Healer in the House!

The pain was excruciating and I doubled-over because of it…

After a busy week of graduations, celebrations and parties, I was actually looking forward to having a guest speaker in for Father’s Day at Cornerstone – I felt like I needed the break. It had been a long and stressful, but fun and successful week. I was just spent. Done. So, it was really exciting to have our first-time guest, John Morgan in to speak to the church (and to me) and we truly ended up having a great day at C3 – of which I was thankful.

Monday morning arrived and my daughter needed help with her car, so I went with her to the Auto Repair to have her car checked out and the oil changed. As they were servicing the car, I took Tara next door to the Boba Shop to get a drink.  She got an Oreo Boba Milkshake and I got a Strawberry-Banana Smoothie. For some reason, it seemed to take forever to get the drinks. So after standing around the Boba shop for what-seemed-to-be forever, I told Tara I was going back to the Auto Repair and she could bring my drink to me -- if we ever get it.

Before long, Tara brought my Smoothie to me and as I was finishing it, I was jolted by a sharp pain in my chest. The pain was excruciating and I doubled-over because of it, which freaked-out my daughter. The car was about finished and soon Tara was driving me home as quickly as she could. I had a difficult time getting out of the car because of the intense pain. Tara helped me into the house and over to the couch. Karlene asked what was going-on and so I told her of my chest pain. She quickly got me some aspirin, some antacid and had me lay down on the couch.

When she came back into the living room a few minutes later, she said “I’m taking you to the Hospital!”  By that time, my face was contorted and as white as a sheet. My left hand was numb, also. She put me in the car and rushed me to ER.

I must not have looked too good, because upon arrival at the Emergency Room, they immediately took me back and hooked me up to an EKG. Then they took my vital signs and drew several vials of blood. The next thing I know is they carted me off and put me in my own room.

I was blessed to have a great team of nurses, doctors and specialists taking care of me.  I was poked, prodded, hooked up, x-rayed, phlebotomized, tested and re-tested. Around mid-afternoon, the doctor told me that, depending on the test results, I could be going home around 10:00pm or so. He actually wrote a diagramed timeline (on my bedsheet) while explaining everything to Karlene and I.

Karlene had been with me the whole time. She was in constant contact with friends and family, giving updates and requesting prayer. I'm blessed to have an amazing wife. I understand that people were praying for me all around the world. That knowledge is humbling and encouraging at the same time. Richard and Darlene Welling came to the hospital to pray for me. My Mother did also. I appreciate all the prayers and believe that they truly made the difference. The pain in my chest had subsided dramatically.

At around 6:30 in the evening, I told Karlene to go and get herself some dinner. The Cafeteria was near the ER, so she didn’t have to go very far. Karlene wasn’t gone 5 minutes when another Doctor popped in to my room and asked me how I was doing.  She was the Chief and she started ordering the nurses to do this and that. She checked my test results, examined me, called for another EKG, etc.  Then she stated, rather matter-of-factly, “You didn’t have a heart attack. In fact, according to what I can see from the test results, your heart is fine.”  She then told me, “You don’t need to be here, you just need to go home and rest.” The next thing I know is that they were disconnecting and discharging me.

Still waiting for Karlene to return, I took my time getting dressed and then I thanked all the nurses and staff for their excellent care before heading to the exit. A bit after 7:00pm, I headed out, looking for Karlene, who was quite surprised to see me walking about. She actually couldn't believe it -- she had a funny look on her face when she saw me. Then we both gave God the glory! 

I am now home resting – per Doctor’s Orders – trying to take it easy.

There is much more to this story – the prognosis going from bad to good, the differing opinions of the doctors, and other things.

One thing I do know is that God has touched me! I went from Heart Issue to NO Heart Issue whatsoever, in a matter of hours. I am extremely thankful for the Lord's healing virtue and great grace in my body and my life. 

Yes, God is Good… All the time! 

Pop Tarts & Froot Loops

Kellogg’s – Yes, the Battle Creek, Michigan-based Cereal Company – has a new campaign that caught my eye recently. It’s called “Healthy Beginnings.” Their slogan for the campaign is “Step Up! To a healthier you.” In one of the print ads promoting it, they even have a picture of a woman with her hands raised in the air. Interesting language and visuals -- especially since this is the same company that provides such nutritional breakfast foods as Pop Tarts, Froot Loops, and Cocoa Krispies. I must note that I did not see any of the aforementioned products in the “Healthy Beginnings” ad for some reason.

However, seeing that ad got me thinking. Not so much about cereal, but about Christianity. Specifically, about the health – spiritual health, that is – of the believer. I really like Kellogg’s slogan. Step Up! To a healthier you! To be healthy and growing Christian’s we need to “step-up.”

God’s call to us is always an upward call. Paul said in Philippians 3:14, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” God is constantly challenging people to “get-up, step-up, and move-up.” The society and world in which we live is in a downward spiral. The way “up” is in and through Jesus Christ. Jesus came to lift our level of living. In John 10:10, Jesus shared that he had come to bring life “more abundantly” – that’s a healthier you!

Even the good folks at Kellogg’s realize that in order to “Step up to a healthier you,” it is not going to happen by eating “Froot Loops and Pop Tarts.” As tasty as those items may be, they are not going to make a “healthier” you. Pounding down Pop-Tarts isn’t going to give you Matthew McConaughey abs. Feasting on Froot Loops isn’t going to give you the body of a Supermodel. In order to become healthier, you have to eat healthier. To eat healthier, you have to change your diet.

To become a healthier Christian, you have to have a healthier spiritual diet. Faithfully attending church (“Does that mean like every week?” Uh, yeah.). Faithfully reading the Bible. Faithfully spending time with the Lord (it’s called prayer). Faithfully getting together with other believers. These are some of the necessary dietary changes that – when stepped up into -- will lead to a “healthier you.” A better you, a more disciplined you. Isn’t that what a disciple truly is?

So take a Step Up.
Neither the world nor the church needs more “Pop-Tart” Christians.

Trader Joe's Knows

It is so L.A.

Yesterday afternoon I had to take my daughter, Tara, to a costume fitting at a costume shop. She is in her final high school production and for some reason they picked a costume shop that was located in Santa Monica, which is over a half hour away from Torrance. It was located somewhere on Pico Blvd, so I punched the address into my navigation unit and off we went.

The costume shop was located in a small shopping center that was anchored by a Trader Joe’s store. I like Trader Joe’s and shop at the one in south Torrance. With the boom in “green and organic” attitudes here in SoCal, health food has gone mainstream and driving it is, among others, Trader Joe’s.

So as I turned into the parking lot, I immediately stopped. It was crazy busy. There were far more cars and shoppers than there were parking spaces in the small lot. I was the fourth car back in a line of cars and just barely made it into the parking lot from Pico Blvd. There was also another line of cars coming off of the side street. All of us were waiting for spaces to open up and an attendant was directing us into the next open space as cars would leave. Realizing that we were not moving and that Tara’s appointment was that very minute, I had her get out of the car and go into the costume shop as I waited to park.

After 5 to 10 minutes, I had gotten to the front of my line and was unwilling to wait any longer. So, much to the dismay of the guy in the front of the other line, I pulled around the waiting cars and headed down the lane of the parking lot. Thinking I was getting ahead of him (even though I actually was ahead of him), he began to honk and swear at me as I made my maneuver around the waiting cars. I simply continued on through the parking lot and drove across the street into another parking lot with plenty of available parking spaces.

As I walked across the street and back through the parking with all the cars waiting to park, the thought struck me – this is so L.A.! This is the most health-conscious and looks-concerned capitol of the world, and yet, people won’t park across the street to walk an extra few steps to get to their favorite health food store! It was a beautiful day and there was plenty of parking available across the street, but that would mean walking an extra hundred feet of so – to go to a health food store. It kills me, it really does. These are the same people that will drive 2 or 3 miles to get to their health club where they then proceed to walk on a treadmill for 45 minutes. Why not save the gas and the cost of the club membership, and walk around the neighborhood or the park for an hour? Why not? It’s L.A. And it’s funny that way.

No wonder we need the health food stores.