TREVOR, WI – Here is the story of a man, and what he did when he was told he had four months or less to live on this earth.
In August of 2015, Brett began having dizzy spells. One day while driving, one of his spells came on quickly and caused him to blackout. Brett ended up in a ditch, unhurt with no damage to his car. His doctors immediately began to try to discover the reason for Brett’s blackout. Since Brett was in law enforcement and has a high risk job, he was banned from driving for six months and would not be allowed to return to work until cleared by his office or another doctor’s office. Once his heart was cleared by numerous tests, he was sent for an MRI and learned that he had a malignant tumor in the thalamus region of his brain; a part of the brain where surgery is impossible. He was given a prognosis of fourteen more months to live. He is now living in month ten.
Brett and his wife, Tracy, have been married nineteen years and have three precious children; ages of seventeen, sixteen, and thirteen. Here are a few ways they are approaching their lives and future.
They are realistic. Brett and Tracy have not put their heads in the sand. They have done their best to prepare emotionally and financially for the inevitable result.
They live with hope. It was interesting to hear them talk about Brett's retirement and where they want to live someday (Colorado). This is not a positive thinking exercise, but they have faith in an Almighty God, knowing only He will determine when Brett’s heavenly homecoming will begin.
They live with peace in God’s sovereignty. Brett’s tumor continues to grow, moving from the thalamus region into the hippocampus region. While he has suffered headaches, the pain has been pretty minor, considering he has an aggressive form of brain cancer. He expected much worse. God has been gentle as He has placed him in the furnace for refining. Apart from his healing and provision for his family, Brett asked God for two things. That He would be glorified in his life or his death, and that his cancer would not be wasted; that He would complete the refining process in him and teach him everything he needs to be taught.
They live with urgency. Cancer has given Brett a better understanding of what James 4:14 means, “life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone.” His time is in God’s hands. He must live it totally surrendered to Him.
They live with mission. Brett and Tracy have always been active in their church. However, with Brett not being able to drive, and his wife working as a teacher, they decided to change up their ministry involvement by turning their home into a ministry hub to share the love of Christ.
They started a Cross Waves HotSpot, and each Wednesday night, friends, neighbors, and other law enforcement people come to Brett and Tracy’s home to hear how much God loves them, and even when life storms come your way, God is faithful. God has given Brett and Tracy a powerful platform to share God’s amazing love.
Cross Waves has removed the expense of maintaining church buildings by developing a network of homes around the country where hosts open their homes to others for a meal and weekly sermons via the internet. Each of these host’s homes are called HotSpots where they can mentor others in following Christ.
Brett started a HotSpot because he wanted to be intentional in mentoring others to follow Christ. However long God gives Brett to minister on this earth, these people who huddle in his living room every Wednesday will never forget his obedience to God.
So what would you do if you were told that you only had four months to live? Brett and Tracy are truly an inspiration in showing us that we should not waste whatever time we have left on this earth. Please pray for this family as they go through this valley. And pray for the courage to face life with the same grace and faith that these two people possess.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tim is the founding and lead pastor of Cross Waves Church, and is passionate about people becoming more like Christ. He developed the simple strategy for Cross Waves Church using technology and homes to make the church "buildingless."