Seasons Change

It's that time of year again. Football is in full-swing, the weather has turned schizophrenic, everyone's sinuses are starting to acting up, leaves are starting to wither. God bless fall.

When it comes time for one season to give way to another, we usually welcome it. Why? Because we want a change. We want to break out our other-season clothes and see if they still fit (I'm convinced this is really just an excuse to go shopping). We want to start eating different foods and drinking different drinks (sorry, I just can't do coffee regularly during the summer!). We want to enjoy some different weather than 90+ degree days we've been experiencing for what seems like forever. We want to break the monotony of life. We are anxious for a new experience...

Life's seasons aren't quite as predictable or sometimes even welcomed. Sometimes they last shorter than we wish they would, sometimes longer. The seasons could be good or bad, depending on your perspective. Regardless of whatever season you're in right now, rest assured that change is blowing in. It could be in the form of a move, a new child, a shift in health, financial hardships, a quickly advancing career, a sudden tragedy. Just as God has given nature a rhythm of seasons, He has given a unique rhythm to each of our lives.

Whatever change is coming, make the most of it. When God blesses you with prime rib, well...eat dead cow and rejoice! But when God seemingly gives you lemons, make lemonade. Don't endure it bitterly; embrace it for the sweet opportunity is represents to participate in God's rhythm for your life. And rest assured that God, who rules sovereignly over His creation, has your best interest in mind.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

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.

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Something Eye Learned Yesterday

So, yesterday we learned the hard way that a three-year-old boy's cornea should heal quickly. You can read all about it on my wife's blog here...


When we found out we were having a boy (and a girl!), we said to each other it's time to lower the deductible. Like Eye always say: "Never a dull moment!"

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

So, it's been a while since I've blogged. I seem to go through spurts, like so many others. My main excuse? The blessing of having my wife at home as she has recovered from her surgery. We are very thankful that all has gone well; your prayers have certainly been a huge part of that!

Anyway...wife at home...yeah. Ever hear that phrase "don't know what ya got 'til it's gone?" Yup, it was more than just a song by that 80s superband Cinderella. Well, that phrase could sum up the past six months of our lives. The last month or so since surgery has once again whetted my appetite for what's been "gone" temporarily - my wife at home and me working. If anything, this season of life has given us a greater appreciation and desire for the proverbial "it."

"It" just fits. Ya know, like an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt (VT, of course...). About this time next week we have to slip back into our starched polyester pleated trousers with a wool button down dress shirt. Yeah, I know there's no such thing, but it makes my point - it sucks to wear and it looks awful to boot.

Here's hoping (and praying) we can find that ol' pair of jeans and t-shirt again soon...

Leave a comment for goodness sake; it motivates me to blog more often! In fact, I dare you to.

Surgery Update

God is so good!

Lindsay came home from the hospital yesterday afternoon, a day earlier than expected! She is still sore, but feeling pretty good and slowly getting back to eating normally. The surgeon was able to operate laparoscopically, so that should really help her recovery move along a little quicker. He removed about 10 inches of bowel (4-5 of each small and large intestine) and said he has every reason to believe that she should do well for many years!

We appreciate all the prayers that have been offered on our behalf over the past days, weeks, and months. Please continue to pray with us that Lindsay will be free of any Crohn's symptoms.

If you don't already, you can follow her journey on her blog, TwinsX2.

SPS - Selfish Prayer Syndrome

"I feel so selfish when I pray."

Sound familiar? Ever felt that way? Better yet, have you ever not felt that way?

I'm willing to bet we all think it or feel it at times, if not most of the time. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our circumstances that our prayers continually drift "selfward." Then we start beating ourselves up for not being spiritual enough to see past our own needs and suppress those selfish prayers.

So we stop. Before we know it, the guilt of SPS - "Selfish Prayer Syndrome" - has weighed us down to the point that prayers almost cease altogether. I know I have experienced this, especially in recent months. Any given day, my prayers are filled with a selfish swirl of the following:

• God, please help my wife to feel good and get through her workday.
• God, please sell our house in Maryland.
• God, please help me find a job to pursue the calling you've put on my life and provide for my family.
• God, please take away my wife's disease.
• God, please help us find a new church family.
  
• God, please help us pay the bills this month.
• God, please protect our marriage and kids.
• God, please give us opportunities to serve You.
• God, please give us the wisdom to know when to wait and when to go after it.
  

Yeah, I'm pretty selfish. These are all legitimate challenges we've been facing over the past several months. They all kinda hit the fan at once, and that's new territory for us.

I'm tired of praying selfishly (or at least feeling selfish), so I'm asking God to work on my heart in that area. He immediately took me to the Psalms where I am reminded that I'm not alone. Even David, the Shepherd-Boy-Giant-Slayer-Turned-King/Man After God's Own Heart/Bible Hall-of-Famer spent a lot of prayers on his own circumstances. An awful lot...

Then the thought occurred to me that my prayers have had the right words, just in the wrong order. See how different the same prayers come out when they are prayed with an adjusted, God-centered focus:

• Help my wife to feel good and get through her workday to please You, God.
• Sell our house in Maryland to please You, God.
• Help me find a job to pursue the calling you've put on my life and provide for my family to please You, God.
• Take away my wife's disease to please You, God.
• Help us find a new church family to please You, God.
  
• Help us pay the bills this month to please You, God.
• Protect our marriage and kids to please You, God.
• Give us opportunities to serve You to please You, God.
• Give us the wisdom to know when to wait and when to go to please You, God.

All of a sudden, the same prayers take on a completely different meaning when the focus is on God's glory and not my circumstances. My prayers are transformed from selfish pleas to humble requests that are pregnant with opportunities for God to glorify Himself! Whether He chooses to answer them the way I want isn't really the point. The bigger issue is for God to be pleased.

We're in a valley. And valleys, they say, is where the most fertile soil and potential for fruit is. It's in the valley that God has the most opportunity to mold us and teach us things we would otherwise miss out on, like the principle I've pointed out above. It's in the valley that God has the most opportunity to answer prayer and pour out His blessings. It's in the valley that trust is forged and deepened beyond imagination. I praise God for this valley.

Ever suffer from SPS?

Less Guts, More Glory

So, about a year ago, my wife started dealing with some pretty intense pain and sickness. After about two months of it, a trip to the ER finally revealed that her gall bladder was chock full o' stones. She was scheduled for surgery the first week of September '07 and had the little twit removed. Things improved quickly.

At least for a few weeks.

Later in the fall, her symptoms came back en masse. Knowing that something still wasn't right, she saw a gastroenterologist (gut doc) and had every test under the sun including a scope with biopsies of some peculiar looking things. Over Christmas break, we awaited the results. Needless to say, with colon cancer in her family history, it wasn't the most restful holiday.

On January 2 of this year, she was formally diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. This wasn't unanticipated as both her father and brother (bless their guts) have suffered from it for many years, but we had hoped that she had dodged the genetic bullet. That she dodged it this long is a miracle in retrospect!

Throughout the diagnosis process, we were also dealing with some other major life decisions, so I'm sure the stress didn't help her condition. Just prior (literally an hour) to our trip mission trip to Guatemala, she landed in the hospital for five days. God definitely had His hand on the situation, and for that we were so thankful.

Moving to Virginia caused a change in doctors and another round of tests. This time, the recommendation was a resection since drug therapy wasn't having enough of an impact after six months. We met with a surgeon in Richmond in early July and surgery was scheduled for this Wednesday, August 6.

In the procedure, called a resection, they remove the diseased portion of the colon (large intestine) and reattach the healthy ends. They'll also check out the rest of her intestinal tract and assess if there are any other problem areas. Hopefully they will be able to accomplish this laparoscopically, but the surgeon won't know until the procedure is underway. If all goes well, she will be relieved of her symptoms (mainly severe cramping, nausea, and all the good things that come with them) and stay on some maintenance medications. There is no cure for Crohn's, but many people enjoy long periods of remission and a high quality of life.

Please...

• ...pray that my wife will fly through surgery (laparo, if you would pray specifically!)
• ...pray that surgery will be an extension of God's healing hand in solving her issues forever. Yes, forever - why pray small?
  
• ...pray that she will have a quick recovery with minimal discomfort.
• ...pray that our kids will be comforted while away from Mommy.
• ...pray that Daddy will know and strike the right balance between arenas of need as he takes care of both wife and kids.

Most of all, pray that God would continue to glorify Himself through her circumstances! There is no doubt that He has shown us more of who He is through these difficulties. He is our only Provider and Healer. I'll be glad to give her surgeon an assist, though (as well as the proverbial arm and a leg).

Less guts, more glory for God...

We both thank you in advance for your prayers!!

Grilled Goodness - The Sequel

So, my spidey-sense was right - regular grilled cheese is a thing of the past. I had to make not one "Super Deluxe Ooey Gooey Goodness Grilled Cheese" today, but THREE!

Guess I'll have to think about how to raise the bar next week. Running out of cheese, though...

Have a favorite cheese?