Re:Act 2009 - your journey starts here!

Following on from the success of the 2008 mission, we are pleased to announce that plans for Re:Act 2009 have been released. Want more opportunities to see God working through you into local communities, then step this way...

We had a fantastic time on Re:Act this summer and we are delighted to announce that we will be running at least one Re:Act tour again in 2009. The dates for Re:Act 2009 will be from the 24th July to 3rd August. Details regarding specific locations will be announced early next year.

We were blown away by the amazing things we saw God do through Re:Act this summer and we are believing God for another great 11 days next summer.To book your place on next year’s Re:Act please download the flyer and application form (from the Urban Saints website) and return it to us as soon as possible. Please also feel free to forward this link to your friends and encourage them to book up.

Don't forget, you can also visit the Re:Act website Read more!

OK so what's going on...

Ok, ok, so I haven't written for an age. I seem to recall doing this last year! Its a stage where I just feel I have nothing to say, nothing to share, nothing to interest you - whether that is true or not is not the point! The problem has also partly been caused by problems with Yahoo, but mainly total lethagy on my part
OK so what's been going on, am I dead, have I lost the use of my keyboard or what?

The answer is No I am not dead.....can I go now? !!

No? Oh well, basically little has happened since last I wrote. It took an age for info to travel from the Royal Free Hospital (in Hampstead) to Mount Vernon Hospital (in Hertfordshire). Personally I think I could have walked it there in about a day - but alas it took nearly two weeks for the system to get me there - encouraged by a substantial number of phone calls! - so my view of NHS administration is still at a very low level!

Well, last Tuesday I at last got to see an Oncologist at Mount Vernon. For those that don't know, an Oncologist deals with the use of Chemo therapy or other nuclear medicines (he's the guy who walks out in a neon green suit at the end of each day!). He was just the sort of guy I like. Straight talking, down to earth and very open.

He had limited knowledge of my exact spread of cancer as the file with the scans was still walking around the M25! Anyway from the notes that he did have he was able to at least inform me that apart from having cancer back in the liver and it spreading to my abdomen, it was also around by my spine (!) - that was a little bit of a shock and could have significant relevance as time progresses!

He then checked me out, prodding and poking around. To my amusement he said I was actually a very fit guy (I love you too Doc! - no he I don't think he really meant it that way) but clearly the fact that I am "fit" obviously means I will stand up to the treatment a lot better than some.

To cut a longish meeting down to a minimum, he intends to hit me with Chemo tablets and a slow release injection, once a week for three weeks followed by a gap, two further periods of the same. He will then consider if I can stop the chemo for a while as he does not wish to flood me with the stuff.

Chemo was expected to start this Wednesday but has subsequently been postponed to next week (12th Nov)

Overall, we came out feeling much more positive and I think our view of the future increased in size. To be honest I wasn't seeing past Christmas before. In fact Christmas was an awefully long way away. Now? Who knows.

With this in mind it was interesting to spend time with one of my friends (who works for me on a weekend, but has been studying to be a psycologist). In talking I said that I found it hard not to be able to plan ahead and he nearly bit my head off! Basically I took a heavy hammering from him, but it did do me a lot of good! The overall message was "if you don't feel able to plan, you put your life on hold and basically give in." There is no reason not to plan. All of us will die, some it will be by chance and totally unexpected and yet knowing that doesn't stop people planning. This helped me a great deal and suffice to say I walked away from Steve with a different view (thanks mate!)

In myself I feel far better - one of the other things that came out of the hospital visit was that he gave me increased pain killers in order to stop me waking from my stomach cramps/ pains. This is a very low dose of morphine (which scared the heck out of me, until I realised how small a dose it was!). Anyway, it has allowed me to sleep for periods of at least five hours at a time! Thats been unheard of in about 4 months, so I have at last started to get some energy back and I actually found myself smiling the other day!! I still get tired, but nothing like as much.

Right, thats enough for now. I promise to come back with some more shortly, but thats the bare facts and should keep you going for now.

Stay tuned, stay praying and thanks for all you do,

John Read more!

The natural and the supernatural

Another update from John - this time on what treatment is available to him. Please keep praying and believing in our great God to perform a miracle...

As you are all aware, today was surposed to be a meeting with the Oncologist to discuss the use of Chemotherapy in the fight against my cancer. Well, over the last few days that has been changed and moved to Friday, and then I received a call from my Professor's secretary asking me to go to a clinic with him at 2pm today! So that is what happened.

As Jo was unable to attend my father offered to come, which bearing in mind he found last year very hard, was quite a surprise. Anyway he was brilliant and it was great to have him by my side.

Basically the prof just went through what they had found on the PET scan - really what should have happened last week. He explained that the cancer was not just confined to my liver, but was in the cavity around it and within the abdomen. All these things made it impossible to cut the stuff out and therefore Chemo was the only option.

I asked what the prognosis was and got back what I think my head knew but my heart had not fully registered.....that chemo does not cure the cancer it purely reduces it in size for the time being. Therefore it purely adds time - it will however kill me at some stage. How long that is, will depend on the choice of chemo used and the way the cancer reacts to it. My cancer is apparently a very rare form, so I don't think they can really give any idea.

We discussed where I should have the treatment and I have opted for Mount Vernon hospital as it is more accessible and will allow my dad to get there in the car and support me - he is afterall 87 and London driving is a nightmare even for the best of us. Anyway the hospital is one of the top cancer specialists so I am happy with this. Contact with them will be made tomorrow and an appointment will hopefully come through fairly soon (needless to say the other appointment has been cancelled).

So we now have to wait and see.

It all sounds quite negative but what the Prof has said is what happens in the natural - but we believe in the supernatural, so this can still be cured. God can intervene and that is what I now need you to be praying (not that you haven't already!) and also that it doesn't spread any further.

Family are all ok and seem very strong. I had a rough day on Sunday - just a few blubbers (!) but my heart was greatly warmed when my eldest son, Ben, came in and gave me a big cuddle and told me that I didn't have to be strong all the time!! You know I am so proud of my kids and I thank God so much for my family - they are all such a blessing.

OK thats it, it's bedtime and I'm still working, despite not sleeping well. So thank you for your love and care and watch this space coz I'll be back real soon!

John Read more!

How should we specifically pray for John?

A friend of mine, (Lou Bailey) was praying for John the other night and sensed that as we pray, we need to pray specifically against multiplication of the exising cancer cells.

An enemy increases power by adding to its troops, so we need to pray that no cancer cell would divide any more (which obviously is what leads to tumours and further spreading of disease)...praying that the enemy would advance NO further.... because He couldn't because of the power of prayer. Read more!

"Well... we're not giving in!"

We've had another update from John - this time with those crucial test results and his reaction to them...

Hiya,

A really frustrating afternoon. Basically they couldn't find the scan and therefore couldn't advise as to what the situation. The woman we saw was completely useless - no access to the computer, no knowledge of me, no idea of how to deal with a problem. Well, anyway, we left her with the agreement that she would try and track the scan down and phone us by 7pm this evening.

It was therefore not a surprise to get a call at 7.30 (!!). However in many ways I wish she hadn't!

Apparently the scan showed that I have extensive discease in my liver area, such that it cannot be operated on, and further nodules over my abdomen (peratinium). The only course of action is therefore Chemo.

So, next Tuesday they will have an Oncology meeting and then in the afternoon they will meet with me to advise what they think they can do. This is not good news and is very serious.

Needless to say we gutted. We have told the boys and have had what I am sure will be the first of many communal blubbers!

Right. Well we're not giving in. The battle might have begun but nobody is going to raise a white flag on this - and please that includes you lot. God is amazing. We saw that last year and whilst I also know that we have seen others this year not make it through, I claim the right to see God's healing power and I will fight for as long as it takes.

Please pray for us over the next week, its not going to be easy and I need to be giving strength to all those around me.

Please pray for my parents, sister, Jo and the boys plus all of Jo's family. Hey can we also add in my work colleagues who are really watching all this and really do care.

Thanks,

I'll be back sooner than you can imagine

John Read more!

"Tomorrow is D Day"

Well tomorrow is D day! The day we find out the results of last weeks scan (which incidentally wasn't too bad! - just about 1.5 hours of lying absolutely still.....aaaah!)

The appointment is at 3.30pm at the Royal Free and Jo is coming along to support me. We really could do with being totally covered by prayer as these are tough trips and hearing all that is said can be a little tricky.

Please pray for the lads, they are quietly finding it hard and they know just as much as we do how important tomorrow is going to be so please pray for their strength and for our ability to explain all that the meeting brings.

Please also pray, obviously, that the scan shows not "hot" cells next to the artery.

Well, thats enough for me to cope with and it is late, so good night all and I will try and be back with you tomorrow,

Thanks for all you do,

John Read more!

So what is God saying now?

On June 6th 1944, 130,000 allied troops invaded the coastline of Normandy, France, in what was the largest single day invasion of all time, known as D-Day. It was a bloody battle, and there were many casualties but by the end of that day a bridgehead had been established.
The allied troops had gained a foothold on foreign soil and if they continued to stand their ground and not retreat it would now only be a matter of time before they had won the victory.

Well, in some small way, I believe we have taken ground from the enemy this summer on Re:Act, and a bridgehead has been established. We have seen some amazing answers to prayer, many people becoming Christians, signing up for Alpha, being healed or having a person experience of God. Many of you have experienced God use you in ways you never thought possible.

When we take new ground, we establish a bridgehead. It is not unusual for the enemy to contest the ground we have taken. We need to learn how to stand our ground, (check out Eph 6: 10-18).

For many of you Re:Act sparked a personal breakthrough in your relationship with God. The challenge you now face is are you going to stand your ground and not allow the enemy to rob you of all God has done in you, or are you going to retreat and go back to how things used to be.

In addition to this I believe God may be challenging your generation, (and even more specifically, all of us who experienced Re:Act this summer) to stand our ground and refuse to back down or retreat on the issue of praying for John to be fully healed of cancer.

Are you guys up for this? I would love to hear from you Read more!

The story so far

In June 2007 I felt God was speaking to me about praying for a breakthrough in healing and the supernatural on Re:Act 2008. Around this same time I received an email from John informing me that he had diagnosed with cancer and been given about 3 months to live.
I was quite surprised by my immediate response – an unusual level of faith that John would be healed and that I should ask him to commit to being on a Re:Act team in 2008. I felt, if we saw a breakthrough in God healing John it would be a step towards us seeing a breakthrough in the supernatural and healings on Re:Act 2008.

I met up with John (about one week after he had met with Matt Summerfield to arrange his funeral), to tell him what I was feeling. I was taken back by how positive John was, how passionate he was about his faith and the overwhelming sense of peace and trust he had in God. I told John I believed God was going to heal him and encouraged him to consider booking onto a Re:Act team, which was scheduled to take place after when he should have died. At the time John wasn’t sure how to respond to this and explained his concerns about not wanting to raise the hopes of his family who were doing their best to come to terms with the fact that John was not likely to be around in a few weeks time.

Following an amazing sequence of events which included some amazing answers to prayer and God using the skills of medical service, I had the privilege in introducing John to you at the Re:Act training residential where he was able to tell you his story of how God had healed him of cancer. Read more!

An update from John

[Another email sent by John, just yesterday... 1st October 2008 - if you're confused about how this relates to Re:Act click HERE for more information...]

Firstly thanks for the overwhelming response to the last email. You are amazingly caring people. So many wise words (I didn't know there was that much wisdom available from my friends!). They have uplifted me and I am rapidly returning to my place of peace that I so longed to find.

Today I had the pleasure of going to a "Refresh" day at Urban Saints (Crusaders, if you're my age!). This is a day of prayer and reflection led by an outside preacher, church leader or other learned christian. I went just to have a time of quiet and a time to reflect, but in fact found God speaking straight at me! Be strong, be courageous. trust me and push through even it appears too tough. Remember I am always there...........so I guessed that a lot of that was directed at me. He certainly got my attention! It turned out to be a time of assurance and strengthening, a time of hearing God through all sorts of people. Unexpected and so timely.

The staff team then all prayed for me with an amazing passion that humbles me totally - I just wonder how often I pray for anything with the passion that was shown this morning (guys you are amazing and I love you, like family).

So I am much much stronger than when I last wrote - but then again I recon I need to be. The scan is tomorrow at 9am and will last between 2 and 4 hours (!) - what am I going to do for that amount of time? If they expect me to lie still they've got another think coming! Anyway, the scan looks as though it won't be quite as bad as I had been advised - no lead piping (sounds like part of a Cluedo crime) and no radiation for 6 months. I think I will purely glow for a couple of hours!

If you read this in time - and I know I've left it late, please pray that:

1. I will cope with the scan. I am finding lying still for more than an hour very hard, even at night.
2. That my stomach pains will go - I have had bad pains from excessive trapped wind (huh, you get the full works with me guys!) for ages now and it really does wake me up at night or cause real pain during the day. So relief from this, at least in the short term would be brill.
3. That the scan shows everything is ok. Its hard to imagine - but we do have an amazing God and it would be foolish to not ask!
4. For Jo and the boys as they quietly wait for answers.

Thank you as always for being there. You have already helped me and have lifted me to a more peaceful place. Naturally I'll be back writing to you as soon as I have more to write, but for now thats about it,

Thanks again,

John Read more!

"So why am I writing... Well, it's back!"

[The following email was sent out by John on 24th September 2008 - if you're confused about how this relates to Re:Act click HERE for more information...]

Following a CT scan in July that the NHS has only just got round to dealing with (yeah, admin is still not their strong suit), it showed signs of an increase in soft tissue around the scar tissue that occurred where they chopped "Livalot" off from his nasty counterpart ("Livalittle"). Well they they then booked me in for an MRI scan and on Tuesday (yesterday) I went for these results.

The MRI scan shows that the new soft tissue around the scar tissue, is likely to be cancerous - whether malignant or benign they can't be sure. The problem, as though I need more, is that it is very close to the main artery - this means that if they find that the tissue next to the artery is malignant, then they cannot cut it out - only hit it with chemo, which may or may not have any effect. Clearly this is not good!

The next step is a nuclear scan at UCH (apparently this is horrid and involves a lead tube being put into the throat and then particles being fired along it. It means that I become radio active and cannot go near babies and things for a few months!!) What the scan does however is to highlight the good and bad cells (hot or cold as they are defined). This should then mean that they can decide the best way forward.

I have an appointment with the Profs team on 7 October, so by then the scan must be done and assessed, so it looks as though it will start moving fast again.

I know last year was bad, but this one scares the hell out of me for some reason. I don't have the same peace that I had then - maybe that will come after the initial shock - I do hope so because this is chewing me up!

The family have already found it hard - I had Jo in tears when she got home and Chris sobbing his heart out at bed time. I know I have to be strong to carry them, but really I feel like getting under the duvet and sobbing too!

I have no right to ask you to ask for your help again, but you were all so amazing last time - so if you pray (and I know that isn't all of you, but if you do) please do include all of us in those prayers (Jo, Ben and Chris and all our family) and do feel free to pass this on elsewhere. Your prayer support was amazing last time and I know it made a difference.

Sorry - not the most uplifting of emails I've ever sent.

Catch up again soon, when I might be slightly stronger/ more positive! Read more!