Wedding Photos

Well, I took these photos while we were near Houston for my nephew's wedding, but maybe that doesn't make them wedding photos. This post has no news; just a chance to share a couple of experimental macro photos, and marvel at God's creation in the delicate details of feathers. Click on photos for larger view.

In Mike's Own Words

I mentioned in a previous post about learning of Mike Rogers' lymphoma. Here is his own account of his condition (physically and mentally) at the moment, received earlier today.

Wanted to follow-up on the lymphoma announcement. Since I wrote last, I have met twice with the surgeon who took out my lymph nodes. I am recovering well. I went back to work 2 days after surgery. I have also had a catscan (3 dimensional x-ray) and met with an Oncologist (cancer specialist) as well as my regular doctor. The catscan confirmed the lab analysis of the lymphectomy - the cancer is spread throughout my lymph system and my spleen is somewhat enlarged. I should have another catscan toward the end of April so as to have 2 points in time from which to try to estimate the growth of the cancer and to plan treatment.

It seems the doctors want to implement a program of "watchful waiting" for the time being. Prognosis is always uncertain, however it is presently thought that a person in my condition and age group should wait as long as possible before beginning chemotherapy. For several reasons: obviously my cancer is no longer preventable and is systemic (meaning I have it throughout my lymph system); this cancer is indolent (slow growing); as long as it makes sense (while I'm feeling pretty good and able to function reasonably well), the doctors want to be as conservative as possible; to save options for as long as possible; perhaps new drugs and better therapies will be discovered in the next few years (since research and studies across the world are in high gear).

I have felt mostly OK. So far, I have been able to do my job (our employers have been very considerate, understanding and accommodating). My plan for the future is to keep doing what I have been doing, to carry on as normally as possible with all aspects of my life as long as I can. The Oncologist said to keep wearing my seat belt and to not take up smoking as I should be around for some years. At some point I will probably be told to begin chemotherapy (weeks? months? years?), which it is thought would almost immediately put the cancer into remission, but it is rare for there to be an actual cure. Instead, they speak in terms of being "cancer free for AX number of years" or of being "a cancer survivor for X number of years".

Thank you again for all your prayers and expressions of love and concern. I would love a cure - if all my friends who have cancer (and similar problems) could also be cured at the same time. I especially hope to be free enough from pain to be in control of and responsible for my own thoughts and words till I die. As I have time and opportunity, I purpose to do some theological and philosophical thinking and writing about issues that arise from life not turning out the way one expected or hoped. Issues like: life's purpose, does God cause bad things? what is God's judgment or chastening? attitude and emotion, the place of ambivalence and doubt, etc.

However, unlike sending you these medical bulletins uninvited, I will send you my musings only if you ask me to. Love, Mike Rogers

Mike's e-mail is pilgrimmike@bresnan.net if you feel led to send a word of encouragement and support.

The Writing on the Belly (2): And the winner is...

My last post referred to the referendum on abortion held here in Portugal yesterday. As a follow-up to that, here are the results (approx.): 60% in favor of decriminalizing abortion on request in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy vs. 40% opposed. The majority of registered voters didn't even vote, though. Since more than 50% of registered voters had to vote to make the referendum binding, the 56% voter abstention rate was enough to not require that the current law be changed.

BUT...the Socialist government is going to pick up the ball and run with it, anyway. The new rules are expected to be implemented by or in 2008. Which serves to illustrate the point I tried to make in the last posting: our sinful nature leads us to find a way to do what we want to do, no matter how dire the consequences and even when we know better. (Witness the habit of smoking tobacco in the face of medical and government warnings.)

In the same line, an article in yesterday's local newspaper reported on one of the groups that will participate in the Carnival (Mardi Gras) procession this Saturday in Funchal. Their theme: "Let's Have Fun in this Hell". Among the costumed figures in the group will be a transvestite "Devil", and the colors chosen by the group are supposedly the colors of sin: red, purple, and black. On the floats, quotations from the Bible mixed with popular sayings will appear on banners.

"If sin weren't so seductive, tempting and beautiful...it would never be sin and we would never go to Hell," group leaders say. The underlying thought is that "no man, no matter what his age, can resist a pretty woman," and to make the point, there will be at least one topless woman in their presentation, according to the article.

How sad it is to see people willfully marching into the face of destruction. "...because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved, ...for this cause, God shall send them a strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thess. 2:10-12.

The Writing on the Belly

Wouldn't you know it? I have been looking for a certain photo published various times and can't find it anywhere on the web. In its place I offer this substitute:

(Photo: O Primeiro de Janeiro, Porto, 10 Feb 2007)

The sign reads, "I'm in charge of my belly." In the photo I was hoping to post, college-age women are marching with exposed bellies, across which are written the words, "Aqui mando eu" (Here, I'm the one in charge). The demonstrations are leading up to the referendum being held tomorrow in Portugal, in which voters are being asked to vote Yes or No on the decriminalization of abortions performed in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy at the discretion of the mother. Presently, abortions performed except for the health of the mother or on doctor's orders due to the deformity of the fetus are illegal, and by law, women who abort and those who perform such abortions are subject to imprisonment. A similar referendum in the late 90's failed to pass, but there's a good chance it will pass this time.

Both sides in the debate have made their arguments in the press, on TV, and in the streets. One of the arguments for approving the referendum is that it will keep women from seeking clandestine abortions and will therefore prevent many of the deaths and serious complications arising from them. At a woman's discretion, she would be able to go to a public health clinic or hospital during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy and without any formalities or justification request and obtain a publicly-funded abortion. One of the other arguments is the one illustrated above: "It's my body (belly) and I decide what to do with it."

In my view, that brings us to the crux of the whole issue. Medical, legal, social, and psychological arguments aside, "Aqui mando eu" expresses the essence of man's sin and rebellion against God's authority. As Christians, we should be able to write across our bellies (and every other part of our bodies and lives), "Aqui manda Deus" (Here, God is in charge).

Home ... and reflections on out-of-home experiences

It is about 8:30 p.m., and we've been home about 9 hours. The side effects of all-night travel are about to bushwhack me at the computer. While Abbie sits in the living room playing the piano---Remember? Being away from the piano was her main concern at being away from home so long---I valiantly struggle to stay awake a little longer.

The trip from Arkansas to Newark to Lisbon to Madeira was uneventful (no delays, no missed connections); can't quite say that the "bureaucratic details" were uneventful, though. Wednesday night about 10:00 I called Continental to confirm our reservations for our 10:30 a.m. flight on Thursday from Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport. The initial information was that Abbie's reservations were good all the way to Madeira; my name was not on the passenger list at all! It was only 20 minutes and 3 Continental employees later that I was assured I could get to Newark with Abbie.(She wasn't keen on going without me...I wasn't keen on letting her.) However, Continental could not say whether we (I, that is) had confirmed reservations on the Portuguese airline TAP from Newark to Lisbon and on to Funchal. We should call TAP, we were told.

We tried. At 11 p.m. (midnight EST), TAP had no personnel to answer the phone at Newark, and there was no way we could talk to a living, breathing correspondent at the other end of the line. We would have to call Lisbon, but the web site said their call center would only open at 8 a.m. (Lisbon time). So Joy and I set our alarms to wake up at 2 a.m. to call Lisbon. The living, breathing voice assured us that both Abbie and I were confirmed all the way to Madeira. My mind was at ease, but my body did a poor job of resting the precious few hours left before we had to get up and go.

It was when we got to Newark that we got entangled in the web of miscommunication again. The TAP employee there got us seats together on the flight to Lisbon (not the case initially), but she informed us she couldn't give us a seat assignment for the last leg of the trip "because the bags are only checked as far as Lisbon!" It was only 20 minutes and 3 TAP employees later that the matter was resolved, when I showed the baggage claim stubs indicating the bags were indeed checked all the way through to Madeira. For a while I had dark thoughts about standing in Lisbon waiting for baggage that would never stop there, because it had been tagged to go all the way through, then trying to resolve the problem of "lost" baggage with the check-in counter at Lisbon. Thus, in spite of such minor hiccups, we arrived home as scheduled.

Reflecting on the last 6 weeks


Family --

We cannot think of the weeks since Christmas without recalling family experiences of one sort or another: Christmas with the kids and grandkids, Abbie and her sister spending 10 days at their parents' house, weddings (2), and countless other occasions. All four of us siblings together (me with my brother and 2 sisters)has been a very rare scene over the past 30+ years. We were together in August, and now again at my nephew's wedding. There was an added blessing of visiting with our cousin, Frances (she's the short one!), whom I have seen very, very rarely since we were teenagers.

As I contemplated on these moments, I thanked God again for family, and that we have families (both Abbie and I) that enjoy being together. I thought of those who don't have that kind of family relationship, and felt sad because of what they're missing.

The Superbowl --

For those around the world who may not know, this is the championship game that is the culmination of the professional football (American style, of course) season. Played on a Sunday in late January or early February, this ranks right up there with Thanksgiving and Christmas as a major American event. It's not an official holiday, but the hype in the press for a month in advance, and the publicity campaign (advertisers paid $2.6 million for a 30-second spot this year) generate so much interest that churches even cancel Sunday evening services, or schedule showings of the game at church as a family or outreach event. This, too, we were experiencing for the first time in over 30 years. It's similar to what other nations go through during the World Cup in soccer, and takes on the flavor of a religious event for many. But in perspective: isn't it really nothing more than a football game? I couldn't help but think of many for whom all the show must be an empty, vain display. "Vanity of vanities..."

My friend Mike --

The very weekend we would get to be in the US on Superbowl Sunday, we were getting the news from our life-long dear friend and brother in the Lord, Mike Rogers, confirming he has follicular non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Our church is and will be praying for Mike and Debbie, who visited Madeira 7 or 8 years ago. This picture of them was taken about 2 years ago in the middle of a Wyoming winter.

How does news like that change one's perspective on the relative importance of things and events in this life? Is the outcome of a Superbowl game (or any other sports event) really so important in the light of eternity? I know Mike would be the last to say that this world, as God's creation, is not to be enjoyed. He has often sent pictures of flowers and other aspects of nature he came across. I even included one of his pictures in a posting, which you can see here. Mike has always believed that every aspect of life can and should be enjoyed under the gracious hand of God, including NASCAR events. I think he's right, although NASCAR is not my cup of tea. The world around us is full of wonders and experiences God would have us enjoy; it's news like Mike's condition that helps us keep them in the proper perspective.

Another snow, another wedding

Last week I mentioned another Atlantic crossing...and the next one is coming up a week from today. We're looking forward to getting back to Madeira. For one thing, when there's snow in Madeira, it's only on the mountain peaks, and rarely more than a few inches deep. We got pictures this week of the first snow of the winter. This will give you an idea.



These pictures were taken at the top of the island, around 1800m (6000ft) elevation. Snow (more commmonly, sleet) may fall three or four times in a winter, and perhaps once every couple of years, to depths of 30cm (12") or more. But you don't have to go up there and freeze, unless you want to.


Compare that with the snow (yes, again!) we got yesterday and last night. A little bit of snow is falling now at the end of the day.




A glimpse of the flag flying over the cemetery guarded by oak trees that still hang onto their leaves, as the snow begins to fall yesterday.






This morning, we woke up to this scene from Joy's back door.










Here's Joy this morning, going to work appropriately dressed for these below freezing temperatures. But I wonder how well she does on the keyboard with those gloves on.









Another Atlantic crossing, another snow, another wedding... We were in Tulsa last week for a friend's wedding; Saturday, my nephew Joshua is getting married in the Houston area. It's a 9-hour drive from here, the Internet mapmakers inform us. Hopefully the snow and ice factor on the highways will be largely past by tomorrow, when we hit the road; otherwise, the Internet prediction of 9 hours will have little meaning.