We have just received some great news, even as I write these closing remarks of this letter. The surgeon had noticed a spot on my pancreas, during the surgery in Florida, which resulted in a temporary colostomy. Both of the wonderful doctors, who cared for me in Florida, urged me to get an endoscopic ultrasound of my pancreas, once I made sufficient recovery from the surgery. A specialist in Mobile conducted that exam a few weeks ago. We have just received the results of those biopsies’. We are so grateful to report that there is no cancer, either in the pancreas or of the esophagus. They did discover another issue upon this exam, which was the reason for the additional biopsies of the esophagus. I have been diagnosed with “Barrett’s Esophagus”. However, this is being treated with medicine; and will be examined annually, to make certain that nothing else more serious develops!

I am now at the “half-way” point to my next surgery, to re-connect the colon. This is scheduled for the first week of September. I must have this 2nd surgery before I can begin a full schedule of preaching again. But as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, Dianne and I have purposed to worship our Lord in this next valley of adversity. If our brother Job worshipped God and accepted adversity from our loving Father, then why shouldn’t we follow in his footsteps? For he was also a man of flesh and blood just like us. It was the all-sufficient grace of God, which enabled Job to walk through all of his adversities. That same mighty grace is available to my precious wife and I, during these difficult days. When we consider Job, we are reminded that he was given the assistance of our Lord and God, even when he did not have all of the answers to why all these things were happening in his life. And of course, we have available to us, far more illumination that Job had; for we can learn from Job’s life testimony and God’s gracious sufficiency! Our Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. So, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the mighty grace of God, we have as our passion and purpose to continue to worship our Lord, in the valley of adversity.