Welcome to the NFL.

By the time a player makes it to the pros he’s operating at an amazing level of athletic ability.  Playing the game at that stratospheric level requires an enormous amount of discipline, endurance and commitment.  It takes years of rigorous training and practice.  And of course, the physical and mental demands are also enormous.

Irene and I went to the grocery store to make sure that I would have lots of snacks for the big game!!  She prepared a large number of thick, marinated and boneless beef ribs, spicy bean dip and chips served in football shaped Super Bowl dishes and gigantic oatmeal cookies ....!!!!!  Without question .... it was the best Super Bowl meal I’ve ever had!!  What a party .... what a “happening” ....!!!

Irene is again experiencing some allergy or cold symptoms and hoping they will not proliferate.  Her energy level is lethargic and the nausea remains at a low rumble. Shirley Churchill worked with Irene on physiology techniques for 2+ hours while Ken and I relaxed and enjoyed the big game!

Metaphorically, Irene is playing in the SPIRITUAL NFL.  She is “stepping up her game” at a stratospheric level of performance with spiritual maturity facing her competition, which is a real life, formidable, opponent named Primary Amyloidosis.  In the “practice” of life, it took her years of to develop the spiritual discipline and training necessary to compete at this level.  In other words, her tender response to all of this is empirical evidence that she is spiritually prepared for the challenge.

What were some of her training and disciplines in the “practice” of life which prepared her for this confrontation?

• Years of Bible Study and scripture memory
• Daily quiet time, worship and prayer before God
• Being “teachable” and mentored by a “spiritual” parent
• Serving others joyfully and living within the context of community and accountability

Operating in the “spiritual NFL” requires an enormous amount of personal determination and commitment.  She wills to live and overcome her circumstances.  All of us who have watched her know that the physical and mental demands she’s facing have been, and are, colossal in nature.  That’s why her response has been so inspiring.

At the same time, however, we take Jesus at his Word when he declares:

.... apart from me you can do nothing  
John 15:5b

So, while Irene’s “practice”, commitment, discipline and training are a necessary part for her role to play in obedience to Him, she ultimately rests in His activity, in His work on the cross and in His resurrection, knowing that it’s by His grace, not by her works, that she can actually experience “major league performance” in the spiritual life.

Irene denies herself and abides in His Presence, for playing in the “spiritual NFL” pales in comparison to that which lasts for only a season on this earth.  And, ultimately, she wins the Super Bowl of eternal life.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

According to Wikipedia ....

An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water.

Because the density of pure water ice is about 920 kg/m³, and that of sea water about 1025 kg/m³, typically, only one-ninth of the volume of an iceberg is above water. The shape of the remainder under the iceberg can be difficult to surmise from looking at what is visible above the surface. This has led to the expression “tip of the iceberg”, generally applied to a problem or difficulty, meaning that the visible trouble is only a small manifestation of a larger problem.

Irene and I were out early Saturday morning running errands and enjoyed the cool, cloudy day.  Her nausea remained at a low roar.  She appears to be slowly gaining some weight, holding steady at 110-111 pounds for the last month.  After dialysis treatment this coming Monday we’ll venture to UCSF to meet with the vascular surgery team for a fistula procedure consultation.  This continues to be a dynamic journey because it is forever changing.  If the kidneys do “wake up” and function again Irene won’t endure the fistula procedure and the dialysis treatment will be discontinued.  As Hosanna Loh commented in a recent email, we pray that “He restores Irene’s kidneys”!!

In order to see below the surface of our challenges, sometimes we need to go DEEP and S.E.E. .... perhaps journeying through a “Significant”, “Emotional”, “Event”.

In other words, sometimes it’s only after we’ve experienced a traumatic or colossal event directly affecting us that we’re more receptive to the ultimate purposes of God.  Perhaps a “felt need” surfaces through the ordeal and we’re able to see more clearly than before.  Or, perhaps, as a Christ follower, God takes us into deeper water to make us a deeper person.

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
Psalm 42:7

The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
Jonah 2:5

He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
Daniel 2:22

It is God who works in us and through us for His purposes and His purposes will, in fact, prevail.  Our duty is yielding to His leading and even beyond that, LEANING into His LEADING.  Therefore, we cooperate with Him and go where He wants us to go, trusting Him at unfathomable levels .... believing that His power is manifested in our weakness.

 

We also trust Him to draw us out of those deep waters, in His perfect time, as King David proclaims:

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
Psalm 18:16

So, when we see the tip of the iceberg, we know that there’s much more than what meets the eye .... with, according to Wikipedia, perhaps as much as 90% of it being unseen.  But it’s often when we’re in that unfathomable depth of darkness, perhaps in our darkest hour, with the metaphoric seaweed wrapped around our head, that we truly come to experience the manifestation of His Presence and see His liberating hand at work in our lives.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

Dave and Irene….

We continue to strongly support you both in our Prayers….One day at a time sweet Jesus…the old song goes…And its so true….Dave the thoughts and flow of the story journaling Irenes illness along with your giftedness will have eternal impact….We are grandparenting in NC until the 12th….Have a Blessed Lords day…Our love to all…Jack

Dave and Irene,

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the copies of “Irene’s Journey of Faith” we ordered when we returned from vacation this week.  We plan to give a copy each to several friends of ours who have prayed for Irene over the course of time.  Your updates are wonderful, inspiring, and sure help us know the best way to pray day to day.  We continue to lift up Irene each day, for the ultimate healing in the long term, but also for just what’s needed to get through each day. 

Isaiah 65:24 - “It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking I will hear.”

With love,

Steve and Sue Azevedo

We received this very gracious email entitled “Great book” from our friend, Laura Gschwend (husband, Dave), and thought we would share it...we’re so grateful for the kind words and support.

Dave and Irene,

Dave and I went away for his 55th BD earlier this week and I got to curl up and read your book. It was so heart warming and courageous...I loved every line and testimony and story of how you, Irene, have been climbing Mt. Everest with your faithful family and friends upholding you.

The proclamation of your mouths, the fire in your testimonies, the love in your hearts, and the legacies you both leave behind wherever you visit, leave us eager for more of God.

May God use this book and your precious story, Irene, to bring more and more to Him. May God reveal to you the fruit of your life in ways that will fill your heart with radiant joy.

And may the two of you take great delight in what your marriage and love for one another has built in the lives of so many. Your love for one another is a fragrance that wafts in and out of our lives.

I was also so touched by the mature love of your precious daughters...who love you so much and each in their own way are heroines between all the lines of this journey.

When we stumbled upon your home so long ago on Paradiso Court we had no idea then what lie ahead. The journey has not been easy. But the respect and love that has been built stands the test of time. Dave and I cherish you both and pray blessing upon blessing upon you.

P.S. Irene, my favorite pictures of you in the book were all the ones with you in the garden...for that is where I think you belong the most-growing living things with your love and kindness and courageous wisdom. God has taken that gardener heart of yours and made you into a grower of people too...God is not going to waste your green thumb any more on soil no matter how wonderful that is too! Your nurturing is now growing Kingdom builders with the proclamation of your faith and modeling of what trust in God looks like here on earth. You are my sister, a gardener of the first degree. That is your signature strength. I love that about you.

Bless you both. Well done…

Laura Gschwend Ed.D., NBCT

Educator in Residence

New Teacher Center @ University of California, Santa Cruz

How do YOU get restored?

• Hobbies?
• Exercise?
• Reading?
• A good nap?

I have found that, as beneficial as hobbies, exercise, reading or a nap may be, and I do participate in all of them for the obvious benefits and enjoyment, I have also discovered over the years that restoration isn’t found in an activity but rather in a Person.

Irene had a rough morning at dialysis with her blood pressure dropping to 70/45 with the accompanying lightheadedness and vomiting.  The dialysis team was attentive and stabilized her but it wasn’t a pleasant excursion ....

Speaking of dialysis, during treatments Irene has been reading the book dedicated to her, Irene’s Journey of Faith. Sounds funny, doesn’t it?  Here is the noteworthy point .... she gets very emotional during the reading .... and even afterward, upon reflection, because she is actually seeing for the first time what she went through .... especially at UCSF.  In fact, the hospital stay was such a blur that she feels like she is experiencing the journey for the first time as she reads about her trek.  She doesn’t even remember many of the days or some of the detail referenced in the blog.  She’s overwhelmed with emotion as she reads the journal entries by Jocelyn and JoAnna.  It seems strange that in many ways she is experiencing the journey for the first time ,,,, except, this time as the object of affection and as the reader.  Perhaps what we might refer to as a surreal experience.

This evening we ate a light dinner at Carpo’s Restaurant and enjoyed running into Fred and Marilyn Miller .... and part of their Mount Hermon clan!!!  They always lift our spirits.

Restoration is an integral part of a healthy and balanced well being.  Restoration breathes new life into us and ignites the fire within.  I don’t know how YOU get restored, but I am grateful that He takes such a personal interest in us that we can completely depend upon him to restore our soul.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

REFLECTIONS ....

It’s hard to imagine that it’s been almost ONE YEAR since embarking on Irene’s Journey of Faith.

The genesis was on February 12, 2007 when Irene’s routine physical examination revealed that her cholesterol had jumped from 200 to 400.  We perceived her to be in excellent health prior to this date.  Over the next several weeks her cholesterol jumped to over 500, she experienced two blood clots (one pulmonary and one in her left calf), an extreme case of edema and was losing protein in the urinary tract; classic symptoms of nephrotic syndrome .... or kidney failure .... even though it seemed to take forever for that diagnosis.

But as we subsequently learned, this was just the beginning.  The ultimate diagnosis of Primary Amyloidosis at UCSF didn’t come until the middle of May and the kidneys were merely victims within the context of the disease itself.

There’s much more to the story .... including how our primary care physician and the treating nephrologist at the local hospital told us that it was entirely up to us to get Irene admitted to Stanford Hospital or UCSF because their collective attempts failed.  It was only after Dr. Alan Buchwald and another good friend, Don Thomas, advocated for Irene that she was ultimately accepted and transferred to UCSF for treatment.  Dr. Alan Buchwald made direct contact with Dr. Stephen Gluck, the Professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, at UCSF, and Don Thomas paved the way through his personal friend, Mark Laret, the CEO of UCSF.  We are forever grateful.

We firmly believe that had it not been for Dr. Buchwald and Don Thomas advocating the way that they did, Irene would already be in Heaven today.  Anecdotally, when Dr. Buchwald called UCSF he did not have any existing relationships to lean upon.  He simply made the call to UCSF.  Dr. Stephen Gluck picked up the telephone number dialed by Dr. Buchwald.  What are the odds that would happen?

Irene now has a NEW primary care physician and a NEW local nephrologist.  As I said, there was much more to the story.

Irene stayed home today and carefully worked through chores and her favorite subject .... TAXES!!  Just kidding, it isn’t her favorite job but she did spend some time pulling together the 2007 tax filing.  Her nausea remains; she’s fatigued and moved slowly through the day.  The one consolation of her day was that there was no dialysis treatment!!

Obviously, it’s been an incredibly challenging 12 months.  As an additional point of reference the stem cell transplant was June 15, 2007.  My quick math calculates that we’re approaching eight months since that procedure.

The colossal journey is far from over .... we have much more to learn as we traverse the way.  Irene’s response to all of this has been nothing short of remarkable.  We would have never envisioned this trek and could not have traveled it alone.  And we know that we’re not ....

King David asserts .... “For You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.”
Psalm 9:10b

Jesus affirms: “I am with you always.”
Matthew 28:20b

God avows, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”   
Hebrews 13:5b

.... and thanks .... for the many ways YOU have also been with us along the way.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

“LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD”

So goes the popular mantra at the UCSF Blood Center.

And scripture validates the assertion ....

For the forgiveness of sins:

This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Matthew 26:28

.... and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
Hebrews 9:22b

For reconciliation, peace and fellowship with God:

.... 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 1:20b

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:7

Neutrophil (yellow) granulocytes, generally referred to as neutrophils, are the most abundant type of white blood cells in humans and form an integral part of the immune system.

Irene drove herself to and from dialysis today, continuing to be challenged with severe fatigue and unrelenting nausea.  She rested for the balance of the day, moving deliberately through several household chores.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
1 Peter 1:18-20

It is His blood, shed on the cross that redeems life now and forevermore.  We don’t claim to understand the chemistry of neutrophils, but it is absolutely true .... as the popular mantra at the UCSF Blood Center asserts .... that LIFE IS IN THE BLOOD.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills —
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you —
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm —
he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Irene enjoyed a better day although challenged by unremitting nausea and constant itching from high phosphorous values.  I am becoming a good “back scratchier”!!  She was able to run several errands and plod through the day.  Irene did have the gumption to prepare a wonderful stuffed pork chop dinner and apple crisp for dessert.  Yum ....

Our help comes not from the hills that our eyes may look upon but rather from the One who neither sleeps nor slumbers and who is at our beck and call.  Our help comes from the One who watches our coming and going.  Our help comes from the One who keeps us from all harm even when we think that our circumstances may dictate otherwise.

Our help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth .... and our HOPE is in Him.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

Hi Dave…
And actually, this is to Irene—I went on your website today at your suggestion; bless your heart, what an honor it is to know that my devotional book and other words of encouragement have been used of the Lord to strengthen your heart.  I just wanted to thank you, dear Irene, for going the extra mile and keeping your smile despite the tremendous physical challenges you are facing.  You have not let this disability “define” who Irene Dias is; but you have used this disability to showcase who Jesus Christ is.  That’s why your story is such a huge inspiration.  Give your husband a “head hug” for me and greet your children, too.  My prayer for you today is from Psalm 31:24, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”

May hope and help, peace and grace be yours, dear Irene…

Joni

Dear Dave and Irene,

We were excited to learn the news of Irene’s kidney function improvement.  Yea!  I last read your site on 1/23 and recalled it saying you would not update until 1/28 so I hadn’t checked in for a few days.  Dave and I had some wonderful prayer time yesterday and specifically felt led to ask the Lord to wake up Irene’s kidneys.  God was already doing it before we prayed.  God really is amazing.  We just got your book in the mail today too and look forward to reading it.

Love,  Dave & Bev

Joni Eareckson Tada’s Pearls of Great Price Devotional is deep and profound ....

.... and here is today’s entry dated January 28 ....

An inspiring example…..

“For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.”
Romans 14:7

No man is an island.  We are all connected.  Our lives are always influencing others, whether for good or for bad.  When people who face lesser conflicts — like a bruised ankle or sow bugs on the shower — observe someone who is gracefully handling greater conflicts, it speaks volumes.  Liz Hupp knew a godly saint like that in her church.  And Liz wrote:

I saw the woman in the chair, she was in church again today.
Someone said they’ve sold their house; they’re going to move away.
No! I cried, they cannot go; they cannot move away.
I didn’t get to know her; there’s something I need to say:
Please tell me your secret; I want to sit at your feet,
I need to know how you handle the pain that is your daily meat.
How do you keep on smiling when each day your health grows worse?       
How do you keep depending on God when you’re living with a curse?
Every time I see her, her smile comes from deep within.
I know her fellowship with God isn’t scarred by the chair she’s in.
She admits her health is failing; she knows she’s fading away.
How can she remain so calm when I’d be running away?
My friend, can you tell me how you can trust the Lord?
How can you stay so gentle and sweet when He seems to wield a sword?
You are to me a promise that even in the midst of pain
God is near and faithful if I will turn to Him again.

Who are your role models of inspiration?  Who are the godly examples of perseverance?  Who do you think of when you need an example of the sufficiency of Christ in hardship?  Pray for that person — or persons — whom the Lord has placed around you.  These Christian men and women struggle with doubts and discouragement too.

Irene drove herself to and from dialysis today, afterward, feeling extremely fatigued and nauseated.  Her phosphorous levels remain very high and she just can’t get enough “back and body scratch”!  The itching is yet another side effect of all she’s enduring.  She trudged through today and looks forward to a new tomorrow.

Who did you think of when Joni posed the penetrating questions in her devotional?

• Who are your role models of inspiration?
• Who are the godly examples of perseverance?
• Who do you think of when you need an example of the sufficiency of Christ in hardship?

Great questions .... and, if you’re like me, you thought of Irene and her model of inspiration and perseverance.  She is a robust example of Christ’s sufficiency in hardship.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

“We like 5” was an email message that my good friend Ken Churchill sent to me in response to the good news of Irene’s improved kidney function.  Ken and Shirley delivered a “FIVE” balloon to celebrate the amazing development!!!!  It is prominently displayed in our living room.

Irene’s sisters Jane and Carmen (below) stayed with Irene while I attended several days of Azusa Pacific University Board of Trustee meetings in Santa Barbara.  You can tell from the “attitude” photo below that they’re very depressed about the notion ....

I had the privilege of meeting Joni Eareckson Tada today.  The summer after graduation Joni broke her neck (fractured the fifth cervical) at the age of 17 in a July 1967 diving accident in the murky waters of Chesapeake Bay, which left her a quadriplegic. She was in the hospital for months. During this time, and unable to use her hands after the accident, she learned how to paint by holding a brush in her mouth. She also learned how to move her arms a little using her back muscles, which, with special equipment in the car, allowed her to learn how to drive.

Joni is an amazing woman who is familiar with a lifetime of suffering and one to whom God has said “NO” to physical healing She gave a stirring message today related to how when God says “NO” to one thing, he says “YES” to something else.  She used the following powerful text ....

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:10-11

You can read more about Joni at http://www.joniandfriends.org/.

You can see the autographed copy of her book below .... she used a pen in her mouth to sign her name.  I gave her a copy of Irene’s Journey of Faith.

We like 5 also .... and are now adopting “5 to 15+” as our new motto, with 15 representing the opportunity to cease from further dialysis treatment.

Five is an answer to prayer .... both yours and ours .... to His Glory.

Now let’s pray for 15.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

AMAZING DEVELOPMENT….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Irene was in dialysis this morning and was told by the medical team that her creatinine clearance test results were in.  Creatinine clearance is the removal of creatinine from the body and measures kidney function. 

Here’s the good news:  Hovering in the .01 range for the last several months, the level reported today is in excess of 5.0…!!!!!!!  The nursing team was amazed.  When they called Dr. Kumar, the kidney doctor, he was amazed.  This is obviously a very positive development and indicates that the kidneys may be waking up!!!!  A value of 15 would represent no further need of dialysis…we’re obviously rejoicing!!!!!!!

As the hymn goes, “Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from Heaven above”.  We don’t know what the future holds but we know that He holds the future and we praise His Name. 

We know there’s much more to learn in the days ahead, but, at least for this moment, we’re doing “spiritual cartwheels” over this amazing development!!!

Thanks for caring,
Dave

Irene and Dave: Just finished your book, Dave, wonderful tribute to Irene.  I only just heard about your battle, Irene, I apologize for having my head in the sand. You are a phenomenal role model for those battling adversity.  Congratulations for your message. Someone said tough times never last, tough people do.  You are the best example.  God bless you both, the world needs more people like you.  Congratulations on the website, a marvelous tool. Best wishes. Never, never, never, never give up according to Churchill.  We know you won’t.  Ken and Sue Noack