 47. I read. God spoke.

You felt secure in your wickedness. "No one sees me," you said. But your wisdom and knowledge have led you astray, and you said, "I am the only one, and there is no other."

So disaster will overtake you, and you won't be able to charm it away. Calamity will fall upon you, and you won't be able to buy your way out. A catastrophe will strike you suddenly, one for which you are not prepared.

He told me to quit riding down easy street; to quit doing things my own way; to quit feeling honored and important. He told me to get to work. He said He'll tell me when His plans for me change. He rocked my world, and humbled me, and woke me up all at once. He blessed me, and today I feel at great peace.

Prayer: Thank You, Father, for answering prayer, for opening my eyes, for showing me the light! I have heard, and I will obey.

Your comments?

Joe

Maddy's Cancer Battle

AJA Press

Our Maddy Has Cancer

Earlier this week, I took our beloved eight-year-old (she just turned nine yesterday) Dalmatian, Maddy, to the veterinarian. She has a swelling on her right front leg that would rise and fall, and suddenly quit falling, swelling up more than ever. I posted the bad news on Twitter after delivering it to my wife: the dog who was our first child has cancer.

Canine Osteosarcoma, to be exact. From Wikipedia:

Osteosarcoma is the most common bone tumor in dogs and typically afflicts middle-age large and giant breed dogs such as Irish Wolfhounds, Greyhounds, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers and Great Danes. It has a ten times greater incidence in dogs than humans. A hereditary base has been shown in St. Bernard dogs. Spayed/neutered dogs have twice the risk of intact ones to develop osteosarcoma.

The picture above is an X-ray of a healthy dog leg. The picture to the right is our Maddy's X-ray. In the far right of the picture of the healthy dog leg, you can see the large bone that is missing in Maddy's leg -- literally eaten away from the inside out by the cancer cells. The two bones in the healthy X-ray are the ulna and radius, though I couldn't tell you which is which. In Maddy's leg, one is completely eaten away and the other is very, very deteriorated. The large swelling, I understand, is a result of her body trying to fight the cancer.

The vet, who we have used for the first time but who came highly recommended, prescribed prednisone for her, to fight the inflammation and help relieve the pain. I'm not convinced yet that it is doing either, though all that I have read about it says that it takes several days of continuous use to have the desired effect. So far, it seems to have only succeeded in causing her to be more thirsty and urinate more.

We haven't yet decided what course of treatment to take. The doctor mentioned three options: amputation of the leg plus chemotherapy; amputation alone; pain management only. He seemed to believe that her case was too far progressed for amputation and chemotherapy to do much to prolong her life or improve the quality of what time she has left, which he says may be as little as three months or as many as six.

Again, studying the situation seems to suggest that amputation would greatly relieve her pain and improve the quality of the time she has remaining. It also seems that amputation plus chemotherapy might give her as many as four to ten months more life. However, all of the studying in the world doesn't necessarily apply to Maddy's case.

My wife and I are currently struggling with watching our Maddy. We keep hoping that she will just get better. It's hard not to do that. And we struggle with whether to try to just help her manage the pain, amputate the leg, or amputate and treat with chemotherapy. The struggle for me is that my own mother lost her fight with cancer several years ago. She started chemotherapy and ended it shortly thereafter, convinced that the treatment only made her feel worse and wouldn't prolong her life or add any quality to it. Reports suggest that chemotherapy in dogs does not have the same dramatic side effects as it has in people. I just don't know.

What I do know is that we love our dog, and we don't want to lose her. But we also have faith in God, and know that everything that happens is for His purpose. Sometimes, though, it's hard to accept that His purpose might mean taking away a loved one, like our Maddy.

Yesterday was her ninth birthday. She's been with us since she was six weeks old, long before either of our children were born. We had a birthday party for her today, and pampered and spoiled her. She had a hot dog to eat, plus two new hot dog squeaky toys. She had several doggie cookies, and one real cupcake, which she absolutely loved.

Tomorrow, I'll be speaking with the vet again about his thoughts on amputation, chemotherapy, or just pain management. I just need to make sure that whatever decision we make, we are making as informed a decision as possible. I need to make sure that we aren't making a selfish decision. I don't want to prolong her life just to keep her with us longer if it will be a miserable life for her. But I don't want to just manage the pain if more aggressive treatment might add some quality months or years to her life. It won't be an easy decision to make, whatever we decide. I just wish Maddy could tell us what she would choose.

Your comments?

Joe


Maddy's Cancer Battle

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Salvation of Lincoln

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Luke 24:13-27
• O: On the day that Christ arose, He presented Himself to many people, including two men walking along the road, discussing the tragic crucifixion and how down they felt that their hopes of the Messiah seemed to be dashed. Christ replied, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart...." The continued to tell them all of the stories of him as prophesied in the Bible, beginning with Moses and all of the prophets.
  
• A: It sometimes takes great trial and hardship to bring one to salvation in Christ. On this Presidents' Day, we're reminded that Abraham Lincoln was not a Christian when he was elected President; he was not a Christian when he buried his son. Lincoln later told his hometown of Springfield, Illinois, "...when I saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ. I do love Jesus." It took the senseless massacre of thousands in the Civil War for Abraham Lincoln to turn to the salvation of Jesus Christ. I was saved at the age of twelve, raised in a family that when to church Sunday mornings and evenings and Wednesday evenings -- a Baptist church. Several years ago, after the loss of thousands of lives in the attacks of 9/11, my wife and I began attending church again. The tragedy is that, for some, rather than being saved by the tragedy, they are lost in it. What about you? Will you be saved, or lost? Why wait to find out. Why not choose salvation now?
  
• P: Thank You, Lord, for salvation. For paying the ultimate price for my sins (and those of my family) so that we may live forever with You.
  

Send feedback to Joe by email, or by calling 206-600-4JOE.

Obedience

Today's Daily Soap {Scripture | Observation | Application | Prayer}

• S: Psalm 119:65-80
• O: Sometimes God uses trial and hardship to bring us closer to Him.
  
• A: Not that it's a form of punishment, so much. Though the Bible is full of situations in which God punished people for sin, we have been given the ultimate forgiveness for sin. Whether you choose to accept that forgiveness is up to you, but God has eliminated the need to punish us for failing Him. Instead, I think, God sometimes withholds His blessings from those of us who may have strayed in one way or another. And the withholding of those blessings can be sufficient that our own sinful acts send us into a state of turmoil. It doesn't seem to take long to start reaping what you sow. If what you sow is evil and wrong, then quite quickly you might find that bad things start coming your way. Isn't it funny how we then forget about the sin we may have committed? But if what you sow is love, goodwill, and obedience to God, He will shower you with blessings. The best thing of all: is isn't too late to change.
  
• P: Lord, help me to be more obedient to Your will. Help me to reject the sinful ways of the world that can be so easy for people to fall victim to, and to live my life according to Your plan.
  

Send feedback to Joe by email, or by calling 206-600-4JOE.