When details get you down

When Details Get You Down by Chris Armstrong is an article in Christianity Today that I was reading about a man named Gregory who was one of the earliest popes. He struggled with something that many of us struggle with on a daily basis as we serve in ministry.

How can I get all the tasks done while also maintaining a full and rich spiritual life of reading, reflection, and prayer? Tough.

It is a pretty major struggle and at times can weigh on one's heart. If I choose to focus on my own spiritual life and relationship with God then perhaps my time "in ministry" will have to decrease which will mean I can help less people. But if I focus on "doing things in ministry" in order to help as many people as possible, then I will have less time to cultivate my relationship with God.

Something's got to give right? Actually, I'd prefer that we see the two as interwoven rather than as opposed to one another. Perhaps we could see these two perspectives as various body parts that need one another rather than as various approaches that stand in opposition to one another.

The reality of this struggle is that it doesn't just apply to those in full time ministry but to all Christians on a journey towards being spiritually healthy while also performing the vital tasks for their job, family, and lay ministry.

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Noah's 1st Birthday - February 13, 2009

Recently Lindsey and I had the chance to not only have lunch with Shannon Barber, her son Noah, and her family, but we also privileged to take part in something special.

Noah invited us to his 1st birthday party (well, maybe it was his mom). Noah's mom Shannon went to high school at TCA with Lindsey. Enjoy a short and fun video of Noah's first birthday party.



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A Loyal Servant: Dr. Harold Hoehner

Dr. Harold Hoehner passed away this morning. So hard to see someone like him go. But we can rejoice that he is now with his Savior.

Dr. Hoehner was a renowned expert in many areas but his immensely resourceful work on the book of Ephesians will impact many for generations to come. Dr. Hoehner also left a legacy on the lives of his students who are spread out all over the world and continue to carry the message he imparted to them during their seminary days.

At Dallas Theological Seminary (http://www.dts.edu) I had the privilege of taking Dr. Hoehner's class on the book of Romans. It was an intensive class that met during the month of May almost every day for a few weeks. Dr. Hoehner exhibited grace, love, wisdom, and above all a passion for the Lord, his family, and his students.

At Grace Bible Church (http://www.gracebiblechurch.org) Dr. Hoehner was a man that demonstrated love and kindness to everyone that was around him. I say this jokingly, but the one notable exception was during ordination exams that he helped with at Grace. Dr. Hoehner demonstrated his passion for training Godly leaders at the seminary and at Grace Bible Church by asking difficult questions during ordination exams in order to ensure that if Grace Bible Church was going to approve someone for pastoral ministry that they really made sure they were prepared.

About a week ago, Lindsey and I ran into Dr. Hoehner and his wife at Fuddruckers where we talked for about 5-10 minutes. He seemed to be doing fine and I think he was. Little did we know that the Lord was going to take him home to heaven today, February 12, 2009.

Thank you Dr. Hoehner for your impact on my life, the countless other lives you impacted, your passion for serving your wife, family, and church, and most of all for the example you leave behind for the rest of us to follow as you devoted your life to Jesus Christ and making Him known.

Read Dallas Theological Seminary's tribute to Dr. Harold Hoehner by clicking here.

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Lindsey's Surgery: Update 3...Lindsey is Home

God answers prayer! Lindsey is home and her pain is decreasing.

Progress:
Lindsey progressed to eating full meals (bit by bit), watching Jon and Kate plus 8 on TLC, talking on her cell phone, and had a Frappuchino brought to her by her friend Shannon this afternoon.

Pain:
Lindsey's pain is improving. The pain medication she's taking is helping out but she's still staying in bed most of the time and trying to rest.

Trip Home:
At around 5:30pm Friday evening they made the decision to send Lindsey home. She was feeling better and the doctor was encouraged by her progress. We then packed everything up, including all the flowers, cards, Baylor Medical water bottle, and one of the cool vomit bags Lindsey fell in love with this morning :) They put Lindsey in a wheel chair and I pushed a cart of all our stuff to the car (I've included a picture of Lindsey with her primary nurse for two days, Tammy did a great job!). I think Lindsey was relieved to finally be going home. We stopped at CVS and the grocery store on the way home and immediately got her inside her parents house and on the couch for a movie.

Prognosis:
She will need to be resting for at least 2-3 weeks but the doctor does want her to be taking small walks every couple of hours. In 2 weeks we go back for a followup appointment. Lindsey's energy levels are good and will continue to increase with time.

Lindsey says: "Thanks for all the encouragement, notes, gifts, prayers, and visits." It means the world to her and to me. We appreciate you walking through this with us but are glad things are going so well now. Lindsey was well taken care of by Baylor Medical Center at Frisco.

Keep in touch.

Brad

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Lindsey's Surgery: Update 2

Lindsey is doing much better today after her surgery. I'm so excited for her that she isn't in near as much pain as yesterday. I'm sure that some of that could be because of the fact that she is taking an incredible amount of pain medication every four hours.

Lindsey says thanks for all the prayers and encouragement that she's gotten while here in the hospital. Enjoy the picture she asked me to take of her using the online webcam here in the hospital.

During her surgery yesterday, they removed an ovarian tumor from her right side along with her right ovary. It was the size of a softball. They thought it would be a much simpler surgery but due to the size of the tumor, they had to make a much larger incision.

They just removed all the IVs, catheter, breathing machine, etc etc from her so she is doing much better. Hopefully if things continue to go well she will be able to return home sometime today at the earliest but by Saturday at the latest.

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Lindsey's Surgery: Update 1

Lindsey and I arrived at the surgery center here in Frisco, TX earlier this morning. When we arrived we had a chance to sit with the surgeon and talk about the procedure in its entirety. We were encouraged that he took the time to explain everything and make us feel well taken care of.

Later in the morning around 10:30am we went back for Lindsey to be prepared for surgery. They put in the IV and got her ready. Then from around 11:15am-12pm Lindsey's mom Vickie and I (Brad) sat with Lindsey watching TV, text messaging Alex, Ryan, and Walter, and just being there for Lindsey.

As we expected, they reminded us today that if they have to do a more complex surgery, she'll definitely be kept here for a night or two. If they can do it all laproscopically then we should be able to go home today.

Please be in prayer for Lindsey as they work on her for another hour or two. Pray that the doctors would be able to effectively operate, that Lindsey wouldn't be in too much pain, and that God will help Lindsey's mom Vickie and I to relax and know that He is in control (its easier said than done when its your wife or your daughter [in Vickie's case]) .

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The Moose is Loose

When Brad was in kindergarten or 1st grade, he was already taller than many of his classmates. He distinctly remembers a day when everyone was measured alongside the wall outside his classroom to see how tall each student was. He was one of the two tallest kids.

Because of this, Brad's brothers nicknamed him "Moose" because moose because they are such large animals. Today we saw a video on the news about a moose that was loose in Utah on Wednesday. He was 800 Pounds! Enjoy. Here's the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcTmBZSDgTI

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