Tag: terminal illness

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Thanksgiving

Now when the builders had laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord according to the directions of King David of Israel.  They sang, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.”  And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.  (Ezra 3:10-11, NASB)

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States.  I don’t know about you, but I have a great deal for which to be thankful.  In the passage above, we see a time in the history of ancient Israel in which the people took time to give thanks. 

The southern kingdom of Judah had been conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.  Jerusalem had been destroyed, to include the Temple.  Most of the people of Judah who hadn’t been killed had been exiled throughout the Babylonian Empire.  As had been prophesied, the exile lasted for 70 years.  Meanwhile, Babylon was conquered by the Persians.  King Cyrus of Persia had given permission to the exiles of Judah to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.  The foundation laid eventually became the Second Temple, or Zerubbabel’s Temple. 

Ezra image, found at Verse by Verse Ministry, versebyverseministry.org

The people of Judah were thankful to be back in their Homeland, the land God had promised to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  They were thankful to be back in God’s Town, Jerusalem.  And they were thankful to have laid the foundation for God’s Temple, where Yahweh could dwell among them.  The people sang, praised the Lord, and gave thanks that the Temple foundation was finally in place. 

This Thanksgiving Day, I’ll give thanks for many things:  For my wonderful wife Sue; for three great children and their terrific spouses; for 12 wonderful grandchildren; for friends who keep in touch and pray for me; for the people who take excellent care of me; for being born in and having had the honor to serve the greatest nation ever founded by God; and most of all, I’m thankful that the Creator of the Universe had regard for me, a sinner, and sent His Son to die for my sins, to take the punishment I deserve, and because He did, to be able to look forward to an eternal, heavenly home in His presence! 

“Freedom from Want,” by Norman Rockwell, 1943

God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve, and beyond measure.  I thank Him that I have the breath of God each morning when I am awake.  If you can read this, you have reason to be thankful, and praise God.  Praise Him from Whom all blessings flow!  Have you accepted God’s most precious gift of salvation through the blood of His Son, Jesus?  I have ALS.  I’m thankful for the hope God has given me because of Jesus! 


Worship:  “Give Thanks,” by Don Moen

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Well

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water.  Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)  Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water . . .  From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.”  So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”  (John 4:7-10, 39-42, NASB)

This is an interesting story:  The Samaritan Woman at the Well.  Jesus is traveling with His disciples through the region of Samaria.  They arrive on the outskirts of a town called Sychar.  The disciples go into town to buy some food.  Jesus sits down at a well.  He’s waiting for her. 
Interestingly, this is Jacob’s Well, dug by the patriarch himself!  The woman arrives, and starts to draw water.  Jesus asks her for a drink.  She is amazed, John explains, because she is a Samaritan, and He is a Jew.  The Jews at the time looked down on the Samaritans, thinking of them as a mongrel race.  Sometime before, the Assyrians had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel.  Many people were exiled, and the Assyrians settled many of their people in the region.  The people intermarried, producing people called Samaritans.  The Samaritans worshiped idols, and some worshiped the God of Israel. 

Jesus and the woman converse.  Jesus tells her that He is source of living water; that His water is such that she would never thirst again, and would provide springs of water leading to eternal life.  She doesn’t understand, and asks for this water so she doesn’t have to keep coming to the well to schlep water to her home.  Jesus then tells her things about her life that a stranger wouldn’t know:  How she’s had five husbands; and the man she lives with now is not her husband.  She believes that He is a prophet, and tells Him that she expects the Messiah, the Christ, to appear soon.  Jesus tells her that He is the One! 

Christ and the Samaritan Woman at the Well by Angelika Kauffman, 1795

The woman runs back to town to spread the word about Jesus.  The townspeople come to see for themselves.  They ask, and Jesus agrees, to stay with them for two days to teach them. 

The disciples were “amazed” that Jesus had been speaking with a woman.  I believe that Jesus was serving notice to his students that even in this culture that was dominated by men, His message of salvation was for women, too.  That He would spend time with the Samaritans said that salvation was not only for the people of Israel, but also for Gentiles! 

The story of the Samaritan Woman teaches us lessons of salvation:  She believed.  She went to tell others.  They came to see, and then believed.  Salvation is for everyone. 
Have you heard the news of God’s salvation?  Have you believed?  Have you told somebody else who needs to be saved? 


“Woman at the Well,” by Olivia Lane (video scene from “The Chosen”)

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Pottery

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will announce My words to you.”  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.  But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel . . .  ”  (Jeremiah 18:1-6, NASB)

When I was growing up, my Grandma had a kiln in her basement.  Her hobby was ceramics.  I don’t know if she ever made pottery with a wheel.  Mostly she worked with molds.  She would pour the clay into the mold for whatever shape she wanted, put it into the kiln to bake, and when it was done she would take it out of the kiln.  Then she would paint it.  She would then have the ceramic object she wanted.  I remember things like roosters and chickens, Santa Claus mugs and such.  My parents had a couple of rooster/chicken lamps, and I think Sue and I may still have some Santa mugs laying around somewhere.  The point is, she made whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.  It was her good pleasure to do with them as she pleased (gifts mostly, I think!). 

My Grandma’s hobby is similar to the Prophet Jeremiah’s parable of “The Potter and the Clay,” part of which is above.  In the story, God tells Jeremiah to report to the potter’s house, and that He would have further instructions for Jeremiah there.  Jeremiah watches the potter as he shapes an object on his wheel.  Dissatisfied with the pottery he’s shaping, he stops, turns the clay back into a lump, then starts the process over.  He would spin and shape until the object met his pleasure. 

Jeremiah 18:6, found at Dayle’s Blog, daylekinney.com

When God addresses the prophet, He tells Jeremiah how His relationship with Israel is the same as between the potter and his lump of clay.  God established the Hebrew nation for His good purposes.  He expected Israel to be a light unto the nations, an example for the rest of the world.  He had established commandments and rules for them to follow, but God’s people had gone astray, and they would be punished–conquered and led into exile.  The Potter would start over with His lump of clay! 

The Bible uses the Potter and Clay several times as a metaphor to illustrate our relationship to God.  He is the Potter, of course, and we are the clay.  We are here to serve His good purposes.  We are on the good earth for God’s pleasure, and to praise His name in everything we do.  When, on His wheel, God becomes dissatisfied with what He sees, He makes us into a lump, and starts to shape us over again! 

I don’t want to be a lump (With my ALS, I feel like a lump.  I can’t move, and I have no strength.  However, maybe that makes me more pliable, easier for God to shape!).  I want to be molded, shaped into a useful vessel for God to use.  If you put your your faith and hope in God’s Son Jesus, He can shape you into that beautiful vessel. 


Worship:   “The Potter’s Hand,” Hillsong Worship, ft. Darlene Zschech
God, take me; mold me; use me; fill me; guide me; lead me and walk beside me.  I give my life to the Potter’s hand.  In Jesus’ name. 

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Rescued

At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.  But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever.  Amen.  (2 Timothy 4:16-18, NASB)

Among the aircraft I flew during my time in the United States Air Force were the A-7D and the A-10.  Both were/are primarily ground attack aircraft.  In both aircraft I was checked out and qualified to fly a mission called Combat Search and Rescue, or CSAR.  The objective of CSAR is to rescue downed Airmen or isolated Soldiers, usually behind enemy lines. 

CSAR called for us to fly a two-ship teamed with one or more rescue helicopters.  Our task was to protect the helicopters from ground threats.  Since we flew faster than the helos, we had to fly so as not to get ahead of them.  To do this we flew in a maneuver called a “Daisy Chain.”  We would fly a counterclockwise, circular pattern around the helos as they went forward, with my wingman on the opposite side of the circle.  While we flew, we would watch the ground for any threats to the helos, and when necessary, be in position to bring the aircraft’s gatling gun to bear, and eliminate the threat. 

As a fighter pilot, it was comforting to know that if I had to bail out behind enemy lines, there were people who would try to come find me.  They would risk life and limb, and move heaven and earth to come to my rescue.  We have a God who does the same thing:  He will do anything to rescue us! 

2 Timothy 4:18 Found at DailyVerses.net


Above we see an excerpt from the second letter from the Apostle Paul to his spiritual son and protege, Timothy.  He writes from jail, probably in Rome.  He laments that people have abandoned him, but he is grateful that the God he serves will never do the same.  Further, his God will rescue him from all evil, and bring him to eternal life and fellowship with Him!  Paul knows that God loves the world so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for us. 

Indeed, Jesus Christ left the comfort and honor of His heavenly home.  He came to the earth He created, on the greatest rescue mission in history.  He came to rescue you and me.  In this scenario, we all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.  The only deed we can do that is  acceptable to God is to believe in His Son.  His most precious gift, His Son, is the ultimate rescue attempt.  Far above the sense of urgency of our CSAR forces is God’s love for us, that He would die in our place. 
Have you called on the name of the Lord Jesus to come and rescue you?  He has rescued me!
To all veterans and their families:  Happy Veterans Day!  Thank you for your service and your sacrifice! 


Worship:  “Rescue,” by Lauren Daigle

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Remember

Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.  You shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to establish His name.  You shall not eat leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), so that you may REMEMBER all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.  For seven days no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory, and none of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day shall remain overnight until morning.  (Deuteronomy 16:1-4, NASB, emphasis mine)

Today is Sue’s and my 44th wedding anniversary.  Forty four wonderful years of marriage!  I thank God every day for putting this wonderful woman in my life, for putting us together!  This is a day to remember.  To remember our wedding day; all the wonderful times since we were married; and how we navigated, and God brought us through, the tough times.

It’s also a day to look forward.  To count God’s blessings.  With my ALS, I often wonder how many more anniversaries I’ll see.  On my birthday three years ago, after my diagnosis, for the first time, I wondered if I would still be here for my next birthday.  I’ve celebrated two birthdays since.  We’re familiar with a neurologist at the Duke University Medical Center, who specializes in ALS.  He  encourages his patients to make a bucket list.  My bucket list list includes celebrating our 50th anniversary.  Of course, God may call me home before then in His perfect timing.

God established specific dates for His people to remember.  In Deuteronomy 16, Moses is reminding the Israelites about the feasts and festivals that God had established for their observance.  In the text above, they’re told when and how to observe the Passover, so as to “REMEMBER all the days of your life the day when you came out of the land of Egypt.”  (emphasis mine)

Deuteronomy 16:3, found at scripture-images.com

Think of it:  The Creator hung billions and billions of stars in the sky.  He knows the names of each of them.  He also placed the moon in its orbit around the earth.  All these celestial miracles were put there, in part, to help measure time.  It’s God’s calendar!  During their 40 years of wandering, God established with Moses the times of the festivals, based on His calendar.  All for the purpose of REMEMBERING God’s infinite blessings and mercies on us!

So, Happy Anniversary Sue!  God willing, we will celebrate more.  I am in His hands.  I REMEMBER God’s blessings in my life.  Today, especially, my wonderful wife!


Worship:  “Remember,” by Lauren Daigle

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Praise

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul will make its boast in the Lord; The humble will hear it and rejoice.  O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.  I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.  (Psalm 34:1-4, NASB)

Psalm 34 has become one of my favorites among the Psalms.  The reason is the song below (Is that backwards?  Does it matter?)  Two of my Air Force Academy classmates, Joe Shirey and Roy Mattson, sent me the link to the song on separate occasions.  It was already in my mix of YouTube songs, but I appreciate my classmates’ sharing it with me.  That means so much!
The title of this Psalm is “The Lord, a Provider and Deliverer.”  David wrote this Psalm (one of many) as he was evading capture and execution at the hands of King Saul.  There’s a lot more to the Psalm than these four verses.  I recommend you read the whole thing (and listen to the song!).
David calls us to “praise the Lord at all times.”  While sitting on my bed with my ALS, I ponder this a lot, and I take every opportunity I can to praise God.  I praise Him when I wake up in the morning; when Sue comes in my room in the morning; when we talk to our kids on the phone; when I hear from friends or family via email or text message; when people visit.  Sometimes I wish I could raise my hands in praise, but I’m unable.  Praise the Lord anyway!

Psalm 34:1, found at DailyVerses.net


He is my Deliverer!  I’ve found that trusting in God truly does deliver me from all my fears.  I’m secure in my future because of the promises from my Deliverer.  His mercies and blessings are new every day.  Is He your Deliverer?  Have you accepted God’s gift of Jesus?


Worship:  “Psalm 34,” The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir 

I was watching this video of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir one day with Joe Shirey.  His comment: “I think this is what heaven will be like.”  I concur!  Praise the Lord!

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Bridge

On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.  When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health.  He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone.  And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  (Acts 4:5-12, NASB)

In Acts 4, Dr. Luke continues the story of the growth of Christ’s Church.  It’s after Pentecost, and the number of followers of Jesus is about to explode (It’s God’s plan!).  Peter and John had gone to the Temple.  At one of the gates they had encountered a crippled beggar.  Instead of giving him money, Peter healed him in the mighty name of Jesus.  The crowds were amazed, at which point Peter launched into a sermon.  He told the throng that healing was not by him, but through him because of Jesus.  He further used the prophets to prove that Jesus Christ is the long-promised Messiah. 

There were two results of Peter’s sermon:  The first was that about 5,000 people believed and were saved that day. (verse 4)  The second was Peter and John were arrested and detained by the Temple authorities.  This text above details their “trial” the following day.

I love Peter’s story.  He was so ashamed after denying Jesus following His arrest.  And this after Jesus had told him it would happen.  Indeed, Jesus spent some time rehabilitating Peter and building him back up after His resurrection.  And here, early in the book of Acts, Peter is boldly stepping up to lead and preach Jesus!

In the text, the Temple leadership gathers the next day to interrogate Peter and John.  They demand to know by what authority or name the two apostles had been acting.  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, lets them know (well, they asked!)!  The lame man had been healed, and was indeed now walking, by the name of Jesus!  In the climactic statement of his delivery, Peter lets the priests and and scribes know that at the name of Jesus, “there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

We as people have a problem:  We’re all sinners.  There has to be a way to be reconciled with God.  The Bible says that there is no good deed or deeds we can do to earn our way into God’s good graces.  This problem is well-illustrated by a diagram I’ve seen many times in Bible study and Sunday School.

The Bridge to God, found at Christ Community Church, ccclife.org


There is a chasm.  On one side is God, on the other is us people.  There is no way for us to cross the chasm to get to God.  The teacher or facilitator then draws a cross, as a bridge to span the divide.  Jesus hung on the cross as the only acceptable sacrifice for us to have a relationship with Him.  The Bible says that God loves us so much He sent His Son for us.  That’s why Peter told his interrogators there was “no other name” for salvation.  Jesus Himself said that He is “the way, the truth, and the life.”  THE way!  Have you trusted in His name to get across the great divide?


Worship:  “The Great Divide,” by Point of Grace 
I love this song and its words.  Near the end, the chorus flips words from “There’s a bridge to cross the great divide,” to “There’s a cross to bridge the great divide.”

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Reunion

This weekend was the 45th reunion of my class at the United States Air Force Academy, the Class of 1976.  Due to my ALS, I was not able to attend.  Part of the reunion activities include a memorial service to honor our fallen classmates.  On June 2, 1976, 913 of us graduated and began careers as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force.  Of these, 68 of our classmates are no longer with us.

Class of 1961

Pete Kluck, one of my classmates, asked me to write an essay for him to read at the memorial.  He wanted something from the perspective of someone who’s thought of end-of-life issues.  Pete is one of my heroes of the faith.  He left a promising Air Force career (he was an F-16 instructor pilot), called by God to other service.  He has served for years with Wycliffe Bible Translators, making sure the Bible is available to all nations, tribes and tongues.  He and Mary Ellen and their kids lived for many years in Cameroon.  Heroes!  Anyway, here’s what I sent to Pete:

There’s no place that Sue and I would rather be than with you all, my classmates, in Fairchild Hall, honoring our fallen classmates.  But as we’ve learned in the past few years, life’s plans sometimes take an unexpected detour.  I pray for God’s comfort and strength for the families of our friends who are not with us.  I’d like to especially remember our Grim Reaper friends, Kosta Asselanis and Rod Williams.
About three-and-a-half years ago, I was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  The words from my neurologist came as a shock to say the least!  Until that moment, I had been under treatment for another neurological disorder that’s treatable and has a great cure rate.  In this instant, the doctor had handed me a death sentence.
Thoughts raced through my mind in the next few minutes:  How much time do I have?  How will I die?  Will my time be drawn out and painful (old fighter pilot saying:  I’m not afraid to die, I just don’t want it to hurt!)?  Sue was in shock as well.  We had plans:  I would quit working in a couple more years.  We would travel to places we haven’t seen.  We would spend time visiting our grandchildren.  Oh, and their parents, too.  We would play lots of golf together and with friends.  Suddenly, in a brief moment, all our plans had been dashed.

When I recovered from my initial shock, I realized that my faith had to take over.  I believe that God’s plan takes precedence over mine.  So whatever my plans, His are far better for me, and for His glory.  Old Yiddish saying:  We plan, and God laughs!  It matters not what we would want to do, He will redirect us to fit His purpose.  And that’s far better for us!
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Bennington Battle Flag flying at San Francisco City Hall


I redirected my Bible study over the next few weeks to seek answers to the question, “God, what do You want me to do with this ALS?”  Surely as a weakened, paralyzed shell of what I used to be, I would be limited in my abilities.  But as I studied, there seemed to be little or nothing that I couldn’t do.  It was as if God was saying, “I still want you to do what I wanted you to do before!”  And what would that be?  For example, Jesus tells us the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God; and the second is to love others as ourselves.  Hmm.  Love God, and love people.  I can do this!  Despite my lack of mobility, I can still love God and others.  I can share God’s love with others.  My mission field is different:  Doctor’s offices, hospital, rehab center.  In my condition, they often come to me:  Doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapists.

I don’t know why I came down with ALS.  God does, He is in control, and His plan is far better than mine.  While I wait for healing, or my departure from this earth, I seek to do God’s will.  He loves us so much that He sent His Son for to die us.  He has promised me everlasting life – not because I’ve been “good enough” or not because I’ve “suffered enough,” but because I have believed, received and trusted in the free gift that Jesus Christ paid for my sins — and that gives me great hope for tomorrow.
Spirit of ’76!  And God bless and keep you and your families!


“Lord Guard and Guide (The United States Air Force Hymn),” performed by the United States Air Force Singing Sergeants 

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Strength

Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired.  His understanding is inscrutable.  He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.  Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.  (Isaiah 40:28-31, NASB)

I must confess that I’m weary.  I’ve never been so tired.  Tomorrow I’ll probably be more so.  The nature of my disease is one of progressive muscular deterioration (to the point of failure), and constant fatigue.  Sometimes I’m too tired at night to let Sue brush my teeth!  When I was first diagnosed with ALS, Sue and I researched the proper diet to use:  High fat and high protein!  The reason is that a person with Lou Gehrig’s Disease has to exert far more energy to move muscles than everyone else.  Once the muscle fails, it’s done.  As I write this, I can move my mouth (jaw), my tongue, my eyelids, and my eyeballs.  
The diet (pretty much whatever I wanted; Sue made it, and eventually fed it to me when my arms failed) was fun while it lasted.  In time, it became difficult, then impossible to eat, as my epiglottis (a muscle) could no longer keep food from aspirating into my lungs, and my jaw would wear out from chewing.
The passage from Isaiah says that they who wait on the Lord will renew their strength.  I ponder that a lot.  As part of my prayers in the morning, I ask God for strength to do what He wants me to do that day.  As I wait for Him to heal me (God will do this if He wishes!), I lean on Him for whatever strength He can send my way. 


Isaiah 40:31, found at worldwidechristianministries.org
Our Granddaughter, Colleen Cooper (one of our 12 precious Grandchildren), now 10 years old, was born with cerebral palsy.  So far, she has never walked, never taken a step unaided.  We used to have wheelchair races when she visited, and she always beat me, even though my chair is motorized!  In heaven, in the New Jerusalem, where there will be no more sorrow, and no more pain, Colleen and I will run together.  Not only that, but we will run and not get tired; we will walk and not become weary!  I look forward to that day!
The Lord is my strength!


Worship:  “I Will Rise,” Chris Tomlin 

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Beginnings

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  (Genesis 1:1, NASB)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  (John 1:1-2, NASB)

I love the Creation story.  It gives me hope because of the promises in the Bible from the Creator!

I’m reminded of the story told by a sports journalist (I don’t remember who) about his journey to faith in Jesus.  As a boy, he loved sports (as most boys do), and was bored and restless sitting in church (as most boys are).  But one day the words from the pastor woke him up, and started him on the road to faith.

What the pastor said: “In the beginning . . . “

What the young man heard:  “In the big inning . . . “


Consider all that God created:  Look to the heavens.  Astronomers tell us there are billions and billions of stars, most of which we can’t even see.  Yet the Bible says that God knows each one by name!  The same Creator constructed you and me with the same loving detail as those stars.  And he knows each of our names, has numbered the hairs on our heads, and has numbered the days of our mortal lives here on earth.
The Apostle John wrote that Jesus (the Word) was in on the Creation.  He goes on to say that nothing was created without His input.  He is Lord of all!


From John 1:1, found at bibletruthandprophecy.com

I’m in awe that the Father, who created everything we see, and beyond all that we can see, should have regard for little ol’ me!  He made me, He knew I’d be a sinner, and yet He made a way for me to have fellowship with Him, despite my flaws.  The Bible says that God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us.  All we have to do is believe in the Son and accept this precious Gift, and we will have everlasting life!  Communion with the Lord in heaven for eternity!  As I said, I’m in awe!

My hope is in the name of the Lord, Who has promised eternal life for those who call upon His name!  I have ALS.  As I sit on my bed pondering all this I understand the number of my days is not as many as I’d originally thought.  But God is in control.  He’s got this!  I stand on His promises!  Have you called on His name?


Worship:   “Nobody Like You,” by Paul Wilbur