I leave the house tomorrow at 5:30 and will have surgery around 9:00 or
9:30. They're going to cut me open, take a part out, put a part back in,
sew me up, and send me home 5 to 7 days later. I rode down to Indy
yesterday with my donor and he asked if I would have trouble coping if
anything happened to him during surgery. We're both strong believers in the
atonement of Christ, and I knew he'd be in a far better place than me. So I
answered "No...But," I told him, "if that were to happen, i wanted both
kidneys." He laughed, and we had a great day together.

A couple of people have asked about an address. Cards can be sent to: 789 S
Bluebird LN, Upland, IN 46989. I'll see ya on the otherside.

        

As a book reviewer for Thomas Nelson Publishing, I always look forward to receiving another free book in the mail.   As I started reading JESUS MANIFESTO by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola, I was disappointed by the beginning chapters.  I had heard it all before and wasn’t learning anything new.   But about midway through the book, the words began to come alive with one fresh insight after another.  It might sound obvious to state that the focal point of Christianity is Jesus Christ.  However, many have twisted the gospel to make it about anything but Christianity.  On page 100 Sweet and Viola write, “We have created a narcissistic form of Christianity, in which conversion is less a turning towards Christ than turning toward success or fame or fortune. … We’ve made conversion primarily about ourselves­­, a finding of ourselves rather than a journey of God discovery.”  Or, on page 105, “Jesus Christ did not come to make bad people good, he came to make dead people alive.”

        

For those of you who may not have heard, I'm finally scheduled for
transplant surgery. It will be at 9:00am at the IU Medical Center on
Wednesday. June 16th. For those interested in daily updates, join me at:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Steve-Chance/109466379093673?ref=sgm I'll
get back to writing lengthier blogs once I've recuperated from the surgery.



Steve Chance

www.goldenclay.org

765-998-0166

        

2012.jpgAs a book reviewer for Thomas Nelson Publishers, I have mixed
feelings about Raymond Hundley's book, 2010. I tend to stay away from
doomsday predictions, and it's difficult for me to relate to those who
insist on knowing how and when the sky will fall. Nevertheless, I was
interested in this book as it summarizes popular theories of those who
purport that the world will end in the year 2012. From analyzing the Mayan
calendar to looking at the reversal of earth's magnetic poles and much more,
Hundley does an outstanding job of summarizing various popular doom-day
scenarios followed by explanations of how likely those scenarios are to
occur. My disappointment with this book has less to do with what is
included in the book and more to do with what is not included in the book.
While it does a great job of summarizing different theories, I would like to
have read a more in-depth explanation of the nuts and bolts behind each of
the theories.

        

I feel like I've been benched. My energy level is going downhill. I
want to be back in churches telling undelievers that Jesus' death on a cross
was intentioinal, that he died so that we might live. But right now that
will have to wait. I simply do not have the energy to travel or preach.



The good news is that someone new is currently undergoing testing to see
whether he can give me one of his kidneys. He's far enough along in the
process to know that we are a match, that his kidney is compatible with my
blood system. Now he's undergoing testing to ensure that he's healthy
enough for surgery.



Let's keep our fingers crossed and our prayers going.

        

So what is it like to have failing kidneys and know that transplant surgery is imminent?  I doubt if words can do it justice.  It starts with the colonoscopy and goes down from there.  I hate it.  Cerebral palsy is one thing, but this is something else.  The worst part right now is the fatigue.  With my kidney function at 15%, I have energy to do very little.  I’m not going to church.  I am not taking speaking engagements.  I read, eat, type, and sleep.  I’ve curtailed my travels until after the surgery after when, I’ve been told, I will have a lot more energy.  But in the meantime, I feel as though I’ve been benched, and I don’t like it.

Besides the fatigue and boredom, this has taken its toll on Randi and me in other ways.  I founded GCM over twenty years ago as a vehicle through which I can minister. With the downturn in the economy, GCM’s donations have taken a nose-dive, while expenses are continually increasing.  Have you ever tried buying health insurance when you have cerebral palsy and are over fifty?  It can be done, but it comes with a pretty hefty price tag.   On top of that, much of my income is derived from speaking and selling books at churches.  Right now, I have energy to do neither.

If you are so inclined, there are a couple of ways for you to help.  During the past year, I’ve revised my autobiography and even wrote a second book.  Both of them are for sale at http://www.goldenclay.org/shopping.htm.  If you have not read both of my books, you need to.  They’re good, even if I do say so myself.  I’ve included links with introductions to both books.  Buy them and pass them along to others.

Secondly, many people do not know this, but as the head of a not-for-profit organization, I’m responsible for raising every penny I make, something which I’m more than capable of doing when I’m healthy and have the energy and stamina to travel and preach.  I urge you to visit our website at http://www.goldenclay.org and read about Golden Clay Ministries.  Then, click on the “Support GCM” button on the left and consider financially supporting GCM.

I appreciate your help.  I would also appreciate your thoughts and prayers as I face surgery followed by a time of recovery.

        

As someone who receives free books from Thomas Nelson Publishing just for writing a review, I’m always eager for a new book to arrive in the mail.  So when Jack Cashill’s book, Popes and Bankers: A Cultural History of Credit and Debt, from Aristotle to Aristotle, came, I was not disappointed.  This easy to read volume is stuffed full of interesting tidbits from the prohibition against lending and borrowing money with interest, usury, to the modern day debacles on Wall Street.  The Old Testament pronounced usury as sin and the Christian church outlawed its practiced.  Of particular interest is how families such as the Rothchilds developed a legal loophole and instead of charging interest, profited from devising a network of banks to exchange currency from all across Europe.  This is a fascinating book, one that, it you enjoys learning how things work, will bring you hours of pleasure.

        

I received a complimentary copy of William Bennett’s book “A Century Turns: New Hopes, New Fears” from Thomas Nelson Books in exchange for an honest and candid review.  I enjoyed reading “A Century Turns”.  If you, like me, enjoy reading about American history, you will probably enjoy this book.  However, if American history isn’t your thing, then chances are you won’t like this book.  I’m old enough to remember much of what this book covers.  Yet even though I knew the content of this book, I failed to remember much of the context.  That is where this book shines.  It brings together the events between 1988 and 2008 and puts those events in context with what was transpiring on the world stage.  I recommend this book.

        

I’m very stingy when it comes to giving a five-star rating to a book.  But, if any book deserves a five-star rating, Max Lucado’s FACING YOUR GIANTS is at the top of the list.  Many Christian books are analogous to drinking a cup of watered-down powdered milk.  This book serves up a t-bone steak on every page.  If you are a pastor, you need to read this book!  There is sermon located in every chapter.  If you are a layperson thirsting for a better understanding of God's sovereignty in every day life, you need this book!  You will discover hidden truths on every page.  Max Lucado uses the events of King David’s life as a backdrop to challenge his readers to cling to God when the odds are insurmountable.  He not only writes of David as king, but the David who is constantly hounded by Saul’s army, who finds himself desperately alone with no one to turn to other than the God of heaven and earth.  This book is a MUST read.

        

“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”  I do not remember how young I was when I first heard those words of truth.  Little did I know then the degree to which they would later define my life.  When you take away all the church dogma and denominational doctrine, the one simple truth that underpins everything else is that Jesus’ love for you and me drove him to the cross to atone for our sins.

 

I’m at a crossroad right now.  I flew to Taiwan at the end of last year, spoke at Christ’s College in Taipei, and watched as thirty students came to Christ.  I wish like anything that I could concentrate full time on evangelism.  Whether it be sitting down and talking to someone while sipping on a coke, teaching a class, or speaking at a church, I have a story to tell of a loving God who sacrificed his son on my behalf.  But I have two things standing in the way.

 

First, my kidneys are going downhill fast.  I used to have all the energy I needed to keep going at full throttle throughout the day and then some.  Not so much anymore.  As I told a close friend recently, I can either take a shower on Sunday mornings or I can attend church.  I simply do not have the energy for both.  The good news is that I, along with someone wanting to give me her kidney, will meet with a transplant team in Indianapolis on February 11^th.  If everything checks out, surgery will be scheduled for sometime after that, and I should be as good as new.  Or, at least as good as any 51-year-old man can be who has cerebral palsy and never shaves or combs his hair.

 

Second, for the past 22 years, I have been raising my own ministry support and with the downturn in the economy has come a downturn in donations. 

 

I want to evangelize!  As soon as possible, I want to get back to leading people to Christ both here and abroad.  Jay Kesler recently told me, “Steve, when you get up in front of students who worry about every little pimple showing, and they see you with your cerebral palsy praising God instead of cursing him, they listen.”  That was awfully nice of Jay to say.  I do want to evangelize.  However, evangelism, traveling to different churches and schools, takes money, and right now, that’s money that I don’t have.

 

I want to raise $10,000 in monthly pledges.  That would not only pay for my salary but also pay for a much needed assistant.  It would cover the rising cost of health insurance, postage, and other overhead.  It would also help offset the cost of traveling to and from churches and schools, many of which simply do not have the financial resources available to bring me to their church or school.

 

Can you help?  Will you help?  It doesn’t have to be much . . . $10, perhaps $20 per month, maybe more if you can afford it.  It all adds up and will be put to good use that will bring eternal rewards.  Please visit our website at: http://www.goldenclay.org/donate.htm and consider becoming a member of our support team.  From the bottom of my heart, thank you!