Cool weather finally arrived over the weekend. Maybe we will be finished with the extreme hot until next summer. I got out today for a walk since the breeze was up. My body just does not enjoy the blend of chemo and excessively hot temperatures. This was my first Sunday outing in at least three months. I have been exercising indoors but this was my first real opportunity to enjoy being outside like this. When my first mile of walking was completed it seemed like a good idea to try a little jogging. Inside exercise is not the same as being outside. My legs didn't seem to remember how to move any faster than a brisk walk. Another discovery is that my lungs need more challenge even if using the inside equipment. My usual pattern is to alternate walking and jogging. Today it seemed wise to remember to breathe along the way.

This week will be my best option at trying to get outside more for working out. My last round of treatment begins yet again next Monday. Perhaps there can be the presence of divine mercy seeing as it will be the last time. I realized the other day that it is very hard to celebrate being cancer free while still facing more chemo. There were three rounds prior to my scan that revealed no evidence of disease. Do the math. That left me another three rounds to endure before the process ends. It is hard to feel like a cancer survivor while still dealing with all of the symptoms of the disease. I will be interested to see how my emotions are next week while being disconnected at the clinic.

We often talk about our faith being independent of emotion. One one hand that is a valid comment. Our faith is something that can thrive no matter the conditions around us. Intentional faith is a powerful weapon in our daily journey. We can choose to trust God even when times are rough. Examples of such behavior are abundant in scripture. But there is indeed an emotional element to our faith. Scripture also describes the characters in the divine drama as real people with real feelings. Our familiar friends of the Bible experience every emotion that is common to us. They feel it all from love to anger to guilt to joy. You will even read of the emotional life of Jesus if you take the time to notice. He will display great tenderness very often yet will be capable of anger when He goes to the temple near the end of the gospels. Maybe it's just me but if feelings are acceptable for Jesus then they can be for us as well.

My personal experience says that far too often the average church is way too in touch with negative feelings than positive. How often do we see or hear about church conferences blowing up in the heat of anger? Isn't it true that conflict with all of its emotional drama tears us away from reaching our potential as believers? What we fail to realize is all of the damage that takes place from caustic words or attitudes. You will not just hurt another person with negative emotion but you will damage your spiritual life. This result does not go away over night. You can usually see the results in a congregation for years if not decades after the fact. I could go the rest of my years in ministry without dealing with such behavior ever again.

Tonight we continued our study of the prophet Joel. He spoke to his listeners about the emotional side of faith. His words are that we should open our hearts not just go through the motions. David writes in his psalms of the joy that overcomes even the darkest of valleys. You are very much allowed to discover the emotions of faith. There is no need to guard against any expression that may come along. Perhaps if we become comfortable with the positive feelings then we may move away from the negative. That would be one of my dreams coming true. It would be a great day if people would enjoy God's positive presence. It would do your heart and mine a lot of good. That's my hope for you.

Bro. Trey