I appreciate everyone’s prayers for me. Yesterday they removed my catheter and I felt so much better, as you read. Anita and I even enjoyed a walk outside last evening. Trying to urinate was very painful and just trickled. By morning, those muscles had shut down and I couldn’t drain my bladder. After trying everything we could think of, Anita took me back to Dr.’s office in Ft. Wayne (they said sometimes that happens), where they did an ultrasound on the bladder, found it was indeed full, and reinserted the catheter. I will have to wear this thing until next Monday when we’ll try again.
Vicodin doesn’t seem to affect me much in the area of pain, but after I went back to sleep, I dreamed I was on Omaha Beach on D-Day and was consulting several officers about what strategy we needed to take to get up off the beach! Then, I dreamed I was sitting in a living room with President Richard Nixon, who was lecturing me about the importance of our participating in a global economy. “So, are you in or are you out?” he demanded. I guess I was really out.
I consider going back on the catheter a set-back for me, but we all have had set-backs and recovered. So will I. See ya; gotta go vote.
Free at last, free at last! Thank God Almighty, I’m free at last! Just got back from seeing the surgeon and got that infernal catheter out. Man, that feels better. He made sure I understood that he did not want me straining at all for the next couple of weeks. He better explained what they did in that surgery. They actually severed the Urethra above and below the prostate, removed the section with the prostate gland, pulled down the bladder and reattached the urethra with stitches. He said the cancer report came back a seven on the Gleason Scale, a little more aggressive than we thought. Its really good its gone and I didn’t take my chances with other treatments.
I got out last night and snuck into the choir’s concert at church. Few knew I was there, but I think its crucial that the body of Christ supports our brothers and sisters in this kind of ministry, so made every effort and made it. Didn’t they do great? They made me proud.
Now that Ive been untethered, I can do more than just sit and read and watch TV, so I’d better get at it.
Anita just fixed me a great pork tenderloin for Sunday dinner. That hit the spot because I had a bit of nausea this morning. She reminded me that I took an antibiotic this morning in preparation for having the catheter removed tomorrow. So I need to have a bit of food every now and then with this antibiotic. Other than that. I’m doing better each day.
We wanted to provide stability and security with me laid up from surgery, so we asked Pastor Ed Gungor to come in to preach this first weekend. We knew he would be both light and heavy, and encourage everyone. I missed his message but am interested in what you think. Did we hit the mark? How’d he do?
Today is my best day yet. I actually feel pretty normal, except for the constant aggravation of this catheter. I go in Monday to have that removed, Praise God! I took a pretty good walk outside today, and that irritated things a bit. I have to remember Paul Brewer’s admonition to not push things too soon, as its only been five days since the surgery.
I’ve started reading Andy Stanley’s book Creating Community: 5 keys to Building A Small Group Culture. He tells the story of when they planted their church, North Point Community Church, in a suburb of Atlanta, they met in a conference center at the intersection of two interstate highways. The conference center had a huge electronic sign visible to both highways, where they advertised whichever group was meeting there that day. There weren’t enough spaces to get the entire name of the church on one screen, so the technician had to abbreviate. Everyone was surprised when they arrived for church and read the words: ‘NO POINT CHURCH’ on the screen for all to see. Which raises the question: What is the point of the church? What is the point of our church, New Hope Christian Center? This is a question that begs an answer.
What do you think? What is the point?
Doing better today. I still have to sit leaning back or to one side, but its better than yesterday. My stomach muscles are also better today; I can cough a bit deeper than before. Because I spend so much time sitting, my back got out of shape and went out on me yesterday. Pain in the front; pain in the back; woe is me. Today Anita ran a vibrator on my back and I’m leaning against a heating pad. Remind me to tell Anita how much I appreciate her taking care of me.
In addition to reading D-Day, I’ve also just finished reading The Fabulous Reinvention of Sunday School, by Aaron Reynolds. This is a great manual for all children’s ministry workers, with all sorts of practical and creative ideas for teaching pre-schoolers thru elementary age. Every High Point and Kids’ Club teacher should read this book and review it for new ideas periodically. This guy really has a handle on teaching kids. I especially appreciated his chapter on applying the childrens’ teaching principles from Sesame Street, Lazytown, Dora the Explorer, and Blues Clues. Anyone want to borrow it?
Speaking of Reinvention, each of us ought to look at some ways to reinvent some area of our lives. I think the Bible word is “transformation”.
I’m back! The first day after surgery the only pain I had was a some pain in my abdomen like I had been kicked. The second and third days that muscle pain spread to my entire abdomen, making it hard to sit up or get up. Today that pain is much less, but a new problem has arisen. Because of the location of the prostrate, I find I can’t sit down. I’m OK sitting on my recliner with the back down, as that spreads out the weight. Another breakthrough today: I got my first shower since Sunday. I didn’t take an Ibuprofen last night, but took one again this morning. Still no Vicodin.
While I’m resting, I’m still working on Stephen Ambrose’s book D-Day, the amazing account of the teamwork it took to pull off the Allied invasion of France in World War II. What tremendous planning went into that landing. Each part had to precede the next, each planned to the minute. If one part of the attack failed (and many did), it left those who followed vulnerable. The story reminds me of God’s plan for the Church. So many parts each fulfilling its own divinely appointed task. If one part of the body drops the ball, it leaves the other parts that follow vulnerable to attack by Satan. I surely don’t want to drop my spiritual responsibility and leave my followers vulnerable.
What do you see your divinely appointed task is and who is following that you don’t want to let down?
When we were in the surgical waiting area as Pastor was in surgery, Adam arrived carrying a bouquet of balloon flowers. This bouquet was really different! You could see him coming from way down the hall, and interestingly, heads were turning to look at it, as it was something they had never seen before. We put it on the table next to us, and heads continued to turn as we waited for a couple more hours. We had a couple of nurses stop to ask where they could get such a balloon bouquet. (Mary Dickinson had made it, and you can view more of her creations at: www.tinker.balloonhq.com)
Anyway, when we got to the room, nurses were commenting as we walked down the halls. The next morning Pastor said when the doctor came to see him, he walked back into the room and said, “That balloon bouquet is very innovative!”
All this got us thinking this morning. As Christians, we need to be DIffEReNt too. Do we go against the flow? Are we going along with others just to ‘fit’ into what seems normal? What if people had to stop and look at us, asking how they might have what we have? What if our character, thoughts, actions, words and motives were like the bouquet of balloons: Innovative and DIffEReNt? To get peoples attention we must! Lives are at stake!
Romans 12:2