Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Evil
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Matthew 4:8-10
Satan, the Devil, rules the earth that we live on. He offered this land to Jesus while He was present on Earth, but Jesus turned it down. You want to know why?
Because Jesus rules another world. Jesus rules eternity.
There has been an incredible amount of evil lately all across our great planet. Whether it is mass killings of people because of what they look like, what they believe in, or who they decide to be with, EVIL has been much too prevalent.
The shooting in Connecticut has proven once again that EVIL is real, and that the Devil is real. Being here in the Netherlands, I don't see continual news coverage and news paper articles calling for tighter gun control, or more tests to see who truly has something mentally wrong. I am not overwhelmed with the coverage. I am only overwhelmed with sadness, grief, and truth.
"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist!" (The Usual Suspects)
The truth is... EVIL will not stop. No matter what we try to do as a society, EVIL is present. We live in a world where the Devil is the owner. EVIL can happen at any moment at any time.
As a society, we need to stop acting like there isn't a power that truly is looking to destroy the good in our world. As a group we need to band together in times of crisis and sadness; we cannot begin to pull apart at the seems. When we bicker amongst each other, kill in cold blood, slander those we have elected to lead us, the Devil himself smiles.
We are fighting a real battle with the creator of EVIL, and until we recognize this very fact, we will continue to point fingers and split apart as a human race. Let's put our faith in Jesus Christ, and in the fact that he conquered this world to prepare a better place for those who go through such EVIL events. What a truly sad story it would be if our God had taken this world and left eternity to Satan.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
The FInal Chapter
My father's struggle has been well documented by myself and many others, but one final chapter is about to take place with the daily war with his feet. In just under two weeks, my father will have his left leg amputated below the knee...
It's still difficult for me to wrap my head around. For the past couple of years, Dad has been fighting continual bone infections in his left foot that leave him on I.V. anti-biotics. These bone infections have slowly become more and more severe leaving the possibility of the infection reaching his blood stream and killing him in a matter of months.
With his life at stake, there was only one option... to take the leg. As many of you know, I am playing basketball here in Holland and have officially seen my father for the last time with both of his legs. Being away from him will be a significant struggle, as I will want hour by hour updates of his conditions and his long rehab recovery. My father is my hero, and this just proves one more time that he is worthy of such a title.
He could have thrown in the towel on this one and just decided to roll the dice with these infections, but he knows if all goes right, this move will be better for him in the long run. The road to recovery and normalcy will be a challenging journey, so that is why I am asking all friends, family, and strangers to pray for my mother and father.
Please circulate this to as many people as possible because I know how strong the power of prayer can be. Thank you all for your concern and love through just another test in our lives. We wouldn't be able to make it through without you!
It's still difficult for me to wrap my head around. For the past couple of years, Dad has been fighting continual bone infections in his left foot that leave him on I.V. anti-biotics. These bone infections have slowly become more and more severe leaving the possibility of the infection reaching his blood stream and killing him in a matter of months.
With his life at stake, there was only one option... to take the leg. As many of you know, I am playing basketball here in Holland and have officially seen my father for the last time with both of his legs. Being away from him will be a significant struggle, as I will want hour by hour updates of his conditions and his long rehab recovery. My father is my hero, and this just proves one more time that he is worthy of such a title.
He could have thrown in the towel on this one and just decided to roll the dice with these infections, but he knows if all goes right, this move will be better for him in the long run. The road to recovery and normalcy will be a challenging journey, so that is why I am asking all friends, family, and strangers to pray for my mother and father.
Please circulate this to as many people as possible because I know how strong the power of prayer can be. Thank you all for your concern and love through just another test in our lives. We wouldn't be able to make it through without you!
Monday, April 23, 2012
My Hero, My Father
My father's life hasn't been easy. When I was just two years old, my father was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma! We moved to Nebraska where he received a bone marrow transplant. Even out there at such a young age, I saw what fighting was really like. In Nebraska, my father fought for his life, his wife, his son, his parents, and especially for God.
Yes... My father fought for God. You might ask how? How can a man fight cancer and fight for God. God had allowed this disease to engulf my father's life, but God had also given him strength, so it would be unsatisfactory for him to give in and let the cancer do its work. My father won the battle with cancer, but he now fights a different battle. This battle is against his own body.
After the bone marrow transplant, my father's cancer was cured. He returned to being a dentist and enjoying what he had worked for during his 33 years on Earth. But then he started to notice some changes with his body. He realized his body was no longer the same. Had the cancer returned? Was he just paranoid? Was this part of remission? All the thoughts came to mind, but there was only one answer.
He had acquired Graft vs. Host disease. In other words, his sister's white blood cells did not recognize and accept his body, so they began to do what they do best... Fighting off foreign substances. This substance was now my dad's body.
I honestly can't put into words what this disease is like, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. My father can no longer produce tears, so he has spent 18 years dropping eye drops into his eyes every 45 minutes. Next, he has no saliva... NONE! He carries around a bottle of water everywhere so he can keep his mouth as moist as possible. Since saliva helps the teeth stay healthy, his teeth have begun to decay. Ironic how a man known for fixing mouths can't do a thing about his own. Thirdly, he has about 20% lung capacity. The GVHD has attacked his breathing. My father can't walk more than 50 yards withing being completely out of breath. My father was an All Star athlete playing three sports in high school, continuing basketball for a year in college, then pursuing his dental dreams while hoisting many intramural trophies. He was an athlete. Now he sits in a wheelchair during long walking events like the airport, or any long walk he knows he can't handle. The last thing I will share will be what this disease has done to my father's feet. It will be hard to put into words, but I'll try.
His feet ankles and lower calves are destroyed past repair. The GVHD hit them hard. First, they began getting more and more swollen until they started to blister. After the blisters started, the swelling subsided but the blisters kept popping up. He now can't wiggle his toes. The blisters are so bad that his Achilles tendon is exposed through his "skin." His toenails are gone and painful bone chips form to try and close the wound since a scab never fully heals. Every night for 18 years my father has spent two hours wrapping his feet to keep them moist and usable. Without this grooming, his feet would have been unusable and would have needed to be amputated. In total, my dad had spent a total of 545 days taking care of just his feet... That means if he started taking care of his feet today, he wouldn't get up for a year and a half.
But still, the words I have used don't do the condition justice. I have watched my father fight through excruciating pain for years without one complaint. He fights to see me play another game. He fights because he vowed to be there for my mother. He fights because God wakes him up every morning. I have a responsibility to God and so do all of us.
Until the day God doesn't wake me up, I will fight to become a better person, better player, better son, and better man of God. That is our duty. That is the duty my father displays. In 6,570 days, my father has never given up. He could blame God for his lifelong situation. He could even take his own life and end all the suffering. Would you blame him?
If my father's life had revolved around sports, money, health, cars, clothes. appearance, or anything worldly, he would be dead. His world revolved around God. My dad has honored God with every single eye drop, every water bottle, and with every piece of gauze wrapped around his foot. One day, maybe tomorrow or maybe 30 years from now, God will call my father home. He will enter God's kingdom with no water bottle, no eye drops, a full breath, and twinkly toes. I have no doubt my father will run through those gates. God will have gained an amazing angel that day, but until then...
Yes... My father fought for God. You might ask how? How can a man fight cancer and fight for God. God had allowed this disease to engulf my father's life, but God had also given him strength, so it would be unsatisfactory for him to give in and let the cancer do its work. My father won the battle with cancer, but he now fights a different battle. This battle is against his own body.
After the bone marrow transplant, my father's cancer was cured. He returned to being a dentist and enjoying what he had worked for during his 33 years on Earth. But then he started to notice some changes with his body. He realized his body was no longer the same. Had the cancer returned? Was he just paranoid? Was this part of remission? All the thoughts came to mind, but there was only one answer.
He had acquired Graft vs. Host disease. In other words, his sister's white blood cells did not recognize and accept his body, so they began to do what they do best... Fighting off foreign substances. This substance was now my dad's body.
I honestly can't put into words what this disease is like, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. My father can no longer produce tears, so he has spent 18 years dropping eye drops into his eyes every 45 minutes. Next, he has no saliva... NONE! He carries around a bottle of water everywhere so he can keep his mouth as moist as possible. Since saliva helps the teeth stay healthy, his teeth have begun to decay. Ironic how a man known for fixing mouths can't do a thing about his own. Thirdly, he has about 20% lung capacity. The GVHD has attacked his breathing. My father can't walk more than 50 yards withing being completely out of breath. My father was an All Star athlete playing three sports in high school, continuing basketball for a year in college, then pursuing his dental dreams while hoisting many intramural trophies. He was an athlete. Now he sits in a wheelchair during long walking events like the airport, or any long walk he knows he can't handle. The last thing I will share will be what this disease has done to my father's feet. It will be hard to put into words, but I'll try.
His feet ankles and lower calves are destroyed past repair. The GVHD hit them hard. First, they began getting more and more swollen until they started to blister. After the blisters started, the swelling subsided but the blisters kept popping up. He now can't wiggle his toes. The blisters are so bad that his Achilles tendon is exposed through his "skin." His toenails are gone and painful bone chips form to try and close the wound since a scab never fully heals. Every night for 18 years my father has spent two hours wrapping his feet to keep them moist and usable. Without this grooming, his feet would have been unusable and would have needed to be amputated. In total, my dad had spent a total of 545 days taking care of just his feet... That means if he started taking care of his feet today, he wouldn't get up for a year and a half.
But still, the words I have used don't do the condition justice. I have watched my father fight through excruciating pain for years without one complaint. He fights to see me play another game. He fights because he vowed to be there for my mother. He fights because God wakes him up every morning. I have a responsibility to God and so do all of us.
Until the day God doesn't wake me up, I will fight to become a better person, better player, better son, and better man of God. That is our duty. That is the duty my father displays. In 6,570 days, my father has never given up. He could blame God for his lifelong situation. He could even take his own life and end all the suffering. Would you blame him?
If my father's life had revolved around sports, money, health, cars, clothes. appearance, or anything worldly, he would be dead. His world revolved around God. My dad has honored God with every single eye drop, every water bottle, and with every piece of gauze wrapped around his foot. One day, maybe tomorrow or maybe 30 years from now, God will call my father home. He will enter God's kingdom with no water bottle, no eye drops, a full breath, and twinkly toes. I have no doubt my father will run through those gates. God will have gained an amazing angel that day, but until then...
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