Hebrews 12:1-2a

"Let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with Endurance
the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith."
Hebrews 12:1-2a

Sunday, January 1, 2017

a new year begins

Today is nearing the end of the first day of the New Year of 2017.

Health-wise it has been relatively quiet.

In mid-October he decided to reduce the amount of Midodrine he is taking. Midodrine helps to increase his blood pressure. He has been taking 3 pills three times a day. Now he takes 2 pills three times a day. He has had infrequent episodes of shortness of breath, but he does not relate it to the decreased amount of Midodrine. But I always take note of it when he mentions it or I notice he is breathing harder.

Jim had two doctors visits in December.
... lab work followed by a physical at Dr. Butler's office was Dec. 13 - results were good. His weight, fully clothed, added a pound, so he checked in at 139.6 pounds. His blood pressure continues to waiver - 84/60. Thyroid remains normal. Labs showed no abnormalities.

... a CT scan of his chest was ordered by his cancer surgeon, Dr. Parekh. It was done Dec. 13 at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids.

... a visit to Dr. Brooks, his rheumatologist, was Dec. 21. He finished his 5-year plan on Reclast, a once-a-year IV regimen for osteoporosis, last year, so this year the doctor decided two shots annually would be the plan. Insurance approved it, and Jim had the first shot Dec. 28.

... bone density scan was Friday morning, Dec. 23.

Ministries
We continue meeting with friends and members of the church Jim served at in Wilton as interim pastor (1-year through the end of August 2016), keeping up-to-date with news and sharing Scripture and prayer with each other. Sometimes we get together for a meal or a movie too and always lots of visiting.

Since the last Sunday of November we have started serving as "interim" for the interim pastor who is recovering from back surgery at Lincoln Street Baptist  Church, a small church in Mount Pleasant.

We have a new website that we have named Glorify GOD Ministries. GOD stands for Go His Way, Obey His Commands, Do His Will ... Glorify His Name. That is our goal. We both liked the name, so I put something together. You can look at it here: http://glorifygodministries.blogspot.com/  It includes Jim's sermons since March, links to my blogs, his resume, contact information, about us, how to be saved.

We are considering the possibility of incorporating Bible study with our visiting and have ordered a book on "Hearing God in Conversation: How to Recognize His Voice Everywhere" to review.

House Work - indoors, outdoors
Jim felt well enough to start cleaning the basement in mid-October. We have talked for more than a year about cleaning out the area underneath the stairs and putting a lot of our Christmas stuff in there. So he started and finished in relatively quick order. The things he found were interesting to both of us, but a lot of stuff was pitched.

He mowed the yard himself much of the summer and when Christina and the boys came over to rake leaves this fall, he mowed and mulched the yard.

One day in mid-November when the temperature was comfortable, he put up our outdoor Christmas decorations and decorated the lamp post. He took them down today without any problems.

It has been an eventful and sometimes troublesome 2016.

But now the slate is wiped clean and a new year begins.