Bald Faced Lie

Posted on September 11, 2026 by Robert Franklin
Hooded traveler carrying books and curiosities through a rocky mountain pass
God will never give you more than you can handle.
-Lucifer, Satan of the World, Prince of Deception, Accuser of the Brethren.

What I will write in the next few paragraphs is not to be an accusation against anyone. I have no right to throw stones. Not even a pebble is ‘in hand.’

What I will write in the next few paragraphs is not intended to stir up sympathies. I intentionally post here rather than using other platforms to avoid drama and to give myself a fair opportunity to communicate with those who either know the person behind the screen or who have a self-directed interest. (As opposed to succumbing to an algorithm-driven attention grab.)

Michelle and I are deeply loved. We know love, we feel loved. We are also well aware that unless a lesser miracle happens, what is to come will most likely get worse, potentially far worse, possibly exceedingly worse.

Wednesday, September 9th marked 41 years of Michelle and my ‘official’ relationship. We both still remember well our ‘first date’, a ‘double.’ Romance is certainly not dead!

Yesterday those eyes I still find so captivating, brimming with tears, locked onto my own eyes and asked to me to help her.

I couldn’t. All those things I’ve learned to do (and be) these past four decades didn’t even scratch the surface of her need; nor did the narcotics we have at hand.

Overwhelming pain took her and Michelle cried. I felt like I was being torn inside-out. It was more than I could bear.

For more than 3o years I’ve been privileged to stand alongside people who also have been given more than they could bear. Financial ruin, deaths of infants, children, grandchildren and beloved spouses, suicides, sexual violence and even a few murders.

I am certain: ‘It is what it is,’ is absolutely no comfort.

I’ve known the crushing of ‘too much’ in the past and I am feeling it in this circumstance and most likely will feel it again. Maybe even today.

I know the One who created everything and holds everything together and yet was unable to carry His own cross to His execution site.*

I know the strength of family, bought with Jesus’ shed blood. This family serves as examples to us, who encourage us, who sacrifice in many ways to be gifts to us for Jesus’ sake.**

I know that even if I were to be thrown helpless and naked and even guilty before Him, I would not be cast out.***

I know we cannot ‘handle’ this now or in the future, but we will depend on Who will see us through.****

Thank you for praying, please don’t grow weary doing so.

If you are ever tempted to swallow the bald faced lie that God never allows us to endure more than we are able to ‘handle,’ reject the thought and receive the Love that overcomes every weight that life and death can possibly pile on.*****

*And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, bot in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created by Him and for Him. And he is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1.15-17, NASB95)

And when they led HIm [Jesus] away, they laid hold of one Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus. (Luke 23.26, NASB95)

**Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” (Romans 12:9–10, NLT)

***Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” (John 8:10–11, NASB95)

****Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6–7, NKJV)

And one more a friend shared with me this week: Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (Psalm 13:3–6, ESV)

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Where is Hope?

Posted on September 4, 2026 by Robert Franklin
Ambitious Claim of Our Local Healthcare Provider

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3–5, NKJV, emphasis added)

The sign posted in multiple places where Michelle received her medical treatment was an emotional pelting every time I saw it. Sometimes I’d feel incredulous, sometimes angry, sometimes pressured, sometimes just sorrowful. I never got to the point where I felt nothing.

Some of the caregivers Michelle visited this past year believed Science is indeed the source of hope. For them Science wasn’t just a empty tagline.

We disagree now. We’ve disagreed from the first time we saw the poster. We think it ridiculous to place such a burden on a thought process, a means of organized discovery (and un-discovery). We hold a genuine compassion for the priests and priestesses of ‘Science’ as God, What a massive millstone to hang on a finite mind no matter how brilliant and educated and experienced.

In Michelle’s case, what science had to offer wasn’t effective and her cancer continues to grow and spread in her body. So, treatment for her cancer came to a close yesterday. Michelle is now under hospice care which will allow her to remain at our home. All medical care will be aimed at making every day in her body as comfortable and pleasant as can be achieved.

No, we have not ‘given up.’ How could we? We knew clearly from the onset that the only solution to this tribulation was a lessor miracle and that knowledge is unshaken. Only One holds all our lives both individually and collectively. Only One removed death’s power over those who belong to Jesus., If Michelle’s life here is extended, what a gift. If Michelle’s life here is ended, what a far greater gift.

No, we do not know how many days, weeks, months Michelle may have on this earth. We do know the One who counted her days before she breathed her first and who knows the exact moment of when she will breathe her last.

This is a Tribulation (yes capital ‘T’). Jesus promised those who follow Him that such would come. There is no disappointment.

Plenty of pain both physical and emotional.

No disappointment.

Hope is neither missing nor lost. He found us and holds onto us until we see Jesus face-to-face.

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, his covenant, his blood,
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found:
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

Edward Mote, Hymns of Praise published in 1836 and still true today.

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Consolation Prize or Deepest Desire?

Posted on August 29, 2026 by Robert Franklin
Person walking along a dark country path toward a distant light
Are We Mostly Alone Going Nowhere?

We’re born alone. We die alone. And in between, we spend our lives looking for something: connection. That’s all we want. Every once in a while, we might find it in a true friend. Many friendships will come only to fade as quickly as a firework, but some, a rare and precious few, turn life up to 11 and keep it there. You have to hold on to friends like these because, just like air, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.–Attributed to Actor Christopher Walken

I’ve struggled how to construct this week’s post for many weeks. I know what needs to be shared, but have little idea how best to do it. My ‘recycle bin’ is full of rejected attempts and, be assured, the following sentences will barely reach below the surface of my heart.

Some years ago I taught on the topic of heaven (series entitled ‘Heaven is for Dead People’). I was compelled to do so partly out of my own passion for experiencing heaven’s reality and partly out of frustration that so few people I knew desired or thought of heaven at all. Heaven rarely came up as a topic of conversation other than at funeral events. Over and over again I witnessed, “Oh well, they’re dead; they must have gone on to a better place.”

Like much of pop culture philosophy, Walken’s quote (shared in a German television commercial), is a mixture of lies and partial truths. I will not parse which is which as I do appreciate the intelligence of those who will read this post. I will, however, beg for consideration of these truths posited below:

  • Our life is God-breathed. It has always been God-breathed. Our every breath is an expression of grace. There is never ‘alone’ in our existence on this earth, never life lived on it’s own power.*
  • Our life-gift was created to be eternal. Our experience of life is limited due to sin’s terminal effect.**
  • Sin’s penalty is paid and death’s power removed through the Cross of Jesus Christ and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.***
  • God re-breathes life, abundant and eternal, into those who ‘deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Jesus.’****
  • Heaven is the fulfillment of the promise of eternal life and the restoration of all that God made good without any presence of what is wrong. It is the union of relationships with God and others without any barrier. Our languages have no adequate adjectives to convey the bliss and joy of such an existence.*****

By the time I write again, a decision will be made to continue or to end medical treatment for Michelle’s cancer. Regardless of that choice, our position is unchanged; we wait for a lesser miracle but remain confident of receiving the greater miracle.

We all observe each other die whether we like it or not. Every moment of every day is one moment, one day closer to the reality of life’s breath being exhausted. When the charade that death is not happening is removed, as in Michelle’s and my current circumstance, it is excruciating. It is the agony of helplessly standing beside, unable to repair, unable to, in many instances, even to give a little relief. This is not the time to believe in fairy tales. No self-delusion can serve as an emotional ‘binky’ to soothe the ache within.

The longing for the reality of the best place being near intensifies.

Heaven, the deepest desire.

I received positive feedback when I shared JJ Heller’s song and I thought it may be worth adding a couple of my long-time favorites. If you listen carefully, both artists do well articulating truth.

*“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7, NASB95)

“In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?” (Job 12:10, NASB95)

**“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NASB95)

***““For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.” (John 3:16–19, NLT)

****“And He (Jesus) summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”” (Mark 8:34–9:1, NASB95)

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:3–9, NLT)

*****“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.” (Revelation 21:3–7, NLT)

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The Stone Almost Forgot

Posted on August 21, 2026 by Robert Franklin
‘Ebenezer’: part of our life since 2000.

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”” (1 Samuel 7:12, NASB95)

Our first Kentucky ‘home’ was located on the Oldham-Henry county line. The people were incredible and the soil is tillable farm land and not overly rocky. When I unearthed this little beast in 2000, I thought it had the makings of a natural marker. I set it up in the landscape of the house I was helping to build at the time. This stone became Michelle’s and my ‘Ebenezer.’ The Lord had helped us through so much and I remembered that truth every time I passed by.

When God moved us from Sligo, KY to a land further north and east, Ebenezer came with us. I set Ebenezer near our front door. The reminder that God was helping was needed truth. When we moved again, we put Ebenezer in a ‘safe place’ so that the testimony would remain.

We moved yet again, building a house ground-up and we tried our hand at farming…rocks. Tilling the ground in Bracken county is nothing like the soil we enjoyed at the turn of the millennium.

I dug up all these rocks, using them as a foundation for our front porch.

And these rocks too.

And these rocks out of our garden.

And these rocks as well.

But wait! There is more. An endless supply!

Ebenezer resided at the start of our long gravel drive and gradually became ignored among all the other stones in our lives. The truth represented was not overlooked, but Ebenezer was lost. When I released Ebenezer from heavy overgrowth this past week, what joy to recall how God has helped us this far.

Michelle struggled these past 10 days. Her pain became increasingly unmanageable and Wednesday we had an unplanned visit to the cancer clinic at the hospital. The treatment Michelle received was effective and a true blessing. Michelle is now on even stronger pain medicines than before, but the number of pills she has to take daily is far less and her comfort increased. She is still awake and aware and puttering around the house making sure her home is as close to being as she desires it to be. The Lord has helped us thus far and Michelle feels better than she has since this current round of immunotherapy commenced over a month ago. We are grateful.

September 3 will be a milestone date (pun intended). The ‘last try’ immunotherapy’s efficacy will be evaluated that day and decisions made on how to proceed. As you pray, please ask for clarity in the test results and wisdom as to the next step on the journey.

In the interim, Ebenezer will be standing ‘in the way’ once again, serving as memorial of God’s help thus far.

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You Already Know (how you will bless us)

Posted on August 8, 2026 by Robert Franklin

Just a few hours after the confirmation of Michelle’s cancer diagnosis last year, this song popped up on my Apple Music feed. This was the first of an avalanche of blessings we are experiencing and a lesser miracle. I don’t listen to this genre of music. I’d never heard of the artist. I rarely let Apple or Spotify or Pandora pick music for me. The algorithm should not have put this song on my playlist. Preschool music selections would have made more sense! I have grandchildren whose parents occasionally ‘pollute’ my music feed while they visit and those songs do hit occasionally, much to my chagrin. This song didn’t ‘belong.’

This intrusion serves as testimony from the first that God was present, active, and in control.

Initial interactions with the cancer care doctors were bewildering at best. However, Michelle’s first nurse was a woman who lives in the same town and attended the same congregation I served as a pastor. Our assigned social worker is a woman I baptized as a child and whose mother and father I also served as pastor. These were familiar and compassionate faces amidst all the in and out of medical team members. Blessing!

Michelle’s assigned medical team were confident that they could help, even arrest the spread of an aggressive and ‘deadly’ cancer. They focused in on the fact that even though there was no question that Michelle had cancer, her bloodwork results were that of a healthy person (minus the cancer markers). The first set of treatments Michelle tolerated well, the second set resulted in level 3 liver toxicity. The treatment to reverse the damage restored her cancer-ridden liver to full functioning. What could have, and often does, result in hospitalization or death, was simply an uncomfortable episode. The planned cancer treatment failed, but Michelle stayed in good spirits and was still even working outside our home. Difficult days, but full of blessing.

The cost of the initial treatments neared $300,000 in first 3 months. No surgery, no hospitalization, just tests and immunotherapy drugs. Our portion after insurance, drug company assistance etc., was not only small but we were able to pay in cash. This blessing is ongoing to this day even as the total cost of her medical care currently has $1,000,000 on the not too distant horizon.

The immunotherapy regimen the doctors felt held great promise failed. Michelle was referred to and accepted into a clinical trial. The trial assisted in covering ongoing costs of medical care and provided us with an entirely different medical team and treatment venue. This change was a blessing of immense proportion.

Jesus-family stepped in and helped fill gaps in travel and support for Michelle allowing me to fulfill the responsibilities of my job while knowing Michelle was under loving capable care. My boss restructured our group to provide some extra space for me to be away to take care of Michelle and to be a bit less stressful while at the job. Jesus-family who had specialized expertise gave sound counsel and also assisted us in negotiating the legal and medical labyrinth into which most people are placed in similar circumstances. Our pastor and his wife and son, some of the worship leaders Michelle worked with over the years and our small group members came to our home and sang with Michelle and prayed over her. Mega blessings.

The cancer continued to spread and do its damage. Michelle developed a fracture in her vertebrae. The drugs prescribed to manage the pain eliminated Michelle’s ability to work outside the home or to drive. She became deathly ill: a combination of side effects of a test drug and the pain medicine. We alerted the medical team and they made necessary adjustments. I didn’t expect Michelle to survive May, but she did. Her overall ‘quality of life’ rebounded better than a superball dropped off a roof. An amazing blessing received.

Our daughter who lives in South Korea was able to visit for an extended period of time with one of our granddaughters this spring. Our daughter in central Kentucky arranged to spend an afternoon/evening with us weekly to help out and just encourage her mom. Our son helped complete the bunkhouse building which he and our grandchildren have available to them during their bi-weekly weekend stays. Blessing, blessing, blessing.

My sister came in from North Carolina and helped with doctor visits and lifted the general mood. My mom took up several responsibilities in order to free up time for me to serve Michelle. My brothers and their spouses are continual encouragements. Blessing.

We received cards, phone calls, texts, financial gifts and other thoughtful encouragements locally, throughout this nation and even from overseas. People we have not met or only know as acquaintances have shared the love of Jesus with us in truly meaningful ways. Blessing, blessing, blessing, blessing and more blessing.

I should write more, for there are even more blessings to celebrate. I’ve missed chronicling many significant gifts from the Lord. There are so many more ways God demonstrates us unmerited favor in this challenging season.

Michelle’s pain is incrementally becoming harder to manage. Her ability to go out is becoming more difficult as car-travel hurts her and being away from home for more than a couple of hours can be exhausting. Still, we’ve been able to go out and do some things together. We enjoyed a summer full of family. My brothers and their spouses even travelled into town to celebrate my mother’s upcoming 80th birthday (another lesser miracle-no one lives close to us).

Yes, he already knew how He would bless us and we are indeed truly blessed.

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How are you? (Part 1)

Posted on July 31, 2026 by Robert Franklin
Man in brown plaid suit holding pen and paperwork standing in front of used cars at dealership
I Am Asking But Do I Care?

Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:3-4, NASB)

I inwardly cringe whenever I’m asked, ‘How are you?’. I will provide the reason for the automatic response in a later post (part 2). Today I’m going to just answer the question.

Before I write anything further, however, I want to express my deepest appreciation for the many who have asked me this question over the past seven months. I cannot remember one time when someone inquired without desiring an honest response. What a precious gift! I am thankful.

  • I am blessed. This is true, all the time. All the time, this is true. It is important to share why I can say this with confidence and with complete transparency. I will follow up in another post soon. There is so much to share.
  • I am at peace. From the onset of Michelle’s cancer, I knew that the best statistical chance for her remaining with us for five years was 13%. I read stories about those with the same subset of cancer who lived out the five years and many testimonials were just gruesome. Living seemed more of a punishment than a gift. The idea that God’s direct intervention was unnecessary was too ludicrous even to consider. I can trust God, so I can be at peace.
  • I am in pain. Sometimes, but not too often, I feel like everything between my shoulders and hips is like a wet dishrag being thoroughly wrung out. The prospect of a life without Michelle is just too much to bear. It hurts just like I described, many who will read this also know the feeling. The days Michelle and I have are gifts, but each day seems to end with Michelle a bit further away and that is a soul-ache.
  • I am tired. So many things whirl around me which limit my ability to deeply sleep. It isn’t new for me to not to rest. I’ve never been more than 5-7 hours a night guy. Now the lack of sleep coupled with near constant concern for Michelle has me occasionally dozing off at the dinner table. Embarrassing!
  • I am humbled. Experiencing life with Michelle as she deals with the reality of what is going on in her body with such a gentle spirit is challenging. It is my experience that if a person really wants to pursue holiness, genuine ‘right-ness’ with God, suffering has to be near. Michelle’s suffering shines light on parts of me that ‘just ain’t right’ and I’ve been doing much surrendering and confessing over the past eight months.
  • I am joyful. I am not by nature a ‘joyful’ person. God made me a melancholic personality and I am learning to use who I am to bring God honor. Joy, I am discovering (over the past 2o or so years) is not a feeling like happiness, but rather the deep assurance that regardless of the circumstance I am boundlessly loved. Not only by God, but those who God indwells around me. To know, even for a moment, that deep assurance of love, is to know joy.

I am enthralled with all of Psalm 37, but verses 3-4 captivate my imagination. My favorite phrase is, ‘Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.’ I’ve diligently pursued obedience to this command. As a consequence, I’ve walked alongside people who endured sorrows too much to for them to ‘handle.’ I’ve wept for and with those whose hearts are crushed by catastrophe. I’ve stood nearby as the final breath of life left broken bodies. I’ve watched and learned and stored up and kept and cultivated. So many who I’ve known and now know form for me the Biblical ‘cloud of witnesses’ who compel me to stay in the race. So I shall. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

So that is ‘how I am.’

Honestly.

Michelle’s body seems to have done well with the ‘last concoction’ of immunotherapy the doctors tried. She is continuing to experience an elevation of her pain little by little. Our family who spent the whole summer with us are returning to South Korea, so we will be down 5 members in just a few days. That is just sad, but necessary.

We are still asking for a lesser miracle.

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