MASON CITY, Iowa - A Belmond pastor is sharing the story of cancer and faith.
Reverend Peter Gardner heads Psalmist Ministries, and had Multiple myeloma, but stayed in contact regularly before, during and after treatment. While recovering, he came across notes from an old Bible study he did called the 'ASK Principle', which stands for asking, seeking and knocking.
After posting them on his blog, he turned all of his posts into a book, and shared his book with readers at Cabin Coffee on Saturday.
He says that while cancer or a serious illness or life issue, he believes God can bring out the good when facing a challenge.
"He brought a book, he brought the testimony. I have a Facebook page that has 3,300 followers, it's poetry that I wrote, that God gave me. Christian poetry, that just grew and grew and grew when I was going through my cancer. So you don't know what God's going to do through the battles that you face."
He says his faith helped him recover, and points to a specific verse: Proverbs 3:5-6.
"It says 'trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not onto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.' When we found out we had cancer, we weren't worried because we trusted God. And we knew that he could bring us through the battle. So we didn't try to understand what was going on. We trusted God."
To find out more about Reverend Gardner's story, or to acquire a book, click here.
