God's Love

My personal Bible reading recently took me through the Gospel of John.  In addition, my class at church has also been studying the book of John.  Repeatedly I am reminded of God’s love for all the people of the world and the importance of our love for each other.  That love is so very evident in those here in the village.  Calling this a retirement village is certainly a misnomer.  These folks are anything but retired!  Their love for fellow residents and the peoples of the world is most evident.  Even when their bodies no longer allow them to be out and about, they are busy communicating by phone and email and always ready to pray for those in need.  It is a tremendous blessing for me to be a part of group here!

Due to the age of we residents, there are fairly frequent memorial services, and they too are a blessing as we reflect upon lives of faith that were been lived well for the glory of the Lord.  Today we celebrated a resident's life that was 98 years old, having passed into eternity a few days ago.  Yesterday I read a quote by Dean Register that I thought worth repeating:  “Deep faith is sometimes wrapped in grief, because deep trials are the pit from which Jesus displays His transforming power.”  I hope that I will remember that as the inevitable trials come my way!

Stuart has been having challenges after his stem-cell transplant.  His temperature has gone into the danger zone twice this past week which put him into the ER for fear of an infection.  Thankfully no infection has shown up.  It appears that the temperature is being caused by the regenerating cells, which is good news…But he is at a very low level of energy/strength at this time.  Do keep praying.  Much still needs to be accomplished to restore him to good health!

I plan to be in Durham for Thanksgiving to join friend Keith and his family for the weekend, so I will be joining the crowds on the highway.  Your prayers are always appreciated!  While there, if he is up to it, I will stop in to spend a bit of time with Stuart at Duke Medical Center.

We have so much to be thankful for, and I trust that you all will have a blessed Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Love to you all,

Chuck

Thanks for Praying

While I was traveling, the exterior of my house was pressure washed in preparation for a new paint job.  This past week our painters were able to cover the house and trim and I think it looks quite nice.  This is a quick peek at the entrance. To see the rest of the house you will have to come by for a visit.

Friend Stuart came through both the nuclear blast and stem cell transplant on Thursday and Friday very well.  He told me that he was even able to sleep through a good share of the blast.  The next couple of weeks are anticipated to be on the tough side for him with extreme reactions to the previous procedures.   I talked with Donna today while he was having his daily dosage of meds administered through a drip tube.  They are most appreciative for all of our prayers but we do need to continue to uphold them.  It still sounds like they will have to stay at Duke until sometime early December which will depend upon the response from his various systems.

As I think about Stuart, I see him as an excellent example of applying Jesus provision for each of his children; “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don’t be troubled or afraid.”  Each time I talk with Stuart that peace comes through loud and clear as his faith is based in THE GREAT PHYSICIAN who in turn is working through the medical people there.  Thanks for joining me in prayer for him and the family as they travel this very winding road!

This evening I am taking some friends who are volunteering for a few weeks here, to a special concert at church in honor of our veterans.  I find that there is never any lack of activities here in the village, at church and in town.  They do a great job of providing an excellent selection of events to select from.

Love to you all,

Chuck

Prayer

These have been some busy but fun days.  Driving nearly 3,000 miles, spending two days at our Charlotte office, visiting friends and family members on my way to Chicago, then hurrying back to Sebring to pick up daughter Sue who flew into Orlando from Michigan.  The days flew by rapidly with her here, but we were able to spend a lot of quality time together and enjoy several tourist things between entertaining and visiting friends here in the village.  Sue spent most of the daylight hours in the air returning home yesterday, and then had about a five-hour drive to her home.  It must be nice to be young!

Last evening I had a call from friend Stuart who had arrived at Duke continuing preparations for a stem-cell transplant.  Tomorrow he will undergo a “nuclear blast” of chemo to kill the balance of his cells and prepare for the actual transplant of “cleaned” cells which is scheduled to take place on Friday.  Please join us in praying for Stuart and for the medical people attending him.  This is not going to be any “picnic”!  Pray that he will not pick up any infections during this time when his immune system is completely ineffective.  Pray also for strength and endurance for his body.  The process is extremely hard on the body and all systems as it attempts to eliminate the cancer cells.  Depending upon his recovery and the restoration of his immune system, it is anticipated that he will be confined in semi-isolation at Duke until sometime around the first of December.

As I think about Stuart, I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Thessalonians which is so fitting for Stuart: “As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (1 Thess. 1:3)  He has been a special blessing for so many!

Thanks so much for your prayers and concern.

Love to all,

Chuck