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Always Be Aware

Always Be Aware

by | Dec 13, 2021 | Uncategorized

*I think these commercials with this burgular about how to keep your home safe is creative and funny.

I have two young beautiful daughters.  I worry about their safety all the time in this crazy world that we live in. I warn them when they leave the house.

Always be aware of your surroundings. Don’t walk alone if you can help it.

If you let your guard down bad things can happen quickly.  If you let down the guard of your mind, things can spiral downward pretty easily. This last week I let my guard down just for a few hours. I began to think of all the Christmas fun people were having.

They were attending Christmas festivities and family and busily shopping and here I was tethered to this Optune device and fighting for my life. I swirled down the drain of despair in just a few hours. 

I’m glad I don’t walk alone. I have close friends who check on me daily. You know who you are. You always remind me to keep my eyes focused on the Father, his goodness and greatness! Thanks for being there for me. I lean into your faith when mine is week. I hope all of you have a few friends like Dr. John, Bob and a few others in my life. I’m doing better this week. I’m staying focused on enjoying family.

My son and daughter-in-law are in for a few days before Christmas and we watched funny Christmas movies. They will spend Christmas with us. We have gone out in our neighborhood and a few other neighborhoods close by to enjoy Christmas lights on homes. We play a fun game of judging each house and giving them a grade. Everyone better up their Christmas light game. We are judging you.

I go in for my next MRI on January 5th in preparation for that MRI.  I am taking dreaded steroids again to cause the swelling from radiation to go down so that the oncologist can get a better picture of my tumor to see how it is or isn’t responding to treatment. 

1. Pray for the swelling to go down around the tumor

2. Pray that the tumor will have shrunk or not grown.

3. Pray for my adjustment to Optune. If it can extend my life then the hassle is worth it.

4. Pray I don’t gain another 30 lbs and eat the house down while on steroids

5. Pray for a solid night’s sleep while on steroids

Thank you one and all! — HO, HO, HO MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Live Long & Prosper

Live Long & Prosper

by | Dec 5, 2021 | Uncategorized

It has been a while since we’ve talked.

Quite frankly I haven’t known what to say. It’s not often when you catch a preacher with no words. I have started a new FDA approved treatment called Optune. Doing my research into Optune forced me to face life expectancy for those with Glioblastoma. Common results for Optune are 2-5 years additional years of life. I asked my oncologist what my life expectancy is right before going on my November break from treatment. She said at the top of the bell curve statically I could expect a year and a half.

Quite frankly it was a “gut punch.” I hadn’t allowed myself to go down that road. It was heartbreaking to think of leaving these people that I affectionately call “Team Phelps.”

“””I want to be around to hold grandkids and to see my daughters fall in love and to walk them down the aisle. I want to travel with “Baby Luv” to all the places we have dreamed of going. Quite simply, I want to live longer! Pray that I will live longer and prosper.  Did you know that Leonard Nimoy who played Spock took these words “Live Long and Prosper” from a Jewish blessing?

My oncologists are very positive. They say that I have the type of cancer that is responsive to chemo. Here are some pictures of my latest MRI’s for all you doctors and radiologist out there. My oncologist fully expected what they saw. They prepared me for pseudo growth. The chemo and radiation cause swelling in the brain which can cause the tumor to look like it is growing when it is not. The tumor is the stuff in white. That is my technical doctor language. I will have my next MRI on January 5th. You can pray that we see some shrinkage in the tumor on the January 5th. Pray that I will have perseverance. The Optune treatment is much more difficult than I expected. If it can extend my life, then I am willing to go through the difficult process. It isn’t painful but it is onerous and interferes with normal life like sleep and going out in public. You know minor things like that!

Thanks to all of you who have sent the encouraging results of the Duke break throughs in treating Glioblastoma. We will leave no stone unturned. I have already had a brief chat with my doctors about the Duke trial.

 

Give Thanks

Give Thanks

by | Nov 6, 2021 | Uncategorized

I hope you smiled or laughed at the picture above. Stage 4 Glioblastoma is no joke. This blog has been very heavy at times talking about Glioblastoma and my treatments over the last six weeks. This week I want you to celebrate with me. Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Today is a day for rejoicing. This Friday, November 8th, was the last day of six weeks of chemo and radiation.

No more chemo or radiation in the month of November. It’s like school is out for the summer. Radiation causes swelling in the brain. So they give me some time off from radiation and chemo to let the swelling go down.

On December 1, I’ll have an MRI that will establish a baseline for all following MRI’s. This MRI will not tell us a lot. Because of the radiation and chemo, there can actually be what my oncologist calls pseudo-growth of the tumor.This is because of the swelling. I’ll undergo MRI’s at a minimum of every 8 weeks starting from December 1 along with 5 days of taking a chemo pill at the beginning of each month.

I don’t want to get too heavy in this blog. I want to celebrate. How’s this for a laugh? I have spent most of my adult life around 150 lbs. They put me on steroids during my treatment. I was a ravenous pig. I ate everything in sight. I broke the 200 lb mark. I look about 6 months pregnant. Pray for me to lose weight, to eat only that which is good and healthy for me. Pray that I will be disciplined in exercising.

The prophets Kool and the Gang wrote a profound song, and here are some of the lyrics. They are very Biblical (see Ecclesiastes 3:4 and Zephaniah 3:17):

Yahoo!
This is your celebration
Yahoo!
This is your celebration
Celebrate good times, come on
Let’s celebrate
Celebrate good times, come on
Let’s celebrate
There’s a party going on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times and your laughter too
We gonna celebrate your party with you, come on
Celebration
Let’s all celebrate and have a good time
Celebration

Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

Come on people. Let’s dance and celebrate that Radiation and Chemo are over!!! Zephaniah 3:17 is about how God celebrates over his children:

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst,

A victorious warrior.

He will exult over you with joy,

He will be quiet in His love,

He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy

Do me a favor. Go to the Youtube and put in your browser/search Kool and the Gang Celebrate. Play it! You’ll be glad that you did. Come on Celebrate with me and do a little dance. I’m finished with chemo and radiation for November. I’m going to visit my dad in Madison, Ms, Nov. 20-23, and then on to visit family in Baton Rouge. Have a great Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for each and every one of you who pray for me.

 New American Standard Bible:

And Down the Stretch We Come

And Down the Stretch We Come

by | Oct 29, 2021 | Uncategorized

I watch horse racing a few times a year. I’ll watch the Kentucky Derby, maybe Belmont or Preakness if there is the possibility of a Triple crown winner. As you look at the picture of the horses, I want you to imagine the announcer in a close race shouting, “And down the stretch we come.” The suspense is building! Who is going to win the race?

I’m in week 5 of 6 weeks of radiation and chemo. Down the stretch we come. I had been told about the side effects of chemo and radiation. At week 4, I was doing great. I was gaining weight from the steroids. I was eating like a pig. I had plenty of energy. I was working from home and loving the work I was doing.

In week 5, I met two new friends, Fatigue and nausea. These two tough guys kicked my butt. I was told about them, but under estimated how tough they are. Think of Mike Tyson, the two toughest MMA fighters or baddest bouncers at bars. Of course you never go to bars!! Good thing there is Zofran for nausea. It really helps. A good nap helps with the fatigue. I’m still not able to sleep through the night. They have prescribed some sleep medication to help with my sleep during the night. It’s helping some.

Prayer Requests: 

I. Less fatigue and more energy

2. Less nausea

3. Uninterrupted sleep through the night

4. Treatments would be successful and the Glioblastoma would shrink

5. Fruit of the Spirit from the passenger seat. (Galatians 5:22-23)

I rarely ride in the passenger seat of the car. Some men have their wives chauffeur them around. I don’t understand how they can do that. I want to be control. Maybe that tells you more about me than you need to or want to know. I’m having to learn how to be at peace in the passenger seat. I can’t control the outcomes of this cancer treatment. God is at the wheel, and I must trust him and rest in him from the passenger side. 

.    He does whatever pleases him.

    no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

I don’t understand why God does what he does, but Matthew 28:29-31, and the song Jireh have brought me such comfort as I ride in the passenger seat, and God has the wheel.

 

 

Sometimes knowing too much about the Bible doesn’t help. It hurts. I’ll let you inside the head of a theologian. There is some cancer in there too, but here are some thoughts that I have. God why did you allow this? I know the theological answer as to why there is cancer and evil in the world. Evil exists because God is a loving God that gave humans freedom. For love to be love it cannot be forced. It must be free. Adam and Eve freely rejected the authority and rulership of God and with that sin, evil came into being. There was also cosmic rebellion in the divine realm where elohim rejected the authority and rulership of God. (Genesis 3, Psalm 82) I don’t believe cancer is from God. It is a result of the fall. I also know that God is all powerful and in control of the universe. (Colossians 1) There is nothing He can’t do, but there are so many people that I have prayed for as a pastor that have suffered and died. I know that God is good and can do anything, but will he? I don’t stay in those questions for long because they don’t help, and they ultimately can’t be answered. There is a reason that God is God, and I am not!!  Where else would I go for comfort and direction in my life? John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

According to Romans 8:28 God works all things together for the good. It doesn’t say that all things are good. Maybe we don’t have the right perspective on our pain. Maybe God cares more about our maturity, our faith than he does about our circumstances. Maybe it is our circumstances that deepens our faith.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

1 Peter 1:6-7 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuinenessof your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 4:12-13 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

There is purpose in our pain. God is refining my faith through this trial. Riding in the passenger seat, l’m learning how to trust God more than ever. I am praying for the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) to be manifested as I ride in the passenger seat. I’m not always patient, gentle or kind while barking out orders from the passenger seat.

Through this trial riding in the passenger seat, l’m learning how to trust God more than ever. I am praying for the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) to be manifested as I ride in the passenger seat. I’m not always patient, gentle or kind while barking out orders from the passenger seat. Help me Holy Ghost!

Week Four Rollercoaster Ride (4)

Week Four Rollercoaster Ride (4)

by | Oct 22, 2021 | Uncategorized

I feel like the kid on the rollercoaster in this picture. It has been a scary week for me where I have allowed my mind to go to scary and dark places. My liver enzymes were elevated and a liver ultrasound was ordered. I have seen Karen have ultrasounds with all the pregnancies and now I have had an ultrasound. They have heated ultrasounds now.

 

This week kind of knocked the wind out of my sails. Worry won! Some of the fatigue that they warned me about has set in from the first four weeks of radiation.

It is not the easiest thing in the world for me to be so dependent. I can’t drive so I am dependent on others to chauffeur me. I’m not used to being on the  passenger.

Here’s how you can pray for me: 

1) Pray Isaiah 26:3 

2) Pray John 14:27 and John 16:33

3) Pray for joy (Philippians 3:1; 4:4)

4) Pray for Fruit of the Spirit in the passenger seat (Galatians 5:22-24)

5) Of course pray for radiation and chemo to work, shrinking the glioblastoma 

While sitting down to write this treatment update, I received a notice on my Mayo portal that my test results were ready. I took a deep breath and opened the portal and clicked on “tests,” and this message popped up: 

 Dr. Sherman reviewed the ultrasound and advises:

“Ultrasound was unremarkable and his repeat liver function test came back within normal limits. Nothing further to do at this time.” 

I’m relieved and that’s certainly good news. Now the only thing I need is for LSU to beat Ole Miss. Geaux Tigahs. My Tigahs win or lose do bring me joy for a few hours on Saturday, but  football doesn’t really matter that much in the grand scheme of things!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Life (2)

My Life (2)

by | Oct 15, 2021 | Uncategorized

What do you think of when you think of the life of the guards at Buckingham palace? I think of routines, regimentation and precision. My life has turned into a very rigid routine. When I wake up, the morning routine is taking a very carefully calibrated steroid and anti-seizure medication. I have some freedom for the rest of morning after taking my medications, but at 2:00 pm my routines start all over. I take an anti-nausea medication at 2:00 p.m., and from this point on until 5:00 p.m. I can only drink water. At 3:00 pm I take my chemo pill.

The next part of the routine is a 10 minute trip to Mayo for my treatment and various appointments. I check in to the radiation waiting room, and between 3:45-4:00 pm. I am taken back for radiation. They put a mask on me that is like a hockey goal tenders mask. I climb on a table, and they radiate my brain. How long do you think radiation lasts? It is surprisingly short. It seems no longer than 5 minutes most days.

After radiation I head home for my night time ritual of medications. Because of the steroids, I am very hungry, and I am eating like a bear and gaining weight. I’m into the 190’s now. My son jokes with me and says I’m getting into nose tackle weight range! I am happy that I am being weaned off the steroids. I have one more week at 1mg of steroids. This should help with my voracious appetite and my difficulty sleeping.

Prayer Requests:

  1. I have started to experience some pain in my knees and ankles, and strangely, it is not consistent. It makes me feel just a little wobbly on my feet. Pray that this pain goes away.
  2. I am still not getting great sleep through the night. Pray for consistent, long periods of sleep at night.

Routines and Your Relationship with God: I’m not usually a routine kind of guy. I am spontaneous and kind of make things up as I go each day. In this season, I have learned the value of routines. Here’s a few thoughts on routines and our relationship with God.

God doesn’t want a routine relationship with you, but routines can help you have a great relationship with God. If prayer and reading the Bible and going to church just become a box you check on your things to do list, then you’ve missed the point of the routine. Routines can be meaningful moments of meeting with God to worship Him, to pour out your heart to Him, to learn the promises and commands of His Word. But if we’re not careful, routines can turn into boring “have to’s” that don’t help us have a relationship with God.

 Matthew 15:7-8

You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you, by saying:

8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.

What God wants most is your heart. Whatever routine helps you connect with God, feel closer to God is the right routine. There is no one size fits all routine for intimacy with God. I have a friend who takes walks in nature which helps him meet with God. Others meet with God through listening to worship music. I don’t do devotionals books, but if that works for you great. I use the Lord’s Prayer to guide my time with God. I start with praising God. I worship Him for who He is. I hallow his name. I spend time thanking him for my daily bread and all his blessings in my life. Routines aren’t bad as long as they don’t turn into ruts!!

What does ice mean? (5)

What does ice mean? (5)

by | Oct 13, 2021 | Uncategorized

Imagine someone two hundred years from now reading these words, “That ice around your neck is so cool!! 

Two hundred years from now, how would someone reading the words “ice” interpret the word? Is ice a liquid that is frozen solid and being worn for decorative purposes around people’s necks for cooling purposes? How would they know what “ice” is referring to? They would have to study the usage of the word in the 21st century and make sure they didn’t impose their understanding of the word “ice” two hundred years later on the word “ice” way back in our day. We all know that “ice” worn around someone’s neck in the 21st century is a reference to a diamond.

Context controls the meaning of words. The cultural context in which the original word was used is what determines meaning, right? So Paul’s use of grace is determined by how the word group grace and gift (charis, dorea, dorema, charisma) is used in the 1st century, not by 16th century reformers or present day theological systems that are protecting a theology of grace!  Grace (gift) was a common, ordinary word in the 1st century that had no special theological significance and Paul used the vocabulary of the day.

Think of grace as the glue that helped the poor survive. Life in1st century Greek, Roman and Jewish societies was a struggle for one’s daily bread. You did favors for others with the expectation of return when you might need help. It was all about storing up good will for when you were hungry or in need. Grace was insurance that you wouldn’t starve to death.

Grace was circular in nature meaning it was like throwing a ball back and forth. There was a continuous back and forth of favors done that held society together in tough times. Gifts came with an expectation of reciprocity! The gift came with obligation. You might call this expectation “strings attached” or “quid pro quo.” Sometimes the only strings attached are a response of gratitude or honor given to the giver of the gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Is it possible that we have messed up grace and missed the real meaning of grace? Could it be that we have imposed 16th century or 21 century theological ideas of unmerited favor, unconditional gifts that is far from what grace meant in the 1st century?

Sometimes when we seek to define a word, we push the word to an extreme excluding all possible meanings of the word except one. I call this killing the frog in order to study the frog. Words can have a range of meaning, not just one meaning. I’ll confess that I have killed the frog of grace by making grace one dimensional. I would passionately and persuasively argue that grace ceases to be grace if you add any conditions to it, but I was wrong. Grace doesn’t always mean “unmerited favor”! It doesn’t always mean “free gift”. For example look at the verses below.

1 Corinthians 16:3…your charis (financial gift) to Jerusalem

Romans 1:7 charis (favor or generosity) to you and peace from God our Father

2 Corinthians 9:15 charis (thanks) be to God for his indescribable gift

John Barclay came along and opened my eyes to 1st century context for grace. He exposed a major blindspot in how scholars and preachers were interpreting the term grace (charis). We should be wary of imposing our assumptions about gifts on other people or other periods of time, and we should operate with an open mind, since modern, Western construals of gift are by no means inherently “right.” (p. 4) If the 1st century context means anything, then Grace comes with expectation and obligation. The circular nature of grace which has obligation and reciprocity sets off theological chain reactions. For instance, read 1 Peter 2:24

He personally carried our sins
    in his body on the cross
so that we can be dead to sin
    and live for what is right.

The cross comes with the expectation and obligation to live for what is right. The cross is not a free gift that we can choose whether or not we want to take it up and follow Jesus. 2 Cor 8:1-13 is a good example Paul urging the Corinthians to reciprocate generosity because of the gift of Christ. Paul doesn’t command the reciprocity but seems to appeal to a sense of obligation stemming from Christ’s generosity to humans

John Barclay is profound when he says, “The grace of God is unconditioned (without prior consideration of worth) but not unconditional, if we mean by that the noncircular perfection of grace that expects nothing in return. Grace, for Paul, is not a gift from a disengaged benefactor who would rather be left alone; it is not a donation “with no strings attached.” to the contrary:” (p. 73)

Let’s get grace right! When we present the gospel, let’s not promise them something that God doesn’t promise them. The gift comes with expectations of obedience, of holiness. of living for what is right. I really love Romans 1:4 we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake. NASB

Week 2 Update (3)

by | Oct 9, 2021 | Uncategorized

This week was week 2 out 6 weeks of radiation and chemo treatments. All went well except for the MRI scanner broke down on Thursday, which means I had to miss radiation. They can’t do radiation if they can’t find my brain with MRI. So they add an additional day to the end of my treatment, which will now be November 8th. I’m hoping for no more delays or extensions of my treatment into November. After radiation and chemo, the brain needs time for swelling to go down so they can accurately assess how effective the treatment is being in killing the cancer. I am supposed to have four weeks off from chemo and radiation after my last treatment. Pray that there are no more technology, mechanical delays. Over the Thanksgiving holidays I want to be able to visit my dad in Madison, Mississippi as well as celebrate Thanksgiving with family in Baton Rouge, LA if all goes according to plan.

Out of the blue my voice started sounding raspy. It started to sound like it sounded when I came out of my brain surgery after being intubated, but it has been over a month since since my brain surgery. If you are familiar the Clint Eastwood Movie, Grand Torino, he is a grumpy old man who doesn’t like his neighbors. We called my new voice my Clint Eastwood “Get off my lawn Dragon Lady voice” voice. I have a little infection in my throat that can be a side-effect from chemo. They prescribed some antibiotic lozenges that have worked very well.

My appetite and energy remain strong. I am still able to work from home. I am the Academic Dean of the Awakening School of Theology. We have 1300 online students who are in their fall semester that we serve, and we are gearing up for enrollment to begin in November for our Spring 2022 semester. Needless to say, there is plenty to do, and I love what I get to do. I love the people that I get to work with at Awakening. I’m very excited about some great new initiatives that I’ll be leading in the School of Theology.

I’m writing a book that is taking the research from my doctoral work on the gospel and making it more accessible on a popular level. The working title of the book is: The Gospel of More: The gospel is more of Jewish Journey than a Romans Road. This week I finished up my last chapter, “The Gospel is More than the Cross”. It is the cross and resurrection, but resurrection really only gets talked about one week out of the year at Easter, but it needs to be talked about every time the gospel is talked about.

There are no coincidences. If you know Wayne Austin, then you know what I may say next. He has faithfully reached out to me after my surgery and ongoing cancer treatment. For those of you who don’t know, many in Baton Rouge calle him Pappa. He is a spiritual Father, a Godly man, who pastors many pastors and people. He is loves the Word and loves people. He is known for wise sayings like this when we people encounter trials, “We face facts, but we hold on with faith and believe the Father. He is also known for saying we need to have a “Third Day Mentality”. That’s having a resurrection mentality. Resurrection and power go together. Resurrection is the power source for our life in Christ.

Ephesians 1:19-20 and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

Philippians 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

Pappa knows what is talking about! In a text he sent to me he said these profound words, “There is a level beyond resurrection. It is His life living in and through us that is resurrection power.” This is Galatians 2:20 truth!

I’m so thankful for each and every one of you that pray for me and Team Phelps. I pray for you as well that you will have a Third Day Mentality and live out God’s resurrection power on a daily basis! King Jesus wants to reign in and through you in everything you say and do. (Romans 5:17)