In 2008, President Obama campaigned and won the Presidency promising everything from restoring international respect for our country to calming the seas and ending “Global Warming”.  He promised to shutdown Guantanamo Bay, but yet it remains open.  He promised to bring all troops home from Iraq within 12 months of his inauguration, but yet there are still troops there and they are scheduled to return home on President Bush’s timeline.  He promised to win the war in Afghanistan, but yet Afghanistan is still as dangerous as ever.  He promised to turn the economy around, but yet the economy is in worse shape than when he was inaugurated.  He promised to end the divide in Washington DC and bring the country back together, but yet we are just as divided if not more so.  He promised to bring unemployment down, but yet we have hovered around 9% for the majority of his tenure. 

These are just a few of the broken promises of the current administration.  Before I am assailed for holding the President to an unfair standard, allow me to point out that these are his promises not my assumption.  His die-hard supporters will point out that he inherited this mess from President Bush and it takes time to turn things around.  My question to the Kool Aid drinking lackeys is, “when does this economy, war, problem become Obama’s problem?”  He has been in office for 3 years and things have only gotten worse. 

Too be fair, a few promises that the President made he has seen to fruition.  He promised to overhaul our health care system, but it is a huge over step of federal authority.  It is wildly expensive, does nothing to address the cost of health care, and will ultimately decrease the quality of care.  He promised to change our energy policy to increase our use of renewable resources, but yet we are more dependent on foreign oil than ever before.  His administration has subsidized solar companies that have since been proven as frauds.  They have subsidized electric car companies that are either not even in the United States or build cars that the public simply does not want to buy.

With this track record and public sentiment turning against a second term, you would think that the environment would be right for a landslide victory for a Republican nominee.  The problem with that theory is that the Republican elite seem to always find a way to shoot themselves in the foot before they ever leave the starting gate.  Don’t misunderstand, I do believe that the President is very vulnerable and by all rights should be soundly beaten in the election next fall, but the Republican power brokers seem petrified of nominating anyone that may have the slightest bit of conservatism coursing through their veins.  They seem to believe that if they just nominate the right liberal republican the public will rush to the polls to vote for them.  Look at who they pushed to the forefront last election.  I truly believe that if the Republicans nominate another McCain-like candidate, we will all be forced to suffer through another 4 years of an Obama administration.  The only way to defeat Obama in the next election is to run a candidate that not only has heard of the Constitution but actually believes in what our founding fathers actually knew what they were writing.

I early April, I was diagnosed with Stage 2C Testicular Cancer.  After surgery to remove the tumor, I had an abdominal CT scan which showed some enlarged lymph nodes.  After consultations with a Radiation Oncologist and an Oncologist at Johns Hopkins, it was decided that I would undergo chemotherapy.  It would consist of 3 cycles and each cycle would be 5 full days of chemotherapy followed by 1 quick treatment the following 2 weeks.  Well that was the plan, but one of the many side effects of the chemo is the destruction of the white blood cells.  The 3rd week of each cycle was delayed due to my white blood cell count dropping too low for any treatment.  Each cycle was originally planned to be 3 weeks but was actually stretched to 4 weeks each time due to my lowered white blood cell counts.

My treatment has taught me that it does not matter what we plan or think we know, if it does not line up with God’s plan it does not mean much.  We thought that we knew what our treatment schedule would be, but we had to adjust our plan.  We had planned on celebrating our 10^th wedding anniversary in early June, but because of my weakened immune system we spent our anniversary apart. 

On Father’s Day weekend, we found out that Janie was pregnant with our 5^th child.  Sadly, on July 25 she had a miscarriage and we lost the baby.  It was the first day of my last cycle.  A day that had started with some joy and hope of seeing the end of my treatment ended at the hospital with tears and despair.  We had made plans for that week to celebrate Livia and Virginia’s birthdays as best we could, but again our original plans were changed.

It seemed each new week would bring new disappointment and challenges.  I lay in bed one night, unable to sleep, crying out to God to use me however He needed, but to please spare my family any further stress and heartache.  My wife and I desperately want to be used by God, but it is difficult when you feel as though that you cannot handle anything more.  I thank God that He is faithful!

Throughout the summer, at every turn, every disappointment and crisis, God was there.  He was there with meals during my treatments.  He was there cutting our grass when I was too weak to do it myself.  He was there watching our children so my wife could be with me during treatments.  He was there throwing our girls impromptu birthday parties when we couldn’t be there.  He was there sitting in a waiting room with my wife while I was getting a treatment.  He was there giving me a ride home when my wife couldn’t be there.  He was there visiting me and praying with me while I was getting treated.  He was there delivering groceries to us.  He was there praying for us from near and far.  He was there sending us notes, cards, and messages of encouragement.

The love and help with which we have been blessed has touched us deeply.  Our church family has wrapped their arms around us and shown us the love of Christ.  God intended the church to help one another and share their resources.  Not any sort of socialist, utopian fashion, but the church coming together to help those in need.  How do we say “Thank You” to the many friends that reach out a hand to help?  All we can do is Thank God for each and every one of you who cooked for us, watched our kids, cut our grass, prayed for us, or helped us in any way.  You have all touched us more than we could possibly ever express.  Thank you for all you have done!

As of today, my doctor has told us that I am now in remission.  The CT scan shows that the cancer is gone and all of my blood tests show that I have no tumor markers indicating any new tumors are growing.  I will have to follow up with him every 3 months for the next year to monitor my blood and CT scans, but as of now I am cancer free!  We are praising God for His faithfulness throughout all of this and His healing touch!

While waiting to get started, Linda, one of the Oncology nurses, introduced Janie and me to Glen and his wife Anne.  Glen is receiving chemo for testicular cancer as well, but he is into it for a couple of weeks already.  It was a great blessing to get to meet Glen and hear how he is handling treatment.  Interestingly enough, he could not get his treatment because his white blood cell count had dropped below the acceptable levels.  He has to come back later in the week to try again.  He and Anne have 2 children the same ages Livia and George.  We exchanged ideas on how we are each explaining things to the children since we are all in the same situation.  I truly believe that God placed Glen and Anne here our first morning to help allay some of our concerns and fears.

We also found that the schedule was slightly different than what we had expected.  I still go for a full 5 days this week, but then come back next week for a few hours to get blood work done and get 1 type of chemo called Bleomycin, which I get once a week throughout my treatment.  Every day this week I will get 46.6mg of Cisplatin and 233mg of Etoposide with a total of 2000ml of fluids to keep me hydrated.  I also get a few types of pre-medications to help offset the side effects.

My mother came down from Philadelphia to sit with Janie and me all day.  It helps her to be able to see what I am going through personally rather than sit 2 hours away and wonder and I was grateful to have her here with us on the first day. 

I must thank the Kroneberger family for watching Livia, George, and Ginnie and Edwards family for watching Maggie.  Without their help Janie would not have been able to come and spend the day with me.  Also thank you to Dorian for sending us dinner for the first day and a special thank you to Melissa  for coordinating meals and childcare during my treatments.

The only side effect I have had thus far is a headache that came on after I got home.  The nurses believe it was from one of the pre-medications, Zofran.  They said if I get another headache after the second day they will look into changing the cocktail of pre-meds that I get to try to alleviate the headaches.

All in all it was a pretty good day.  I got to spend the day with wonderful women and see some great people who are going through something similar to me.  Many of them have great attitudes and smiles on their faces which is wonderful to see.  I believe it is a prime example of a peace that passes all understanding that can only come from one place, from God Himself.

Day 2 was pretty much the same as the first day with the exception of I also received my weekly dose of 30 units of Bleomycin.  The major possible side effect of the Bleo is some difficulty breathing.  Thank God I did not experience any trouble with my breathing.  The current side effects I am experiencing are a slight headache, an uneasy feeling in my stomach, and an hour and half bout of the hiccups.  The hiccups were by far the most annoying thing to date.  The day was spent mostly napping and catching up on some writing during my treatment as Janie was at home with the children.  Thank you to Vanessa and Casey who sent us a couple of pizzas and wings and also to James and Kristen for taking Livia and George to church for us.

Day 3 was a day when it is starting to catch up to me.  I feel as though I have very little energy at this point.  Coupled with the headache and uneasy stomach that never seems to go away, I am really growing weary of this whole ordeal.  Thank you to Allyson and Jesse for coming to our house to watch the kids so Janie could spend the day with me at Greenspring for treatment.  I also had a nice visit from Tony, Heidi, Amy, and Brian, who also came bearing a much appreciated gift bag of goodies.  Thank you to Barb and of course Allyson for the breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Day 4 I believe I understand why some people just decide that enough is enough and just give up.  It is a test of will to force yourself to go back and get hooked up for more treatment when you already feel terrible, knowing full well that what is causing your discomfort they are going to give you more.  It is a very scary feeling to want to give up.  I thank God for a very supportive wife who helps me to continue the journey.  Brandon stopped by this morning for a visit and to pray with me.  Thank you to Michelle for watching the kids during the morning so that Janie could sit with me for a few hours and also to Terry for dinner.

Day 5 was a bit different.  Since we started on Tuesday and needed to go for a full 5 days, day 5 fell on Saturday.  Greenspring Station was closed on Saturday so we had to go downtown to Johns Hopkins main campus for the last treatment of the week.  It was a bit more rushed than my other treatments since they close by 12:00 normally on Saturdays and my treatments normally last around 6-7 hours each.  They were able to speed things up as fast as they possibly could so we got out by 12:30.  My parents both came down to sit with me and because of the hospitality of the Boteler family, Janie was able to stay as well.  It was a nice visit with my parents that also included a nice lunch after my treatment.

The first week is complete and I now know what to expect for the next 2 cycles of treatment.  On the one hand I am glad I know what to expect, but on the other I am dreading the side effects that I know are waiting for me on the other side.  This experience is one that I know will be with me for the rest of my life, but I am trying to look for the lessons that I am sure God is giving me as I go through this.  People often say in times like this, “Just give it over to God”.  I myself have said it as well, but I have found that while you are in the midst of the struggle, it is easier said than done.  I desperately want God to use me and this experience for His glory, but I also find myself conflicted at the same time.  I want to be used by God, but I also selfishly want to be ensured that He heals me as well.  I know it is not wrong to want be healed, and I truly believe that He has healed me, but I find myself asking the question, “Am I limiting what God can do through me because I want to be sure I am healed as well?”  I know he can and will do both, but it is still a question that plagues me.  I pray that my answer to my question comes quickly, because I feel that it is holding me back.  It could all be my simple human mind trying to over think the whole situation.  Either way, I am sure that God has and will use me and my thoughts on the whole thing as only He sees fit.

My wife and I have been so extremely blessed by the love, prayers, and words of encouragement that we have received.  How could we express our gratitude sufficiently to show just how much all of our friends and family have meant to us over the past few months?  From the meals and childcare to the prayers and words that many of you have given to our family we are completely overwhelmed.  This is truly what God intended for the church to be.  The family of Christ coming together to help our family in need has helped my wife be able to spend time with me during my treatments and help her make it through.  During the week of treatments, I was present physically, but not much help at all.  The help and support of our friends and family enabled her to accomplish more than I think I would have been able to do if our roles were reversed.  Thank you to everyone for your love and support!

Their concern is that if I am truly Stage 2C then localized radiation therapy, while effective on the area being treated would completely miss anything else that may be floating around my body.  As the Oncologist explained to me, radiation therapy is very effective and cures about 75% of this type of cancer, but chemotherapy is around 95% effective.  I was never the best math student, but I do believe I can tell which treatment has a more favorable prognosis.  While I am not exactly thrilled with the prospect of going through 5 full days of chemo, 2 weeks off, 5 more full days, 2 weeks off, finishing off with 5 final full days, I would much rather just do it now than to find out a year or so down the road that we should have done this now.

I can’t say that the past couple of months have been something that I have thoroughly enjoyed, but it has been a journey of faith, love, and patience.  From the beginning I have believed that God has healed me, we just have to wait for the physical evidence of God’s providence.  I realize that some will say that God had nothing to do with my treatment, prognosis, or my recovery, but I believe that without God’s hand guiding not only my doctors and their recommendations, but also my decisions on which doctors to see and whose advice to follow.

I am generally a fairly patient person.  I normally don’t have a problem if I have to wait for something, but the past 7 weeks has been a true test of patience.  We have gone from 1 doctor appointment to another, each time expecting that the next appointment would be the one where we get the plan of what and when we are going to do next; only to find that we had to go see yet another doctor to hopefully figure out what to do with me.  Having to wait to find out what treatment that you will receive and when you will start is a very trying experience.  I was left wondering if we were waiting too long to start treatment.  What if we did radiation therapy on my abdomen and there was something left in my lungs or head that they missed?  The treatments are supposedly 95% effective, what about that 5%?  Will I be part of that rare percentage?  These questions and thoughts are what pop up in my mind as we wait and have the potential to keep me from praising God for the positive prognosis, and from focusing on what God has done for me and for our family.  Most importantly, keep me from remembering that it is all in God’s hands!

It has become cliché to say that an illness causes you to reflect on the love that you have for your family and friends, and I must admit that my cancer diagnosis and treatment is no different.  I have found that I don’t want to take anything for granted with my wife and children.  The love of my family has been a tremendous help in keeping a positive outlook and a sense of humor about my treatment and the possible side effects.  The expression of love from our friends has been simply amazing.  The prayers of our friends mean more to us than any words that I could possibly come up with in this short piece.  The words of encouragement from lifelong friends and from friends that neither my wife nor I have ever met help us realize that we are truly never alone as we go through this.  All of the love expressed is nothing compare to the love that God has shown not only towards me but also to my family.  There has not been a time since the first Dr. appointment until this point that we have not felt the loving arms of our Savior wrapped around us. 

So it begins, we now move into the treatment phase of this chapter of our lives here on earth.  I am planning on writing weekly updates to keep everyone apprised of what is going on with the treatment.  Thank you to all who have prayed, sent words of encouragement, or visited, you mean more to us than we could ever express.

From the very beginning, our family and our friends have been at our side supporting my family and myself.  Words could never suffice the deep love and gratitude we feel for all of you.  From the many phone calls and emails pledging prayer and words of encouragement, to the offers of help watching our children, to the help we received getting appointments with doctors at Johns Hopkins, all have provided a huge lift to our spirits.  I know I can honestly say that I feel Jesus’ arms around my family and around me because of the outpouring of love from our friends and family during this time.  All of you hold a very special place in our hearts and always will.

This experience has been an eye opening one to say the least.  I have never really been sick before in my life.  Other than an occasional cold, I have been blessed with a relatively healthy body.  It is akin to being blindsided by the likes of an NFL linebacker.  Here I am living my life, married to my best friend and a wonderful wife with 4 terrific children.  Seemingly on top of the world with no serious worries to fret about and out of nowhere comes cancer to shock me back into reality.  I had become complacent; lulled into a sense of ignorant comfort.  I had become the proverbial frog in the pot of slowly warming water.  Too comfortable to notice what was going on around me.  I imagine you are asking, “What had you ignored?”  I had become so comfortable with my “perfect” life, that I had allowed my spiritual life to stagnate.

Sure, I prayed every day and read my morning devotional.  I was in church every Sunday and believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who sacrificed himself for me, but I had become a ritualized Christian.  I could perform all the rituals and could talk the talk, but I had stopped walking the walk.  The news that I have cancer caused me to stop and take notice of what I had become.  I realized that I was not leaving a worthy legacy for my children to follow.  I was not leading my family spiritually in the manner that which God has called each and every husband and father.  I had allowed the minutiae of everyday life crowd out the single most important duty I have as a husband to Janie and a father to our children.

I am thankful that I serve the God of “second chances”!  My cancer diagnosis has given me the opportunity to recommit my life to Jesus Christ.  I find it fitting that this is Easter weekend and I am renewed in faith.  2000 years ago, Jesus allowed Himself to be falsely accused, arrested, stand for a sham trial, beaten and broken, humiliated, crucified, and murdered all for you and for me.  He didn’t deserve anything that was done to Him.  He willingly took our punishment, our death sentence, just so that we would not have to bear what we rightfully deserve.  He did this knowing full well that many would deny that He was truly the Son of God.  He knew that many would try to rewrite history and claim that he was just a “nice prophet”.  He endured unimaginable torture with the knowledge that I would relegate my spiritual life to nothing more than a hobby!  I don’t deserve a second chance, never mind the salvation of Jesus Christ, but God loves me, and each and every human being that has ever lived, so much that He sent His only Son to die in my place.  His grace and mercy is immeasurable.  I know that God has already healed me of my cancer, but that is not the issue any longer. My wife and I are, and will be closer because of this, but most importantly I am becoming the man that God intended me to be.  I am now awake!  If you are not living the life God intended for you, what will it take to wake you up?



The first aspect we need to realize is that this budget problem is nothing new, unique to this current Congress or this year.  The truth is that this current crisis could have been averted last year if the White House and the previous Congress, led by Nancy Pelosi, failed to even propose a budget for this year.  They felt they had bigger issues to deal with than to actually fund our government.  Then after the election all they could muster up was a continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government until the new Congress took over and they could be blamed for the problem.  Now the White House and the Democrats want claim that the Republicans do not want to compromise on how much to cut from the budget.  Maybe if they had done their sworn duty last year we wouldn’t be locked in a battle today that threatens to shut down the government.

Our country is over $14 trillion in debt and it is rapidly climbing.  Allow me to say that again, we are $14,000,000,000,000.00 in debt!  Believe it or not, I do not blame the Democrats for our debt.  Nor do I blame the President for it, and I don’t assign blame to the Republicans.  This outrageous debt is all of our fault!  Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike have continually elected economic idiots into Congress and the Oval Office.  Both Democrats and Republicans in Washington DC have spent as if there was no tomorrow.  Deficit spending has become the norm in DC and the hypocritical bureaucrats rail against each other about their special interests, all the while funneling billions of dollars to their own benefactors.  The politicians have realized that the public has started to wake up but they also know that the general public cannot comprehend the amount of money that is being thrown around.

Allow me to put our national debt in terms that we can understand.  $14 trillion is so large a figure that if you used $100 bills and laid them end to end, you could circle the earth nearly 5324 times.  The earth’s circumference is 24,901.55 miles and the $100 bill is roughly 6 inches long.  Here is another analogy many have already heard but it bears repeating again.  If I gave you $1 million to spend every day, you would have to live more than 38,356 years to be able to spend all $14 trillion!

I realize that these numbers may not mean anything to some on the left, so I thought I would put it into terms that they may understand.  For those who are pro-abortion let’s talk in terms that you will understand.  Since 1973, when Roe vs. Wade made abortion legal in the U.S., there have been an estimated 52 million abortions performed in the United States, on average around 3749 per day.  To reach our magical number of 14 trillion abortionists would have to work overtime to kill 1,009,372,747 unborn babies.  For the mathematically challenged, that is more than 1 billion dead children per day for 38 years.

For those that worship at the altar of Al Gore and his Global Warming alarmism, we shall put it in terms of bovine flatulence.  There are approximately 1.2 billion cows in the world and they are daily emitting in the range of 25-130 gallons of methane gas.  Since you are an alarmist we will use the higher number of 130 gallons per day.  That is 156 billion gallons of methane every day from cows passing gas.  To equal our 14 trillion number, the cows would need to increase their population to more than 107 billion.  Are starting to smell how bad our situation has become?

Our debt problem was created because we allowed our leaders to spend without any restrictions.  We collectively bought into the lie that they were looking out for our best interest.  We allowed them to spend us into oblivion all the while screaming that we deserved these government “benefits”.  After all we pay taxes, we are “entitled” to it.  The simple fact remains that we have no money to pay for the “benefits” that which we have grown accustomed.  Our Founders built a country that was governed by a small and very limited government.  We now have a government that believes it is their duty to regulate and control every aspect of our lives.  The skeptics out there scoff at such a notion, but how do you explain a government that tells you what you can eat and how and when you are to die?

Now is the time that our debt problem is resolved.  There is no quick fix to our budget woes, but now is the time to start cutting and fixing our budget.  Kicking the can down the street for another few years is no longer an option and it is up to us, our government’s employer to demand that they fix the mess that they created.



I find Ms. Turner’s assumption that only “serious” candidates will now run for public office both offensive and laughable at the same time.  I find it offensive because I personally took my campaign in 2010 for Congress in the 2^nd Congressional District very serious.  I sacrificed countless hours knocking on doors, meeting voters, and speaking at events.  I did not run as a joke or just to see my name on a ballot.  I ran because I was, and still am deeply troubled by the lack of honest representation in Washington DC.  If Delegate Turner succeeds in hiking the fees, many candidates like myself will not run.

I know what you are thinking.  What is the big deal if I, or someone like me does not run again?  You are right, I did not win, but I believe that I did affect the thinking of many people.  Without elections that are accessible to all citizens, we are ensuring that nothing will ever change in our state.  In my race alone, there were 5 candidates in the Primary and all of us were serious about running and wresting control of our country away from the career politicians.

I mentioned earlier that the proposal was also laughable.  It is extremely funny how terrified career politicians become when they feel that their “entitled” positions are threatened by the unwashed masses.  After all, how dare a private citizen, with no political experience challenge their “esteemed” position of power?  This proposal is nothing more than a transparent attempt to protect the ruling class. 

The McCain/Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act was a transparent attempt to protect the Federal ruling class.  It was sold as being necessary to get the money out of politics.  How did that work out for us?  There is more money than ever in politics.  The only thing it accomplished was to serve as a way to protect those already in office.  The supporters are trying to thinly veil it in the guise of politics is a serious business, but it is just as heinous as McCain/Feingold. 

In November, the majority of the country saw a rising tide of citizen legislators that landed them into their state houses and in Washington DC.  Maryland, however, saw very little change in Annapolis.  This legislation is just the opening salvo in a battle over who will control our state and our future.  Will it be the citizenry, or the career politicians?  The choice is ours now.  Let your elected representatives know where you stand on the issues important to you and your fervent desire to see them actually represent the will of the people.