Results are in . . .

We met with my Oncologist today. The results are in and show what appears to be a return of the cancer on the head of the pancreas. The prior CT scan showed a ‘fullness’ in this same area, but since it was not a PET scan we could not do a direct comparison. The liver mets noted on previous scans have also grown some. This explains most of the pain I have been experiencing lately. There are some other details less important, but this is the main info we were looking for. The plan is now to have an upper GI scope to make sure there are no ulcers which could be contributing to/causing any of the pain, followed by radiation which will be formed/directed to fit the affected area of the pancreas. He also suggested some other chemo drugs I could take following the radiation.

Point #1:
This is not what we were wanting to hear. This is not what we, like so many of you, were praying for. What did the Angels of the Lord (almost) always preface their appearing with, “Fear not, for the Lord thy God is with thee”. The word fear is mentioned in the King James Version 400 times, New King James 367 and the NIV 260 times. Not all are used in the same context, but you get the picture. Fear is a part of our human nature and God knowing this about us tells us to “fear not”. And why does He say that we do not have to fear? For “I AM is with you”.
When I was a kid, if my dad was with me fear was usually not a problem, “cause no body could beat up my dad”. Do any of you remember thinking like that? Then you get older and your world expands, as does your understanding of that world, and the question of who can beat up who fades. Then life throws some real fear – not imagined fear - at you and you run to your heavenly Father “cause nobody can beat up your daddy” and God says, “Fear not, I Am with you”. Amen.

Point #2:
I posed this question to Robin: “Why do we even pray if what you have been requesting for over a year does not happen?” Now that could be answered in many different ways and I know the answer I would give to others with that same question. But here is what I believe the Lord revealed to me soon after thinking that thought/question:
If you pray for a healing in your body and do not receive that healing, do you stop praying? Of course not! Which is more important, a physical healing or having a living relationship with your Heavenly Father? Prayer is (primarily) about fellowship with God. If your spouse does not give you something you requested do they cease being your spouse? Do you stop talking to them or is the marriage covenant dissolved? Of course not! Therefore, my (and your) relationship with God is of paramount importance. To know God and to be known by Him is the key. Because of what Christ did at the Cross, those who believe now have access to God. Prior to this (in the Old Testament - which means Old 'Covenant'), one had to go to a priest and offer a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Not anymore. I have a new 'covenant' with Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Because of Jesus, I now have access to the Throne room of the King. That is why I continue to pray. The healing is just lagniappe.

Point#3:
Many times our prayers have been or are going to be answered in ways which me may or may not understand. God has a purpose and a plan for my life as well as yours. Whether I am healed on not is something that does matter to me - and I know it matters to God. Jesus never made anyone sick, but He did walk by people everyday on the streets who were sick and yet were not healed. I have always wondered why He didn't heal them? He did not refuse to heal them, so what part did they play in not being healed?
Did they not know Who He was?
Did they know but refuse to believe that a healing was possible for them?
Did they know and believe but just failed to ask out of fear for what others might think?
Did they even know they could ask?
Or, what about this one, "What if I ask and a healing does not happen for me?"
The list of questions could go on and on . . .

I still wonder, "Lord, what part (if any) am I to play in my own healing? Am I, like so many of those You passed by on the streets, missing something?" Is there some detail I have overlooked?
The woman with the 'issue of blood' was sick for over a decade and had spent all that she had on doctors. Now you know she had asked for help from God over and over again but did not receive a healing - until Jesus came to town. . . .

Luke 8:43-48
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to
bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.
44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of
his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45 "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all
denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding
and pressing against you."
46 But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that
power has gone out from me."
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed,
came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of
all the people, she told why she had touched him and
how she had been instantly healed.
48 Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."

My Jesus is coming to town folks, don't know just exactly when, but He is coming...

Have a great Tuesday. George

Time . . .

Two more weeks of school left. Time flies by so fast – especially when it comes to the kids. Their progress is easier to mark, kind of like a yard stick. My 43rd birthday is a few months away, Robin’s 42nd is next week and we have been married going on 18 years. My car is going on 12 years old and Lauren is ready to start driving. There are so many other larger, historic land marks too – like the first Irag war, the present Afgan/Iraq war and 9/11. Do you remember this line, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”? If you guessed Ronald Reagan, you guessed right.
What is time anyway? Is it just a type of measurement among many other measurements? A way of interpreting our reality is one theory I have. We only get so many trips around the sun, only so many full moons, only so many summers and winters. I can remember, when I was much younger, calculating how many summers I had lived through and how many I had left if I lived to be 80 years old. It almost bums you out if you think about how ‘short lived’ everything is. That is one more proof to me that this life is temporary for a reason. It causes us to ‘look up’ and ask the why questions – it causes us to seek out and to search the deeper things that life has to offer.

Today was pretty good, except for my old 'nemisis' Mr. pain. He tries to keep me from enjoying Church services, family and friends, etc. Sometimes he is successful, at other times he is not. He must be a ‘vagrant’, since he moves around a lot. One minute he may camp out between my shoulder blades, then my lower left abdomen, then around the kidneys – heck, sometimes he must be a magician – since he can be at more than one place at a time! He does serve to remind me that I am in a battle, if that can be considered ‘good’. He also reminds me to pray more often. Like Pastor Don said today, if your faith has not been tested lately - hold on - cause it is coming. Nothing last too long, whether it is good times or bad times. There is a season for everything is so true.

Update: My Dad’s friend Ronny is in ICU still, but breathing on his own. Tomorrow he will have surgery on his left foot to try and save/repair it. He did lose the right leg below the knee. He will also need surgery on his pelvis which was damaged. So, when you pray, remember Ronny and Bonnie.

I get my results tomorrow. I’ll let everyone know something soon.

Prayer: Dr. Hackler, Debbie from CVT, Barbara Gerard (and also their donation account), George (me), my mother Patsy.

Another big week ahead - Go at it in faith.
George

Prayr request (urgent)

I have an urgent prayer request for one of my dad’s friends (Ronnie) who leases my dad’s marine repair shop. He has been doing this business for years without any major incidents until this morning when an empty gas tank on one of the boats he was working on exploded, almost severing one leg below the knee and his foot on the other leg. My dad said he may lose both the lower leg and the foot as a result. His arms had several broken bones. No apparent major burns or damage to his eyes. He did suffer internal organ damage (colon) due to the pressure of the blast which required an emergency colostomy. The explosion was heard 3 blocks away, according to my dad. Ronnie never lost consciousness throughout this whole ordeal and thankfully there were people on the spot right after this happened who were able to keep him stable until EMS arrived. Ronnie’s wife’s name is Bonnie. Easy to remember, huh? Ronnie & Bonnie. Please remember them in prayer as there have been and will be surgeries to save life and hopefully limb over the next few days. I thank you and I know Ronnie would also thank you.

Bryan twisted or sprained his ankle at the all night youth get together in the Hosanna gym. I got the midnight call and thought – “okay, Lord, give me some good news”, knowing that a call this late is not a “hey what you doing” type of call. I had just said amen after praying with Robin, turned to change shirts and the phone rang. Like they say, it could always be worse. Ain’t that the truth! So I drove over and picked him up and we iced down the ankle. He is in the bed now. I think it will be okay since this is not his first ‘ankle twister rodeo’.

That lightening storm and rain had me going! I have had enough of both to last me a while. My corn plants are all lying on their sides – I’ll have to drop a line between them Saturday and straighten them up a little.

You never know when some tragedy may befall you or a loved one. That is why it is best to first of all have a relationship with God, through Christ, and then to keep it fresh everyday – that way you are prepared for whatever may come your way. Amen.

God Bless. George.

Mountain Man . . .

We had some bad weather come through Thursday afternoon and night. I stayed up reading and writing with one eye and had the other eye on the T.V. weather reports. One of the weather men said there were 2,000 lightening strikes per hour registering on the radar. Wow!!!
Did ya’ll know that Robin brought Rocky (the squirrel) to LSU? They are much better suited to taking care of such critters than I – I feel like he is in good hands and will do well. Honestly, with 21 rabbits (soon to be only 6), 2 cats, 1 dog – oh, and how could I forget my new little ladies – 10 chickens - Rocky was too much added stress and commitment. He required too much at his stage of life. It was interesting while it lasted.
The rain snuck up on me earlier today and the little ladies got a little wet – not soaked, just a little wet. I was running some errands while I felt up to speed and while in Denham Springs picking up some bunny food, the sky fell. I couldn’t get into the store due to the down pour, so I drove into the warehouse – which they did not mind considering the circumstances. They load everything up for you. I cleaned out the ladies cage area and while I was doing that I let them scratch around in the yard. They love to hunt and peck – kind of like how I type. I returned them to their spot on the deck – which is definitely temporary – and made sure they were properly covered this time.
Wil and I are getting together on making a “chicken tractor” which is a movable chicken coop. This allows you to move the ladies to fresh ground for scratching and hunting bugs and prevents the ground/lawn from being “overgrazed” so to speak. An added plus is the natural fertilizer they leave behind.

Ladies, this next section is something guys can appreciate a little more than you – maybe - maybe not, so read on:

I am 're-watching' a documentary about a man named Richard Proenneke. Wil Howell had told me about this guy a while back, so he let me borrow the DVD. This man Richard decided, at the age of 51, to move to the Alaskan Northwest territory, build a cabin and live there – which he did – until he was 82 years old! He chose an idyllic site for his cabin, cleared it, put down several inches of gravel which he hauled to the sire himself, cut the trees for logs using all hand tools (starting the Summer before, so the logs would be dry), built the cabin (notched log style) with a moss roof (all hand dug), made a smoke house, a storage house raised up in the air (out of reach of all critters including Grizzly Bears) for storing all of his food and smoked meat, a refrigerator – which was a hole he dug in the ground down to the frost level and lined it with wood and sealed it off with a thick layer of moss, built – it was incredible the things he did with only a dozen or so hand tools. He even built his own chimney, bed, furniture, bowls, spoons, etc. (He reminds me of my brother, who has a woodworking shop – he makes all kinds of stuff out of wood like this man). The weather got down to minus 50 degrees F in the winter. To top it all off, he filmed this whole process of himself, by himself and also captured a lot of footage of the local wildlife/landscape. I guess he just set the camera up and let it roll. It was very inspiring. At the age of 82, he decided the winters were too cold, so he dedicated his Cabin at Twin Lakes to the Lake Clark National Park and moved back to the City.

After it was over, I felt a little saddened knowing that all of the hard work he had put into this project – this dream of his – would soon one day be rotten and forgotten. (Look out Rev. Jessie!). He too would one day be forgotten, as will all of us. The thought, “All good things must come to an end”, came to mind. I read over Ecclesiastes 3 which has a similar philosphical theme. That is such a good book to read.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;
yet they cannot fathom what God has
done from beginning to end.
12 I know that there is nothing better for men
than to be happy and do good while they live.
13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find
satisfaction in all his toil-- this is the gift of God.

Verse 13 stuck out after watching the documentary. This guy was happy by himself for all of those years, just enjoying the work of his hands and the natural handiwork of God via nature. We all work to pay our way in life. Hopefully, we get some time to relax and enjoy the works of our hands – as it said, “this is the gift of God”, to find satisfaction in our toil. . I remember when I used to be in the lawn and landscape business. I so looked forward to the end of the day when I would get home and clean up, eat a good meal and just relax with the wife and kids, knowing I had “done good”. Or how about when you cut the yard, trim the hedges, etc. and then look back on your work and how good it looks – you just feel good about it – like you’ve accomplished something productive. The same could be said about any task we put our hands to do. Do whatever we do as unto the Lord and with all of our heart. I like verse 12, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men. . .” Some of the scenes in this film are so breath taking – the mountains and lakes create and command such an awe and respect. You cannot help but to think about eternity. And to think if this place is this beautiful, how about the One Who created it all? And how about Heaven? Talk about a mind blower. I am going to have to quit. It is 3:12 a.m.

This is Friday. I hope you are finding satisfaction in your work – if not, ask God to help you or ask Him for a different job. Have a productive weekend. Remember, Good conquers evil.
P.S. Please remember to consider the Gerard's donation account idea.

George

Back home . . .

Back home. Thank God. The stay at OLOL was not too bad, but there is no place like home. I am still dealing with the pain on and off all day, which usually worse, almost unbearable at night. Same ole’ song and dance. (Maybe I should start a Blues Band, so I could start "singin' the blues"). We will know more in a few days after the tests have been read and forwarded to my Oncologist.

The garden plants appear to have 'jumped up' a few inches. The bugs are trying their best to get their share, but we are going to see if we can’t put a stop to that behavior. The picture attached is of the earliest planted corn in the front and the succeeding planting towards the back. If you plant is all at once, you get overloaded. So, stagger the plantings every so many weeks so you can have fresh corn over a longer time. The same goes for other vegis, too.

Very Rare Request . . .
I have, and will continue to ask, for prayer for many people through my blog. I know I have been on the receiving end of many of you praying for us. We have also received financial help, food, encouragement and even practical help like rides for our kids and also help around the house like planting trees (thanks again, Randy, Bill and Keith). So, here is something I have never done before on this blog, and don’t know exactly how to do it other than to just lay it out there and ask. I am asking for any of you (hopefully all of you), who feel led, to consider helping this couple that I am going to be speaking of in the next few paragraphs. Please read on. . . .

Many of you may remember Robin’s cousin, Barbara Gerard and her husband Don Gerard. She is Bob’s (my father-in-law) niece. A quick history is that she has had multiple surgeries (and complications from those surgeries) which eventually led to a small bowel transplant years ago. It was either die or have a transplant, which was a very rare and risky type of surgery. She has been on death’s doorstep many, many times and by the grace of God has always seemed to come back strong. Presently, they are both out of state (Nebraska) trying to get her bowel transplant, infections, etc. under control. They have been gone for several months this time. Over the years they have been gone for so many Holidays – I think she has missed at least half of all of the Christmas celebrations due to health problems since this all started.

Of course, every time there is a problem, her husband cannot work. When home, he tries to work as he can, depending on Barbara’s condition at that time. His employer is Simpson Service Center, which is on Florida Blvd. towards the City/Downtown. They have been so good to Don and have allowed him to work when he can without losing his position. This has been going on for almost a decade and has understandably taken its toll on them financially.

I could write pages of how great these two people are– so here is just a little bit. I have known them since I met my wife Robin and they have been nothing but a blessing to us and our kids every time we have gotten together. (They can cook a killer Gumbo!)
Don used to work for Maison Blanche Car Care Center before it closed down years ago. He started out “turning wrenches”, as he puts it, and worked his way up to manager. I can remember how stressful of a time it was on him and the other employees when the company (Maison Blanche) closed down. Many of them lost much of their retirement as a result of the company playing “financial magic” with their 401 k’s, etc. They did them (the employees) wrong and I do not know how they (the company) got away with it. But he got another good job at Simpsons. He helped me tremendously when I was in the lawn/landscape business from 1991 to 1998 through encouragement and advice – he was kind of like a ‘trusted big brother’, who I knew would shoot straight with me. One thing I have always thought about Don is how good of a listener he is. Not too many people I know are like him in that respect. He is a great dad, husband, brother and son. I would say to any one, if you don’t like Don Gerard, you got a problem. And that is the truth.

Barbara and Don have two children, both are now grown and married. Barbara worked for years in order to save up enough money to start her own photography studio. She and Don eventually got this dream off the ground and built a studio on their property. Their backyard had all kinds of wagon wheels, fountains and other things that she used as back drops to create the right shot. She took all of our family/kid pictures throughout the years. Barbara is a very loving mom and wife and cousin. She came from a family of (I think) 13 kids – I stand to be corrected - but they had enough for a football team including the coaches and a water boy. Barbara and Don have always been close to Bob and Gladys. One thing can be said of this couple, the word “lazy” is not in their vocabulary. Barbara and Don have both been a shining example of the good ole’ American work ethic.

Here is where the rubber meets the road. Some close family got together and opened an account in Don’s name at “Capital One”. As for donations, all you have to do is go in or drive through any Capital One branch and let them know you would like to donate into Don Gerard’s account. This goes directly to he and his wife – no middle man or organization is involved. Wouldn’t it be awesome to load up their account and blow their minds with the amount? (Look out Jessie Jackson, I got my rhyme goin’ on now). Seriously, I hope and pray that each of you would consider giving towards this deserving couple. When I think of all of the able bodied people who are ‘sitting on it” and receiving government money, while this couple struggles to keep their head above water, it really chaps me.

So, again, please consider giving. Any amount large or small - $5 or $50 or $500 - would be greatly appreciated by me and I know by them. The scriptures are also very clear about giving, “Give and it shall be given, pressed down and shaken together shall men give unto you” (Jesus). You cannot outgive God! If you have any questions at all, please call me or e-mail.


I am going to try getting back in the bed again. I had to get up and get into a hot shower around 2 a.m. to help try and knock out the back / kidney pain. It worked for the most part. The pills “just ain’t cuttin’ it” for some reason. I know they help, but not completely. So, I figured I would blog a while.
Talk to ya’ll so more later on . . . God Bless. George.

P.S. If those of you who live out of town/state would like to donate, please let me know and we can work out getting it to them.

George having PET scan.....

Just to let y'all know, George is probably being admitted to the hospital in order for him to have a PET scan. This has to be done in order for the insurance to cover the scan. What a crazy situation? Anyway, he has been doing pretty good---hurting some but also very busy in the garden and taking care of the farm animals. I have Rocky today so hopefully I will be able to take care of him as good as George.

Church was awesome yesterday. God is truly wanting us to understand how He wants and desires to be involved in our lives. Intimacy with our Lord means acknowledging His involvement even in the things of life we consider mundane. Our God is God and not only that He is our Father. It is good to know and remember that He wants to be part of our lives, after all He choses to come resided IN us.

Robin

Rocky II . . .

I named this post 'Rocky II', since this was a big challenge for the little rodent - just like the challenge Rocky Balboa faced in the second movie.
Squirrel talk:
Although the plot lines are different since there is no visible ‘antagonist’ against Rocky the squirrel (like Balboa’s Apollo Creed), he does face a new challenge. We all face challenges of various kinds thoughout life. Maybe little Rocky's new challenge is a metaphor given to me at this particular time in my life for a reason. Who knows? Here’s my impression of what might have been going through his mind the first few days after we met. . .
“There I was, born into a caring family, doing alright – life was going pretty good - and then I fell out of my nice, safe nest. I remember falling but not hitting the ground. I hit my head on a limb on the way down - really close to my left eye – now I did feel that - and boy did it hurt! I woke up and knew I was lying on the ground for hours – in and out of consciousness - scared and cold. I could not figure out where I was – since my eyes were not open yet - or why my family did not come to look for me. Then, this big, unusual sounding ‘thing’ picks me up and puts me in another small nest and then brings me into his nest – a really big nest at that. Boy, are things different. The nest I live in now is different - no sticks or hair like my first one - but there are a lot of wood chips, a cotton towel to curl up inside of and it is warm and dry all of the time. (Editor’s note: There is a heating pad under half of the container). He even put something on my head injury to heal it up. The new nest is very comfortable. The big nest stays dry and does not move when the wind blows. The big thing feeds me 3 or 4 times a day. It’s not like mom’s milk, but it does taste pretty good. The only thing is, he makes me wear a paper towel 'bib' so I don't get milk running down my chin onto my neck and front paws. He tells me it will keep me from 'stinking'. Whatever that means. I still don't like being wrapped up, stink or no stink. I guess I should not complain, considering that I overheard the big thing talking to another big thing today (it sounds like the second thing must run the nest) and he said to it that he has seen four different kinds of snakes in the last 10 days around his nest. All of them were different kinds of snakes – 3 of them were big enough to eat Rocky – Rocky, hey, that’s what he calls me! I am thankful he did not leave me on the ground too long or else one of those snakes or one of the big birds that nest in the nearby trees may have had me over for lunch – if you know what I mean! So, like I say, be grateful for what you have and work with what you’ve got.
Since my eyes opened, I have noticed the thing that takes care of me does not have much hair, mostly just on the top of his head and chin. He stays around the nest a lot. The other thing, who lives in the nest too, has more hair on its head and none on its chin. This one is gone a lot. This one must be a female – and there are two smaller things that live in the nest, too. They usually leave the nest with the female real early - when the sun comes up. The younger one is called “bryangetinhere” – whatever that means - and the older one is called "laurenwheresthephone”. They all could be related to bees, since the bigger ones call each other ‘honey’ and ‘sugar’ – but they do not fly or make a buzzing sound, but they do make other noises that remind me of the sounds made by the bullfrogs that live in the pond near the tree I used to live in. Hmmm . . They appear to love and care for each other and to be happy in their nest. They eat really weird food, too. I keep hearing a bunch of chirping birds at night. He calls them his "ladies". I think he puts them outside during the day. Hey, I got to go outside myself today, my second time – and honey even put me on the ground for a while.
Hey, who is ‘Bullwinkle’, anyway?" . . .

That is what I think he may have been thinking over the past weeks since we got little Rocky. Who knows? Do squirrels even think? Or do they just ‘do’? Well, do I think? Or do I just ‘do’? Thought verses instinct. Now there is a can of worms we could discuss for decades.


You have to admit it - that little stinker is some kind of cute, ain't he?

Have a super Friday in Jesus Name!

George

Kenney

Hebrews 4:12 - 5:1

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin.

16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Kenny was feeling a left out with the new admit of the chickens – and not to mention Rocky the Squirrel. If you will recall, the same thing happened when we got the Rabbits and the two Cats. So, I told him if it would make him feel better, we could put his mug on the blog today.

The doctor visit went well. The liver enzyme numbers are a little off as well as RBC, WBC, etc. I did get a Neupogen shot to boost my white count. That made for a tough night even with the pain pills. It some how effects your body and causes back, hip and leg ‘bone pain’. I may be getting a PET/CT scan next week. We will see.

Today is a new day, however. Have any of you heard the new song on 92.7 FM, “This is my New Dawn”, by a guy named Kirkley. It is an awesome song. Here’s the funny thing about the song. The other day, I was typing in all of the poems I thought I had lost a few weeks ago. This song came on – the very first time I had heard it – as I was typing in this line of a poem “…before dawn”. I thought that was a bit unusual. Of course, I stopped and then listened to it and have heard it several times since.

God bless. . . George

Snake in the grass, birds in the nest . . .

I found a few interesting things today while walking around the property.

My in laws have a bird nest – some type of Wren I think – right on their carport 5 feet from the door on a shelf. There are two chicks hatched and feathered and three eggs yet to hatch. Then on the way back to my house, I found a dead snake on the ground. It was black on the back with a red checkered pattern on the belly. I do not recall ever seeing one like this so I am going to Google it and see what pops up. Also, check out the tassels on the Pecan tree branch. Pecans are on the way.

I planted a few more rows of snap beans (aka 'green beans') before lunch since the others did not sprout. This was possibly due to the cold spells we had a few weeks ago along with a lot of rain at the same time. Cold and wet is not good. That is the trick in trying to plant early enough but not too early. I have heard that the time to plant is on or after Good Friday. I was a little early. Also, that once the leaves begin to appear on the Pecan trees that the danger of a freeze has passed. Just about everything else planted is doing fine. I even have tomatoes on the vine.

After lunch, the old funk kicked in again till about 6 pm. I had to get in the bed and curl up till it passed. (Don't tell Robin, but I borrowed her big round snuggling pillow). Tomorrow is a doctor's appt. so hopefully we can figure out the source of the symptoms.

Bryan had a game last night and his team won, 12 to 2. Tonight they had another game and they lost, 12 to 1. That is an interesting turn of events.

I had an unusual but pleasant visit this evening. My brother in law had some people from a Church they had visited a few weeks back, come by to visit with him and his family. I guess that is a part of the Churches ministry to visit those who have visited. Would that be called a “re-visit”? Well, since no one was home but me, we started talking and one thing led to another and they wound up praying for me for a healing. How about that divine appointment? I did not know these folks, but by the time they left I felt like I had known them for years. There was a young guy with them who is a 20 year old Engineering student at LSU. . Now that was impressive to me. How many 20 year old kids do you know who are motivated enough to take time during the week to share the Gospel? Thank God for that. Give us more kids like him.

During service Sunday morning, I read a footnote on Romans 8:36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

The footnote says, “Difficulties are not necessarily obstacles for God’s children, but His appointed way”. I found that comment very interesting. Difficulties are God’s appointed way……Hmmm … I do not believe that constant difficulties are what the writer is referring to, but as believers desiring to live by a higher standard (which also makes us a target) we get our share and then some – some may even be ‘self inflicted’ by virtue of ignorance or disobedience to the expressed will of God. It takes some of us years to learn and re-learn and then others of us learn very quickly. I remember my Mother telling me this as a young child, “If you would just listen, you would never get a spanking”. That registered with me and I started listening more and running from a switch less.

Romans 8:36 is preceded by Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”. “All things” include the “difficulties” mentioned in the footnote. And His “appointed way” is that no matter what the difficulty is, He is working out things in us and through us – to change us (our heart and character) to look more like His image instead of our own. Even if that involves things we would otherwise deem undesirable. "Why can’t we get it the easy way" I ask myself. Because most of us would not “get it”, if “it” was a one time easy thing. Difficulties are the equivalent of going to the gym and working out, remember the old saying, "no pain, no gain"? You know you are going to finish in the gym and go home, but the only way to get the desired results is to finish - get through - the workout. But the reassuring thing is this, that in the midst of whatever is happening, we know that He is with us. As a result, we can maintain our confidence and faith (in Him) through thick and thin.

Romans 8:35 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"

Romans 8:38 - 39 "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Joshua 1:9"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Those are some powerful scriptures for us to draw strength from. Tomorrow, let's put them into action. George.

Freedom to Worship . . .

Church was really good. We got there late – my fault. I woke up really feeling , well, just feeling ‘bad’. My right side was hurting so bad that I asked Robin to bring me a pain pill and some water. I waited for it to kick in before I got up. This was just a solicitation from someone (I think we know who) to stay in the bed and not go to Church. We did miss Sunday school, which we try to make every week. After lunch the old funk returned until about 9 pm that night. It almost makes me not want to eat, since that is what usually brings it on. I was talking with a sister at Church, and I have probably said this to others before, that being able to attend corporate worship and preaching of the Word is the highlight of my week. The Freedom to Worship is a privilege granted to us via the blood of tens of thousands of people who have gone before us. Thank God for that Freedom!
On a spiritual note . . .
As I look into the face of God (in my heart), I see a depth of understanding which is unfathomable. Understanding that has no known comparison. Over six billion souls on the earth and yet God can understand each and every one of us. Our hurts, fears and our hopes and dreams. Regardless of race, language, gender or nationality – He knows and understands. How does He know? That question reminds me of the little ‘thermos bottle’ joke. “You put cold liquid in it and it stays cold, put hot liquid and it stays hot, how do it know?” I cannot explain it, He just knows. That is why He is God and I am not. And Mercy and Grace which is so underserved and all encompassing – also with no comparison. I believe the woman “caught in adultery” experienced this when she looked into the face of Jesus and heard these words, “Woman, where are your accusers?” Can you imagine the relief she felt? Not only was she saved from being stoned by the gathering crowd, but she was also forgiven by the only One capable of forgiving her. I think she was a slight bit overwhelmed – don’t you? And how about the woman with the “issue of blood”, who had spent all of her resources on an illness which had plagued her for over a decade. In one brief moment, she was healed completely of her affliction just by believing that if she could touch Jesus, she would be healed. And she was! Wow. God is so Good. He alone is worthy of our praise.

I spoke with mom today and she, Dad and Aunt Eva are all doing well. She went to Sunday school for the first time since her treatments started months ago. Go mom!

Happy Birthday to my cousin Wendy in Florida – she is 40 . . . ish. I’m not tellin’.

All of the animals are doing well. ‘Rocky and the Chickets’ are all growing bigger everyday. You should see the chicks competing for the next earthworm. I’ll gather a few worms, moths, and other bugs. Place them by the edge of the wire and those little birds go crazy. One will grab the worm, run around chirping loudly – which to me is advertising to the others what you have – and then, of course, they all chase her around attempting to steal her morsel. This goes on until one of them can get enough time to stop and swallow the critter. It is the funniest thing you have ever seen. They are foraging fanatics - non stop searching machines. I won't have any bugs left in my garden once they get a little bigger and get a chance to get in it.

Another week ahead. Another doctors appointment, too. Much to look forward to. Opportunity lies just around the corner.

God bless.George. (that is 'watermelon' color - hopefully a hint of the 'taste' of things to be growing soon).

The surprise pics . . .

Here they are, new additions to the "farm". I bought 10 'bitties' (baby chickens)a few days ago. I just could not pass them up this time like I have been over the past year.
(If you left click on the pictures, it enlarges and you can really see how cute these stinkers are!)

There are ten chicks, four different types: 3 Rhode Island Reds, 3 Golden sex-link, 2 Black sex-link and 2 Barred Rocks (which are also black). ‘Sex-link’ means that the chick is a result of a cross between two different breeds which results in coloring / feathering at birth which helps distinguish between male/female. From what I have read, this is more cost effective for the hatchery and results in a good pullet (which is a young hen). These are to be laying hens, not for the cooking pot. They are so cute and very entertaining to watch.

And not to forget ole’ Rocky – that’s him ‘chowing down’ on the dropper. I noticed his left eye was open when I fed him this morning and then by lunch time his right eye was open. I took him outside and showed him around the yard a bit and even pointed out the big tree he fell out of. I don’t think he really cares; he is more concerned about sleeping and eating right now.

I repaired Thumpers cage (the adult mail rabbit) and also finished separating the males/female bunny babies since they are no longer babies. I thought I had done a good job and was explaining everything I had done to Robin as we strolled along the 'farm' in the cool of the evening, then Robin pointed out to me that in one of the cages one bunny was feverishly chasing another one around the cage – guess what – I re-checked the one doing the chasing and sure enough he was a male. But before I could get my gloves on to remove the one doing the chasing, the one being chased was standing straight up on her hind legs in the corner, stretched out so as to prevent any "action" by the 'chaser' upon the 'chasee' (if you know what I mean). They are too young for that right now - but you never know. So, now I think they are all properly separated. I have 4 males and 11 females now -including the adults. [We are planning on 'thinning' those numbers soon. If anyone knows of someone who may be interested in rabbits - these are almost 4 months old, born January 9th and 13th, 2007 - for breeding stock or for pets, these are New Zealand White (father) crossed with a California Giant (doe) - just e-mail or call me].

That was enough to 'do me in' for the day. Much better day than yesterday, thank God. Everybody got home early and we had a nice evening together. We kind of "ate our way around the World" in one meal - as for me, I had a P.B.J. - the first in probably at least 6 months, then a little fried rice, 1 egg role and then a 'Gourmet' hotdog no dog buns, so a whole wheat hamburger bun had to do). The key is not eating too late or too much. Afterwards, me and Lauren played a few tunes together on our guitars. She has several beautiful worship songs she has writtten. We sang a worship song together (well, 3/4's of us did since big boy was out like a light) and closed in prayer. As far as I am concerned, almost a perfect evening.

Psalm 127:3-5

3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:

and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;

so are children of the youth.

5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver

full of them: they shall not be ashamed,

but they shall speak with (subdue) the enemies in the gate.

Psalm 128:1-4

1 Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.

2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands:

happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house:

thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

4 Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.

Time for hitting the sack. George.

Two things you don't talk about . . .

Update on Steve – he came through the surgery just fine. His wife gave me a call around 4:30 p.m. Praise God.
I do not know anything yet concerning Mark Johnson following his surgery, but we continue to think about these two and pray for a speedy and complete recovery.

Check out this saying sent to me by Darlene:
"We are not Human Beings going through a Temporary Spiritual experience.
We are Spiritual Beings going through a Temporary Human experience".

I have been battling the ‘funk’ on and off all day. As a result, not much was accomplished other than doing the dishes, wash/dry some clothes and nursing all of the animals. I did have several good times in prayer today, yesterday was better - I had a really moving time with the Lord. I broke out the guitar and played some worship songs, the few that I can play and it was like He showed up in my house in person. Such is my life at this point – each day is different – but much appreciated and I thankful to still be here.

I am going to get that picture of the new 'surprise(s)' tomorrow. I’ll need some sunlight to do it right.

Two things you don’t talk about – well here are both in one:
I am having a problem with some of our present world events related to Islam and the idea that Islam is a religion of ‘peace’. Correct me if I am wrong, but from what I have read, Mohammed was not just a prophet, but a warrior/statesman who promulgated his new religion both by the word and by the sword. The Koran is full of violent rants for those who are ‘infidels’. (Yes, I have read the Koran)The funny thing is, who decides who the infidel is and is not? Who is the Grand Inquisitor? As a result of the vague interpretation of ‘infidel’, Muslims are killing Muslims. True, the religion has been hijacked by some really severe nut jobs, but you cannot start a fire without fuel. Do you think you could twist the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament to the point that you could justify cutting off heads, blowing up innocent women and children and forcing women into roles no better than a dog? (Yes, I am aware of the Holy Wars a thousand years ago – those could not be backed up with New Testament scriptures even if you tried). In the Koran, one verse says to treat all people of all faiths with justice and fairness and then a few verses later, kill anybody who does not believe and follow the Koran. Huh? Is it any wonder there is such confusion in the minds of so many Muslims? Especially the younger ones? I believe that any educated, sincere Muslim and I have much more in common than not. Moral and ethical issues we would probably agree upon 90% of the time. Examples would be faithfulness to our own Holy Book and it’s teachings, praying, loving, giving, tolerance for others we disagree with, morally sound living, forgiveness, the expectation of modesty from our women as well as respecting and elevating them to a position of love, equality and respect – we may disagree with this last one, depending on which branch of Islam you consult. I could go on. The difference between the Muslim you can live next door to in peace and the one who wants to kill you, is in the understanding that you cannot force people to live a life according to how you think they should. Communism is a perfect example of this. It lasted for what - 70 years? And after its fall, the remaining states are still trying to recover and get their own political ‘legs’. Forcing people at the end of the gun and keeping them under a constant threat of punishment for ‘misbehaving’ only brings external obedience, not internal transformation (such as what Jesus taught about – the ‘new birth’ through faith in Him - in the Book of John, Chapter 3). I have no problems with Muslims who are for real and yet are not ideologs (or is it 'ideologist'). I do pray that those Muslims fighting to protect the ‘peaceful’ version of Islam will succeed - for the World’s sake. I pray even more so that Jesus will reveal Himself to them in ways that they can understand and that they will come to know him not just as a prophet, but as Lord and Savior.
I could go on, but I have said enough for one day. God help us all to live according to His design for each of us.
Disclaimer: I do not hate or dislike Islam or Mulsims - I respectfully disagree on many points, but there is no hatred in my heart - just in case anyone was wondering.

The last word: When things are not going right (or even if things are going great), start praising God for Who He is - start thanking Him for all He has done, is doing and is going to do. Invite His presence into your home or your job – wherever you are and whatever you are doing – no matter what the situation is, Praise Him!

Psalm 145:2-13
2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.
5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
[8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. ]
[9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. ]
(There is a beautiful song using the lines of verses 8 & 9)
10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you.
11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made (that includes me and you).

This is your weekend with beautiful weather in store. Do everything you have been wanting to do – and just have not had the time - don’t put it off.

God bless you and go, be a blessing.
George.

Update . . .

Another surgery prayer request. A friend of mine from N.O. is under the knife even as I type (around noon). Steve was in the group that came in to visit and attended Church a few weeks ago. It is some type of abdominal surgery.

Rocky the squirrel pulled a fast one on me yesterday - I came in from outside to feed him in the afternoon and he was not in his shoe box. It took a minute, then I found him on the floor about 10 feet from the box curled up sleeping on he floor. He's lucky he is little and that his eyes are not open or else he would have gotten a spanking.

I spoke with my mom and she the radiation reatments are going good.

Lauren along the Hosanna track team won district last night and are now slated to go to regionals next week. Go Hosanna.

I have another surprise to share, but I need to take some pictures and post them along with what the surprise is.

More later . . . George.

Poem . . .

Here is a poem I wrote February 2003. I was bumming out thinking that I did not have a hard copy, and therefore had lost it all when our computer crashed a few months ago. I found this along with several other poems I thought were lost. I cannot remember exactly what inspired it, but after working in the medical field for CVT for about 4 years, the Lord by this time had revealed to me that even though this was a "job" - it was also a ministry to those I encountered every day.

To love and care for people is something we are all called to do whether we have a ministry "title" or not. Think of all of the physicians, nurses, teachers, ministers, plumbers, electricians, contractors, cooks, maids, grandmothers and grandfathers, Moms and Dads, and yes, lawyers too (just poking fun at the lawyers, hey, I have friends who are lawyers ) . . . I could go on - no matter the profession, we can all care for and help others along the way using our God given skills and abilites. God is into Mercy & Justice just as much as he is into Church attendance and Holiness. I hope you enjoy it and that it will inspire you to reach higher.

FOR PEOPLE

I wonder sometimes why I do these things
The things I don’t always want to do.
Then I look around and all around I see
Many more reasons to do
The things others cringe at and frown at
And sometimes turn white at.

I admit these things are not always pleasant and perfect
Like flowered fields and mountain scenes,
Like newborn babes and all things clean.
But my reasons run deeper than it may seem.
I do this for people.

For people who feel less than and weak.
For people who are not up and happy.
For those who are hurting and in need.
I do this also for those who depend on me every day.

Those people who call me Dad,
And honey and brother and son
Nephew and Uncle, all of these am I, in one.

I do this for them and also for me
For by doing for others I find that I am free.
From the selfishness and the pride
That so easily entangles my soul.
In so doing, these things lose their hold.

I do this for people
And for me.

prayer request . . .

I have a prayer request for a brother in the Lord who will be undergoing the same kind of surgery I had over a year ago. His name is Mark Johnson and his wife’s name is Tammy. He is at Tulane in N.O. and is scheduled for surgery tomorrow (Wednesday) at 1 pm. So if you will, please remember he and his wife in prayer. The surgery is supposed to be between 4 to 6 hours long. May this be the best surgery this surgeon has ever performed.

My mother has the first radiation treatment tomorrow. We are praying for no ill side effects and for the radiation to do its job.

Rocky is eating like a horse. He mistook my finger for a nipple and chomped down on it with those needle like teeth! I wear gloves while feeding him and the formula sometimes gets on my finger - that is why he thought it was fair game.

We still are praying for and thinking about the families who lost loved ones to the shooter at Virginia Tech.

I had a pretty good day. Had to nap a few hours and then fooled around in the yard once it cooled off a bit. My stomach is still acting up and I am nursing a headache, which I do not normally get – you just got to work with what you got.

Continue to have a great week. George.

Why ?

I don’t know whether to be angry or sad or both. This shooting at Virginia Tech is unbelievable. Thirty-three people are dead, and for what reason? I am sure some excuse will be revealed by the news media eventually, but what could possibly justify this rampage? A broken relationship? Mad at the world because of a lost job, poor grades or what? The question in my mind is, “where was God”? I can tell you where he was not, He was certainly not in the heart of the killer. He was, however, present in the hearts of those teachers who put themselves in harms way, giving their students time to jump out of windows in order to escape being shot. Jesus said it Himself in John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”. This was not God’s fault; it was a selfish choice that some confused, poor soul made. Those who attempted to help others also made a choice, a selfless one, putting the interests of others before their own. I pray that we will all learn something from this tragedy, like how precious life is.

We had a late night baseball game last night – got in at 10:15 pm. Bryan’s team lost 11 to 3. It was an eye opener for the boys. Bryan did have several good plays and a good hit.
Rocky the squirrel is still eating good and sleeping like a log.
Yesterday, the doctor was so backed up that I decided to reschedule after waiting for an hour. I did get my blood work done and told them to call me if I was down and needed a shot. No call, so I guess that is good.
God is in control, regardless of what is going on in us or around us. Storms will arise, accidents will happen, tragedies will occur, but through it all He has promised to be with us. He is our peace.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.
George

Where the Camera when you need it?

What a wonderful service today. As I have said before, being able to attend corporate worship and the preaching of the Word is the highlight of my week. I did have a temporary reprieve from most of the abdominal discomfort until the afternoon. I have decided to eat more on the vegi side and less on the meat and bread type foods. I have found that soups are easier on me, too. Hey, some of the healthiest people groups around the world eat soup one or two time a day.

My brother Mike and his wife Eva passed by on their way home from an out of state wedding. We were looking at the rabbits to see if he thought they were large enough to ‘harvest’. He took one out of cage to check it out and it started kicking and bucking and got away from him for a few seconds – man I wish I had the video camera rolling! Eva and I got a good laugh off of that one. He did get it back in the cage, but not without a few scratches. Also, Mike has raised several orphaned squirrels in the past similar in age to our new ‘Rocky’. The ones he raised eventually took off into the trees and never came back. He says he used to walk around with one of the squirrels in his shirt pocket. We will see about that with Rocky. He is eating well and sleeping as any baby would be at this point.

Here is a ‘scenario’ that ran through my mind today. Ya'll know by now how I think. Here goes . . . You are sitting in your living room with your family. The temperature outside is in the 30’s. The front door to your home suddenly blows open, letting in waves of cold air. What would you do? Just sit there and leave it open? Or would you leap to your feet and immediately slam the door shut? I would venture a guess that all of us would slam the door shut. This has so many spiritual applications, I do not know where to begin.
On a National level, the door has been open for years – or should I say for decades. We have allowed our Country to be overrun with things that the less educated and more primitive (in our eyes) countries around the world would - and do - consider to be shameful practices. Is it any wonder why the radical Muslims want to blow us up? Have you seen the garbage playing in the movie theatres lately? It is all about how psychotic, twisted and horrifying can we make it? How many people can we dismember and torture and in the process, make it look as real as possible. That is what they think we like – ‘we’ as in you and me. I know the populace as a whole has been ‘sickened’ mentally/emotionally due to years of desensitization and now readily accepts this type of garbage as entertainment. I know I have watched my share of Hollywood trash, only to live to regret it and its’ effects on my own mind. (I have recently considered clocking the amount of time I watch T.V. - regardless of what it is - and either read, pray or a combination of both for an equal amount of time). The world sees this stuff and not all of the good that America has done and does around the globe. The Word says to overcome evil with Good. May God raise up a generation of our young people to ‘jump up and slam the door shut’, and may we 'old people' allow God to also move in, on and through us to also bring about positive change.

On a personal level, I know that I have to – almost daily in some form or fashion – slam that door shut. In addition to that, I have to keep the fire stoked – keep putting more fuel on the fire of my heart – by reading the Word and praying. It all boils down to the basics, just like in sports. Do the fundamentals. They never go out of style. Good enough for Jesus, good enough for me. He read, He prayed and fellowshipped with the Father regularly and went to Synagogue. He stayed with the basics and yet led the most extraordinary life.

One last question, kind of a side line thought. When you think of Jesus, what is the one thing that stands out about Him in your mind, more than anything else? The first thing - don't keep thinking . . . . got it? Me? The first thing that popped into my mind was/is His love for people. Many other things come to mind too, but His love for people is the first.

I hope the cold wind story is not perceived as me passing judgment, for that was not my intention. I do feel that we as a Nation have not risen to the heights that God positioned us to rise to. We are so very blessed in so many ways unlike any other Nation in the history of the world. It is just something that came to mind. I pray we can all stir up the fire of God within our own lives and live according to His purpose for each of us. That is where we will find we will be the most content and fulfilled.

A new week is upon us and back to school and work we go. We did get to spend some good family time together this holiday. Here is a scripture Pastor Don used as his text today.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

God bless and continue to be a blessing this coming week. George

Rocky the Squirrel

Say hello to Rocky the Squirrel. My mother Patsy found him at the base of a large tree in our front yard this morning but thought he was dead. I walked over and nudged him with my foot and he moved. So……guess what, being the sucker that I am, even though I am not feeling good today, we called out for some formula. My father-in-law was kind enough to pick up the formula for us while he was out. So far we have fed him twice with a dropper, de-flea him, and he started barking, or chirping, whatever you call it. But seriously we have contacted someone in Gonzales who takes care of wild animal infants. Hopefully Rocky will do well, we will keep ya’ll updated.

After I posted this morning, I slept a few hours and woke up in the same funk I was in yesterday. What is the deal? Robin reminded me, “you have been getting chemo treatments, have you not factored that in?” Maybe I am expecting too much.

My folks and Aunt Eva headed for home after lunch. We enjoyed the visit, but it was just too short and I wish I had felt better. But I’ll take it.

I started to re-read the Book of Job again. It is an awesome book which offers much consolation when things are not going too good, especially when you realize that you are reading something written many thousands of years ago. God’s Word is so full of good stuff.

I’ll post more later.

Whole milk . . .

4:57 am. This might be a long one ya’ll . . .

I fell a sleep on the couch until about 2:30 am and then could not go back to sleep once in the bed. It’s my mother’s fault – she brought some supper, my favorite, crème chicken and rice with green beans. Wow. I ate my fill, but it’s difficult for me to go to bed full, so I have to ‘sit up’ on the couch like a potatoe and digest. Since all this chemo stuff, I get ‘agitated’ sometimes and I cannot figure out why. Have you ever had that happen? I just have to get up and do something. So my attempted remedy this time was a 3:30 am warm/hot shower for about 30 minutes on low. Then I shaved and everything else like I was getting ready to go to work. It felt kind of strange, but such is my life. Then I decided to get my blogface on . . . gotta' get my blogo-rhythm back. . .get back into the blogo-groove . . . .

We had a big treat Thursday afternoon - my parents and Aunt Eva came to visit overnight. My mother starts her 6 weeks of radiation treatments next Wednesday so they figured they better get one more visit in since the treatments will be daily 5 days a week. From what I understand this part is not nearly as tough as chemotherapy. We pray it will pass quickly and smoothly with no bad side effects.
After my trip around the world (emotionally) all day Wednesday, I did not – or should I say could not - go to sleep. Then I remembered one of the drugs given to me was IV Decadron. Do ya’ll remember that one from months back. It is like cocaine – to me anyway – the nurse told me some people have very bad emotional reactions to this particular drug, but in my case I happen to get more mental and physical energy than I need or even want. I was like, “Lord, could we turn off the engine till 7 am tomorrow and then let this stuff kick in”? It didn’t happen that way, so I got out of the bed and headed for the kitchen, cleaned for about an hour and then got everything ready for breakfast. For those of you who love to eat bacon, Robin found some nitrate (chemical preservative) free bacon that is thick and delicious. I believe the name brand is Hormel.

[A quick dietary side bar – you can skip this if you want: I would recommend a move away from any meats with nitrates, nitrites or sodium erythorbates (this one is used in metal cleaning and other industrial applications – its used in meat preservation to help slow or prevent unsaturated fat breakdown – and here we are eating it in just about every piece of processed meat from deli to bacon).
I do not recall sharing this, but a research doctor from M.D. Anderson was interviewing me for a DNA study researching possible causal relationships between diet and pancreatic cancer. He told me that there is absolutely, unquestionably, more oxidants (bad stuff) in the meat of animals fed what I call the “penned up, fatten them up” diet – i.e. more animals penned up in a confined space and fed a un-natural amount of food they would otherwise in the wild not eat. Remember the cows who were being fed cows? The result was the mad cow disease outbreak. He countered that a pig, chicken or cow allowed to feed“free range” – grasses, bugs, roots, etc. have a significantly lower amount of the bad stuff and much higher and more balanced levels of the good omega fatty acids we are now hearing so much about. So, there is a measurable difference I asked? I thought protein was protein”. He said a definite difference. Oh, and did I tell you he was Hindu? He said his mother does not like the fact that he is not a vegetarian, but he told me “if it tastes good, I am going to eat it, meat or not”.]

After breakfast I kind of turned into a zombie on the couch. Everbody had something to do, so I sat down for a bit to rest and really didn’t move until 11 am, then went to the bed a few more hours. That is when I found out mom and dad were coming. I am glad something was happening, because I just could not shake that mindless mindset I was in. I guess the ‘no sleep’ caught up with me. We had a good evening together. Dad and I tried to sight in his little 22 rifle. Bryan’s pellet gun is louder than the 22. That’s the thing about living in the ‘country’ – you can even sight in your rifle out in the front yard if you want to – but I have absolutely outlawed peeing off of the porch!
Right around dark we all headed to the garden and I planted some ‘Mammoth’ Sunflower seedlings. I still have other things to get in the ground, hopefully before the rain starts this weekend.
For those of you who live in the new City of Central, the Save-a-Center grocery at the corner of Greenwellsprings Rd. and Sullivan will be closing as of April 21st. I think there was a change in the lease agreement or something, WalMart is not why they are closing.
I have something to confess, I am eating cereal right now with whole milk! That’s right, not 2% or skim(blue milk), but whole. It’s like eating cream. They didn’t have the usual kind we buy, so I figured I would live large this one time.
On a more serious note, I am so glad that when ‘we are faithless, He is faithful, for He cannot deny Himself’, as Paul so eloquently put it concerning the faithfulness of God towards us who believe. I have not been ‘feeling’ very spiritual the past several days. I have not cracked the Bible in four days, had a dedicated prayer time to speak of – even though I have been doing the ‘fly by the seat of your pants prayer’ thing. I have not been to church in two Sundays or Wednesdays. Thanks to all who continue to faithfully uphold pray for the Waites family. This has been a hard week. Today I do feel more like myself – the self I am used to I should say – so maybe we have turned a corner. Today is Friday and thank God it is so. His mercy is new every morning.
“This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it”.
Have a great day and continue to be a blessing to those you meet, cause you may turn their day around, too.
George

What a day.....

O.K……..Where do I start? Well this has been quite a day to say the least. I woke up thinking “today is going to be better than the last 3 or 4 days” boy was I wrong. Within the hour I was about to pass out. I thought it was because I needed breakfast so I cooked and ate and that didn’t help. So I called the doctor and set up an appt for blood work. Within two hours I had my blood checked which revealed low WBC, RBC, magnesium, and slight dehydration. My doctor knew something was wrong when he walked in the exam room and saw me lying down on the exam table instead of seated in a chair as usual. Within fifteen minutes, I was in a different room in a bed, with an IV started, delivering all of the fluids I needed. I also got a Neupogen and Procrit shot to help with the low blood cell counts. An hour and a half later I started to feel 100% better. I was in a semi private room and the other patient was about to undergo chemo treatment. But for some reason they could not get her nausea under control. I listened to her suffer, moaning and groaning, the entire time. Initially, it was bringing me down because I was so drained I didn’t feel like I had anything to offer her. Then the Holy Spirit gently reminded me that no matter where I am and no matter what I am going through, that I am not my own… I am His. As a result, I needed to get my mind off of myself and my own problems and be about praying for this lady next to me. So even though I felt like a wet dish rag, I started praying for God to give her some relief. As I began to feel better, I started talking to her daughter about her mother’s situation. Come to find out, we have the same oncologist. She had colon cancer and had surgery and now has liver mets. So I began to share my story and encouraged her that this is just one day of many days to come. We call it the rollercoaster effect….. you have good days, bad days, and of course those in between days. I asked her her name and told her I would continue to pray for her. Then I heard my IV beep and looked up to realize that I had talked my bag empty.

As of 10:00 pm Wednesday night I am still a little pale and a little weak but much better than this morning. I’ve got more to say so tune in tomorrow…. Thanks be to God and my doctor’s and nurses and my father-in-law who helped pull my wagon out of the ditch today.

George

coming soon....

George hasn't forgotten about you his faithful friends and blog readers. He hasn't felt much like sitting and typing. It seems as though the chemo has disturbed the ole digestive system. His stomach hasn't been the same the last couple of days. Other than that he is doing good. His confidence holds strong knowing that the Lord is still on the throne.

The other day as I was praying the Lord dropped in my heart that He is the God of the
U-TURN. U-TURN, I thought Lord what do you mean. Quickly my thoughts rushed to all those in the Bible that once they encountered the Lord their life made a u-turn. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Paul, the woman with the issue of blood, the disciples. God led many people to the place where he authorized a u-turn. He even went so far as changing many peoples names in the old and new testament. Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, Saul to Paul. God knew what He was doing and He still does.

In my heart of hearts, I believe George is making his u-turn. He is coming to the place of realizing the miracle that God is performing in his body. I think once God gave George the revelation (See posts from 3-17/3-18) that began the turn around. When in the Spirit God begins answering questions and revealing His plans then you know that things are changing. Many know and believe with us and are standing and watching and waiting for the healing to be revealed. What a celebration I had on Easter Sunday as Margie, our dear sister in the Lord, came to me and began wiping away my tears. The Lord was using her hands but it was Him wiping my tears. Our Lord is just that intimate and personal.

More from George later,

RW

Back home . . .

Back home in my own bed! What a blessing. My own bathroom, shower and not to mention the ability to get vertical and move my leg after 4 days of having keeping it straight.
I was greeted Friday afternoon with some cooler weather, and when I got home a bowl of hot chicken and sausage gumbo at my mother in laws. You cannot beat that.
Slept pretty good until that bird started chirping in the house early a.m. No, not a real bird, actually it is two of our smoke/fire alarm disks on the ceiling must have low battery readings - they chirp like a bird every so many minutes until you put in a new battery. I'll pretend it is a bird and get to it later was my thought.
I am a little weak, but nothing like after the previous treatment. We did a few things different this time which I think helped me tolerate this one better. You feel like you have to get re-oriented to everything around you, like sights, sounds and an increased activity level.
The garden is sprouting up in some areas, the gang covered all of our tomatoes, peppers and eggplants with plastic pots for the cold snap. Hopefully this will be the last snap we will have until we harvest those "snap" beans from the East garden. Not only do we have the good stuff coming up, but also the weeds are peaking out already. You have to work with it all if you want to make it happen. The weeds will come, but you just have to manage them like any other pesky problem.
I'll be taking it slow the next few days for sure. Thanks for the encouraging words and all of the prayer. He is our Hope and our Foundation.

Matthew 7:24-25 24
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them
into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew
and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it
had its foundation on the rock. "
George