Marty

Three cheers for Marty Moore!

Marty is a big fan of bluegrass music in general, of Last Road Bluegrass band in specific, and just an all-around nice guy. I met him last year when our band played at Rholetter's Apple Valley bluegrass festival in Westminster, and was struck with what an enthusiastic, outgoing guy he was. Marty just LOVES bluegrass music.

Well, there's more. Marty is also an esophogeal cancer survivor who has lately been undergoing another round of chemo. Marty had been kicking around the idea of having a bluegrass benefit concert, with the proceeds going toward the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. After some encouragement, Marty organized it, promoted it, and...

Last night, Marty's benefit concert became a reality, and it was a big success. It was held at Gettys Middle School in Easley, and featured two local bands (Wooden Nickel and Last Road), as well as national touring bluegrass act Kenny & Amanda Smith. There were a few hundred people in attendance, and everyone had a good time. It was great to see Marty so excited, so enthusiastic about the fundraiser.

Marty is a wonderful example of an upbeat Christ follower who is looking to the Lord for his strength, as he battles this terrible disease. At my own church, I know of at least two people who are in various stages of battling cancer. Sue is a wonderful, energetic Christian missionary whose cancer has been in remission for a number of years now. Shari is another great example of a believer whose walk has been intensified since her diagnosis a year or two ago. She shared in our Life Group meeting last week that she considers her cancer diagnosis to have been a blessing in that it has brought her so much closer to her Lord.

It's been said that nothing focuses the mind like the diagnosis of cancer. Finding out you may only have a few years or months to live makes us ask some important questions, questions that we might otherwise ignore or put off until later.

For a non-believer, these questions might be: Is there really a God? Was Jesus just a man, or were his claims true? If Christianity is true, where do I stand? How can I have a relationship with God? Where will I go when I die?

For a Christian believer, the questions might be: What is God's unique purpose for my life? In the time I have left, what do I want to get done? What does God want me to get done? What do I want people to remember me for? Am I living the way God wants me to be living?

One of the two coolest questions I've ever heard asked is this: "If you were diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and had only a few weeks or months to live, what would you do differently in your daily life?"

Your answer to that question reveals your true values. It forces you to look at the "big picture" of your life, and decide what is truly important.

The other coolest question relates to your answers from the first question: "Why not start doing these things today?"

Is there something in your life that you know you need to give up? Or something you've always wanted to do, but never got started? A natural talent or skill you've neglected? A person you've never reconciled with?

Well, why not live like there's not much time left, and do these things now?

That's the way Marty's living, and it's an awesome thing to see.