Life Perspective Posted by Julie Gebhards from June 2008

Well, I had the privilege of spending most of the day with the Greenes yesterday, and we again were blessed by the Lord. Despite the 113 degree heat (which I didn't notice until we left and saw the temp gauge in the car), we had a productive and blessed time. Thankfully, even though there were 9 kids running around, Nichole and I were able to talk for a significant amount of time and she shared with me her thoughts, concerns and hope. I say hope (rather than hopes) because she has one hope, and it is fixed on one thing- Jesus Christ. She would never suggest that dark thoughts haven't crossed her mind, or that she hasn't struggled to understand why this could happen. But she hasn't given up the fight to reject those thoughts and continue to trust in the Sovereignty of a Loving God who hasn't left her. Here are some of Nichole's words which were a great encouragement to me.
~"My husband is not mine. He's the Lord's. My kids are not mine. They too belong to the Lord. His love for them and care for them is greater than mine. God will take care of them. They'd be fine without me." Wow, a reflection of true humility, as well as abiding trust.
~"God is good. He is using this cancer for my good, and the good of others (she doesn't know how many others- and won't know until she meets the Lord!). I know that He is good and is being glorified through this." I am certain of that as well. So many have been blessed to hear of Nichole's faithfulness through this trial.
~"Only two things matter. That the lost are reached with the gospel, and that Christ's church is built up. That's all that matters, and I think and hope and have seen this happening through this trial."
~"I've been thinking about heaven a lot in the past few days. The best-worst-case-scenario is that I leave this world and go to heaven to be with the Lord- how bad can that be? So I leave earth a little earlier than some... I won't have to worry about sin, and I'll be with the Lord!" Let's all learn from Nichole's eternal perspective. Wow, we can get so caught up in worldly thinking! It's almost nauseating thinking about how we actually care about such banal things like clothing styles, hollywood actors, and looking 5 pounds overweight in light of spiritual thoughts of life and death.
Nichole is so thankful for all that the body of Christ has done for her family through this trial, and wanted to make sure that everyone knew how grateful she and Norm are. The Foundry has already been such a blessing to them, and she wanted all to know that. So many people have served them and have been a testimony to the world of how the Body of Christ cares for each other. Let's shine brighter!

Please PRAY for the Greene Family

Please continue to pray for them as the road ahead is bumpy. Although Nichole was able to function much more yesterday than last week, she received some troubling news Wednesday. The chemo and radiation treatments have had little to no effect on the cancer at this point. (Doesn't that shed some light on the nature of our conversation, just one day after that news??) She begins internal radiation soon, so please pray that the Lord would extend His healing hand to her and miraculously shrink the tumors, if He would be glorified in that. Please also pray that Nichole and Norm would trust the Lord whole-heartedly and not let seeds of doubt creep in. Nichole would also like prayer for balancing her thoughts and time between wisely seeking alternate methods of healing, yet trusting in the Lord for whatever He does in her body. She doesn't want to become fixated on the cure, but maintain her fixation with the Savior.