My Church Family

Today I want to take a look at a common phrase used in many churches. It's called "My Church Family". We hear it often to describe our fellow church goers.

After a recent event at our church I was moved to asked myself is this just a phrase I use?

Our Bishop and founding Pastor's son and granddaughter were in an accident and both were ejected from the vehicle. His son was airlifted to the hospital with multiply fractures and a severe laceration to the back of his head. He will remain in rehab for a while. His granddaughter was badly bruised but sent home the next day to recover. All of this on the heels of a stroke he had in January of this year. Are you starting to feel what I mean when I say "My Church Family".

When the news came last Tuesday my heart was broken for this family. I went to the hospital immediately after work and his wife took me back to see him. He was on a ventilator, neck brace, stitches in his head and heavily sedated. I wanted to find a place and ball my eyes out. I really took on the meaning of "My Church Family" and allowed the hurt and pain of this family to penetrate my soul.

Webster's Dictionary states the definition of Family as: kin, tribe, folks, group or relatives.

The Bible tells us to bear ye one anothers burdens. The next time you hear "My Church Family" remember that when one member hurts we should all hurt as Christ intended.

I have accepted the burden of this family on my heart and will not be satisfied until my brother and sister in Christ are completely whole.

Please keep them in your prayers

God bless
Tim

The Power of a Vision

I have a passion for photography! My first camera that I can remember owning was a Kodak 110. I don’t remember how old I was but I think I was around 13 or 14. In those days there were no digital cameras or for that matter not even a computer. I had the camera at Disney World in my shirt pocket. It was about an inch thick by about 4 inches long. I was jumping up and down on the rope bridge at Tom Sawyers Island and out came the camera just out of grasps reach and bubbled all the way to bottom of the pond. It may still be there some twenty five years later.

Cameras were a passion of my fathers. Some where from the early 1900’s and some were modern day. I am privileged now to have the collection since his passing. He even had a dark room at one point and developed some of his own pictures.

I find Photography fascinating and visually intriguing. You can never take two pictures just alike. Even of the same subject. You may have intended for one thing and something else shows up in the picture oblivious to you when you snapped the lens. It’s not always easy to explain or describe something you have seen. You may have seen a mountain with a beautiful white snow capped top and a small stream at the bottom and a deer standing in front of this magnificent scene. I gave you a visual description but there is no way I could ever do it justice like a picture could.

Jesus said without a vision my people parish. We must have God driven vision in our daily lives. We must continually be looking through the eyes of Christ.

As I become older my vision is not as good as it was in my teenage years. I now have glasses because of stigmatism. I don’t see as good at night as I did 20 years ago.

What God sees in people is exactly how photography works. The person or thing being photographed does not know what is being viewed from the lens. Only the photographer knows. Only God knows what he sees in us. You and I may see a person and say that would not make a good picture but God looks at the individual and snaps the lens of hope on that person. The next time you see a homeless person, a drunk, a drug addict or someone that doesn’t look like good subject matter remember God has the view through his lens.

Laceys Home

Lacey and my family made it home safely on Tuesday night. She is doing good. Her incisions look good. She has rested up for the past couple of days and has enjoyed being back home.

I can't wait until the weekend. It's been a long week and I am ready to chill out and rest.

Take Care,

Tim

Lacey is Coming Home

Lacey was released from the hosptial on Saturday afternoon. She is recovering at the hotel and they will be flying home tonight. She is feeling much better than the two days after surgery. Each surgery is always different as far as the recovery goes. As I said in the prior post it is amazing what the VEPTR has done for her.

I got home on Sunday and was very jet lagged. There is no place like home and sleeping in your own bed.

Thank you for all of your prayers!

Take Care,

Tim

Lacey's Surgery

Well it's that time again and Lacey had surgery on her back this past Wed. in San Antonio, Tx.

The surgery went well. They had to do a little more than expected so her recovery has been slower than normal. Lacey has great doctors and nurses here that take very good care of her.

She has not been out of bed for the past two days. Usually after day two she is a lot better. We are hoping tomorrow is her turn around day and she gets out by Sunday.

I am amazed after 24 surgeries of what accomplishments have been made in her life. She is such a strong child but this time she was really emotional about it. I guess because she is almost 10 and it seems to her that it will never end. I would gladly take her place as almost any parent would do.

You would not believe how she is walking since surgery on her knees. She uses a walker but in a store or at home she is taking off walking without it. We would never have dreamed of the success on her knees. You have to remember this a girl who never walked until she was eight.

She told her mother and I Sunday that we were the two best parents in the world to take off work and be with her during her surgeries.

We are a blessed family!

Tim

It's been a while

It's been well over a year since I posted anything on my blog.

I didn't run away and yes my Internet and computer were working. I will say it was a lack of commitment.

I have been thinking lately of two cousins that have been a big inspiration to me. I don't get to talk to them very often but this past weekend I left a voice mail for one of them to call me in hopes to meet up with him while he was in our state.

Today at lunch (now yesterday) my phone rang and it was him.
We talked a good 30 minutes about our kids, our jobs, church work and a host of other things.

I realized that if you and I are not careful we will let the busyness and lack of commitment rob us of a lot of great things and friendships in our lives.

For those of you who have checked my blog over and over to find nothing new. I commit to you something new.

PS

Lacey is doing amazing! Her surgery on her knees worked! She is walking with a walker and walking about 10 feet without it. There will more to come on her progress.

Thank you Dr. Kit Song and Seattle Children's Hospital. We will forever be grateful for what you did for her.

Until the next blog

Tim