Things I Think…
1. I ask for your indulgence and prayers as to my frequency of posting.
Sunday I was quietly celebrating the Vikings win over San Francisco when my heart rate went to 225 and stayed there.
A lot of drama followed as well as an ambulance ride. I’m ok now, but this came out of left field…I thought this problem had been solved with my valve replacement in 2021. To make a long story short I now have to go down the labyrinth that is medical care to hopefully get well again…and I’m still trying to solve the chronic pain issue. I’ll be here as I can be…
2. God is good and His love unshakable…my circumstances do not reflect His heart for me...
3. Turns out the Haitians aren’t eating peoples pets, but American citizens dump off no longer wanted pets by the tens of thousands to die of exposure and starvation…
4. One of the most famous of the parables of Jesus is “The Good Samaritan”. I note this because you need to know that His target audience (the Jews) hated Samaritans…so Jesus was subversively attacking their xenophobia and racism…you can replace “Samaritan” with any nationality currently on many Americans hated list and do no damage to the meaning of the parable….
5. Lying for political gain is still lying…and you know where liars end up, right?
6. “You can know some things and the knowing seems to help you not at all.”: Charles Bowden. I might put this on my tombstone…
7. I’ve listened for two decades to some claiming terrorists were flooding over the Southern border…and every incident of terror in that time has been home grown…
8. I’m all for robust discussions of immigration policy and border security…but those can’t happen as long as politicians use these issues as ways to deflect attention from the fact that most of our problems are internal and they have no plans to actually address them…and they profit from the status quo…
9. Jesus told us to love our neighbor…if you have to ask who your neighbor is, you missed the point…
10. Living out the Christian faith is often uncomfortable and counter intuitive…it (the faith) can never live in wordly paradigms without being corrupted…politics can never contain it, only defile it…that is why we have been separated into a different kingdom…
Great “Things” Michael!
I’m sorry about the return of the heart issue. I’ll put this back into my prayers for you.
Thanks, CK…it has kind of messed me up…
#2 – Gonna copy and use it to remind myself of this truth.
#3 – I’ve never understood why people dump off pets that way. If you don’t want it anymore, you shouldn’t have had it in the first place.
CK,
Everything else I wrote today wasn’t nearly as important as #2…we all need to keep that truth close…
Michael,
#1) Get better soon. Did the cardiologist determine the cause of the tachycardia?
#3) Ain’t that the truth.
#9) I think someone asked that question to Jesus to justify his own piety and righteousness (or rather lack thereof).
R’as al Ghul,
At this writing, the soonest I’ll see a cardiologist is the end of November…our medical system is broken…
Michael and others,
For #7, the Cato Institute did a detailed study of terrorism and immigration (see link below):
https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/terrorism-immigration-risk-analysis-1975-2023#uniqueness-911
Suffice it to say, one has a better chance of winning the Powerball than being killed by a terrorist who came across the border illegally.
Michael – much love to you, hoping the health issues get straightened out for you.
In agreement on all your points this week, so that’s probably not good for you. 🙂
PS – I’m married to a Haitian immigrant. I really wish I had a choice in this election but the fearmongering keeps hitting closer and closer to home. Next he’s gonna start talking about how the bald are ruining our country.
Michael, you’re in my prayers. Much love to you.
Josh,
Much love back at you…along with prayers that your family will be protected from all these lies…
bob1,
Much love to you, my friend…thank you…
The end of November??!!!! That’s a crime!
Michael,
I’m so sorry to hear. It must be quite frustrating. I will pray.
It is your request that we pray for the Vikings to lose so that similar episodes do not repeat, correct?
first off, praying for your health journey…
second, if immigrants were reduced to eating pets, doesn’t that call for a rush to aid them in their need as opposed to voting for someone who wishes them gone?
third, you know where liars go? Washington D.C.
KevinH,
You need to pray for your own team… 🙂
I was slightly amused when I arrived in the emergency room wearing my Jefferson jersey, matching sweat pants and purple and gold sneakers…only to be asked by the nurse if I was a football fan…
fil,
Thanks for all three!
Michael,
I almost had to go to the hospital, myself, last night.
Kevin H,
I think Peyton Manning was right behind you…that was a tough one…
Michael,
#2 is so true! He does love you, and somehow the suffering fits into His will for your life, but it doesn’t always make it easier. I’ll be praying!!!
As to football, I’m an agnostic until the 49ers make the playoffs, and then I have this born-again experience of watching football games, catching scores on the sports report, and screaming my head off at every goal and touchdown. Go figure.
And immigrants…I love them and I do anything and everything I can to encourage them.
Michael, really sorry to hear this…
I remember correctly, you had basically the same valve replacement procedure I had – aortic valve?
Asking because I had the same thing happen about a year after mine, they referred to mine as supra ventricular tachycardia.
They had to do ablations (4) inside the heart to block off bad signal pathways, apparently caused by scar tissue buildup.
Mine has been better since (shorter stints of SVT). I pray they can get you settled down soon.
Linn,
Thank you for the prayers and for being part of this community…your spirit changes the atmosphere for the better.
Owen,
We had the same surgery, different types of valves.
Mine is SVT as well…you may have given me a clue to the cause…thank you, my friend.
We’re holding you in our hearts. You are loved.
1 – Heart problems scare the $#/+ out of me these days. It is what killed my wife, and what almost killed me. That gets my prayers, for whatever they are worth. Don’t care about the football part though… 😛
3 – Both those points make me want to go on the warpath. As you know, my wife and I were animal people, and I hate racism in any form. Point 4 is one I made from the pulpit before. It fell on deaf ears.
6 – Truth right there.
7,8 – Deep seated racism is the cause of this. Period.
9 – Yet every sermon poses the question, “You might say, but who is my neighbor?”
#2 – I need this reminder.
#9 – funny how it seems God puts “our neighbour” right in front of us.
Michael, they told me that the scar tissue build up was a result of cutting into the heart for the valve replacement, and it built up right next to the sinus node which is responsible for the signals that pace the heart. May be what s causing yours….?
I will be looking at a pacemaker in my near future, as my heart doesn’t speed up when it’s supposed to – weird because I still get random short bursts of rapid beats (and the occasional round of a-fib).
I am lifting you up in my prayers. Really sad to hear that after this event you can’t be fast tracked for specialist care.
Keeping you in prayer. I have bradycardia still but the afib went away.
Michael, Praying for you.
Amen on #10. May the Church learn this lesson well. It was the downfall of God’s people in Jeremiah’s day – and they were shocked, because they couldn’t imagine God allowing this to happen. It was the downfall of God’s people in AD 70 – and they were shocked, because they couldn’t imagine God allowing this to happen. I pray that we recognize our true Citizenship and Kingdom before we wake up shocked – and wondering why God allowed this to happen.
Praying for you, Michael.
The Viks always play the Niners tough, and it’s as if they are not taken seriously. To get beat by their former backup QB? But I’m still mad that SF asked one of their team captains to take a pay cut and then released him when he refused.
Praying you feel better and that the MDs get some answers.
Gman,
Thanks…much love to you and yours…
Reuben,
Your prayers are as efficacious as any and they’re much appreciated, my friend.
You and your wife were animal people indeed…praying you get to a place where you can be one again.
Owen,
I finally got an ultrasound scheduled…hoping to get some answers than.
Praying for you as well, my friend.
JD, Terrie, Steven…thank you.