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Lessons Learned During Recovery 2

I am not going to write about how I’m such a humble person. Only Moses could get away with that. Beside the fact that I’m nowhere near being in Moses’ league, I also know how much I struggle with pride. I’m probably like most red-blooded American men in that regard. I like being the one to give help, but I’m fine doing things without it, thank you very much. I also feel uncomfortable with what I see as “putting people out.”

Hernia surgery changed that. When I awakened back in the room, I was a pretty helpless individual. When I had to get up to go to the restroom, I needed help to sit up. I also could not stand or walk without Jan holding one of my arms to steady me. As we left the next day, I needed assistance to get into, and out of the truck.

That first week of recovery was on of almost total dependence on others. Someone else went outside to get the paper. Someone else fed the dog. Someone else took care of things that I normally take care of. Along with that, I required help doing such simple tasks as washing and drying my feet, and putting on socks. Believe me, for someone who likes to be able to do it myself, it was hard, even though I knew that I needed that help.

The culmination came when we went to our church’s Sunday gathering. As we shuffled into the room, one of the young men and his girlfriend were asked to give up their spots on the couch for me. Not by me, you understand. Remember, I’m too proud to ask anyone to do that. 🙂 While I appreciate their willingness to let me sit there, I felt bad about it. I went back to work full day on Tuesday (forgetting the lesson about patience), and began to drag a chair to my morning duty spot. The teacher who does that duty with me asked if he could get that for me. I seriously thought about telling him that I was good, that I could get it. But I didn’t. I let him carry it.

I think one of the problems with the Church here in the United States is our individualistic mindset. We have bought into the American ideal of the tough, independent loner, who doesn’t need any help. Over the years, the idea has developed that salvation is strictly an individual, personal thing. Along with the fear of being judged if we drop our masks and admit our need, those things have produced a Church that is disjointed and week. This is a far cry from the picture we find in the New Testament of the Church as a body.

The past two weeks have taught me how important each part is in the function of the physical body. In the church, we also need each part. Everyone is important to the function of the body.
I’ve also learned that it’s okay to ask for help, that no one is going to think any less of me if I can’t do certain things by myself (at least no one who matters). It’s not an easy lesson to learn, and I’ll probably have to be reminded more than a few times.

We need each other. Jesus said that the world will know that we are his disciples by our love for each other. It is hard for that love to happen if we continue to try and convince ourselves, and others, that we can go it alone. Let us consider how we can meet the needs of those around us, as well as let our own needs be known.

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TGIF

Another week has come and gone. February has finally gone the way of all months, and March has announced its arrival with a snowstorm on the second day. The extended forecast here in the sunny South is for warmer temperatures. We may even see the sun a bit more. I’m continuing to recover from my surgery.

And now, the links of the week:

Provocative thoughts from Dan Edelen.
Jesus statues.
Faith through the pain.
Definitely a casual service.

Check this out!
Non-negotiables from Jared Wilson.
Time to man up.
Bob Hyatt is not done with church.

Scot McKnight on legalism. Part 1 is here.
Scot McKnight reviews Brian McLaren’s new book.
Just in case you find yourself in a Baptist church.
The Gospel Groove workout.

Marvelous Milly.
Anyone want to buy me one of these? (HT: Kansas Bob)
Should pastors/elders be paid a salary?
This is interesting.
Would folks ask this question of us?

I hope your weekend is great!

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World Vision Wednesday

While it hasn’t drawn as much attention as the disaster in Haiti, the earthquake in Chile over the weekend has been as devastating to those affected by it. World Vision is serving the people in Chile. You can read more here.

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Lessons Learned During Recovery

I’m not exactly a patient person. In some situations I can be, but when it comes to going places and doing things, I want it done right now. In my track days I was a sprinter, and I still have to remind myself to not be in such a hurry when I’m driving somewhere.

Last week, things came to a screeching halt. After spending a couple of hours in surgery, and a few more in recovery, I was wheeled to a room for the night. When you’re in the hospital recovering from surgery, you can not be in a hurry. The schedule doesn’t revolve around you, so a good bit of the time is spent waiting. Waiting for something to drink, waiting for medicine, waiting for the nurse to change the IV bag so it stops beeping. And of course, waiting all day for the surgeon to see you and release you to go home. Add to that, 30 minutes waiting for a wheelchair to take you to the car.

After getting out of the truck at home, it was then my responsibility to get myself around, with help from Jan. So, I hopped out of the truck, and ran up to the front door. Wrong! On the old Carol Burnette Show, Tim Conway played a character. He was a little old man who moved excruciatingly slow, to great laughter. That was me, only there was no laughter. It wasn’t a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. It was a matter of putting one foot slightly ahead of the other, until we eventually reached the front door.

Everything has been slow ever since. Sitting down, laying down, getting up, walking, showering, dressing have all been at a pace that would make a dawdling child proud. I’ve been back at work for two days, and everything I do there is in slow motion. I spend a lot of time sitting in one place, and any movement must be done slowly. Thankfully, our dog has understood, and hasn’t been as playful with me as he usually is.

This week has given me a lot of time to read and reflect. It’s good to do that from time to time. Our lives get filled up with so much activity. We rush from place to place, from event to event. Our relationships with other people get crowded out, or simply left in the dust as we rush down the road. It’s easy for us to let our relationship with God fall victim to the hustle and bustle of our day-to-day. We give the Father a few hurried minutes in the morning, or a tired nod in the evening. We go through the day checking things off our to-do list, sometimes even including God.

We forget that we have a relationship with the Father. Any relationship suffers when either party hurries too quickly through life and leaves the other behind. Jesus called his disciples to coma apart and rest. The three years they spent together were at a pace that would drive most of us crazy. The idea was for the disciples to just be with Jesus. Through spending time with the Master, they would learn his teachings,and would learn to be like him.

Sometimes we need to “be still” and simply know that God is God. That’s hard to do, unless something happens, like surgery, to slow us down. Living a life that is in tune to the rhythms of the Father, rather than the noise of the world around us goes against what we are told by that world. Sometimes it even is contrary to what we are told in the church. It is counter-cultural, but that is what we are called to be.

In a couple of weeks, when I have recovered to the point where I can get around normally, I hope I remember to take things a bit slower, being sensitive to the Spirit.

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TGIF

This has been a rough week. Monday morning found me undergoing surgery to repair two hernias. It was supposed to be an outpatient procedure, but I ended up spending Monday night in the hospital. The recovery is slow, but I hope to be able to go back to work on Monday. We’ll see.

Here are the links for this week:

Update from iMonk.
Scot McKnight reviews Eugene Peterson. Part 1 is here.
A good resource for families wanting to follow the church calendar. (HT: Scot McKnight)
Evidently this is for real.
Recovering Revelation.
Fame is fleeting.
Kingdom grace has a set of questions.

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A Milestone?

Yesterday was my 300th post on this blog. I had posted a few thoughts on xanga and myspace before, but a little over two years ago I decided to begin writing on this blog.

It’s been an interesting 26 months. I’ve gone from being part of a group that was trying to “modernize” a traditional, conservative church to being a part of a fellowship that meets in a bagel shop. I now see the local assembly as a part of the wider body of Christ that meets for fellowship and building each other up. Those meetings may or may not take place at a particular place or at a particular time. There are a number of other areas, such as leadership and church finances, where my thinking has changed. I’ve also become convinced that there is no one right way to “do church,” and I am much more willing to extend grace to others who don’t see things the same way.

Probably the greatest thing that has changed in the past two years is the growing importance of grace in my life. I can’t think of anything that has had the impact of realizing that my Father loves me, no matter what. Not only does he love me, but he also likes me and delights in me. All of this is not dependent on what I do or don’t do. It’s all because of God’s grace. That grace causes me to try and treat everyone with grace. I don’t do it very well at times, but it is a motivator in my life.

I enjoy writing. I enjoy putting my thoughts out into cyberspace and receiving feedback from readers. I don’t expect to ever be on anyone’s top ten blogger list, but that’s okay. I’ll continue to write, and a few folks will continue to read. If anyone happens to be blessed by it, so much the better.

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World Vision Wednesday

In addition to the great need in Haiti, World Vision is working in many other places to serve the less fortunate. Here is a story about the impact a health clinic in Sudan is having on the 15,000 people it serves.

This happens to be post number 300 on this blog. I may write more about that tomorrow, since I don’t have a whole lot else to do right now.

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Reflections on Lent

Last Wednesday was the first day of Lent. Ash Wednesday is celebrated by Christians around the world with a service that includes the placing of ashes on the forehead of the worshippers. The ashes are to remind that we are made from dust, and to dust we will return. That is one part of the Lenten observance that I have not yet participated in, as I have only been observing Lent for the last three years. In the tradition in which I grew up, Lent (like most of the church calendar) was not even on our radar. We celebrated Christmas, Palm Sunday, and Easter. I had a vague notion that other days were observed in other traditions, but we were taught that those days were not important. So, I’m a bit late to the keeping of the church calendar, and still learning.

As I go through the Lenten period, I am struck by the fact that our bodies are formed from the dust of the ground, and to that dust they will return. Because of the brokenness of Creation, we face the inevitable decay of our physical selves. Anyone middle-aged man who has tried to compete in sports at the same level he did when he was in his twenties can attest to that. At some point our bodies will wear out and no longer be useful to us. When they are then placed in the ground, they will return to the dust from which they came. As we look around us, we see that decay in every part of our world. Ash Wednesday and Lent are good reminders that we are broken and in need of a savior.

Thankfully, that is not the end of the story. During this time, we take a good hard look at our humanity and our brokenness, but we also look ahead to the time when our Savior will return and will restore Creation. We look forward to the resurrection and the Kingdom of God coming in all its fullness. When I think about Ash Wednesday, and the symbolism of the ashes on the forehead, I think of the song, “Beauty Will Rise.” In that song Steven Curtis Chapman sings,

“Out of these ashes… beauty will rise
and we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of these ashes…beauty will rise
For we know, joy is coming in the morning…
in the morning

…This is our hope.
This is the promise.
That it would take our breath away
to see the beauty that’s been made
out of the ashes…”

As we go through this season of Lent, contemplating our sinfulness and our need of a redeemer, let us remember that we do have a Savior who has made us a new creation, and who will one day make all things new.
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TGIF

Another week has come and gone. Basketball season has ended and softball has begun. I’m going to spend the weekend relaxing and preparing for a bit of surgery on Monday. I have a couple of hernias that need to be repaired. It should be a simple operation, and hopefully I’ll only be laid up for a week.

Keep reading for the links of the week:

Following God and farming.
Josh contemplates death.
A classic from iMonk.
Just in case you wanted to record an audiobook.
A new kind of conversation.
Redeeming car wrecks.
What were you doing when you first heard this song? (For those of us a bit older)
An interesting way of stopping people from dancing. (HT: Scot McKnight)
A Lenten plea.

That’s it for this week. Enjoy your weekend.

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World Vision Wednesday

One month after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, there remains much work to be done. There is still need for short term emergency relief, but the focus is now turning to the long term help that the Haitians will need. Check this out to see how you can help World Vision as they minister there.