All Is Well

Praise God! Dan’s surgery Wednesday went very well. The doctor said everything around the prostate looked normal – including the lymph nodes that were removed and will be biopsied. We feel that the Lord honored many prayers and we thank you all.

His first night was rough because of the trauma of the surgery, but nothing unusual and yesterday couldn’t have gone better. He was up and walking through the halls before noon. The doctor was so pleased with how he was doing that he released him this morning.

WE’RE HOME.

It will take a while before he feels good but everything has gone as well as we could possibly have hoped.

No pictures. Just as well. He didn’t look his best. I’ll bet it won’t be long before you hear from him—and you might even get some pictures.

We continue to pray for a full and speedy recovery and good pathology reports. Thanks for all the support and prayers from so many friends and family members.

Lucky or Blessed?

On July 4, 1939 Lou Gehrig spoke these words:

“Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

Lou Gehrig was the original Iron Man playing in 2,130 consecutive games for the New York Yankees – a record that stood until September 6, 1995 when Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles broke it.

What made Gehrig’s words meaningful was that he had just been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which is now known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  It’s a fatal disease and Gehrig died two years later in 1941.

Over the past few days I have been reflecting on my life and the people in it.  My parents were both good, hard working people who raised me with a strong work ethic and good values.  My older sister, Jane, has been a good friend for many years and her husband, Hack, is a great guy with a great sense of humor – and a terrific photographer.  They have two neat sons, Kelly and Gary, and Kelly is married to April, a woman of great compassion and gifts.  They have  my neat nephew, Jory.

I was blessed to marry into Betty’s family.  Her stepmother, Nita, is the heart and soul of the family.  Nita may not be Betty’s blood mother but she has been the only grandmother our boys have known in Betty’s family and I would be proud to call her mother any day of the week.

Betty’s older sister, Margie, is the terrific aunt to all the kids and is a good friend to Betty.  Betty’s older brother, Bill and his wife Noel, are people who have been tested by the fire of life and come out on the other end much stronger.  Their faith and friendship are things I have valued for many years.  Betty’s younger brother, Jim and his wife Melissa, have a passion and gift for developing young people through their debate programs they have developed over the years.  There are many kids from both privileged families and from housing projects who had their lives changed through Jim and Melissa’s work.  Their children, Leslie and her husband Tom, and Patrick and his wife Michelle inherited their parents’ passions and great sense of humor.

Our lives have been impacted and changed by our friends Bob and Molly in Ohio and they are still very important part of our life.

We have been blessed and changed by our experiences with  our friends Max and Michelle Wade and their ministry Galloping Grace Youth Ranch.

We have so many friends at our church Destiny Center that it’s impossible to list them all here.

Finally, I have Betty and our two sons, Wade and Chris who are blessings in so many ways.  Our two boys had the good sense to marry wonderful Christian girls, Marie and Tracy, who have added so much to our lives.  Our grand kids, Javier, Juliet and Leah, are so special to us.

Betty of course has been the greatest blessing of all.  She’s my best friend and our time together – 6 years dating and 43 plus years married – has made me who I am.  I owe her so much.

So, as I go into my surgery tomorrow, Wednesday, I can say, “Today I consider myself the most blessed man on the face of the earth.”  As a Christian I don’t believe in luck.

Betty will do a post giving you an update after the surgery.  The timing will be dependent on when she can get home to my computer.

Be good while I’m gone.

Monday Video–Christmas for Cowboys

Even though I didn’t agree with some of his lifestyle choices, I always enjoyed John Denver’s music.

Here’s his “Christmas for Cowboys” to remind us that cowboys work every day.

The Cost of Christmas

It’s Christmas Day.  Betty and I are enjoying our time with our family in Franklin, Tennessee.  We’re visiting with Betty’s stepmother, Nita, Betty’s sister, Margie, and her brother Jim and his family.  By the time anyone reads this we’ll have opened our presents this morning and enjoyed a late breakfast of Tennessee country ham, biscuits and cheese grits –a family tradition with a definite Southern flavor.

We hope you and yours are enjoying this day as well and we hope we all remember the real reason for the season, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus.

But, I also believe we need to occasionally remind ourselves that our Savior’s life that ended with him paying the cost for our sins, started with others paying the cost for his birth – the Holy Innocents.

Matthew 2:1–18 tells this story: Herod was “greatly troubled” when astrologers from the east came asking the whereabouts of “the newborn king of the Jews,” whose star they had seen. They were told that the Jewish Scriptures named Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born. Herod cunningly told them to report back to him so that he could also “do him homage.” They found Jesus, offered him their gifts and, warned by an angel, avoided Herod on their way home. Jesus escaped to Egypt.
Herod became furious and “ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under.” Since Bethlehem was a small town, the number of babies killed was perhaps 20 or 25. The horror of the massacre and the devastation of the mothers and fathers led Matthew to quote Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah,/sobbing and loud lamentation;/Rachel weeping for her children...” (Matthew 2:18)

Our Lord’s life ended in his blood for others, but as we celebrate this Christmas day may we remember that his life began and was marked by the blood of others.  The Christmas story is one of sacrifice from beginning to end.

Have a blessed Christmas.

Unto You

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born unto you; he is Christ  the Lord. (Luke 2:8-12 )

Most biblical scholars believe that Jesus was born in the spring, perhaps around April by our calendar.  One of the clues is what Luke records -- And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

During the rest of the year, shepherds would not live out in the fields with their sheep.  Spring was the exception as that was the time of lambing and they would live with their flocks to protect the lambs from wild animals who would prey on the small lambs.

At this time, shepherds were among the lowest of the low in Jewish society.  They handled unclean animals, including animals who died, and they didn’t have the ability to go through the cleansing ceremonies that were required in Jewish society.  So no one of any standing would want to be around shepherds.  They were the outcasts of their society.

God in his grace chose these lowest of the lowest to announce the coming of his Son.  And what an announcement it was.  Can you imagine if you were a shepherd who had done this same thing for many, many years.

It was another of many nights and they expected it to be the same that night and every night to come.  The skies were probably dark, clear and full of stars in a way that we can hardly imagine with all the ambient light we have to endure.

Perhaps they had finished their evening meal and were beginning to settle down for their night’s rest, hoping they would not be awakened by the cry of threatened lambs. One or more would stand watch to listen and watch for any sign of an animal who would come to steal a lamb.

Suddenly, before their sleepy eyes, the heavens opened in a glory that we can only pretend to imagine.  An angel appeared to them and announced the greatest of all news -- “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born unto you; he is Christ  the Lord.”

Notice he did not say, “…a Savior has been born unto the world.”  He said specifically that a Savior had been born unto them – lowly shepherds.

The God of the universe, the God of all creation did not announce his coming to kings or nobles.  He sent his announcement to the lowest of the low and told them that a Savior was coming specifically to them.

What a Christmas gift.

May you and your family be blessed this Christmas Eve with the knowledge that the Son of God was born to each of you.

The Six Best Christmas Songs You’ve Probably Never Heard

My oldest son had a great post recently on his blog about the 6 best Christmas songs you’ve probably never heard.

If you have a few moments check out this link and listen to some great and very interesting Christmas music.

http://wingedpotato.posterous.com/the-best-five-christmas-songs-youve-never-hea

Sunday Reflection–God’s Will

Over the years I have read a lot about God’s will.  I believe that God has a perfect will and a permissive will.  His perfect will defines what will be to fulfill God’s plan for mankind and our earth.  His permissive will defines what he allows in our individual lives, perhaps to build our faith and character.

Could God have stopped my cancer, or heal it right now?  Of course he can.  He’s God.  I don’t believe my cancer is part of God’s perfect will for all mankind.  However, his permissive will has allowed this to happen in my life.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, I firmly believe there is a purpose in this – whether it’s to build my faith or to use my circumstances to affect someone else’s life, I don’t know.  But, I believe there is a purpose.

What is important now is how I respond to what God has allowed to occur in my life.

I use Oswald Chamber’s daily devotions from My Utmost for His Highest as part of my daily devotion.  This past Thursday the devotion had to deal with this idea of God’s will.  He wrote this:

“Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us. ‘We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . .’ (Romans 8:28)— to those who remain true to God’s perfect will— His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, ‘Yes, it is the Lord’s will.’ We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.”

So, I guess it’s time to gird up my loins (whatever that means) and get ready to wrestle with my cancer before the Lord.  Bring it on!

Headin’ East–See You on the Other Side

Betty and I are flying to Nashville, Tennessee to day by way of Houston.  We’ll drive from the airport to my sister and brother-in-law’s house in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  We’ll spend three nights there then drive down to Franklin, Tennessee to spend the remainder of our time with Betty’s family.  We’ll return home on Monday, December 27 and my prostate surgery will be Wednesday, December 29.

Betty said she will do a post some time after my surgery to let everyone know how it went, but I’ll be out of pocket for awhile.

I’m hoping to do a couple of advance posts for while we’re gone  for Christmas because I won’t have my computer with me.  Then with my surgery it may be the middle of January before I’m up and running again.

I hope you’ll check in every once in a while so you won’t forget me (just kidding – sorta).

Friday Funny–Handel’s Messiah

We’ve heard Handel’s classic, “Messiah,” with the famous Hallelujah chorus in churches, in shopping centers and mall food courts.  Now watch some creative high school kids do a ‘Silent Monk’ version.

Enjoy.

Headin’ Home

We’re driving home today from visiting our kids and grandkids in Fort Collins.  So, I’ll leave you with some pictures of Juliet and Leah and a miscellaneous Juliet video.

You just can’t beat having grand daughters.

Monday Video - Jumpin’ Birthday

Last Saturday we went to a birthday party for Juliet’s cousin, Kaley, who is turning 5 years old.  Kaley is the youngest daughter of Melissa, Marie’s sister, and her husband Nick.

The party was held at a place called ‘Jumpin’ which is full of inflatable jumps and slides.  Needless to say there are a ton of kids there.  There were several parties going on plus lots of walk-in kids and their parents.

Here’s a video of the fun and chaos.  Enjoy.

Sunday Reflections–Small Things

We’re having a great time with our kids and grand kids in Fort Collins.  We went to a birthday party on Saturday for Kaley who is Juliet and Leah’s cousin.  She’s the younger daughter of Marie’s sister and brother-in-law who also live in Fort Collins.

The party was held at a place called ‘Jumpin’ – one of those insane places where there are all kinds of inflatable jumpers and slides and what seems like thousands of kids all having a great time.

Monday’s post will have a video of some of our fun.

The place is in a group of shops called Centerra.  While we were there I lost my cell phone.  Betty and I back tracked all of our steps, but we couldn’t find it.  I was pretty sure that it was lost for good and I would have to go through the stress and cost of replacing it.

Last night our son, Wade Daniel, got a call on his cell phone and it was a lady named Erma who had found my phone.  As it turned out she lived on three miles away.  We got directions and the two of us drove over to get my phone.

It turns out that Erma is an Hispanic woman who is extremely nice.  She had found Wade’s phone number in my phone and it was the only phone number from Fort Collins so that’s why she called him.

What made all this worthy of a Sunday Reflection is that Erma said this is what she would want someone to do for her if she lost her phone.

Then she proceeded to tell us that she had just been diagnosed with cancer about three months ago so I was able to tell her about my prostate cancer.  I was able to ask God’s blessing on her healing and that seemed to touch her.  Even though we were strangers only a few moments before it was a very special time for the two of us as we could share something between just the two of us.

She wished me well on my upcoming surgery and Wade and I went on our way.

A coincidence?  I don’t think so.  I think God used the loss of my phone to create a small moment in time when Erma and I could bless each other.

Keep your eyes open.  You might find such small moments in your life today.

Headin’ North

We left early this morning to drive to Fort Collins, Colorado to have an early Christmas with our kids and grand kids.  We’ll be home on next Tuesday evening.  I’m not sure how many posts I’ll get in while we’re gone, but I will have my computer with me so there’s a chance.

Be good while we’re gone and don’t talk about us behind our backs.

Deck the Halls

Now that it’s the Christmas season it’s time for Christmas carols.  Enjoy this creative version of ‘Deck the Halls.’

December 7, 1941

We arrived at the USS ARIZONA (BB39) Memorial visitor center on a beautiful, Oahu day.  Years before, in 1971, I had seen the Memorial from my ship, THE USS WILLIAM H. STANDLEY (DLG32) as we came into and left Pearl Harbor on our way to Vietnam.  It was tradition then for Navy ships to salute the Memorial any time it was passed.  I always wanted to come back to actually visit and spend some time there. 

We bought our tickets for the boat ride out to the Memorial.  Tickets are sold for specific times so we had some time to look around the visitor center.

Betty took a picture of me standing next to the Arizona’s anchor. It’s huge.  The pictures we saw in the center were of a time that seems so different from the world we live in.  It’s hard to imagine what everyone went through on that Sunday morning so long ago.  Their lives were turned upside down and for many it was their last hours and even minutes left here on earth.

We stood out on the beautifully manicured grounds of the visitor center and the gleaming white of the Memorial looked so small in the distance.  In the same view you can see the USS MISSOURI (BB63).  In that one view you can see a Memorial to where World War II started and a Memorial to where it ended.

Finally, it was time for us to board the boat to take us out to the Memorial.  A guide gave us some information as we went out and there was some expectant talk on the way.

We arrived at the little pier and climbed the steps up to the white Memorial.  You walk down a long hallway before actually getting to the ship.  The first thing I noticed was how quiet it was.  There was a reverent silence – even the few children who were there were unusually quiet.  If people speak at all they speak in quiet whispers.

The first thing you see as you get to the center of the Memorial is the end wall where he names and ranks/rates of the 1,177 Sailors and Marines who died on the Arizona are engraved.  You stop because of the enormity of the loss comes home in all the names that are there.  Without thinking about it I checked to see if there were any Cookseys listed, but there were none.  For a long time you stare at the wall.

Then you notice people on each side at large openings where you can actually see the ship in the water below you.  You notice there are flowers floating on the water.  Many people bring their leis and throw the flowers from them onto the water as a tribute.  I’m sorry we didn’t know to do that.

Looking closer you see little reddish-brown bubbles coming up to the surface of the water.  After all these years the Arizona still bleeds her oil.  It’s almost as if you’re watching a heart still beating and slowly giving up her life.  You stand there and contemplate that so many young men are still within this ship.  Even though she’s battered and broken, she’s not a hulk – she’s still a ship caring for her crew to this day.

Then it’s time to go.  The boat ride back to the visitor center is very quiet.

I can’t speak for others, but that visit was a life changing experience for me.

Monday Video–Power of the Sun

We all know that the sun which gives life in many ways can also be dangerous and that’s why many of us wear sunscreen when we’re out in the hot summer sun.  And, if you were a kid of my day you could also see the power of the sun when we focused it through a hand-held magnifying glass.  We could set leaves and small pieces of wood on fire and, if you were the meanie sort, you could roast ants – but I never did that.

Here’s a BBC video that shows how using a larger magnifying glass, but still not that large, the sun’s incredible power can be even more focused.  By the way, the temperature in Centigrade that the scientist mentions is about 6,300 degrees F.

Enjoy.

Sunday Reflection–Joy

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come.  Let earth receive her king.”

Tis the season of joy as we approach the celebration of our Lord’s birth.  We sing of joy.  We see the word joy in many different places.  We talk of joy.  But what do we really mean?

I think we most often equate joy with happiness – i.e., my circumstances are good so I am happy; I am joyful.  There is no question (at least in my mind) that our happiness is directly associated with our circumstances.  If things are going well I am happy.  If things are not going well I am not happy.

If being happy is the true meaning of joy then these verses from the Bible are difficult to reconcile.

Then I would still have this consolation — my joy in unrelenting pain — that I had not denied the words of the Holy One. (Job 6:10)

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. (Psalms 126:5)

No, I don’t think joy is the same as being happy.  There is no question that we can be both happy and joyful at the same time.  But how can we have ‘unrelenting pain,’ or ‘sow in tears’ and still experience joy?

For me C. S. Lewis has the answer.  Lewis is the British theologian who wrote many Christian classics such as ‘Mere Christianity’ and ‘The Screwtape Letters’ as well as Christian fiction such as ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.’

Lewis wrote a book called ‘Surprised by Joy’ in which he recounts how he became a committed Christian.  Lewis was a happy boy playing with and confiding in his brother William.  He recalls that as a time not only of happiness but also one of joy.  At the time he couldn’t explain it but even as a boy he knew that joy was something different than happiness. This joy was shattered when his mother died and he went through many years trying to recapture not only the happiness of his childhood but the joy as well.

It was only in his coming to Christ that Lewis experienced the joy of his youth and now as an adult he came to understand what joy really is.  By joy, Lewis meant not mere pleasure but a sublime experience of the transcendent, the glimpse of the eternal that is only fleetingly available in earthly loves and aesthetics. It is, for Lewis, a joy to be found only in the Creator who himself invented both world and word, person and personality. It is He alone who redeems his fallen creation and provides them joy.  For Lewis joy is a longing for something greater than ourselves, greater than this world – a longing for coming home to our real home – a longing for coming home to our real Father.

We see this idea of the transcendent in Paul’s letter to the Romans.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12-13)

In the midst of our patience in affliction and through our faithful prayer we can experience joy in the transcendence of our hope in Christ.

James goes even further and tells us that joy can be found even in the midst of all our trials.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (James 1:2-4)

So is this kind of transcendent joy something we can generate out of our will?  No way.  As humans we are not strong enough, pure enough or holy enough to create joy in our hearts and minds.  Joy is a gift from our Creator.

The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy… (Galatians 5:22)

We are given the gift of joy through the gift of the Holy.  As a contemporary Christmas song says, “The Father gave the Son and the Son gave the Spirit.”  And, the Spirit gives us joy.

So, in this season of joy I hope and pray it is a happy time for you - that your circumstances bring you happiness.  But, even if they don’t you can always know joy, no matter your circumstances, through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Joy to the world.

Winter Stuff

One of the nice things about winter in Corrales is we’re on the flyway for several migrating bird species.  We have seen lots of Canada Geese and Sandhill Cranes and we’ve even seen several Snow Geese this year.

Most of the birds are on their way South to areas along the Rio Grande, especially an area called Bosque del Apache (Woods of the Apache) which is a bird sanctuary.  However, several dozen or more Canada Geese and Sandhill Cranes winter in Corrales.

I was driving down to the post office this morning and saw these Cranes in one of the fields where they like to hang out.  The Cranes are in the field behind the section where the Angus calves are hanging out.

I made these pictures with the camera on my phone so this is about as close up as I can get.

They make a racket and this field is probably five miles from our house and I can hear them in the morning when I go out to feed the horses.  I can’t imagine how loud they are to the houses close to this field.

Still pretty neat.

Friday Funny–Greatest Cartoon

There is no doubt in my mind that ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ was and still is the greatest cartoon of all time.  It killed my soul when it stopped.  However, they are still running it so I can get my daily Calvin fix.  He’s the little boy I always wished I had been and Hobbes is certainly the friend we all wish we had when we were children.

Life–Update

Betty and I met with the doctor yesterday to talk some more about the cancer and how to deal with it.  As we expected, we decided on surgery to remove the prostate as the best choice.

The surgery is set for Wednesday, December 29 which allows us to go through with our Christmas plans.  We’re driving to Fort Collins to spend a long weekend, early Christmas with our kids and grandkids December 10 – 14.  We’re home for three days during which time Betty will have a routine bone scan on Wednesday, and on Thursday I’ll have a preop session at the hospital to do all the tests they need to do and then another meeting with our surgeon on Friday.

One interesting thing is I’m having the surgery done at the Lovelace Women’s Hospital as it’s across the street from our doctor’s office and he often does surgeries there.  That’s nice as it’s closer and easier to get to from our house.  Also, it will be kind of fun to be one of the few men in a women’s hospital.

On Saturday, December 18 we’ll fly to Nashville to spend Christmas with our family (not looking forward to the security issues).  We return home on Monday, December 27.  On Tuesday, I’ll flush out my system and the operation will be the next day.

I’ll be in the hospital for 2 to 3 days and recovery should take about 2 months.  During that time and afterwards I’ll have some tests to see if the cancer has spread.  If it has then we’ll deal with that as well.

So, prayers are appreciated for me and especially for Betty as she walks this path with me.

Now, that’s the last time I plan to talk about this (with the exception of an occasional Sunday reflection if it’s appropriate) unless something changes.  There’s far more to my life than this cancer and I want to focus on that.

To close, I love this quote:

Every evening I turn my worries over to God.  He's going to be up all night anyway.  ~Mary C. Crowley