JUDA - The Rev. Tom Miller has plenty to be thankful for this year.
In July, the Juda pastor celebrated his 62nd birthday and he helped perform the wedding ceremony for his daughter.
Yet what he's most thankful for is just being here for it all. Miller, who has been the pastor at Juda Zion United Methodist Church and Oakley Union United Methodist Church for the past 10 years, learned in June he had cancer.
Miller's completed chemotherapy and most of his radiation treatments, but the treatments make him tired in the afternoons.
Still, despite all he's been through, his faith has grown stronger, his resolve greater.
After diagnosis, he had four surgeries. Doctors removed his bladder and thought they had removed all of the tumor. Unfortunately, on July 15, Miller was informed that some cancer remained.
"I panicked," Miller said. "It's one thing to be told they got it all and another to be told there might be some left."
Miller said he wrote his obituary, even as he struggled to find the will to battle on.
"I began to think of how God is a healing God, and I was determined I was going to fight," he said.
His faith and trust in God gave him the courage to make it through the difficult treatments, said Miller.
"I don't know what I would have done without (faith)," he said.
There were times when he was discouraged, but something always happened to make him feel better.
"I had all of the people in my churches praying for me and that helped," he smiled. "On days when I felt despondent, I'd get a card or a call from someone telling me they were praying for me.
"Sometimes I didn't even now who the person was, but they told me I was in their prayers."
From June until August, he was away from his churches, but the congregations had other ministers step in to help.
"I was gone, but I wasn't forgotten," he said.
One little girl brought him a yellow pillow and told him it was the sun and it would help him feel better. One member of the church brought him a new joke book to read.
"Maybe he thought I needed some new material," he said, adding that he also received lots of flowers and letters.
His first Sunday back at church was Sept. 5. It was an emotional day for him as he thanked his church families. Miller said it's hard for him to even remember what he talked about because of the overwhelming feeling of love and support he felt that day.
Miller will be done with radiation treatments in December. After that, he hopes to be cancer-free.
"You have to trust God and trust your doctors," he said.
In July, the Juda pastor celebrated his 62nd birthday and he helped perform the wedding ceremony for his daughter.
Yet what he's most thankful for is just being here for it all. Miller, who has been the pastor at Juda Zion United Methodist Church and Oakley Union United Methodist Church for the past 10 years, learned in June he had cancer.
Miller's completed chemotherapy and most of his radiation treatments, but the treatments make him tired in the afternoons.
Still, despite all he's been through, his faith has grown stronger, his resolve greater.
After diagnosis, he had four surgeries. Doctors removed his bladder and thought they had removed all of the tumor. Unfortunately, on July 15, Miller was informed that some cancer remained.
"I panicked," Miller said. "It's one thing to be told they got it all and another to be told there might be some left."
Miller said he wrote his obituary, even as he struggled to find the will to battle on.
"I began to think of how God is a healing God, and I was determined I was going to fight," he said.
His faith and trust in God gave him the courage to make it through the difficult treatments, said Miller.
"I don't know what I would have done without (faith)," he said.
There were times when he was discouraged, but something always happened to make him feel better.
"I had all of the people in my churches praying for me and that helped," he smiled. "On days when I felt despondent, I'd get a card or a call from someone telling me they were praying for me.
"Sometimes I didn't even now who the person was, but they told me I was in their prayers."
From June until August, he was away from his churches, but the congregations had other ministers step in to help.
"I was gone, but I wasn't forgotten," he said.
One little girl brought him a yellow pillow and told him it was the sun and it would help him feel better. One member of the church brought him a new joke book to read.
"Maybe he thought I needed some new material," he said, adding that he also received lots of flowers and letters.
His first Sunday back at church was Sept. 5. It was an emotional day for him as he thanked his church families. Miller said it's hard for him to even remember what he talked about because of the overwhelming feeling of love and support he felt that day.
Miller will be done with radiation treatments in December. After that, he hopes to be cancer-free.
"You have to trust God and trust your doctors," he said.