Surgery Day

Hello friends, in about an hour they will come to start prepping me for surgery.  My last surgery was in 1967 when, as a 6 year old, I had my appendix removed.  The goal of the surgery today is to remove the upper-right lobe of my lung, which contains the mass that looks suspiciously like lung cancer.  The diagnostic process continues as the first step of the operation, with a biopsy of the lymph nodes in the center of my chest.  If they are clear of cancer, they will proceed to remove the lobe.  They tell me that this is the lobe that I can most easily do without and in fact, I should be back to full lung function within a few months after surgery.  If they remove the lobe, they will send it to pathology and a confirmation of the diagnosis will be made , and if it is confirmed, they will determine stage 1 vs. stage 2 (stage 2 is when cancer has infected some non-central lymph nodes).

Today, once again, I meditate on Romans 8;  please read carefully with me:

More Than Conquerors

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,^j who^k have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 

31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”^l

 

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^m neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

AMEN!

All of us can be counted among this family of God if we believe and answer His knock at our door.  Again, I am blessed by your support and prayers.  Back soon.  Dan