Joni: It’s a special treat today… I have my husband, Ken, here in the studio.
Ken: Hi Joni!
Joni: Good to be with you Ken… always good to have you here with the microphone. Ken, it’s be a while since our listeners have heard from you and gotten an update.
Ken: It has been.
Joni: You know I was talking to a friend the other day and she was asking me about how you and I are doing, especially having gone through cancer last year and the chemotherapy treatments and now this long term daily medication I’m on and all the things you still need to do to tend to my daily needs… pick up medical supplies, making doctor’s appointments… yada, yada. I was describing to her… you know Ken and I have been married over 28 years and I don’t know in the last eight, nine, ten, twelve months it’s like I’ve got a new husband… I’ve got a new husband!
Ken: A new husband!
Joni: Do you know what I’m talking about?
Ken: Yes I do. I think that it’s not so much a new husband, but I think we gained some insight through the experiences that we have had on this journey… the biggest being that you have a whole new outlook about life and what’s important. You know what I mean?
Joni: Well life for us is a little slower now.
Ken: Well it’s not that it’s so much slower now, but I think during that journey it helped us to slow down and to look at these things perhaps in a way that we hadn’t done before.
Joni: Galatians chapter 5 says “Keep in step with the spirit.” I think that for you and me going through this bout with cancer it has caused those steps to be pretty small.
Ken: Yes, we always want to try to take those bigger steps and try to get out in front and sometimes you know the timing isn’t our time… in fact most of the time it isn’t our timing, it’s God’s timing. And so it helps us to perhaps take a step backward and let God lead instead of us trying to lead.
Joni: We’re not traveling as much… we’re not on the road as much… we’re not flying as much and that’s a good thing, huh?
Ken: Well, good but you know I would point out, Joni, you are doing as many things, perhaps not traveling wise, but doing many things around here that are equally as important as anything we would do if we were traveling somewhere other than this area.
Joni: I think one of the things that we are doing is slowing down and taking time to pray for others. I think that’s been pretty special. When I look at our prayer list – the names we were writing down the other evening in our journal – I was amazed at the numbers of people that we are praying for.
Ken: Now we have such a large list that we have had to more or less have several pages.
Joni: Well, I think it’s when we go through affliction in which we’ve experienced the comfort of God you just want to pass it on… pass it on through words of encouragement… pass it on through prayer, huh?
Ken: Oh, exactly.
Joni: Any words for any guys listening today… some of our fathers who might be tuned in or husbands?
Ken: Well, I don’t know if it’s scriptural, but you take the time… at least I have…and the privilege to be able to fall in love with your wife all over again. I think that’s special.
Joni: That is pretty special. I guess it happens when the wife might be going through a tough time and you don’t turn your back on her but you just stand beside her and be that help mate; put your arm around her shoulder, squeeze hard and face the future together.
Ken: It’s just one of those things I would never have wanted to happen to you, but it sure has brought things into a whole different perspective.
Joni: Absolutely! Well, Ken, every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before and every day with you, my husband, is sweeter than the day before as well.
Ken: Amen to that, Joni!
Joni: Amen! Friend, drop me a line on Joni’s Corner at joniandfriends.org or you can always contact us at P.O. Box 3333, Agoura Hills, CA 91376.
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JONI AND FRIENDS
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