G R A C E ' S J O U R N A L

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Surprise!

Grace took me out to a movie on Saturday afternoon. Around lunch time she hinted that I should take a nap before we go because I usually need to take a nap in the afternoon in order to make it through the evening with my family. Not suspecting that anything was up her sleeve I figure that would be a good idea and went for a short nap. When I woke up we rushed out the door to the theater and bought tickets for Wall-E. Sometimes I wonder how kids understand those animated movies because it almost seems like they are geared towards adults. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and its commentary on modern society.

When we got back home at 4:45PM I was quite tired and told Grace that I need to run upstairs and take another nap until dinner. So I rushed in with nothing but my bed in mind - SURPRISE!

I was scared, shocked, and confused. At first I thought, did accomplish something recently? Did I just finish chemo or radiation and they're congratulating me? It took me a little while to realize that my birthday was coming up on 9/11 but I didn't expect a party this early.

I was so happy to see people from church, work and our neighborhood. After blowing out the candles on my birthday cake I chatted with friends for a while. Even though it hurts to talk I try really hard to talk as much as I can so that I can exercise my mouth muscles. I actually had to run upstairs to take a dose of pain meds to make it through a few hours of talking to people. Three hours later after everybody left I finally made it to my bed exhausted and passed out immediately. Thanks Mom and Dad for coming all the way out here to throw me a surprise party and thanks Grace and everybody else for helping to put it together! You really did surprise me.

4 comments:

AnonymousWednesday, September 03, 2008 10:41:00 PM
Happy Early Birthday Andrew! We thank the Lord for every day He allows you to live, be a husband to your wife, and a father to your children. We're still praying for your complete recovery, with no complications from your 2nd dose of radiation. Is there anything more specific you'd like us to pray for?
Love,
Steve & Amanda von Horn
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AnonymousThursday, September 04, 2008 7:58:00 AM
Andrew,
Happy Early Birthday! We thank the Lord for every day He allows you to live, be a husband to your wife, and a father to your children. We hope that you totally healed and that God continues to bless you with the breath of life.

You da man! You are truly and inspiration to me personally.
Erik Roxanne Greene
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AnonymousSaturday, September 06, 2008 12:49:00 PM
Happy Birthday, Andrew! What a fun surprise! Grace is the beeeeeest! :D
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AnonymousMonday, September 08, 2008 9:47:00 PM
Happy early birthday, Andrew!

Gracie, I'm always thinking about you, Andrew and your children. I saw Julie over Labor Day weekend, and we both love you. *hugs*
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2 Corinthians 5

Our Heavenly Dwelling

¹Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ²Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, ³because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

⁶Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷We live by faith, not by sight. ⁸We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

¹¹Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. ¹²We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. ¹³If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

¹⁶So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

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Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Surprise!

4 comments: