Update on Marti 7:38pm

The short version is that she is doing very well.

The longer explanation is this: She has completed the second of about 18 Herceptin infusions. That is a drug that hinders the spread of harmful proteins that originate in certain kinds of tumors. Hers was that kind, so she needed surgery to remove the lumps, then chemo-therapy (tough, but she is through that now), radio-therapy (every day for three weeks–lots of driving to and from the hospital about 40 minutes away, so time consuming and a bit uncomfortable towards the end) and then a year of this Herceptin treatment. That means she has to go have a needle and drip stuck into her veins once every three weeks for all of 2009. Side effects have been limited to some headaches on the day and the next day after treatment. So, overall, she is well and we are well. She is traveling with me when she can and always makes a huge contribution to anything that we do. Thanks for your interest.

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When I speak on Muslim/Christian relations and our experience in the Reconciliation Walk, many people ask if there is a book that contains some of the things I say.  Until now I have always said no.  But Mark Siljander has written a fascinating book that summarizes some of the truths we have discovered and even more.

He began a brief career as a US Congressman in the 80s and was one of the most openly Christian of the Neo-conservatives.  When he attended his first Presidential Prayer Breakfast, he walked out because they allowed a Muslim to speak and he read from the Koran.  Like so many, he assumed that anything from that source would be demonically inspired.He lost his seat as a result of the unwise publishing of an article by one of his staff in which spiritual warfare language was used in reference to his political opponent.  Deeply humbled, he began his own consultancy firm in Washington DC, but also became better acquainted with those who initiated the Presidential Prayer Breakfast.  Through a series of conversations, they deeply challenged his aggressive and confrontational approach to the gospel of Jesus.

Over the years that followed, Mark learned so much more about following Jesus and began to find people who loved and followed Jesus in strange and unexpectged places.  Of course, that was our experience during the Reconciliation Walk too.

Mark Siljander is a gifted linguist who began to look closely into the similarities between the language that Jesus spoke, Aramaic, and Arabic.  As many will know, many Arabs could understand the language of Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion, because Arabic is that close to Aramaic.  By reading the Arabic of the Koran and comparing it to the Aramaic of that period, he began to conclude that the Koran presents a more accurate picture of Jesus than most of us would have thought.

Like many in the world of missions, I have looked into the very positive way Jesus is presented in the Koran and felt there was something to build on.  But Siljander goes even further as he dispells some of the areas in which we have been sure there are misrepresentations of Jesus in the Koran.  I am not personally skilled enough to critique Siljander’s findings, but am impressed with the scholars he has consulted–some of whom I know personally.

Whether his linguistic findings are fully valid or not, Mark Siljander’s journey of discover is certainly worth following. Now, when people ask if there is a book that spells out some of what we have learned, I will gratefully recommend A Deadly Misunderstanding.

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If we had sat down at the beginning of 2008 and tried to anticipate what it might hold, our guesses wouldn’t have been even close. Though this year has held its share of adversity for us, we can honestly report that it has been full of blessing and God’s grace.
On the blessing side, Sharon’s marriage to John Mansour was as good as it gets. He’s a wonderful man, and though they live away from us, it is great to see them so happy together. Marti and Sharon speak by Skype video almost daily.
There’s a lot more to recount when we remember God’s blessings this year. Our leadership training throughout YWAM have been very rewarding. Time and again participants report that God has met them way beyond their expectations. Generally our leadership role has given us opportunities to be more fruitful than we would ever have anticipated. The International Chairman’s role at this time allows us to use the gifts God has given to the maximum. And, though it was meant to be a five year term, it will be extended for a couple more years.
We can’t list our blessings without mentioning our grandchildren – it’s a completely unexpected blessing that Stephen and Sarah, Mark and Jannah and Michael and Jessica, along with all their children, would all live within a mile of us. Sarah is expecting their second child the 1st of April – so each of our son’s families will have two children (so far).
As most people appreciate, a senior leadership role in a movement as enormous as YWAM brings its share of challenges, but those are not our main adversities. The thing that has challenged us the most is the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, but even that has had elements of blessing in drawing us closer together and deepening our walks with the Lord. The lump in Marti’s breast was not large, but was of a type that needs very thorough treatment to prevent it spreading. So, we still have more than a year of treatment ahead of us. The chemotherapy part is now completed and we expect that is the worst of the treatments finished.
There are two more stages of treatment. On Nov. 24th Marti began three weeks of daily radiotherapy, finishing the 12th of Dec. Starting mid-January she will begin intravenous infusions of the drug Herceptin every three weeks for a year.
When we received the original diagnosis it all seemed surreal, as if it couldn’t be happening to Marti because she felt so well and statistically and historically there was no reason for us to expect any problems. So, it took a while to adjust to the reality that treatment of this would be a major part of our lives for the next 18 months. Initially we really wondered whether we should have any treatment other than radiotherapy once surgery was finished, but as we sought God and wise counsel, we felt He clearly led us to take the path of most thorough treatment. Though the chemo was very hard we believe it was right to go that way. This path of extensive treatment reduces the statistical likelihood of a recurrence to less than 10%. We are not, however, trusting in probabilities, but are continuing to seek God and obey what we believe He is saying. Updates will be found on www.lynngreen.com or Lynn’s Facebook page.
As we approach 2009 the opportunities to influence others are greater than ever, and the challenge to lead well with major global responsibilities is huge. But, we are completely at rest with the knowledge that God’s grace is sufficient for us and He has called us to “bear much fruit that remains”.
It’s a great privilege to have so many friends who are eager to keep up to date with our news and the many who pray for us regularly. Thank you and may this Christmas Season and 2009 be blessed and fruitful for you as well.

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Today is the first day that Marti is not feeling significant nausea. It has diminished steadily over the past four days and is almost gone. She has one painful mouth ulcer, but at this stage last time, her mouth was full of them. So, we feel we can safely conclude that the worst of the chemo-therapy is behind us. Thank God!

Next, starting in a couple of weeks, we have daily radio-therapy but we are told that it is not likely to produce anything more than a little tiredness. When that is done, we start on a year of three-weekly Herceptin infusions. Again, we have been told that it is not likely to produce side-effects. We are very grateful to be through the hardest phase of this. Her spirit remains strong and positive!

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I am so pleased to report that Marti has recovered well and has better strength. Her mouth ulcers are healing and she is able to eat, drink and talk without much pain. We are very grateful!

Her blood test on Tuesday showed that she was exceptionally low on white blood cells, but we are sure that number (it was 0.2, for those who know about these things) has risen a lot since then. Now, we pray that the numbers will continue to rise so that she will be up to the 1.5 that is required for her next and last infusion. That is due on Tuesday.

We give thanks!

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Marti’s health, as we navigate through cancer treatment, continues to be a central focus for us. There are many other events and activities occurring in our lives and some of them are immensely encouraging, but none seem as important to me. Getting her better is the first priority and yet one that I can’t do much about.

She had the third of four chemical infusions just about two weeks ago. They give them three weeks apart, so her last one is due in a week. But this third one has been really hard. For a week or so she just had no strength and experienced nonstop nausea. After about 10 days her strength picked up a little, but the lining of her mouth, throat and esophagus swelled up and then her mouth developed very painful mouth ulcers. That is where we are today. She struggles to eat or sleep and even talking hurts. I prayed for her just as we went to bed last night and the pain stopped and she slept for several hours, but it is back with a vengeance this morning. She will get through this and her attitude is wonderful, but it is very hard to see her hurt so much.

When this is finished, she starts three weeks of daily radiotherapy at Mt. Vernon Hospital, so we will have about 90 minutes of drive time each day if the M1 cooperates. She will also start a year of Herceptin infusions. Those are given every three weeks and effect different people in different ways. Some don’t really notice any reduction in energy or health and others find them almost as difficult as chemotherapy.

So, it is a tough road to walk, but thousands have done so and many millions suffer worse than this. We are still so aware of God’s goodness and grace to us.

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I am back from three weeks away in Kona, for our Global Leadership Team meetings and an International Prayer and Strategy Conference. The whole series of 3 weeks of meetings was blessed by good unity and a strong sense of God being with us.

Marti is doing pretty well at this stage of treatment. It is now 9 days since her second infusion of chemicals. She had a longer and more severe period of nausea and weakness after this second treatment, but her stomach has mostly settled now and her energy is a bit better. I would say that she has about 60% of her normal energy. In 12 days she will have the third infusion and then there will be only one more. If all goes well and on schedule, we will begin to emerge from this period of chemo-therapy in about 8 weeks. The schedule could be lengthened if her white blood cell count does not bounce back well before each new infusion. Her blood count was low just before her second infusion, but recovered just in time. That is something to pray about.

I am very pleased to report that I made the journey to Kona and back, adjusting to an 11 hour time-zone change both going and coming with no bad effect on my heart. I have enjoyed several weeks free of any atrial fibrillation now, so that is great. I an also exercising pretty vigorously and feeling very good. I thank God for that.

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Marti had her second infusion of chemicals earlier this week.  She is grateful that it did not hit her much harder than the first one.  She has had nausea and has needed a lot of extra rest, but is no longer feeling sick.

She is just about half way through this series of treatments over 12 weeks.  Just over a week ago she began to lose her hair and now has a wig and scarves to wear for the next few months.

We are so grateful to family members and friends who have been helping us in various ways.  Jay and Teri Randall came and stayed with Marti for the first few days after the new infusion, but Marti feels that she is stable enough for them to sleep at their house.  Many friends are stopping by and helping or just being there.

I will be returning home starting tomorrow, but won’t actually get there until Tuesday morning.  We are both grateful that she remained well enough for me to fulfill all my leadership obligations to YWAM globally.

Two more infusions to go!  They will take place over the next 8 weeks or so.

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Marti had her first infusion of the chemicals used in cancer therapy yesterday. We are very grateful that she has had no adverse reaction and got a pretty good nights sleep followed by a fairly normal day.

They say that infection/fever is her greatest danger at this time and she seems okay except that she has unusually thick congestion in her sinuses and throat. We would value prayer on that.

I am still planning on leaving for Kona and our leadership meetings as of next Monday. Our daughter, Sharon will be with her for one more week after that and then probably our good friends, Jay and Teri will stay with her. If she encounters any unexpected developments, I will get on a plane bound for home!

Already we feel greatly strengthened by the prayers of others and by praise and thanksgiving. Speaking of that, we have been so encouraged by the worship music of our old friend Terry MacAlman and, more recently, Don Moen. If anyone can really recommend other faith building music, do let us know at lgreen@oval.com. Thanks!

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It was a real honor to be invited to the Common Word dialogue at Yale. Although some Christians who contacted me before the event were worried about compromises, there was no sign of that. Professor, Dr. Seyyed Nasr summarized the spirit of the meeting when he was summing up from the Muslim perspective. He said,

“It is of the utmost importance for us assembled here to realize that “the common word” that we are asked to accept and share does not at the same time demand of us to forgo the truth or to relativize it in the name of religious accord as happens in so much of the shallow ecumenism prevalent today that is willing to sacrifice truth for the sake of expediency.”

Dr. Nasr was introduced as the foremost Muslim scholar in the world today. He acted as a senior advisor to H. R. H. Prince Ghazi of Jordan who, together with Professor, Dr. Miroslav Volf hosted the conference. The title of the conference, “A Common Word Between Us” came from an initial open invitation from 138 Muslim leaders to Christian leaders everywhere. They asked that we should meet together on the basis of the commandment to love God and love our neighbors, which is common to Islam and Christianity. That proved to be a solid and worthwhile basis for discussions and more sessions are scheduled this year and next.

Some of my previous impressions about Muslim/Christian relations were sharpened and reinforced. For example:

1. The vast majority of Muslims are dismayed at the way their religion has been used as a justification for violence that is essentially politically motivated.
2. A very large percentage of Muslims, probably a strong majority, is committed to peaceful relationships with Christians and holds a clear respect for Christians who really believe their own scriptures and seek to follow Jesus.
3. Those Muslims and Christians who live in isolated, mono-cultural settings are the ones who so easily resort to language and/or actions of hatred and fear. While those who have friends, colleagues or even casual acquaintances with “the other” cannot sustain the fear and hatred.
4. We sometimes call these Muslims “moderates”, but that label doesn’t fit very well, nor is there any other convenient description for them. They are very often deeply devout, but have been influenced by Sufi experience (the stream of mystical or spiritual thought), or Shia ishtihad, (the process of progressive interpretation of Islam) or the pluralism of countries with various religions living together. Whatever the source, these Muslims are very anxious to regain peaceful relationships with Christians.
5. If we do not recognize these Muslims, who might well still be in the majority, and work with them towards peace and dialogue then they will be overtaken by the more extreme elements who want world domination and especially seek the destruction of Western culture and nation-states.
6. Our proclivity for making sweeping anti-Muslim statements plays into the hands of the extremists by causing offense and anger among Muslim youth all over the world. Those offended young people are then prey for al Qaeda and related extremist groups.
7. Our insensitivity to Christian populations in Muslim majority nations (like Egypt or Syria or Pakistan) reinforces the impression of a deeply divided Church and that diminishes Muslim respect for our faith and undermines what could be a powerful witness for Jesus.
8. The single most damaging moment in the recent history of Muslim/Christian relationships was when President Bush used the term “crusade” to describe our response to the terrorists of 9/11. The vast majority of the Muslim world was ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with us against the terrorists, but that statement shocked them (we find it very hard to understand how hateful that word is to them) and began a process of alienation that has continued over the past 7 years.
9. If professing Christians were more serious about the commands of Jesus—love of enemies, peacemaking and forgiving—the distinction between our governments’ actions and that of true Christians would be much more obvious to Muslims. It seems that every time a Christian leader makes a strong anti-Muslim statement, it is published around the Muslim world.
10. The Muslim scholars who were there in Yale are VERY well informed about all Christian mission activity and missiological thinking. They are sometimes not resistant to transparent initiatives by Christians in their countries but are very antagonistic to anything the appears to be deceptive or coercive or offering material benefits for converting from Islam.
11. In spite of how we see the Muslim world becoming richer and more powerful they still feel that all the power is on the Christian, or Western, side and they often feel like they are fighting a losing rear-guard action against an all-powerful western consumer culture. They are especially concerned about their young people. They pointed out that the vast majority of the children of the most influential Muslim leaders attend Western education institutions. They asked, “Wouldn’t you feel a bit threatened if 90% of your children attended Muslim schools and universities?”

Well, I could go on, but this list is already a bit too long.

My earlier journey to Central Asia strongly confirmed that many Muslims are becoming followers of Jesus these days. Most commonly, their love for Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” results from a combination of meeting Christians who really follow Jesus and then subsequent (or sometimes previous) visions or dreams about Jesus.

It is so important that we continue with mission initiatives into the Muslim world, but they must be led by people who sincerely seek to follow the demanding commandments of Jesus. These missionaries must not be defensive or aggressively patriotic about their nations and the way Muslims perceive them. We can give thanks that the global Christian mission force is not primarily Western now. That is Good News for Muslims!

Finally, a closing story. One conversation between a European scholar and a senior Muslim leader was very telling. The Muslim knew that the scholar had previously been a missionary in a Muslim-majority nation and demanded to know how many Muslims he had converted to Christianity. The scholar replied with a story. “When I arrived, a Muslim teacher came to my house and introduced himself and began a process of trying to convert me to Islam. Many conversations ensued over following months. My friend became increasingly interested in Jesus and finally became an enthusiastic follower. When he really met Jesus, he felt that it would be unhelpful to identify himself as a Christian as it would cut off all his family and social connections. So, I urged him to seek God about that, read his Bible and never violate his conscience. For some time he lived as a follower of Jesus who still managed to fit into Muslim society, but eventually one of the people he spoke to about Jesus informed the police and he was arrested. The police interrogated him with repeated torture and held him without charge for a long time. When he was finally released, he came to my house and stated, ‘I am finished with Islam! From now on I will be known as a Christian.’ The Christian scholar concluded his conversation with the question, “So tell me, who converted my friend to Christianity, me or the Muslim police?”

In conclusion, we must continue to send humble, Christ-like missionaries into the whole world—“without a preacher, how can they hear”—and know that actions speak louder than words. It is also in our best interests, the interests of peace and in the interests of the Kingdom of God, for us to build on the common ground and mutual understanding we have with Muslims. The well-being of this world seems to depend on that.

Lynn

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