I Feel Normal

Psalm 3:3-5 

³ But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

 ⁴ With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill.

⁵ I lay down and slept; I wakened again, for the Lord sustains me.

This is a great scripture to start saying what I have been waiting to say.
It was a little more than 16 months ago that I suffered a severe heart attack (myocardial infarction). Most of that year and four months, I expected to expire at any moment. I was OK with that because of my faith. He gave me strength to work at staying active because I knew that if I didn't I would not have any quality of life. There are so many loving friends and family that have been holding me up in their thoughts and prayers and I know that it makes a difference. Even those who don't believe as I do may not understand but I think our Father in Heaven reads and hears those thoughts and feelings concerning his children. I am blessed to have a great team of doctors. Especially my cardiologist and my G.P..
The main thing I want to say today, just so you know....I feel normal! that is not a small thing.. I have not been able to say that for a long time. The two new stents have made a major difference. I have slept a full eight hours plus, for the last two nights. After only sleeping 3 to 5 hours a night for the last year or so, I can feel myself healing and life improving. 
I am still dealing with the pain of coccydinia(bruised tailbone), arthritic pain in my back, neck, knee and foot. They found that I have the early stage of chronic lympocytic leukemia. (Stage 0)
I have developed an inguinal hernia that we plan to take care of as soon as my cardiologist lets me slack off the blood thinner. Little things can be so annoying when all the other things are working against you, so it's hard to mention the corn on my toe that bothers when all else is resting... Ü. These things have made me mindful of others who are suffering with related problems and so reminds me to pray.
The Lord has brought me through so much and had some things to teach me. I think the most important of these things is that I have so many hours that I could devote to prayer (I mean serious prayer and supplication) and time to study and get into the word. Surely some will agree that sometimes in takes a two by four to the side of the head to get my attention but he has it now and I will lift his name and Glory in the Lord. 
He has given me a new song and I will be posting it on Youtube and on here when it's finished.
May he magnify your blessings today.

Praise God, I am still here.

                            Praise God, I am still here. 

It has been a long time since I have posted anything on here.  As many of you know, I suffered a severe heart attack in June of 2013. I have been working hard to come back from that. The medications that I take keeps my heart rate and blood pressure low and that and a damaged heart make it difficult to jump into things the way I use to. I don't have the same energy level.
I would like to tell you that I am working to stay very close to the Lord these days. It has made it more than possible to get through this. I have been blessed with a beautiful and loving family they have been such a great and wonderful support for me. Also friends from church and good neighbors. A lot of prayers have gone up for me and from me. I have prayed that as close as I feel to Jesus today will not change. It is good to feel him near.
Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me.  
I know that there is a purpose for my still being around and I want to be ready to serve him in any way I can. We never really know how what we say or do effects people, or how our witness touches lives. I may never know, but I have to say that God is good and he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
Two new stents in late September are helping me regain some strength and have renewed an optimistic attitude. I pray this will continue and increase in the future.
My thinking this morning is that I will be able to share some insights and thoughts that might help others to see hope and healing through these words and this blog.

 One day you're takin care of business. The next day, you are being taken care of.
Just working the way I always do but was brought up short with a blocked artery to my heart.
It was about 85 degrees on the 24th of June. I stepped into the house all sweaty and tired. Suddenly began to feel severe pain in my chest. At 1:30 PM I called 911, as there wasn't any doubt what it was. EMT and rescue was there within 15 and I was on my way to emergency before 2 PM. God bless those boys. I had taken an aspirin, but they gave me 4 more and a couple of nitroglycerin tabs on the way to the ER.

They pushed be into the operating room where I was fortunate to have had a couple of the best cardiologists in the country on hand. I was awake as they inserted a couple of stents in my heart. Then a week of poking and prodding, catheters, ekg's, sonograms, blood checks...Never ending and no rest, especially for me. With a bad back and hard to lay on my back, it just seemed so long and I can't sleep that way.
I want to compliment the nurses and staff of Sherman Hospital in Elgin. I can't imagine there being a better group of professionals. I was in the critical care unit while I was there. They were attentive and doing everything they could to ease your pain and make you comfortable. God bless them all,
from the EMTs and rescue squad to the doctors and nurses.
I was fortunate to have had my brother and his wife here visiting for a my granddaughters wedding. They were able to help me out for a few days as well as my kids who bent over backwards to be sure dad would be all right. Didn't make the wedding but you can see my boutonniere on my classy flannel shirt. Ü
We were able to have part of the little party I had been preparing for anyway and I feel I am much on the mend and ready to start rehab and meet the next 20 or 30 years with Gusto.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. “The Lord bless you and keep you;  
The Lord make His face shine upon you, 
And be gracious to you;  
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’

On the Mend

A few years ago but I still feel the same.

I have never considered myself an intellectual. I always thought they would be much more intelligent than I am. I find now that it is not by our intelligence that we form ideas but our curiosity. As I get older, I find I am much more apt to dwell on a subject or idea. Perhaps it's because I have more time to do so, but I think it has more to do with a genuine interest or a more intense caring for what matters. Of course I speak of what matters to me. But earnestly my feeling is that what matters to me should matter to everyone, because most of what I think about these days concerns the human condition.
My home is in the USA and I am afraid that the average American just goes through their daily routine without giving a great deal of thought to how blessed we are to live here. "There but for the grace of God go I" is a phrase that has been heard many times, but Oh My, when you think of it. I might have been born in Somalia, in Iran, Afghanistan or deep in the Amazon. But no, I was born in Philadelphia on the 4th of July and perhaps that is one of the reasons I care so much. It makes me cry to learn of the way we treat one another. The way our government tells us stories, half truths and out and out lies. It is said that we shouldn't talk politics or religion if we don't want to start a fight. The problem is that it is pretty much all I think about so why wouldn't I speak of these things.
On my mind today......
1.)Benghazi and the cover up.
2.)The Holy Spirit and how to pray in spirit and in truth.
3.)Favorite old hymns.
4.)Golf.

I think much and pray daily. Searching for biblical truth is not a hobby but the least that I can do. God is good and he provides so many answers. 

Why so much trouble in Islamic cultures?

 It all began with Ishmael. Genesis 16:11-12, the Angel of the Lord reveals the future of Hagar's unborn baby to her: "The angel of the LORD also said to her: 'You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael [which means 'God hears'], for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers."

Charters of Freedom - The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights

Charters of Freedom - The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights

I am posting this today and thinking of this amazing country we live in. As we consider events of this world today, I like to go back to where we started as a nation, some of the trials we have suffered through. 

Especially regarding our ideals and what was aspired to. 

I wish that we could return to the dignity and integrity that seems to me to be lacking in this world today. I have stated everywhere I can proclaim it, that I believe in God. In saying that, let it be said that I really believe in God. I believe that the bible is the inspired word of God. I believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

I have experienced in my seventy years, a great renewal in the church and worship. I have witnessed things that were only dreamed of in past generations. I have seen miracles and heard God's voice. He said "In the last days, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh",  and I have seen this and experienced it. If we open our eyes we all can witness the changes that are taking place around us. The signs in the heavens and the earth. The earthquakes, the wars and rumors of wars, signs in the heavens with meteorites falling from the sky. Especially, we are witnessing the falling away of the believers. Those who say they believe in God but don't accept all that is brought to us in God's holy word. Christ said, "when you see these things come to pass. Look up, your redemption draws near. The kingdom of God is at hand. 

I pray that anyone who reads this will consider carefully where you stand with God and that you might ask him to reveal himself to you and give you understanding of the events that we are witnessing today.