Archive for January, 2015
Jeana Floyd: 25-Year Cancer Survivor This Week
On January 15, 1990, my wife, Jeana, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was in her early thirties and a pastor’s wife in a large and growing church. Josh was nine and Nick was six years old.
A day we began expecting a biopsy with benign results turned into a day that changed our lives dramatically. Before Jeana awakened from the biopsy, the doctor informed me she had cancer.
Just minutes later, we informed Jeana. We were both stunned and amazed. I remember driving home with Jeana through Springdale on that cloudy morning, gripped with the fear of the future.
Within days, we found ourselves at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas, which in and of itself was a frightful experience for both of us. After testing and consultation with doctors, we headed home, awaiting specific direction for the future.
While awaiting our flight at Hobby Airport in Houston, I received a call from Jeana’s doctor. He informed me that Jeana’s cancer was very aggressive. Even though they were hoping it was caught early, we would not know until post-surgery reports.
Several days later, Jeana underwent surgery. The good news was that they were able to catch it early. The bad news was that due to the grade of cancer it was, M.D. Anderson prescribed aggressive chemotherapy as well as radiation treatments.
Within weeks after beginning her chemotherapy treatments, Jeana, my very young and beautiful wife, lost every hair on her head. This is a traumatic experience for any woman, and Jeana felt very vulnerable because of her visibility as the pastor’s wife. I could write pages about these days and the entire year. Needless to say, it was a very difficult year, but one that God used to alter our future to this very day.
We Celebrate What God Has Done Through Jeana
Will you celebrate with Jeana over what God has done through her? He has answered our prayer, as He healed her through His power miraculously. She is a living testimony of the healing power of God. He has answered the prayers of many people.
When walking through this extraordinary challenge, Jeana lived it out before all of us. She rarely missed any event at church, even though life was altered dramatically. She continued to sing in choir every Sunday, wearing her wig. While in treatment, she only missed one Sunday, Mother’s Day, a day she was very sick.
But our God stepped in and did the miracle that only He can do. He is our Healer!
Throughout America, Jeana has given the testimony of God’s faithfulness. She has written about it through her first book, “An Uninvited Guest: One Woman’s Journey From Cancer To Hope”. For years, she formulated and led a cancer support group ministry for cancer victims and their families.
Jeana has not acted as though her cancer never happened, but uses it as a testimony about our Lord and His power. To this day, she still talks with people about their cancer journey.
Three Specific Memories That May Encourage You
1. A Telephone Conversation with Manley Beasley
Soon after Jeana was diagnosed with cancer, we received a phone call from the former evangelist and revivalist, Manley Beasley. He had lived with multiple diseases in his life and was known as a great man of faith.
As he talked with both of us on the phone, he very prophetically said, “Jeana, this is not about you living or dying, but about bringing God glory.” While those words were really strong, they were words we both needed to hear.
Then he stated, “Ronnie and Jeana, you get out of this all God wants you to get. He is speaking to you.” Neither of us has ever forgotten those words, and never will. They are words I have shared with many people walking through deep challenges.
2. One Day Each Week in 1990, I Fasted and Prayed for Jeana to be Miraculously Healed
God called me weekly to spend one day fasting and praying, asking Him to heal my Jeana. These days were filled with many people praying for us, specifically regarding our sons and their responses, as well as when Jeana walked through various experiences that year.
I believe God. I believe God’s Word. I believe in prayer and fasting. I believe our God can heal.
3. The Verse God Used to Speak to Me That I Stood on Daily
While seeking God deeply in prayer and fasting, early on in that year, God spoke clearly to me about Jeana. I remember writing those verses down on an index card (this was before iPads and similar technology), placing them in my pocket daily. Any time during the day I felt uncertainty or fear gripped me, I stood on these powerful words from God.
God spoke to my heart clearly from His Word and I stood on His Word faithfully. God’s Word to me about Jeana and her cancer were the words found in Isaiah 63:1-3 (NAS),
“…Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…”
Yes, daily I stood on these verses. It is the Word of God that gives us faith!
Celebrate with Jeana
During this week or sometime in January, celebrate with Jeana and other cancer survivors in your life for God’s miraculous work of healing. To God’s Glory, Jeana is now a 25-year cancer survivor! Jeana, I love you, your family loves you, and many others love you… we celebrate with you!
To God’s Glory!
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Jesus is Incomparable
There is nothing like awaiting the birth of a child. Using social media, young parents announce the expectation by all means of creative imagery. Pink or blue cakes accompany gender reveals. Newborn photos are all over Facebook.
We haven’t even gotten to how the prospective grandparents act yet! “I’m gonna be Grandfather” or “I’m gonna be a grandmother” fill every new conversation.
Sometimes the older generation seems to think the only reason they ever had children was for the chance to have grandchildren. Pity the young mother who stands in the way of her own mother and that new grandchild. She might get bowled over like a 10-pin.
New Children are Like No Other
Followers of Jesus rejoice over His birth like no other. His arrival, called the Incarnation, is celebrated every Christmas, and taught all year. It is one of the main beliefs of the Christian faith.
In the midst of the celebration, we often forget that Jesus was actually promised well in advance of His arrival. He wasn’t a surprise arrival; His was the most famously predicted birth in history. Consider the words of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah: “Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel” (7:14).
In another chapter, Isaiah prophesied, “Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds” (53:4-5).
Jesus Is Like No Other
Pastor Tony Evans notes the importance of these prophecies: “The Bible has been substantiated both historically and archeologically as more accurate than any other book handed down through time. Research and analysis by historians, linguists, sociologists, and archeologists have demonstrated the soundness of the Scriptures through forensic science, the discovery and study of ancient literature, and much more.”1
The birth of Jesus was more than that of a future king of Israel. It was more than the birth of a significant teacher and rabbi. The birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of messianic prophecies centuries old. He was the promised Messiah who would bear the sins of the world. His birth was the fulfillment of God’s promise to His people. The birth of Jesus was a world-changing event!
Jesus Is More Than
This current session of Bible Studies for Life will be dealing with how Jesus is like no other person who has ever lived. He also affects us like no other person who has ever lived. As Tony Evans says, “Jesus became like us in order to bring us back into a relationship with God. He entered our world in order to give us a way out of it. He died so that we may live. He gives us life for now and life for eternity.
This study is for all of us. “Jesus Christ is more than theology on a shelf, a picture of a man with a halo, or miracles from long ago. He is your friend like no other.”2
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church General Editor, Bible Studies for Life President, Southern Baptist ConventionReferences
1, 2– Bible Studies for Life, Like No Other, Tony Evans
All scripture Holman Christian Standard Bible.
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.