PS

In this week's post, I want to add some "postscripts" to various conversations we've been having on this blog lately.

It Happened Again
Thanks for your prayers for strength for the weekend. The wedding went well and it was very enjoyable…even healing…to share my "swallow story" with the home church family. In direct answer to prayer, my voice actually got stronger as the weekend progressed. I felt energized and carried along. Amazing. Chalk it all up as another time that you prayed, God answered and I was helped.

Rain or Shine
The forecast looks hopeful, the Great Harvest crew is braced for us and the "Rejoice with Me: Stumbo Walk and Munch" is a go! I'm looking forward to it. See you at 2:30 on Saturday at the McCall statue at Riverfront. Regardless of the weather, the cookies will be good and the fellowship will be better.

Anticipation
After many months of effort, mainly by our daughter Anna, I will be seeing a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale next Tuesday. This will be the first time that the diagnosis of Dermatomyositis will be reviewed and reassessed. I'm very curious and excited to see what I learn from this appointment. Besides, it is always fun to spend time with Jeff and Anna.

The Food Channel
My favorite swallow moments of the week: Joanna's fabulous fruit pizza and a serious cinnamon roll a volunteer baked for the weekend worship team. The caramel cashew sundae ranked pretty high on the list as well. The bottom line though is that I'm pretty happy to swallow about anything…including saliva!

A Jaw Dropping Conversation
My doctor--a great brother who has walked with me professionally and personally through the journey this last 18 months--was at the service Saturday night as I spoke. He approached me afterwards and said, "I never told you this, but I consulted with your ENT doctor (ear, nose, throat) after he examined you. He said that since you hadn't swallowed in over a year that it was very unlikely that you would ever do so. It's a miracle, not medicine."

I thanked him for telling me the story…and for waiting to tell it to me now.

A Sermon Deletion
As I prepared for my message this last weekend, I was thinking about the listeners who might be skeptical. Not everyone easily believes or accepts testimonies of the miraculous. I can tend to be skeptical as well, so I think I understand. Here is a short section that I wrote but didn't have time to use:

I trust that this story will strengthen your faith. However, I understand that not everyone easily believes a story like this. I can't convince you of anything; all I can do is share my story and leave it for you to decide what to do with it. What I know for sure is that I didn't swallow for 18 months and now I do. I believe God did this.

You can come up with some other explanation if you want to. I can't stop you from it. But I'll just tell you that there's an unemployed spit cup in some dumpster in Southern Illinois. There's an empty yogurt container that echo's a testimony to God's power. There's a pile of unused spit rags ready to be thrown away instead of sitting next to a pillow. There's a 49 year old guy who is sleeping like he hasn't slept in 18 months because he's no longer spitting the night through. There's suddenly an additional seven pounds on his skinny frame. And, there is a turkey & cheese sandwich in hand as he prepare these words. You can draw your own conclusion, but I am convinced that God did this.

Joanna's Devotional Thought
It seems like the theme has popped up in numerous places. I know I keep mentioning it when I preach.

We have a part to play in the work of God. He could do everything for us…He certainly doesn't need us. But in His grace, He partners with us. He lets us participate with Him.

Earlier this week, Joanna ran across a verse that I hadn't noticed before which makes the point again. "You can get the horses ready for battle, but it is the Lord who gives the victory" (Prov. 21:31). We have our part to do…get the horses ready; but He is the one who wins the battles for us.

For me in these days the "horse preparation" includes continuing to try to coax my muscles back to health through exercise, working toward completion of my doctoral program and attempting to be proactive in many areas of life. I'm not sure what "horse preparation" you need to do. What I do know is that "waiting on God" is rarely a passive state. It usually includes some involvement on our part. As Isaiah prayed, "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you." In other words, "Doing what I know I'm supposed to do today, I wait for you to do what only you can do; for you are my Lord."

Saddle up those horses and ride with me. The victory is His!
Your fellow traveler,
John