Comedic Seriousness

Jacob is interested in joining the Cub Scouts. He's pretty excited about it and there's a meeting for it tonight. We left the house for school this morning and as usual Jacob brought along a couple of toys for the ride. But I begin a serious explanation about how the Cub Scouts is a commitment on all our parts and not just a one-time deal. It's ongoing and we have to commit to going to the meetings. Further, we have to know how much it costs, etc. etc. Jacob listened. He asked if he could stay in it until he grows up. So, I figured he wants to commit. But I told him I wasn't sure if we could financially do it yet and his mother and I would let him know. At the end of my serious commitment and responsibility speech, Jacob says, "O.k. Dad. If you will excuse me, I'm going to play with my toys now."

Check out Jacob's page for more of his drollery.

Better Than Dad!

This morning, Macayla woke up with a lot of congestion and mucus which made it difficult for her to breathe. I could tell it was in her nasal passages and down her throat. Most of us process our mucus constantly to where it doesn't build up and if it does, we can expectorate it or swallow. Macayla can do neither. I had to suction her a bunch and we use a flexible tube catheter to suction her with. It helps us to go further down her throat and down her nose with less damage to the linings of her throat and nose. It took a while this morning to clear her out and get her comfortable.

Then I noticed she had a lot of gunk built up around her feeding tube and began to clean it off. In doing so, I noticed fresh granulation tissue around her tube for the millionth time. It was bloody and tender. So, this morning, Macayla woke up to tubes down her throat and her tummy bleeding and hurting. But she still smiled.

It never ceases to amaze me how she can smile after we do that kind of stuff to her or after having to struggle to breathe through mucus. I am not that good of a patient. I get a headache and I'm in a bad mood. If I had to put up with what she does, I don't know if I would ever smile again. But she does. She still smiles when I talk to her. She still smiles when the suctioning is over and sometimes even during the suctioning. My wife is a nurse and has to put up with a lot of patients, but I'm one of her worst while Macayla is one of her best. There are times I am feeling bad and do my best not to tell Jennifer just for the sake of our marriage! I know I am not going to respond well to nursing care. God help me if I get old! I pray He will give me the same strength and attitude He has given Macayla!

Spiritual Foot Fungus

I was working on an article that related to Ephesians 6 and the armor of God. Among Christians this is a familiar passage of encouragement. It reminds us that our fight is not against "flesh and blood" but the "forces of darkness." We are not to fight people but corrupt worldviews. But one of the "pieces" of armor Paul listed has really struck me. He wrote we need to "shod" our feet with "the gospel of peace." Paul is speaking of implements of war and puts the "gospel of peace" among them. What a contrast.

How can the gospel of peace help us in a fight? In light of the fact we are fighting worldviews and not other people, it is an essential piece. All too often, Christians can come across as belligerent and self-righteous. The people who are caught in the clutches of corrupt worldviews can miss Christ because of our poor reflection of Him. Paul may have had the passage from Isaiah 52:7 in mind as he wrote this. "How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation." In our battle, we need to bring the good news of peace and salvation that comes from Christ to those who struggle with sin just as we do. We can only do this if we remember our fight is not with people, but the dark forces of this world. I think this is why Jesus told us to pray for people who are our enemies. If someone is caught in the mentality of a corrupt worldview, they need prayer. All of us are influenced by these dark powers and only through Christ can we find freedom and victory.

This piece of armor has made me take pause and check my "self-righteousness" levels. Literally speaking, I have some ugly feet. Just ask my wife, or maybe, don't. There is little hope my physical feet will ever be beautiful or lovely, but they do not have to be spiritually ugly as well. Self-righteousness and belligerence is the foot fungus of spiritual feet and the gospel of peace is the cure.

No Broken Records

Macayla made it through the whole weekend with only two big seizures we know of. She was very fidgety all weekend and had short seizures that contained a few of the components we see in her big ones. Her chin tremors continued off and on and her eyes had a lot of nystagmus during these short seizures. So, she may have had more than two but they were brief.

She slept in today and has been quite happy this afternoon. So, maybe we will be free of seizures for another month or so. Last month she had eleven big ones before it was over, so we are thankful she did not break that record.