Early Christmas present

Hello All! Merry Christmas about a week early from the Clarks. I know that the posts are a bit more irregular in frequency lately, but that is simply because of two things. One, and I am sure you can all relate, it is BUSY right about now! And two, there's just not much happening medically for Dee Dee. She has mostly fully recovered from the surgery, with the exception being lingering soreness if direct pressure is applied to her left side. We cancelled one follow-up at Duke, just because there seemed no point in it until we decide what to do from a long-term, big decision standpoint.

I have spoken to the folks at Johns-Hopkins, and they affirm that both Duke and Mayo are logically, medically reasonable in their advice. Duke's surgical answer guarantees no cancer but lingering "yuckiness" (a highly sophisticated medical term, by the way); Mayo's means some long-term risk from leaving over twenty tumors in your stomach on purpose, but is reasonably safe with no yuckiness. Johns-Hopkins says that both make sense, and that neither clinic is giving strange advice. I have had one conversation with the doc at MD Anderson in Houston, Dr. James Yao, who is recognized as one of the nation's leading researchers for carcinoid cancer. He also says that sometimes they do the surgery, and sometimes not. He, too, says that both answers are valid. He is debating the need to see Dee Dee, versus just looking at her info and talking to me on the phone. We are leaning more and more toward the Mayo approach of life-long surveillance, probably twice a year for now, once a year down the road. We would do this at Mayo, simply because they are the ones who most earnestly believe it to be appropriate (my decision on that part of the plan).

Now on to the really important stuff. Today was one of the best days in our young church's life. We are less than nine years old, less than 150 people, and just a great community of members. We have this one family, fantastic couple with two girls. The dad, at age 40, became a Christian yesterday! Lots of cheers and tears in Ambassador Presbyterian today, and I am sure for a long time to come. He has loved his wife by attending faithfully with her all these years, as a show of support and respect. She has personified 1 Peter 3, by being a steadfast and godly wife, making the gospel attractive to her husband. PRAISE OUR GOD for His sovereign plan, for His choosing this man to reign in glory, for electing to save another who, like me, did not deserve it. PRAISE OUR GOD that none of us get what we deserve, that none of us can do anything worthy of His approval, but that we can be adopted by the King of all glory to be sons and daughters, full of His grace and receiving His mercy. Let us join with the angels, who are rejoicing for my friend tonight.

Well, there is nothing else that I can write about that warrants inclusion with a sinner being saved, so I'm gonna go to bed now. Take a moment to pray for that friend or family member who you used to pray for regularly, but time has dulled your sense of urgency. You know, that person who seems like a lost cause, that if you really could be honest with yourself, you're not even sure God can save, or wants to save. Time is nothing to our God; and His grace is irresistible. (And all my reformed brothers said, "Amen!")

Love, thanks, and prayers,

Tony