Practicing what I Preach

Sometimes we learn while we age, other times we just age. This past week had some of both situations that I will need to keep in mind for the future.

My first sermon was given in November 2017. I preached on why we have suffering in the world, how it makes sense with God's love, and how we should respond. A week later, I was in the hospital with stomach problems, great pain, and a period of severe autonomic dysreflexia. Therefore, I got to practice what I preached. After I was back to normal health, my friend John suggested I should preach on what happens when a friend encounters sudden wealth. I have not preached that topic, but I've given my first sermon at other congregations without trouble.

Last Sunday, I preached from James who said to consider trials a great joy. The text refers to trials of faith, but isn't limited to this subject. Just prior to preaching, I received an email from my nursing agency. The scheduler let me know one of my night nurses has requested indefinite leave starting August 11. She normally works every Thursday-Saturday, but those nights will now be open. My other night nurse agreed to pick up one more day a week, but it means almost every Saturday night will be open. 

Staying up nights is hard on my parents and we all go with little sleep. After two nights in a row, we're nearly zombies by Sunday morning. I already have two preaching times scheduled in August that will be affected, but I'm not planning to cancel. It means any further requests for this year may get denied though. This morning, I preached on the importance of fellowship with friends and other Christians especially. I don't mind if I practice this more.

Friday was also my second attempt to get my trach button changed. This time, we had all the necessary parts and everything went well. My doctor did say the area in and around the hole for the button looks angry from infection though. More samples were taken and will hopefully produce results that give answers.

With one mouth stick, I've never tried juggling. However, it feels like living the quad life is a juggling act to keep everything moving as needed. This week has a full calendar as well, so I will see what God brings. 

Preaching Marathan has Begun

In early May, I sat in a meeting with local pastors and church speakers. It was the group's final meeting of the year and I told a friend that I had a very open preaching schedule if he wanted a break sometime. He has yet to contact me, but the open schedule has disappeared. Starting tonight, I'm scheduled to preach somewhere five out of the next seven weeks.

When I was young, nearly every church had a morning and evening service every Sunday. Now, only a small number of churches still hold evening services and they are mainly attended by people past retirement age. A congregation very close to my home recently lost their main pastor due to him moving to another church. Therefore, I am scheduled to fill one evening a month through September, so far.

Tonight I will be starting a series looking at the book of James. Since I normally only lead a certain church every few months, or less, I rarely get to do a sermon series and look in depth at a passage. I'm excited for the opportunity, but it also creates a problem. I will not be able to recycle these messages to use in other churches. I am scheduled to preach at my own congregation next week, which means I need a totally different message. The final quad life wrinkle is that I didn't have a nurse last night, which means I'm preaching this evening while I am tired and my parents are as well.

This last week has been interesting in finalizing and reviewing one message while preparing another that is totally unrelated. I am then scheduled to preach in the evening again on August 10, and that sermon only exists as an idea for the next message in my series. I also have to keep in mind web development with two new sites I've been working on this week.

My passage tonight is James 1:1-12 and looks at persevering under trial. I am in a busy time of my own doing, but I'm thankful to primarily be back to regular health and to know God gives wisdom to all who ask. I pray for wisdom and energy these next several weeks as I work to do the tasks God has given me and serve Him faithfully through it all.

Importance of Preparation

Another week has come and gone and it's Sunday afternoon once again. Thankfully, my breathing has continually improved. I was able to go from late Tuesday until Friday afternoon without needing my lungs cleared, which is near my regular routine. However, it was also a week of reminders to prepare.

Over the July 4 weekend, flooding in Texas was in the news. Several people were killed in flash flooding, including many children, when a storm produced much more rain than expected. The Quadalupe River quickly flooded its banks and ripped through homes, camp sites, and a girls' summer camp.

When Jesus was confronted with tragedy in His time (Luke 13), He answered "Repent, or you likewise will perish." Times like this call Christians to offer comfort, but also a reminder that we always need to be ready to leave this life and enter eternity. On Friday, I was also reminded to check supplies carefully.

For the past several months, I've had trouble with my trach button. My ENT and I decided to change it after a few weeks of treatment around it. That requirement was fulfilled, so Friday was another trip to Des Moines to see the doctor. Before leaving, I made sure to ask my caregiver if we had a new button. She confirmed she had checked just prior to leaving Thursday and all was good.

Unfortunately, when we got to the doctor's office and went to unpack everything he needed, the button wasn't found. My doctor was understanding and didn't charge for the visit, but now I need to return in two weeks. Upon returning home, the missing hardware was found and put in my travel bag. We don't know what happened, but learned a lesson in checking more than once.

Living the quad life is quite the journey sometimes. I'm thankful to have improving health and look forward to a very busy few weeks ahead and getting used as God allows. 

Weekend of Independence

Friday was the Fourth of July, or Independence Day in the United States. It has been 249 years since this nation declared its independence and freedom for all citizens.

One of the guaranteed freedoms the founding fathers wanted for Americans was the ability to worship. In many European countries, the Catholic church had political power and restricted, or outlawed, any other faith. It's still the case today that some nations only allow Islam while others say the country's leader is to be worshiped.

Recently, Christians have been more maligned in American media and beliefs labeled as hate, but we thankfully have remained free to worship. With the current administration, some of the former oppression has reduced, but it still pops up in some areas.

Due to recent passage of some funding measures, I have seen comments on social media how our freedoms have been revoked and we're living in horrible times. Looking back in Christian history, believers were used as torches to light parties and killed in various ways for following God's Word. The only restrictions I've seen now in the US are to enter the country legally and less government funding for abortion providers.

On this weekend, I'm thankful for this time God has placed me to be used by Him. My lungs are still needing more suctioning, but I'm thankful for improvement and access to necessary supplies. No, everything isn't perfect in the United States, but no human institution will be.

Living the quad life, and seeing other countries, I am very thankful to be alive, active, and still able to live independently. Some of these may change in the future, but this weekend is a time to give thanks.