SOMETHING IS DIFFERENT, PART ONE.

I realized some thing is different the weekend of July 16th. I was a little tired and naturally hot due to the weather so I stayed in and kept cool despite feeling a bit off balance and having constant sweats. I just figured I just had a little heat exhaustion and drank plenty of liquids. Nothing seemed to help. By Monday the 18th I was still feeling bad and called in sick. By that afternoon, I was getting worse and started to have high temperatures ( 104 degrees). The wife called the EMS staff and I was transported to the Hospital E.R. All the vitals were in various arrays of concern to the Doctors. After a lengthy stay with every test they could think of plus re hydrating liquids, I was released with a prognosis of a viral infection and anti biotics. That was a relief or so I thought. Two days later I was not any better and back I went to the E.R. This time they kept me for two days and ran further test and MRI scans.

This is when they discovered numerous spots on my Liver which appeared to be possibly cancer. as the Doctor read the scans. There was some solemn moments after getting this news. I was scheduled to go back into the hospital for biopsy test in two days with the MRI machine directing the needles into the liver spots. I was told that 97% of the time when spots appear on the Liver, that is a cause of cancer spreading from another vital organ in the body to the liver. It could additionally mean Colon cancer, Prostate, or Pancreatic cancer. The wife alerted all that she could contact to pray for me in the upcoming test and I also began to pray. I usually don't pray for my self because I felt it was selfish and God had plenty of other issues to deal with but this time was different. I was terrified.

. As I prayed I felt there was not the usual connection that I do have in prayer or I had forgotten how to pray. Perhaps God was busy. This went on for two days and during the wait after the biopsy test. To say I was sure the prognosis was going to be devastating was an understatement. Still I held out faith God would intervene. It was during this time I changed my prayers from "Please God heal me" to "Dear God please allow me the strength and courage to accept what ever the prognosis will be and allow me comfort, wisdom, and faith in your grace". I think it was during those prayers that I did feel a connection was made and an inner peace began to surface. I also began to feel an inner peace that God was now in control. I was ready to accept what ever His plans were. Every thing was in His hands.

I got a call from the Doctor Friday afternoon on the 29th with the results. He went on to state that I was one of the fortunate 3% of the people that had spots on their liver that were not cancerous but a bacterial infection. He also stated the reason that I wasn't getting better was that the earlier antibiotics was not designed to clear up this type of infection. Those were designed for viral infections. I was immediately put on a bacterial antibiotic and the Dr. made an appointment for me to see a contagious disease specialist to see where this infection came from and to clear it out of my Liver. Although I am not out of the woods yet, the Doctor stated if I follow the procedures from the specialist to clear up the infection, I will be back in good physical shape in a short time.

After I hung up from the Doctor's call I felt a huge burden was lifted and elation swepted over me with joy and the tears began to flow like a river as I praised God and thanked Him over and over again for sparing me the alternative prognosis. During this this time of praise, I felt a closeness that I had not felt for awhile come back and envelope me There was no longer any fear but peace. A peace that I cannot describe but felt it was from God. I also felt a new resurgence to begin serving God in a new direction but do not know yet in which direction. I am sure He will let me know in due time.

All I know know is that God intervened in my health crisis, prevented me from facing cancer, and gave me faith that He still is in loving, forgiving, control despite being a sinner of the flesh. All can experience His loving grace if only they will accept Him through faith and love. I look forward with Faith that God will guide me through the upcomming ordeal with the contagious disease specialist. Part two to follow.

THE WAY I SEE THINGS

Have you ever wondered why there has not been any more gospels found or written since the bible was canonized about 300 A.D.? Ok, We have the Gnostic gospels but are they truly from God? Did God just give up on His people and turn His back on them feeling they were a lost cause? Does God still hold out hope for the current people ( Gentiles) as the last vestige of believers and worshipers wishing to celebrate His glory in His kingdom?

All through biblical times and up to Paul God spoke to the select Prophets advising them to address His chosen people to turn away from their rebellion and worshiping pagan idols. It seems all through biblical times God had to repeatedly chastise His chosen people through death, slavery, exile, and allowing other nations to conquer what is now Israel due to not following His words and truths. Jesus even rebuked the Pharisees for their acts of the law with out having true hearts and hearing His words. I believe Jesus even called them Hypocrites. For they did not believe that God sent Jesus as the saviour or messiah.

I have to wonder where are all the prophets of the modern era? I know that the Bible states we cannot add any thing else to the bible but was that written by mortal men and Priest during that time. Was it God inspired as far as that respect? I don't think that He just stopped communicating to the ones that want to hear out His words. I truly think He speaks to us daily to guide us but we fail to hear His thoughts. Some remembering the last passages in Revelations fail to speak out with God inspired messages or prophesies due to that fact.

Remembering Independence Day recently brought me back to old history lessons about our fore fathers that helped build up a nation with God as a focal point for all to worship freely in a religion of their choice and as a nation of free people with representation. I would have to imagine this country was built with God fearing people that laid down their lives for an ideology that proposed freedom, high morals, and high ethics along with faith in a God. If you think about it, those laws were formulated based on the Ten Commandments. I feel this new country had God's blessing as the new land of opportunity

However, over the last few decades things in this country have taken a turn for the worse. There is now legislation to take God out of the pledge of allegiance and to remove God from public forms. The Ten Commandments have been stricken from the court houses. If people use God in any form of speeches, they face prosecution. It is only a matter of time before the churches will not be allowed to worship God in any form or profess their faith. And yet people do not speak up as their rights are slowly stricken down. Just as in biblical times, we see idolarity and worship of material things becomming more prevalent

I am sure God is quite displeased with these actions and again His wrath will become evident. Is America becoming the new Babylon as one sect proposes in their writings? The similarities are hard to ignore. I would have to imagine we are to be tested in the end times to see where our loyalties are.

Do we seek out the Lord to worship Him and spread the gospel to others not yet saved? Do we show love to others not as well off as we are? Do we earnestly seek out ways to serve Him and bring ones seeking salvation to his Kingdom?

Do we get so engrossed in our selves and become self serving? Do we worship material things and all that money can buy. Do we seek out lustful things and ignore others? Do we sin with out remorse? Do we rebel against what God stands for?

You see, God gives us a choice. It is all up to you where you want to be.