I choose to call it survival.  Since I was a little baby boy (well, I was never little), I’ve heard of the dreaded cancer treatment – chemo therapy.  It used to be called cobalt treatment, but by whatever it was called, it was scary to me. Still is.  As I lay there this past week on Tuesday having three injections at once and going home with another for a forty-six hour constant drip, I wondered what was being absorbed into my body.  Bottom line, I’ve survived my first week of chemo.  We measured the week by hours, not days.  This was a good hour, the last one, not so good.  Good couple hours of sleep, bad sleep . . . . Thank you so much for your prayers – so many friends and family, people I don’t even know are praying for me.  100 ministers at a prayer and fasting retreat lifting me to the Lord; 100 churches in India being led in intercessory prayer for me this past week.  This week was more than survival, it was success!  God has seen me through. So far, so good!  We’re going to make it!

Sleep is precious.  So many of you have asked me how to pray.  Here’s two specific prayer requests, a big one and a little one.  First, pray for me each evening about ten o’clock.  I need to sleep.  I must sleep.  Ask the Lord to give me a good night sleep, without getting up six times.  That is so important.  And now the big request . . . pray for REMISSION by Christmas!  Most of you know by now this will take a genuine, supernatural miracle from God for me to be healed.  Let’s pray for a miracle by Christmas.  Healing, remission by Christmas.  Will you lift these two requests for me?  Thanks so much!

Well, it happened!  Pastor Bob’s Secret Family Recipe has escaped the family.  We needed several hundred bottles for the craft shows and personal online orders this month, and I needed help.  Called my old friend, Rick Hellermann.  Rick is one of the finest men of God I know, from Melrose, and sells new and used cars at Wiese Ford in Sauk Centre.  He wears a white hat (not really, but you’ll get a fair deal from Rick!)  Anyway, last night Rick helped me with the secret recipe.  Cat’s out of the bag!  No disclosure statement, just an agreement between friends.  Don’t try to weasel it out of him either, his mouth is sealed.  Our original agreement was he would buy me a new Ford Flex and I’d give him a lifetime supply of Grillin’ Magic.  Oh well . . . Friends are friends forever, if the Lord’s the Lord of them!

Hey, Rick has the best recipe for pheasant . . . . he chunks up the pheasant, flours it with Grillin’ Magic, drops them in oil and they are so good.  Maybe go see him, buy a Ford, and get the other details of the recipe . . . .
Here’s a couple veggie recipes we use frequently at our house.  Asparagus par boiled, covered in butter or olive oil, and what else? Grillin’ Magic.  Wrap them tight in foil and put them on your grill, or in your oven broiler pan and wa-la!  Veggie goodness.  I didn’t get huge eating asparagus, but this one is a good recipe! 

Anyway, we’ll get back with you next week.  If you’re in the neighborhood of Swanville, MN, stop buy and see Cathy Jo and me tomorrow, 10/1 at the high school gym from 9 to 3.  We’d love to see you.  Tell me you saw my blog and make my day.