“Surrender don’t come natural to me
I’d rather fight You for something I don’t really want
Than to take what You give that I need
And I’ve beat my head against so many walls
Now I’m falling down I’m falling on my knees
So hold me Jesus ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace” – Rich Mullins
Earlier this year, Andrew Peterson (and a number of other artists) released a live recording of a tribute concert featuring the music of Rich Mullins. The above song was one included on this album. I have always loved the music and poetry of Rich Mullins and have particularly enjoyed this new collection of his songs.
Music is a part of the Christian life. We have a faith that sings when things are going well, AND when things are difficult.
In Acts 16:16-40, the Apostle Paul and Silas are persecuted for their faith in the city of Philippi. After being beaten, chained, and placed in a dark and smelly prison, at midnight Paul and Silas WERE SINGING PRAISE TO GOD. Can you imagine that? Instead of stewing in self-pity, they were singing worship to God!
In the Robinson family, we are not currently being persecuted for our faith in Christ, but we are experiencing difficulty as Kimberly is roughly half-way through the first set of treatments for metastatic lung cancer. You may remember, the first treatment prescribed has been four cycles of a chemo regimen (each cycle lasting 3 weeks), and she just started the third cycle yesterday. As we walk through this reality, we don’t want to stew in self-pity, but we want to sing worship to our God … and we would love to have you join us!
A few notes of thanks:
- Last week Kimberly had a follow up PET scan to evaluate progress, and all the cancerous spots that appeared in the original PET scan were smaller. This indicates the treatment plan is working! Thank you Lord!
- Last week we were able to have a lot of joyous moments celebrating the incarnation of Jesus as a family. Kimberly was able to attend one of our Christmas Eve services, we had dinner with friends and family, we made a quick trip to Bartlesville, and Kimberly, Josh, and I had some memorable times together around our tree. Thank you Lord!
A few items for continued prayer:
- Side effects from the chemo have been tolerable up to this point, but the effect of the medication is cumulative. Join us in praying that her skin rash would improve or go away completely, that digestive issues would stabilize, and that mouth sores would go away.
- Though the spots that showed on the September PET scan are shrinking, a new spot has appeared. The doctors assume it is now also shrinking. Pray that no new spots show up and that all cancer continues to disappear or reduce in size.
- As always, continue to pray that we would collect reminders of God’s goodness, and that God would be glorified through our walk with Him through this valley.
Thank you friends! Let’s be people who sing praise to God at midnight no matter what is going on. In fact, let us be people who praise God at midnight ESPECIALLY when times are difficult. We cannot imagine facing this moment without Him, and we are so thankful for how He is using you all to minister to us during this season.
In Christ,
Mark, Kimberly, and Josh