Post Surgery

The doctor just came out and talked to us about my Dad's surgery. He said that everything went well and he was able to remove the prostate without much problem. He seemed optimistic in talking with us.

Dad is waking up slowly and will probably be in the recovery room for around 2 hours.

We will stay at the hospital until Dad is moved to a room and settled. The doctor is hopeful that Dad will be released from the hospital on Wednesday.

I'll write more later.

Have a Happy New Year!

Waiting Room

Just a quick update on my Dad's surgery.

The doctor/surgeon began surgery at 2:35 p.m. EST. The surgery is expected to take 6-7 hours. Following surgery, he will be in the recovery area for 2 hours before being moved to a room.

Right now it is 6:15, so we still have 2+ hours before we hear anything. The waiting room is really becoming too familiar. But, my Mom and I are having good conversation.

Keep praying for my Dad, and I'll write more later.

By the way, Cleveland is cold, and the people here really don't like the Steelers. Yes, I have been having fun outside of all this cancer surgery stuff. Browns fans are ruthless.

Travel and Surgery Plans

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We are currently in Dayton, Ohio, at my parents' house. So far, our trip has been a constant "go-go-go." We left Louisiana on Sunday, December 23 and arrived in Dayton on Monday, December 24. We left Dayton on Tuesday, December 25 and traveled to New Martinsville, West Virginia (where Mendy's parents live). It was a good visit. Mendy, her brother and her sister were all there, so they all had a chance to catch up on the latest news.

On Wednesday, December 26, we traveled to Parkersburg, WV, to visit Mendy's grandmother who is in the process of moving to Florida. Then on Thursday, December 27, we traveled to Pittsburgh so the kids could do some shopping in the city. That evening, Drew, Mendy's Dad and her brother, along with me, attended the soldout Penguins hockey game. It was Drew's first NHL game and he loved it. The Pens pulled out a win in OT, which made it even more exciting.

Friday, December 28, we traveled back to Dayton to spend the weekend with my parents. Today (29) we are having a big family get-together with my sister and her family coming over. Tomorrow we will travel to Cleveland so Dad can get pre-op stuff done before his surgery on Monday, December 31. His surgery time is 12:00 p.m. EST. Please continue to remember us in prayer. The surgery is expected to take up to six hours, so while Mendy and the kids hang out in downtown Cleveland, I'll be in the surgical waiting room with my Mom. I'm sure it will be a long six hours, but we are optimistic that everything will go well.

The Night Before

'Twas the night before Jesus came and ...

How would you finish the story?

Merry Christmas!

Into the World

Into the world he came.

In humble surroundings he made his entrance.

To the downtrodden he came.

To the guilt-ridden he came.

To the socially-marginalized he came.

To the religiously-oppressed he came.

To the stubborn and arrogant he came.

To the powerful and rich he came.

To the weak and poor he came.

To the already content he came.

To those thirsting for more he came.

To the smug purveyors of watered-down religion he came.

To the hopeful masses longing for deeper faith he came.

Into this world he came.

As a baby.

Defenseless.

With no ability to take care of himself.

A baby born in the City of David.

A baby whose arrival was announced to shepherds by the heavenly host.

A baby whose arrival caused magi to travel to Bethlehem and worship this baby.

A baby whose arrival stirred jealousy and fear within a king.

A baby whose arrival we still celebrate.

How many births have altered history as much as his birth?

Into the world he came.

With Us

with -- 1. As a companion of; accompanying. 2. Next to: Walk with him.*

The word is a staple in our daily speech. We use it without much thought, and most likely rarely realize how often its letters protrude from our lips.

As an elementary student I remember boys and girls using "with" to signify special relationships. Robbie is going with Suzie. No one was really sure what this expression meant since it appeared that none of these couples ever went anywhere. Of course, during the high school years "going with" became replaced with dating, but both terms carried the same thought of "being with" someone.

For some reason "being with" another person is something of immense value. We are taught about companionship by the examples of our parents. They are together -- "with" each other. We long to be "with" someone else.

From where did such a longing originate? How did we learn to desire the companionship of others?

Such desire is not learned, but given. Such a longing is not developed, but inherent.

We long to be "with" because our Creator made us this way.

And He desires to be "with" us.

So as you celebrate the Christmas season with all its special events and traditions, remember the ancient prophecy first spoken by the prophet Isaiah, and repeated in the Gospel of Matthew: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which translated means, 'God with us." (Matthew 1:23)

God is your companion. God is next to you.

As an old hymn says, "And He walks with me, and He talks with me ..."

This Christmas, remember the gift of Immanuel. Reflect on the gift of God being "with" you.

* American Heritage Dictionary

Sweetly Broken

Making the list for the Top-10 most influential songs in my life is this one by Jeremy Riddle, which captivated me the first time I heard it. The lyrics are powerful and surrounded by strong musicianship.


Sweetly Broken

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing

For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just

Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified

You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled

Chorus:

In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

Prayer and Prostates

Earlier today I received a call from my Dad who just got off the phone with the doctor at the Cleveland Clinic who is scheduled to do his prostate cancer surgery on December 12.

His conversation with the doctor revealed several important things:
1) there will be no surgery on December 12
2) there is no need to come to Cleveland on December 12
3) there is no sign of cancer

The doctor is convinced that someone made a mistake along the way. My take is a little different. God answered the prayers of so many who have lifted my Dad up in prayer.

Tests will continue at a later date to monitor the situation. What those tests may reveal I do not know. What I do know is that God has removed the cancer from my Dad.

Dear God, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank You for the Music

The prayer, "help me, help me, help me" began this day. It was followed shortly after by the prayer, "thank you, thank you, thank you."

God sent me a song today.

Okay, it was on the radio, but I had not heard it before, and I really don't believe it was a mere coincidence that it came on as I drove to work.

As you read the lyrics below, maybe you too will be touched and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in the lives of His followers.

Matthew West - You Are Everything
From the album Something To Say

I'm the one with two left feet
Standing on a lonely street

And everytime You look at me
I'm spinning like an autumn leaf
Bound to hit bottom sometime

Where would I be without someone to save me?
Someone who won't let me fall?

You are everything that I live for
Everything that I can't believe is happening
You're standing right in front of me
With arms wide open, all I know is
Every day is filled with hope
'Cause you are everything that I breathe for
And I can't help but breathe you in, and breathe again
Feeling all this life within
Every single beat of my heart

I'm the one with big mistakes
Big regrets and bigger breaks
Than I'd ever care to admit

But You're the one who looks at me
And sees what I was meant to be
More than just a beautiful mess

Where would I be without someone to save me?
Someone who won't let me fall?

Three Prayers

A most welcome visitor came by my office this morning. Full of wisdom and God's grace he shared with me insights into the ministry. He talked candidly as he retrieved words from the Bible in order to reveal the mysteries of Jesus and the interaction He has with His followers.

As he spoke, I listened. Carefully, I listened to each word uttered.

And each word found my heart.

"God is your defender," he told me as he implored me to always remember that truth.

After he left, I returned a missed phone call. The person on the other end simply said, "I thought you might need a 'pick-me-up' this morning, so I wanted you to know ..."

One of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott has written that she prays three specific prayers each day. In the morning she prays, "Help me, help me, help me." In the evening she prays, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." And throughout the day she prays, "Wow!"

Yesterday, I prayed all three prayers, and will continue to do so each day.

"God is my helper," writes the Psalmist. So I ask God for help.

The Psalmist also writes, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise." So I thank God at the close of each day.

And I pray "Wow" throughout the course of each day. God does things beyond my comprehension. He is truly amazing, and so I echo Job's words to God from long ago, "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you."

Help me, help me, help me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Wow!