{"id":7072,"date":"2022-09-30T11:35:45","date_gmt":"2022-09-30T11:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/?p=7072"},"modified":"2025-03-31T14:39:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T14:39:26","slug":"just-thinking-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2022\/09\/just-thinking-what\/","title":{"rendered":"3 – Just thinking what?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7073″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Most of the time, all is calm, then I’m in a bit of a storm. I was never a great fan of big dippers and so I always kept away from them. The trouble with this big dipper is that it comes to get me!<\/p>\n

I am very happy to say that my urgent appointment with the urologist came through very quickly and I saw him on Saturday. [Calm.] My prostate seems to be OK. [Calm.] But there is a lump near it, where I have been having pain. He is sending me for urgent CT and MRI scans and referring me to another consultant. [The carriage on the big dipper is going up.] The CT scan will be chest, abdomen and pelvis so that, if there is anything there, they can see how far it has gone. [Going downnnnnnnn!]<\/p>\n

The one good thing about big dippers is that it’s nice when it stops. You can get off and get your feet on the ground again.<\/p>\n

It all makes you think, but what you think about is what matters. I have said many times that I get upset, angry, absorbed or even obsessed by things that don’t matter, or by things that I cannot possibly change. I shudder to think how much time I have spent ranting at politicians on the news! It achieves nothing! Even if I could rant at them face-to-face, they will never change. It is a waste of effort, a waste of emotion and a waste of time.<\/p>\n

Every tick of the clock is another second which I will never get back, another second off my life. No matter how long my life is going to be, I don’t want to waste a single second – not one![\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God\u2019s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.<\/em>
\n(Romans 12:2)<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]With that in mind, I am changing the way I think and changing what I think about. I am trying to stop thinking about some things altogether. By doing that, I can let God change my life. If I stop thinking about the people or things that make me angry, Then I will stop having angry thoughts, I will stop being angry, I won’t be an angry person and I won’t have wasted precious time.<\/p>\n

It is so much easier and effective to spend time reading the Bible and in conversation with God than it is to have an imaginary argument with a politician who isn’t even in the room. An argument with someone who isn’t there is effectively a talk with satan himself! A conversation with God is prayer to God.<\/p>\n

And prayer really does work! The appointment with the Urologist did come through very quickly and the fact that he has referred me for the scans and other consultant will, I am sure, carry extra weight. Libby and I have prayed for the pain to disappear, and for most of the time I am pain-free. We have prayed for peace and calm in us and we have had a lot of both!<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ\u2019s return.<\/em>
\n(Philippians 1:10)<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]If I am to change the way I think, I need to understand what matters, and think about that. Anything that doesn’t matter isn’t worth thinking about. So, what matters? What is worth thinking about?<\/p>\n

Tick, tock….[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”7073″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Most of the time, all is calm, then I’m in a bit of a storm. I was never a great fan of big dippers and so I always kept away from them. The trouble with this big dipper is that it comes to get me! I am very happy to say…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[429],"tags":[427,421],"class_list":["post-7072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life","tag-cancer","tag-thought","category-429","description-off"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfWaLo-1Q4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7131,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2022\/10\/7-the-big-sea\/","url_meta":{"origin":7072,"position":0},"title":"7 – The Big Sea","author":"Robert Pender","date":"27\/10\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"7132\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\" style=\"vc_box_shadow_3d\"][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]For most of the first 20 years of my life I lived next to the Clyde, a beautiful river with stunning scenery around it. Where I was, the river was very wide and was for most of the time calm. Occasionally the wind would get up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7424,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2023\/06\/23-lashings-of-lashes\/","url_meta":{"origin":7072,"position":1},"title":"23 – Lashings of Lashes","author":"Robert Pender","date":"10\/06\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"7426\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There are a lot of things happen when you get chemotherapy, but everyone is different and it all depends on the recipe of drugs which they put into you for your particular cancer. Most people tend to think that hair loss is going to happen, and most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7440,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2023\/07\/24-the-lucky-phew\/","url_meta":{"origin":7072,"position":2},"title":"24 – The Lucky Phew!","author":"Robert Pender","date":"25\/07\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"7441\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I should have written this way back at the start of July, but things got in the way. In my last post I was saying that the CT scan had been delayed and that they had decided to extend my chemo a bit. I'm glad to say\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7224,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2022\/12\/13-how-are-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":7072,"position":3},"title":"13 – How are you?","author":"Robert Pender","date":"10\/12\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"7225\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\"][vc_column_text css=\"\"]Just three little words - How are you? How often do we say them? I think most of the time we don't even say them, we just let them out, because it's just a form of saying hello. Yes, we mean the hello bit of it,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7242,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2022\/12\/14-plans\/","url_meta":{"origin":7072,"position":4},"title":"14 – Plans","author":"Robert Pender","date":"16\/12\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=\"7243\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I have always been a great believer in making plans, especially when we are doing something special or going away somewhere. It is best to get it right and not miss anything out. Be in control! The trouble is that we are seldom, if ever in control.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Life"","block_context":{"text":"Life","link":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/category\/life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7406,"url":"https:\/\/pender.org.uk\/index.php\/2023\/06\/22-questions-questions\/","url_meta":{"origin":7072,"position":5},"title":"22 – Questions, Questions","author":"Robert Pender","date":"01\/06\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"So, did I buy the turbo trainer, or didn't I? Well, the answer to that is easy - it's yes. 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