Jeff Noble's Blog, page 46
January 17, 2015
Denied.
Denial. When it’s a river in Egypt, it conjures up placid boat roads and dusty history. When it’s in reference to an appeal for a PET scan to Anthem, it’s not cool. We got the word yesterday (Friday) that Anthem had officially denied our oncologist’s appeal of their initial denial of a PET scan for Carolyn. For a quick catch-up, see this entry.
Within minutes (literally), Carolyn was on the phone to her oncologist’s office in Little Rock, and through an amazing set of circumstances, was able to have a massive conference call with his office, with Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock, and her mom. The result? They were able to immediately schedule Carolyn for a PET scan first thing Monday morning at Baptist Medical Center and an appointment with her oncologist that afternoon. This all took place while I was in Lynchburg for the Kairos Leadership Initiative’s launch weekend.
I was able to make it back from Lynchburg on Saturday and see her for a few moments before she and Sam left to go to Charlotte so she could make her flight out tomorrow morning.
As frustrated as we are about the insurance company and the realities of our current politicized healthcare system, the greater reality is that due to the amazing generosity, prayers and support of family and friends, we are now paying for the necessary PET scan from funds that have been given! That enables us to proceed to the next step (delayed for a month due to Anthem) in the discovery process, so that the doctors can understand what Carolyn’s lymphatic system is doing and the best course of treatment.
We continue to rejoice and be humble by how friends and family are helping us not just with the PET scan but with our medical debts (a lot!) through the GiveForward campaign. We can’t thank them enough for their initiative in launching the campaign and for those of you who have prayed for us, given and/or shared it on social media.
So at this point, we’d simply like to ask that if you’re willing, please continue to pray (or begin to). For whatever reason, the insurance company route did not pan out, but we are simply rejoicing at provision that has allowed us to move forward with the PET scan and seeking a prognosis. We are not discouraged, and we attribute that to God’s work in our hearts through the prayers and love of so many.
Also in Our Cancer Saga
Carolyn was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease in 1991. Since then, it's been a wild, crazy cancer saga.
A Sheep’s Tale
Our Story, a week in October
Health update and uncertainty
Biopsy results…
Today’s stop: surgeon consultation
Doctor update
“As you help us by your prayers”
Where we are
Health latest…
Experiencing intercession
Two birthdays of good news
The chemo word
Surgery today
A little closure…
Chemo hero
Our Story: Miracles
Another opportunity to trust
Round 6 update
A La Carte: Health Update, December Nights kickoff, Saving Change and The First Snow
Final surgery – Round 6: gratitude in busyness
Health update 2014
Denied.
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January 16, 2015
January 9, 2015
January 8, 2015
Finding time to read
These days are busier than any I can remember, and yet I don’t feel overwhelmed. First of all, I know that it’s a love relationship with God that provides power, peace and perspective. He has also given amazing people in my life – my family first – immediate and extended. Then the staff team and other leaders that I get to serve God with at our church. I also have an sublime circle of deep friendships scattered across the country from Virginia to Arkansas and several overseas. I can tell that people pray for me and my family daily. I can’t explain how empirically, yet my life circumstances and weight of responsibility, I think, should sink me. Yet here I am, finding time to blog about finding time to read.
I wrote in a recent blog post:
I love to read. I read everywhere. Yes, that includes the commode. The advent of smart phones has enabled reading anywhere. I’ve usually got 2-3 books going at once. I read a theological book during the day, fiction at night (mixed with compelling nonfiction), and even comic books.
I think most people struggle to read – or at least they would say they don’t like to read. However, that’s not true. The average person is reading all the time. The trick about reading is being intentional about what you read and selecting content that you will both enjoy and will also help you grow. If you’re on Facebook for 10 minutes, you could easily read almost a chapter in a book. If you spend time watching TV, you have also “read” because every episode you watch is punctuated by commercials – most of which have content that you inadvertently read. String together a couple of hours of TV watching, and there’s another chapter.
It’s not that you don’t read – or don’t like to (because most of you read without realizing you’re reading) – it’s that you don’t make time to read.
So here’s what I do – in spite of “busyness.” I prioritize reading. A typical day looks like this:
Reading the Bible in the morning before I begin to touch any “to-do’s”
Reading a chapter or two in the afternoon or evening of a book that will help me grow spiritually or as a leader/person
Reading for sheer enjoyment or brain candy late at night, after Carolyn has gone to bed
I discipline myself to invest at least an hour of every day in this type of reading. I’m not legalistic about it with myself, but I am intentional. One key, I believe, to help you find time to read is to begin seeing your reading as needing community rather than isolation. I began this post talking about the people in my life who encourage and support me. If you’d like to find time to read (or make time), I encourage you to tell some of the people in your life. Tell them:
You want to begin reading.
You want to be purposeful about the content you read.
You want to enjoy reading.
You want them to recommend one of each of the three types of books above that they think you might like and would fit the parameters above.
Make a list of those and start reading.
If you’ve never read the Bible before, here’s my simple recommendation. Start with either the book of Mark or John in the New Testament. Both will tell you about the life of Jesus from different perspectives. Read one chapter of each a day, and as you read, seek to answer for yourself two questions: 1) What does this chapter tell me about who Jesus is? and 2) What is one thing I could do to incorporate any truth or beauty I found in this chapter into my life to help grow as a person?
How about you? How do you find time to read? How do you select what to read next? And any books you think I’d be interested in reading?
If you’re ever curious about what I’m currently reading, look at the link in the sidebar, or you can visit my GoodReads account.
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January 7, 2015
Receiving grace and kindness.. The GiveForward campaign
Carolyn and I have sat back in awe and deep humility over the last few days as some people behind the scenes have helped to coordinate and promote a GiveForward campaign for expenses related to Carolyn’s need for a PET scan and our medical debt. It’s been a long journey, and this is a new leg of it for us.
Many, many thanks to those of you who have prayed, given, shared, tweeted or commented. We are overwhelmed by how God is using so many different people to provide and encourage us. We are sharing with everyone in our thank you notes on the campaign page that we are choosing James 1:17 as our verse through which we filter the prayers, support, notes, and giving:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
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January 3, 2015
Joke gone bad
Let me introduce you to a good friend, Ralph Ramsey. Ralph and Christy live in Aubrey, Texas and have a daughter named Hannah. They have been some of our best friends since our seminary days when we were living in Garland, Texas and serving at First Baptist Church there. I met Ralph in the youth ministry where he and Christy were serving as Sunday School teachers.
Ralph is in banking. He, Kevin Wieser (the youth minister) and I were fast friends and often lunch buddies. Kevin knew how to play the “poor minister card” at a meal better than anyone I know. We’d be eating, and about the time we were wrapping up, he’d begin saying things like, “I love serving the church, but compared to other professions, ministers are paid so little…” He’d then talk about having three kids and robbing Peter to pay Paul and such. I’d watch in amazement and just solemnly nod. Ralph would inevitably mutter something like, “Oh my gosh. Just give me the check.” And he’d pay for us. Often. He was essentially our spiritual sugar daddy.
After we moved to Arkansas, we stayed close to both families, but with the Ramsey’s staying in Garland (the Wiesers moved to Arkansas), we were able to stop over at their house on trips to New Mexico since it was the 1/2 way point of our trips. The endless barbs between Ralph and me are legendary. He’s been bald since he was, well, 11, and I delighted in making bald jokes. Now we’ve been friends so long that my hair has betrayed me, and I don’t make those jokes anymore.
Ralph and I tend to get in trouble with our wives when we’re together, but he doesn’t need my help. He’s typically got some hair-brained scheme cooked up that produces a frustrated, “RALPH!” from Christy. He is, in fact, the instigator behind my near-crippling snow accident.
Which brings me to our visit with them over the Thanksgiving holidays. We met them in Arkadelphia that Tuesday of Thanksgiving week to preview Ouachita Baptist University (Carolyn and my alma mater). Adelyn and Hannah are seriously considering it (still hoping for Sam to get interested). We were given a long tour and went to a Lady Tiger basketball game that night.
The next morning is when Ralph showed up in character. We were getting ready to check out of the hotel. The girls had gone downstairs, and Sam was taking a shower in our bathroom. He had locked the bathroom door, and I needed to use it, so Ralph let me into his. In the meantime, Ralph has the “bright” idea to prank Sam. He tries to find a belt but settles for Carolyn’s computer bag’s strap, which he loops around our bathroom doorknob and the doorknob to the hall. Then he crawls under the strap and holds the door open a crack to watch the fun of Sam realizing he’s trapped in the bathroom.
It was only a few moments before Sam tried to open the bathroom door and began yelling, “Let me out!” Ralph was giggling like a school girl who’s just gotten free tickets to One Direction. Sam begins to push hard on the door, straining Carolyn’s computer bag strap. Ralph realizes that the strap was not designed to contain a 6’3,” 240 lb high school senior and begins yelling at Sam to calm down. Sam yells back.
I can hear the ruckus… from the commode in Ralph’s room. I have no idea what’s happening, but I knew Ralph was involved in something.
At some point, Sam pushed so hard, that it jerked the door to our room shut (which Ralph had been trying to hold open), and that was when Ralph realized that he couldn’t get back in – no key. It was at this opportune moment that Carolyn had decided to come back upstairs to get her stuff. As she comes down the hallway, Ralph runs up to her frantically, saying, “Joke gone bad; joke gone bad! Give me your key!!!!” Carolyn has no idea what’s up, but soon, the door is back open, and Carolyn discovers that her laptop bag now has a rip down the side from the incident. Sam is smug. Ralph is chagrined.
It’s all normal for the Nobles and Ramseys.
Of course, Ralph’s joke gone bad provided me with a great idea for a Christmas gift for Carolyn – a new laptop bag.
Hey Ralph, do you know how much ministers make in comparison to other equally-educated professionals….?
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December 31, 2014
Remembering 2014
In the spirit of reflection and remembrance, I wanted to pause and honor 2014 and all that God introduced into my life through it. Some were blessings. Some heartaches. Some are works in progress. What we enclose between January 1 and December 31 and call a year is really just a random 365 days. When we call it “2014,” it becomes significant, countable, and remarkable. By the simple act of naming this time period, it becomes part of all of our lives, globally.
This simple act of declaring a name that impacts the entire world is seen in the New Testament of the Bible:
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. (Luke 1:31)
It is this name that makes me tick more than all the named years of human civilization. My last post of 2014 would be empty if I didn’t announce yet once again that I am a thankful, helplessly joyful follower of Jesus Christ. I want you to discover how much He loves you too.
With that caveat, here’s what January 1 and December 31, 2014 bracketed for me:
Getting to speak to an incredible group of Virginia college students as part of the Kairos Leadership Initiative in January at Eagle EyrieSnowpocalypse. We were buried and had several significant snowfalls. Loved it. I fit well in a year that Frozen was a blockbuster. Thanks, Olaf.
A visit from our good friends from Arkansas Jeremy & Becca WoodallA trip to Montenegro in which I mountain biked for 18 miles, hiked, and experienced stand-up paddle boarding. It was part of a discovery trip with our church in partnership with meanderbug.com to explore ways that we can bless the people of Montenegro and the Balkans.
A visit from my college roomie and his family – Mitch & Meg Bettis
Northstar moved its offices from the historic Lancaster House to our new location by the gucci Kroger near South Main Street. Most of all, we miss the proximity to Virginia Tech.. and the front porch swing.. oh, and the staff walnut throwing competition.
Another personal retreat at The Cove, which I highly recommend
A guest blogger series called Their Story in which I had the privilege of introducing several friends to my readers.
Our church hired a new youth minister – Alex Kacere, and a new associate pastor – Neal Nelson. We didn’t know Alex before but have come to love and and appreciate his heart for Christ and teens. Neal and I go waaaaay back, and it’s been a joy to have him and his family (finally!) here in Blacksburg as ministry partners.
Our church also took a significant step of faith this year and purchased 10 acres of land. We have been meeting in Blacksburg Middle School for 11 years, and this investment is one that will shape our future ministry and service to the New River Valley and world.
My parents celebrated their 50th anniversary! Our family and my sister Amy joined them in Pigeon Forge for a few days.
Mom and Dad also came to visit us in Blacksburg, and I took Dad to Washington, D.C. to see the sites and enjoyed our time immensely!Our nephews TJ and Daniel and niece Mattie also came to visit. TJ & Daniel went to MFuge with our youth group, and both of them gave their lies to Christ.
A phone upgrade to the iPhone 6 (and the absence this year of the DLAE – digital life adjustment experiment)
I took the ALS ice bucket challenge (along with millions of others!)Adelyn started a YouTube channel in which she does covers of different songs.
Celebrated five years at Northstar Church
Kevin and Sharon Wieser and Ben and Karen Phillips and their family all visited us. Ben spoke at a marriage event for our church.
Carolyn went to Nashville and met her mom and “her wild friends” for a fun weekend.
Sam began his epic college hunt. We previewed Old Dominion, James Madison University, Ouachita Baptist University and he and a friend saw UNC-Charlotte and NC State.
For a period of about two weeks, we walked down the street daily and picked blackberries. We made everything from cobblers to jelly.
Carolyn and I camped out in hammocks with Adam and Jen Wilson on top of Wind Rock.
I’m a Bielemer.
Rewrote a Monkees song, videoed it with Carolyn and Ben Coulter in Little Rock over Thanksgiving break and had it jump to over 6000 views in three days, get featured on two Arkansas TV news stations, and even appear on ESPN.com’s blog. It was written to celebrate Arkansas’ win consecutive shutouts of LSU and Ole Miss.I still love popcorn and Milk Duds together – if you haven’t tried them, don’t scoff. It’s a match that doesn’t make sense but is perfect together.
I got interviewed and had my picture taken for an article in a local magazine about moped drivers.
I also discovered my favorite new cereal – Captain Crunch Donuts. Oh yes.
We found out that Carolyn has growth in some of her lymph nodes, and her oncologist is still trying to get to the bottom of things.
I made the transition to an Xbox One. Yes, still a geek.
Weaved throughout my personal story is a much larger story of 2014 that involves other names like – Malaysian Airlines, Ferguson, ebola, ISIS, Ukraine, Republicans, and Robin Williams. There are so many more laughs, joys, frustrations, and learning experiences… but it’s not the days that define the year. It’s the person. I’m grateful for the ability to define my experiences in the Name Above All Names. May God be glorified through on this New Year’s Eve and in all my days – named and unnamed – that are to come.
More reflection posts:
Happy New Year! A review of 2005
2008 Roundup
2009 Roundup
New Year’s Eve blogging reflections
Happy New Year 2013
Happy New Year and everlasting year
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2014 Roundup: What was your favorite blog entry this year?
What a year 2014 was! I’ve selected 12 blog posts from the past year for your vote of favorite post of the year:
January: Sunday nights in the 70s
February: I’m not like you
March: Picking on pastors
April: The road from Ironto
May: Nuff said: Bad news believers, hashtag diplomacy, silver bullet of discipleship, single and satisfied?, kids sports, Kid President
June: Cable boxes, tv tuners and pong (this month was hard to pick one)
July: Their Story – Jacob Moyer
August: Where your needs are met
September: Ode to fantasy football
October: 12 things it’s important to know about me
November: Jumping on the bandwagon with “I’m a Bielemer”
December: What my kids do when they get home from school
Here’s the poll:
Which 2014 entry did you enjoy the most at Notes from the Trail?
You can also click on Archives to the left and peruse each month at your leisure if you remember a post that you liked but I didn’t select. Just vote “Other” and leave the title and link in the comments below.
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