Friday's Update

Hello everyone! Wow...my blood counts are down from the chemo, but my spirit is up because of all your prayers and love and support. The nurses are blown out by the cards and letters and gifts that pour into the hospital...it's like Christmas around here everyday!...I think everyone is simply astonished at the depth and consistency/persistence of all your support, love and compassion. Those of us in the compassion business speak sometimes of "compassion fatigue", which is really just a sign of our need to go back to the well, that eternal fount, as Jesus said, "...whoever drinks of Him, streams of living water will pour forth." John 7:38...obviously you guys have been drinking deeply from His well. If you're thirsty He says, just come to me and I will give you water where you will thirst no more. The Lord is the ultimate thirst quencher...every other thirst quencher is temporary but He quenches our thirst forever. I got a little drawing from TJ today, Laura and Todd's little man and he wanted to send a note to "uncle kit"...everyone on Maui is an auntie and uncle by the way...so he sent me this picture of a honu (turtle)...he must intuitively know I love the honu...and he had pasted over the turtle some stickers of airplanes and helicopters, things he says he wants us to play with together when I get better. Through TJ I see that really big things are often found in the smallest of things. In fact, God uses the small things in our lives to make really big things take place. The "big things" are often really small to God. What is the biggest thing you have on your plate today?...that really big thing that may have a strangle hold on you right now, that is ripping you off from life, that is consuming all your thoughts, time and energy...basically God wants it. In fact He says over and over in His word...give it to me...give me that burden, that big thing. And when we do He miraculously makes it small...and in its place He takes the small things, the things of Him, the sweet and good and pure little things and He makes them huge in our lives. As we have this exchange with God our lives become filled with the "little things" that bring us great joy and life eternal. You know life eternal isn't just living and being sustained by God for all eternity, but the life Jesus gives us through His death and resurrection is also a type of life we live right now. It is a life free from a lot of the fears that plaque humanity. It is a life which gives rise to deep meaning and purpose no matter how small or insignificant we may seem...I am in a 12x12 cubicle tied to bags and drip lines and blood testing devices and have never felt so alive and used of God.



Many years ago, I lost a dear friend, Randy Insley, to cancer. My son, Mikey, now 21, was just a little guy. As we both prayed for Randy, I could tell Mikey's little spirit was concerned that Randy may die. I assured him that Randy had the gift of eternal life and that he wasn't afraid to die because he knew Jesus and had received the gift of eternal life. Mikey seemed ok with that and I would quiz him once and a while..."now Mikey, I would say, when we face death we don't have to be afraid because?"...and he would say turtle life daddy, Jesus gives us turtle life!...I thought it was so cute the way he said eternal life because it sounded like turtle life. Then quite sometime later out of the blue he said, "daddy when I die and go to be with Jesus in heaven is that when I get the turtles?" Ever since that moment, the honu, the turtle, has become a symbol of the purity and innocence of a little child's heart to me and the great promise of God. In a child's heart the really "big things" become small and the small things like little diamonds embedded in a huge mountain become the stuff of "turtle life." May you live today and everyday involved with all your heart in God's "little things."

Your prayers, e-mails, blog posts, gifts, support, love, care, compassion and most importantly...the demonstration of your persistence...storming the masters house...wow! And Lord taught that as we are persistent, the master gets up and gives the beggar bread! He is my bread of life...I am holding on with all of you to God's promise...He spoke to me and set His bow across the sky. I rest in Him.

I can't give back to you anything in comparison to the love you have poured on me and my family. But, this is actually good...because it humbles me...and as we know then He comes and lifts us up. So...from one completely broken man, but not crushed... I am sustained and protected by His love which flows though you to me.

In His peace forever
kit