LACENTER, Ky. — “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” That verse from Psalm 118:24 is one that John Plumley embraces every day.

When you know what is happening in his life, you understand why it dictates how he lives each day.

Plumley, a member of First Baptist Church in LaCenter, was diagnosed Oct. 20 with Stage 4 cancer. Despite that drastic upheaval in his life, it has fueled his passion to tell others about Christ. He left his long-time secular job at the end of 2024, and on Sunday (Jan. 12) he surrendered to the ministry. “I don’t worry about tomorrow,” he said, referencing Psalm 118:24.

His pastor, Jason Hay, talked about the blessing that Plumley has been at the church.

“John has faithfully served the church and has truly exemplified being the hands and feet of Jesus,” Hay said. “Over the years, he has served as a teacher, youth and children’s chaperone, bus driver, deacon and more. On Sunday morning, I had the privilege of witnessing John publicly surrender his life to God’s calling, and it was deeply inspiring.”

Despite the recent diagnosis of terminal cancer, “John has embraced his reality with unwavering faith, determined not to waste a single day. It has been incredible to see him live each moment to the fullest, engaging in gospel-centered conversations with everyone he encounters. My heart has been filled with both encouragement and conviction, a powerful reminder that none of us are guaranteed tomorrow and that we must dedicate today to Christ.”

When Plumley’s cancer diagnosis came, he was told he could live five to six months if he didn’t take any treatments. Chemo might give him up to 18 months, and at Vanderbilt Medical Center he was told he might have up to two and a half years. “At that point, I knew that before I was born God had a birth and a death date for me. I am not going to let man put a date on my death.”

He and his wife Lynn have four children, ages 4 to 28. “I taught them that God is in control. But when this (cancer) happens to you it affects every area of life, your financials, your relationships. Through this God has supplied unbelievably — He has provided every single thing we need.”

It has built his faith and widened his impact in the community. “It’s not natural for me to go up to strangers and tell them about the Lord, but in this sickness, God has used it as an opportunity to witness to people on a daily basis. It might be a conversation of God being involved and how He is working in our lives and taking care of our needs. My testimony from a young child until today is that it’s not me, it’s always God. Every single thing we do, He is part of it. When you are working and healthy, you know that it is God. When it disappears overnight, it is God. We lost half our household income in one day. I was hospitalized and couldn’t work and haven’t been back to work since Oct. 20 … but I don’t worry about tomorrow.”

As Plumley enters the ministry, he looks back on his life and sees how God was at work. When he was 16 and living in Illinois, he thought he was called into the ministry. He had the opportunity to preach, and after that message he received a phone call that the pastor’s daughter had been saved.

Upon moving to Kentucky, he said he went to church but was a “benchwarmer — not involved in anything.” But then he found out that the church had been seeking a bus driver for months, and since he drove a truck for his living, he reasoned that was something he could do.

“It opened one door after another,” he said, prompting him to study and pray for ways to be used by the Lord. Then came a call asking if he would do a six-week series based on a Tony Evans’ “Kingdom” study.

“God started opening one door after another,” he said. He began teaching Sunday school for third through fifth graders, then started going on mission trips, one to New York and a couple to Cuba.

“I wanted to go because the Lord wanted me to go — not because I did,” he said. He recalled the time in church that he heard about the Cuba opportunity and asked the Lord to show him if the Lord wanted him to go. “When they said ‘amen,’ the woman in front of me said, ‘You need to go to Cuba.’”

As a member of First Baptist in LaCenter for almost a decade, Plumley said he “got involved in everything at church. Because I was living in God’s will, we still had time for family even though it was a busy schedule.”

He said, “COVID hit me hard. I needed to be in church and around people to influence me. I wanted to do things, but I was doing the things I wanted to do. God changed my ministry — I still did youth trips but not teach Sunday school. He opened up an opportunity for me to be a Gideon … God started using me in different ways.” He said handing out a Bible helped him realize “nine out of 10 people you meet are going through something … and it gave me an opportunity to witness to them.”

Since his cancer diagnosis, he has had opportunities to share his testimony at various churches.

“When I get up (to the pulpit) I have the urge to preach and share the Word,” he said. “I feel that is God’s calling on my life. I have been given a lot of opportunities.” Saying he was never comfortable in a hospital setting, that has changed since his recent hospitalizations. “There are things I couldn’t do before that I am able to do now.”

The Plumleys live in Bandana, Ky., only a few miles from LaCenter First Baptist. Many in the community are aware of his health situation, and that has opened doors for him to be used by the Lord.

“I can’t go anywhere that I have people say they are praying for me,” he said. “People have been encouraging me,” including when he saw a police officer near his home who prayed for him. Also, at the local Walmart he got into a conversation with an employee and explained about his cancer and was able to share with the person how God was working in that situation. “God has put somebody everywhere I go for me to witness to or to encourage me.”

While praying for a miracle regarding his health, Plumley understands God can say yes, no or maybe later. And that is why his daily mindset will be “this is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice in it.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in Kentucky Today.)