I'm not sure if I've ever written about the Tuesday night Bible Study I've been attending for ~15 years. The attendees have been dynamic over the years and for the last 3 have been just Allan, Helayne and myself. When it's just the 3 of us, the study is a meditation-like format. Sometimes we'll cover 10 verses, sometimes 2. It has been a real blessing for me and early on was extremely important as my only organized spiritual nourishment during my "dark night of the soul."
We always spend some time testifying and confessing at the end.
They have been such important people in my life. I'm surely glad for their friendship and I'm certain I would not be as far along in Christ without them.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
What's Your Reaction?
Gave a sermon Sunday on Jesus' return. I never know how it goes while giving it. Really not very concerned about that aspect until after. Anyway, you can find it here: http://www.bereanbiblestudentschurch.org/podcasts/
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Earnest Search begins
By now, we had about 5 weeks before we needed to get out of our home. Priscilla was flooding us with listings and we both struggled with wanting to stay within our neighborhoods of Batavia and Sugar Grove. Finally through tears and hand wringing we narrowed down the hundreds of listings to about 25. Most of those Val was not happy with at all. In fact there was a particular listing she tried to delete but it wouldn't. It felt like a nah-na-nah-nah type situation.
I can't remember why I could not go looking with Val and Priscilla on a Sunday but off they went. I don't remember a lot other than out of the 25 or so listing they were going to see, Val only thought 3 or 4 were worth looking at. In fact, one of the houses in Batavia we really liked from the outside but the problem was the taxes were about the same and the price was just a little too high. I thought that maybe it being a buyers market we could chew them down to the point where we could make it... a stretch no doubt but possible.
Open and Close the doors...
The inside of the house was terrible and thus they would keep looking. I remember her calling me and how down I felt.
Anyway, Priscilla convinced Val to look at another place in Batavia. The listing Val could not delete. Many years before, we drove my that neighborhood as it was being built and I remember telling Val how much I hated it.
Val loved the house! Imagine my shock! It really was not hard to put aside my prejudice though. If she loved the house... she must like the neighborhood as well.
I can't remember why I could not go looking with Val and Priscilla on a Sunday but off they went. I don't remember a lot other than out of the 25 or so listing they were going to see, Val only thought 3 or 4 were worth looking at. In fact, one of the houses in Batavia we really liked from the outside but the problem was the taxes were about the same and the price was just a little too high. I thought that maybe it being a buyers market we could chew them down to the point where we could make it... a stretch no doubt but possible.
Open and Close the doors...
The inside of the house was terrible and thus they would keep looking. I remember her calling me and how down I felt.
Anyway, Priscilla convinced Val to look at another place in Batavia. The listing Val could not delete. Many years before, we drove my that neighborhood as it was being built and I remember telling Val how much I hated it.
Val loved the house! Imagine my shock! It really was not hard to put aside my prejudice though. If she loved the house... she must like the neighborhood as well.
Real Estate Taxes
One of the major financial reasons for moving was the real estate taxes. Here we were with basically no city benefits being unincorporated Saint Charles and paying nearly 10% of my gross in taxes.
But we were to find, we would not find the situation a whole lot better than we had thought it would be... at least not in the neighborhoods we liked. One neighborhood we liked was in a school district that was not very good which of course translates into lower taxes. Since we send our kids to private Christian schools, that was not a problem. The one Sugar Grove neighborhood we liked best had these lower taxes but it also had a $100 a month assessment fee. Even so, it totaled out to be 25% lower than what we were paying.
We finally found a house we liked although I liked another house in the Kaneville school district better. I relented and decided this was the place to try. Val liked the house a lot and the neighborhood was really nice! The house was basically unoccupied... just the son watching it for the parents.
Open and close the doors...
We made an offer on the house. A day passed until the first response came back with dropping the price a few thousand. That is not anywhere NEAR the usual meeting price of 10% off of list price. That kind of torqued me off a bit and Priscilla already knew that the agent for the 'for sale by owner' was not going to get a deal done. He didn't return calls and when he did they weren't timely. We counter up a few thousand to make a point of you need to come down a lot. 2 days later they UPPED their previous counter!
Open and close the doors... The door was shut.
Now what? We were back in the place where we didn't know where to look anymore.
But we were to find, we would not find the situation a whole lot better than we had thought it would be... at least not in the neighborhoods we liked. One neighborhood we liked was in a school district that was not very good which of course translates into lower taxes. Since we send our kids to private Christian schools, that was not a problem. The one Sugar Grove neighborhood we liked best had these lower taxes but it also had a $100 a month assessment fee. Even so, it totaled out to be 25% lower than what we were paying.
We finally found a house we liked although I liked another house in the Kaneville school district better. I relented and decided this was the place to try. Val liked the house a lot and the neighborhood was really nice! The house was basically unoccupied... just the son watching it for the parents.
Open and close the doors...
We made an offer on the house. A day passed until the first response came back with dropping the price a few thousand. That is not anywhere NEAR the usual meeting price of 10% off of list price. That kind of torqued me off a bit and Priscilla already knew that the agent for the 'for sale by owner' was not going to get a deal done. He didn't return calls and when he did they weren't timely. We counter up a few thousand to make a point of you need to come down a lot. 2 days later they UPPED their previous counter!
Open and close the doors... The door was shut.
Now what? We were back in the place where we didn't know where to look anymore.
Selling the house
There were many more emotions on selling the house than I can probably recall! Val and I started the listing process with Priscilla. We hadn't told the kids yet at this point. While I wasn't too concerned for Abby and was deeply concerned for Timmy. He obviously loved our house a great deal. What he didn't know at the time was the structure he lived in was mostly unimportant. The atmosphere was what he loved and he could not separate the two thoughts in his 8 year old mind.
A couple of days later after his brithday the sign went up in the yard. He was crushed and cried on and off for a while. Abby adjusted to the thought quickly with a wonderful peice of logic. Currently, it took us over 30 minutes to drive to school. The thought of adding 22 minutes of sleep to her day; 8 minutes from Sugar Grove was basically all she needed to hear!
The toughest part of selling a house of course is keeping it clean. This however was easier than I remember it being last time. Maybe because I pitched in more, I don't know. Anyway, with the market as bad as it was, I wasn't convinced we'd sell quickly by any means.
6 months was a good turnaround on the current market.
We had accepted an offer in less than 2 months! we hadn't even come close to seriously picking out a house yet. I'll adjust the data but I think we had 6 weeks to pack up and move somewhere.
A couple of days later after his brithday the sign went up in the yard. He was crushed and cried on and off for a while. Abby adjusted to the thought quickly with a wonderful peice of logic. Currently, it took us over 30 minutes to drive to school. The thought of adding 22 minutes of sleep to her day; 8 minutes from Sugar Grove was basically all she needed to hear!
The toughest part of selling a house of course is keeping it clean. This however was easier than I remember it being last time. Maybe because I pitched in more, I don't know. Anyway, with the market as bad as it was, I wasn't convinced we'd sell quickly by any means.
6 months was a good turnaround on the current market.
We had accepted an offer in less than 2 months! we hadn't even come close to seriously picking out a house yet. I'll adjust the data but I think we had 6 weeks to pack up and move somewhere.
Where to look
We really struggled as to where to look. My eye was cast towards Sugar Grove. In one spot, we would be 8 minutes from Abby's school; 15 minutes from Timmy's school and 30 minutes from work. It seemed the ideal striking place. We really liked 2 neighborhoods there and 3 houses. We also had an eye towards Batavia but could not find anything we liked in our price range in neighborhoods we liked. I smile as I'm recalling details I had forgotten... Priscilla was really patient with us as we struggled to find the place Jesus would have us. We were very earnest about finding some place close to schools but other than that we were pretty open.
Val and I looked a lot around Batavia and Sugar Grove. Neighborhoods that I would have been content with (e.g. not loved) Val was very much not in favor of. While I was concerned more from finding a house we could afford Val being a good woman also was far more concerned about neighborhood than I. I was not incentive to that but I wanted her to know my concern as well. Many tears were shed in the process trying to find the place we needed. The one prayer was both prayed together and apart was for God to open and shut doors. It seemed that for a month or so, all the doors were shut.
Val and I looked a lot around Batavia and Sugar Grove. Neighborhoods that I would have been content with (e.g. not loved) Val was very much not in favor of. While I was concerned more from finding a house we could afford Val being a good woman also was far more concerned about neighborhood than I. I was not incentive to that but I wanted her to know my concern as well. Many tears were shed in the process trying to find the place we needed. The one prayer was both prayed together and apart was for God to open and shut doors. It seemed that for a month or so, all the doors were shut.
Help was on the way
It became obvious quickly that our decision would be blessed. There were 3 instances in the next couple of weeks when my thinking began to get muddled, money saving budget things 'fell from the sky.' Those answers to unasked prayers, albiet it cries of despair from my soul were strengthing. Also having Priscilla, our sister-in-law, be our real estate agent was such huge help to us. I can't say enough kind things for all she did for us both in leg work and saving us money.
Easy decision
I knew for a while that we had to move to cut our expenses. It was not an easy thing to pull the trigger on though! We had our dream house in the country; an in-law arrangment for the future if need be; darker skies; 1/2 acre for my space. Val and I had talked in passing about it but neither of us wanted to face it.
One day, I decided it was time to get serious about it. It was a bit slow at work so I got online to look at listings. all the time I was looking, I kept thinking about how Val and I were going to discuss this. I knew she wanted to stay as much as I did. We hadn't talked about it for a few months. A few minutes later she called and I wondered if it was time to broach the subject. Didn't have to. Val brought it up and she was browsing the listings the same time I was. We were both very relieved that we were brought to the difficult decision at the same time.
One day, I decided it was time to get serious about it. It was a bit slow at work so I got online to look at listings. all the time I was looking, I kept thinking about how Val and I were going to discuss this. I knew she wanted to stay as much as I did. We hadn't talked about it for a few months. A few minutes later she called and I wondered if it was time to broach the subject. Didn't have to. Val brought it up and she was browsing the listings the same time I was. We were both very relieved that we were brought to the difficult decision at the same time.
Doing my best to catch up
Thanks to those of you who asked about the blog. I appreciate it, especially Michael... my friend of many years from AT&T.
Monday, January 15, 2007
History
For a long time I've wanted to study history. History is so fascinating because it can tell us:
Outline of Universal History
Andy
- how to learn from the past, e.g. Those who don't learn from the mistakes in History are bound to repeat them.
- Why cultures and religions act the way they do today.
- Possibly be able to see where the future is headed.
Outline of Universal History
Andy
Controversy
While not wanting to air an internal church matter externally, I want to blog it for posterity sake. All churches/fellowships run into situations where the is disagreement on a subject. That should surprise no one. What's more, I think this is OK and can be healthy. The trick is how it's handled by the church as a whole.
So far, the current situation is heading down a path I don't like. There is one faction that is headed down the road of change of which I lean towards myself. The test for us is how we handle it. At this point while in favor of change from my own personal understanding of matters, I'm not in favor of the change from a Unity standpoint.
The change in my judgment would cause disunity and it's not worth the price given the nature of the change. Perhaps in time we'll be ready for it but not today.
So far, the current situation is heading down a path I don't like. There is one faction that is headed down the road of change of which I lean towards myself. The test for us is how we handle it. At this point while in favor of change from my own personal understanding of matters, I'm not in favor of the change from a Unity standpoint.
The change in my judgment would cause disunity and it's not worth the price given the nature of the change. Perhaps in time we'll be ready for it but not today.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Nutrisystem
I started on the nutrisystem diet just before Christmas. It's good (not great) food and is easy to follow. Even days when I don't follow it strictly keep me even keeled. I've only had 2 days where I struggled to stay on course.
Anyway, I've lost an inch off my waist. My dress pants fit again and I need to buy new jeans.
I'll keep you posted on how the progress is going.
Anyway, I've lost an inch off my waist. My dress pants fit again and I need to buy new jeans.
I'll keep you posted on how the progress is going.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Timmy's Emergency Appendectomy
Well, we had quite an experience on the 30th and 31st. Tim had been letting us know (he very rarely complains about pain) that his stomach was hurting for a couple of days. It would come and go and I thought it was a precursor to a stomach flu that had been going around. It was described to use that way. On the night of the 30th, we went to our friend's Al and Ann to play cards with them and Matt and Louise. Timmy wasn't eating anything which in itself was real unusual. around 7PM Justine came up to tell us that he was really out of it. It was the first time, at least to me, that he was complaining of not the stomach but the area around his appendix.
Val called our friend Linda who is an ER RN and she had us do some basic tests which indicated we needed to go to the ER. At that point I suspected there would be no turning back to taking his appendix out. I kept this info to myself though.
We arrived at the ER at Delnor in Geneva around 7:30 and went through some basic tests. The 2nd worse part of course was the blood test. They put in an IV. Timmy was pretty brave. Shed a couple of tears but held perfectly still. I felt a mess internally. I've take that jab and IV a hundred times over so he would not have too. Had to fight back the tears when it was all done. Of course, this whole process was Dad's job. Val's heart is too soft to not shed tears for the IV.
(I make a side note that ALL the nurses, doctors and other OR personnel were just aces. They were understanding, compassionate and encouraging. Later we were told that was what Louise was praying for. I never thought to pray for that myself!)
They then scheduled a Cat scan for him. That's when I knew we were in for a LONG night although the turnaround for scanning and results were less than 2 hours. The trip to the Cat scan was funny because they wheeled Tim in the bed there. He was all smiles as he thought it was pretty cool to be pushed around. Val stayed with him while he went into the donut. He of course was very cooperative again.
At this point I went and picked up Abby at Al and Ann's house and brought here home. It was about 10:50PM when I dropped her off. Checked the house out a bit so she could see that I looked around :-). Abby didn't go to bed but plugged in her favorite movie, Elizabethtown. (It's an Orlando Bloom thing) I went back to the hospital.
The results came back and the doctor said that surgery was the only safe option. At this point it was after midnight. That's when things got tough on us emotionally. Val really didn't think surgery was going to happen where I was sure of it after talking to the doctor before the Cat scan. Timmy of course had no clue as to surgery! He really lost it and yet remained under control. Kept crying and saying over and over, "I want to go Home." Many hugs were handed out.
I made a call to Val's Mom and Dad to let them know he was undergoing the knife. I was glad to hear Dad's voice be a little shaky. He's a rock, but he has such a heart for Timmy. I then called Abby to tell her what was going on. I then went back to try and calm Timmy's nerves down. Put on my best logic hat and said, "Timmy, if you don't have this surgery, you could die." While I pondered whether to do that or not, I believed he could handle that. I think it made a slight difference as he pondered that but the initial reaction was, "I want to go home." After that was I want to see Abby.
At this point I was ready to promise Timmy anything. As he laid there with tears coming down, I promised him the world. In his world, that would be the newly released Nintendo Wii. The tears stopped... I think out of shock rather than the idea. (We've not been big supporters of video games in our house. Tim has a Nintendo 64 which was given him by Nathan, Al and Ann's son. But other than a couple of PC games, we've not purchased anything of this ilk.) I could see his gears turning... Is Dad really offering this! The tears returned but the idea was never far from his thought.
We went up to pre-surgery and he was still very nervous and still had a few tears. Dr. Lee came in to describe the surgery she would do. She was very business like with us which was good. The Anesthesiologists were always there encouraging Timmy. Both Val and I were really touched by there care and concern for the emotional well being of Timmy.
We said goodbye to Timmy and I told him I'd see him in a couple of minutes. He was still weepy but under control. It was just before 1AM.
I went and got Abby and met Val in the Waiting Rooms for Operations. For myself I was anxiously peaceful. I know that sounds like an oxymoron. We were all tired and then some of our humor started coming through. Abby, who is a gas, on a normal day was being herself. I walked behind the desk and started to act like I was stealing things like the nice teddy bear on the desk.
40 minutes after the operation began we got the call we'd been waiting for. Timmy was doing nicely and the surgeon would be by to talk to us soon. I think it was about 1:50AM when Dr. Lee came by to tell us everything. The only thin I really recall was that Timmy was only a couple of hours from a ruptured appendix. We were so thankful that our ignorance of what was happening didn't cause him that.
One of the Anesthesiologists? came and got us around 2:20 to take us to see Timmy in recovery. He was sleeping of course and we got to talk to him. Obviously he was out of it but very lighthearted!
"Wow, that only took a minute!"
"Dad, are we really getting a Wii" to which my response was You Bet!
We got down to his room which was in the ER since the Pediatric ward was a few days from a remodeling finish. He was awake and in a little pain. I sent Val and Abby home at about 3AM and sat with Tim as he drifted in and out of sleep. Again, the nursing staff did there best not just for him but for me as well, getting me a blanket and pillow for the reclining chair.
The nurse came in the check on him every 15 minutes or so, so sleep was futfull for both of use. at 4:15 she decided to leave the BP band on his arm... for which I later was most grateful for. He slept uninterrupted till 9:30. I slept straight through from 5-7AM ;-)
At 7AM I started to make phone calls to the family and to Al and Ann. Al graciously had called the Police at 12:30AM to let them know our other car was parked in the street as that's Illegal. I had thought of that but really didn't care about any consequence at that point.
Val came at about 11AM and I went to get his prescriptions and got another hour of sleep. Woke Abby at 1:45PM and told her that we should go to the hospital to visit.
Now, Abby and Cindy (their cousin) spent their own money on a stuffed tiger and mega large balloons. I was touched by their generous spirit.
Timmy didn't feel like eating in the morning but when we told him the only way to go home was that he had to eat and that he had to stand up and walk around a little. He did both willingly after that and in fact twice wanted to get up to go to the bathroom. I had been helping him with that... are details really needed? ;-)
We were able to go home around 4:30PM. I brought his mattress downstairs to allow him to vegetate for a few days. He needed help getting in and out of bed to go to the bathroom.
Monday came and he was getting out of bed on his own. Tuesday, he didn't want and pain meds.
LESSONS
1. I think I understand better why Jesus was so willing to die for us. I would have taken the operation for Timmy at that point without blinking an eye. I'm sure that He who created this world and it's people must have felt similarly.
2. Timmy is one tough kid. Not only did he not complain but he was underselling his pain level. They gave him the face chart of 1 to 10 for the pain and he never went above a 4. He even had himself at a 2 when it became apparent to me he was feeling like a 7. I had agreed to defer Morphine in those early morning hours based on his assessment but later had them administer it.
3. The outpouring of response which I knew would come, Timmy fond amazing. He now assents to the fact that how many people truly care and love him.
4. God is gracious to us not only in circumstances but in His children. People were praying what I could not and he heard them and acted.
Val called our friend Linda who is an ER RN and she had us do some basic tests which indicated we needed to go to the ER. At that point I suspected there would be no turning back to taking his appendix out. I kept this info to myself though.
We arrived at the ER at Delnor in Geneva around 7:30 and went through some basic tests. The 2nd worse part of course was the blood test. They put in an IV. Timmy was pretty brave. Shed a couple of tears but held perfectly still. I felt a mess internally. I've take that jab and IV a hundred times over so he would not have too. Had to fight back the tears when it was all done. Of course, this whole process was Dad's job. Val's heart is too soft to not shed tears for the IV.
(I make a side note that ALL the nurses, doctors and other OR personnel were just aces. They were understanding, compassionate and encouraging. Later we were told that was what Louise was praying for. I never thought to pray for that myself!)
They then scheduled a Cat scan for him. That's when I knew we were in for a LONG night although the turnaround for scanning and results were less than 2 hours. The trip to the Cat scan was funny because they wheeled Tim in the bed there. He was all smiles as he thought it was pretty cool to be pushed around. Val stayed with him while he went into the donut. He of course was very cooperative again.
At this point I went and picked up Abby at Al and Ann's house and brought here home. It was about 10:50PM when I dropped her off. Checked the house out a bit so she could see that I looked around :-). Abby didn't go to bed but plugged in her favorite movie, Elizabethtown. (It's an Orlando Bloom thing) I went back to the hospital.
The results came back and the doctor said that surgery was the only safe option. At this point it was after midnight. That's when things got tough on us emotionally. Val really didn't think surgery was going to happen where I was sure of it after talking to the doctor before the Cat scan. Timmy of course had no clue as to surgery! He really lost it and yet remained under control. Kept crying and saying over and over, "I want to go Home." Many hugs were handed out.
I made a call to Val's Mom and Dad to let them know he was undergoing the knife. I was glad to hear Dad's voice be a little shaky. He's a rock, but he has such a heart for Timmy. I then called Abby to tell her what was going on. I then went back to try and calm Timmy's nerves down. Put on my best logic hat and said, "Timmy, if you don't have this surgery, you could die." While I pondered whether to do that or not, I believed he could handle that. I think it made a slight difference as he pondered that but the initial reaction was, "I want to go home." After that was I want to see Abby.
At this point I was ready to promise Timmy anything. As he laid there with tears coming down, I promised him the world. In his world, that would be the newly released Nintendo Wii. The tears stopped... I think out of shock rather than the idea. (We've not been big supporters of video games in our house. Tim has a Nintendo 64 which was given him by Nathan, Al and Ann's son. But other than a couple of PC games, we've not purchased anything of this ilk.) I could see his gears turning... Is Dad really offering this! The tears returned but the idea was never far from his thought.
We went up to pre-surgery and he was still very nervous and still had a few tears. Dr. Lee came in to describe the surgery she would do. She was very business like with us which was good. The Anesthesiologists were always there encouraging Timmy. Both Val and I were really touched by there care and concern for the emotional well being of Timmy.
We said goodbye to Timmy and I told him I'd see him in a couple of minutes. He was still weepy but under control. It was just before 1AM.
I went and got Abby and met Val in the Waiting Rooms for Operations. For myself I was anxiously peaceful. I know that sounds like an oxymoron. We were all tired and then some of our humor started coming through. Abby, who is a gas, on a normal day was being herself. I walked behind the desk and started to act like I was stealing things like the nice teddy bear on the desk.
40 minutes after the operation began we got the call we'd been waiting for. Timmy was doing nicely and the surgeon would be by to talk to us soon. I think it was about 1:50AM when Dr. Lee came by to tell us everything. The only thin I really recall was that Timmy was only a couple of hours from a ruptured appendix. We were so thankful that our ignorance of what was happening didn't cause him that.
One of the Anesthesiologists? came and got us around 2:20 to take us to see Timmy in recovery. He was sleeping of course and we got to talk to him. Obviously he was out of it but very lighthearted!
"Wow, that only took a minute!"
"Dad, are we really getting a Wii" to which my response was You Bet!
We got down to his room which was in the ER since the Pediatric ward was a few days from a remodeling finish. He was awake and in a little pain. I sent Val and Abby home at about 3AM and sat with Tim as he drifted in and out of sleep. Again, the nursing staff did there best not just for him but for me as well, getting me a blanket and pillow for the reclining chair.
The nurse came in the check on him every 15 minutes or so, so sleep was futfull for both of use. at 4:15 she decided to leave the BP band on his arm... for which I later was most grateful for. He slept uninterrupted till 9:30. I slept straight through from 5-7AM ;-)
At 7AM I started to make phone calls to the family and to Al and Ann. Al graciously had called the Police at 12:30AM to let them know our other car was parked in the street as that's Illegal. I had thought of that but really didn't care about any consequence at that point.
Val came at about 11AM and I went to get his prescriptions and got another hour of sleep. Woke Abby at 1:45PM and told her that we should go to the hospital to visit.
Now, Abby and Cindy (their cousin) spent their own money on a stuffed tiger and mega large balloons. I was touched by their generous spirit.
Timmy didn't feel like eating in the morning but when we told him the only way to go home was that he had to eat and that he had to stand up and walk around a little. He did both willingly after that and in fact twice wanted to get up to go to the bathroom. I had been helping him with that... are details really needed? ;-)
We were able to go home around 4:30PM. I brought his mattress downstairs to allow him to vegetate for a few days. He needed help getting in and out of bed to go to the bathroom.
Monday came and he was getting out of bed on his own. Tuesday, he didn't want and pain meds.
LESSONS
1. I think I understand better why Jesus was so willing to die for us. I would have taken the operation for Timmy at that point without blinking an eye. I'm sure that He who created this world and it's people must have felt similarly.
2. Timmy is one tough kid. Not only did he not complain but he was underselling his pain level. They gave him the face chart of 1 to 10 for the pain and he never went above a 4. He even had himself at a 2 when it became apparent to me he was feeling like a 7. I had agreed to defer Morphine in those early morning hours based on his assessment but later had them administer it.
3. The outpouring of response which I knew would come, Timmy fond amazing. He now assents to the fact that how many people truly care and love him.
4. God is gracious to us not only in circumstances but in His children. People were praying what I could not and he heard them and acted.
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