Revelation Intro: What I Learned
Tom Shrader opens a series on the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3, explaining that Jesus revealed specific messages to John on Patmos around 95 A.D. that apply to all churches across all times. He walks through Revelation 1, highlighting Christ's sovereignty, majesty, and identity as the Alpha and Omega, and previews the pattern each letter follows: recipient, strength, weakness, and promise. Tom closes with a personal update about his wife Susan's six-year battle with cancer and his granddaughter Gracie's autism diagnosis, asking the congregation for prayer and understanding as he draws closer to home.
“There's nothing that has snuck into your life that somehow they snuck it by Jesus — He's the king of kings, and everything in my life is either caused by or allowed by Him.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: What Christ Says to the Church (Revelation)
Recorded: 2010 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 43 min
Themes: revelation, hope, suffering, prayer, sovereignty, perseverance, prophecy, encouragement, caregiver, facing cancer, parent of special needs child, struggling with fear, new to revelation, pastor, grieving, seeking hope in hardship
Scripture: Revelation 1:1-20, Revelation 2:1-7, Revelation 2:8, Revelation 2:12, Revelation 2:18, Revelation 3:1, Revelation 3:7, Revelation 3:14, Isaiah 6, Exodus 4:11, John 9:1-3
Theological Themes: eschatology, end times, christology, christ's sovereignty, biblical authority, the church, ecclesiology, divine revelation
Full Transcript
Introduction: A Lost iPad and a Changed Plan
When I come back from vacation, what I typically do — in fact, on the cover of the bulletin it says "What I Relearned on My Summer Vacation" — is take however many weeks it requires, two, three, or four, to work through what I found myself going back over again. Then we planned to start a new series on November 7th, Anniversary Sunday. So I needed to do something until then.
Here is what happened. In late June I got an iPad, and I am absolutely addicted to this thing in the best sense of the word. I take all my notes on it, you set it horizontally, and typing on it is incredible. The way I do "What I Learned on My Summer Vacation" is I start literally right when I leave — I'll see things, they'll trigger a thought, and then I come back and we turn those into a lesson.
I'll give you a perfect example. Have you seen the DirecTV ad where they say if you sign up a friend you get $100? Once the ad says you get $100, every person the guy comes in contact with, their head becomes Benjamin Franklin — a $100 bill. I thought that was a great teaching point: if I start to see people as $100 bills, if I start to see people as what they'll do for me, think what that does to relationships. That would have been a great point — but it's gone now, and here is why.
I went to Cannon Beach, and I was in the Portland airport with a two-and-a-half-hour flight ahead of me. I had a window seat, so I went to the bathroom before boarding and left my iPad in the bathroom of the Portland airport. I was so shaken by losing the iPad that I then left my sunglasses on the plane — and by the way, a year ago I lost my favorite pair of sunglasses in Flagstaff, went back to the golf course, and there they were. I got home without the iPad and without my notes, which meant I couldn't do the lesson I had planned.
Then the phone rang. A man said, "Is this Tom Schrader?" I said yes, and he said, "I got what you want, man." I said, "World peace?" He said no. I said, "Love? Joy?" He said no. I said, "My iPad?" He said, "Yeah, man, I got your iPad." My name wasn't in it, so he had clearly gone through it — though there's nothing much to read on it anyway. He said he was in Casa Grande but needed to come to Phoenix and go to Gilbert. We arranged to meet, and I got my iPad back in the middle of the day yesterday. That was not enough time to prepare the lesson I had planned, so here is what we are going to do instead: I am going to take you on a journey through the book of Revelation, and save a little of "What I Learned on My Summer Vacation" for the end.
Introducing the Series: Seven Letters to Seven Churches
Open your Bibles to the book of Revelation, chapter 1, verse 1. If you need a Bible, raise your hand up high and our team will get you a copy. What we are going to do for the next seven weeks is something we did eight or ten years ago, and it centers on a question we ask ourselves all the time: if Jesus were here today, what would He say to the church?
We do not have to speculate about that answer. Revelation chapters 2 and 3 record Jesus revealing, unveiling, and disclosing to John exactly what He thinks of seven churches that existed around 95 A.D. These are seven letters to seven churches. As we head toward November 7th, we are going to take seven Sundays and look at each church and what Jesus says to it.
And just as a side note — even though I was away, I ended up in church twice while I was gone, once when Paul taught and once when Tim taught. I was using my iPad as my Bible, and it occurred to me that people watching might think I was emailing. Several people have mentioned this to me, so I want you to know: there are people who genuinely use their iPads or phones to follow along in the Bible during a service. I am sure some are texting as well, but not everyone checking a screen is checked out.
Background: Why These Seven Letters Matter
About fifteen years ago I was thinking seriously about what Jesus would say to churches today, and I came across a quote from John Stott. He said, "Fortunately, we are not without a means to answer that question. The New Testament contains much information about Christ's purposes for His people." Stott was referring specifically to the book of Revelation. He continued: "Its second and third chapters contain seven letters, each addressed to particular first-century Christian communities in the province of Asia." He is referring to Asia Minor, which we will get to in a moment. He went on to say that although these letters were written by John, it is claimed they were given to him directly by the ascended and glorified Christ, and that although their message is related to specific situations —
Introduction to the Seven Churches
In those churches, He expresses concerns which apply to all churches. By praise and censure, by warning and exhortation, Christ reveals what He wants His church to be like at all times and in all places. What Jesus is doing here is revealing to John a message to take to each of these seven churches. We don't know if John took them all collectively — the seven messages together — or a message to each one individually. But God, Christ in particular, reveals Himself to these seven churches, and He picks them because they have what many scholars suggest are common traits, characteristics, or categories that apply to different churches in all times.
I want to expand that further and say these categories apply to all sorts of people of all times. You are going to see these seven characteristics in these seven churches. Let me change the order and give them to you up front. The church at Ephesus is a loveless church. The church at Smyrna is a suffering church. Then there is a kind of progression: Pergamos is a compromised church, Thyatira a corrupt church, Sardis ultimately a dead church, Philadelphia a faithful church, and Laodicea a lukewarm church.
Here is what I want us to see. We look at these categories of churches not to evaluate other churches around us — let them figure it out — but to ask: what kind of church are we at East Valley Bible Church? And I think we can get more specific than that, because we know that anything we are corporately, we are individually. So these categories apply to different people as well. You are going to see something in these seven churches that identifies you.
If you had asked me, when we did this series the first time, I would have suggested that East Valley Bible Church was very much the church at Ephesus — and you will see that next week, hopefully. Have we changed since then? I think so. But I want to do this introduction first, and then we will come back and work through these seven churches over the next seven weeks.
Revelation Chapter 1: The Opening
Look at chapter 1, verse 1. John writes: The word "revelation," as I said, means unveiling, disclosed, or uncovering. Jesus is revealing Himself here. The John he is writing to — while I was gone, Tyler, Neil, Tim, Paul, and Rick all taught a chapter from 1 John — is the same John, the same man. This is the John we believe is the disciple whom Jesus loved dearly. At this point in time, he is probably about 95 years old.
We are going to look in a moment at where he is: just off Asia Minor, on a small island four miles wide and six miles long called Patmos. He is at the end of his life there when he receives this revelation. Jesus exposes to John His actions, His desires, His thought, His power, His might, and His majesty — all revealed there.
In verse 2, John bore witness of the Word of God. This is the same John you just studied in the letter — John said we are going to testify to the things we have seen and heard, the testimony of Jesus Christ, all the things he saw. Verse 3 tells us: "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of His prophecy and keep those things which are written in it, for the time is near." The time for Jesus' second coming is near.
Now "near" is a relative term, and we understand that in a biblical sense — a day is as a thousand years. In that context, Jesus has only been gone, what, two days. At the end of this book, Jesus says, "I am coming soon." What does "soon" mean? Susan and I live four minutes from here. If I call her and say I have all my work done and I am heading out, I will be home soon, she expects me there in five, ten, or fifteen minutes. When Jesus says, "I am coming soon," when is that? It is any minute from the time He ascends. Everyone since then has been waiting, anticipating, thinking they were the generation. So Jesus says to John: the time is near.
The Seven Churches and Their Geography
Verse 4: "John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne." In the back of many of your Bibles you have maps — turn back there. If you have a Bible we gave you, it is map number 9, and for most of you look for the map with the heading "The Missionary Journeys of Paul." When you find it, look toward the eastern side of the Mediterranean. You may see it noted as Asia or Asia Minor — that is modern-day Turkey.
See if you can find the city of Ephesus; it will be down toward the water. That will link you to these seven churches, because there was actually a road that connected all of them — a road that connected all of these cities. They were wealthy cities, prosperous cities, the most populated areas in that region.
You should see a little half-circle starting at Ephesus. From there you go north — each of these cities is about 30 to 35 miles apart — to Smyrna, and then north to Pergamos. Not all of your maps will have every one of them. From Pergamos you go a little southeast to Thyatira, then straight south to Sardis, then a little southeast to Philadelphia, and finally to Laodicea. So these are seven actual churches that existed at the time Jesus was revealing this message to John.
How Jesus Identifies Himself
What Jesus does, as he said, points to the one who is and was — His pre-existence, His eternality. Then He identifies Himself in verse 5 three ways: the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of all the earth.
Christ's Identity and What It Means for the Churches
In each of these letters, Christ does something consistent: He identifies the recipient, and then He identifies Himself. Oftentimes the way He identifies Himself gives us a hint of what that particular church is dealing with. He is called the faithful witness — that is, the true one. This is what is right, this is what is real.
He is the firstborn of the resurrection. This is the Christ who was dead and is now alive. He is glorified. He is in that position that Isaiah sees in Isaiah 6. And He is the ruler over all — the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He has the affairs of your life under His control.
Worrying About the Future
I was thinking yesterday about our grandkids — you'll see the picture in a minute. We had a wonderful day yesterday, and in its own way the last six weeks have been incredible. Because Braden will be five in November, I found myself wondering what the world will be like when he is 60.
As you all know, I tend not to be very optimistic. I was thinking, gosh, I wonder what his world will be like. And then it occurred to me: I'll bet my dad worried about what the world would be like for me, and his dad about him, and his dad about him, and his dad about him. It can get really scary when you begin to think about human affairs.
The Hurt and Pain Around Us
One of the things that struck me on our vacation — something Susan and I were talking about the other day when we were walking — is how much hurt and pain there is all around. Did you know the unemployment rate in the United States is twice the unemployment rate in Mexico? I didn't know that. When you factor in the underemployed and those who have functionally quit looking for work, the unemployment rate is something like 17 or 18 percent. That is roughly one out of every five adults.
When we were at Cannon Beach, I go there to teach. You get a little relaxation, but it is really work. The people there see you as their teaching pastor in that moment. They have anonymity, and it is just a steady flow of people who are hurting. I guarantee that in this room right now, there are people who are hurting — hurting for a variety of reasons, not one singular reason. It could be economic. It could be relational. It could be some news you have recently received, a physical situation, a parent hurting for their children, or children hurting for their parents. You fill in the blank. I guarantee it is all over this room.
The Theology of a Sovereign King
It is so important to know theology in the midst of hurt and pain, because He is the ruler over all. There is nothing that has snuck into your life that somehow got past Jesus. I was watching a baseball game the other night and they were talking about a pitcher sneaking a fastball past a batter — he had been throwing off-speed stuff, breaking balls, change-ups, and then slipped a fastball by. They are never going to sneak something into your life and slip it past Jesus.
I was watching a lot of football yesterday, and there was one play where a wide receiver just got tangled up in the backfield, drifted away, and the defense completely forgot about him. They are never going to have a receiver sneak past Jesus. He is the King of kings. That is so important to know theologically.
That does not mean there is no pain, no hurt, no sorrow, no trouble. That is real and genuine. We do not need to fake it. But it does mean He knows, and He has got the whole world in His hands. He has got you in His hands. Everything in my life is either caused by or allowed by Him, and I may not know why.
A Lesson From the Grandkids
I have been watching the grandkids a lot lately, and it is really interesting. Braden is just like Haley — easy. Whatever low maintenance is, that is what Haley is. She literally could have raised herself. Braden, at not yet five, was asking his dad the other day, "Where do you think you'll be when you die?" That is my kind of kid right there.
Now Gracie — if you want to know what Sarah was like at two and a half, you just take care of Gracie for an hour. You would say to Haley, "We are going to such and such, be there," and she would say, "Fine, I'll be there." Sarah would say, "Why? Why are we going then? Why do we have to be there by then? Can we go at a different time? Why do we do that?" When she was little, I remember her asking me, "Why do we sleep lying down?" I told her I thought her mom had told us to. Actually, what she had seen was that on the space shuttle they strap the astronauts in and they sleep standing up, so that is actually a pretty good question.
Because I Said So
Every once in a while I would give her an answer I hate. If you are a kid, you hate this answer too. She would say, "Why?" and I would say, "Because I told you so." I hate that answer. But here is what I discovered: every once in a while I go to God and say, "Why?" And He is going to say, "Tom, because I said so. Because I am God. And you are on a need-to-know basis."
Like I said, that does not take the pain away, but it helps me. It reminds me I am not alone and He has not lost me. About ten years ago, during a rough stretch — and everybody has them — I got a little card in the mail. It said, "Tom, I have everything under control. — Jesus." I do not think He sent it Himself, but I am suspicious.
The Vision of Christ in Revelation
To Him who loved us — how great is this? He washed us from our sins in His own blood. That is the solution right there. Your biggest need is forgiveness of sin, and He took care of that. He has made us kings and priests to His God and His Father, and to Him be the glory and dominion forever.
Verses seven and eight tell us He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess. In verse eight, He declares, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord" — who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. Nothing is outside His authority. Nothing is unknown to Him. Nothing is beyond His control.
John on Patmos
Verse nine introduces John as both brother and companion in tribulation, in the kingdom, and in the patience of Jesus Christ. He was on the island called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. He was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day — praising God, honoring God, thinking of Him.
Behind him he heard a loud voice like a trumpet, saying in verse eleven, "I am the Alpha and the Omega." The voice commanded him to write what he saw in a book and send it to the seven churches in Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The instruction was clear — receive this vision, write it down, and send it to these churches.
John turned to see the voice that spoke to him, and having turned, he saw seven golden lampstands. In the midst of the lampstands stood one like the Son of Man, clothed in a garment down to His feet and girded about His chest with a golden band. He also saw seven stars.
The Meaning of the Stars and Lampstands
Rather than guessing at the meaning of these symbols, verse twenty tells us directly. "The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand and the seven lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches." Looking at the opening of each letter beginning in chapter two — verse one to Ephesus, verse eight to Smyrna, verse twelve to Pergamum, verse eighteen to Thyatira, and then in chapter three verse one to Sardis, verse seven to Philadelphia, and verse fourteen to Laodicea — each letter begins with the phrase "to the angel." This refers to the messenger, the one delivering the message, much like a senior pastor, a lead pastor, or a lead elder in our context today. It is the representative reading that message at that point in time. And the seven lampstands are the seven churches themselves.
John's Response and the Structure of the Vision
When John saw Him, his response is recorded in verse seventeen: "When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead." But He laid His hand on John and said, "Do not be afraid." It was not a touch of reprimand or correction. It was a touch of comfort, like the touch given to the leper or the blind man. And once again He declares, "I am the First and the Last." This is the third or fourth time we have seen that already in just the opening chapter — the First, the Last, the Beginning, the End, the Alpha, the Omega, who was, who is, who is to come. He keeps His sovereignty and authority and majesty continually before us.
Then in verse nineteen He gives John his assignment: "Write the things which you have seen" — that is chapter one. "Write the things which are" — that is chapters two and three. "And the things which will take place after this" — that is the balance of the book. That is the backdrop of the entire book of Revelation. John is on the island of Patmos, Jesus appears to him, discloses Himself to him, and says: take dictation to these seven churches.
The Pattern of the Seven Letters
Over the next seven weeks, we will walk through each of these letters, and there is a general pattern to them. It is not present in every case, but in most: a recipient is addressed, a strength is identified, a weakness is named, and then a promise is given.
The letter to Ephesus is a perfect example. It opens by addressing the recipient — the angel of the church at Ephesus. Then comes the strength in verse two: "I know your deeds." You cannot fool Him and you cannot hide from Him. He lists their commendations: they toil, they persevere, they cannot tolerate evil men, they have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false, they have endured for His name's sake, and they have not grown weary. We will define each of those qualities in detail next week, but even with a surface reading, anyone can see that is something worth aspiring to.
Then verse four introduces the weakness: "But I have this against you — you have left your first love." We will talk about what that first love is next week. So the pattern is clear: strength, then weakness, then a promise. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches, and to him who overcomes I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." At the end of each letter there is a promise to those who overcome, those who endure.
Finding Beauty in the Slow Moments
Not just a fruitful life here — though it is a fruitful life here, it's certainly not pain-free. We're going to see, when we get to one of the churches, that they are just known for their suffering. That's all it is. But at the end of this, I have the ability to say, "Father, good fight, finish the race, kept the faith," and I spend eternity in paradise. He identifies those characteristics, and I said this is going to be our task — to understand what He is saying to these churches and therefore to us as well. So that is what we are going to look at for the next seven weeks.
I want to go back. As I said, I had amazing notes. Those of you who attend Priority Living, I am going to share what I relearned on my summer vacation there. I want to talk about a couple of things.
A Canyon I Never Saw
Susan and I were driving back from Cannon Beach. How many of you have ever been to Cannon Beach? It is one of the world's great places, and it is an easy trip. You fly into Portland — which is the best airport in the country — and you drive an hour and a half and you are at the coast. You can leave on a two o'clock flight, be in Portland at five, and be at Cannon Beach by eight or nine. The only thing open at eight at night in Cannon Beach is the Driftwood, which has a great burger. You can spend Friday and Saturday there, most of Sunday, catch a late flight, and you will feel like you have been gone a week. It is a great place.
So we do not rent a car. They pick us up and we drive over. We are driving back, and I am going to give you probably more than you want — but my mind was filled and active, and my heart was heavy, and I was just feeling whatever. We are behind a semi-truck on a two-lane road with no passing lane. I am in the van, just tight, for no reason. I mean, my time off is something any of you would have loved, and I know that. But I am thinking, come on, man, what are you doing on the road?
And then all of a sudden, I look to my right. There is this magnificent canyon. This is a logging truck, so we cannot be going more than ten or fifteen miles an hour up this hill. I can look down this canyon — it is huge — down to a river, with these amazing pine trees that I have no idea how high they are. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life that did not involve an ocean.
Here is what I thought: I have driven by this canyon thirty times — fifteen times in and fifteen times out — and I never saw that canyon once. The only reason I saw it this time was because there was a semi-truck in front of me that forced me to slow down and look out at the canyon. And that was the perfect illustration for what I wanted to say when I got back.
The Lesson of September 10th
I want to show you a clip — it is two minutes and twenty-nine seconds. I watch Fox News, and let me offer this disclaimer: I do not like everybody on Fox. In fact, there are more people on there I do not like than I do like. But there is one man I love — Neil Cavuto. I love that man. I want Neil Cavuto to interview me so badly because I have the perfect line ready. I am going to say, "Neil, they are spending money like you at Krispy Kreme." I love Cavuto.
On September 10th, Cavuto did one of his opinion segments at the end of his show, as he does most days. He was talking about September 10th nine years ago — the day preceding the attacks of 9/11. I want you to watch this and listen closely, and then let me tie it back together.
I remember thinking I was going to talk about 9/11, and then I decided I would just wait and do it next year on the tenth anniversary, since it falls on a Sunday anyway. But do you remember right after 9/11? As a nation, we had a collective moment that we said would change us forever — and it changed us for about three weeks. Here is what I have discovered: every person has their own 9/11. There are 9/11s in this room right now, today.
The struggle of life seems to be this: you learn certain things, you understand them, and yet the day-to-day absorbs you. You understand that some things really matter and other things do not matter nearly as much — but the things that do not matter as much come with deadlines attached, and they become all-consuming. We cannot all go live in Montana, raise a garden, and live on a dollar ninety-nine a day. It does not work that way. But there is something in that tension. There is something in that strife.
Pictures from Home
I am going to show you three pictures. We were in Cannon Beach last week, so we get together every Saturday for the Iowa games. Next Saturday could be a long day, but we get together every week. Since we were out of town, Sarah sent me pictures. This first picture she sent shows the kids — two boys and three girls. The two boys belong to Haley and Tyler, and the girls are in their cheerleading outfits that their aunt sent them, and those are Sarah and Timmy's. Now, I was teaching with my phone there, devoted completely and entirely to the Word of God.
A Grandfather's Heart
Yesterday was Braden's first T-ball game. Yale just turned three, and Brooklyn is seven months old — and she is bigger than Yale. Yale practices with the team; he thinks he is a player. They did not have enough kids, so Yale had to play yesterday, and it was perfect. He got up with a metal bat, and on his first at-bat, the bat was so heavy that when he swung through, it spun him around and knocked him down. Getting to first base was absolutely out of the question.
After the first inning, Yale got bored and ended up in the outfield. Every time the other team hit the ball, he would run in a circle and slide. Then all of a sudden, he blew past the other kids and slid into second base — playing center field. That is Yale.
Brooklyn is seven months old, and my suspicion is she has not missed many meals. She just has this wonderful disposition and smiles — that is all I have ever seen her do. In the middle of the picture is Braden. Both of my grandsons were born on the same day, the same year — November 22nd. I was born November 28th, and Braden was born November 25th; he will be five. One of his heroes is Ben Maughan, so he is in the process of growing his hair as long as Ben's. We all have goals in life — that is Braden's goal.
That smile belongs to Gracie's mom. She cannot resist the opportunity to mother, reaching all the way across Braden to hold Brooklyn and make sure she is okay. On the end is Gracie, who will be four in December.
Gracie's Diagnosis
I wanted to talk about this and kept waiting for the right time. Finally I said, forget it — I will make the right time. Gracie was diagnosed about two years ago with autism. I went to the SARC site — the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center — and I will tell you, that is an amazing organization, and many people have gotten very involved in it.
Here is how they define autism: autism is a complex neurobiological disorder associated with impairments in socialization, verbal and nonverbal communication, restricted play and interest, and repetitive motor movements. Gracie is nonverbal — she has never spoken. She will come into a room, pick up a toy, and line the toys up, reorienting them, but she does not play with them. There is a whole spectrum to this, as with anything.
It has been an amazing challenge to figure out what to do, because you are only let into her world if she lets you in. I have had two prayers for a year and a half — one for Susan, and one for Gracie. My prayer for Gracie is, honestly, a selfish one: just let me in there somewhere. Every time we are together it gets a little bit better. That picture of all five of them together is something special — she was not really capable of that kind of group setting before.
Theology in the Midst of It
I met with Timmy recently, and we were processing all of this, working through the theology of it. He brought a passage from the New Living Translation, Exodus chapter four, verse eleven: "The Lord said to Moses, who makes man's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or don't speak, or hear or don't hear, or see or don't see? It is I, says the Lord." I know all of that, and that is exactly why theology matters so much in these moments. And there is John chapter nine — the disciples ask about the blind man: was it this man who sinned, or his parents? Theology is essential here.
Susan's Battle
I want to share something else. We were at Cannon Beach, walking on the beach the day after Labor Day, six years ago. I said to Susan, "Look, Suze, we have prepared the best we can for the future. If there is another 9-11, or some catastrophe, we cannot control that. But all things considered, we are in a great spot. The only thing that would derail us is if one of us gets sick." Then in November — November 22nd, which happens to be the boys' birthday — the cancer diagnosis came in.
She has been through five surgeries and has been on chemotherapy or radiation for six years. She is a warrior. This may sound self-centered, but other than a stretch from about two years ago to a year and a half ago, I had been doing reasonably well with all of it. The last year, though, I have really been grappling with watching her — especially since last year's vacation, when I was with her all day and could see the pain, could see how physically hard every day is for her. A year ago I told her what I was thinking and what I wanted to do, and I told her in the middle of the —
A Personal Update and Request for Prayer
I want to take my life and focus on the priority things I have to do. The teaching part is probably the most important; the rest of it, I'm not sure how important it is. Beyond that, I'm going to focus on Susan, and that encompasses a whole myriad of things. We talked about it in early August when we were in Flagstaff, and I reiterated it again recently.
She was saying that every day is getting so hard. The cancer — we don't think it's there, we don't test again — it's just the six years of poison in the body. I say this to you, first of all, because there isn't a day that goes by that I don't get to the front door without twelve of you asking how Susan is doing. I appreciate that, and I'm not putting that down at all. I just want you to know what's going on so you can be praying about it.
If you don't see me at a lot of things, that's simply why. We're battening down the hatches and spending time around the house. I have a couple of commitments I've already made outside of here — one coming up in a few weeks — and the girls and I are going on a trip in October. But really, the focus is on her.
I want you to know there's no big plan and no big announcement in any of this. Over the years I've been involved in almost everything around here, and I've gradually been withdrawing more and more. It just feels like the right thing. I wanted to talk about this a year ago and couldn't, so I simply want to get it in front of you — I want you to hear it, see it, and know what's going on. If you don't see me at Third Thursday or at various other things, now you know why.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for the amazing truth. Thank You for the forgiveness You give us, and God, we thank You even for the hurt and pain that You bring into our lives. We thank You for the personal "9/11s" that happen individually. We don't welcome them in and of themselves in some morbid way, but we know You use them for our own good — so God, thank You for that.
I pray that those last ten minutes don't sound selfish and self-absorbed, but I hope they were honest. I hope we understand that we are not in any way the exception — that kind of hurt and pain is all around the room. God, let us love one another, encourage one another, and pray for one another. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.