Journey to Wholeness: The Path to God and Your True Self

Nine years ago a thirty-second phone call changed my life. I was hosting the annual Christmas luncheon for our staff when I slipped out to get the results from a recent blood test. The voice on the other end of the line announced Your PSA is 3.5. The blood drained from my head as a bowling ball dropped into my stomach. Usually any number below 4.0 is considered normal. But I had undergone a prostatectomy six weeks earlier. My PSA should have been zero. No one had anticipated this. Everybody and I mean everybody had told me I would be fine. After all the cancer had been caught early and my numbers were relatively low. But a retest a few days later confirmed our fears. I had metastatic prostate cancer for which there is no cure. My wife my family and I were devastated.As I sought to absorb this disquieting news I was troubled by how fearful and anxious I felt. When I reached into my spiritual satchel for consolation all I found were pennies lint and a bus token. As a pastor I thought I would be able to face such a trial with peace and confidence in God. In their absence I realized that my spirituality was a mile wide and an inch deep. Although I had observed daily devotions for decades my prayer life scripture study and overall discipleship were anemic at best.