Casey Cease

These past few weeks have been horrificly beautiful. My grandmother, Lois McAllister Roch, passed away early Sunday, November 26th. She was 81 years old and she was our Mema.

Steph, Braelyn and I went to visit her at her new apartment on November 10th. We had an awesome time with her and she absolutely loved Braelyn. However, while we were visiting her we knew that she wasn’t feeling well as she was on an oxygen machine to help her breathe. She was diagnosed in 2001 with kidney cancer and had her kidney removed at that time. Following the surgery she began various treatments until 2003 when she decided that she didn’t like the way the treatments were making her feel and since there was not a noticable difference she stopped receiving treatments.
The doctor had also told us that the type of cancer she had could stay dormant for some time, but when it began to spread, it would be quick. And it was.

On November 11th she was admitted into the hospital where her condition continued to worsen. She always had a great sense of humor and she and I were close, so we had some great conversations and some funny times. One time, I went into her hospital room and she was talking about ‘going home.’ Being a minister, I thought perhaps she was speaking metaphorically of her being ready to be with Jesus. So I asked her, “Mema, are you ready to go home?” and she looked at me with these big eyes and said, “Will you take me!?!?!” Apparently she was willing to take the chance of me being incarcerated so that she could go home. 🙂

Her condition continued to worsen and she was quickly tiring of being in the hospital having nurses poke her with their needles, so my mother and aunt decided to contact Houston Hospice when they were informed that my grandmother was terminal. This occurred on Wednesday morning, November 22. While my mom and aunt were meeting with the nurse from Houston Hospice my Mema and I had a great conversation. We talked about Jesus, we talked about family, and she shared her desire for her girls to be okay and for all of us to stick together as a family. I ensured her that we would and that we love her, but it is okay for her to go when the time came. We prayed together, laughed together, and enjoyed our time.

Wednesday evening we were able to transport her to my parents house. My mom, dad, and aunt were amazing at making things happen so that Mema wasn’t alone for Thanksgiving and could be surrounded by family for the rest of her life. On Thanksgiving evening my grandmother really began to struggle breathing, so she called us all in to her room and told us how much she loved us, how proud of us she is, and that she desires that we stay together. We expressed our love to her and stayed with her as she slipped to sleep.

The next few days she only woke a few times and by Saturday she was really struggling to breathe. At 12:32 am her heart stopped and she went to be with Jesus. The nurses with Houston Hospice were amazing and my grandmother did not feel any pain.

For the following days we spent mourning (when we had time!) and preparing for the funeral. Tuesday night was the visitation and on Wednesday I performed the funeral service, which was tough, but amazing at the same time.
My family and I thank all of you who have extended your love. We are doing okay and God has been extremely merciful and gracious throughout this time. I’m sure I’ll have more to write soon…

I remember like it was yesterday, my dad running behind me yelling encouraging words, “Keep your back straight, pedal, there ya go!!!” There was such confidence with those two extra wheels on the back. I could even ride one handed with my training wheels, but the time had come where I would have to learn to ride my ‘big boy’ bike. So, my dad, who was (still is) one of my biggest heroes would run behind me holding onto the seat of my ‘big boy’ 2-wheel bike encouraging me and holding me steady as I learned to ride without the training wheels. Fortunately, he was still in the Army Reserves, so he was in good shape. I felt very confident, because I knew that even when he would let go to let me ride a ways, I could still hear his shoes hitting the ground behind me.

One day I went inside and asked my dad to take me riding (or him running) and he told me that I would have to wait because he was busy. He then said, “Why don’t you go out there and give it a try yourself.” So… I did… I got onto the bike and began riding BY MYSELF! It was an amazing feeling of independence and a sudden feeling of terror! I’m sure I fell a few times in the grass that day, and since that time I have had many injuries on my various bikes, predominantly due to user end stupidity.

For the last few years I have been living by faith, but with training wheels. When Steph and I launched full-time into this ministry in 2004 we resolved to depend on God completely for our financial dependence and He has every step of the way! However, at the time, Steph had just been hired as a teacher, so we had a bit of a buffer in case the ministry had a rough month financially. So we have been riding along, but with training wheels.

However, since the birth of Braelyn, Steph and I are both committed to her staying home to be a full-time mom and wife. We have sought counsel and prayed about this and know this is what the Lord is calling us to. This will not only afford Steph the opportunity to focus on the family, but will also give them greater flexibility to travel with me. We know this is what the Lord wants, but I would be lying to you if I didn’t say that I had moments feeling the amazing feeling of freedom of being solely dependent on God, and moments again of sheer terror.

Jesus encourages His disciples in Matthew 6:33 in this way, “But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and these things will be added to you as well” (NIV). So, the training wheels have come off, and while we feel a bit like the 6-year old who is set loose for the first time without his training wheels, wobbly handlebars and all, we still hear the voice of our Father behind us yelling, “Keep your back straight, pedal, there ya go!!!”

We share this as an invitation for you to embark on this excitingly terrifying adventure with us, that all of our faith might be increased as God continues to meet all of our needs. God is very evident in our midst right now and by His grace all of our needs are met. Fortunately, a friend of mine shared with me the autobiography of a guy named George Mueller a while back, who trusted in God for all of his needs to be met. God met ALL of this man’s needs, beyond anything he could imagine. I’d encourage you to pick up his book!

So, we’re off on our ‘big boy’ bike, trusting our Father, and enjoying the ride! We look forward to sharing with you amazing stories of God’s provision!

18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. – Mark 4:18-19 (ESV)

Throughout the year I have the privilege of meeting people from many different places at varying stages of their spiritual journey. During many conversations there is a recurring theme of the individual not having enough time to engage in their relationship with God. This often results in frustration that leads to inactivity. This leaves the individual feeling (rightly so) inactive in the life of the Kingdom.

Jesus addresses this in His parable about the farmer sowing seeds. In the verses above Jesus is explaining the meaning of the seed thrown among the thorns. This metaphor is explained as being the persons initial excitement about God that is quickly snuffed out by life. Unfortunately, this adequately describes many of the individuals I counsel. They want God, but only in a proportionate way. They want a God who fits into their schedule rather than a God who is worthy of us falling into His schedule. Instead of bearing fruit in keeping with repentance, they often find themselves unfruitful all together.

Therefore, it is my desire to offer a new perspective on summer vacation for students and adults a like. I have spoken with or read about how bored students are during the summer. These are the very same students who are complaining that they feel far from God and dont have time for Him during the school year!!! Perhaps, we can begin to view our down time a bit differently? Rather than sitting all day playing video games, talking on the phone, going to the mall, watching TV, Myspace-ing, Xanga-ing, LiveJournal-ing, FaceBook-ing, IM-ing, etc. maybe we can invest our time and energy into a growing relationship with Jesus?

What if you begin to view your summer vacation as a gift? What if you no longer view your relationship with God as a job? What if you begin to truly value Jesus as our prize? How would that change the way we live our lives and order our days during the summer?

I have received several E-mails and messages from students who went to camp this summer who just a few weeks later are complaining that they cannot feel God. When I ask them what they have been doing to grow in their relationship with Jesus they usually respond, I go to church, or Nothing. You may be reading this right now and feeling the same way. Let me encourage you!

Here are a few simple ways for you to not waste the summer:

1. Grab a Few Friends and Spend the Next 5 Weeks Studying 1 John. This book of the Bible is 5 chapters in length and you can study 1 chapter a week together. Meet together at Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Sonic, or someones house and learn with each other.

2. Read a Proverb a Day. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs and 30 to 31 days per month. So, for instance, today is June 30th, so you would read Proverb 30 and on July 1st you would read Proverb 1. Easy, but a great way to grow in Gods wisdom!

3. Get a Group of Friends Together to Serve Others. This can be random acts of kindness, caring for the poor or elderly, or volunteering somewhere. Putting our faith into action is a great way to grow! (See James 1:27)

4. Have a day of Alone Time. That is a simple way of saying a day of solitude. Turn off the computer, the cell phone, and all other distracting electronic devices and grab your Bible and a journal. You can either go outside (if you wont completely fry yourself) or stay inside. Take a day to be alone with Jesus, listening to Him, and talking with Him. An old dead guy said, A person who has no solitude, cannot truly experience community, and a person who has no community cannot have fruitful solitude (Paraphrased from Making All Things New, Henri Nouwen).

5. Read a Smaller Book of the Bible in One Sitting. There are times when sitting down and ingesting a larger amount of Scripture is healthy for our soul. Perhaps you could sit down and read Galatians or Ephesians in one sitting. It shouldnt take more than 30 minutes, but will be very beneficial. You can ask some simple questions of the Text:

a. What does it say?
b. What does it mean?
c. How does it apply?

These are only a few suggestions of how you can view your summer as a gift to grow closer to Jesus. Developing some spiritual disciplines when you have the time will make it far more likely for you to continue them when school or work starts up again. Dont waste your summer vacation on things that are temporary. If you find yourself bored or even if youre not, use this time to grow closer to Jesus. That is where you will find the most satisfaction!

Let me know how I might encourage you in this!