Balancing Ministry N' Work

Crossroads in life come when we least expect them. This time is no exception. After finding out I had a brain tumor, going through a 10.5 hour surgery, spending 13 days in the hospital, and being on the road to recovery, a crossroad appears to be approaching. Years ago, I was faced with a major crossroad that. It came when I least expected. I was surprised when I felt God guiding me to get my Bachelors in Religion. I was finishing up my Associates Degree and was planning on continuing on at California State University of Fullerton with a degree in Business or Math. I was not aware of the plans God had for me. Sitting at a Men's Retreat out in the wilderness, I heard God tell me to go another path. This was a major crossroad in my life. I could have continued on with what I had planned, or I could listen to God. Following God down that alternate direction has been wonderful. I have met so many people that I would not have known, I have shared His good news with people, and have real...

The biggest struggle I have now is remembering that I am recovering from surgery! Did you catch that? I need to remember that I had surgery! That is an amazing thing. What do I mean? Basically I get so busy with life that I forget I need to pace myself. I work hard and want to play hard, and then wonder why I run out of steam. For example, last week was a tiring week at work. Friday afternoon, I was tired. Mostly cause I did not sleep well most of the week. Well it was also the kickoff of Relay for Life here in Jackson, MI. I wanted to go walk, and so did Alexis and the kids. So after a work, we went. I knew I was tired, but it was for a good cause. When we got there we hung out for a bit with people from work and then the kids and Alexis signed in at their schools both. Then we started walking. First lap, no problem. Second lap started out great, and for the most part I just started getting tired. It was not until we were about 80% done with the second lap that I realized I was no lon...

The question 'Why?' is one that people who have major medical problems ask all the time. They question why this is happening to them. Why were they chosen to suffer. and much more. To be honest, that is not the why question I have been asking. I know that God allowed me to go on this journey so that others can be touched. I have talked to people who have been moved by what I have gone through and the faith in God I have shown. I have heard people say that seeing what I have gone through has made it easier for them to go through their challenges. I am thankful that God saw me as worthy, that He trusted me to be His vessel during this time. I feel honored to be used by God. Regardless of how tough this has been at times, I believe complete that God has been good to me. He has taken care of everything, and provided everything that I needed. The 'Why' question I have been asking has to do with how this has impacted my ability to serve Him. If you have been reading my blog y...

I have been waiting till I went back to work to determine if I agreed with something the Drs told me. They told me that while I was going back to work I would be very tired for 6 months to a year. They believe it will take that long to get back to where I was before the operation. They have told me that I should not work 2 jobs for a year, in my situation that would mean I could only work at Eaton or Pastor at New Life Chapel. I wanted to see how I did for a week or two before I made a decision on what I was going to do. I have been praying that God would give me the strength and endurance to be able to continue with both. This week has shown me that having brain surgery takes a lot more out of you than I wanted to believe. After 3 days of being tired, today (Thursday) was pretty bad. For the first time in over a month I have gotten dizzy several times and lost my balance. I have also been so tired in the evening that there is no way I would be able to spend time prepping for a Sunday ...

The week of July 19th was an exciting week. It symbolized a major step in my recovery, I was going back to work! It was hard to get back in the habit of waking up early every morning, but I was glad to do it. Monday morning was exciting seeing everyone for the first time in roughly 6 weeks, since we popped in for a quick visit. For the most part things picked up rather quickly and returned to normal during the first day or two. I was very happy to see that my team was successful in staying on top of everything while I was gone. While some of the team felt stretched, they kept all of the department metrics moving in the right direction. I was very pleased with the team as I looked over the data. Thank You, Jackson SCM Team! Overall work was uneventful, by Wednesday I was realizing how little energy I had in the evening. I was beginning to believe the Drs about not being able to work and do ministry for 6 months to a year. I did not want to believe it, but on Thursday as I was walking do...

God is Good! Today I met with the OTO (ENT) surgeon as my follow up to my surgery. He was very happy with my progress, and believes everything looks good. He pulled up the presurgery MRI and the MRI taken yesterday, and the 2.3 cm mass is no longer there. From what we could see and the MRI Dr wrote up, THERE IS NO TUMOR LEFT!!! PRAISE GOD!!! At this point in time, I do not see him again for 2 years. So July of 2012 (unless the Mayans are right or our Lord Returns) I go in for a follow up MRI and appointment with him. If at that time everything is clear I am done with the follow up. :) We talked about the leg numbness I have been feeling and he said that has to do with positioning during surgery. It happens to some people and I got the short straw. It will take some time to heal up. I need to keep walking and it will get better, just not over night. The other short straw I drew has to do with the ringing in my left (deaf) ear. The tinnitus or ringing was one of the signs I was having a ...

Even though I was spending part of my birthday at UofM Hospital, it was a good day. My darling wife made me breakfast and it was GOOD! My first appointment was with the Physical Therapist at 2pm. This appointment went really well. We talked about how I have been feeling and if I have had any dizziness recently. I told the only activity she had given me that caused any problems was while I was walking and turning my head to the right or left. It is not a major problem, but it does alter my step pattern. She had me show her what I was doing, and she agreed it was very minor and I was turning my head rather quickly, so it made sense. Told her I tried it on the treadmill once, and she said that was a big NO NO (I am paraphrasing). We went through a couple of the other exercises and she was very happy with the results. She game me another exercise to try while there, and it to was no problem. She then told me that I should be OK to drive. I told her good since I have been driving for two we...