Category: trust

Jul 01

“I thought I was invincible!”

Terry Musser thought he had it all…until he lost his health and discovered all he had been missing.

“I thought I was invincible,”  the 70-year-old associate real estate broker told me as we recently chatted. “I had commercials on TV and for years was one of the top Realtors in the Tri-County area. I felt like I had everything.”

But when February 2024 rolled around, Terry didn’t feel quite so invincible.

Severe episodes of vomiting led Terry to drive himself to the ER (still feeling slightly invincible!) Doctors determined he was “spewing bile” so they inserted a nasogastric tube and placed two stents in his bile duct. At first, tests did not detect malignancy, but eventually a diagnosis was made: pancreatic cancer spread into nearby lymph nodes.

“They kept saying ‘you have cancer’ and I kept saying ‘no, I don’t’,” Terry recalled. “It was really hard to believe.”

Despite the fact Terry and I live only about 10 miles apart and were attending the same (large) church, we didn’t know one another when he was diagnosed. But then a copy of Peace in the Face of Cancer came in the mail from a stranger in Texas who his sister “happened” to meet. And then a copy of When GOD & Cancer Meet was gifted from a local friend.

Terry’s girlfriend Deb knew of me from our church, so we met and prayed together in the foyer one Sunday.  Shortly after that, Terry had an 8.5-hour Whipple procedure, which removed the head of the pancreas, duodenum, gallbladder and part of the bile duct. (Only about 20-percent of pancreatic cancer patients are candidates for this surgery.)

Terry and I had some heart-to-heart talks and he decided to have the recommended chemo, designed to increase the slim possibility of a cure.

Before his diagnosis, Deb had been trying to get Terry more involved in the church, but he wasn’t interested.

“She was kind of a pain in the butt,” Terry said with a smile. “Even though I was going to church I was minding my own business and just wanted to sit in the back and rush out to an open house at 1 o’clock,” he explained.

No photo description available.

“Team Musser”: Terry & his his real estate agent daughters

“But I kind of feel like the cancer was a gift–of lifestyle change, mind change and heart change,” Terry explained. “I always thought I didn’t need all that, but I was full of myself. 

“I was into yoga and Eastern religions, and I was always searching, searching, searching for something,” he added. “I was a ‘party man,’ but I haven’t had a drink in a year-and-a-half and I don’t miss it.”

Terry’s cancer/faith journey led him to slowing down his “exhausting” lifestyle. He still works when able, but lets his two daughters handle most of his busy agency, which employs another nine agents. He spends time enjoying caring for plants, scenic train rides, playing pickleball, reading inspirational books, attending a weekly men’s Bible study, and memorizing his favorite scripture,  Psalm 23.

“I found real faith and I feel less anxiety now with cancer than I did before without cancer.”

Recently Terry got the discouraging news that cancerous cells have shown up in fluid removed from his abdomen and he has restarted chemo.

“I thought I was put on this earth to help people with the big (real estate) decisions, but now I feel like I’m being kept alive to just help people,” he said. “I have a higher purpose than real estate.”

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Open in your browser to hear the music video “Still Water (Psalm 23) ” by Leanne Crawford, Aspire Christian Music–less than 4 minutes long!

Jun 03

My Father vs. the Angry Goose

Did I ever tell you about the time my father was attacked on a golf course?

It’s true.

After Dad retired from civil service, he worked part-time at a community course as a ranger traveling the links in a golf cart. A seasoned golfer with a 4-handicap in his younger days, Dad knew he should steer clear of the nesting goose on the course. And thought he was keeping a safe distance from her not-hatched-yet goslings.

But mama goose apparently didn’t agree that he was far enough away, and as he rode by, she circled around and flew straight toward him.  Dad kept thinking that surely she would turn, but instead the goose aimed her sharp beak right between his eyes. At the last second he let go of the wheel and threw up his right arm to protect his face as the goose’s broad wing knocked off his baseball cap. Dad lost control of the cart and ended up capsizing in a shallow stream–much to the amusement of a nearby foursome of young guys, who literally fell to the green in hysterics!

He laughed as he later told me the story, but I was horrified.

“Dad, what if you hadn’t thrown up your arm in time?” I chided him. “Do you know what the newspaper headline would have been the next day?…’Man Goosed to Death on Golf Course’!”

Please excuse my weird sense of humor, but as an ex-newspaper reporter, I’m always thinking about stories and headlines! Anyway, the moral of this story seems to be that Mother Goose will do whatever needs to be done to protect her family!

Mother hens do likewise. Have you ever watched one clucking and spreading her wings as she tried to safely gather her chicks when a dangerous storm or predator approached?

Did you know that Jesus once described Himself as a mother hen? In Matthew 23:37 we read:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers!
How often I have wanted to gather your children together
as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let Me.”  (emphasis mine)

As Jesus looked over the city of Jerusalem, He knew that He was the answer to the longings of Jewish hearts, but the people didn’t want to hear it. Like a protective, loving parent, the Lord longed to draw these folks close and keep them safe, but they wouldn’t let Him.

Can you feel those “wings” over you today–protecting you, shielding you, trying to draw you close?

Even if you can’t, I promise you they are there.

The eternal God is your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you.–Deuteronomy 33:27

He will cover you with His feathers.
    He will shelter you with His wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.-–Psalm 91:4

Yes, I know that bad things still happen to us and those we love. And yes, I know that unfair circumstances often are forced upon us. But I also know that even in the midst of this fallen world, God’s love cannot let us go.

Below are two favorite photos of my dad. In one he is safely holding 2-year-old me at the edge of Niagra Falls and in the other he meets and cradles his firstborn grandchild. Even if you don’t have happy memories of your earthly Father’s arms protecting and shielding you, today you can start experiencing that peace in your Heavenly Father’s arms as you draw close and let Him love you.

(Please open in your browser to enjoy the beautiful song “Under His Wings (Psalm 91) by Tom Mottershead.)

May 06

Are you as steadfast as my youngest grandson?

My two youngest grandchildren are just 14 months apart in age and the best of buddies–although Mathis (red shirt) finds it disconcerting that even though he’s taller than his older cousin, he never can “catch up” in age to him.

A recent conversation illustrates his dilemma.

MATHIS: I’m 7 and Jack is 8…but when I’m 8, Jack will be 9 ‘cuz he’s one year older.
ME: That’s right. You’ll never be able to catch up with him. He’ll always be one year older.
MATHIS: No, he won’t.
ME: Oh, yes, he will, sweetheart. Jack always will be one year older than you.
MATHIS: No, he won’t.
ME: Yes, he will. Why do you think he won’t?
MATHIS: When I’m 99, he won’t be.
ME: Yes, he will, honey. When you’re 99, Jack will be 100.
MATHIS: No, he won’t.
ME: But he will–why do you think he won’t be?
MATHIS: Because he’ll be dead.
ME (suppressing shock): Why do you think that, sweetie?
MATHIS: ‘Cuz he’s older!

Gotta love how certain the kid is!

Obviously, Mathis’s logic may or may not hold up as I later explained to him that the older person doesn’t always die first.

“When you’re 99, Jack still might be alive and be 100, and you still could be best friends!” I told him.

He thought it over for a few moments and finally responded with a shrug and an “OK.”

That whole conversation got me thinking about how convinced–or unconvinced–are we of God’s truth? Are we steadfast in our belief that He will be faithful?

It’s pretty easy when life is going well.  But…what about when our health is precarious? Our job is cut? Our friend betrays us? Our marriage falls apart?  Our prodigal doesn’t come back? Our finances tank? Our loved one dies?

Do we refuse to be moved from God’s promises? No matter what our heart may feel. No matter what our eyes may see. No matter what our ears may hear.

Are we certain of God’s presence even in spite of what our heart may not feel, of what our eyes may not see, of what our eyes may not hear?

When God hasn’t answered our prayers the way we desperately wanted–and knew He could–are we still convinced of His loving care for us? I love King David’s answer to that question for himself and for all of us:

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
for my expectation is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him.
Psalm 62:5-8

I hope you will listen and sing along with Marty Goetz, Messianic Jewish recording artist’s song, “He is My Defense,” based on Psalm 62. Marty sings in English, Hebrew and Russian, from a live concert in Jerusalem. (Please open in your browser to hear!)

Apr 22

What “Granny Clampett” Taught Me about Love

If you’ve ever seen that spunky character Granny Clampett on the old television show The Beverly Hillbillies, you have a pretty good mental picture of my friend Alice. She was about the size of her TV counterpart with long, salt-and-pepper hair pulled back in a tight bun. Her blue eyes danced mischievously despite the fact she was nearing 80.

And from her I learned what God’s love is really like.

Alice’s ramshackle two-story home was on a road I traveled often and occasionally I’d see her outside.  Who is that tiny flannel-clad lady swinging such a big ax?

In the spring of 1995, Alice’s world met mine.

Her older daughter brought her to my Cancer Prayer Support Group meeting. In true Granny Clampett style, Alice didn’t particularly trust strangers and firmly announced that she didn’t know why she had come and wasn’t going to participate. 

But over the ensuing weeks, we all warmed to one another and Alice became like a favorite “granny” to our group. Soon she was suggesting some of her home remedies for the physical woes we experienced:

Soak walnuts in whiskey for a few days to relieve diarrhea.

Nibble on a bit of peach pit for heartburn. “I know they have laetrile in them and it’s poisonous, but it doesn’t hurt me,” she insisted.

For respiratory problems, Alice swore by a mixture of honey, lemon, whiskey, and linseed oil: “If there’s somethin’ down there in your chest, that’ll bring it up!” 

Photo by Vlad Deep on Unsplash

Alice and I developed a special bond because we had the same kind of cancer. Not much else about our lives was the same. 

She had had a tough life, but remembered having felt “a great love for God” when she was only 3. As an adult she took her own three children to church faithfully until their teens.

But then something happened that made Alice feel she wasn’t welcome and she stopped attending. When she came to our support group, it was her first time in decades to set foot inside a church building.

 Every month Alice came to our support-group meeting and occasionally on a Sunday morning, I’d see her sitting in our congregation, smiling at me.

In the spring of 1996 I asked her to be my guest at our church’s Mother-Daughter Banquet. When I picked her up, my jaw dropped…Hair obviously freshly washed and piled in a soft bun. A  bright pink skirt-and-sweater set, accented by a matching jewelry ensemble. Plus a light perfume fragrance. 

“Wow! Do you look beautiful!” I exclaimed. She was beaming now and handed me a crocheted cross bookmark. I told her I would put it my Bible, where I would see it every day and think of her. 

At the banquet, we laughed and even cheered when she won a prize for the oldest mother. 

A few months later Alice was bedridden, nearing death. We read the Psalms together and she announced that she was “ready to go home to God.”

“I love God,” she kept whispering.

“He loves you, too,” I promised her–grateful that she had found her way back to Him.

 

I can’t recall the first time Alice told me “You’re my best friend.” But I do remember feeling embarrassed by her pronouncement, knowing I had done so little for her. I resisted the temptation to protest, thanked her and hugged her frail body close to mine.

I told her I loved her and that she would be my forever friend…It was our last earthly conversation.

And that’s how my friend Alice taught me about “the overwhelming, never-ending reckless love of God…I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it.”

Excerpted from When GOD & Cancer Meet ©Lynn Eib, 2002
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Be sure to open in your browser to hear “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury.

Apr 08

Should I “snooze Jesus”?

I don’t know if you’re on Facebook or not, but I have to be honest that much of the time lately I wish I wasn’t.

Don’t get me wrong. I love hearing from readers around the world who have been encouraged by one of my books and take time to let me know and share a little of their story. I love photos of old friends whom I don’t get to see in person often (or maybe ever!). And I love updates from cancer survivors and their families.

But I dislike intensely (that’s the phrase my mother made my brother and me use instead of “hate”) all the political posts, especially those which are not factual. And I really intensely dislike the lack of compassion I see, including from some of my Christian brothers and sisters.

So when a FB friend (not someone I know in “real” life) kept sharing posts which I felt fit both those categories, I decided I did not want to see these popping up in my feed any more. Easy enough, to remedy right?

Well, what I hadn’t really considered was the fact the first part of the “friend’s” online name was “Jesus.” Here are the choices I was given:

 

I’m sorry the photos are a little blurry, but I was laughing so hard when I read the options that I think I shook my phone.

“Snooze”Jesus for a month? Is that like hitting the alarm button, going back to sleep and ignoring Him?”

“Report the post” and they “won’t let Jesus know”? Pretty sure that’s not going to work.

And worst of all: “Unfollow Jesus” but “stay friends?’ Don’t we become friends because we are following Him?

When I finally stopped laughing, I starting seriously thinking about whether I unconsciously have chosen any of these options in my relationship with my Lord Jesus.

And the answer, I’m sorry to say, is yes.

I do “snooze” Him at times as I “ignore” His quiet whispers to spend more time with Him.

I do “see fewer posts” from Him when I skip reading my Bible and play word games instead.

And I always do want to be His friend, but I don’t always choose to follow the way I know He wants me to.

So these are the questions I’m asking myself in these turbulent days: Have I “snoozed”Jesus lately? Am I following Him or a political party? Is His Word prioritized in my day–both reading it and living it? Would the King of Kings give my FB posts a thumbs-up?

I’m finding that more than ever I need to guard what goes into my mind and heart so I can better control what comes out in my words and actions.

Proverbs 4:23-25 offers great wisdom:

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech.
Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

Whatever struggles we face today, Hebrews 12:2 gives us the answer:

And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion, who initiates and perfects our faith.

Please worship the Lord with this beautiful rendition of “Turn Your Eyes (Jesus We Lift Our Eyes to You) by Sovereign Grace Music. (Open in your browser to play the music video.)