Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.   Thessalonians 5:18

Steve’s name was on the list of members who had signed up to participate in a Bible study group hosted by Brian and Dayna.  The hosts had never met Steve, but Foothills Christian Church was large, with a diverse membership, so that wasn’t unusual.  This small group program was one that the church leaders periodically organized to more deeply explore themes related to the pastor’s messages and to provide opportunities for members of the congregation to connect with others who shared their interests.

The group that Dayna and Brian were hosting was centered around the book “The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People”.  The main purpose was to read from the book and then meet weekly to discuss the readings.  However, this was also an opportunity to build relationships between members of the congregation, so time was spent sharing personal stories, life events, and just getting to know one another.

On the night of their first meeting, once everyone had arrived and settled in their comfortable living room, Dayna and Brian started the group by asking everyone to introduce themselves.  They went around the room, with each person sharing a bit of who they were and what had brought them to the group. Steve was the last person to speak.

The other seven members of the group were stunned by Steve’s introduction. Steve gently told them that he had been diagnosed with Stage IV GastroEsophageal Junction Cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer.  He told them that, at this stage, his disease was most likely not curable; his best hope was to live with the cancer and prolong life as long as possible.  He told them that, even though the odds were not with him, he was fighting the disease with everything he had.

Steve’s new friends were shocked – devastated.  Their first impressions of Steve had left them completely unprepared for this.  Upon meeting him, Steve had appeared to be exceptionally healthy.  He was so tall and fit and handsome.  And when each of the group members had introduced themselves, he had been so present – attentively listening to each individual story with genuine interest.  There had been no sign of the distraction one might expect from someone dealing with an illness like this.

When the members of the group showed their deep concern, and began to extend their sympathy, Steve stopped them, saying, “Don’t be sad for me.” Just as he had initially told all of his friends and loved ones, he explained that he viewed this as a win-win situation.  Each additional day that he had on this Earth provided the opportunity to serve as a testimonial to his faith and Jesus Christ.  And if he lost this battle for life, he would be with his Father in Heaven.  Win-Win.

When the group was a few chapters into the book, Steve made a special request.  He asked if they would be open to bringing in a new member.  He thought that his mother-in-law, Sharon, would really enjoy the Bible study group and their book project.  Once again, Steve had demonstrated just what a special person he was.  Absolutely, they were more than happy to have Sharon join their group.  And they wondered, did Steve know how special and rare his close mother-and-son-in-law relationship was?

Sharon, or Mimi as Steve affectionately called her, joined the group, and absolutely loved it.  She enjoyed participating with Steve (who she had nicknamed, Stevers), and truly appreciated how fortunate she was to be attending with her son-in-law.  And she especially loved seeing other dimensions of Steve –  outside of the regular family setting.

For quite some time, Steve had read the Bible regularly, and he had a true love of Jesus.  He also had an inquiring mind and insatiable curiosity about things yet to be discovered.  He carried pen and paper and was perpetually taking notes as the group discussed the book they were reading and the biblical implications found within.

During the week, between the group meetings, when Steve came upon puzzling words or ideas in the readings, he would discuss his questions with Pastor Douglas Peake through email conversations. Steve had developed a close connection with Pastor Doug and had great respect for him – and for his thoughts.  Steve would often share his inquiries and the new perspective he had gained from their Pastor with the rest of the group during their meetings.  Deep, illuminating discussions frequently followed. Steve was truly a student of his faith.

And Steve was more than a student.  He also lived – and practiced – his faith. Brother David Steindl-Rast is a Benedectine monk who has given much thought to matters of faith.  He suggests that gratitude is inextricable from faith and spirituality and the notion of belonging and connection – belonging with God and belonging with one another.  To practice faith is to find the opportunity for gratefulness in every moment.  And the essence of gratefulness is practiced by attending to, listening to, and beholding others.  This was how Steve lived – in each moment of each day of his life.

When Sharon joined the study group, Steve was in his second round of chemo.  The treatments were tough; ‘knock you on your butt’ tough, in fact.  But Steve continued to work full-time, and after a long day of work, Steve went to the weekly Bible Study group meetings.  Sharon noticed that not once did he complain, or question “why me”, or lose his compassion for his fellow group members and their personal problems.  He stayed positive, and his engaging smile and warm laughs were gifts to the whole group.  And it seemed as though everyone came away a better person by just being around him.

Dayna witnessed this, too.  The first evening with Steve made a deep impact on her.  She was already strong in her own faith, yet Steve’s confidence in where he was going impressed her. His incredible optimism was inspiring. And as the weeks passed, and the group made progress in the book, Steve continued to amaze. Like Sharon, Dayna saw that he was always supportive and fully invested in the lives of the group members.  No matter how insignificant their troubles might have seemed in comparison to his own, he showed nothing but compassion and kindness.

While the Bible study group was still meeting weekly, Dayna and Brian became pregnant with triplets.  During the pregnancy, they lost one of the babies, and Steve showed incredible support to them.  And then, prior to the birth of their twins, amidst his own difficult health challenges, Steve and Julene hosted a baby shower for Dayna and Brian! Steve’s generosity knew no bounds and he was a constant reminder to live with gratitude and joy.

Words from David Steindl-Rast and David Whyte tell us:

Gratefulness is a knowing, deep in the soul, that many millions of things interact and merge and live together and mesh together and breathe together so that we may take even one more breath.  Thankfulness is the bubbling up and overflowing of joy – an unending generosity of presence – evident in participation and witness in our world.  Gratitude is a state of attention that shows we  understand the gifted nature of life.

   We inhabit a living world, with real faces, real voices, real laughter, real sorrow.  We sit at the table as part of every other person’s world.  To sit among friends and strangers, hearing the many voices – to be someone amongst all the other someones – is to deepen our sense of presence and therefore our thankfulness.

Steve knew this.

CaringBridge Posts

Super Bowl Blowout!
By Steve Andrews — Feb 2, 2014 10:03pm

I’ve been watching the Super Bowl tonight and I cannot believe what I’m seeing. Seattle is just destroying Denver. I really thought this would be a close game. Something like 25-23. Given the game is a blowout I thought this would be a good time to write a CaringBridge update. This past Thursday I had my 23rd chemo treatment. I’m getting used to the routine. I basically feel great when I arrive at the hospital for treatment, but then feel lousy when I leave. But everyday afterwards I feel a little better. For example this last week I went to work on Friday. Saturday I went for a 30 minute run. And then Saturday night Julene and I went out for dinner and a movie. We saw Philomena which was a great movie. Today (Sunday) I felt good enough to ride the bike (indoors) for 90 minutes. Bottom line is I get knocked down from the chemo, but then I bounce back quickly. Treatments are going well. I’m getting them every three weeks. My next scan will probably be sometime in late February or early March. If this scan shows good results then the doctor has talked about putting me on a maintenance program. This would likely include a reduced chemo regimen, or less frequent treatments. And this would let my healthy cells continue to fight the remaining cancer cells. We had a fantastic Christmas with both Michael and Karlie spending some valuable time with us. We spent some time at our Garden Valley cabin. We look forward to seeing them both during our annual March Spring Break vacation in Palm Desert, CA. Julene continues her online studies to become a Certified Health Coach and will soon be launching a health coaching business called Designing Healthy Lifestyles. And I’m her number one guinea pig! I’m making a lot of progress towards a whole food plant based diet. Kale is actually pretty good, you should try it! I’m feeling good and I’m sure the healthy diet is a huge part. I wanted to thank all of you for your continued prayers and being part of my X Factor Team. It’s amazing the support I’ve received from all of you. I wanted to close with 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I’m so grateful for everything I have in my life.

Good Scan!
By Steve Andrews — Mar 11, 2014 2:00pm

I wanted to share some great news with everyone. My scan results were great! Continued progress with either reduced or stable tumor size. More details to come. Currently at MSTI getting treatment.

More Details
By Steve Andrews — Mar 13, 2014 2:54pm

Sorry for the delay in giving you “more details” on my latest report.  Bottom line is that I’m doing fantastic!  The latest scan shows a reduction or no growth for my remaining tumors.  This is great news as it shows I’m still making progress with the chemotherapy.  Although the doctor is very pleased with my progress he wants us to closely monitor future progressions.  This could occur if the cancer becomes immune from the current chemo. But since the current chemo is still working, we have decided to continue with it for now.   I’m traveling to Houston on Monday to discuss potential future options (if necessary) with my MD Anderson Cancer Center doctor.  Spring Break begins later next week where we will reunite with Michael, Karlie, and many other family members. We are looking forward to this time together.  Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers.  My X Factor continues to build momentum and is a major factor in my good progress.