It's been several months since I last gave an update here. Over the past year I had several scans to track the spot of cancer that remained after the transplant, and just recently I reached the two-year mark since the bone marrow transplant and had yet another PET scan to see if the cancer was still stable. But this scan showed it was gone! My oncologist reviewed the results with us, and for the first time she used the word "remission." It was a surprise to hear that word, yet almost in the same sentence she spoke of the high rate of recurrence with this type of cancer. And so, she still wants to keep a really close watch on me. So, it was good news but on a short leash. Still though, it's really good news!

I walked out of the Cancer Center thinking of that passage in the Psalms "I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord" (Psalm 118:17). So, since He has given me this surprising reprieve, I am making even more plans for writing and preaching and travel with all the  strength and days He gives me. In the last year I was able to travel to all the locations for the Worship Round the World project I am doing with Tim Challies. It's been an arduous and glorious endeavor! The ability to travel to more than 20 countries and write and film these Kingdom stories was also a surprise.

And a few weeks ago Debbie and I were able to travel to Thailand to spend a week with our Frontline field teams who had gathered for a retreat. It was a precious time to be with our dear friends, and it had been 18 years since Debbie and I had traveled together overseas, so that made it all the more special.

Many of you have prayed for us over all those journeys and through the twists and turns of my cancer journey as well, and we are grateful beyond words. Please continue to pray for us, especially that I would not waste my cancer. I think of something John Piper once said, "God has given us this calling: help people be able to suffer in a way that magnifies Christ." It is a calling that I want to continue to fulfill because whether in remission or recurrence, I know that my Shepherd is unfailingly good and His strong, scarred hands will keep me in life and in death.