A Husband's Reflections
by Paul McKenzie
In these Reflections, the reader encounters a mind centered on the God Who is ever-present and always active, even in the midst of challenges in a fallen world.
In the Fall of 2014, my pretty wife Julie was diagnosed with breast cancer. In order to cope, I wrote a series of reflections throughout that challenging period of our lives, so I would not forget what we went through, and how our lovely Lord walked through this trial with us, many times carrying us when we could not walk ourselves. We learned an awful lot about prayer, God's providence, the Eternal perspective, and the love of friends and family.
Since that time, Julie had to go through a seven-year regimen of cancer-preventative medication that removed the estrogen from her body, causing her body to age quicker and resulted in giving her chronic insomnia, increased neuropathy, and osteopenia. Thankfully, the cancer has not shown itself again so far, but she is checked regularly. We pray that it never occurs again, but we also place ourselves in the Sovereign Will of our beloved God, Who works all things together for the good of His children. We agree with the great Apostle Paul who wrote,
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
(Romans 8:18, KJV)
These Reflections include those that I wrote for Julie's beautiful mother Glenda, who was suffering from lung cancer during Julie's bout with the breast cancer. Glenda spent much of her last year with us before she passed on to be with Jesus in May of 2015.
Short Description
“In these Reflections, the reader encounters a mind centered on the God Who is ever-present and always active, even in the midst of challenges in a fallen world. In this moving and motivating collection, Paul McKenzie displays the mind of a theologian through the heart of an artist. Paul has spent decades thinking deeply about Who God is and sharing those thoughts in his music and poetry. He is that all-too-rare combination of left and right brain, doctrine and application, truth and beauty. ”
Pastor Ken Brown, Community Bible Church, Trenton, Michigan
Paul McKenzie has undertaken a labor of love in this, his first published book, "Breast Cancer - A Husband's Reflections"
Paul McKenzie is a gifted Christian musician, composer, teacher, and writer. He has recorded numerous albums, created many YouTube videos, and writes a daily devotional called "Memory Verse". Paul's passion is to encourage Bible memorization, and he has written books and invented board games to facilitate this endeavor. Paul performs drama dressed as a character from the Bible, and recites full chapters and books of the bible, while consistently maintaining the writer's persona. His greatest passion, however, is serving God alongside his wife, Julie. They work together at church in Trenton, Michigan, where he assists as a musician, and as an occasional teacher. Paul and Julie have seven children and sixteen grandchildren between them, and his prayer is to be a true reflection of Christ to each and every one of them. Paul's favorite pastime is playing pool twice a week with his now ninety-year-young father, Pete McKenzie.