cancerschmancer - the chemo room and james

let me first preface this post by saying, i know it's been a while and there are a lot of surgery details and appointments that i've missed sharing. i'll get to those; however, i wanted to write about our buddy james today, before i forget. this is one man i want to remember when we look back on the "microphone" opportunities.

we listened to one of our friend's teach at harvest oc last week. you can listen to it here. "the family is a microphone" basically the message was about using every opportunity we're given to share the Lord. we are a microphone for Him. while i'm still mulling over all that i learned, matt is putting it into practice.

today we went to chemo. it was the first of three days. because matt went to work at 4:30am and got home as i was leaving for work, we decided we'd go through our one year bible reading together as we sat through chemo. having no idea what divine appointment would be ahead because of this "inconvenience."

we walked into chemo at 1pm, our normal chair wasn't available, the nerve of another patient. so we sat elsewhere. as the room cleared out and patients left, it got quiet, we began to read. not long after, an older "uncle Si" looking and sounding man sat in the chair next to us. i was planted between matt and this man. he came in a wheelchair. he was frail, we later learned he was 75 and had been widowed twice. as we read, he asked what we were reading. he said he read his scriptures at night. has a hard time falling asleep he said. he told us he loves Jesus and his Father, that's God you know. we smiled and said we do too. once he said he wished i had a microphone so he could hear me read better. he leaned as far over to the side of his chair as he could to hear as we went through exodus, matthew, psalms and proverbs. some times his eyes were shut, other times he just watched us and listened.

as the nurse poked his veins, she couldn't get the iv in. she moved to the other side and matt smiled and said, i'll pray she gets it the first try. she did. james, we learned was his name, looked over at us and said, why didn't you pray that the first time? matt smiled and that began a 3 hour conversation.

they talked about why his finger was missing, they talked about how he won a his belt buckel at the rodeo. matt told him how i was in a rodeo too. when james showed interest in that, matt told him proudly that his wife, nodding to me, put boxers on a calf at a rodeo on norco. (true story, but i digress, this is about matt and james...) the nurses laughed. they talked about his two wives and how they died. cancer. he didn't know when his last treatment would be, they haven't told him, he said they want to put a port in him because his veins are just too small anymore. matt offered him snacks and they kept talking. they talked about the history channel, the mynah bird he has at home, his son and how he is a great-great grandfather. they talked about anything and everything. eventually they talked about what churches they attend. matt said harvest, he said the lds church up the street. they talked about james' next treatment, it's in three weeks, matt will be there then too.

finally our time was up. matt got unhooked from his iv and went to use the restroom. james' machine went off but he stayed there in his chair. when matt came back, he asked, matt, will you pray for me? matt didn't hesitate.

in that very moment, do you suppose his eternity changed? we won't know for sure on this side of heaven. they didn't pray the sinner's prayer - per say, but james wanted what he heard from the Word. he wanted to have that peace and His presence, he wanted God's will for his life.

it's hard to express the emotions, sadness for james. frail, alone, so incredibly sick, perhaps close to the end of his life.

proud of matt, i've never heard him ask so many questions in all of his life (ask our kids, that's my job). being bold, listening, sharing, praying, being a microphone for Him.

utter thankfulness, that He would allow us the privilege of spending the afternoon with james. the honor of walking this road and having the chance to pray with james. as we told the kids the story, they agreed, if james' eternal destiny changed, cancer is worth it.

when matt was done praying, the nurses came over and unhooked james from his tether. james and matt shook hands and agreed to meet again in three weeks.

will you join me in praying for james. i am not certain we'll see him again.
here.

but perhaps one day, on the other side.