Is Belief in Your Heart or in Your Mind?

Is believing that Jesus is your savior a heart thing or a mind thing? Is it true that we have to pass that idea through our mind before we believe this in our heart? What if our mind blocks the concept that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and was resurrected? If our mind does not accept this how can we believe it in our heart? Is it possible that our hearts can overrule our mind in this matter. Can a person chose to accept this in his/her heart even though the mind is not able to comprehend it?

This is an area where it seems clear that the mind and the heart are inseparable. So much of our faith is, on the one hand, a heart thing, yet it seems that the mind has a certain degree of control over what the heart will believe. Yet Romans 10:9 says that "if you believe in your heart that God raised him(Jesus) from the dead, you will be saved." It says nothing of your mind.

I believe that we must make a choice to believe in our heart even though our mind might think something else. Isn't this the essence of faith? Believing what we can not see or comprehend.

What are your thoughts? Have you struggled with something big and been able to believe in your heart something different than you were thinking in your head?

Great News From the Post-Surgery Lab Report!!

Today has been a long-awaited day as I made another trip to the Urologist's office to have my catheter removed and to learn of the pathology report from the surgery.


First things first... the lab report showed no cancer around the margins of the removed prostate. An answer to prayer... Praise God!!!


And the catheter was removed as planned. I should not drive for 5 days and can very slowly increase my activity level. I am looking forward to a brisk walk without a bag hanging off my side!


I am so thankful for all the people who have been praying for me. Many of my friends and family have told me that people at their church or in their Bible study have been praying for my healing. I imagine that hundreds of people that I do not know personally have kept me in their prayers over the last few months and for that I am grateful. Boy it sure is a beautiful thing to be part of God's big church family!

In three months the doctor will have another PSA test done to confirm that there is no remaining cancer.

If you have read my posts over the last 6 weeks and prayed for my health, I thank you. I have tried to provide others insight about my personal experience with the faith and health connection at a time when my faith was tested with the prostate cancer and my paralyzed vocal cord. Hopefully, what I have shared here has provided some readers with a glimpse into how one's strong faith can get a person through a challenging time.

Still turning to God for my strength and peace,

Dale

Growing Closer to God Every Day

So the surgery for prostate cancer is back on again. Thursday May 17th.

The laryngitis I have had for 31 days has been diagnosed as a paralyzed left vocal cord. The ENT doctor will begin to treat that problem after I begin my recovery from the surgery. He tells me that it may take 6-9 months for the vocal cord to heal..... and that about 75% of patients can expect this type of result.

Who could believe that a significant surgery would be postponed because of laryngitis and then be told you have a paralyzed vocal cord!! This series of events has brought me closer to God... for sure. I have been reading more about how God heals people. The last four days I have been very intentional about trying to be in His presence to be as close to Him as possible.

It's during times like this that I have experienced the loving touch of God. As I write this, I realize that I have a choice, a free will, to turn to God and be with Him more, or to turn away from Him and to try to do this on my own. I've chosen the first path. And I know I have been better off for it.

I have also tried to remain in touch with friends and professional associates during the last few months... to remain connected and to receive support from them, which has helped tremendously. I am a blessed man because of the people I know, many of who have reached out to me with their support and prayers.

No doubt the closeness I have felt to God has helped me write yet another article on Spiritual Exercise for Faith and Fitness Magazine. Amazing how that happens isn't it!

Praise God.

Keep running your race...as I run mine,

Dale.... aka Coach Fletch

Surgery Postponed

On Friday I went to the hospital for my pre-surgery visit to have lab work done and to talk with the anesthesiologist. I had been wondering whether he would say that surgery is a good idea with the problems I have been having with my vocal cords. When I met with the anesthesiologist, he was not too keen on the idea of surgery, specifically, having a breathing tube down my throat for 3 hours. He conferred with another anesthesiologist and the decision was that surgery was not in order as scheduled. It was to be today, April 30th.

You can imagine how this rocked my boat somewhat. My sister was to fly in the next day from Dayton and my daughter was driving in on Sunday and another sister had flight reservations for later in the week. I quickly made calls to them so they could cancel plane reservations and change plans.

I wondered and asked God, "What is going on? What is your purpose in all this? Is it so you can stretch my faith? Is it through the delay and in my stretched faith and asking for healing, that your plan is to miraculously heal me?"

Throughout the weekend, my thoughts have been that God is in control and He does have a purpose in all this..... it's just that I do not yet know His purpose.

So here I sit on Monday morning, at a time that I was to be in surgery... or just getting out of it and in the recovery room and am wondering what God has in store. I'm unemployed, have laryngitis, and now a new surgery date of June 14th. Unquestionably, God is at work... He always is...and I am trusting that His plan in all this is greater than I could imagine.

Over the last three months I have moved forward in my ministry of the Faith and Health Connection in a huge way. Last week I gave two workshops and I am preparing for one in June. I have written two articles about spiritual exercise as well as a first draft of a booklet on that topic. I am sure that the enemy has not liked what I have been doing. He does not want me, or anyone for that matter, talking about Biblical truths and how they impact a person's health. So quite possibly, Satan is playing havoc with my personal health. He knows that if he confuses me and could cause me to become depressed over my situation that I could become ineffective in what I am trying to accomplish with my ministry.

What I have done is to try to be as humble as possible and as dependant as possible on God through all this. I am praising Him for His love for me and the faith and strength that He is providing me. I am reading more about healing and trying to maintain the mindset and disposition of my spirit the way I understand God would want me to so that I will be victorious in all this. All for the Glory of God.

Dale

Trust God

It's three days before my surgery...and I admit it is a challenge to keep a clear head and to juggle all that is required mentally to keep an even keel. Don't know where I would be without my faith in all this.

I'm a thinker not a feeler. As a rule of thumb, I tend to keep my mind, (and my body for that matter) busy as a coping mechanism in tough, stressful times. More and more I am learning how to turn things over to God. Spending enough time with Him in His presence is key for me to be able to do that. One of my favorite Bible verses is from Isaiah 40:31: " But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Turning over things to God at a time like this and trusting that I am in His hands keeps me from being weary. It provides me strength and resolve. It gives me assurance and hope that everything will be okay. I am asking God to help me go through this with His strength..... go right through it emotionally and spiritually...... not around it.

For the last two weeks+ I have had a bad case of laryngitis, not having a normal voice is bad enough, but having this condition going in to surgery is even tougher. It can wear on you..... yet another reason to lean even more on God to provide comfort and peace.

God does not promise that we will be free from illnesses and disease.... but it sure is good to have the personal relationship with Him in times like this.

My 2-3 mile runs have been special to me during this last few weeks. Looking forward to a run with my daughter on Sunday when she arrives the day before my surgery!

Keep running your race!

Dale

Prostate Cancer Surgery Scheduled

After meeting and talking with four Oncologists/Urologists, I have made a decision to have surgery to remove my prostate on Monday, April 30th here in Charlotte.

My challenge now in the next week is to prepare my spirit, mind and body for this operation. I am blessed to have the support and prayers of my family, my girlfriend and many close friends during this time. A current bout of laryngitis( 9 days and counting) has me concerned but my doctor believes it will be gone by my surgery date.

I have a close friend who had his prostate removed just this week here in Charlotte and he is filling me in on all the details of his operation and recovery. I was able to visit him in the hospital on Monday and accompanied him on his first walk. :-) We have enjoyed many runs together over the years...... but never a walk like this one in the hospital. It was a special time for us both to experience together.

Not sure if I will have the wherewithal to post another note here before the surgery...... My faith is carrying me through this... and I'm so glad that I have God in my life in a huge way at a time like this.

If you've read this and are a praying person, I thank you for your prayers and may God bless you.

Have faith and be in good health!

Dale

Trust and Faith

This past Thursday I visited with another Urologist/Oncologist to receive another opinion about treatment for the prostate cancer. He was up front and direct. He told me that it was a no brainer... surgery is the way to go. I told him of a tentative date I had secured for surgery... June 20th, and he strongly advised me to move that up to be much sooner. Although the cancer is currently contained in the prostate, he reminded me that it only takes one cell to get out of the organ to spread into other parts of my body.

He also told me that he would recommend sparing or saving only the left nerve bundle, not the right. He is concerned that there is too much cancer right up next to the right edge of the prostate and he would want to ensure that during surgery all the cancer cells are removed. At the end of the visit the doctor prayed with me. He reminded me that God will guide me in the decisions I make. The next two days, I prayed a lot and asked Him for guidance and wisdom.

Saturday, a friend called me to say he learned of my condition and told me he had been praying for me. I learned that he also has prostate cancer. We talked for about an hour. His doctor is a man that others have suggested I visit with and consider using as my surgeon. I believe that God orchestrated this phone call and so about an hour ago I placed a call to this doctor's office asking for an appointment.

I am placing my trust in God that He WILL direct my path and guide me in the decisions I must make and that He will cause the timing of surgery to take place as it is necessary for my complete healing.