Busy Monday at Shepherd Center

     Lance has had a busy day.  The hospital was buzzing early this morning because it was moving day.  The second floor renovations are complete(all with donated dollars) and all patients on third floor were given new occupancy in the bright and modern rooms.  Lance room number is now 252.
     Therapy sessions were fun today as Lance accomplished new tasks.  During occupational therapy, he looked at a toothbrush, it was placed in his hand, and then ............opened his mouth as he brought toothbrush close to his mouth.  Gena and I looked at each other with our mouths hanging wide open, right before we started crying tears of joy. 
     The speech therapist raised a glass of water to his mouth and he pulled water through a straw and swallowed.  While these may seem like small things to most of us, these are huge developments for a man who has been injured like Lance and spent the last 50 days in comatose/minimally conscious state.
     It has been a good day and we rejoice in it because it is a day that  the Lord has made.  We also give praise to God for the healing that we see day-to-day.  Our continual prayer is that Lance's healing will bring glory to God.  One take-home I have had from the past seven weeks is that I, as God's creation, should reflect his glory each and every day......whether I am alive and well and at my best or when I'm tired or sick or old (that's all relative) or just not on my A game or ...dying.
     Yes, it seems that death can in fact bring ultimate glory to God.  Think of how we feel at a funeral of one who died in Christ; names of some of my heroes - Lyda Brayfield,  Lottie Johnson,  Thelma Irwin, Tom Bowman, Eva Bivens, and more recently MissVirginia Cooper - come to my mind as examples of individuals who just lived each day in faith.  They were not heroes in the eyes of the world but God knew their hearts, their kindness, and that they lived in His grace and just wanted His glory to be reflected.  The comfort felt in those circumstances....that is the type of solace that each of us want others to feel when the date is set for our funeral.  There are many others I could have named that have left me a legacy of fond memories - people that helped me, loved me, and pointed me in the right direction....toward the cross of Christ.
     Paul, in 1Timothy 1:14 begins, "And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.  NOW TO THE KING ETERNAL, IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE, TO GOD WHO ALONE IS WISE, BE HONOR AND GLORY FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN."  I've told you my prayer for Lance; I have a prayer for you tonight.  "God I thank you for your grace.  I pray that in my life or through my death, people would give You  glory and honor.  I am thankful for each person who follows Lance's life; I pray that each reader would consider Your grace and realize it is Your gift to them.  In Jesus Name, Amen."

I will close tonight with a Martin Luther King quote; now there's a man who left us a legacy.  Marilyn Scaggs shared this in an email to Lance today:
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. - MLK

-John