Wednesday (1/15/2014)

Update:

Health-wise I continue to grow stronger.  I’ve added a number of upper body strength exercises to my twice a day routine.  Over the last couple of days I’ve had a tight muscle in my residual limb and that muscle in my back is a little sore again.  I think the two are related.  Most of the day my leg is elevated and straight.  With me in a wheelchair most of the time, that means I am bent at a 90 degree angle while sitting.  So I am trying to lay stretched out more on the couch or in the recliner to give it a bit of a rest.  I was really tired this morning so after breakfast I went immediately back to bed.  I was surprised that I slept for over two hours.  Guess I needed the rest.

Mike Ehrat came over on Tuesday afternoon and installed the “almost new” dishwasher that Mark Duce gave me.  Dick and Zach Krueger carried our old portable dishwasher to the basement for storage and then brought the table that Dick Bedward built me into the house.  The old broken dishwasher got put in the garage for disposal.  I appreciate the generosity of the Duce family for giving me the dishwasher.  Mike finally got over the flu so he could come over to work on installing it.  Dick and Zach walked in to a “could you guys help me?” ambush.  Thanks everybody!  It is so nice to have the extra dishwasher out of the dining area and my table in place so I can use it daily.

  

Despite the beauty of the snow, it means work to shovel it.  I appreciate Dick Krueger faithfully clearing our driveway and walk.  I also notice Dick Bedward stopped by and cleaned the ramp and steps into the house off after the snow finally ended.

My wife is my biggest helper.  Karen does the laundry, cooks most of the food and does the dishes.  She runs the errands and goes searching throughout the house for things that I need. “Before Thanksgiving, I think that it was in my office…”  Things have been rearranged so much that I have no clue where many things are.  She also lifts the wheelchair in and out of the car every trip that I take with her (that’s a lot of work for her!!!).  I appreciate all that she does for me.

I have had so many people do so many things for me—it is overwhelming to consider.  I’ve received items that I needed, I have countless gifts of service done, I’ve gotten a bucket load of cards with well wishes and I know that many have prayed over and over again for me.  I don’t take any of these contributions to my welfare lightly.  It is humbling  knowing that I will continue to need additional help for the rest of my life; hopefully I can regain more ability to do things on my own, but there will be some things that I will never be able to accomplish on my own.  I never want to get use to others helping me and accept it casually.  I always want to remain grateful for gifts that have been provided.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3   We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

My life came to a crisis point for me on Thanksgiving Day 2013.  In some ways, I have lost the last three months with illness, hospitalization, and now recovery.  I still have a Thanksgiving-themed wallpaper on my office computer and my cover on FaceBook is about giving thanks.  Out of date and yet still so appropriate! I have so much to be thankful for this year that it cannot all be contained on one single day.  So every day I thank God for His provision for me through you and people like you.

Thought for the Day: 

There is the old song that we’ve sung in church that begins “Count your blessings, name them one by one…”  It is a reminder for us to stop and take time to remember what we have to be thankful for.

What do you have to be thankful for?  Have you expressed your thanks to those who have blessed your life?  As a Christian, not only should I do that but I also should thank God because ultimately “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights…” (James 1:17).

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18   Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

So here are a few of the big ticket items that I am thankful for:

1) I am alive.

2) I live in a time and place with excellent medical care.

3) I have the support of many people.

4) I have a great prognosis of leading an active and full life.

5) I have a loving family who are giving up much of their time and energy to assist me,

6) I have a job & a church family who are giving me the time to recover & return to work as I am able.

7) I have a relationship with a loving God who strengthens and supports me each step of the day.

I could take these seven items and bust them down into hundreds of specific items to be thankful for.  I could give thanks to hundreds of people and still not mention hundreds more.   For every act of kindness and support that I know about there are dozens more that I am totally unaware of what they have done for me. 

I am not suggesting that my life is perfect and I have no problems.  I could easily make a list of things that I am NOT thankful for that would fill up pages and pages.  But what would be the point?  Just grumbling and complaining which would drag me down emotionally and not do me any good (let alone anyone within earshot). 

So I choose to focus upon the good things, the blessings, and things that I am thankful for.  When I take that approach, I am strengthened and encouraged.  My outlook is better.  My attitude is improved.  I am happier and healthier.  And I am easier for other people to be around.

Here is what I have found.  Prior to my illness and amputation, I would struggle to name off things I was thankful for.  I could easily give you a list of things that needed improvement.  But it wasn’t necessarily easy for me to give thanks.  And that is a shame because I had so much to be thankful for.  What I have gone through has helped change my attitude (it’s not perfect—but certainly improved). 

I’ve noticed that I have a changed perspective in a crowd.  I am sitting and everyone else is standing around me.  I am lost in a forest of trees and can easily be disconnected from the flow of conversation around me.  In the kitchen, I look at the upper cabinets much differently than when I stood on my own two feet.  It is much easier for me to look children in the eye and be down on their level.  There has also been a shift of perspective in my attitude and level of thankfulness.  I see things differently than I once did.

For me, it took a major life changing event to get me to change my perspective.  I am hoping that you are able to learn from my example and become more thankful without having to go through something like I have.  I think the big thing is to take time to evaluate and remember.  It doesn’t have to be perfect for you to be thankful for it.  Is it a positive in your life?  Give thanks.  Did the person mean well?  Give thanks.  In all things and in all ways, give thanks to those who deserve it; especially to God the giver of all good gifts.

Tuesday (1/14/2014)

Update:

The appointment with the podiatrist was interesting.  Most of it was informational and warnings about how to care for my remaining foot.  Any signs of blisters, sores, red spots, etc. I am to hightail it back in to see him.  Dr. Roberts said that now that I have had one foot amputated, I am ten times more likely to have the second one amputated too.  Our goal is to beat those odds with proper care of my remaining foot. 

One thing that is happening is that the doctor prescribed a specially designed shoe and special insert to remove pressure points on my foot.  Apparently, my choice of footwear will be limited to that one shoe for the foreseeable future the way it sounds.  I am truly entering a new phase in my life!  Each visit to a doctor gives me one more piece of the puzzle of what this phase of my life is going to be like.  I cannot say that I like the sound of one shoe that fits all occasions—but who knows I might really like the way it looks and it will become my favorite shoe.  And if it helps me beat the odds of losing my second foot, well then, it sounds grand!!!

After the doctor appointment, Karen and I went shopping and out to eat.  I got to drive the motorized carts at Sam’s Club and at Festival Foods.  It was really wonderful getting to go into the store and help shop.  I found the freezer cases at Sam’s impossible for me to get anything out without Karen’s help.  Otherwise it was nice to cruise up and down the aisles.  Those carts need to be built with a bit more speed.  They aren’t geared for a man’s “Grab ‘n Go” mentality of shopping.

We went out to eat at one of Karen’s favorite places, Red Robin.  I like the food but the building is always so noisy.  The acoustics were designed to bounce the people noise around—I think to give the place some energy.  All it ever does for me is to give me a headache.    We got there about 4:30 p.m. and the place was deserted.  We thought they were closed because we had never seen the parking lot that empty before.  I think there was one other couple in the restaurant when we sat down—so it was very nice and quiet.  We enjoyed the food!

It was pretty amazing that I was out with my doctor appointment and doing shopping for six hours and didn’t crash because of low energy levels.  However, when I got home it was “game over.”  I hope to build up that kind of endurance so that I can resume more of my old lifestyle on an everyday basis.   Right now I can do one or two big events each week; but I need a day or two to recover before going on the next one. 

Thought for the Day:

How do you define a “good day” or a “bad day”?  Generally we would think receiving an unexpected gift is good and being in a car accident is bad.  Getting a promotion is good and getting fired is bad.  Getting a full night’s sleep and feeling healthy is good and not getting enough rest and being sick is bad.  You get the idea and you could probably come up with a list of twenty to thirty items for each category without any difficulty.

But how do you choose what is “good” and what is “bad”?  If we think the purpose of life is for us to be happy, then we can evaluate events as good or as bad based upon our emotional response to them.  Yesterday in the Thought for the Day, I talked about having a worthwhile purpose that is beyond us, that makes life worth living.  If you evaluate good and bad based upon that kind of worthwhile purpose it can drastically change how you rate the events in your life.

For instance, if you join the high school football team to have fun and hang with your friends, you might say that the coach who is always pushing you and working you hard every minute of every practice is bad.  However, if your purpose it to get stronger, better, and faster as an athlete then you might say that he is a good coach.

There is an Old Testament story in the Bible that really drives this idea home.  Joseph’s brothers hated him.  He was the baby of the family and his father doted on him.  One day the brothers faked Joseph’s death and sold him as a slave. Joseph fared well as a slave in Egypt until he was falsely accused and thrown into prison.  Through a turn of events, Joseph eventually became Pharaoh’s right hand man in charge of preparing for a predicted famine.  As the famine continued, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt seeking food and were brought before him.  When they realized who Joseph was, they were terrified of him exacting payback.  Instead here is what he said,  “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”  Genesis 50:20   

If Joseph viewed the purpose of life to be happiness, his life was certainly ruined by years of separation from his family and life as a slave.  But Joseph saw a higher purpose and understood that the circumstances  he endured put him in the right place at the right time so that the people of Egypt  (and the surrounding world) would not starve to death during this severe famine.  You meant it for evil—God meant it for good.

If you tally up Joseph’s life, most of what happened to him would be considered bad when evaluated at face value: hated by siblings—bad; sold into slavery—bad; falsely accused by boss’s wife while doing what was right—bad; serving time in prison for a crime you didn’t commit—bad.   But looking at the big picture changes things: serving as Pharaoh’s second in command—good; preserving thousands and thousands of lives—good; being reunited with your family—good.

What seemed like it was bad was actually good.  Warren Wiersbe in his book, “Looking Up When Life Gets You Down” says this in response, “In other words, we had better be cautious in identifying the experiences of life as “good” or “bad,” because we might be wrong!”

While you are in the midst of a situation you really don’t have enough perspective to effectively determine whether something is truly good or bad.  It is not until later in life that you can judge well.  And even then, there will be times when only God knows how the events of your life made a difference in accomplishing His plans and goals.

So don’t let your circumstance weigh you down and bum you out.  Don’t assume that God hates you and life has given you a raw deal.  Don’t let your emotions determine how you view life.  Choose to believe that there is a purpose and a plan and that God will use everything for His good purpose.  Don’t give up.  Don’t grow weary.  Instead “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”   1 Corinthians 15:58

"Lopsided Bicycle" Video

Here is a short video of me doing one of my exercises.  My son thought it looked funny and suggested we video record it.  Hope the "Lopsided Bicycle" makes you smile:

Monday (1/13/2014)

Update:

I have a Podiatrist appointment this afternoon.  His job is to keep my right foot healthy and happy.  I am not certain what to expect on this doctor appointment.  I guess I’ll just put my best foot forward and see what happens.  (Yes, that was intended as a pun) J

My amputation board for my wheelchair finally came in.  My buddy Adam installed it for me on Saturday.  Wow! That makes life much easier!  I am supposed to keep my left leg elevated to reduce swelling, etc.  Without that piece on the wheelchair I’ve had to use a stool and several pillows.  The pillows were constantly shifting and falling off.  Or if we were out somewhere I’d have to find a chair of the right height to prop my leg up on.  Now I’ve got the support I need!  One added benefit is that now I can fit under my desk at the office.  Prior to this I was sitting sideways at the desk to keep my leg elevated and twisting at the waist to get to the computer and keyboard.  This is much better!  At my last appointment with my surgeon, I was given some freedom to let my leg down for some of the day and not wear the leg brace as much during the day.  That’s a nice feeling. 

Except for the bathroom and getting in and out of the recliner, I have been making my transfers (bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to vehicle) without the walker.  One less piece of equipment to drag around and mentally it makes me feel that I am making progress and am more independent.

After the doctor appointment this afternoon, we’re going grocery shopping.  I told Karen that I want to go in the store with her.  So far, I’ve been left in the car while she runs in for something at the store (or I’ve stayed at home for the larger shopping trips).  I used to do all of our shopping, so this will give me a little connection to my past (and hopefully my future).  It sounds like fun and I’ll get to drive one of those motorized chairs in the store! 

My son, Joshua, and I had fun Saturday evening making a video of me doing one of my exercises.  My son, David, suggested it after breaking out in laughter watching me do it earlier in the week.  I hope this forty-second video entitled “Lopsided Bicycle” puts a smile on your face. Here’s the address to the You Tube version: http://youtu.be/MDiYWkOYzuo 

Joshua and I worked on Saturday recording a ten minute version of my testimony/story.  I volunteer for Good News Jail and Prison Ministry by doing a weekly bible study in the county jail for a number of years. (Since my hospitalization, I have been unable to do the study).  Our local group is holding a meeting this next Friday and Chaplain Brian asked for me to give everybody an update.    I am doing a wedding this weekend, so I wasn’t available to attend the Jail meeting—thus the need for the video.

Overall, I am feeling much more comfortable and confident moving around and doing things.  If I can’t reach something in the upper cabinet or on the top shelf of the refrigerator, I set my brakes on the wheelchair and stand up for a minute to grab what I need.  Oh, such a feeling of empowerment!

I did face one situation that I was glad someone came over to rescue me.  My bed adjusts (head and foot raise and lower) with a remote control.  It is an older bed and sometimes the controller is a bit wonky.  I got up Saturday after reading in bed so the head was raised.  I tried to lower it and the bed wouldn’t respond.  I kept fooling with the controller thinking eventually it would work—yet it never did.  I finally wondered if the bed had come unplugged from the wall.  With the position of the bed, I could not see it from the side, so I climbed up on the bed and tried to get in a position to get my head up over the edge to see the wall socket.  I was doing this trying not to bump my stump or put any pressure on it.  That would have been a funny video watching my flounder!!!  My son, Jon, and Adam showed up and plugged the bed back into the wall for me.  Problem solved.  I don’t know if I could have done it on my own. 

Thought for the Day: 

What is the purpose of life?  Warren Wiersbe in his book, “Looking Up When Life Gets You Down” says that “Many people sincerely believe that happiness is the purpose of life.”  People just want the American dream of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”   Here is the problem for most people striving to reach the goal of being happy: happiness is a byproduct of a worthwhile life; happiness is not a goal that you can work towards directly.

People who seek after happiness find that it is an elusive goal.  Not only that but we change over time and our idea of what constitutes a happy life changes, so the target keeps moving on us.  Pursuing happiness as a goal usually leads to a selfish, self-centered life style.

“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness,” wrote Helen Keller in her journal.  “It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”

We must remember that life is going to be filled with ups and downs, twists and turns.  Some of them will be pleasant and many will be uncomfortable for us.  Focusing on attaining a worthwhile goal helps make the journey worthwhile.  My wife, Karen, struggles with getting car sick.  On a curvy road it helps if she drives and if she drives very S-L-O-W-L-Y.  If she gets motion sickness so easily why ride in a car?  Because the destination is worth the discomfort! 

If we live for a purpose beyond our own happiness, the journey becomes worthwhile and it’s worth the investment in time and energy.  As we do our part in accomplishing that goal, a sense of joy and contentment floods our soul. 

Here is an example:  people who are actively engaged in the life of a church find joy in serving others.  At our church, Wednesday night is for the kids.  We have a kids program that runs from pre-kindergarten through high school.  Most of the kids that come are not from families who attend our church and many of the kids never go to church except on Wednesday nights at our church.  I’ve volunteered along with dozens of other adults for a number of years.  There are many nights when the adults just want to stay home and put their feet up.  But they go and am blessed as a kid recites a bible verse or tells them about something special that happened in his or her life.  Building into that child’s life is a worthwhile purpose and worth giving up a Wednesday night. 

Here is another example: I am a Chaplain for a local on-call, paid fire department.  All these men and women have other full time jobs.  But they have chosen to give up every Tuesday night for training and other nights for vehicle and equipment maintenance.  They carry pagers that go off at all hours of the day and night and rush to the fire house to respond to a call.  They may be on a fire call for hours overnight and then have to go to work the next day short on sleep.  They put themselves at a greater risk of injury or death.   Why do they do that?  They have found a purpose in life.  That purpose makes the sacrifice worthwhile.

A final example is parenting.  What possesses an adult to give up sleep, rearrange their entire life, and spend thousands and thousands of dollars on someone else?  Their children are worth it.  You attend their extracurricular activities like sports or drama.  You spend countless hours helping with homework and cooking and laundry and binding up wounds and broken hearts.  You work hard to provide for them.  Are they worth it?  Yes, they are a worthwhile purpose to give our lives to. 

There are lots of things to fill your life with; some worthwhile, some that are not.  I have seen that people whose life goal is to make themselves happy often fail and fail miserably.  Those who find a worthwhile purpose in life usually find happiness as a by-product of their life of service to others.

So what is the purpose of life?  What purpose are you pursuing?  Is it the one that you should be pursuing?

Saturday (1/11/2014)

Update:

I had a good time shooting my bow with Ryan on Friday morning.  I got delayed getting ready by several phone calls, so I was still trying to decide what to wear when Ryan arrived.  He quipped that “this was like waiting when you pick up a girl.”  Then after he had to load all of my stuff in his truck, my bow, a stool, my backpack, something to prop my leg up in the car, and my wheelchair, I responded, “and I pack like one too.”  (Sorry ladies, just a bit of male humor).  It was nice to get out of the house and do something that I normally do.  An added benefit was I connected with Brian while I was there.  Brian is an employee of Mouldy’s whom I’ve known casually for years.  Brian is a double amputee.  He also lost part of his hand and has had multiple skin grafts.  He was able to encourage me and give me some advice.   He has a very positive attitude and a smile that covers his entire face.  Best of all he gave me his phone number and told me to call any time.

David and Josh, two of my sons, took me out to the State Theatre on Friday night to see my wife’s play, “Knights of the Round Table.”  Once again, an awesome performance, beautiful set and a great performance by the cast and crew.  The battle scene at the castle wall was the best!  I was impressed by everyone’s performance!  One daughter and son-in-law were in the play.  A daughter-in-law did everyone’s stage makeup. One of my sons took all the still photography.  Congratulations to my wife, the writer and director.  Two performances left! Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m.  And then it’s “Strike the set!”  I get to see my wife again next week, “Yeah!”

 Through a series of misadventures, car failing to start, etc., I got stuck at the theatre after the play and had to wait to go home with Karen.  We made it home almost two hours after my bedtime.  Whew!  That made for a short night of sleep for me.  Karen was happy to get home so early and she basically doubled the amount of sleep she has been getting this past week.  I do believe that drama people are more dedicated, passionate, and a whole lot crazier about their hobby than deer hunters are! 

I was notified that the part I ordered over three weeks ago for my wheel chair has arrived.  Adam, a friend from church, who used to be in the durable medical equipment business, picked it up and should be by to install it on my chair on Saturday.  It’s an amp board, used to hold my leg up so I don’t have to prop it up on chairs.  It is crazy that it’s taken over three weeks to arrive.  I was told that was fast because I paid out of pocket for it.  If it had gone through insurance it probably would have taken three months…that’s just crazy!  I was told it is so slow because with so much insurance fraud, they place tons of safeguards in the system.  Okay, I had a temporary solution for my waiting period but what about people with needs that are truly dependent upon the medical equipment that they need?  What do they do?  I don’t know if you can fix the system until you “fix” the people who cheat the system.

Ruth and Cody (daughter and son-in-law) were delayed by weather and did not come up from Chicago Friday night.  Hopefully they can make the drive on Saturday and catch Karen’s play.  I am glad that they made the choice to delay their travel and to stay safe.

Thought for the Day:

In his book “If God is Good; Why Do We Hurt?” Randy Alcorn tells this story: “Before my mother made a cake, she would lay the ingredients on the kitchen counter.  One day I decided to experiment.  I tasted each ingredient of a chocolate cake.  Baking powder. Baking soda. Raw eggs. Vanilla extract.  I discovered that most of what goes into a cake tastes terrible by itself.  But a remarkable metamorphosis took place when my mother mixed all those ingredients in the right amounts and baked them together.  The cake tasted delicious.  In a similar way, each trial and apparent tragedy tastes bitter to us.  But God carefully measures out and mixes all those ingredients together, and in the end He will present to us a wonderful and perhaps unexpected goodness.”

Romans 8:28   “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

I’ve written about this verse before so I don’t need to remind you that this verse doesn’t say that everything that happens to us is good.  What it does promise is that God can take everything that life throws at us and ultimately use it for some good purpose.  It may be years after the event.  The good purpose my not even benefit us personally.  But God can use it.  Isn’t it nice to know that no matter how difficult or painful our experience is, God can put it to some positive use?  He can take a bad event, meant to harm us or destroy us, and find some redeeming value in it.  That makes it a bit less painful to take when we realize there is some good that will come as a result of what we face.

So I want to encourage you.  Whatever you are facing; whatever you have endured; whatever you will experience in the future—God will put it to use in some positive fashion.  What you face is not a sign of God’s displeasure with you; He isn’t punishing you; The Lord God hasn’t forgotten you.

Like a child not understanding the purpose of putting nasty tasting baking powder into a cake, so we may not understand why certain things necessarily happen to us.  Although we don’t understand, we trust Betty Crocker and we trust our mom to make some delicious; so too it should be with God and the events of our lives. 

Another illustration comes to mind: the old MacGyver TV program starring Richard Dean Anderson as a resourceful secret agent.  MacGyver got into all sorts of trouble and usually ended up captured or locked up somewhere.  You never knew how he was going to get out of the bad situation; but you knew that by the end of the show he would be free.  Usually, he fabricated his escape from common and rather innocent things that he found.  Putting them together created just the tool that he needed to escape.  In every episode he had to MacGyver it to accomplish his mission. 

God takes the common things in our lives and puts them together in such a fashion as to accomplish His mission.  In the MacGyver TV show, people never understood why MacGyver wanted the object he requested from them; but he knew and had a perfect plan.  That is exactly what is happening in both your life and in mine.  We get into situations and we don’t know what good that any of these things can accomplish.  But God has a plan and will use whatever He finds to accomplish His mission. 

Now does this make all the painful, horrible, evil things that happen to us and around us in the world good—absolutely not.  It doesn’t make them pleasant or easy to take either.  They are what they are.  But behind all of it, we take a degree of comfort knowing that somehow and in some way, God will put it to good use.  And that is enough for us to accept it and to bear up under it, knowing it is not entirely meaningless and without purpose.

May God give you strength to endure whatever is set before you.  Remember that you are not experiencing these things because God has deserted you or because He is mad at you.  He is there with you each step of the way.  He feels your pain. He cares.  

Friday (1/10/2014)

Update:

I had a great dinner together with David on Thursday evening.  He showed up and helped me finish the food preparation that would had been very difficult for me to accomplish sitting down.  We had some good laughs especially when we were in the kitchen and I was using the spray hose to rinse off some of the food processor parts.  David made some comment and I teasingly threatened to spray him but instead got myself a little wet.  So I let go of the spray hose handle and the water came full blast out of the faucet.  The things in the sink were just at the right angle so that the water came shooting out of the sink drenching me.  It took me a minute to figure out what was happening because mentally I figured that I was getting myself wet with the hose.  I finally realized that I had to actually turn the water off.  It was rather humorous, so I laughed the entire time I was changing into dry clothes.  Later, we got laughing again as he watched me do my exercises.  Laying on my back and doing the “bicycle” must look really funny with one full-length leg and the other drastically shorter. 

This morning (Friday), my friend Ryan is coming to get me and we are going to Mouldy’s to shoot our bows.  I spent some time on Thursday learning how to transfer to a stool and then pulling back my bow.  I took a lot of poundage off of the bow since I don’t need to worry about hunting right now.  It takes a lot more muscle to pull the same amount of weight when you are seated compared to standing anyway.  I don’t want to strain and struggle to pull the bow back—that ruins the fun factor pretty quickly and a good way to pull a back muscle. 

Tonight is opening night for Karen’s play, “Knights of the Round Table.”  The performance is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; and a matinee on Sunday at the State Theatre in Eau Claire.  Lots of sword play and even storming a castle wall in this play.  There will also be a number of people from the Renaissance Fair who will come in costume and help set the tone in the audience.  The cast and crew have put in some long, hard, and cold hours preparing for this event.  Should be fun to watch.  Hope you can come and catch a performance!    I am going to see it on Friday night.

Ruth and Cody are due in from Chicago for the weekend.  Our daughter, Ruth, has always enjoyed the theatre so she had to come home to see the production.    I don’t know how much time I will actually get to spend with them; but it is always good to have them home.

Thought for the Day:

Remember that everything is relative.  After having near record lows with dangerous wind chills down in the -50 to -60 range and days without end with the high in the negative teens, warmer weather has finally arrived.  My wife who is very cold nature told me how nice it was yesterday.  “It felt so warm.  It was 17 above!”  Those are strange words to hear come out of her mouth.  But everyone around here is thinking the same thing.  Today we should hit 32 degrees!  I figure that kids will be walking to school in shorts today (don’t laugh; I’ve seen it happen before with weather like this—Wisconsin kids, go figure).  There even maybe a few people sunbathing over the weekend.   A seventy degree change in temperature over a few days’ time period throws you off balance a bit.

A number of years back, we would take our teens from the church down to Mexico for a mission trip during the summer.  We normally went in late July and were always greeted with oppressive heat in Mexico.  If we had 75 degrees, they had at least 100.  We were baking!   So our youth pastor, Jeff, and I decided that to beat the heat, we would go as soon as the kids were out of school in late May or early June.  We found out that it didn’t matter what time of year we went there was always at least a 25 degree difference and we felt hot.    Remember that everything is relative. 

Before my hospitalization, I thought that getting poked in the arm and giving blood at a Red Cross Blood Drive was pretty sacrificial of me because of the discomfort of needles.  After getting poked and prodded in the hospital for eight days, a Blood Drive is nothing.  Before my amputation, I used to think that getting a paper cut was a big deal; now it is nothing.  I used to think that what I now know as discomfort was pain.  I am more aware of the difference between the two now.  Remember that everything is relative. 

I spent a total of eight long, miserable days in the hospital this winter.  I was so happy when I was released and got to roll out of those doors and get into the car to drive home.  It was so hard to be in the hospital that long!  I have a friend who has been in the hospital for over 60 days (and still counting).  I cannot imagine being there that long.  Eight days is really nothing after all.

I haven’t walked for over a month; sitting all the time and being in a wheel chair is really getting to me.  I’ve got another month to go before I even start being prepped to wear a prosthesis and walk again.  It seems like forever!  Having my leg amputated below the knee is the biggest change I have ever had in my life.  It is the first thing that I have faced that will not change until I die (most illnesses you recover from and go back to the way you were).  I get frustrated by my limitations.  I can’t reach that.  I can’t go upstairs or downstairs to the basement or out to the garage.  I need people to come give me rides.  All those things seem pretty major to me!  But then I think about my friend, Mel who will never walk again after injuring his spine this past summer.  He’s got both legs but neither of them work.  He will be in a wheel chair until he dies.  I’ll get a prosthesis and walk again.  Mel won’t walk until he goes to heaven and gets his glorified (and fully functional) body.  I have a life time of disability ahead of me—but it is very minor compared to Mel’s.  Remember that everything is relative. 

No matter how bad I think I have it—there is someone who has it worse.  If I merely focus upon my own circumstances it is easy to have a pity party given in my honor.  If I raise my head and change my perspective, I realize that I don’t have it bad at all in comparison.  In fact, I have a lot to be thankful for! 

And so it is with you.  No matter what you are going through, someone has it worse.  Whatever level of pain you’ve got, it is nothing compared to what others are experiencing.   All you have to do is to raise your eyes off of yourself and look around to see it.  So what?  It gives you perspective.  It helps you recognize that your life isn’t all that bad.   It allows you to get back up on top of your situation instead of being buried under the weight of it.  Remember that everything is relative. 

I see someone else who has it worse than I do and they have figured out a way to make it work.  I go to Mexico and see families living together in room the size of my shed in the backyard, who cook over a fire with the one pot that they own; who may have one change of clothes and I realize that I am just whining when I think I have it tough.  Perspective gives me courage to stand up and move forward.  My perception of what is difficult and impossible change and I begin to see things as possible and not that hard.  Remember that everything is relative. 

 

So if you are feeling a bit like a turtle (and we’ve all been there), poke your head out of your shell and look around.  Gain some perspective.  And go after life with a renewed sense of understanding and maturity.  Remember that everything is relative.  

Thursday (1/9/2014)

Update:

Wednesday was a fairly quiet day for me.  I worked on the computer, mentally started laying out my next sermon series, did some reading, enjoyed a visit, made a few phone calls,  did my exercises (about 25 minutes twice a day) and watched a bit of TV in the evening.

I talked to Joshua about helping make a video recording of me.  Because of Hannah and Tyler’s wedding, I won’t be able to attend the Good News Jail Volunteer gathering.  I’ve been a volunteer with them for a number of years doing a weekly bible study in the county jail.  Chaplain Brian Jahn had asked me to share my story about my illness, hospitalization and my faith in Christ.  Since I can’t do it in person, he asked if I could get it recorded for them to show.  At church, I took a LONG time to share; now I need to cut it down to 10 minutes.  What to keep and what to toss?  So I’ve been working on an outline.  Joshua is going to be my producer/director.  It should be fun working with him on it.

Today, I need to start filling out some paperwork one of the doctors wants for my upcoming appointment.  I need to read through the blood glucose meter manual to find out how to lock it so it doesn’t spit out test strips when it is in my backpack, and I need to check out some software or make my own Excel spreadsheet to track my blood sugars and insulin use.  I’ve spent the morning on-line trying to find the spreadsheet that does what I want without tracking lots of info that I don’t want—I can see why there are so many spreadsheets available—but haven’t found the right one yet.

Karen helped me get a pot roast in the crock pot this morning.  I was growing tired of frozen meatballs and chicken breasts for lunch and dinner.  If I feel adventurous, I may try to make some of the mock mashed potatoes to go along with it (real potatoes are not on my diet L).  Add some vegetables and, of course, some beans and I have a MEAL! 

Thought For The Day:

Helen Keller (1880-1968) in her book “Optimism” said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.”  This comes from a woman who was blind and deaf since childhood and became an overcomer and encouraged others to overcome.  When she was 18 months old an illness robbed her of her sight and hearing.  When she was about six years old, Anne Sullivan began to teach Helen and help her adjust to her situation.  Helen ended up graduating from college, wrote numerous books and was a sought after speaker. 

When I consider my difficulties, I realize that Keller has me beat hands down and yet she did not allow her difficulties to stop her or to hold her down.  She worked past them and did not allow them to defeat her.  I would assume that there were days when she was discouraged and tired; but she never gave up, she persisted and triumphed.

I believe that it is important for us to have a spirit of determination, to have goals and plans and dreams to motivate us.  But I also believe that we need support and encouragement from others to help us reach our goals.  And ultimately we need God to give us the strength and comfort that we need.

The apostle Paul was being used by God in mighty ways to change the world.  He was making a dramatic difference in the lives of those around him.  God’s hand of blessing was obviously upon him.  And somewhere during this time of ministry, Paul contracted some sort of illness or disability (many believe it was something to do with his eyesight).  This “thorn in the flesh” hindered his ability to do the work of the ministry.  So Paul prayed and asked God to remove this encumbrance.  Here is God’s answer to Paul’s prayer and Paul’s response:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10   But he [God] said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul went from pleading for God to bring healing and to remove this distraction, to recognizing that God was using it for a good purpose; so Paul was happy that he had it.  Basically God told Paul that when we humanly are weak and unable, God steps in and enables.  If we believe that we are self-sufficient, then God doesn’t enter in.  It is in difficulty, weakness and need when we see God at work in our lives.  So Paul in effect says, “Then bring it on.  I’ll take those things for God’s sake.  I was trying to glorify and honor Him by what I was doing.  If because of my weakness, God is revealed in my life and receives more glory and honor, well then let it happen!”

There never comes a tipping point where we give up too much or have so much difficulty that it becomes an impossible situation for us.  For when our troubles increase, God’s grace also increases.

James 4:6a   But he [God] gives us more grace…

I can’t say that I like hardship, difficulties, or limitations.  But if by those things in my life, God can be glorified and honored; well then, I believe that it is worth it.  

It can be hard to let go of our dream of happiness, ease and contentment.  We naturally are self-focused upon what we perceive is best for us and for what we desire.  God’s challenge is for us to take our eyes off of ourselves and refocus them upon Him.  What’s best for God?  What does He desire?  It would be a bit weird to think that way if God was not truly worthy of our worship and of our best. 

I’ve had many people comment upon my positive attitude, my optimism, my…whatever, as if somehow it is because I am such a valiant warrior or fine example of manhood or some such thing.  The truth is that I am only able to be true to who I am because God is enabling me.  It is His power, His strength, and His spirit at work within me.  Without God, I would be crushed, heart-broken, and defeated; but if God is for me?  Well that changes everything!

So I encourage you to strive to overcome whatever difficulties that you face.  And when you overcome them remember to give God credit for what He has done through you and in you.  Give Him the glory He so richly deserves.