It has been recently suggested to me by a couple pastors that while I am away from my duties focusing on getting well, that I share some of my experiences with the congregation in the form of letters much in the way St. Paul did when he was imprisoned. Not that I am in jail. But with two recent hospitalizations and being weak from fighting the disease, it sort of feels like prison since I am similarly confined. My meals are chosen for me. I am shackled by IV needles, blood pressure cuffs, finger oxygen detectors and cables attached to my chest. My movements are restricted and so are my visitors. And I am way from family at times. I do not claim to be St. Paul and I would not at all suggest that I can match his eloquence but I do pray that my experiences and the connections to Christ, who by way of suffering I am being conformed too, may serveyou in some way.
This week I have been at Downey Regional Medical Center in the ICU. Low blood pressure and an infection are the culprits. I had an angiogram on Tuesday and the results showed no blockages. But I still have portion of my heart that is not beating right. The doctors assure me that this should not affect my progress toward my necessary stem cell transplant. Like St. Paul, St. Peter and St. John when they were confined, I have had opportunity to interact with my keepers. I think of my RN in ICU, Denise who over four days became such a God sent blessing to me. I know she was taking in the conversations I was having with family and the pastors who visited me. Then there is Sam my dialysis nurse who wanted to discuss the Christians view of the death penalty. And finally my cardiologist Dr. Seidman who wanted to know the difference between a Pastor and a Priest.
Just as Peter, John and Paul sang hymns in prison, Pastor Brandon Jones and Nancy my wife sang hymns to me and others to hear in my hospital room. Who can know what seeds of faith were planted? These were all little opportunities our Lord has used to reach out and witness the faith. Through brokenness, suffering and weakness our Lord does His greatest work.
