"God Willing"

Have you ever come across a plaque that says,

"Good Morning! This is God.

I will be handling all of your problems today.

I do not need your help.

So have a good day!"

I was reminded of that statement/quote/saying by the following UCC's Stillspeaking Daily Devotional Newsletter. Every morning I get a devotional. These quick little reads are more than insightful and even personal! Interesting how this edition is on the same day of my surgery. Yet again I am humbled and reminded that it is in God's hands and God Willing this surgery will work. If not there is another path, journey and/or plan for me. The ever "event/gift/package seeking peek-er" in me wants to know NOW the answer to "What has God got up God's sleeves for me?". So, God it is in your plans & I trust you will see me safely to where I need to go. So, without ado here is the devotional for 9/25/08.

Home: i.UCC Community: Newsletter
Thursday, September 25, 2008 What Tomorrow Will Bring
Bible Excerpt from James 4:11-16


You who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money." Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that."

Reflection by Anthony B. Robinson

I've just moved to Toronto for the year to, as James puts it, "do business and make money." Not much money as I am teaching at a seminary. I am trying to imagine how people might have heard it if every time in recent months that I had talked about these plans and changes, I had said, "If the Lord wills it," or "God willing," or "It's really in God's hands." I suspect I would have felt a little showy, overly pious, and maybe phony. Moreover, I imagine that a fair number of those with whom I spoke would have thought the same--that is, if they weren't wondering if I were in need of a psychiatric evaluation! We tend to think we're in charge, in control.

But however odd it may sound in the ears of a secular age, James strikes me as closer to the truth. Our illusions of control are just that: illusions. Maybe it's the people who think they are in charge of life that need the psychiatric evaluation or attitude adjustment? And life has a way of giving us those little evaluations, those attitude adjustments. Which is not to say that we shouldn't make plans or have our projects. We do and we should. And yet we don't, can't, know what tomorrow will bring. The only thing we can know for sure is that God's grace will uphold us, God's wisdom will guide us, and God's peace shall keep us. And knowing that is enough.

Prayer
When you challenge my foolish idea that I am in charge, when you send your attitude adjustments, grant me grace to receive them graciously and learn that you are God, not me. Amen.

About the Author:
Anthony B. Robinson, UCC pastor, speaker and author, teaches leadership at Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto. His newest book is Changing the Conversation: A Third Way for Congregations.



The Stillspeaking Daily Devotional is a free service and is supported by your gifts to Our Church's Wider Mission. Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, adapted. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

If you are interested in purchasing the "Good Morning this is God" plaque please click here. The plaque is from from the Casual Living catalog/web site.

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Happy Birthday taller little sister. It did not bother me when I turned 30. Yet having my sister turn 30 bothers me. I suppose that while she was in her 20s I still had my foot in the proverbial door of young adult. Now we both have to be grown-up.

"Na-na-na hey, hey, hey good-bye na-na-na....."

As it is the eve of my life with out my TSF (Taylor-Spacial-Frame) I thought I would be more excited but instead my dang ankle hurts. In honor of the fateful event I have taken some "before" pictures to remind one and all, "Don't wear flip-flops!" That or to advertise that I am into really weird piercings. Whatever else happens this whole process, though uncompleted, will have left etchings across my life and especially on my heart. I know it sounds cheesy but it is as if I am hearing, "DON'T WAIST ANY MOMENT!" on a loud speaker--from my own life struggles to the struggles I have, I do and what I will witness in others. So without further ado please take a moment to look at the before pictures.

Pictures taken 9/23/08

A post for a hoot!

Gertrude Mavis, AKA: Gertie Mae, Gertie Girl, Mae-Mae 9/22/08

Gus: "I am smelling something & I think it is in your pocket?" 9/22/08

Gertie Mae: "You may think I am asleep but I've got my eye on you!" 9/22/08

Gustophalis-Agustus AKA: Gus, Gus-Gus, Pooter 9/22/08

Plan B

So, we are onto Plan B. Which is a series of surgeries. To my relief I finally have a date and time for the first of the two surgeries. The fist surgery will be on September 25th at 1pm. This surgery will involve putting a nail/wire wrapped in cement (the kind used in hip replacements) that is then impregnated w/antibiotics. This nail will go through the main shaft of the bone, Medullary cavity to be exact, so that the antibiotics will leach out from the center killing off any thing and every thing that is not healthy to the bone. I am thrilled to report that I get to go off all anti-biotic medication for 5 days prior to surgery. This is in hopes I "grow" something and when they take cultures from the bone the doctors will know exactly what to hit it with. In any case I am very excited to be off the "leash" of the anti-biotics. The bummer of the deal is that the nail is not made to be weight bearing so I will be off my right leg for three whole weeks. On the up side is that I will not be lugging all the weight of the Taylor-Spacial-Frame. It will be removed an an Izzie frame will be holding my leg in line--a couple of half pins at my knee and ankle with a bar connecting the two.

The second of the two surgeries is a lot simpler. It is very basic infact, just taking all the hardware put in the 1st surgery and then putting a rod/nail that is permanet. The permanet device will actually be quite similar to the original rod/nail put into me in Mexico--can you get more ironic than that? I suppose I will be non-weight bearing for a few weeks but after that I am with surgery. I won't be a runner but I have yet to meet a chesty gal who is so no tears lost there.