Dare To Live Like Daniel

Daniel has been the focus in my Bible reading recently.  What a godly man he was making prayer the most important part of his life even when it meant that he might not only lose his prestigious position in government but even be killed.

These days you can't help but hear about the upcoming election of those aspiring to lead our country. While I'm not one of them, the Lord has called me to follow Daniel and be faithful to Him in both my responsibilities and prayer life in my own sphere of influence.  I want to dare to live like Daniel!

Hu and I got away for a time of R & R last week.  While it wasn't possible for him to attend his regular therapy sessions, he did manage to do some workouts and long walks.  It is such an encouragement to watch his stamina being built up day by day.

Thank you for your prayers for him and also our brother-in-law Don as he recovers from open heart surgery.  He faced some life threatening complications but the Lord brought him through the surgery, and he is stable and making slow progress.  Although due to his sedation Don doesn't always acknowledge people in the room, Hu continues to remind me that from his own experience that Don has some sense of what is happening in the room and he can hear. 

During a visit I read the 23rd Psalm as part of a devotional.  There was another gentleman in the room, and his wife was visiting him while I was there.  I tried to read to Don and not disturb them.  As I was leaving the room the wife was going down the hall and said, "My husband said that you were reading from the Bible but he couldn't hear all you were reading.  Next time, read a little louder and he would enjoy it."  I assured her that I would be happy to do that.  Later, I realized that God had given me an area of influence that I hadn't even considered!  Thank you, Jesus.

The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers.  May he not leave us or forsake us, that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments, his statutes, and his rules, which he commanded our fathers. -- 1 Kings 8:57-58







  

Famous Last Words

That phrase has come to be used frequently as a cynical response when someone boasts about what they plan to accomplish.  But when a person actually knows that their words will be the last they will ever speak to someone on this earth, they can carry enormous weight.  Could there be any greater example of this than the last words Jesus spoke to His disciples before ascending to Heaven?

God's Love on Display

Hu has been a motivator in many phases of my life.  One of them has been exercise, and he is very disciplined about it.  Now that we walk at different speeds I usually try to take a walk early in the day and then walk with him at his pace later. 

One day earlier this week I put off my morning walk and finally started late in the afternoon.  Although I was feeling a little sorry for myself, having to walk all alone, as I walked I looked up and realized that there was a lovely sunset.  That was a confirmation to me of God's love for me and reminded me to be thankful to Him for creating this beautiful world for us.  It was also an opportunity to recall His goodness to our family, allowing Hu to progress to this stage of recovery.  What a special gift from the Lord: to witness His handiwork!

In addition to eating a wholesome diet, Hu continues to attend rehab where he exercises for an hour twice a week.  While it is key to his recovery, he gets very tired and has to rest several times during the day.  I told him today, though, I've seem some glimmers of the "real Hu" coming back! 

During the past week I was gone for a few hours, and when I came home, I found that Hu had taken his hand clippers and worked on some of the bushes in the yard "that had been driving him nuts."  We are thankful that he has had times when he had enough strength to do some of the outside work that he used to do so well.  Thank you for your continued prayers for him.  

Urgent!  Please also pray for our brother-in-law Don, who is undergoing emergency bypass surgery within the next few days for three severe blockages.  Health-wise, Don has had a difficult seven months since his wife Barbara (Hu's sister) passed away.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. -- Psa. 19:1

Girded With Truth

During the past week I have been reading and meditating on a New Testament passage from the letter to the Christians in Ephesus written by the Apostle Paul while he was in a Roman prison (Ephesians 6:10-20).  This Scripture passage has become especially meaningful to me because of its relevance to my Parallel Journey experience.

No longer do I have a vague, nebulous concept of the forces of darkness but understand that they are real and active in our world.  Paul makes it clear that we as believers in Jesus are being opposed not by “flesh and blood” but by powers, authorities and forces.  In my post, “Open Your Eyes,” I related how my attitude toward the people who seemed to be my tormentors changed and I began to pray for them, realizing they were merely captive tools of the evil one, in bondage to his power and were destined to an eternity of horror.

Who Am I Imitating?

During the broadcast of the Summer Olympics story after story was told of different athletes who, as a child, saw someone that inspired them, and became determined to achieve the same goals as that person.  Because of someone that we knew and admired as a child many of us can recall wanting to grow up and become like them.  

This past weekend one of our pastors was preaching from Ephesians 5 and reminded me that as a beloved child of God I should be an imitator of Him.  What a great challenge and opportunity I have to share Christ's love by imitating Him.

Hu still finds his therapy sessions challenging.  Each visit they raise the bar of intensity and/or repetitions. Daily activities continue to be difficult due to his breathing limitations.  We are looking forward to that improving in the days ahead.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. -- 1John 3:1c

Can the Dead Hear?

Probably not…at least not from Earth!  But when is a person really dead? 

I’ve thought a lot about that since my own Parallel Journey.  During at least four days of that experience I was in a clinically induced virtual coma.  Yet, during that time I was continually conscious of a different reality into which sounds and conversations from the physical world around me, at times, penetrated. 

God Is Good All the Time

Rehab following Hu's hospitalization was a learning curve for me.  It was filled with new medical procedures and special exercises that would become a new part of our routine when we were discharged.  We also met folks whose prognosis didn't seem very promising.

Following those weeks, Hu had home therapy.  I think that perhaps the Lord let us have the home therapy to give us a chance to process what we had learned and seen.  Now that he is back in out-patient pulmonary therapy we see other patients who are struggling in life.

Recently, I had been thinking about how thankful we are that Hu is in this recovery period.  This week we attended a lecture at rehab where we heard the story of a double lung and heart transplant survivor.  It reinforced gratefulness in me, especially when she went around the room and asked each patient to tell their story thus far.

The chorus to one of Don Moen's songs sums up my thoughts this week:

God is good all the time
He put a song of praise in this heart of mine
God is good all the time
Through the darkest night, His light will shine
God is good, God is good all the time

God of Small Things

One principle that we all understand well is that small things are often extremely important.  In the Olympics to win the gold it’s not necessary to win by a wide margin over one’s opponents.  All the hard work, pain and sacrifice in preparation for the contest may come down to a one hundredth of a second advantage to win the title of champion.

From science we know that the submicroscopic atom is the fundamental building block of the universe and that from a single cell a human being develops.  Even a child knows that the mighty oak tree grows from a small acorn.  It seems that God has designed creation with abundant examples to make a strong statement about His attention to small things.

Life's Olympics

We have been focused on the summer Olympics this past week.  It is amazing to think that many of these athletes have been training since elementary school age for these events.  Their focus all their lives has been on winning a gold medal. 

I have never aspired to being in the Olympics.  However, one of our pastors recently pointed out that we are all in a race during our lives.  How we train and live determines the outcome.  If we follow our coach, Christ, and give our lives to Him to mold and encourage us along the way, we will one day obtain the crown that God has for us and our reward in heaven will be great.  What better prize is there?

Tonight we took a family walk, my mother, Hu and the dog.   Honorable mention for the walk goes to Hu since he outpaced us (especially since we stopped for a rest along the way).  Mornings continue to be tough for him but by late afternoon and evening he is ready to move and enjoys getting out.  We are so thankful for good weather that allows us to do that.

I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. - Phil 3:14