I just met a walking meditation on discipleship.

A leader from a nearby church stopped by to leave some flyers for a benefit concert.  He wore one of those masks that keep you from breathing in the germs and meanies from other people.  I went to shake his hands and he told he could not do that.  His kidney was replaced five months ago and he was just getting his immune system back.  He did not want to compromise his system.

He informed me that his immune system was shut down by the doctors so his body would not reject his new kidney.  Otherwise, his body would see the new part not as an unwatned intruder, not as a life-giving organ.  It would seek to kick it out.

I immediately verbalized, “That is just like what happens when we go through the transformation of being a Christ-follower.    What Jesus gives us is new life.  Our old man wants to reject it and kick it out unless something is actively done to keep it in place until it is part of us.”

God promises to give his people a heart of flesh for a heart of stone.  That heart of flesh is not natural to us, though it is the source of our life.  Something must be done to keep us from rejecting what God placed in us.  Our need finds its fulfillment in trusting the Lord, soaking in His word, and continuing to choose for Him when our options lead away from Him.  Little by little, that new heart comes to be the natural part of us and all that is not aligned with Christ’s heart in us is the stuff we reject.

I thank God for a new heart.  I also thank Him for the supplying me with all I need to keep His heart beating in me.

It’s not often that the words “cancer” and “encouragement” show up in the same place.  Today, I got to see two people with cancer connect with others in a meaningful way…it was a God moment.

I was visiting a with friend at Willamette Cancer Center at Riverbend.  He was in the middle of a chemo session.  He was keeping a good face, but the chemicals were taking their toll.  As we visited, another man walked by and stopped.  Normally, this man would have walked out a back door.  Today, he walked to the front and “just happened” to go by us.

“I know you,” he said to me.  I introduced myself and called him by name.  He said he was doing fine and I told him I was fair.  That’s when he said he was closer to fair than fine.  It was becoming obvious he was not either.  My friend fished into a bag and pulled out a wristband.  On one part it says, “cancer sucks.”  On the other side, it says, “choose joy.”  The man was grateful; this gift from a fellow traveler picked up his spirits. 

This man is friends with a group of pastors I meet with monthly.  I invited him to join us.  He said he would rather not but would see me some other time.  No more than five minutes later, he was back and asked if he could still join us.  Most definitely, I said.  He joined us for coffee and a good discussion about how to handle a sticky church issue.  Everyone at the table benefited.  All this because this man chose to leave his cancer treatment by a different door.

In all this rambling, you may not see what I saw.  I could see God connecting his kids for encouragement and support.  He was helping us share joy, life and wisdom.  He was opening opportunities to love each other in the midst of very difficult circumstances where there are no easy answers.  The good news is we took those opportunities and made the most of them today.  What fun!  What a blessing.  Wow, how good God is to open the doors to help us walk together.