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“Go Preach Next to that Cactus”

I can’t say whether God instructed John the Baptist to begin his ministry with these words, but it had to be something like that. There is no wisdom indicating preaching in the desert is a good way to reach people for Christ, or even to announce His coming. Starting off next to the Jordan River seems sensible, since travelers would need water, but dressing in camel hair & eating bugs couldn’t inspire confidence in the messenger!

Yet God brought people out of their comfort zone to hear him. LOTS of people, who were open to this new message and glad to hear it! Repenting of their sins, they submitted to baptism at the hands of this unkempt individual, placing their hope in the Messiah he proclaimed before they met Him; even John had not met Him at that time. They heard what he had to say, and many believed his words came from God. Enough believed so it shook the nation.

It was foolishness that confounded the wise, but when Jesus was revealed as the coming Messiah, it proved to have come from God. The foolishness of God is greater than the wisdom of men, according to 1 Corinthians 1:25. It’s no accident the platform you are currently visiting is called thefoolishnessofgod.com.

This blog is located in the vast wilderness of the worldwide web. The Judean wilderness is tiny by comparison. No river brings sojourners to hear my message, so it’s crazy to assume it will reach much anyone; but I’ve been instructed to write, so here goes nothing! My message resembles John’s. Royalty is announced with fanfare — it always has been. I serve Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords, so with everything in me I intend to make known He is coming to retrieve His Bride!

Who do you trust?

The early Church described in Acts had many apostles and one doctor we’re told about, Luke. Church leaders now are entitled Doctor, while few agree on the identity of any apostles! Has anyone else noticed how things have turned around? One gives his life for the gospel of Jesus Christ, while the other earns a livelihood seeking constantly to increase the size of his platform. When the Lord anoints someone not affiliated with the current church systems, they are attacked, de-platformed or just plain ignored by those same systems. Cancel culture learned how to suppress truth by watching religious leaders tamp down the servants of the Lord, folks.

Keith Green came out with a song in his short ministry, “Living in Laodicea.” It’s where we are now. Many, MANY of the “saved” are trusting in their own knowledge without ever presenting themselves to Christ in repentance, so they don’t know Him. What will He say to those He turns away? “I never knew you.” The same churches that preach the rapture is imminent will still be here afterwards, for the most part. If they’re right with Him, they should be out of here the moment He calls! He said, “My sheep know my voice,” remember?

The world tells us knowledge is power, but it pulls no weight with God. No one dazzles Him! The truth is, knowledge provides power to deceive one’s self and others. Trusting and acting on God’s Word is still the only way to be justified in His sight. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” The war on truth in general is a war on the gospel of Christ specifically.

The only way His Bride, the Church He built, can sit that out is if we are removed from the Earth! We who owe Him our lives MUST stand for truth, just like we must breathe. Anything less betrays Him, and love is incapable of betrayal. Make sure your trust is in God’s Word, not in men and women who count on you giving to their ministries. Those with divided interests will not heed Christ’s call upward. “Where a man’s treasure is, there will his heart be also.”

“It Makes No Sense” Once The Bible Is Discarded

News of 21 killed in Uvalde, Texas this week shocked the nation, with many more wounded. The perpetrator had no criminal record, nothing to raise concern that might prevent his purchase of firearms. “It makes no sense;” this statement has been repeated over and over by reporters and in interviews. The Governor blames mental illness. Political zealots whose agenda is to disarm all law-abiding gun owners scream this couldn’t have happened, if the young man had not been able to buy guns.

Salvador Ramos did display a skewed view in online posts. Reports say he was influenced toward hostility by things he read and heard. He shot the grandmother raising him, which began the rampage that followed. That much anger would have expressed itself in violence whether he used guns or not. Knives, machetes, even a shovel or a tire iron would have been utilized to kill, in the absence of guns. If legal gun ownership is banned, it won’t stop or reduce illegal acts that are in the heart. Violence begins there, a temptation building up until actions are taken to disrupt many lives.

Guns in the hands of law enforcement enabled the perpetrator to be stopped before more people were harmed. Guns are tools, neither evil nor good. Society is shaped by influences, both within and external. Looking at a young man with no record of transgression, this crime makes no sense. However, senseless violence against people is nothing new. If you don’t see it coming, consider the possibility that you DON’T see who is truly behind it!

I remember news of a tower sniper in Austin shooting people in the street in the early 1970s. He was taken alive, unlike this young fellow. In interviews later, he spoke of a point of no return when the violence he had prepared for was taken out of his hands. A moment came when Satan entered him, he said, and he lost all control of what he was doing. Scripture uses the same words to describe what happened when Judas betrayed Jesus. When one plays with the idea of committing sin, it isn’t long before a hard shove makes it a reality.

Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy. Jesus said it, not me. He never lies! Since the Devil’s minions follow him, they share his motives. He hates Christ enough to kill Him, remember? It didn’t work. Jesus rose again. Infuriated and unable to do it again, he targets men and women, the work of His hands made in His image. The world is blind to the war Satan wages against humanity, so the casualties suffered make no sense to them. The pawns he uses receive all their focus AFTER folks get hurt. It is an ineffective response too late to do any good!

Jesus cast demons out of people when confronted with them. If the Body of Christ follows in his footsteps, lawlessness cannot prevail. We must do what He enables us to do while we can, because when He calls us to His side, we won’t be here to exemplify His righteousness anymore. Didn’t He declare that we are the light of the world? Let’s submit to Him, resist the Devil and watch what happens when he flees!

The Goliath Spirit’s War on Truth

Hopefully this will shed some light on the current state of affairs. Those who think the conflict of our time is a matter of conservative vs. liberal points of view have overlooked a pivotal fact: what takes place in the physical realm is always a manifestation (or outworking) of events originating in the spiritual realm first.

Christ Jesus died on a cross to atone for the sins of all who would trust in Him upon hearing the truth of His gospel. Satan opposes Him, so he has undertaken to obscure, bury & ridicule that truth. It’s been happening for centuries, even millenia, but technology has enabled his obfuscation to reach a level never seen before in history! News media & social media carry his lies around the globe in minutes.

It has emboldened the Devil. Truth isn’t relative, it’s absolute; but all truth is related. One leads to another, eventually providing a trail of bread crumbs leading back to the gospel and its Author. He can’t have that, therefore he has declared war on ALL truth! Any lie, no matter how unbelievable, is being propagated to steer the masses away from truth of any kind. Since lies grow, those who adhere to the truth soon find themselves facing Goliath.

As the giant brazenly challenged the armies of Israel long ago & brought them to a standstill through intimidation, it’s happening all over again. Whoever confronts the lies is swatted down forcefully. Those supporting the lies gleefully cheer the destruction of every defender of truth with a hatred they cannot explain, yet fully embrace. They cannot see how they are manipulated, nor can they resist it. The children of darkness are bound in darkness and they wouldn’t have it any other way!

If that isn’t frightening to think about, then you have left good sense behind you! A little fear is a healthy thing; it keeps us from putting a hand in the fire & getting burned. However, if we’re to avoid being paralyzed by fear, we need to look to the Lord. He abides in truth, so when we stand for it, we’re in the best of company. His word warns the world to fear Him, and Jesus said He has overcome the world!

We are the Church of the Lord Jesus who trust in Him. The gates of hell will not prevail against us, remember? Goliath is just another beast threatening the flock. The Shepherd will strike him down and gather his flock, as David did long ago when his flock was threatened. The lion, the bear and the beastly man (now a demon) will fare no better against us, for the battle is the Lord’s to this day!

Therefore, STAND in & for the truth. Refuse to be cowed, no matter how official the lies appear to be, because we know they will not stand in the presence of a holy God! Darkness will always flee from light. It’s the way of things! We abide in the light of truth who have been set free from darkness, so let your light shine. How else will we be the light of the world? That is our mandate, remember?

“In Your Patience Possess Ye Your Souls” Luke 21:19

Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet for good reason. God showed him how his nation would be destroyed, then he watched it happen in his lifetime, despite all the words of warning God gave him to declare to the people. Very few repented at those words. Men rejected the truth because they had no love for it, loving themselves instead. It led to disaster when they chose to cling to reassuring lies. To reject truth is to reject God, for He abides in truth.

“…because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” II Thessalonians 2:10-12

What does this delusion look like? The best illustration comes from an old comic book called The Shadow, printed nearly 90 years ago. This generation might remember the movie remake starring Alec Baldwin in 1994. The Shadow was a superhero who had the power to cloud men’s minds, so they could not see what was before them. It was potent enough to hide a skyscraper from those in the city around it!

People who choose to reject the truth receive a judgment from God, removing their ability to discern it. Truth is our anchor to reality. Once it is cut loose, they are adrift and lost. Grasping for something to hold onto, any lie becomes a lifeline they are unwilling to release. Truth offends them because it reveals the lie they value; therefore, they declare ALL who stand in truth to be liars — especially Christ!

The division in America is not political, but spiritual; the result of so many rejecting God’s grace and favor. This nation will never be great again, without Him. It has become a prey for those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. It is time for the godly to leave, but there is nowhere we can go on this planet to get clear of the evil that has overtaken it. Our refuge is in Jesus words:

“And when these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28

America’s Only Hope

When Donald Trump was elected President, some heralded it as the beginning of America’s great turnaround. MAGA, make America great again, was the cry that went up from his supporters. This author favored the sentiment, but could that really happen for a nation that has turned away from God? De Tocqueville wrote that America was great because it was good; if it ceased to be good, it would also cease to be great. It was good, he determined, because it humbled itself before God.

President Trump was a reprieve granted to praying Christians for a time, but only repentance could really turn the nation around. From 1988 to 2016, the Presidency was in the hands of men who marched us toward globalism, regardless of party affiliation. When Trump broke that 28 year streak, election protocols were bulldozed to install the current puppet into the White House.

It only appeared to be an assault on Trump; in fact, it is an ongoing assault on TRUTH. Mainstream news media has discarded objectivity in favor of editorializing everything. There are two sides to every story and they will make sure we hear one of them! It is money that is talking, the god of this world. The father of lies uses only enough truth to make his deceptions believable.

Jesus told Pilate that He came to declare truth. Pilate was dismissive, “What is truth?” Spoken like a politician, for whom truth is a convenience, rather than an absolute. The problem is truth belongs to God. He upholds it, no matter how those in power try to suppress it! It has outlasted every empire for that reason. It will outlast the current usurper, too.

It may not save this nation, though. Grievous sins separate it from the God of grace. The division between its people mirrors the division between it and Him. Mr. Trump is just a man. Only Jesus of Nazareth can reconcile us to His Father. He warned that a house divided cannot stand, remember? A nation divided will fare no better. Unity that takes place apart from Him only assures that those so united move to embrace destruction together!

Let us find our unity in kneeling before the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!

2020: The Election That Broke America

Whatever is decided when the 2020 election is finalized, whatever the outcome, the USA will never be the same. Even if free elections continue, voter confidence will never be firmly reestablished. The nation has been victimized in a way that it has forever lost its innocence, and those who took advantage of us, who claim to be part of us, knew what they were doing the whole time!

Like the man who cast a vote in his own name and another in the name of his deceased wife, there are always some who seek to sway elections improperly. While such activity is illegal and must be prosecuted, voter fraud is not the same as election fraud. Counterfeit ballots, unobserved counting of ballots without open validation by third parties and ballots being changed in any way after being submitted indicate deliberate manipulation of an election.

Such activities are bad enough. They involve cells of people cooperating to achieve goals contrary to the purpose of a free election system. Those people are legitimate enemies of the state and a threat to national security. A nation that turns a blind eye to these things won’t last long.

But when the cells are organized to work in concert across state lines, the workers in different municipalities utilizing the same techniques to accomplish one purpose, it is unmistakable evidence of a central directive. An influential few have to be pulling the strings, because it wouldn’t happen otherwise!

THAT makes for a coup attempt! The attempt to overthrow a ruler is the very definition of high treason. Trying to disguise it as a rigged election doesn’t change the truth. Coopting news coverage to spread propaganda doesn’t make it right, either.

This didn’t happen overnight, folks. It’s been tried and tested in smaller venues for years. It works every time it goes unchallenged. Law enforcement alone has the resources and the right to challenge it, but WHO is willing to put his career and reputation on the line to go digging for the evidence to convict? AG Barr just made it clear it isn’t him. He’s not willing to go all or nothing in on this, so he’s taking the safest way out by denying evidence exists.

FBI Director Wray could investigate. With so much of the Agency’s work done out of the public view, he would risk less than the high profile AG. Surprise, surprise; Mr. Biden is talking about keeping the FBI in his hands! Rocking the boat isn’t to his advantage, then, especially when the sitting President has expressed displeasure with him. Remember, Director Wray is in possession of Hunter’s laptop. It would take a true patriot to disregard all this in favor of exposing an illicit plot to take over the White House. Only someone who loves this nation would do that!

AG Barr’s fear is not unfounded, when one considers who is implicated. Hillary Clinton famously advised Mr. Biden not to concede the race, no matter what. She certainly had more reason than unbridled optimism to say so!

Speaker Pelosi spent 2020 criticizing the President and stalling House action for Covid relief after the CARES act (you know, the porky bill that paid hospitals $20K per patient to link Covid to any death they could, thereby feeding the public fear of infection). The exception to her lethargy was when the Postmaster General showed uncertainty concerning his ability to handle mail-in ballots. His cold feet moved her like nothing else could!

Fortunately, God’s sovereignty is not subject to any election. He will protect His beloved until He calls us home, exposing the lies that beset us. Even if America is broken, His word is not! Let those who do not know Him call on Him in repentance of their wicked ways; and let those who trust in Jesus Christ remember His promises. We are HIS first and foremost, after all!

If America is so bad…

Why do the 3 richest men in the world live here? Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk & Bill Gates could live anywhere. All made their fortunes in the USA & choose to remain where freedom reigns. It sickens me to see hundreds marching in Oakland, chanting “Death to America!” If called out on it, though, the first thing they bring up is the right to free speech. Seems to me they don’t have a problem with the notion of freedom; they just protest against others enjoying it with them!

Some would label those 700 marchers as extremists. Maybe they are, or maybe they are just more outspoken & honest than the people who have compromised our election process. Using methods developed & tested in lesser elections, they have now thrown the Presidential race into confusion. It is a gamble they think they can win, unless our courts can remember to uphold justice.

One thing about it, though, is the subversion is out in the open now. Make no mistake: the methods used to install Biden-Harris into the White House are nothing short of a coup attempt! If it is not treated as such, it won’t matter whether it works this time, because sooner or later it WILL. The Left believes the end justifies the means. There is no right & wrong, just what works and what doesn’t. Why should they stop if it costs them nothing to try?

If the courts still dispense justice, if they remember their purpose, there must be a reckoning! Examples must be made of those complicit in election fraud at the highest level, and not just a few sacrificial lambs. Officials and the wealthy elite who presume they are above the law must be held publicly accountable, or this nation is done. If any of those guilty get a pass due to prestige or position, this wounded nation will not be free of the infection that sickened it!

That includes former Presidents and First Ladies, incumbent senators and representatives, even activist billionaires that seem untouchable. Freedom is forfeit when justice is compromised, fellow Americans. Mercy has its place for the powerless, but if the powerful do not fear justice, corruption reigns to oppress us all!

Deadbeat Speaker

I’ve about had my fill of Speaker Pelosi. The third in line for the Presidency is so far out of line, SHE needs to be impeached. Her animosity for the sitting President is so public that it is shameful. The decisions she makes seem largely to be based on nothing more than opposing him! HOW does that represent the American people?

Her party, wherever they hold power, use the pandemic as an excuse to shut down the economy long after the rest of the country has reopened. Even IF the number of fatalities attributed to COVID is legit (remember, 90% of that 210,000 had other factors that could have contributed to those deaths, according to the CDC), it’s still less than half of 1% of this nation’s population. Does it warrant disrupting the livelihoods of so many as a precaution?

COVID isn’t killing us; the shutdowns are, and she couldn’t care less. She stalled nearly two weeks before putting forth the CARES Act, trying to pack it with unrelated items until it was clear no one stood with her. She finally realized how obvious it was that she alone was preventing aid from reaching those she is paid to represent.

We should have had the second stimulus package at least 3 months ago, but she is holding it hostage while pointing the finger at the President. She not only doesn’t care about us, she thinks we’re too stupid to recognize what she’s doing.

The only thing that lit a fire under her was when the Postal Service expressed concern that mail-in balloting might overwhelm them! When the key strategem for stealing an election was endangered, she called the House into emergency session to investigate, bullying the Postmaster General into providing reassurances.

Today she called the President “unfit.” She famously tore up his State of the Union address on camera back in January, proudly reminding us of that action this week. He has rejected a salary for doing his job, only receiving room & board for his efforts. I wonder, if we tore up her paycheck until she drafts a feasible stimulus bill with no pork attached, how long it would take for her TO DO HER JOB?

Just A Thought

Following the Health Scare post I put up last week, things have escalated. The pandemic has spread; the number of infected is now reported as approaching a quarter of a million individuals, more than quadruple from last week. It’s very contagious, obviously, but I wonder how many of these are truly new cases, rather than just newly detected as testing is becoming more widely available.

Also, the percentage of fatalities to those infected has increased to a little over 2%. A shortage of ventilators in New York City, where the virus has inundated the hospitals to overflowing, may explain part of that. Samaritan’s Purse has set up a field hospital in downtown NYC to help out, Franklin Graham announced. Strange times we live in!

I called this situation a wake-up call in last week’s post. Since then, I’ve heard the same term used by Jim Bakker & Brother Graham. There are likely more; I don’t spend much time listening to TV or radio. If God picked up a bullhorn to say, “NOW HEAR THIS” to the whole world, I doubt He’d command more attention than He’s getting now!

What is He saying? To paraphrase, ‘Life is short. I am coming, so get ready!’ The age of grace to repent and turn to Christ Jesus is coming to an end. The age of Aquarius is baloney; the Sovereign age of our Lord Jesus is up next!

Those who trust in Him will reign with Him. In the meanwhile, as the world undergoes drastic changes due to the pandemic, it seems to me the next big change is a cashless economy! Think about it. Even a SUSPICION that someone might have become infected by currency passing through his hands will make handling cash undesirable, to say the least. EFTs (Electronic Fund Transfers) and POS (Point of Sale) transactions are the viable options. The public will embrace the change gladly, rather than risk infection!

I do not intend to frighten anyone, nor am I purporting to prophesy in the name of the Lord. I’m only looking ahead to what makes sense, that’s all. Ten years ago, germophobes were viewed as paranoid; now, there are no germophobes, because “sensible precautions” are the NORM.

My grandparents’ generation believed that a cashless society would usher in the Antichrist. They would have fought tooth and nail against any such attempt to convert the economy, for that reason. Would anyone fight it now?

Health Scare

Just wanted to share something that happened yesterday. I went through a drive-thru at an asian eatery. The Korean lady was friendly, but when the window opened, she kept ducking around the edge of it, talking to me through the glass! It came to me that she was THAT afraid of breathing the same air I was breathing. My heart went out to her as I understood she didn’t have the same reassurance I have.

The corona virus has no power over me, unless the Lord gives it power over me. If He does and I die, then I’ll be with Him; my labors are over! I’m good with that, more than ready. If I survive it, there’s a reason He permitted the affliction; somehow, it will bear witness to His grace. NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN THAT WILL CATCH GOD BY SURPRISE. It’s just not possible, since He is in control.

Someone made the observation that with all the businesses shutting down over this panic, all news media should be shut down for 30 days, as well. He predicted the panic would disappear if that happened! He has a point, in my opinion!

Some fear can be a healthy thing, but if it rules our lives, then how can we profess that Jesus does? THIS WILL PASS. I don’t mean to make light of it; please don’t get me wrong. 50,000+ cases have been diagnosed in the U.S. to this point. 700 deaths are attributed to it, so it’s serious. That’s still not a 2% fatality rate, though. Despite the panic that makes it seem like the end of the world, it isn’t. Sooner or later, people around us will figure that out.

Sin has a 100% fatality rate, yet most are oblivious to it, and EVERYONE IS ALREADY INFECTED! We have the cure, resurrection and new life in Jesus Christ our Lord! Corona virus, and whatever comes along afterward, just serves to remind us of the world’s spiritual condition. Many think they are okay if they’re physically healthy, but if their sins are not covered by the blood of Jesus, they are the walking dead, deceived into thinking they live. Pandemics are just a wake-up call to get their attention before it’s too late!

I posted this as encouragement, since perspective seems to be lacking in the current crisis.

Love, Larry

No More Delay

When the Lord says His mercy endures forever, it does NOT mean His mercy will forever be available. If that were the case, there would be no reason to fear judgment, would there? The most lawless of beings could do as they please in life, then repent before the Judge of creation to receive mercy & pardon for his crimes. So much for justice! Even the Devil would get off scot-free. On this Earth, it is said that justice is blind; but scripture plainly depicts that God is not.

When He sits & the books are opened that record the content of our lives, it will be too late to seek mercy. Those who have received mercy in Christ Jesus will find that it carries them beyond the proceedings. Having been acquitted, their pardon will never expire; THIS is how the mercy of God they have received endures forever. MERCY ENDURES FOREVER, BUT THE TIME IT IS AVAILABLE DOES NOT!

The Word says that God is not reluctant to fulfill His promise, but is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all would receive His gift of eternal life. If the will of God was always satisfied on the Earth, there would be no sin, & therefore Christ would not have been crucified. Sadly, His will is not always done in this world. He is never surprised when that happens — He knows the outcome before every beginning — but He kindly provides every meaningful opportunity for men to repent. Once the response to those opportunities dries up, there is no point in offering more.

For those who receive Him & the hope of salvation, waiting for the fulfillment of His promise takes a toll. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) We stand by faith on His promise, but faith has limits. Jesus was always amazed by how little faith His own hand-picked disciples displayed! Nevertheless, His prayer in John chapter 17 stated that of all the Father had given Him, He had lost none, except for the son of perdition (Judas), that the scripture might be fulfilled.

My point is, do you think the Father will delay sending Him for us until some of us slip through His fingers? Will Jesus have to amend His statement, because the delay was too much & the faith of some in His hand was inadequate to cope with it? When and if we die physically, He will resurrect us; we know that is in His power. But if our faith in His word fails and passes away, a second spiritual redemption would be meaningless, since He was unable to maintain the life He provided the first time around. I know there are those who will say that man’s failure is his own, it does not reflect on Christ. But if our trust truly IS in Christ, I don’t believe HE would agree with that. To take that stand, He would cast aside His responsibility as our Shepherd, which HE WILL NOT DO!

He who spared not His own Son does not spare us from pain & difficulty, either, but He will not take us so far down that road that He nullifies the good He has accomplished by losing us! One of the last things Jesus cried out on the cross was “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?” The agony in that cry is heartrending, but because He endured that moment, we’ll never have to! Which of us COULD? What if Jesus had said, ‘Because You have forsaken Me, You are no longer my God!’ That would have rendered His crucifixion POINTLESS, & we would have no hope of salvation at all. If Jesus could not have endured the cross faithfully, the Father’s act of mercy on our behalf would have been nullified. He DIDN’T put more on His Son than He could endure, so rest assured He won’t do that to us, either.

Job once stated, “Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him.” Jesus didn’t say that, but He did it, and now His name is exalted higher than any other in heaven or on earth. We always have the choice to turn from faith in Him, but if we hold to it, He’ll sustain it, even if it’s less than perfect. When we see Him, it will be revived, for HE IS OUR TREE OF LIFE!

A TITLE!

Today I posted a title for the book in progress on my page “More Foolishness”. It seems like a milestone to me, something permanent to replace the generic working title I’ve been using. The strikethrough makes it unique. My fun explanation for it is that I have Erin proofreading my draft & she took exception to my original title, so she lined it out and made the change. I respect her opinion and appreciate her input; also, I’m all too aware of her ability to persuade me to see things her way, so I’m not about to make an issue of it. Smart people pick their battles, & I choose not to have this one! I left the correction in place because I’m not sure her description of me truly fits, but I’m not about to argue the point. It’s not that important.

Update 10/29/19

On Tuesday 10/15 at about 2:15 in the afternoon, I began experiencing pain between the shoulder blades. Two days earlier, I had a similar episode that lasted nearly 2 hours & left me exhausted, but it passed. This time, it intensified & pushed forward to my chest, radiating out to both arms, particularly the left, but only to the elbows. After Mom prayed with me, I consulted with the clinic where my doctor practices & decided to go to the ER. (I have to feel like I’m dying to do that!)

Arriving at 6 p.m., it was 9 p.m. by the time I was informed that I had a heart attack. I was admitted to the hospital & administered Heparin (a blood thinner) for the symptoms, which slowly subsided. An angiogram showed a rare condition the cardiologist called a dissected artery. The inside layer of an artery near the heart separates to obstruct blood flow, which stresses the pump & causes the pain. The prognosis is GOOD; the condition will heal, eventually, on its own. The patient is not stented, but placed on blood thinners for 1 year so the flow will not be impeded while the vessel heals. The condition is found in women more than men — the doctor said that in 30 years of practice, I am the 3rd man he has treated for it. I always knew I was a bit weird; this just bears it out!

Before being released Friday morning, he told me my heart is strong & my vessels are otherwise clear & healthy, with no evidence of plaque or clots. I thank the Lord for that! As I told them at the ER & in my room later, I have no problem with death — it just means I’m going to be with Jesus — but I REALLY dislike pain. On a scale of 1 to 10, at its worst my pain was a 12 for nearly 90 minutes. I have no desire to repeat that feeling!

Anyway, that’s why my story & my blog have been neglected in recent days. I’m doing better now. It’s satisfying that my lifestyle & dietary habits IN NO WAY contributed to this event (not just my opinion, but the doctor’s, as well; I asked!) Not many people are told that! My Master had a purpose for allowing this event to take place, He assured me, & I believe Him. If He uses me in a way that seems rough or careless, He doesn’t do so frivolously. I have a son. When he is in pain, it hurts me to see it; so I have an idea how it rends His heart when we cry out to Him. Like Jesus, who suffered more than I ever will, GOOD will come out of what I have to endure, even if I don’t see it yet. The time will come when He will show it to me proudly, His arm around my shoulders. I can wait for that — barely!