KEN HESLER

   After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, I hesitated sharing this with Spencer, our 14 year old grandson, who has battled cancer for two years. But I suppose Jodie, his mother, decided to tell him on his way for treatment at Brenner's hospital, because my cell phone rang that morning, "Dad, will you please talk to Spencer..." I heard him crying in the background. Pushing back tears, Spencer asked, "Papa, why does God hate us? What have we done for Him to punish us so badly?"

I knew better than to give some theological rhetoric to my grandson. I simply said, "Spencer, your uncle Jonathan always believed that the devil's greatest temptation is to try to make us believe that God is not good. No matter what happens, we will believe that God is good. He knows I've asked, 'O God, I want to marry Spencer to a bride one day, not bury Spencer!'"

After Spencer calmed down and thanked me for what I had said, I cut off the phone, crawled out onto the floor, and cried out to God: "O Lord, I do not want to pray prayers to no avail. I want to hit the target. It is written that the prayers of a righteous man avail much, SO, if there is anything in me that is not pleasing to You, reveal it. GET TO ME, O GOD!"

He did. He said, "There is one thing that I am not pleased with." I cried harder than ever: "What, Lord? Tell me, please." He said, "You are too busy."

Instantly I knew what God was after. It's time to stay closer to home, less international travel, and finish some books that will carry on way after I've left this earth. But maybe even more importantly, it's time to invest in prayer and time to hang out with God and time to just be His! And YES, time to be with my family. It's time to give God back my best: myself.

This was so confirmed when I spoke to my good friend Mickey Evans, the "Jesus-loving-cowboy,"who is about to celebrate his fiftieth year of running a "City of Refuge" for addicts in the swamps of Okeechobee, Florida. This was Mickey's word:
Ken, not long ago I snuck off to a remote cabin, hidden deep in a swamp. It's a beautiful place by a small lake. I went to be with God and to get some writing done, when the Lord said, "Mickey, why don't you just take a seat with me by the lake and let's just sit together.'" I sat for a good while until I figured I was done, when God said, "Don't leave Mickey. Just sit here with me." I sat until I thought I'd given God enough of myself. I was itching to get up and DO something. So, I stood, stretched and reminded the Lord that I needed to get some writing done, when once more He asked me to come and sit with Him for a while. I sat and began to wonder, "How long is a 'while.'"

This continued all day long. No writing. Just waiting on God. Sitting. At times I felt my mind’s playing tricks on me-- convincing me that I was going insane, especially when it went on all day. And then the next day. It was always the same thing, "Mickey, why don't you use this valuable time you have to come and sit with me." Finally, by the third day of doing nothing, it came to me. "God, You are putting me through detox!"  Mickey finally came to grips with the fact that he was addicted to busyness. Religious busyness. Good deeds that weren't good enough. God wanted the best and the best He could give to God was himself. Mickey concluded that "Waiting on the Lord" is called, "DETOX!" 

The word "detox'' is short for "detoxify," which means to remove or abstain from drink and drugs until the bloodstream is cleansed from the toxins, the poisons left in the body. It's the first step toward overcoming any addiction.
Oh my! Does that mean we are addicted to the world? Addicted to busyness? Addicted to anything but being still and waiting upon the Lord? Does it mean that in order to "Be still and know that He is God," we have to have our "bloodstream"-- our spirit-- detoxed from the toxins of busyness and the world in order to BE with Jesus? Help us, Lord! Love you all. -Ken

NOTE: Praise God, only 10 minutes ago we got word back from Bethesda Hopsital that, after numerous scans, they cannot detect any cancer cell activity in Spencer's body!

Ken and Linda Hesler are founders of A Place for the Heart, a multi- generational ministry located in Sophia, North Carolina on 52 acres of land, where they host Camps and Schools centered on Creativity, Discipleship, and Worship. Their son musician/songwriter Jonathan David Hesler and his wife Melissa join them in this ministry. www.aplacefortheheart.org