I've received several e-mails over the past few days questioning my status on the staff of The Carpenter's Church. It seems like the stories, rumors, e-mails and miss-truths have begun. So, it's time to stop the rumor mill and state the truth.
The truth is that as of this past Sunday, October 14, 2007 I am no longer on the staff at The Carpenter's Church. I am told there will be a public announcement at both the 9:00 am and 10:45 am worship services this coming weekend however, I will not be there.
The reason for my departure is fairly straight forward. Over the past few months it has become increasingly clear to me that Pastor Jim and I do not have the same Ministry and Leadership philosophies. There were several leadership and financial decisions made over the past few years that I believe are not in line with scripture and therefore I can not agree with. Recently there have been more questionable financial and ministry decisions. As a result, I can no longer submit myself to this spiritual or leadership authority. These growing differences were making for a tense working environment and so on Wednesday October 10, 2007 we decided as an Elder board that it was best for everyone if I was no longer on the staff. I was informed on Thursday afternoon, that I was to lead worship on Sunday and then have my office cleared out on Monday morning.
So, there you have it. That is the truth and it is consistent with my severance letter that Pastor Jim, Alan Shalosky and I all signed, no matter what you might hear.
I am truly sorry that I did not have the chance to say goodbye to the church and for you to say goodbye to me. Please know that I will continue to pray for The Carpenter's Church. God is not finished with you yet and he is certainly not finished with me either.
God is taking care of the financial and spiritual needs of me and my family. In fact I believe God is giving me a New Perspective about ministry and the church, which I will share here very soon.
Please feel free to leave a comment here or contact me via the e-mail me link above. However, comments on this site are monitored so anonymous comments will get deleted.
G3
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Interesting Statistics
I use Google Analytics to track the number of visits and page views at StevenWales.com. I enjoy analyzing numbers and looking at statistics, so a couple of times each month I log on to Google Analytics and check to see how many people have read my blog.
I have to say that the past 5 days has seen a flurry of activity at StevenWales.com. In fact the number of people checking out this blog has tripled in the past 5 days. What's interesting about this number is that I've not posted a single post in over 2 weeks. I've been fairly silent. However, based on the activity, there seems to be a plethora of people who either think I have something to say or that I should say something.
At this time, the wait will continue. For a little while anyway. However, stay tuned. The Journey is just beginning.
G3
I have to say that the past 5 days has seen a flurry of activity at StevenWales.com. In fact the number of people checking out this blog has tripled in the past 5 days. What's interesting about this number is that I've not posted a single post in over 2 weeks. I've been fairly silent. However, based on the activity, there seems to be a plethora of people who either think I have something to say or that I should say something.
At this time, the wait will continue. For a little while anyway. However, stay tuned. The Journey is just beginning.
G3
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Silence, Listening, Thinking, Dreaming
It's been over 2 weeks since my last post. I would apologize for that but . . . well . . . I'm not really sorry.
A lot has happened in the past 2 weeks and it's been good to sit back in silence, listen to God, think about what He's teaching me and dream of what He has in store.
I turned 40 last week. While many people did and continue to call me old or make "Old Man" jokes, I don't feel any different than I did at 39. However this mile marker has forced me to think back on my life. What have I accomplished, what has God been able to do through me, what has God not been able to do because of pride or disobedience or distractions. And then there's the big question, What does God have in store for the next 40 years?
I've taken a lot of time, over the past couple of weeks, to really connect with God, plug into Him, ask some hard questions and listen to His response. While He's not laid out the next 40 years, He's starting to put the next couple of steps in front of me. I heard an illustration one time that God's will is like the headlights on your car. They don't illuminate your entire trip, they simply illuminate the next few steps. God is my headlight and is beginning to illuminate my next few steps. I'm excited about the next few steps as well as the next 40 years. As long as I'm connected with God and allowing Him to control the steps, it's going to be a crazy, exciting, challenging and totally fulfilling.
G3
A lot has happened in the past 2 weeks and it's been good to sit back in silence, listen to God, think about what He's teaching me and dream of what He has in store.
I turned 40 last week. While many people did and continue to call me old or make "Old Man" jokes, I don't feel any different than I did at 39. However this mile marker has forced me to think back on my life. What have I accomplished, what has God been able to do through me, what has God not been able to do because of pride or disobedience or distractions. And then there's the big question, What does God have in store for the next 40 years?
I've taken a lot of time, over the past couple of weeks, to really connect with God, plug into Him, ask some hard questions and listen to His response. While He's not laid out the next 40 years, He's starting to put the next couple of steps in front of me. I heard an illustration one time that God's will is like the headlights on your car. They don't illuminate your entire trip, they simply illuminate the next few steps. God is my headlight and is beginning to illuminate my next few steps. I'm excited about the next few steps as well as the next 40 years. As long as I'm connected with God and allowing Him to control the steps, it's going to be a crazy, exciting, challenging and totally fulfilling.
G3
Friday, April 20, 2007
Looking To The Stars
I have to admit that yesterday was a LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG day.
Have you ever had one of those days? About halfway through the day you feel like you've been up since yesterday and you can't even remember getting out of bed.
I arrived at the office about 7:45am, had several meetings throughout the day, worked on some long range planning stuff, finished up the music prep for this weekend, left the office about 4:15pm, arrived home about 4:30pm and helped my daughters with their homework, grabbed a quick dinner, took my daughter to her softball game at 5:20pm, left the game at 6:45pm, went back to the church for Praise Team practice at 7:00pm, ended practice at 9:00pm (ish), stayed in the office until about 9:45pm to finish up some stuff for the weekend, because I won't be in today and finally arrived home about 10:00pm last night. I have to admit that by the time I left the office, about 9:45pm last night, I was spent. However, as I locked up the church, ensured that the lights were off and as I made my way to my car, God grabbed my attention. At the end of a very long day, I was tired, I wanted to go home, I wanted to sit down and mindlessly watch anything on T.V. God showed up.
I walked out into the parking lot and looked up at the sky and . . . There He Was! God was smiling down at me. Now, I know that some of you are thinking I'm nuts. No, I didn't hallucinate and see some face in the sky. I saw a beautiful clear sky with shinning stars and an amazing sliver of the moon. The light from the stars and moon seemed to light up the sky and I felt like God was saying, "I'm here." I felt like He was telling me, don't get caught up in the stuff of life and forget Me. It was like He was reminding me that in the midst of a busy day God is still God and we can see Him in everything from big meetings to people coming to Christ to stars in the sky many miles away.
I have to say that it was a perfect end to a long day and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Keep your eyes open. You might just see God in some bizarre way today. If so, comment here and let me know about it. It would be a great encouragement.
G3,
Steven
Have you ever had one of those days? About halfway through the day you feel like you've been up since yesterday and you can't even remember getting out of bed.
I arrived at the office about 7:45am, had several meetings throughout the day, worked on some long range planning stuff, finished up the music prep for this weekend, left the office about 4:15pm, arrived home about 4:30pm and helped my daughters with their homework, grabbed a quick dinner, took my daughter to her softball game at 5:20pm, left the game at 6:45pm, went back to the church for Praise Team practice at 7:00pm, ended practice at 9:00pm (ish), stayed in the office until about 9:45pm to finish up some stuff for the weekend, because I won't be in today and finally arrived home about 10:00pm last night. I have to admit that by the time I left the office, about 9:45pm last night, I was spent. However, as I locked up the church, ensured that the lights were off and as I made my way to my car, God grabbed my attention. At the end of a very long day, I was tired, I wanted to go home, I wanted to sit down and mindlessly watch anything on T.V. God showed up.
I walked out into the parking lot and looked up at the sky and . . . There He Was! God was smiling down at me. Now, I know that some of you are thinking I'm nuts. No, I didn't hallucinate and see some face in the sky. I saw a beautiful clear sky with shinning stars and an amazing sliver of the moon. The light from the stars and moon seemed to light up the sky and I felt like God was saying, "I'm here." I felt like He was telling me, don't get caught up in the stuff of life and forget Me. It was like He was reminding me that in the midst of a busy day God is still God and we can see Him in everything from big meetings to people coming to Christ to stars in the sky many miles away.
I have to say that it was a perfect end to a long day and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Keep your eyes open. You might just see God in some bizarre way today. If so, comment here and let me know about it. It would be a great encouragement.
G3,
Steven
Friday, March 30, 2007
Happy Hippo
Jim, the lead pastor here at The Carpenter's has been in Germany for the past two weeks on vacation. His daughter is in the Air Force and is stationed in Germany. He arrived home late yesterday afternoon and this morning he brought in some German Chocolate for us to try.I have to say that the Kinder Happy Hippo's are the bomb. They are a wafer shell surrounding a soft chocolate center. I don't know if they sell them here in the states but they are incredible. They're like a tiny flavor explosion going on in your mouth. They alone would be worth the trip to Germany.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
It's Softball Season
Well, it's that time of the year again. Time to break out the old ball glove, grab some sunflower seeds and spend a lot of time on the softball field.
Both of my daughters, Emily & Maya, are playing again this year and I've agreed to be one of the assistant coaches on both teams. I think I'll end up spending more time with Maya's team this year but I absolutely love coaching these girls. I get to teach fundamentals and watch each girl improve from the first practice today until the end of the season in June. It's really cool.
I feel the same way with my responsibilities at The Carpenter's. I get the opportunity to help coach people in their spiritual journey. It is truly amazing to be involved in someone's life, see them come to know Christ and begin making steps toward Him. If you want to be involved in someone's life, maybe a friend or relative, make plans today to invite them to church this weekend. I'll be speaking and we're going to present the Gospel as clear as day. You won't want to miss it and neither will your friends. So, invite them and bring them with you.
Both of my daughters, Emily & Maya, are playing again this year and I've agreed to be one of the assistant coaches on both teams. I think I'll end up spending more time with Maya's team this year but I absolutely love coaching these girls. I get to teach fundamentals and watch each girl improve from the first practice today until the end of the season in June. It's really cool.I feel the same way with my responsibilities at The Carpenter's. I get the opportunity to help coach people in their spiritual journey. It is truly amazing to be involved in someone's life, see them come to know Christ and begin making steps toward Him. If you want to be involved in someone's life, maybe a friend or relative, make plans today to invite them to church this weekend. I'll be speaking and we're going to present the Gospel as clear as day. You won't want to miss it and neither will your friends. So, invite them and bring them with you.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Disconnected From The World
I've been a "Technology Guy" for a long time. I got my first PC for Christmas in 1981. It was a Tandy TRS80 and I was elated. You created your own "basic" program and if you wanted to save the program, you did so on the attached cassette recorder. Believe me, it was cool.
Today I've got my Palm Treo, my Notebook and Desktop computers that are all connected to the world via Wireless access and High Speed Internet. I check my e-mail many times a day, keep up with the happenings in the world via RSS Feeds from the BBC to USA Today about news, sports, entertainment, and health issues. I Keep up with the latest iTunes download statistics, follow about a dozen blogs from Pastors, Church and Technology leaders around the country and use all of this technology and information to help lead one of the most cutting edge churches in N.E. Pennsylvania.
However, this past weekend, I disconnected myself from all of that technology and connected with Jennifer. As you know, last week was our 15th Wedding Anniversary and so this past weekend we went to Fernwood Hotel & Resort in the Pocono's and had a wonderful time. We did a lot of nothing, I didn't answer a single phone call, didn't check e-mail, didn't keep up with the Blog World, didn't read a newspaper, didn't watch a news broadcast or log onto the internet at all. In fact, my wife was amazed that I didn't even bring a computer with with me. This weekend was all about disconnecting from life and connecting with my wife. Who, by the way, is an amazing women.
I tell you all this to encourage you to disconnect from life and connect with your spouse on a regular basis. It's these little things that make a big difference and build strong, rock solid relationships.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
15th Anniversary
15 years ago today, Jennifer Zugel and I exchanged "I Do's" and became Mr. & Mrs. Steven J. Wales. I don't think she completely knew what she was getting into but I want the world to know that I have the BEST wife on the planet!!!!!!!! There is no one on earth that I would rather spend time with, party with, cry with, learn with and experience life with. Absolutely no one!She is smart, beautiful, funny, beautiful, a great mom, beautiful, a great cook, beautiful, caring, beautiful, loving, beautiful, conscientious, beautiful, selfless, beautiful, an amazing support system, beautiful, wise, beautiful and one of the most Godly women I've ever met. She is way out of my league and . . . oh yeah . . . Did I mention that she's beautiful?
Anyway, I wanted to publicly brag on her a bit and wish her a Happy Anniversary. I'm truly looking forward to the next 50 + years together. If she can endure me that long.
Monday, March 12, 2007
March Madness
Well, it's that time of the year again. For all of you "non-basketball" fans, it's March Madness. The biggest basketball tournament in the world. For the next 3 weeks men and women from all over the globe will be glued to their TV's on Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday to watch 64 college basketball teams play a total of 63 games that will culminate in the national championship game on April 2nd.
One of the most successful college basketball coaches in NCAA history is John Wooden. He led UCLA to 10 National Championships in his last 12 years of coaching. During his 27 seasons as the head coach at UCLA he won 665 games including 4 perfect seasons of 30-0.
John Wooden lived by a 7-point creed that was given to him by his father, the day John graduated from Grammar School.
I don't know where John will spend eternity and I don't know where John's dad got these 7 points. What I do know is that if Christ Followers all over the world would live by these same 7 points and live out the "Perfect Day" quote our lives and our world would be very different.
One of the most successful college basketball coaches in NCAA history is John Wooden. He led UCLA to 10 National Championships in his last 12 years of coaching. During his 27 seasons as the head coach at UCLA he won 665 games including 4 perfect seasons of 30-0.John Wooden lived by a 7-point creed that was given to him by his father, the day John graduated from Grammar School.
- Be true to yourself
- Make each day your masterpiece
- Help others
- Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible
- Make friendship a fine art
- Build a shelter against a rainy day
- Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day
I don't know where John will spend eternity and I don't know where John's dad got these 7 points. What I do know is that if Christ Followers all over the world would live by these same 7 points and live out the "Perfect Day" quote our lives and our world would be very different.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Reflections On The Day
Well, it's been a long 24-36 hours.
First, I'd like to give a big shout out to David, Donna and Amber for opening up your home to Jennifer and I last night. Donna, dinner was great and it was awesome to catch up with you. David, you've got a great family. Amber, thanks for giving up your room.
Second, I want to thank everyone who has been praying for Jennifer today. She's home and resting well.
Third, I want to thank our Connecting Point. They're going to bring us dinner the next couple of days and I'm so grateful.
As for me, I'm trying to put my thoughts together. How anyone can say that we are accidents and that we evolved from some "lesser state" or some "big bang" needs to have their head examined. Let me just clear things up. We were "created" by an Almighty God who is more creative and complex than we can possibly imagine. In fact, he created us so complex that after a couple thousand years of medical research and advancement, we still have not even scratched the surface of understanding about how our bodies actually function. Now, don't get me wrong. I believe the marvels of modern medicine are unbelievable. I mean, they inserted tubes into Jennifer's legs, manipulated them up into her heart and completely controlled her heart beat. They made it skip beats and increase and slow down. However, they can't really explain why her heart is "short circuiting" or if the new medication will actually solve the problem. As I said, my God is more creative and complex that we can possibly imagine.
Here are some random thoughts running through my head tonight.
Stay tuned.
First, I'd like to give a big shout out to David, Donna and Amber for opening up your home to Jennifer and I last night. Donna, dinner was great and it was awesome to catch up with you. David, you've got a great family. Amber, thanks for giving up your room.
Second, I want to thank everyone who has been praying for Jennifer today. She's home and resting well.
Third, I want to thank our Connecting Point. They're going to bring us dinner the next couple of days and I'm so grateful.
As for me, I'm trying to put my thoughts together. How anyone can say that we are accidents and that we evolved from some "lesser state" or some "big bang" needs to have their head examined. Let me just clear things up. We were "created" by an Almighty God who is more creative and complex than we can possibly imagine. In fact, he created us so complex that after a couple thousand years of medical research and advancement, we still have not even scratched the surface of understanding about how our bodies actually function. Now, don't get me wrong. I believe the marvels of modern medicine are unbelievable. I mean, they inserted tubes into Jennifer's legs, manipulated them up into her heart and completely controlled her heart beat. They made it skip beats and increase and slow down. However, they can't really explain why her heart is "short circuiting" or if the new medication will actually solve the problem. As I said, my God is more creative and complex that we can possibly imagine.
Here are some random thoughts running through my head tonight.
- Stress can do some terrible things to your body. . . Relax!
- Connecting Points (Small Groups) living and supporting each other in true, authentic, Acts 2 community are awesome . . . Get in one!
- Hospital waiting rooms are not very comfortable . . . Avoid them if you can!
- Hospital cafeterias are expensive and not very good . . . Avoid them if you can!
- Starbucks cafe' Verona is great coffee . . . Enjoy it if you can!
- Life is short . . . Don't complicate it with stupid people!
- Love God and Love Others . . . The rest will take care of itself!
- My wife is an amazing woman . . . Get to know her if you can!
- Starbucks cafe' Verona is great coffee . . . Enjoy it if you can!
- I work with a great staff at The Carpenter's . . . Encourage them often!
- Traffic in Philadelphia at 4:30 pm is not fun . . . Avoid it if you can!
- God is awesome and always takes care of His people . . . Know Him today!
- The human body is absolutely amazing . . . Take care of yours!
- Starbucks cafe' Verona is great coffee . . . Enjoy it often!
- Make plans to be at The Carpenter's on Sunday morning . . . It could just rock your world!
- Be nice to your nurse . . . She's got the needle!
Stay tuned.
OK Here's The Latest
Jennifer is out of the procedure, she's had lunch (ribs & corn bread
thanks to a very nice nurse who got that from the employee break room
rather than the soup that the hospital brought). As it turned out
they did not do the ablation at all.
thanks to a very nice nurse who got that from the employee break room
rather than the soup that the hospital brought). As it turned out
they did not do the ablation at all.
She has 4 spots where the Tachycardia is happening. One of the
locations is at the dyaphramatic nerve and would require 7-8 hours of
surgery to correct and the outcome is unknown. Doing the ablation on
that part of her heart could cause damage to that nerve and mess with
her lung (not good). The prefered course of treatment for her
situation is a medication called Flecanide (Patrick, you can get me
the details on that. :-) )
She'll be on that medication for many years to come in hopes that it
will stop the Tachycardia and potentially fix the problem all
together. She's resting now and we hope to be discharged at about
4:00 pm today.
Thank you all for your prayers and I'll post more later tonight when
we get home.
Prayer Update
It's currently 10:25 am and I just got a call from the nurse who is in
with Jennifer. Things are going well but her case is worse than they
thought. She has several shorts in her heart (they thought there was
only 1) and so it's going to take longer to correct.
with Jennifer. Things are going well but her case is worse than they
thought. She has several shorts in her heart (they thought there was
only 1) and so it's going to take longer to correct.
Please continue to pray as the doctors continue to work.
More updates as I know more.
The Procedure Has Begun
It's currently 8:00 am and Jennifer is being wheeled into her
procedure. They tell me that it will be 2-3 hours before I'll be able
to see her but all indications are that she will be going home later
this afternoon.
procedure. They tell me that it will be 2-3 hours before I'll be able
to see her but all indications are that she will be going home later
this afternoon.
I still find this amazing that they are going to go into her heart,
through tubes in her legs and that she'll be able to sleep in her own
bed tonight.
6:30 AM
Today is Jennifer's heart procedure. It's called a Catheter Ablation.
It's currently about 5:30 am. We have to be at the Hospital by 6:30
am. I'll keep you posted as the day goes on.
It's currently about 5:30 am. We have to be at the Hospital by 6:30
am. I'll keep you posted as the day goes on.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Long Day . . . Short Week
Well, it's taken me until Tuesday afternoon to post any information from this past weekend. Basically I took yesterday as a true "day off" from the church and didn't do anything church, ministry or blog related.
Sunday was really great. Our attendance continues to increase, we had several first-time guests, people really seemed to be connecting with God and the impact of our current 'til Death message series continues. We normally have 3-5 requests for CD's of our messages and to date we've had an average of 26 requests for each of the messages in this series.
Some people are purchasing the entire message series to give away to friends who are struggling in their marriage. We know of a gentleman who was given an invitation to this series from a friend of his, who attends another local church. The friend knew that this man's marriage was in trouble and encouraged him to check out our series. God is using this series and our church to impact our community in a big way.
Isn't it amazing what God does when we get out of His way and do what He says?
Church, continue to invite people to 'til Death. This weekend Pastor Tucker will be talking about "What Happens In Vegas, Won't Stay In Vegas." It's going to be awesome.
This week is going to be a short work week for me as Jennifer and I will be in Philly on Friday for her Heart procedure. Please pray for her and the doctors.
Sunday was really great. Our attendance continues to increase, we had several first-time guests, people really seemed to be connecting with God and the impact of our current 'til Death message series continues. We normally have 3-5 requests for CD's of our messages and to date we've had an average of 26 requests for each of the messages in this series.
Some people are purchasing the entire message series to give away to friends who are struggling in their marriage. We know of a gentleman who was given an invitation to this series from a friend of his, who attends another local church. The friend knew that this man's marriage was in trouble and encouraged him to check out our series. God is using this series and our church to impact our community in a big way.
Isn't it amazing what God does when we get out of His way and do what He says?
Church, continue to invite people to 'til Death. This weekend Pastor Tucker will be talking about "What Happens In Vegas, Won't Stay In Vegas." It's going to be awesome.
This week is going to be a short work week for me as Jennifer and I will be in Philly on Friday for her Heart procedure. Please pray for her and the doctors.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Vicodin Is My Friend
Well, It's been a unique day.
It all started at 10:45am as I checked in to the Ambulatory Surgical Center at St. Luke's in Bethlehem. Within minutes, I was in the "prep" room, getting vitals and being informed as to what will be happening. By noon I was laying on the gurney, I.V. inserted, hair net in place, little hospital booties on my feet and a very small gown wrapped around me. About 12:30 I received an injection in the I.V. to help me "relax"as they wheeled me into the O.R. Then . . . I woke up about an hour later. I have no clue what took place during that hour but I was told that all went well.
After a couple of hours in recovery, 2 pieces of toast, some coffee and a very successful trip to the little boys room, I was told I could go home.
I've just completed a very long awaited bowl of chicken soup and will spend the next 48 hours or so with some new found friends. . . Vicodin and Ice Packs.
Thank you all for your prayers and I'll keep you posted over the weekend.
It all started at 10:45am as I checked in to the Ambulatory Surgical Center at St. Luke's in Bethlehem. Within minutes, I was in the "prep" room, getting vitals and being informed as to what will be happening. By noon I was laying on the gurney, I.V. inserted, hair net in place, little hospital booties on my feet and a very small gown wrapped around me. About 12:30 I received an injection in the I.V. to help me "relax"as they wheeled me into the O.R. Then . . . I woke up about an hour later. I have no clue what took place during that hour but I was told that all went well.
After a couple of hours in recovery, 2 pieces of toast, some coffee and a very successful trip to the little boys room, I was told I could go home.
I've just completed a very long awaited bowl of chicken soup and will spend the next 48 hours or so with some new found friends. . . Vicodin and Ice Packs.
Thank you all for your prayers and I'll keep you posted over the weekend.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
I'm Getting Old!
I've come to the conclusion that I'm getting older and there's nothing I can do about it.
I was on the phone the other day with a woman from our church. She is considering taking part in a Good Friday drama we are planning. I told her that I heard she did drama when she was in high school. She said, "Well, yes I did, but that was a long time ago." I proceeded to ask a question that I know is not politically correct but I asked her when she graduated from high school. (You see it's not politically correct because I could quickly calculate her age) She answered me and told me that she graduated way back in 1996. I responded with a laugh and said, "That's not a long time ago. I graduated in 1985 and . . . That's a Long Time Ago."
Tomorrow is a big day for me. My oldest daughter (Emily, 11 years old) is going on her first Youth Trip this weekend. The student ministry of Carpenter's is going on their "Winter Blast" trip and she is going to be with over 40 students from our church, 2 hours away from home, for 2 days, without Mom and Dad. Can you feel my pain? Can you see my sadness? It was only yesterday that I was rocking her to sleep in my arms. Today, she doesn't fit in my arms.
In addition to Emily being away, tomorrow I'm having Hernia Surgery. I've never had surgery of any type. I've never had an I.V. I've never been put to sleep and I've never had days of recovery from any procedure. So, I'm very nervous about tomorrow. From what I understand they are going make an incision and plug and patch me with a mesh plug and patching material. I don't know how things will go but I do know that God is in control. Check back on Friday or Saturday and I'll post some details and let you know how I'm doing.
Needless to say, with my kids growing up and my body slowing down, I'm realizing that I'm getting older and there's nothing I can do about it. My only saving grace is that I believe God has some big things in store for me yet. . . or at least that's my thoughts.
I was on the phone the other day with a woman from our church. She is considering taking part in a Good Friday drama we are planning. I told her that I heard she did drama when she was in high school. She said, "Well, yes I did, but that was a long time ago." I proceeded to ask a question that I know is not politically correct but I asked her when she graduated from high school. (You see it's not politically correct because I could quickly calculate her age) She answered me and told me that she graduated way back in 1996. I responded with a laugh and said, "That's not a long time ago. I graduated in 1985 and . . . That's a Long Time Ago."
Tomorrow is a big day for me. My oldest daughter (Emily, 11 years old) is going on her first Youth Trip this weekend. The student ministry of Carpenter's is going on their "Winter Blast" trip and she is going to be with over 40 students from our church, 2 hours away from home, for 2 days, without Mom and Dad. Can you feel my pain? Can you see my sadness? It was only yesterday that I was rocking her to sleep in my arms. Today, she doesn't fit in my arms.
In addition to Emily being away, tomorrow I'm having Hernia Surgery. I've never had surgery of any type. I've never had an I.V. I've never been put to sleep and I've never had days of recovery from any procedure. So, I'm very nervous about tomorrow. From what I understand they are going make an incision and plug and patch me with a mesh plug and patching material. I don't know how things will go but I do know that God is in control. Check back on Friday or Saturday and I'll post some details and let you know how I'm doing.
Needless to say, with my kids growing up and my body slowing down, I'm realizing that I'm getting older and there's nothing I can do about it. My only saving grace is that I believe God has some big things in store for me yet. . . or at least that's my thoughts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
