Jesus and Java

Midnight dinners at Duke can be very delicious but I doubt very healthy. My chicken salad sandwich will satisfy the taste-buds nicely with it’s green leafy stuff, sharp cheddar cheese, mayo, tomato, and banana peppers, all spread out on a couple nice pieces of sourdough bread. I forgot to mention the extra pickles the lady tossed in for good measure. Yummy.

Lauren is doing pretty good. She was moved out of the PICU late this evening and we now have a private room on the floor. This was not supposed to happen until at least Monday. It has it’s mixed blessings. The reason it happened sooner then later is due to the tear in her spinal drain tubing. They had to take it out to reduce the risk of infection which could be really bad since it is literal draining CSF from her spinal/cranial area. The good news is we may go home sooner then expected. We are hoping the CSF leak is fixed and will only really tell with time and healing. Lauren is still pretty swollen on the left side of her face and the area behind her ear has to heal all over again. The good news about the surgery is that it went better then the doctor thought. He was able to save her ear drum and the “hearing bones” of the inner ear. She may still need a hearing aid in the near future but we won’t know until they can do a hearing test after she has healed more. Another huge plus is that we have changed her feeding schedule while we have been here so she will no longer be getting a feed all night long. She will now have 6 larger feeds throughout the day instead of 4 smaller ones and the long night feed. This will make the transition to not having a nurse at home (when the time comes) much easier.

We’ve been praying for a few families we have meet here this time around. The first is in the PICU and we shared a room with them, it seems that the doctors are trying to figure out what is going on and it’s been a difficult process. Another was across from us in the PICU (in the next room) and was flown in from Texas via a medical transport, much the same way Lauren came to Duke on one occasion. The third I meet tonight, the mother and her family where looking at Lauren from the hall since she is such an outgoing person and apparently cute as all get out (I’m not bias or anything). They have been here since Tuesday and will likely be here throughout next week. Their son has seen many of the same doctors we have and we can relate to their heartache.

I’ve been able to interact with a lot of the Peds staff this time around and I’m grateful to hear their stories. I truly enjoy talking to people when they are willing to be open and engaging in return. It also helps that they are stuck in a room with you for their entire shift. We have had some good laughs in the last few days, not to mention the head or two that pops in to watch college football on your flat panel TV with you when your daughter is sleeping.

Beck and I are excited today because we get to volunteer and be a part of Angel Flight and pickup someone from the airport and drive them to Duke for medical care. We are now a part of the ground transportation team in our area. It’s great to be able to give back to those in need, especially when we have the compassion and understanding for their situation. The pilots who fly people do so for free and take people with medical needs who may not be able to afford it to places like Duke, UNC, John Hopkins and others for their medical care. If you want to know more about angel flight and what they do click here.

I’ve started reading a book this week called “Crazy Love,” I know, you read the title and your like what? Just hear me out a minute. It is a book by pastor/speaker Francis Chan, who many of you in our church have likely never heard of, but I would encourage you to pick up this book and give it a read. I am on the first chapter and desire to share with you something Chan wrote in the preface.

“This book is written for those who want more Jesus. It is for those who are bored with what American Christianity offers. It is for those who don’t want to plateau, those who would rather die before their convictions do.”

I stand amazed when I read this and have to admit that I am VERY bored with “American Christianity” and what it offers as Chan has said. I believe when we step back and look at our Christianity, that is our personal belief in Christ and what the word “disciple” means, many of us would have to admit we have reached a plateau having found the comfort it offers good. I would also add our desire to continue the journey to the summit has waned considerably and I fear for many it may not exist at all.

In my own life, I have this desire of wanting more Jesus of wanting to follow Him no matter the cost but am I willing to do what it takes? Are you willing too? Are we as a church willing? I am excited as I read the pages and scared too because the words are challenging my soul. Later in the preface Chan goes on to say,

“We need to stop giving people excuses not to believe in God. You’ve probably heard the expression “I believe in God, just not organized religion.” I don’t think people would say that if the church truly lived like we are called to live. The expression would change to “I can’t deny what the church does, but I don’t believe in their God.” At least then they’d address their rejection of God rather than use the church as a scapegoat.”

Wow. He is right you know, I’ve know many people who say this and I have to agree we give people the excuses. Christians stand before the world and are looked upon by our actions, our lives, and our churches. Sad but true, the actions of a few speak for the majority. I’m not sure the direction this book is heading, but the title “Crazy Love” and Francis Chan’s desire to pursue God, “to lead a church of comfortable people into lives of risk and adventure” sounds like a great vision to me. I’ll leave you with the closing words of the preface and hope you pick up a copy of this book.

“Come with me on this journey. I don’t promise it will be painless. Change, as we all know, is uncomfortable. It’s up to you to respond to what you read. But you will have a choice: to adjust how you live daily or to stay the same.”

So Lauren made it through surgery just fine. They got the spinal drain in which was going to help drain fluid and keep pressure off the area they where going to repair. Well, the repair did not happen. From my understanding (since I was not there) when they got in there to do the repair the saw tissue pushing its way through the bone and they are not sure of it’s brain tissue or tumor so they could not proceed any farther. They did a biopsy and sent it off but it’s going to be a few days before they get the results. They also did some stuff with her left ear which will likely have a major negative effect on her hearing but we will wait and see.

Lauren will remain at Duke for the next 5 days as planned and at the moment will come home. Then once they have the results and they can get everything organized again they will bring her back into the OR for the surgery again, this time to either repair like they where going to before or to remove tumor and repair depending on the results of the biopsy.

I’m still feeling like junk on and off. Rebecca is having to miss work tomorrow to sit with Lauren since I’m not allowed near the hospital right now due to my lovely new friend H1N1 taking up residence in my body. Duke has also put Beck and her parents who are visiting us to help out on meds for H1N1 just to be safe. Don’t worry Lauren has been on the meds for H1N1 since they found out that I had it. No one is allowed to visit Lauren, Rebecca is having to fully gown to see her in the PICU and I’m not sure if that is going to be the same when she goes to to step down.

I really don’t know what else to type at this moment other then asking for your continued prayer for our daughter and her health.

So the entire week in now umm changed for me. I am stuck in the bedroom with H1N1. Yes good old swine flu. It really sucks I have to tell you. I feel like junk. I’m still trying to figure out where I might have picked it up at, but I’m sure that is likely impossible. My guess is one of the two churches I was at Sunday or possible Duke on Monday. I’m leaning toward one of the churches since I think someone who was with me is getting sick too.

The good news is that so far Lauren has not picked it up that we can tell so at this point she will still go in for surgery in the morning. They did put her on Tamiflu just to be safe and our nurses are checking her vitals every hour to make sure nothing is developing.

The bad news is that I am stuck in this room and can’t be with my family during this time that I really need to be with my family. Lauren will be in the hospital for about 6 days so maybe I’ll get better and be able to visit her. I just feel kind of helpless sitting here. I’ve been playing on my xbox 360, reading, and messing around on the internet. Oh wait don’t forget sleeping. Sleeping has been nice, however I can only sleep on my back. If I turn left or right I cough really bad and the shallow breathing kicks in. The doctor who diagnosed me said she was borderline having me admitted to Duke and I have to go back and see her tomorrow or Friday for follow up.

This next week is going to be busy.

Monday: appointment for Lauren with peds neurosurgery, OT appointment for Lauren, work at the church in the afternoon, meeting with Copeland to get speakers back, drop drum set off to Justin Teseniar, and work on service for refuge Wednesday.

Tuesday: Work on service for refuge & setup the worship area. Be home by 3PM so the nurse can leave. Stay with Lauren until the nurse comes at 11PM while attempting to work from home. Watch lots of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Fallout 3 Game of the Year Edition drops. Cook Dinner.

Wednesday: Up early for nurse to leave, finish service details/setup for refuge, pickup the outlaws I mean in-laws from the airport (I might have lunch with them if I am lucky), nurse leaves at 4 when my sweet wife gets home (she will be happy to see her parents). refuge at 6PM, freak out because I don’t have someone to lead music, then remember that my computer can handle it.

Thursday: Lauren’s surgery. We love visitors but Duke is not allowing ANYONE to visit other then immediate family members and no one under 18. Clergy are an exception, which covers just about all the people I know! However please call my cell before coming to see us. Lauren will spend at least the first day/night in the PICU of her 5 day stay and no one but us can be in there with her.

Friday: Stay with Lauren in hospital, hopefully on step down, pending how she recovers. Work on service stuff for Sunday. Push lauren around Duke in her stroller for 12 hours (pending how she’s doing). You laugh but last time we walked around Duke that much with her. We saw the fish tank (her favorite thing at Duke) every few minutes.

Saturday: Stay with Lauren in hospital.

Sunday: Morning service & movie night at church, stay with Lauren in hospital.

Alastair Vance leading on Vox and Guitar tonight. Here is the setlist:

Praise Is Rising
From The Inside Out
Take All Of Me
Surrender

The message tonight is on Consequences which is part of a video driven series called Choose from BluefishTV featuring Marcus Goodloe as the speaker and stories from various teenagers about addiction to sex, drugs, and porn. Tough stuff tonight but worth hitting on. I can’t wait to share this story of surrender with our students and invite them to write on the “wall” and give these things that so hinder their lives to Jesus and let him work in their lives.

The wall is a black piece of foam board that they can write on with a marker and it disappears so what they write is between them and God. I guess you could call it a wall of confession. It was up last week and we are going to use it for the next few weeks.

A lot of guys I know are posting their setlist’s for Sundays so as a pastor to students I thought I’d jump in the mix with our wednesday night sets. The amount of music we have depends on when we actually have someone leading said music or if I am running it from my laptop. This week… it was my laptop. Other weeks it’s Justin Teseniar, Alastair Vance, or Jared Knight. Basically whoever is available and willing to come for free since we don’t have a large budget nor a large amount of students to pull from to create a band (however there is some interest now). So here is the set list.

:: Marvelous Light- Hall
:: Sing Sing Sing- Tomlin
:: How He Loves- Crowder
:: I Will Rise- Tomlin

To find out more or join in the Sunday Setlist pool click here.

This raises the question “What is the best way to mic a tractor?”

So for those 2 people who actually read my blog I just wanted to give you a heads up to the new link for sponsoring a child through Compassion International in the right column and the new page dedicated to Compassion with information about poverty and links to Compassion’s website.

We as a student ministry have sponsored a child and my wife and I are praying about how we can do the same and what we can sacrifice in our lives (mountain dew for me) to give hope and end poverty for a child in this world.

So do you sponsor a child? If not take a few minutes and pray about God’s leading in your life and then click over to Compassion’s website and check them out.