The Avengers

I finally got around to seeing The Avengers today. The first word that comes to mind is "AWESOME!" The 3-D effects were amazing and the interaction between the different personalities of the characters was well done and quite funny at times. I think the best part of it all was of course the story. I will try not to spoil anything but two things really stuck out to me.

First, how easy it is for all of us to give in or "bow down" to fear. We all fear something, whether it is the unknown, loneliness, loss of control or any other number of things. In fear we turn to external things to try and cope. Some people turn to drugs or alcohol while others look for acceptance from others. Still others turn to money, power, or meaningless sex. Whatever it is that we turn to, whether we like to admit it or not, ends up enslaving or ruling over us.

Second, how the devil tries to get us (the church) to become so busy fighting with each other that we become ineffective. The sad part is, he doesn't need to try very hard. People in general easily become distracted by petty differences. It is through unity in the message of Christ that we stay strong. That is not to say that we have to be exactly alike in everything we do. It does mean we should stop arguing over things that don't really matter such as traditions or forms of worship but instead concentrate on impacting others with the message of Christ.

DMDer, the healthy one?

I just realized it was a year ago today that I last posted to this blog and nearly 2 years since I posted any original content. I think it is about time I started sharing again. A lot has happened since I last blogged from a change in nursing agencies to my starting classes through Liberty University online.

I have not had too many health changes in the last two years although there have been some. I now cannot eat much more than puréed foods. The foods I can eat without puréeing are soft foods like ice cream and cakes and other things. This is probably the biggest change.

Recently I have started to have edema/swelling in my left foot which given my weaker heart is obviously a concern. I had the same problem but not as severely about a year ago which was resolved by a change in blood pressure medication. Over the past several months I have had a little bit of dependent edema after sitting in my chair all day but it would go away by morning. Then about a month ago I had a lot of edema one night and it took at least a week to go away and even then it never completely left. And now I am writing this blog entry from my bed so I can have my feet elevated since a few hours after I got in my chair for the day my foot swelled up to the point where it was uncomfortable and my leg braces. I have an appointment with my cardiologist on Tuesday but will see if I can get in any earlier.

The biggest health changes going on are not even mine. Both of my parents have recently had their own problems. My mother recently had to have a pacemaker/defibrillator implanted. She couldn't breathe one morning and went to the emergency room. To make a long story short they found out she has a low ejection fraction of 15 which is extremely low (I have a low ejection fraction of 19).

After some investigating and a $8000 genetic blood workup come to find out the reason she is having these problems is from being a carrier of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It is extremely rare but it can happen where the carrier will have the same or at least a similar deficiency in the production of the protein dystrophin as the person who actually has the disease.

Then this month my father was complaining about dizziness and just didn't feel right. So he went to the hospital and they discovered he had about four spots of blockage in his arteries. So they put in 2 long stints to correct the problem and he feels 100% better and seems to have more energy (not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing :-)).

Who would have thought the one with muscular dystrophy and on a ventilator would be the healthy one in the family. I wish my returning blog post would have been a little lighter in content but such is life at times. The good news is all of this has happened with God and our lives. I honestly don't know how we would handle it otherwise. I hope to start blogging more regularly in the future. Stay tuned.

Sanctus Real: Something Heavenly

"Keating Economics: the Making of a Financial Crisis"

"Keating Economics: the Making of a Financial Crisis" is a documentary that shows why John McCain's failed philosophy and poor judgment are a recipe for deepening the economic crisis.

Proverbs 25

Today I chose Proverbs 25:28 which reads: "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." When I think of someone with a lack of self-control I think of a person with poor boundaries. A person with a lack of self-control would be quick to let something or someone bother them and in turn be quick to lash out in response. If you were to look at a person's boundaries as a wall around a city the wall would keep people or at least irritations out. If there are no walls/boundaries how easy is it for people to barge in.

Proverbs 24

Today I chose Proverbs 24:10 which reads: "If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!" I think this goes beyond the obvious statement of being weak if you falter in times of trouble. It is easy to feel confident and secure when times are bad but the real test is one bad times come. This can also be applied to times when we are being tested by the devil or tempted. Shows how important it is to continue to read the word even if we are doing fine spiritual. If we don't have any thing to fall back on to help us we will succumb to the temptation more easily.

Proverbs 23

Today I chose Proverbs 23:15-16 which reads: "My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad; my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right." Wisdom is not only good for us, it not only keeps us out of trouble, it not only brings us closer to God, it also makes God glad and rejoice.