Friday

December 26, 2025

Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day. I pray everyone is recovering nicely from all the fun and festivities of the past few days. I also pray that everyone had the opportunity to reflect on the beauty of the birth of Jesus. 

Philippians 2:5-7...Indeed, let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Though he was by nature God, he did not consider equality with God as a prize to be displayed, but he emptied himself by taking the nature of a servant. When he was born in human likeness, and his appearance was like that of any other man,

Cathy and I had a wonderful Christmas. We bought one present for ourselves, a treadmill to keep us both walking when the weather turns unpleasant.  One or both of us have used it every day the past week and a half. Christmas Eve, I worked our church's Book Nook before and after the 12 PM service. Cathy's sister and family came to that service and we sat together. Cathy has a friend who is going through chemotherapy.  Cathy has volunteered to drive her to her appointment and sit with her during the treatment and she was needed yesterday. She is a dear friend and we are both very happy to have Cathy be there for her during this difficult time. Christmas morning, we hosted Cathy's mother and sister for breakfast, and then we went to Cathy's other sister's home for dinner. It was a great time of good food and family love. 

So, let me catch you up on everything. Prostate checked out okay, PSA blood test was great. No problems there. I saw the ENT who put a camera down my nose to check on my tonsilitis, and yes, tonsils can grow back.  If they don't clear everything out, whatever is left can regenerate.  It will never grow back to its original size, but it can grow back. He thought mine looked fine, but...

I shared in my last post that I've hit that age where every scan or test may come back showing something is wrong, somewhere.  I've also learned this year that my particular type of cancer, Merkel Cell, is aggressive and dangerous enough that doctors aren't going to take any chances. Even though he thought my doctor 55 years ago did a good job cleaning out my tonsils and he didn't see anything to worry about, he still wants to keep an eye on me and is scheduling me for an MRI in early January. The CT scan led to a PET scan which led to two doctor appointments, a blood test, and now an MRI, even though everything had come back clean, no problems, and cancer free. Yes, I appreciate their care and thoroughness. 

For the past four months or so, our church, Compass Bible Church of Huntington Beach, has been working through the Psalms on Scripture of the Day. I was thinking about the Psalms where the author is lamenting his situation, often questioning where God is, why He seemingly abandoned them. I then started comparing that to Paul and Peter and John and the other disciples who, after the resurrection, endured many hardships but never questioned where God was. Where's the difference. 

John 16:7... Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.  But if I go, I will send him to you. 

1 John 4 12:13... No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is how Christians going through tough times can hold strong to the knowledge that God is there and has not abandoned them. During the toughest times, I have never lost faith in God's presence in my life, His direction of my path, and the fact that He loves me and care for me. I couldn't do that without the Holy Spirit.  

Romans 8:16... The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Today, Cathy and I are headed to The Tea House at Los Rios in San Juan Capistrano for a special holiday tea service.  We will be meeting some friends there. Nothing else planned for the week before New Year's Day. I have one more book to read to make my goal of 52 books in 52 weeks for 2025. 

I can't leave without sharing the rest of the passage in Philippians.

Philippians 2:8-11... He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. Therefore, God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.