“We like 5” was an email message that my good friend Ken Churchill sent to me in response to the good news of Irene’s improved kidney function. Ken and Shirley delivered a “FIVE” balloon to celebrate the amazing development!!!! It is prominently displayed in our living room.
Irene’s sisters Jane and Carmen (below) stayed with Irene while I attended several days of Azusa Pacific University Board of Trustee meetings in Santa Barbara. You can tell from the “attitude” photo below that they’re very depressed about the notion ….
I had the privilege of meeting Joni Eareckson Tada today. The summer after graduation Joni broke her neck (fractured the fifth cervical) at the age of 17 in a July 1967 diving accident in the murky waters of Chesapeake Bay, which left her a quadriplegic. She was in the hospital for months. During this time, and unable to use her hands after the accident, she learned how to paint by holding a brush in her mouth. She also learned how to move her arms a little using her back muscles, which, with special equipment in the car, allowed her to learn how to drive.
Joni is an amazing woman who is familiar with a lifetime of suffering and one to whom God has said “NO” to physical healing She gave a stirring message today related to how when God says “NO” to one thing, he says “YES” to something else. She used the following powerful text ….
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:10-11
You can read more about Joni at http://www.joniandfriends.org/.
You can see the autographed copy of her book below …. she used a pen in her mouth to sign her name. I gave her a copy of Irene’s Journey of Faith.
We like 5 also …. and are now adopting “5 to 15+” as our new motto, with 15 representing the opportunity to cease from further dialysis treatment.
Five is an answer to prayer …. both yours and ours …. to His Glory.
Now let’s pray for 15.
Caminando con Fé
Dave
