Hi Dave,

Visiting grandchildren, our ministry, a tragedy and illness have kept me away from your blog for a few weeks until this morning.  It was good to catch up on your news, see a PJ party and enjoy Scripture God gave you.

Two weeks ago one of our brothers-in-law was murdered, actually executed, in a home burglary gone south.  The tiny town of Portis, Kansas will be reeling from this tragedy for a long time.  His funeral drew over 1200 people and had to be held in a high school gymnasium because no church could accommodate that size of a crowd.

Portis, a town of about 200, is just a blip on any map, if it appears at all.  The funeral message was basically one offering salvation.  Dave, people stood to receive Christ and hundreds of others stood when asked if they had renewed their faith or been drawn closer to God because of the tragedy.  There was no shouting, no histrionics, no sentimental “mish mosh,” no seeker sensitive terms from some approved list of emerging church leaders — just the quiet voice of reason sharing the gospel.  Sin, evil and death are not words one has to avoid when a closed casket and a grief-stricken family are staring you in the face as symbols of evil and the power of Satan.

Actually, my brother-in-law’s death attracted more people to Christ than did his life.  God was glorified.  I will never forget it.

Something that has continued to run through my brain in a constant stream for several days is that faith and predictability cannot co-exist.  It is true that our God can calm the storms in our lives, but it is also true that He can also put us “smack-dab” right in the middle of it.

Every time I can remember, the two words that angels first speak when they show up are “Fear not!” I say that we should recapture some healthy fear for this God because that magnifies His majesty, power, awesomeness and might.  I don’t want a “wussy” God and I know guys like you don’t want one of those either.

So many of the churches we encounter anymore have made God their buddy, their pal and their cosmic bell-boy at their beck and call to take care of the baggage in their lives.  We have compartmentalized God and grown very comfortable around Him.  The preaching of Oprah and her new age mumbo jumbo from books, some of which can be bought in church bookstores like Crystal Cathedral are lulling us to sleep.  Too many pulpits are sharing a “feel-good” gospel that attracts thousands, but transforms no one.

Right wing evangelicals continue to hammer home that the purpose of the Christian life is to stop sinning when it really is all about knowing Christ and following Him.

If the prosperity and health gospel was true, Irene would be taking those runs to the beach with you.  The fact is that you guys have invited Jesus to join you in your boat just as the disciples did 2000 years ago.  The picture I get is that He is either standing or sitting in the front of the boat so we can focus on Him and He can see the direction we are headed.

I wish that you and Irene could get off this roller coaster with its whips and turns and sit in one of those boats that gently take you on a serene ride.  But, I affirm and thank you for your testimonies and .... because God’s Word never changes and never returns void .... lives are being transformed.  May God continue to grant you the wisdom from His Holy Spirit that allows you to boldly proclaim your faith in Christ Jesus.

Your friend,

Dave Neely

In His sovereignty God allows human suffering to accomplish the purposes of His will.  Do you agree or disagree…?

Consider this…

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.

One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

Job 1:8-19

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Job 2:-37

Irene drove herself to and from dialysis.  Today was particularly debilitating because the dialysis treatment really took its toll on her physically.  She came home and slept for almost 3 hours then rested because of severe fatigue for the balance of the day.  The nausea was also relentless and severe.

What was Job’s response to his circumstances ....?

At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.”

In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Job 1:20-21

As Irene has journeyed this last year the mystery of God’s sovereignty and what He allows related to affliction and suffering has certainly been a relevant topic on many fronts.

As Irene continues on her “bed of suffering” she follows Jesus and Job’s example by not blaming God for the challenging journey she’s on, fully realizing that He gives and He takes away.  And all the while she worships and praises Him.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

Psalm 145:1-19

A psalm of praise of King David.
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made. 
14 The LORD upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you ....
Jeremiah 1:5

.... the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes ....
Psalm 118:23a

Irene drove herself to and from dialysis this morning and rested most of the day.  We watched with intrigue the amyloidosis episode on the Discovery Health Channel this evening.  It was particularly emotional to see the program although Irene’s journey has had a significant degree of complexity beyond that depicted on the program.  What we’re most grateful for is the public exposure to this hideous disease.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14

What we have concluded is this .... that before we were formed in the womb, God knew us.  Each of us is unique and God is the giver of life.  God makes no mistakes; He ordains our steps and directs our paths.  We are here on purpose.  In other words, we were born on earth for His purpose.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made.  We have complete confidence in Him, even with the challenges of the amyloid journey.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

Saturday night Pajama Tea Party in Aptos ....

Irene’s sisters, Carmen and Jane, arrived Saturday evening and after dinner they relished each other’s company and took delight in a fun pajama tea party .... you can observe Carmen and Jane drinking from the world famous Azusa Pacific University mugs!!!

After a continental breakfast this morning they went out for shopping spree at West Marine!!  They’re seen below sporting their recently acquired totes and treasures ....!!!

Shirley Churchill graciously also worked with Irene for two+ hours on physiology techniques designed to wake up the kidneys.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the Discovery Health Channel!!!

Monday, April 7, 10 p.m, Eastern Time, (that’s 7 p.m. CA time!!)
Mystery Diagnosis, Amyloidosis episode

Caminando con Fé

Dave

For PERSPECTIVE, compare and contrast Irene’s skin color as it has morphed along her journey .... it’s an amazing metamorphosis .... from turning BLACK in July of 2007 following the chemo and stem cell transplant to ....

Irene is putting weight back on and her skin is slowly returning to its natural olive complexion.  Despite the chronic nausea and the recent increase in amyloid value within her bloodstream, she’s enduring it all with JOY and a SMILE on her face!!  Her courage and attitude on this journey have truly been inspiring!!!

Caminando con Fé

Dave

HE IS LORD OF ALL, including the WIND……..

He makes winds his messengers ....
Psalm 104:4a

.... stormy winds that do his bidding ....
Psalm 148:8b

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
John 3:8a

It’s been a very good day for Irene!!

We were out of the house early this morning running several errands.  We had a terrific interaction with three cheery credit union employees who were stirred by Irene’s journey of faith after we gave them her book and told them some of her story.

After returning home she worked in the yard before the WIND brought her back inside the house!  She went out by herself to a couple more stores before returning home and resting.  I’m glad she rested because after she did, she baked a batch of my favorite cookies .... oatmeal smothered with chocolate chips, coconut and walnuts!!!!  Yuuuuuuuummmm ........!!!!!!  It’s a good thing that I had a good physical work out earlier in the day!!!

Late in the afternoon both of us worked in the yard after the WIND calmed.

Irene’s sisters, Carmen and Jane, arrived this evening and are spending the night at our house.  At the time of this writing all of them are outside in the flower garden!!!!

Irene’s unwavering, undoubting and foundational faith “grounds” her amidst the amyloidosis “wind”, resting assuredly that God answers prayer. 

.... he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
James 1:6

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
Matthew 7:25

HE IS LORD OF ALL, including the WIND, which retreats into submission at the command of His word ....

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
Mark 4:39

HE IS LORD OF ALL, including the Amyloidosis.  We trust that He will rebuke the amyloid into submission at the command of His word.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

Heaven His “throne” and earth His “footstool”!!

Irene drove herself to and from dialysis treatment this morning sipping on a tall, soy, green tea latte from Starbucks on her way home.  Her blood pressure drops during dialysis treatment which leads to extreme nausea have led to a 50% reduction of her blood pressure medication for the next two weeks.  If it goes well she can permanently reduce the blood pressure medication.

Irene’s nausea remained at a low roar but she was extremely fatigued from the dialysis treatment.  She plodded through the afternoon, rested, and enjoyed the backyard “Wisteria” garden.

God created lights in the great expanse.  Heaven is His throne and earth His footstool.  That’s a metaphor worth musing upon and gives perspective to the HIGH VIEW of God we diligently maintain on Irene’s Journey of Faith.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

First “NEW DO“ in a very LONG TIME ....!!!!

Irene got her hair cut today for the first time since being discharged from UCSF in July of 2007.  Her hair “thinned” through the chemotherapy/stem cell transplant process but she never completely lost it as many do.  It was cut short when she was hospitalized at UCSF in preparation for the journey.  Irene has been contemplating this haircut for a couple of months and finally scheduled the appointment for today.  Her nausea remained a low roar and she was able to get several things accomplished on her to do list.

We’re very grateful for Irene’s continued progress and the reason for it which is God’s grace and mercy answering the intercessory prayer offered by so many.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

From The Valley of Vision

Longings After God

My Dear Lord,

I can but tell thee that thou knowest
I long for nothing but thyself,
Nothing but holiness,
Nothing but union with thy will.

Thou hast given me these desires,
And though alone canst give me the thing desired
My soul longs for communion with thee,
For mortification of indwelling corruption,
Especially spiritual pride.

How precious it is
To have a tender sense and clear apprehension
Of the mystery of godliness,
Of true holiness!
What a blessedness to be like thee
As much as it is possible for creature
To be like its Creator!

Lord give me more of thy likeness,
Enlarge my soul to contain fullness of holiness;
Engage me to live more for thee.
Help me to be less pleased with my spiritual experiences,
And when I feel at east after sweet communings,
Teach me it is far too little I know and do.

Blessed Lord,
Let me climb up near to thee,
And love, and long, and plead, and wrestle with thee,
And pant for deliverance from the body of sin,
For my heart is wandering and lifeless,
And my should mourns to think it should ever
Love sight of its Beloved.

Wrap my life in divine love,
And keep me ever desiring thee,
Always humble and resigned to thy will,
More fixed on thyself
That I may be more fitted for doing
And suffering.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Colossians 1:15-20

Irene had a much better day than yesterday!!  Despite the nausea remaining at a low roar she was able to get several errands done around town and worked in her hobby/craft room for part of the afternoon.

Our hope is in Him, the visible manifestation of the invisible God.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

When Doctor Alan Buchwald, the first person to diagnosis Irene with nephrotic syndrome, learned of Irene’s recent increase in Amyloid value his response was simply that perhaps the reading is an ANOMALY.

According to the dictionary, ANOMALY is defined as:

• An irregularity or mis-proportion
• Something that is strange or unusual

A conversation over the weekend with Ken Churchill morphed into Dr. Buchwald’s comment, that then led to a conversation about the “trending” of Irene’s amyloid values since July of 2007.  That, in turn, followed with a conversation about the application of the “bell curve”.

The normal distribution, also called the Gaussian distribution, is an important family of continuous probability distributions, applicable in many fields. Each member of the family may be defined by two parameters, location and scale: the mean ("average", μ) and variance (standard deviation squared) σ2, respectively. The standard normal distribution is the normal distribution with a mean of zero and a variance of one. Carl Friedrich Gauss became associated with this set of distributions when he analyzed astronomical data using them, and defined the equation of its probability density function. It is often called the BELL CURVE because the graph of its probability density resembles a bell.

Irene woke up extremely fatigued this morning yet still drove herself back and forth to dialysis treatment.  The last 24 hours they also tested Irene’s kidney function which we hope to learn more about later this week.  After coming home her nausea was intense and she was still very fatigued so she rested and napped for the balance of the day.  Most dialysis days really wring her out ....

As we follow the next amyloid test value scheduled for late April we are acutely monitoring the bell curve and hope that the recent test was an ANOMALY and that the amyloid values trend downward.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

According to Wikipedia ....

SLACKLINING is a balance sport which utilizes nylon webbing stretched tight between two anchor points. Slacklining is distinct from tightrope walking in that the line is not held rigidly taut; it is instead dynamic, stretching and bouncing like a large rubber band. The line’s tension can be adjusted to suit the user and different types of dynamic webbing can be used to achieve a variety of feats. The line itself is flat, due to the nature of webbing, thus keeping the slacker’s footing from rolling as would be the case with an ordinary rope.

Shirley Churchill again graciously worked with Irene for 2+ hours this morning on physiology techniques designed to wake up the kidneys.  Irene’s energy was up most of the day with the nausea remaining at a low and tolerable roar.  It was a relaxing day on the beautiful Monterey Bay.

Irene’s journey of faith is metaphoric to slacklining because the journey is spiritually dynamic, unusually stretching and emotionally bouncing like a large rubber band. 

As Irene “balances” the daily challenges of “spiritual slacklining” we’re grateful for your continued support and confident that she’ll make it safely to other side.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

Do we appropriate a faith of convenience or are we SOLD OUT for Christ?

Most church attending Christians would strongly argue that we are faithful and obedient to the Lord…but are we?  Do we, really, follow Jesus and his example?

Let’s set aside for a moment the challenging example of obedience that Jesus set before us by being beaten, whipped, and hung on a tree .... although he emphatically teaches us to die to ourselves, deny ourselves, and relentlessly follow Him.  It’s simply my observation that some people are inclined to “pick and choose” the scripture they believe in somewhat of a smorgasbord approach.  They’ll certainly adhere to that which takes little effort but will avoid that which might appear to be more challenging.  I call it “selective obedience”.  The examples could be exhaustive ....

Start with a practical illustration for your own self assessment…

Let someone see our wallet and calendar and they will clearly identify where our priorities are and how much our faith really does mean to us. In other words where one spends their TIME, TALENT & TREASURE are strong indicators of one’s love for God and one’s faith being lived out in a practical way.

• In the last 30 days how much TIME have you spent advancing God’s agenda?
• In the last 30 days how have you used your TALENT advancing God’s agenda?
• In the last 30 days how and how much have you used your TREASURE advancing God’s agenda?

.... and here is a specific scripture illustration ....

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Mark 1:35

How many of us obey that discipline on a regular basis?

Beyond the chronic nausea, Irene had a terrific day.  Jocelyn moved this weekend so we visited her at the new place, a small house in the rural hills of Larkin Valley. It’s gated and very private with more space for her two dogs.

Irene also worked in the yard.  Later, we took our favorite coastal drive, stopping at the wharf for a crab cocktail.

Do we appropriate a faith of convenience or are we truly SOLD OUT for Christ?  Self assessment is a valuable tool .... especially if we are bold enough to openly talk with others about where we’re spending our TIME, TALENT & TREASURE.  It’s also especially valuable if we’re committed enough to leave the house early in the morning, while it is still dark, find a solitary place and pray.

Rather than appropriating a faith of convenience, Irene’s journey of faith is teaching us to be completely SOLD OUT for Him.

Caminando con Fé

Dave