Trusting God When You Have Cancer, Help and Hope for the Road Ahead, by Jerry Cook & Ron Pinkson, Photography by Nancy J. Locke, Harvest House Publishers, 2009, 48 Pages, ISBN-13: 978-0736925198, $13.99
Although many books on how to cope with the diagnosis of cancer have been written, this small gift book is one of the best I've read. The narrative is taken from letters written by two friends during chemotherapy. The book is dedicated to Jesus Christ and reflects the friends' "dialogue of faith."
When Washington author, speaker and former pastor, Jerry Cook heard the unexpected diagnosis—colon cancer—he prepared with prayer first, and then surgery. After surgery, Cook underwent chemotherapy treatments that he described as a month long "nightmare." He didn't think anything could be worse, until his close friend, Ron Pinkson called with news of his own discovery of cancer.
Pinkson's cancerous tumor required immediate chemotherapy. As senior pastor of East Bay Fellowship in California, his church gathered to pray, but Pinkson had questions few could answer, unless they had walked the road he faced. So he contacted his friend, and Cook answered his questions honestly.
But Cook wanted to do more. He decided to write letters to Pinkson during his own chemotherapy treatments. It would take his mind off the treatments, give him a different focus and perspective, and encourage Pinkson at the same time. When he told his friend he wanted to write one letter per treatment, Pinkson liked the idea and agreed to do the same. Neither realized how much their letters would encourage and support each other.
This small gift book includes brief excerpts from those letters, written with raw honesty and hope. In ten chapters, they write about, impatience, pain, anger, learning how to receive instead of give, and the importance of friends. They developed a new understanding of gratitude they came to call the "road of gratitude," as opposed to feelings of self-pity. They learned how their individual battles developed personal strengths, but also revealed weaknesses that blew out like an "over-inflated tire" under the pressure of the illness.
They agreed to commit to laughter, even when it hurt, and called laughter—"mental morphine"— for their battered bodies and weary souls. They lived by this wise adage from an unknown author, "The I in illness is isolation, and the crucial letters in wellness are we." Together, with God, they focused on renewed health and persevering.
Pinkson's letters end with, "Your friend in the rearview mirror," while Cook signed off with, "From down the road, but not far."
The footprints of Christ thread through their journey as each learned, "My grace is sufficient for you." 2 Corinthians 12:9.
Scriptures focus each chapter, such as this one from Proverbs 17:17: "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." Chapters begin with sayings from people like Abraham Lincoln, "The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
Newspaper photographer—Nancy Locke's colorful nature photos accompany the text, and include pictures of beautiful flowers, woodland scenes, waves washing against the shore, and sandy beaches.
The book concludes with the authors' updates and the hope their words provide "a gentle embrace of love and hope,"— for those who still struggle with cancer. Their prayer is that the book "...will be a mustard seed of hope, encouragement, and healing for those in need."
Cancer touches many families, and sometimes more than once. Friends fight cancer and gain remission, while others still struggle with the disease. This book provides spiritual guidance, compassion and hope for anyone who struggles with cancer.
website: http://nancylocke.net/ and inspirational blog: http://nancyjlocke.blogspot.com/
