An update on Dad and Mr Lefty
15 MarIt’s been a while since I did this, so I thought I would blog a little update on where Dad is medically and where my left arm stands right now …
Dad is physically doing well. From a memory standpoint, not so much … He has been in therapy to strengthen his legs and is physically able to do more than he’s done in a while. He is still in a wheelchair, but they’re working on his ability to get in and out of a car! If this all works out, Mom will be able to use her Buick to take him on shorter trips with the help of a transport wheelchair (which will be a little lighter). All of it still concerns me, because Dad’s ability to get in and out of the car is heavily dependent on him NOT being tired.
I call them everyday. And almost every day I have to remind Dad that I live in Florence and I have to remind him of what I do vocationally. I know this is tough for Mom, because it’s getting tough for me! But, honestly, it’s not about me …
As far as my left arm goes, I guess not much has changed. I’ve been out of therapy for months now. I haven’t seen my doctor for months. So far, no pain. Even though its been more than a year, the swelling is STILL going down weekly. I can see new visual signs of that almost on a weekly basis. I cannot straighten my arm, and the doctor does not want me to do that. He says the cartilage is messed up pretty bad in that elbow, and I don’t need to do that. Also, if it pops out of joint I will be going DIRECTLY to the hospital, and then DIRECTLY to surgery. Been there and done that once. Don’t want to do it again!!
This is funny now, but I wasn’t too happy when someone tried to manually straighten my arm in the office hallway one day. it was a well-meaning person, but OOWIE did that hurt!!! A few weeks ago I tried to put on a sports coat. Did not hang right because my shoulder is still goofed up. I even went up a size or two, and it still didn’t fit right!!! Thank God for my doctoral robe.
People act surprised that I don’t have pain, but I honestly don’t. Hope that doesn’t change anytime soon!!!
Be Careful what you wish for!!!
13 MarI was talking on Facebook to one of my oldest … no wait, it’s not that she’s old. And she is definitely not the oldest friend I have. But she has been a friend since we were both little kids growing up at Washington Avenue Baptist Church in Greenville.
Anyway, Joy Crenshaw Branon and I were talking on Facebook a little while ago and she reminded me that she remembers when I was a little kid in Sunday School and proudly announced to the whole class “When I grow up, I’m gonna be a preacher!”
In the last couple of months, there have been times when I’ve thought “If I could only go back in time and tell that little kid, ‘Hey Nucklehead! BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!!'” (And I would sneak some $$ back and invest it ALL in Apple)
Hey, kid … you have NO IDEA what you are asking for:
- Sleepless nights
- Times when you feel God is your ONLY ally
- Late night phone calls
- Vacations you will have to leave your family to do your job
- Times when you can do nothing right, no matter which way you move
- Stress
- Heartache
- This list could go on and on ….
I was thinking about that the other day, and then it hit me … There would also be times of:
- Seeing God at work FIRSTHAND and seeing Him do things that you wouldn’t believe unless you saw it firsthand
- Getting to spend some of the happiest moments with your extended family (mine is EBC) and see babies born, celebrate great victories in life, help marriages get started on the right foot
- Having the opportunity to help young Christians grow and getting the most awesome reward of seeing them blossom in God and follow Him with great faith!!!
- Being entrusted with the privilege to help families in their times of greatest need
- Being loved by your church
- And, again, seeing the miracles of God from a front-row seat
The Holy Spirit Himself reminds me that I am one of the most fortunate men in Florence, SC, because I get to be the point man for My Savior in my family that is Ebenezer. And when I think about all of that, I would tell that kid to trust in the Lord with all of his little heart, and to lean not on his own understanding. In everything he does, acknowledge God and follow Him, and God Himself will pave the way for that kid.
(And, if you have a few bucks, invest in Apple when it first goes public even though everyone around you is telling you that Apple Computers is a mere fad. Trust me, kid … )
Good things
12 MarTommy Dowling always told me we need to focus on the POSITIVE. Sometimes we focus too much on the negative … And I am here to tell you that, as pastor to this church, I DO see good things happening. I DO see people building the Kingdom of God. I DO see people being obedient and pursuing God’s will for their lives and pursuing it for His church.
God’s kingdom is alive and well and working at Ebenezer. And I am thankful for it!!!
Personal preference
6 MarIn praying through this idea that we, the church, are called to be a hospital ship instead of a “Love Boat,” there is one big, glaring detail we cannot deny: We’ve become more like love boats because we’ve built our churches around personal preference and comfort. Our programs, our decor, everything about us is centered around what we want and what we prefer …
Even in our actions, programs, and habits. We really are called to reach the wounded. In order to do that, we need to move beyond what we want and what we think “should be” and start asking God what He wants. IN EVERYTHING. We say our purpose is to worship Him, that we exist for His pleasure. To serve Him. To build His kingdom. And to make this transition, we MUST make it all about Him.
He must increase, and we must decrease in this equation if it is ever to work!!
Changes ahead??
5 MarRon Barker challenged our deacons and then our entire church this weekend: The church is the ONLY ORGANIZATION he knows of that does NOT exist for its members … We are called to be more of a hospital ship, and NOT a “Love Boat.” But the modern church really has become more of a Love Boat in recent years and our marketing and consumerist attitudes haven’t helped!!
This short blog, that YOU will finish, asks this question: What will it take FROM YOU to help Ebenezer become the hospital ship that it needs to be?? What will YOU need to do to help the transition from Love Boat to Hospital Ship?? YOU will complete this blog, in a sense, with your response in life …
Are there changes ahead?? You tell me.
Tomorrow = 1 Year
2 MarTomorrow … Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of the day that will live in infamy (at least, in my world). The day I fell and broke both arms! (Read about it here: https://davidrwike.com/2011/03/06/here-is-how-it-happened/ )
I look at how far I’ve come and know GOD is still on His throne and still in control. My left elbow still won’t straighten out, but it will bend in both directions much further than we ever thought it would. In fact, the entire situation has improved much more than we ever thought it would. There was a point in time when I didn’t know if I would ever be able to DRIVE again, much less get to a place where my left arm was usable.
What does the future hold for it?? Have no idea. The doctor talked for a while about eventually doing a joint replacement, but that will be YEARS down the road. I was discharged from therapy months ago, but the arm continues to improve and swelling is STILL slowly going down.
And God is still on His throne. And that is enough for me!!!
To Wonder About …
29 FebI’ve got this little brother in Christ who serves abroad … He told a story recently about his adventures on the mission field that really touched me.
You see, he is still learning a language and working hard at it, yet God uses him in mighty and awesome ways already. He told a story about the Holy Spirit leading him to someone and how he and a friend shared the Good News with this guy … And, towards the end of the hour-long conversation, God spoke to him in the language he was learning. (He ended this communique with a prayer request to help him learn the language more, so I see God’s sense of humor in the fact that he spoke to my bro in this language!!) The words God shared with my friend meant “to wonder about …” God was telling him that this guy was going to wonder about God more. To give him a New Testament.
It just got me thinking today: Here is this young man from the US in a foreign land … still picking up the language … and he is not only not ashamed to share, he is willing to do it in a language that he has not mastered. No fear … no embarassment … just obedience. And that is AWESOME!!
You’ll noticed I purposefully haven’t named him. But God knows who he is. And many of you might know him, too!! But I gotta look out for my little bro’s safety. But if you get a moment, pray for him today!!!
There for the Show or Ready to GO??
28 FebAre you THERE FOR THE SHOW or READY TO GO??
Sometimes I wonder what God really thinks of us. Day in and day out I (along with the rest of Ebenezer’s staff) live, eat, breath, walk, and talk Ebenezer. It’s in our blood … And we love this church, so it’s not a difficult thing to do. I will also be the first to admit that none of us are perfect … We all make mistakes from time to time. I probably make more than my fair share. I should also admit that I am not qualified to judge anyone … I have plenty of planks in my eyes. Kind of hard to see the splinters in others.
Sometimes it’s easy to see the fruit in the lives of others, though. It’s not hard to see when someone is totally sold out to God. When they believe in His will and follow it as closely as they can. Sunday night when he shared a testimony in worship, Olin Bullock referred to “giants” in God’s kingdom, many of whom have walked the halls at Ebenezer. I know some of those giants, too!! People who believe it and live it. They bless me!!
One that I won’t name told me recently God convicted him to do more and be more for His kingdom … I look at this friend, this much older man, and wonder how he could possibly be more of an ambassador for God?? This dude is a GIANT!!
When I see and hear faith like that, it makes me ask myself “DID YOU SHOW UP TO BE SEEN, OR TO SEE GOD???” There is a great fellowship factor at Ebenezer. Most churches have that factor as well. But there is more to being the church than just being together!! Being the church really means BEING TOGETHER AND FOLLOWING HIM. TOGETHER. INDIVIDUALLY. EVERY WAY YOU SLICE IT.
I wish we would all honestly ask ourselves EVERY Sunday, “Did I show up to be seen, or to see God?” I wish we were ALL HERE and giving God a place of honor EVERY SUNDAY. And I hope and pray we will ALL be able to answer “TO SEE GOD!!”
One Pastor's Perspective 