Karl is now home (which is pretty cool to write). This week is going to be real boring, even more so than the past few weeks. If you think of it, it would be great if you could send him an email (karlw44@aol.com) or better yet a card (40233 Adelphi, Beach Park, IL 60099) or even better yet stop by and see him (same address).
I know he would really appreciate it.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Trance
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You know when you're watching a baseball game and an outfielder drops a routine fly ball, how he immediately puzzledly (I just made up that word) looks at his glove like it's his gloves fault. You can almost see him mouth the words, "Is this glove regulation or what?" There is no way HE made a mistake. For lack of a better word, he looks like he is in a trance.
That is how I feel right now. Honestly, it is hard for me to believe the news. I mean, how can they not see the cancer? After 4.5 months of praying, worrying (sometimes the two blend) it is almost shocking that what everyone has been praying for ACTUALLY came true.
I've thought about this quite a bit the last two days (naturally). I should be having a mini worship service and celebrating like we just won the world series (I apologize for all the baseball allusions but the Cubs are going to win the world series this year and I am starting to get excited).
But instead, I have just felt a peace. I think we always wait for God to call down to us in a deep, verbose, 4x4 voice and say "I AM GOD!!!!!!!!!!" But instead, I've just felt a steady, calm and peaceful "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4) God has just reinforced over and over again in my head that He is great, He is with us and he is mighty to save (Zephaniah 3:17).
What God has really put on my heart is that He (and I'm just going to be real honest here) wants people to see him through this. It's very easy to say that this was a medical miracle, or to use reason and logic to explain away why the doctors can't find any of the tumor. I agree that there has been significant advances in medicine and I am grateful for those but I know for a fact that there was "something" else at work during this whole process.
I don't really understand prayer. I don't, I'll admit it. I don't know how or why 3,000 people's prayers or any more "important" than one person's; and perhaps they aren't. But what I will say is that I am grateful for everyone that has been lifting Karl up in prayer. I am so grateful.
Colossians 3:15-19 says,
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over al creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether thing on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Here's the thing. God does have supremacy over EVERYTHING and I believe that he is using Karl's situation to bring people to Him. Now this may sound too "Christiany", and I may be wrong. But I don't think I am.
God has been with Karl, God has delighted in Karl and God is mighty to save.
Ps Karl is being released from the hospital today.
You know when you're watching a baseball game and an outfielder drops a routine fly ball, how he immediately puzzledly (I just made up that word) looks at his glove like it's his gloves fault. You can almost see him mouth the words, "Is this glove regulation or what?" There is no way HE made a mistake. For lack of a better word, he looks like he is in a trance.
That is how I feel right now. Honestly, it is hard for me to believe the news. I mean, how can they not see the cancer? After 4.5 months of praying, worrying (sometimes the two blend) it is almost shocking that what everyone has been praying for ACTUALLY came true.
I've thought about this quite a bit the last two days (naturally). I should be having a mini worship service and celebrating like we just won the world series (I apologize for all the baseball allusions but the Cubs are going to win the world series this year and I am starting to get excited).
But instead, I have just felt a peace. I think we always wait for God to call down to us in a deep, verbose, 4x4 voice and say "I AM GOD!!!!!!!!!!" But instead, I've just felt a steady, calm and peaceful "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4) God has just reinforced over and over again in my head that He is great, He is with us and he is mighty to save (Zephaniah 3:17).
What God has really put on my heart is that He (and I'm just going to be real honest here) wants people to see him through this. It's very easy to say that this was a medical miracle, or to use reason and logic to explain away why the doctors can't find any of the tumor. I agree that there has been significant advances in medicine and I am grateful for those but I know for a fact that there was "something" else at work during this whole process.
I don't really understand prayer. I don't, I'll admit it. I don't know how or why 3,000 people's prayers or any more "important" than one person's; and perhaps they aren't. But what I will say is that I am grateful for everyone that has been lifting Karl up in prayer. I am so grateful.
Colossians 3:15-19 says,
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over al creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether thing on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Here's the thing. God does have supremacy over EVERYTHING and I believe that he is using Karl's situation to bring people to Him. Now this may sound too "Christiany", and I may be wrong. But I don't think I am.
God has been with Karl, God has delighted in Karl and God is mighty to save.
Ps Karl is being released from the hospital today.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Miracle
I have two observations on faith, well perhaps more specifically on prayer: 1) we pray and then are shocked when what we pray for actually happens and 2) we pray then when we asked for happens we assume there was a medical "miracle" or just a fortunate situation.
I think in doing so we minimize God. Allow me to explain.
Put plainly a miracle happened today. Now before I really get into this I should add this caveat, nothing is "official" at this point. Think of watching CNN's tracking of the presidential election, the CNN talking heads have a pretty good indication of who is going to win before they can officially call it. This is kinda like that.
Ok, here's a rundown of what happened. First, an individual from the neurological team evaluated Karl's MRI and it revealed tow things. 1) The area where they were supposed to place the plate was infected or damaged (or at least they thought). This was really discouraging. It was going to be an additional 8 weeks before Karl could then have the surgery to put the plate it. 2) The neurologist wasn't able to find any of the tumor. The neurologist wasn't able to find any of the tumor. Seriously.
Miracle. God miracle.
So they started the surgery and wouldn't you know it the spot they thought was damaged was actually just scar tissue. So they were able to put the plate in today.
Miracle. God miracle.
After the surgery my brother talked to our doctor that performed the surgery and he likewise didn't see any of the tumor. We are going to play this one conservative and not say that Karl is completely cancer-free but worst case scenario is that the cancer hasn't grown since his previous surgery. Best case scenario is that the cancer is no longer there.
Obviously, either way this is good news.
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Surgery
Karl is having surgery today, or perhaps better stated, is probably having surgery right now. The surgery is to graft a plastic plate unto the portion of his skull that was removed due to the infection that occurred after Karl's previous surgery. Our understanding is that as skull/head surgeries go this is very much a "cosmetic surgery". Obviously any time you cut open someone's head and attach things to someone's skull it is relatively complicated. Please pray that the surgery will go well and that Karl's recovery time will be as painless as possible. I will update this blog again later today with the results of the surgery.
Psalm 42:7
Psalm 42:7
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