A New Ministry

          So many things change as one grows older.  Some are expected, others are not.  Many changes are a challenge to deal with.

          I have had a challenge dealing with changes in ministry.  As a Christian I believe that I should be using my time and abilities to serve the Lord.  But sometimes these opportunities change.  For most of my years I could minister with music, with leadership, with teaching, with dealing with finances, and other similar situations.

          But time eliminated many of these opportunities.  The biggest challenges came when physical problems prevented me from going to church or even visiting anybody.  This has been a challenge and hard to deal with.

          I've asked the Lord for new opportunities.  He first reminded me of my two weekly blogs where I have unique opportunities to share with folks around the world.  He then reminded me of my leadership on our church prayer chain where I get to share prayer requests and answers daily.

          But then he provided me with a new opportunity which I now realize is a new ministry.  Last year my wife was asked to become a pen pal with a youngster in the Lancaster school District.  So, each month she corresponded with this young lady and shared with her.

          This year I was also asked to participate and I was assigned a fourth grader from a city school.  Now I don't know much about city fourth graders, especially girls.  But I am learning.  My pen pal is an African-American young lady who came to Lancaster from New York.

          I've observed that there doesn't seem to be any men in her life.  Everything she talks about is with her mother or grandmother.   She enjoys computer games and television.

          But what concerns me most is the apparent lack of any Christian influence in her life.  References to Christmas and Easter showed no understanding of their meaning.  This is what showed me that this is a real ministry for me – one that I never expected.  I am praying that somehow the Lord will grant me the words to share with her that might lead her sometime to Jesus.

          This is one ministry that I really need the Lord to guide because I don't feel capable on my own.  Will you join me in praying for my young female pen pal who needs the Lord?

Not Luck!

Over the years I have been writing life stories for my grandchildren. I have now completed almost 300 pages for them.  Some of them have appeared in previous blogs and I have decided to share others as I am doing today.             

          Life is filled with many unexpected events.  Many folks will say these events are just luck or coincidences.  But those of us who claim to know the Lord Jesus Christ know that our life events are part of His plan for us and not just coincidences.  Maybe they are even special miracles.  During the past three months we have had many of these special events which have been orchestrated by the Lord.

         If you have been reading my recent blogs you may be aware of the discovery of a very serious spinal condition that could have led to paralysis or even death if it had not been discovered.  A trip to the ER for expected heart issues led to this diagnosis.  A special surgeon who is normally booked many months in advance agreed to see me almost immediately.  This led to unexpected cervical spine surgery which replaced two discs, removed calcium behind three discs which had compressed my spinal cord and the removal of a spur. 

          Even the surgeon didn't anticipate this much damage and wasn't sure if he could correct it all.  But we prayed and he was able to do it all in 4 1/2 hours.  Coincidence?  Luck?  No, just a special intervention by the Lord.

         Now I had numerous limits following surgery, including not being allowed to drive.  I still can't lift more than 15 lbs. and complete healing may take up to a year.  Three days after my surgery my wife had her annual colonoscopy required for her ulcerative colitis.  Numerous biopsies were taken.  PTL, they all came back negative.  And the Lord was continuing to be in control with special blessings or even miracles.

          Several weeks ago, about 15 hours before my appointment to get cleared to drive again, Dianne passed out while we were putting a puzzle together.  We should have called 911 but she revived quickly and didn't want to go to the ER.  The next morning we went to her doctor who thought it might have been a TIA or a brief seizure.  He wanted to send her to a neurologist but I suggested that she see her heart doctor instead.  Then we found that the first opening with her heart doctor wasn't until September.  I wanted her seen right away so they set us up with another doctor in the same group.  He ordered more blood tests and a 24 hour monitor and promised to call as soon as he got the results.

          When he failed to call back we asked to see another doctor in their group and this one reviewed the test results with us and then ordered a chemical stress test.  They wanted it done in their facility but couldn't do it there for two weeks.  So I suggested checking with the hospital and they were able to take her, would you believe, at 7:15 the very next morning.      

     The Lord was continuing to work things out because when her test began we were surprised and pleased to find out that her regular heart doctor was actually on duty in the hospital that day.  He then was able to monitor her throughout the day.  I must admit that this surprise boosted my confidence and reminded me how that the Lord was really in charge.

          There were some problems with the stress test so the doctor suggested that while she was already there they should do a heart cath. If they found a blockage they would keep her overnight and do surgery the next morning.   But when the tests came back fine he then suggested that her electrical system should be tested.  We were then able to schedule another doctor in their group and see her July 3, the day before we were headed to Pinebrook and she was leaving for vacation.  And we were able to schedule Dianne's heart test the day we both returned home from our vacations.  Timing and availability a coincidence?  No!

          So on that Monday, at 6 am, she entered LGH where they went into her heart and examined the electrical responses.  About an hour into the test they called me and said that she actually needed a pacemaker.  I told them to go ahead and they implanted one while she was still out.  Later they did find some sort of glitch happened exactly at 11:51, probably from an external source and they never could figure out what caused it but her pacemaker was right on otherwise.  

          So, against my desires, they discharged her at 5 in the afternoon. They told me that if there was any problem we should call 911.  That suggestion didn't make me feel anymore comfortable, but seeing how God had been working everything out, I still knew He was in control ... and He was.  She actually slept in bed that night and everything appears to be slowly healing well.

          Now she can't drive for at least six weeks, but in God's perfect timing I now can.  And she is limited in what she may lift and she is not allowed to place her left arm above her shoulder for at least six weeks.  So we are a good pair and we often laugh about our restrictions together.  And it appears to be working fine, although I have much to learn about cooking, washing and cleaning.  

          But those are lessons I really need to learn anyway.  The one thing we haven't resolved is how I comb her hair.  All I've ever dealt with is my short hair and so this is a challenge.  One thing sure - I'll never be a hair dresser.

          But even more sure than that, God is good, all the time and all of our moments are in His hands. 

 

How Are You? (LB)

"Looking Back" is a feature in which I choose a previous blog which I have written, rewrite it and share it once again.  This one was first posted in 2013.

          Those of you who know me personally know that one of my pet peeves are folks who walk by me and say "how are you doing?"  Then they keep on walking.  They don't want an answer.  They really don't care how I am doing and don't want to take the time to find out.  It is just a greeting.  I'd much prefer that they just say "hi".  Sometimes if they pause, I'll answer something like "hanging in there", but generally they don't even wait to hear that.  
          Now a few of my friends answer "better than I deserve" which is probably a good answer, but even that becomes meaningless to those who ask the question.  I've often wondered what a person would do if I responded, "Just wait a moment and let me tell you how I am really doing."   Maybe that would cure them.

       Today we live in a world where we pass people all the time who are living with fears and worries and nobody really seems to care.  We pass them and ignore them, or nod our heads at them, or greet them with the "how are you doing?" meaningless question.  And we probably don't want to be held up to hear what is going on in their lives.  We are too busy or are hung up on our own problems to really care about them.  
          When I think about this, I often think of the words written by Steve Green, "Everyday they pass me by, I can see it in their eyes, Empty people filled with care, Headed who knows where? On they go through private pain, Living fear to fear. Laughter hides their silent cries, Only Jesus hears. People need the Lord, people need the Lord. At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door."

         I had a friend who was going through some difficult times and I hadn't seen him for awhile. Several times I had good intentions and had planned to really ask his wife how things were going.  But, I didn't, she passed by me, and I just greeted her with a "hi".  Then I received a telephone call that he had committed suicide.  I was stunned, but I guess not surprised.  When I look back, I guess I saw many of the signs, but didn't really think it would come to this.  But it did and it is so sad.

       Now this isn't the first time that suicide has affected friends of ours and unfortunately, in this day and age, it probably won't be the last.  Not too long ago a son of a friend of ours ended his life.  And there have been others.  Suicide has become very common in today's society.  And it has a terrible impact upon those who are left behind.  But, in a sense, while I can't condone it, I can understand why it happens.  If you don't have the Lord as your companion, it can be very hard to deal with loneliness and uselessness and hopelessness and illness.  It is hard to know what there is to live for in such circumstances.

       According to experts there are numerous warning signs. •  Appearing depressed or sad most of the time. (Untreated depression is the number one cause for suicide.)  •  Talking or writing about death or suicide.  •  Withdrawing from family and friends. •  Feeling hopeless. •  Feeling helpless. •  Feeling strong anger or rage. •  Feeling trapped -- like there is no way out of a situation. •  Experiencing dramatic mood changes. • Abusing drugs or alcohol.  •  Exhibiting a change in personality.  •  Acting impulsively.  •  Losing interest in most activities.  •  Experiencing a change in sleeping habits. •  Experiencing a change in eating habits. •  Losing interest in most activities. •  Performing poorly at work or in school. •  Giving away prized possessions. •  Writing a will. •  Feeling excessive guilt or shame. •  Acting recklessly.   It should be noted that some people who die by suicide do not show any suicide warning signs.  But about 75 percent of those who die by suicide do exhibit some suicide warning signs.

         So, with this recent experience I guess I have been challenged to be more concerned about how people are doing and if I can't do anything to help them, I certainly can pray for them faithfully.  

          And, by the way, please don't greet me with "How are you doing?", unless you really want to know.

Rainy Weather Humor

Nothing personal against Seattleites - feel free to change it to any other place that gets a lot of rain.

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A newcomer to Seattle arrives on a rainy day. She gets up the next day and it's raining. It also rains the day after that, and the day after that. She goes out to lunch and sees a young kid and out of despair asks, "Hey, kid, does it ever stop raining around here?"

The kid says, "How should I know? 
I'm only 6."

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"I can't believe it, " said the tourist. "I've been here an entire week and it's done nothing but rain. When do you have summer here?"

"Well, that's hard to say, " replied the local. "Last year, it was on a Wednesday."

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Q. What do you call two straight days of rain in Seattle?

A. A weekend

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What did the Seattle native say to the Pillsbury Doughboy?

"Nice tan."

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Did you know that Cinderella was a Seattle native?

Who else would need a fairy to get to the ball?

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Meteorological experts were predicting a gargantuan flood that would destroy the world.

The Pope went on worldwide TV and said, "This is punishment from God. Prepare to meet your Maker."

The President went on national TV and announced, "Our scientists have done all they can. The end is near."

The Seattle evening news came on and said, "Today's five day forecast-same as usual."

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What does daylight savings time mean in Seattle?

An extra hour of rain.

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It rains only twice a year in Seattle: August to April and May to July.