Christianity 101

Is Faith in God Enough?

Last update for this post appended at the end

I don’t know what to title this post. That will have to do. Maybe it fits; maybe it doesn’t.

Early this morning I got an email from one of my cousins about one of her sister’s sons, D.

They had found a hole in [his] heart and he had surgery on Thursday… yesterday. Things have taken a very unexpected turn and unless God works a miracle… he will not make it. Please pray. [D] and [L] have 6 children and the 7th is due in December.

D was losing blood faster than they could give it.

In faith, I rest in God’s love, wisdom, and power.

And in His nearness to D and L and their children, and to their extended families.

I posted the above on October 24 at 7:01 am Pacific Time.

UPDATES: October 25 at 8:47 am PT

At 9:15 (Eastern) last night: At the same time the doctors are being very honest with the family saying there is little chance for [D] to live. They say if you could put it into percentage they might say it is an 80/20 percent chance for him to live. The doctors have been very reassuring that they are there to help him survive, and not at all ready to pull life support. His body is under tremendous stress. He is very swollen, up to 48 extra pounds. There is a possibility of brain damage but not permanently since the whole body is swollen. There are many side effects. His hands are so swollen that they have had to cut them open to relieve pressure. They had to do this or he might never have use of his hands again. They are trying hard to stay ahead of all the side effects that the shock is putting on his body. Vital organs like kidneys and lungs could fail and then be the next most urgent concern. At this point they are not planning to do a heart transplant. His heart though not working on its own yet, is a good heart.

At 9:30 (Eastern) this morning: He made it through the night. PTL! The doctor told the family this morning that the truth was that he had not expected [D] to make it through the night. Things are still very touch and go. BUT- quoting the doctor, “we can be cautiously optimistic.”

UPDATE: October 25 at 9:41 pm PT

At 6:30 (Eastern) this evening: They have done some tests on [D]s brain. There is still blood flow there. This is a very good thing. Now the next major prayer request is that he would wake up so they can see if there is brain activity.

UPDATE: October 28 at 11:55 am PT

For missing and further updates and for a guestbook to sign: Danny Ewing.

A Pre-Election Expectation

It’s late…too late to be doing this. This is my last computer activity of the day.

In a final effort to seal the coffin of McCain’s electoral chances, the economic picture will be allowed (or further forced) to darken in the next several days.

The wild ride is not yet over.

Rest in Jesus, and you will have peace.

Good night.

Mark4Prez: My (Possibly) Last Word(s)

OK, so (as I’ve said in previous posts) I’m at the ripe old age to meet the Constitutional requirements to be President of the United States.

Amazing! 😀

Furthermore, I think I would make a reasonably good President.

(Frankly, I think I could be the President the country needs at this time.) 😯

In light of all of the above, I have generously offered my name as one to use for write-in votes.

But you should know this:

  1. If drafted, I will not run.
  2. If voted for, I will be grateful.
  3. If elected, I will resign.

So there you are.

Any questions?

Perhaps in a future post I can elaborate a little on why. For now, suffice it to say that my Christian convictions and heavenly citizenship/ambassadorship overrule the option of my serving the United States in the capacity of President.

While I Waited

Here I sit, waiting for my slow (31.2 KB) dial-up connection to muddle its way through Amazon’s Pro Seller (or whatever it’s called by now) site.

So I looked at headlines at Drudge and Newsmax.

Do five simple things a day to stay sane, say scientists

Simple activities such as gardening or mending a bicycle can protect mental health and help people to lead more fulfilled and productive lives, a panel of scientists has found.

[…]

“A big question in mental wellbeing is what individuals can do,” Felicia Huppert, Professor of Psychology at the University of Cambridge, who led part of the project, said. “We found there are five categories of things that can make a profound difference to people’s wellbeing. Each has evidence behind it.” These actions are so simple that everyone should aim to do them daily, she said, just as they are encouraged to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables.

Five steps to sanity. That shouldn’t be too hard.

Palin: Election Result Rests ‘In God’s Hands’

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin describes herself as a “hard-core pro-lifer” and expresses confidence that in spite of disheartening polls, “putting this in God’s hands, that the right thing for America will be done at the end of the day on Nov. 4.”

She is right.

In Other Developments…

Here are three items to distract you from the economic wasteland of the week.

First up:

One + One = Two

Connecticut’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay couples have the right to marry, making the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions through the courts.

The ruling comes just weeks before Californians go to the polls on a historic gay-marriage ballot question, the first time the issue will be put before voters in a state where same-sex couples are legally wed.

[…]

Civil unions and a similar arrangement, known as domestic partnerships, are offered to same-sex couples in Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Oregon, Hawaii, Maine, Washington and the District of Columbia.

Read it all

Recruiting Defiant Pastors

Late last night, I noticed WorldMagBlog was calling attention to this event:

Pulpit politics: Pastors to defy IRS

During sermons this Sunday, some 35 pastors across the country will tell their congregations which presidential candidate they should vote for, “according to the Scriptures.”

Their endorsements represent a direct challenge to federal tax law, which prohibits tax-exempt organizations from engaging in partisan political activity.

The clergy have embraced that risk, hoping their actions will trigger an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, which would then enable a Christian legal advocacy group to take the IRS to court and challenge the constitutionality of the ban.

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a conservative legal group based in Arizona, recruited the pastors for “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” to press their claim that the IRS tax code violates the free speech of religious leaders.

These pastors really were “recruited” for this purpose?

If that is the case, it seems the pastors are being moved by the wrong spirit, no? It certainly appears to me that whatever they “preach” would have more political and civic motivation than it would Spirit motivation.

Or am I missing something here?

(For a little more perspective on this: Church and State.)

Above all, love God!