July 19

First let me say I would buy a Lexus. If I had the money to do so, I would buy a Lexus. Oh sure, there would be nay-sayers o'plenty that would say anything from, "Ooooo, look at Mr. Bigshot moneybags" to "Shouldn't you have given the money to the poor?" But I would negate those nattering nabobs of negativism. Here's how I sees it; shouldn't we spend our money on good quality products that will perform well longer and, when all is added/subtracted/divided and configulated, my guess is that I would spend the same money on the Lexus as I would have maintaining and buying the more affordable but less rock-solid cars. BMWs have more problems than you'd realize, Cadillacs actually have more maintenance issues than most cars, and Jaguars are poorly made cars with a high prestige label. Consumer Reports and my own prejudices aside, there is an end run point to be made here. We Christ-followers can at times be guilty of poor stewardship of our money under the guise of saving a buck or two. The old adage, "You get what you pay for," is more reliable than not. So we eschew Charmin for Angel Soft in our quest to save a dime all the while likely spending more. Should churches be built with the best materials they can afford? Certainly. That is not poor stewardship, it is wise use of money. We too often are guilty of being gullible when we should instead be a bit more world-wise. That's not the same as being worldly. I say all this from the vantage point of now having more debt than income (!!), but still wise to the fact that I haven't always given Christ my best. Having Barbara back in my life reminds me to be a better man, a better husband than before. Life only affords us so many minutes, and I want to give her a Lexus husband rather than anything lesser. And I want to be a Lexus follower of Christ rather than one that will break down before the race is done. We used to sing a hymn called, "Give of Your Best to the Master." Too bad we forgot to do that.

OK, if you made it this far, it's now time for a quick update on Barbara (the actual reason why you're visiting here today). Things have gone well for us, but we still recognize there's a steep learning curve on the road to living more efficiently with our present reality. I have managed to strain several muscles while moving Barbara, and am in the process of trying to remedy that.

Perhaps the biggest news of the day is that Barbara got her tummy tube removed today. Due to the fact that she had a more secure tube that was placed for longevity, she had to go in for an out-patient procedure. It took much longer than we'd anticipated due to the trouble they had finding a vein for an IV (6 sticks, thank-you). With the doctor's permission, they left the IV in so that she can more easily be given the calcium infusion she will receive tomorrow (also an out-patient procedure).

The Lord has answered many prayers, and has been so good to us. We continue to rejoice in the fact that there are always many more blessings than hurts.

Please pray that Barbara will heal quickly now that her final remnant from scarier days has been removed,

Pray that Medicare issues will be resolved soon,

Pray that she will continue to heal and continue to progress,

And say a little prayer for my physical and emotional well being too whilst you're at it!

We had a wonderful time at Jackie and Peter's post-wedding family/friends shower in Columbus last Saturday. Thanks for all your prayers and kind words.