My Journey of Suffering
Leading While Suffering
In November 2021, I was given the opportunity to write a blog post on leadership and suffering for the Eastern District of the EFCA denomination, of which my church is part of. Here is the blog post.
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“Fear Not” Sermon from 2019
I have preached many sermons as a pastor. However, there are some messages and passages that resonate with you years afterwards. There has not been a day pass over the past 17 months since my diagnosis that I have not thought of Jesus’ words in John 14:1-6. Perhaps this sermon and passage could provide encouragement, […]
Continue ReadingMeet My Friend Tim
D. T. Niles, a pastor born on an island south of India, is famous for saying that we, as Christians, are “one beggar telling another beggar where to get food.” That statement warms my heart. I’ll be honest, there are not many times that I have felt pastoral over the past year and a half. I have […]
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My Top 10 thoughts
One of the most difficult things I have had to do is to write this blog because my emotions and my thoughts have been all over the place since my surgeon stood beside my hospital bed on August 3rd and told me, “I am sorry Mr. Williams; the transplant didn’t happen because your cancer has spread.” I […]
Continue ReadingHow to serve your suffering pastor.
Written on September 1st, 2021 (originally posted to Facebook) It has been a while since I have put any update on Facebook or the blog. Please forgive me as my emotions and thoughts are all over the place. I do hope to post a longer update here soon. However, I found this article from Acts […]
Continue ReadingSurgery wasn’t as expected
Written on August 8, 2021 (originally posted on Facebook) I wanted to thank everyone and give a brief update. So the surgery did not go as expected on Tuesday, August 3rd, when the surgeon was exploring my liver to prepare for transplant, they found additional cancer on the liver and on the peritoneal cavity. The […]
Continue ReadingA unexpected friend
Originally posted on Facebook on August 3, 2021 Please consider sharing after reading. If Covid was bad, try Covid and cancer! Matthew Tobey and I were strangers before our paths crossed on a cold winter morning waiting for the doors to open at the John Hopkins cancer treatment center. Matt and I both expressed our […]
Continue ReadingWhat I learned after a year with cancer
It has now been over a year since my diagnosis in June 2020 and God has taught me so much about himself, but also about me. There has been several verses, poems, quotes, and books that have especially provided comfort through the most difficult days. Among them are: “Let me learn by paradox, that the way […]
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Don’t waste this opportunity!
Don’t waste this opportunity! That is most often shared when we congratulate a friend for their college graduation, or for a job promotion, or an advancement in influence. It is strange to hear this in relationship to a cancer diagnosis. However, this should be our attitude when we face trials such as cancer and other health issues. […]
Continue ReadingThe Paradoxes of Life
“You have to save money to spend it.” “If I know one thing, it’s that I know nothing.” Or one of my favorites from the lyrics of a U2 song: “I can’t live with or without you.” These are all examples of paradoxes, or self-contradictory statements. Oftentimes, paradoxes remind us that life is not always […]
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