Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Monday (12/23/13)

Update:  

Karen and I attended church yesterday; however I didn’t preach.  My buddy, Mel, preached and did a wonderful job.  I did the announcements, took the offering, and did the closing comments and prayer.  Then I attended the Sunday School class that I normally teach.  My friend, Art, taught that class.  He says he isn’t a teacher—but I beg to differ.  He did a fantastic job!  Just attending church and Sunday school wiped me out.  I went home and rested until some of my children came over for lunch.  Afterwards we started watching “The Hobbit” on DVD.  Part way through, I had to go to bed—church had really taken the wind out of my sails.  I got back up for a while later, but I wasn’t worth much.

About 8 p.m. my daughter from Chicago, Ruth and her husband, Cody, arrived home for Christmas.  What joy it brought to my heart to see them!!!  I am thankful they made the trip safely despite a bit of weather.  I look forward to spending some time with them this week.

This morning I was able to write about four cards and get them sent out in the mail today.  There are two women in our church who are hospitalized and whom I’ve not been able to go see.  Please pray for healing for Sandy and for Betty.  Sandy has been in the hospital 45 days now.

I’ve been working on my blog site.  It is almost ready.  I’ve been trying to get everything caught up so that you can get the logical flow of events and updates all in one spot.  This will help anyone who wasn’t kept in the loop the entire time to understand everything that transpired, at least from my point of view.   It’s not done yet, but you can already go see it and read what’s there.  Go to: stevenhurd@blogspot.com .   It will automatically take you to my most current update that I’ve entered.  Look over on the right hand side to the Blog Archive and you can scroll down and start at the beginning.

Today I go to the surgeon’s office at 1:30 p.m.  If everything looks good, he should remove my staples.  I am so excited about what may happen today.  We should find out about the next step in the process.  I hope that I will get the okay to take a shower.  I haven’t showered since November 24th. I have washed up with a cloth, but I long for the water to wash over me like rain.  I really want to have my haircut, but I always shower afterwards to get all the little pieces of hair off so I don’t itch.  So if I get to shower, I’m getting my hair cut too!

With the holidays, my wife has a two week break from play practice. “The Knights of the Round Table” which is part of a series on King Arthur will be presented in mid-January.  So for the next two weeks, my wife will be home more in the evenings.  I look forward to the extra time I will get to spend with her.

Thought for the Day:  

My buddy, Mel, preached about “Time” yesterday.  He reminded us that God is eternal—no beginning and no end.  I believe that God is not bound by time like we are.  All times are “now” for Him.  God created time for our benefit, not His.  That is interesting to think about.  We watch our clocks, we measure days and years.  Time is very important to us and our perception of things.  The bible says that God has ordained certain times for the events of our lives.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8   There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

From this we realize that there is a time or a season for everything.  Just think about raising kids.  There is a season of diapers, of potty training, of bicycles, of cars, of High School, of College, and Empty Nest.  Nothing lasts forever.  Everything has a beginning and an end.

I think of my own life.  There was a time with my foot; now there is a time without my foot.  There is a time of wheelchair use; there will be a time of prosthetic use.  There was a time I ate anything and everything; and now I have a very limited and careful diet.  For believers there is a time on this earth; there will be a time lasting for eternity in heaven.  Now is time when despite our greatest desires we sin; in heaven we won’t have to worry about sinning and bringing sorrow to the Lord.  Now is the time for our bodies to age and decay, for sorrow and grief, for pain and suffering; but scriptures declare that there is a coming day when we enter heaven that all that will be left behind.  Oh what a glorious time that will be!

So no matter what you are currently going through (either good or bad), remember that it won’t last.  This time or season will end.  If you are going through a rough patch, remember that eventually it will end so don’t give up hope.  If you are going through a good time, remember that nothing lasts and eventually things will turn.  Don’t get discouraged and give up.  Just realize that there is a time and season for everything.


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