Remembering Lew Turner

After a long battle with cancer and a recent battle with lung complications, our brother in Christ, Lew Turner, passed away last Monday. He wrote this blog post a year ago, and we wanted to share it again in honor of him.

Written by Lew Turner

Hello I am Lew Turner. For those of you who do not know me. I was a member of

Farrington Road Baptist, which is the church that built the building that Waypoint meets

in. Upon moving into the new building, we changed our name to Journey Church at

Southpoint and then later merged with Waypoint. How all this happened was a miracle

by God. But that is a story for another time.

First of all, I want to praise and thank God for the love, grace, and goodness that he has

shown me as He walks me through this struggle with cancer. God is so good to us!

Also, thank you to all the members of Waypoint who have so loving, and caring, and for

praying for me. I cannot put in words how much this has meant to me.

My journey with cancer started back last June when I was outside, and I knelt down to

cut some weeds around my driveway. When I stood up a pain shot through my right

side. It felt like I had been stabbed with a knife. It was an intense, sharp pain that

remained constant in my side. I ended up having to go to the emergency room, where I

was diagnosed with Diverticulitis. This turned out to be wrong. What I really had was

colon cancer. I had colon surgery which was successful in removing the cancer in my

colon but the surgeon found a tumor on my liver and I am currently undergoing Chemo

treatments for my liver and to make sure there are no tumors in my lymph nodes. There

has been progress and complications during my recovery from surgery, but this is not

what I want to focus on today. I want you to understand how I can praise and thank God

for allowing this cancer. I can honestly say that If I could go back to June and stop this

cancer from happening, I would not do that. God has taken this evil meant to kill me and

turned it to good in my life. I would not change a single thing that has happened. You

might think how could a person say such a thing and really mean it? I will try and

explain what God has done for me.

When the doctor told me that I had colon cancer for the first few minutes it was like I

was drifting, not knowing what to do. Then I thought God loves me. He can fix this. So I

went running to God like a little boy who has fallen and skinned his knee runs to his

father because he knows that he can make it all better. God had my full attention and

for the first time in my life I was completely focused on Him. I started praying to Him but

I didn't know how I should pray, also I was concerned if I truly had enough faith. I felt

weak and afraid.

I called my sister and asked her to pray for me over the phone. She prayed for God

to increase my faith and I also asked God to strengthen me and make my faith in Him

strong. It was at that moment that I felt my faith in God rise up in my chest and harden

like a rock. I had no doubt that I believed God and my fear was gone. I was completely

at peace with the situation. Also God told me how I was to pray by bringing to my

memory how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane right before he was arrested.

Matthew 26:37-39 (HCSB)

37 Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and

deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, "My soul is swallowed up in sorrow—to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me.” 39 Going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as

I will, but as You will.”

 I was to pray telling God how I felt and that I wanted to be healed, but to finish saying

not as I will but Father your will be done. So, by faith I believed God and trusted and

obeyed Him. He knows what is best and will always do what is right. This was the

beginning of a miracle that God was working in me.

I completely understand that I can physically die from this cancer. I can be healed in the

now or my body can die. But I know that what happens is in God's hands and He loves

me, and God is going to do what is best for me and everyone. So I trust Him completely,

knowing that He is taking this evil and turning it to good. So I say God's will be done, not

my will. I say this because if I am healed now or when I go to be with the Lord I am

healed! Thank you, God!

Romans 8:28 (HCSB)

28  We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who

are called according to His purpose.

Speaking of God doing good. He has restored and improved relationships with me, my

wife (Mei-Yin) and my sister. God has shown me sin in my life where I had hurt them

and had me go to them and confess, asking their forgiveness. They forgave me and I

felt the weight of that sin lifted, and I was set free from the guilt that I had pushed way

down in my soul. I repented, turned away from the sin, and my heart is full of love for

God and a desire to please Him like I have never had before. My whole relationship with

God is now on a level of love that I have never had before, and I would not give this up

for anything. Each day God walks with me and talks with me it is a wonderful experience!

So, what I am saying is that whatever problems you have, first don't focus on the

problem but focus on God. Remember that your life is not about you, it is about what

God is doing in your life. Look to Him and see what He is doing and get onboard with

God. Believe God so that you may trust and obey Him. If you do this it will change your

life! It certainly changed mine.

Romans 8:31 (HCSB)

31  What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

We gain assurance knowing that God is for us. When facing times of suffering, we can

be confident that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. Jesus tells

us that we can expect times of difficulties in this age; but we can know that nothing will

be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:35,37-39  (HCSB)

35  Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or anguish or persecution

or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 37  No, in all these things we are more than victorious through Him who loved us. 38  For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, ⌊hostile⌋ powers,

39  height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the

love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

A Prayer Regarding Mental Health

Written by Erika Castiglione

September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness month. Last May, during mental health awareness month, I had the privilege of leading the congregation in prayer. This is a topic that is near to my heart for several reasons:

1. I have personally struggled with seasons of both depression and anxiety, and I know how overwhelming it can feel.

2. I know and love many people who struggle with various mental health issues and I long for their healing and wholeness.

3. I believe there is power in bringing things into the light, and I think it is good and right to dismantle the stigma we sometimes see in the church regarding mental illness.

4. Scripture-especially the Psalms-gives us a model for how to pray when hope seems lost, and our beds are “drenched with tears”(Psalm 6:6).

5. We experience unity as a body when we learn to both weep and rejoice with one another.

Almost every sentence in the prayer below has a scriptural counterpart. It gives me hope to know that God’s word speaks both to our brokenness, and God’s power to transform and heal. I hope we will continue to be a praying church, trusting in God’s goodness and strength, and when our faith is fragile, I hope we will look to one another to lift us up. Lastly, I hope we will seek out the help we need. If you are struggling, please reach out to a pastor, elder, staff member, or community group leader.

Now, let us pray:

Gracious father,

We pray for those right now who are burdened with depression. Those for whom joy feels like an impossibility, and peace always feels out of reach, those who like the psalmist, worn out from groaning, cry “how long, oh Lord, must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?” We ask that you to please draw near to them, heal them, transform their minds, cover them in your love and care.

We pray for those who are suffering from anxiety, whose minds, bodies, and hearts are weighed down by the brokenness of the world, the stress of their circumstances, or the effects of trauma. We pray for freedom, for peace, and wholeness.

We pray for those who suffer from other forms of mental illness, who are weary from seeking answers and trying to break cycles. May your light shine in the darkness and bring hope, new life, and redemption.

We pray also for those who care for those who struggle. Pour out on them an extra measure of grace and perseverance, give them a support system as well, and protect their hearts and minds.

We pray for counselors, therapists, psychiatrist, psychologist, and all those who work in the mental health field, many who are feeling overwhelmed themselves as they are caring for so many, and as they know so many are waiting to receive care. May you give them wisdom, guidance, and rest.

We pray that we would be a safe church for all who struggle in varying ways. We pray that we would seek understanding and show grace. We pray that we would trust you to do mighty things in our lives and we would trust you when the road seems long and unchanging. We pray that you would protect us from the lies of the enemy and that you would speak truth and love over us.

Thank you that you know every facet of our bodies, minds, and souls. Nothing is hidden from you. You know what we need, and you have the power to reshape what is broken and to bring beauty from ashes. Thank you that you have promised to hear our cries. Help us to take heart, and wait for you, so that we may see your goodness in the land of the living. Amen.

Learning From Stories of Injustice and Hope

Written by Brian Grasso

I serve as the Executive Director of Simple Charity, a nonprofit that inspires Christian college students to grow in solidarity with people experiencing poverty and injustice. While doing the initial fundraising for Simple Charity’s launch, a few advisors recommended listening to the stories of people who have experienced poverty before launching out to build a nonprofit that works to alleviate poverty.

I thought this was great advice, so I reached out to twenty nonprofits to ask if we could interview one person who has benefited from their programs. With permission from these interviewees, Simple Charity published their stories in their own voices. Then, a friend suggested that these stories could make a great podcast. I recruited two Duke students to serve as hosts, and Simple Charity’s Two Coins podcast was born.

Two Coins is a podcast with highly-produced, immersive stories of people who have overcome poverty and injustice. I believe that solidarity with the poor begins with humility, with a posture of listening and learning. Here are some of the things that I have learned through the stories in Two Coins.

I have what I have because of grace, not just my own hard work.

John Njoroge grew up in rural Kenya in a household that at times was “so poor that we didn’t even have salt.” He shared his story in the Two Coins podcast about how he was taken in by a missionary family, excelled in secondary school, went to America for college, and eventually earned a PhD in philosophy. Now, Dr. John Njoroge speaks throughout the African continent on the credibility of the Christian faith.

Stories like Dr. Njoroge’s remind me that while talent is equally distributed throughout the world, opportunity is not. Successful people are prone to believe the myth that the world is generally a fair place and that those who make it to middle-class stability earned their comfortable lifestyle solely through their own hard work. But if we are going to live in solidarity with the poor like Jesus did, we have to learn to be “poor in spirit” like he taught us to be, and this means acknowledging that all that we have is a gift from the Lord.

When we listen to the stories of people who have experienced poverty and injustice, we realize that many of them work just as hard as us and simply haven’t been given the same opportunities in life. This should humble us and help us to replace a spirit of entitlement with a spirit of gratitude.

The people doing the best work to combat injustice are people who have experienced it.

Vennila Mani works at a burn victim hospital in Bangalore, India, and is one of Dr. Prema Dhanraj’s best employees. She is able to empathize with patients because she herself was a victim of a horrendous burn accident when she was a little girl. At the time, there was no facility in the city that specialized in burns, so her recovery was slow, painful, and terrifying.

Vennila’s work as a nurse at Agni Raksha hospital represents a principle about mercy work that runs throughout the stories in Two Coins: Those who have experienced an injustice are the best equipped to help others experiencing the same injustice. Consider Claire Hababu who was a victim of human trafficking and now works with Love Justice International to prevent it. She can spot the warning signs because she herself was a victim. Or consider how John Njoroge, whose story I shared earlier, now runs a children’s home that serves 31 vulnerable kids. He says, “I see myself in these kids.”

What does this principle mean for people who want to respond to injustice but haven’t experienced it themselves? We should look for nonprofits that empower people like Vennila, Claire, and John to serve their own communities and then give, pray, and serve to support them however we can. We don’t have to be the ones on the frontlines. Oftentimes, that’s not the most effective place for us anyways.

When we give to charities that empower and employ people who have experienced poverty and injustice, we are allowing community leaders to be agents of transformation.

God can heal, restore, redeem, transform, and empower all of us, regardless of what we’ve been through.

The stories in Two Coins are intense. In one episode, a woman named Kika shares the story of being the victim of a devasting conflict-related rape in a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After this horrifying experience, Kika was transferred to the only hospital in the region that could care for her, a missionary hospital called Heal Africa. Today, years later, Kika is a nurse at that same hospital helping poor and vulnerable children to heal from similar trauma.

She says that she wants to share her story publicly in order to give people hope that God can heal anyone. She said,

“When I underwent this, I lost any hope of being healed one day and of becoming a normal person. So, I share my story to bring back the hope for other women who underwent the same situation as me--to bring them hope to get healed one day. Because God is operating miracles for people through other people and organizations like Heal Africa. So I share my story to give hope to those women who've lost hope.”

Stories like Kika’s throughout Two Coins are reminders that God is a miracle-working God who is capable not just of healing us of our pain, but of transforming us and using us to bring healing to others.