He Can
By the time you read this, it will be Day +750. We rolled over the two-year anniversary of Jennings’s second transplant about three weeks ago. And for the second straight update, he has had no medical appointments and so there are no medical updates. Other than battling the usual viruses, bugs, and allergies that seem to always be cycling through, we’ve been in a great spot. We had a small celebration to mark the anniversary. 👇
It was a fun day. We had a few friends over, got the obligatory bounce house, did all the backyard things (including the zip line), and ended it with cake & ice cream.
We are in full on spring activity mode now. Yes, that is code for busy…but in the best of ways. I am happy to report that we’ve made some progress and learned from last year. On spring Saturdays last year, we literally needed to be in four places at once. But, with a little bending of some age limit rules, I got both boys on the same baseball team this year. And we also made sure the girls don’t have dance or gymnastics practice on Saturdays. It’s actually logistically possible for us to get them to everything without help! Here’s everybody suited up for gamedays:
That’s the Bash Brothers on the left…pre-90s steroids era, of course. I can see a little McGwire in Jennings and definitely some Canseco in Henry. Charlotte trying on her dress for her upcoming “Burcital” - still with the B’s 🤦♂️. That’s gymnast Caroline in her competition leotard and Team Chalkettes jacket performing in a meet on her birthday, medaling in bars.
I’ve been thinking of what happened in Nashville this week, and of others who are in seasons of suffering, and of our own experiences in suffering. I was listening to a sermon and thinking through how I pray for people, and myself, in the midst of these storms. This quote just really jumped out at me. It’s Matt Chandler’s sermon, but the quote itself is credited to Jon Tyson. He’s talking about how evangelical Christians tend to pray and uses the phrase “reverence without anticipation” to summarize it. We pray, but we pray without much expectation that God will act when it comes to big, bold prayers.
It made me think back to the book A Praying Life by Paul Miller. He has an entire section of the book dedicated to teaching how to “pray like a child.” Children are totally unafraid to ask for what they want, repeatedly, and without regard for how likely (or unlikely) it is that they will receive the answer they want. I was just really convicted by that this week and thought of the countless prayers I’ve prayed that included something like “if it’s Your will.” That is not theologically wrong. Of course God, who is sovereign and omniscient and omnipotent, is going to do what He plans to do. It’s more about the posture of my heart around the inclusion of that phrase - do I believe that He can? It’s as if I’m concerned in those prayers with others knowing that I know that theology and I’m guarding against my own (or their) disappointment if He doesn’t.
I also listened to a golf podcast this week where the guys were talking about this in a performance context. We are afraid of facing our own limitations, so we approach things in a way that protects us. Deep down, we don’t believe that we can so we practice & prepare in a way that gives us an out.
We don’t believe God can, so we pray in a way that give us (and Him in our own minds) an out.
Yet this is the God that we will celebrate next week who got up out of the grave, conquered death, and ascended to heaven. He can. Let’s ask Him confidently, boldly, with anticipation.
Lauren recently got connected with a local family whose son is facing AML at about the same age that Jennings was when he was first diagnosed. Jennings still had 0.8% disease burden after one round of treatment. That was “not good” as our doctors told us and sent him on the path to his first transplant. This little boys disease sat at 70% after one round. His disease was classified as refractory, which when it comes to cancer, tends to hit like a death sentence.
L got an update from his mom this week. After round two, there is no detectable disease. He is now on his path to a transplant.
“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” Mark 9:24
Before we go, here’s a few more from the past month 👇
Clockwise from top left: We have a 10-year-old - how did that happen?!; the Smithfield Echos singing the national anthem to kickoff Little League season; daddy-daughter dance; Henry got a fresh, new look.
Our next check-up is in Memphis in mid-May. We’ll check back in before then, but please continue to lift up Jennings’s healing to God who is able.
#allinforjennings