Update on Mark Perkins

Dear Friends and Family, Once again, It has been quite a while since I provided an update. A lot happens in between, but the most relevant information is basically what comes from CAT scans. I recently had another MRI scan. Seems I will have them generally on a 3 month schedule The short story: 1) The radiologist reports the lymph nodes are overall "stable" and that the tumor is responding appropriately to chemo. My oncologist sees this as good news. Even so, the radiology reports are difficult to understand, some of the data might seem to point to the contrary and my oncologist admitted yesterday he is unclear on some of the specifics of the report himself. 2) I will have an endoscopy next Tuesday to obtain sufficent sample amount of the tumor to see if the tumor matches to any of the 236 recognized gene mutations. If it matches to one and there happens to be a drug for that mutation, it might be utilized at some point in my treatment. 3) My current treatment is FofFiri, it was Folfox. The difference is they swapped out oxalyplatin to irrinotecan in the mix. This happened in late January. The reason was to try to avoid neuropathy in hands and feet. That didn't exactly work. I have had increasing neuropathy effects subsequent to the change. My last Oxalyplatin was late December. Frustrating that there is no clear path to address the neuropathy, both from how to lessen effects and whether the true culprit is the oxalyplatin of the past, or 5FU.... which has no other replacement drug. 4) Overall, my main physical issue is the neuropathy in my hands and feet and secondly the fatigue that comes from the chemo. Still, I am able to do many things physically. I was able to visit Oahu at Mom and Al's invitation and generosity, went scuba diving one day and snorkeled basically every other day as well that I was there. Water is a great place for me to be, I'm very bouyant! :) 5) I haven't been all that happy with my current oncologist at UCSD. Too much to comment on here, but I am looking into other oncologists in the UCSD system and potentially moving into another system. I continue to receive cards, words of encouragement and messages of daily prayers going up for me from so many christians that either know me directly or have become aware of my situation. I thank you all for this and know that my updates are being passed on beyond this group to fellow christians in various cities and states. Thank you all for your love, encouragement and prayers. If anyone you know wants to be added to my direct email updates, feel free to have them contact me with that request. The picture attached was taken just days before my diagnosis last August. We now have another grandchild, Austin, who was born to Zach and Adrienne. That makes three boys for them. My aunt Geviene says any mother raising three sons gets an automatic ticket to heaven. :) Well, I just finished another day at the infusion center and will be back in two days to take my pump off. Time to vacate the chair for the next patient. Love, Mark

The Parable of the Lost Dog

An older widow woman had lost her dog. She had had that dog since it was a puppy. It had been with her when her husband got sick and after he died. When she got home from the funeral she sat on the couch and cried her eyes out. That little dog snuggled up to her and was a great comfort during her sorrow… and now it was gone. So she started walking the streets looking for it. She knocked on all her neighbor’s doors looking for it and couldn’t find it. She didn’t get much sleep that night.

The next morning she put out posters with a reward for anyone who would find her little dog. She went to the dog pound. She went to all the Veterinary offices… and she prayed. A few days later she had a knock on her door and there were three kids with a little dog in their arms. The little dog jumped into her arms and licked her in the face. The woman wept for joy. She grabbed that little dog and just held it and never wanted to let go of it.

That’s how we ought to act when a person is sorry for their sins. It shouldn’t matter what the sin was or who it might have hurt or how many times they might have failed before. We should rejoice and maybe cry and maybe just want to hold them because that’s how God feels about us when we come back to him.

Look for the lost with all your effort, don’t give up and when you find them don’t be ashamed to rejoice.

Anointing Jesus

Matthew 26:6-13, records the story of a woman who took a very costly aromatic ointment and applied it to Jesus head. The disciples complained that the ointment could have been sold and the money used to help the poor. Jesus defended the woman’s action and stated that her action would be spoken of “in the whole world” and it would be a “memorial” of her. There are several things that can be learned from these verses. The first is that sometimes you will be criticized when you do good. The disciples criticized the woman… not for doing bad but because they thought she could have done something better than what she did. At least one disciple, Judas, had an ulterior motive for criticizing her action… greed. He was the treasurer for the disciples (John 12). One also has to wonder why the disciples called her out publically. Were they intentionally trying to embarrass her or were they just thoughtless? It doesn’t really matter, the effect on her would be the same. The second thing we can learn from these verses is that sometimes we have to stand up for those who are being unfairly criticized. That’s what Jesus did. He commended her action and said she would be known and appreciated worldwide for it. Really, Jesus had to defend her. Criticism has a crippling effect on people and fosters inactivity. He also had to defend her because once that criticism thing gets going it’s hard to stop. The last thing the early church needed was Apostles who criticized people for doing good. Jesus wanted his leadership to build people up not… tear them down. The woman could have given the ointment away to help the poor, after all when we help the poor it is the same as helping Jesus (Matt. 25:40), but she wanted to do something very personal for Jesus... and that's OK. I can imagine the woman wilting under the public criticism but when Jesus spoke up for her I’ll bet her face was beaming with joy. Let’s continue to do good and also protect those who need it.

Grace and the Narrow Door

“Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many shall seek to enter in (to the Kingdom of God) and shall not be able to.” (Luke 13:23-30) “For you are saved by grace and not by works” (Eph. 2:8-10) Luke states that entry into the Kingdom of God takes some effort and likens it to passing through a narrow door. Ephesians says that salvation is a free gift that we cannot gain by working for. So how does God’s grace figure in to “working to enter into the narrow door to enter the Kingdom of God?” God’s grace is the door. It is a free gift that gives us access to heaven. We cannot work for to purchase and own the door because it is a free gift. You cannot work for to purchase and own a wife either… she freely gives herself to you. However, some kind of effort needs to be made to go through the door just like effort needs to be made to find a relationship with a wife. - We cannot carry a lot of luggage and fit through the door. We must commit ourselves to living sin free lives. Jealousy and sexual immorality and a lack of compassion will make us too big to fit through the door. - We cannot piggy back and carry in others who don’t belong there. Jesus said we must be willing to dispose of human relationships that might encumber us and hold us back from service to God. Only one person at a time can enter through the door. - The door and grace are not open and available forever. One day Jesus will close it and withdraw the free gift. - Some want to keep one foot inside the door and the other foot in the world. That won’t work either. We must work to enter the door completely while there is time. - There are fake doors. We must choose the right door. Look for God’s grace and when you find it commit yourself fully to entering into it.

Eldership (21June2009)

We were talking in the Sunday night class tonight about the qualifications for Elders found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. One of the things an Elder must be is a teacher, which implies that he has a good background in the scriptures. Another implication from this, which should be self evident, is that the one seeking to be an Elder must know, not only what the work/purpose of the church is, but also how the Elder oversees and manages that work.

I think there are other qualifications for an Elder other than what are found in 1 Timothy and Titus. Read the parable of the talents in Mt. 25:14-30. Three servants with differing amounts of abilities are given responsibility according to their abilities. A case can be made that the one talent man who had the least amount of ability could meet the qualifications found in 1 Timothy and Titus, but would God want a man of small ability (leadership) overseeing his precious church? I think not.

The one talent man feared God and was too careful with the responsibility that God gave him. He was cursed for his mis-management. When I think about a five talent man I think about Peter. Peter made some mistakes but he was always pushing and always out on the edge. Peter wasn’t afraid to make mistakes and Jesus wasn’t afraid to let Peter make mistakes. Jesus harnassed Peter’s ability and Peter became a great servant.

That’s what we need today… great servant-elders. Prepare yourselves and ask for God’s help.