December 1, 2025
Dear Friends,
Happy December! It is hard to believe that 2025 is nearly over. In some ways, personally, this year seems like it has flown by … but looking back so much has happened. Many good things (Josh’s graduation and beginning college, the Deep + Wide project breaking ground at Wildwood, and more), but also some hard things (Kimberly’s lung cancer diagnosis, ministry challenges, etc.)
Though the year has had a few ups and downs, God has not changed! As Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Jesus is the King of Kings and worthy of our adoration and faith on graduation day AND on day #14 of cancer treatment. As James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” He has given good gifts in each of these seasons. Thank you for praying that we would see His goodness in this current season we are facing. I can assure you that God has answered our prayers. God has been good, sustaining and encouraging us throughout this journey.
I am not saying that this time has been easy (or fun) … it has had hard moments (side effects, uncertainty, and changes in schedules), but God has been good all along the way. And so we want to glorify Him.
Kimberly is through two weeks of the first cycle of chemo. She has been tolerating the treatment pretty well so far. She begins the second cycle of chemo next Monday, December 8. We will not know how well the treatment is working until she has another scan, sometime around the first of the year.
In the mean time, continue to pray for her doctors who are monitoring her treatment plan, that they would have wisdom to make any adjustments necessary. Pray also that God would bring healing to her body.
As we talked about in yesterday’s sermon, for the believer in Jesus Christ, asking God in prayer for physical healing is guaranteed to be answered in one of two ways: either “Yes” or “Not yet.” “No” is not an answer we will receive related to physical healing. God has promised us that the trials of this life are “light” and “momentary” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Even “heavy” things like cancer are “light” compared to the glory that is to come. And even “enduring” struggles like cycles of chemo are “momentary” compared to eternity. And make no mistake about it, one day God will upgrade our bodies that are prone to decay to a new body that He describes as “imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:50-58). Therefore, we pray with full confidence that Kimberly’s cancer is temporary. We pray that God will remove the cancer soon and give her a return to full health now. But even if the cancer lingers, one day, in eternity, the cancer will be gone FOREVER. So, let’s pray with confidence for its removal, and ask God to help it feel “light” in the meantime. We are yoked to Jesus after all and He is doing the heavy lifting … and He has used your prayers to “grab a corner” and lighten the load as well. THANK YOU dear friends!
As always pray for God to be glorified in this, and for us to continue to see His goodness along the way.
In Christ,
Mark, Kimberly, and Josh