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Writings by Mark Scott…”In a Mirror Dimly…”

Here are the collection of writings by Mark Scott

As he chronicles his journey with cancer…

four articles to date:

In a Mirror Dimly. . .Forward with Faith and Humor

(Article # 1, March 14, 2014)

 

(This article is the first in a series that I intend to write chronicling my journey with cancer in hopes that it might demystify another’s journey and by writing about it, I hope to better understand my own trek. . .Mark Scott)

      Six letters, 2 syllables. . .a word, just a word, until it isn’t just a word: C-a-n-c-e-r.  How many times have I rehearsed the scene; perhaps in a routine physical exam, or, as in my case, extreme pain with no outward explanation, an ache so deep that it remained untouched by conventional pain killers.

      I have not felt particularly well for several months–nothing specific, just a sort of general, mild malaise, unlike my usual high-energy, self-motivated self.  From the beginning of December, I began to experience pelvic (back) pain at night.  Early on it was more annoying than debilitating but it was increasing in intensity every night but only at night.  However, as it grew more acute I was unable to sleep.  It is amazing how enterprising one can be in the middle of the night.  My parents would be proud that I did not “waste the time!”  Of course, there is wisdom behind the sentiment.  When you are busy, you are not thinking about yourself.

      There are so many things for which I am thankful: a loving, diverse, intelligent, outspoken church family; that I live in 2014 when there is greater hope than ever for living with cancer; for parents and a sister who always dealt with adversity head-on but with a self-deprecating humor that  can transform the most serious problem into a manageable goal.

      Then there is my gratitude for my primary care physician who would not like to be mentioned by name but she was in the first youth choir I directed at St. Stephen in 1975!  She has been ‘called’ to her vocation by a desire to help ill people find healing and wholeness.  With a quiet, straight-forward, manner and a keen sense of humor, her compassion and attention to detail assure me that  she is the right person to help me map my future. “Mr. Scott, you have stage 4 prostate cancer.  Now here is what we are going to do. . .”Read More »Writings by Mark Scott…”In a Mirror Dimly…”

THE GREAT SEA MONSTERS

THE GREAT SEA MONSTERS

Warner M. Bailey

               Genesis 1:21 states: “So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm.”  I always wondered why the author of the first creation story called out the “great sea monsters” for special mention when describing God’s creating the marine life of the world.  The scholarly explanation is that these creatures symbolized power that could strike fear in the breast of whoever encountered one of them.  The creation story writer was careful to point out that even those animals who make us afraid are God’s creatures.

               But I have another take on these great sea monsters.  Recently my son David took me on a fishing trip off the coast of upper British Columbia.  We were part of a larger party of 12 couples who lived for a week on a converted coastal patrol boat, one of the few remaining wooden tugs still in service.  Every day we would venture out in skiffs to try our luck and skill at catching salmon, halibut, and ling cod.  It was a most congenial make up of guests and a superb crew of captain, cook, hostess, and two guides.  Read More »THE GREAT SEA MONSTERS

HAD THEY COME BACK TO HEAR

HAD THEY COME BACK TO HEAR  Acts 17.26-34 

Warner M. Bailey

                The day Mary and I climbed the hill to the Acropolis we had not yet been in Athens 24 hours.  It was truly overwhelming and surreal.  The awesome proportions of the temples, the beauty of the statuary and carving, the stark white of the stones and the cobalt blue of the sky—not to mention the fact that we were still suffering from jet lag—made the experience distinctly disorienting, awesome. 

               I wonder if the Apostle Paul felt a similar disorientation when he visited Athens in its original splendor and was stunned as he looked up at the Acropolis upon which the Parthenon soared?  The story in the Acts of the Apostles of his stay in that capital city of wisdom, philosophy, and beauty does show us that the Acropolis had an effect on him, too.  He “was provoked” at all the idols he saw, and he argued with Athenians in their market place, the agora as the Athenians called it, a building fronted with Doric columns still standing today at the base of the towering Acropolis.  He preached about the resurrection of Jesus to this audience of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, and his preaching got a mixed response which betrayed just how drastically the Christian good news was misunderstood by these Athenian philosophers..  Read More »HAD THEY COME BACK TO HEAR

LOOKING AT THE WORLD WHEN LIFE IS FOR FREE

LOOKING AT THE WORLD WHEN LIFE IS FOR FREE

Micah 6.1-8  

                When God’s Spirit takes the words off the pages of the Bible and burns them into your hearts, you become a different person.  You see things differently.  You act differently.  Listen again to God’s words from the prophet Micah.

O my people, what have I done to you?

In what have I wearied you?  Answer me!

For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,

and redeemed you from the house of bondage;

and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

O my people, remember…

that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.

 

               O my people, what hardship have I put on you?  O my people, what requirement did you have to fulfill, what test did I require you to pass, in order to be eligible?   How many merits did you have to earn?  Answer me!    And of course, our answer to God is None!  Nothing!  It is all God, God, God. God brings out.  God liberates.  God nurtures and shapes.  A life of freedom begins with a gift of freedom.  And woe betides the person who forgets the gift part of their freedom.  The word from the Bible is that life with God starts with a gift that you could not have gotten by yourself.  Remembering that you live from a gift always must be the place from which you start as you plan on how you are to live.  Micah now talks about the “how” of the living.Read More »LOOKING AT THE WORLD WHEN LIFE IS FOR FREE

HAS HE SAID HE IS SORRY? GROUNDS FOR FORGIVENESS

HAS HE SAID HE IS SORRY?  GROUNDS FOR FORGIVENESS

 Matthew 18.21-35

Warner M. Bailey

                Just how merciful was the king if he was ready to sell his servant and his estate as partial payment for the debt?  Was it really possible for a king’s servant to run up such a fantastic debt?  Can I really believe that the servant would have been so unmoved by the forgiveness of the sum that he would have tried to gouge his fellow-servant that way?  How forgiving is the king, really, who would imprison a servant and have him tortured forevermore?  What is it, actually, that God will do to every one of us who does not forgive from the heart?  What does it mean to forgive from the heart?  Does it mean to forgive warmly, feelingly, sincerely, genuinely, authentically?  Was it easier for the rich king to forgive than the desperately poor servant?  These questions lead us to the heart of Christian forgiveness.  What does a deeper study of the parable tell us?Read More »HAS HE SAID HE IS SORRY? GROUNDS FOR FORGIVENESS