It was a Friday worth forgetting. We sat in a small, cold, hospital emergency room, and listened to a Surgeon we had never met before, as he described the delicate, complicated surgery he would be performing on my wife. An accident had fractured her pelvis, and a faulty x-ray had allowed her to keep walking…
This Thanksgiving season I’ve learned a new word, at least one that is new to me – Friendsgiving. Urban Dictionary defines it as, “The celebration of Thanksgiving dinner with your friends. This usually occurs on the Wednesday before or the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, since Thanksgiving is usually reserved for family gatherings.” The precise origins…
My wife’s medical bills continue to mount, and I have been asked repeatedly by friends, if they can assist with expenses not being covered by insurance. I’ve had a name plaque on my desk since 1967 that has the inscription, “Dan R. Crawford” on the front, and “Jehovah Jireh” on the backside, where I alone…
Let me begin by saying, I love church music – traditional, contemporary, country, liturgical, contemplative, inspirational, to God, about God, etc. If it honors God, and inspires the singers to worship, I’m for it. However, I continue to be amazed with those who absolutely think they cannot worship unless it is with contemporary music. The…
Is the majority of prayer that you hear serious prayer or simply the repeating of well-worn prayer phrases and ideas? Are pray-ers giving serious thought to the wording of their prayers? For instance, if you are talking with me you don’t need to use my name at the beginning and end of every sentence. So…
When I was younger, I had a framed quote on my bedroom wall from American theologian and author, Reinhold Niebuhr: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.” I liked the thought because I miss-read a…
I’ve written at least once each year about appreciating pastors, usually during October, which is Pastor Appreciation Month. Because God called, “Some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11), they deserve a special time of appreciation. For the first time in over twenty years, I have a new…
I grew up hearing that God would never place more on a person than that person could bear. As I got older, and learned that wasn’t exactly true. What is true is that God will never place more on a person than He and the person together can bear. The Psalmist said it this way,…
I saw a new word this week, at least a new word for me – backstory. The definition is obvious – “a story that tells what led up to the main story.” In church we call this a testimony. I’m not surprised that the media opted for “backstory” over “testimony.” My “backstory” is interesting, exciting,…
Suffering is an effective teacher, both for the one who is suffering and for the caregiver. I’ve learned a few lessons thus far in my 24/7 caregiving of my wife, following her accident, surgery, hospital and rehab stay, and now home health care activities. One lesson learned is that when you share the pain with…