We had a good beginning for our conference here in Phoenix. The crowd filled the meeting room and the children’s program was overflowing. Folks have traveled from New Mexico, California, Washington, Nevada, Michigan and Illinois to join the Arizona saints. We started by studying “Bible 101”—a study of the right division of Scripture. Don is posting the sessions on PalTalk.com under the “Helpers of your joy” room in the Christian section.
One event prior to beginning gave the conference a different kind of start and made the night's topic all the more appropriate: When John Verstegen was about an hour from Phoenix, he called Rick with news of a sad nature. Barry Curtis (a member of John’s assembly in San Juan Capistrano) had emergency surgery this morning and it was discovered that he has terminal cancer. At age 40 and the father of a young family, this is stunning news. John, of course, turned around and returned home to be with Barry and his family.
John recounted that as he talked to Barry yesterday he said, “I’m so thankful to have learned this message! If we were still in the confusion we were once in, Sil and I would be basket cases now!” To this we can only say, Amen!
Rather than fearing that God has abandoned them, or doesn’t really have their best interests at heart, Barry and his family are resting in the understanding that even though the curse is random, God’s love and provision for us is in Christ Jesus and thus unalterable and unaltered even by the most extreme of circumstances. “There is no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful!”
And it is His faithfulness to us in Christ Jesus that gives the consolation and good hope through grace that can/will/does strengthen Barry and Sil (and all the saints) unto every good word and work during the days ahead.
So we continued on with the conference, remembering the Curtis family and all the California saints in prayer and resting in the riches of God’s grace to us in Christ Jesus made so clear and evident through His rightly divided Word.
Maranatha!
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2 comments:
I don't mean to be pretentious, but since I would appreciate it if I were a web viewer, here is the update as delivered us the next morning around noon via Dan Cobb (Mr. Cobb spoke it; this is a transcription):
"John Verstegen messaged me on the computer during this last hour, and as we announced earlier, Barry Curtis went to see the cancer specialist this morning, and the report is that the five tumors are not cancerous, so we're a bit more encouraged.
"The specialist says that they will shrink the tumors, and then in about two weeks they will go in and remove what is left. So they, there probably still is some concern, but, there should be a better...[trails off, indiscernible]"
Kevin
Thanks Kevin. The latest info I have is that they have started chemo and will again do surgery in two weeks to remove as much as possible. While the tumors do not appear to be cancer, they are still life threatening. The good news is that they have some treatment options/plans now that they didn't before. Pray for Barry and his family that II Cor. 4:16-18 will continue to be working in them. They are rejoicing in the all sufficient grace of God!
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