My Redeemer Is Nigh

Dacula, Georgia (ACN)

I will get to the title momentarily, but let me digress if I may. So throughout this ordeal with Stephanie's surgery and the diagnosis of cancer Stephanie said she had experienced no anxiety, until today when we went to discuss the results of her surgery with the surgeon. After weeks of worrying about this myself, thus adding a cubit to my height (Luke 12:25), she says she has not been anxious at all. Well I guess that just goes to show who the more spiritually mature one is.

So today we went in to the doctor's office and he begins to describe the breast and how it is made of a large number of ducts. These ducts have linings on the walls of the ducts and that is where the duct cell (abnormal duct cell) begins to grow too fast and is then cancer. Doctors do not know what causes the cell to become cancerous, but some insult to the body causes the initial cell to become abnormal.

Once the cell begins to grow and multiply if the cancer cells break through the lining into the duct the cells can travel to the lymphnodes and then contine to spread throughout the body. The stages of cancer try to depict how far along the cancer is in terms of it spread throughout the body.

The three ways that cancer spreads in the body are:

1. 
   Through tissue. Cancer invades the surrounding normal tissue.
2. 
   Through the lymph system. Cancer invades the lymph system and travels through the lymph vessels to other places in the body.
3. 
   Through the blood. Cancer invades the veins and capillaries and travels through the blood to other places in the body.

For more information go to the cancer.gov web site.

Stephanie's cancer cells were located only within the lining of the duct and is known as Stage 0. So we give thanks to those of you who have prayed for Stephanie and praise and glory to our Redeemer who is always nigh.

So what happens next. Well as it turns out, one of the lumps that was removed had cancer on the margins (outside) of the lump which means they did not remove it all, they only removed about 95%. Stephanie will be going in on Wednesday December 17th at 8:30am for another surgery to remove the remaining cancer cells. After this surgery we are done. There will be no radiation and no chemotherapy.

We praise God that the cells had not spread beyond the duct lining and we ask for your continued prayer that the doctors will be successful in removing all remaining cancer cells.

God is good all the time, all the time God is good. But to that expression let me add, that even if we had been given bad news that the cancer had spread God would remain good. He is not good because of what He does, but because of who He is.

I thought it approppriate to include this Psalm as our praise to God for His deliverance.

Psalm 16

The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in
Death.
A Mikhtam of David.
1 Preserve me, O God, for I take
refuge in You.
2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
I have no good
besides You."
3 As for the saints who are in the earth,
They are the
majestic ones in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those who have
bartered for another god will be multiplied;
I shall not pour out their drink
offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.
5 The LORD
is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
6 The
lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful
to me.
7 I will bless the LORD who has counseled me;
Indeed, my mind
instructs me in the night.
8 I have set the LORD continually before
me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my
heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
10
For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will You allow Your Holy One
to undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your
presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Andy