The Blog of Pastor Mike Wilkins
In The Long Run
"The long run" referred to in the title of this blog is, in the first place, the many years Mike Wilkins served as West London's solo pastor, and then its Senior Pastor, since he and his wife Deb moved to London (and this church) in 1984.
In these past few years (beginning November 2011,) Mike's various health challenges, particularly a serious and ongoing case of cancer, has added another layer to the "long run" metaphor, and lots to blog about. Mike is currently on an extended Sick Leave, but generally worships with the church family on Sunday mornings.
With the publication of a book he wrote in 2016 entitled "Glory in the Face" (now available electronically and in paperback from Amazon.ca, and other online venders), Mike has just launched a new website, which will serve as a sort of scrapbook for readers of the book, with relevant background photos, for example, of That Last Final Solo Canoe Trip in May, 2011, as well as additional information about the book, and--coming soon--a new set of blog posts, mostly about the peace of God and the joy of the Lord and the face of Christ and the strength to face anything. You'll find the new website now at www.gloryintheface.com.
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Years ago now, I heard of a man—perhaps a fictitious man—who lived in the same house from his infancy until the day he turned 85 years old. So his neighbors were surprised to see a “For Sale” sign on his front yard and asked him about his plans. He told them that he had just bought the house next door, and was going to move into it as soon as he found a buyer for his present home.
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My publisher tells me that “Amazon must like me”! Although their best guess (on December 2) was that the paperback version of my little book might be available in about 12 days (which did sound to me like a proper Christmassy-length of time), in fact, it made it onto both the Canadian and American Amazon websites late this past Sunday afternoon.
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I last blogged on September 30th, to say that the book I wrote earlier this year will soon be for sale. And now it’s December, and “Glory in the Face” HAS made its way to market, so to speak...
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I posted a notice on the first day of September that I had been busy this year, especially from March to August, writing a book ... To give a little more information, here, on the last day of September, is a part of the books’s FOREWORD.
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As I recall from my own experience, what happens on the first day of school is the writing of a paragraph entitled, “What I Did On My Summer Vacation." This blog post (my first since February, other than two book lists I posted more recently) has the same title. I am writing it to answer a question that I have actually been asked a time or two over the last few months: “Why are you not still blogging?” I have two answers.
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The fact that this Friday I am again beginning a series of biweekly chemotherapy treatments hardly seems to be worth mentioning, except to say that the words of Psalm 91 are a source of strength and comfort to me.
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If I were you, that is, if I were one of the people I know to be keeping up with me and my significant health challenges by means of this blog, I would be wondering about the Wilkins family with Christmas coming and with me again on chemotherapy. Doctors tell me that this stuff might keep my health stable for six to eight months. If I were you, what I would be wondering is how we are planning to do Christmas this year with one of us more-or-less dying.
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Last Tuesday, Deb and I met with my oncologist to have him read me my most recent CT-Scan. This time the news was not good, but no one can say that we didn’t know that bad news was coming. For six months now, it’s always been just a matter of time until I would again be returning to chemotherapy. This time will be my third, and for a number of reasons, I believe that this time it’s going to be a bear.
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For the benefit of any who don’t already know, a Marsh-wiggle is a frog-like sort of humanoid, most notable for its Eeyore-like disposition, but also for living in gloomy solitude in a wigwam in a marsh.
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Now that it’s August and I am officially “out of the pulpit,” I am feeling very grateful to God for providing the church that I love with such a competent and suitable preacher to take “my” place,” and so appreciative of Pastor Jude St.John for accepting the Elders’ invitation to do so.
And besides grateful and appreciative, how am I feeling? (Just thought you might be wondering.)
