Update on Pastor Ron
January, 2009 Good Morning and Happy New Year Dear Ones!
Thank you for your continued love, prayers and support for me and my family. God is good ALL the time! And, He is so faithful! In the early days of my battle with cancer, I heard the song by Casting Crowns called, The Voice of Truth. It became our theme song. The song reminds us that when David faced Goliath to win the battle, and when Peter faced the storm to walk on water, they did so because they did not listen to the voices of fear and despair; they listened to the Voice of Truth. As the song says, The Voice of Truth tells me a different story, the Voice of Truth says, Do not be afraid! The Voice of Truth says, This is for My glory! Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will listen to the Voice of Truth. Great song! Gods used it in amazing ways!
A couple years ago, I was leaving to go to our Saturday night service. That day I had battled the voices of discouragement. When I turned the key to my car, the song began to play on the radio, exactly at the beginning. It ended, exactly, when I pulled up in front of the church office. In between, God used it to tell me a different story and to encourage me that it was all for His glory.
Amazing!
Yesterday, I went to get my blood checked. As you know, my PSA has been going up, and rather fast. After two years of treatments (hormone, chemo, surgery, radiation), we were hoping for undetectable PSA for two years. I made it 18 months, and then the PSA began to rise. Not good. Without a prostate gland, the only thing that makes the PSA go up is cancer. When it reached the point of detecting reoccurrence of the cancer, we went back up to U.C.S.F, and decided with our doctors that if/when it rose to 1.0 Id go back on hormone therapy, which is a control, not a cure. (At some point, the cancer becomes resistant to the hormone therapy.) Cathi asked if it might go back down on its own. The head of oncology said, No, but Ive seen stranger things happen. To which Cathi replied, "Well, were going to pray for stranger things!"
The month before last, my PSA began to rise quickly to 1.37. My local doctor said, "If you want to begin hormone therapy now, we can. Or, we can wait to see if it goes up slowly and wait til it really spikes. Its like our last 'big gun', and we can wait to use it until we see 'the whites of their eyes'." We decided to wait.
As Cathi and I drove to the hospital yesterday to get my results, we prayed, trusting the One who speaks The Truth, and whos Voice has been our strength. I went in to the lab and Cathi waited in the car. I got the results and almost ran to the car. My PSA had gone down!!! That just does not happen! It went down to 1.2, and I couldnt wait to get to the car to tell Cathi.
I got in the car, and guess what song just happened to be playing on the radio? The Voice of Truth! Can you believe it? What are the odds? Cathi had been listening to the song and praying, being assured by Gods Voice of Truth that whatever the number was, it would be for His glory. I told her that it went down. We cried and held each other as the song played and the glory of God filled the car. It was a moment I will never forget.
So, what does this mean? I dont know completely. Ill see my doctor on Monday. I guess we'll watch and wait some more. Ill keep you posted. But our eyes will not really be on numbers, theyll remain on Jesus! And, the only voice were going to listen to is His Voice, The Voice of Truth! And, no matter what you may be facing, or the voices you may be hearing, remember, theres a different story! Isaiah 30:19-21 "O people of God, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it."
Lets Keep Listening and Walking!
Pastor Ron Salsbury
Thank you for your continued love, prayers and support for me and my family. God is good ALL the time! And, He is so faithful! In the early days of my battle with cancer, I heard the song by Casting Crowns called, The Voice of Truth. It became our theme song. The song reminds us that when David faced Goliath to win the battle, and when Peter faced the storm to walk on water, they did so because they did not listen to the voices of fear and despair; they listened to the Voice of Truth. As the song says, The Voice of Truth tells me a different story, the Voice of Truth says, Do not be afraid! The Voice of Truth says, This is for My glory! Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will listen to the Voice of Truth. Great song! Gods used it in amazing ways!
A couple years ago, I was leaving to go to our Saturday night service. That day I had battled the voices of discouragement. When I turned the key to my car, the song began to play on the radio, exactly at the beginning. It ended, exactly, when I pulled up in front of the church office. In between, God used it to tell me a different story and to encourage me that it was all for His glory.
Amazing!
Yesterday, I went to get my blood checked. As you know, my PSA has been going up, and rather fast. After two years of treatments (hormone, chemo, surgery, radiation), we were hoping for undetectable PSA for two years. I made it 18 months, and then the PSA began to rise. Not good. Without a prostate gland, the only thing that makes the PSA go up is cancer. When it reached the point of detecting reoccurrence of the cancer, we went back up to U.C.S.F, and decided with our doctors that if/when it rose to 1.0 Id go back on hormone therapy, which is a control, not a cure. (At some point, the cancer becomes resistant to the hormone therapy.) Cathi asked if it might go back down on its own. The head of oncology said, No, but Ive seen stranger things happen. To which Cathi replied, "Well, were going to pray for stranger things!"
The month before last, my PSA began to rise quickly to 1.37. My local doctor said, "If you want to begin hormone therapy now, we can. Or, we can wait to see if it goes up slowly and wait til it really spikes. Its like our last 'big gun', and we can wait to use it until we see 'the whites of their eyes'." We decided to wait.
As Cathi and I drove to the hospital yesterday to get my results, we prayed, trusting the One who speaks The Truth, and whos Voice has been our strength. I went in to the lab and Cathi waited in the car. I got the results and almost ran to the car. My PSA had gone down!!! That just does not happen! It went down to 1.2, and I couldnt wait to get to the car to tell Cathi.
I got in the car, and guess what song just happened to be playing on the radio? The Voice of Truth! Can you believe it? What are the odds? Cathi had been listening to the song and praying, being assured by Gods Voice of Truth that whatever the number was, it would be for His glory. I told her that it went down. We cried and held each other as the song played and the glory of God filled the car. It was a moment I will never forget.
So, what does this mean? I dont know completely. Ill see my doctor on Monday. I guess we'll watch and wait some more. Ill keep you posted. But our eyes will not really be on numbers, theyll remain on Jesus! And, the only voice were going to listen to is His Voice, The Voice of Truth! And, no matter what you may be facing, or the voices you may be hearing, remember, theres a different story! Isaiah 30:19-21 "O people of God, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it."
Lets Keep Listening and Walking!
Pastor Ron Salsbury
