March 27, 2012, is American Diabetes Association Alert Day®. As one who suffers from Type 2 diabetes, I encourage all of you out there who read this blog to test to see whether they are at risk for this dreaded disease. As a matter of fact, I am providing a link to an earlier article that has the questions for you to check: http://1ncisfan.blogspot.com/2010/03/diabetes-awareness-day.html.
Also for more information, you can also go to www.diabetes.org. Ignorance is not bliss, as a matter of fact ignorance can lead to deadly consequences. So be aware....if you have diabetes, you can treat it, if not you can prevent yourself from getting it and be able to help others.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Dr. Park and Genesis 50:20
If what happened to me in 2008 were to be a story (or movie) and there would be a "villain" it would be Dr. Park from Christus Santa Rosa....
My experience with Dr. Park started on the 2nd day of my first trip to the hospital and to some it would be an omen....instead of coming to into my room and asking politely "How are we doing?" or "Let me ask you something" in a way that would put me at ease, he came in and said "Did you know you have diabetes?"; in a tone that made it almost sound like that I had committed a crime or done something wrong...
Then on that Thursday, he released me from CSR, which at the time seemed to be good news. However it would not be until a few years later, that I found out that Dr. Metersky (who would eventually be my surgeon) had scheduled me for a test, which if conducted could have found the flare-up in my appendix and saved our family a whole lot of pain and tragedy...
And then another incident which I would not find out until later occurred on the same night that I was fighting for my life. While my body was shutting down and I was not that far away from going home to see the Lord (dying), Dr. Park had the chutzpah to ask my dad: "Why did you wait to bring your son in?" If I had been able to communicate mentally with my dad, I would have had him reply: "Why, maybe because you didn't tell us that there was anything wrong with my abdomen? maybe because you focused solely on my diabetes instead of on other things like Dr. Metersky did? Maybe if you had done either, I wouldn't be turning blue and being thisclose to losing my fight for life?"
But Dr. Park wasn't finished yet....about my third term at CSR (which probably would have been after my ileostomy-(when they put my small intestine out through my skin and I had to wear the colostomy bag), while my parents were visiting me, he would for no reason, turn off the light to the room (if it weren't for the lights of the bed being on it would have been totally dark).
Now to many the thought would have been to sue this man for everything that he had. As a matter of fact, my dad wanted to and he was gathering up all the information that he would use in a lawsuit...one small problem, he needed me to sign off on it....and I wouldn't...
Wait, you may be asking, why not? After what Dr. Park did to you and your family, almost killing you, being rude to your father etc....you didn't sue him??
The reason why is something that I learned a while back from a study on the life of Joseph done by Chuck Swindoll...In Genesis 50, after the death of Jacob, the brothers of Joseph thought that now since Jacob was dead, Joseph would take revenge on them for all the things that they did to him. So they went to Joseph and told him to forgive them for all they had done...but Joseph's response to them took them by surprise:
Genesis 50:19 and 20-19And Joseph said unto them, "Fear not; for am I in the place of God?
20But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day, to save many people alive.
I learned something from that...that God can turn the stuff that happens into a person's life into something that brings honor and glory to Him...How did God use what happened to me to bring honor and glory to Him:
My experience with Dr. Park started on the 2nd day of my first trip to the hospital and to some it would be an omen....instead of coming to into my room and asking politely "How are we doing?" or "Let me ask you something" in a way that would put me at ease, he came in and said "Did you know you have diabetes?"; in a tone that made it almost sound like that I had committed a crime or done something wrong...
Then on that Thursday, he released me from CSR, which at the time seemed to be good news. However it would not be until a few years later, that I found out that Dr. Metersky (who would eventually be my surgeon) had scheduled me for a test, which if conducted could have found the flare-up in my appendix and saved our family a whole lot of pain and tragedy...
And then another incident which I would not find out until later occurred on the same night that I was fighting for my life. While my body was shutting down and I was not that far away from going home to see the Lord (dying), Dr. Park had the chutzpah to ask my dad: "Why did you wait to bring your son in?" If I had been able to communicate mentally with my dad, I would have had him reply: "Why, maybe because you didn't tell us that there was anything wrong with my abdomen? maybe because you focused solely on my diabetes instead of on other things like Dr. Metersky did? Maybe if you had done either, I wouldn't be turning blue and being thisclose to losing my fight for life?"
But Dr. Park wasn't finished yet....about my third term at CSR (which probably would have been after my ileostomy-(when they put my small intestine out through my skin and I had to wear the colostomy bag), while my parents were visiting me, he would for no reason, turn off the light to the room (if it weren't for the lights of the bed being on it would have been totally dark).
Now to many the thought would have been to sue this man for everything that he had. As a matter of fact, my dad wanted to and he was gathering up all the information that he would use in a lawsuit...one small problem, he needed me to sign off on it....and I wouldn't...
Wait, you may be asking, why not? After what Dr. Park did to you and your family, almost killing you, being rude to your father etc....you didn't sue him??
The reason why is something that I learned a while back from a study on the life of Joseph done by Chuck Swindoll...In Genesis 50, after the death of Jacob, the brothers of Joseph thought that now since Jacob was dead, Joseph would take revenge on them for all the things that they did to him. So they went to Joseph and told him to forgive them for all they had done...but Joseph's response to them took them by surprise:
Genesis 50:19 and 20-19And Joseph said unto them, "Fear not; for am I in the place of God?
20But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day, to save many people alive.
I learned something from that...that God can turn the stuff that happens into a person's life into something that brings honor and glory to Him...How did God use what happened to me to bring honor and glory to Him:
- First off, He reminded all of us that HE is the one who determines people's lifespan, not a minute or second longer than He wants it to
- It brought people in to pray and by my healing, see their prayers answered, so that they can tell people that prayer WORKS.
- People came and brought words of testimony and in the case of Sid and Deb Davila, brought some presents for my parents (If I haven't thanked you-thank you Sid and Deb) showing that the body of Christ is more than one person.
- It allowed us to share the Gospel with others.
- It taught patience.
- It gave us a chance to spend time in the Word, to learn more about Him.
- It gave birth to this blog, a chance to share with others all over the place to learn what God has done, is doing with and through me.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
saying good-bye
I had to say good bye recently, but it's not what you think....it's wasn't to a human...it was to a pair of tennis shoes. Why do a blog entry on a pair of tennis shoes? Well it's because the tennis shoes was part of my recovery program.
When you spent as much time as I did in a hospital bed (a couple of months), two things begin to happen, one you almost forget how to walk and two, the muscles in your legs begin to waste away...well, when I was cleared to start my therapy to walk again, my mom had the brilliant notion of putting on a pair of sneakers on my feet when I would do my walking. .So she bought a pair of black sneakers which, instead of laces, had Velcro straps on them, so that I didn't have to spend time (and at times there wasn't a whole of time to be wasting time) tying and untying shoelaces. What the sneakers were was weight on the bottom of my feet, so I was not only learning how to walk again, but doing a small amount of weight training to rebuild the muscles in my legs.
Well, I grew so attached to the sneakers, that even when I got out of the hospital, I wore them even more than the sneakers that I had received in 2007 as a Christmas gift, I grew attached to them and got comfortable with them.
But with all sneakers, they finally started to fall apart a little and had to get a new pair of sneakers. But I haven't totally gotten rid of them, they still have a spot underneath the bed, because I can still wear them at home, and to be honest, I couldn't totally say goodbye to something that got me through my time in the hospital.....
When you spent as much time as I did in a hospital bed (a couple of months), two things begin to happen, one you almost forget how to walk and two, the muscles in your legs begin to waste away...well, when I was cleared to start my therapy to walk again, my mom had the brilliant notion of putting on a pair of sneakers on my feet when I would do my walking. .So she bought a pair of black sneakers which, instead of laces, had Velcro straps on them, so that I didn't have to spend time (and at times there wasn't a whole of time to be wasting time) tying and untying shoelaces. What the sneakers were was weight on the bottom of my feet, so I was not only learning how to walk again, but doing a small amount of weight training to rebuild the muscles in my legs.
Well, I grew so attached to the sneakers, that even when I got out of the hospital, I wore them even more than the sneakers that I had received in 2007 as a Christmas gift, I grew attached to them and got comfortable with them.
But with all sneakers, they finally started to fall apart a little and had to get a new pair of sneakers. But I haven't totally gotten rid of them, they still have a spot underneath the bed, because I can still wear them at home, and to be honest, I couldn't totally say goodbye to something that got me through my time in the hospital.....
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Remembering
Today, we held a funeral service at Fort Sam Houston for my mother's step-father, Trini DeSantiago, who went home to be with the Lord at the age of 94....there is nothing like the pomp and ceremony of a military ceremony.....
Tom Brokaw once wrote a book called "The Greatest Generation" talking of those who served their country during a time of war. Trini was one of those who ended up serving, but in a sense he and some others were what I would consider the greatest of the "Greatest Generation". The ones that I talk about were men such as Trini and other Hispanic and African-American men and women who served their country during World War 2. The reason I say that these were the greatest of that great generation was of the circumstance in which they lived.
You must remember that the 1940's were a different time than they are now. Being African-American, Mexican-American, or of other minorities meant prejudice, bigotry and "separate but equal" (which was not). It was easy for white men and women to spring to duty and be ready to serve. Things would be different, but mostly the same. But I believe that for men and women of minority groups to do so meant something different. They were willing to look beyond prejudice being put against them and yet be willing to serve their country and do their patriotic duty to be sure that victory was won.
And you must remember that even though they won the war, these men and women would go back to-in some places, a society that would continue to show prejudice against them. However, because of their service during the war, they showed that they were equal in valor and bravery and in a few years, these men and women would be the ones to fight another war in the next few decades, the war against prejudice and bigotry...it would take more time and more effort, but in the end that war would be won.
So Trini and to all who served, rest in peace and enter into the joy of the Lord, to whom there is no prejudice, bigotry and hatred....but love, joy, peace and the shelter of the arms of the Lord for all of you......
Tom Brokaw once wrote a book called "The Greatest Generation" talking of those who served their country during a time of war. Trini was one of those who ended up serving, but in a sense he and some others were what I would consider the greatest of the "Greatest Generation". The ones that I talk about were men such as Trini and other Hispanic and African-American men and women who served their country during World War 2. The reason I say that these were the greatest of that great generation was of the circumstance in which they lived.
You must remember that the 1940's were a different time than they are now. Being African-American, Mexican-American, or of other minorities meant prejudice, bigotry and "separate but equal" (which was not). It was easy for white men and women to spring to duty and be ready to serve. Things would be different, but mostly the same. But I believe that for men and women of minority groups to do so meant something different. They were willing to look beyond prejudice being put against them and yet be willing to serve their country and do their patriotic duty to be sure that victory was won.
And you must remember that even though they won the war, these men and women would go back to-in some places, a society that would continue to show prejudice against them. However, because of their service during the war, they showed that they were equal in valor and bravery and in a few years, these men and women would be the ones to fight another war in the next few decades, the war against prejudice and bigotry...it would take more time and more effort, but in the end that war would be won.
So Trini and to all who served, rest in peace and enter into the joy of the Lord, to whom there is no prejudice, bigotry and hatred....but love, joy, peace and the shelter of the arms of the Lord for all of you......
Monday, January 2, 2012
In, out or neither
Today I was reading the morning paper, and as it is the 2nd day of the year, they have the "in and out' list....things that are considered "in" (trending, hip, etc...) and things that are out (items that have become "passe") and it's interesting how these things change from year to year. Things considered trending on January 2, 2011 are considered so..."(fill in the number) seconds ago" (a phrase I absolutely detest!).
But thinking about this, I am reminded of the words of the book of James: "For what is your life? It is a vapor (puff of smoke) that appears for a little while and then vanishes (dissolves into thin air) away." (James 4:14b). So what should the priority of us who are believers should be? If they had asked me about what should be "in" or "out" (and you know they never would), I would have responded...
OUT: Caring about what people think should be "in" or "out" (a shifting list based on shifting values)
IN: Being more like the Lord (a lifestyle based on values that never change)
Because when you get to the bottom line, what will matter and what will last for eternity-following the latest trend and adapting to the world's standards which change with the prevailing currents or following the commandments of God and leaving a legacy of lives made better and of more value?
When I was lying in in a hospital bed in the middle of 2008, it didn't matter what was in or out, neither was of any value to me, what was of value were those who came in and lifted my family up in prayer, who shared words of comfort, and all of that were based on the values that never change. So if you were to ask me if I was in or out, I would say neither, I would say that I am here for something of more worth.....
But thinking about this, I am reminded of the words of the book of James: "For what is your life? It is a vapor (puff of smoke) that appears for a little while and then vanishes (dissolves into thin air) away." (James 4:14b). So what should the priority of us who are believers should be? If they had asked me about what should be "in" or "out" (and you know they never would), I would have responded...
OUT: Caring about what people think should be "in" or "out" (a shifting list based on shifting values)
IN: Being more like the Lord (a lifestyle based on values that never change)
Because when you get to the bottom line, what will matter and what will last for eternity-following the latest trend and adapting to the world's standards which change with the prevailing currents or following the commandments of God and leaving a legacy of lives made better and of more value?
When I was lying in in a hospital bed in the middle of 2008, it didn't matter what was in or out, neither was of any value to me, what was of value were those who came in and lifted my family up in prayer, who shared words of comfort, and all of that were based on the values that never change. So if you were to ask me if I was in or out, I would say neither, I would say that I am here for something of more worth.....
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Something to think about in 2012
In 3 hours and nine minutes (at least when I started this post) it will be the 2012.....and just a few seconds ago, I was looking at an older blog entry that had one of my favorite quotes from Chuck Colson:
"The role of the church is not to make men and women happy, it is to make them holy"
As we know, the church is not a building, but you and I who make up the church, individual beings living together in this world. So let me re enter the quote and make a substitution:
"The role of you and I is not to make men and women happy, it is to make them holy"
So the question then becomes, how can we make men and women holy, if we ourselves are not holy? So how do we become holy? I think the answer comes from Luke 9:23 "Then he said to them all 'If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny (to say no to something) himself , and take up his cross daily (emphasis mine), and follow Me." But let me quote the last half of that verse in The Amplified Bible: "conforming wholly to my example in living and if need be in dying also". In other words to follow the example the Lord gave in His life here on earth.
So if we are to take on the task of ministering to others in 2012, we need to first remember to take on the identity that we have been given: "Christ"ians. As it has been said: "Be ye holy, as I am holy"and to be holy we need to follow the example that Jesus gave and when we do that it becomes easier to make those that we come in contact with holy, because we will have given them the example of what it means to be a follow of Christ?
Will you make that your goal in 2012?
"The role of the church is not to make men and women happy, it is to make them holy"
As we know, the church is not a building, but you and I who make up the church, individual beings living together in this world. So let me re enter the quote and make a substitution:
"The role of you and I is not to make men and women happy, it is to make them holy"
So the question then becomes, how can we make men and women holy, if we ourselves are not holy? So how do we become holy? I think the answer comes from Luke 9:23 "Then he said to them all 'If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny (to say no to something) himself , and take up his cross daily (emphasis mine), and follow Me." But let me quote the last half of that verse in The Amplified Bible: "conforming wholly to my example in living and if need be in dying also". In other words to follow the example the Lord gave in His life here on earth.
So if we are to take on the task of ministering to others in 2012, we need to first remember to take on the identity that we have been given: "Christ"ians. As it has been said: "Be ye holy, as I am holy"and to be holy we need to follow the example that Jesus gave and when we do that it becomes easier to make those that we come in contact with holy, because we will have given them the example of what it means to be a follow of Christ?
Will you make that your goal in 2012?
Friday, December 16, 2011
Hanukkah: Is It Really a Minor Festival?
In a few days, Hanukkah or the "Fesitval of Lights" will be celebrated....as a believer who goes to a Messianic Jewish Congregation, the holiday has a more significant meaning than it might to most....the reason I say that is because if it were not for Hanukkah and the Lord saving the Jewish people through the Maccabees, then we would not have Christmas, Resurrection Sunday, et. al....As believers, we should have more of an appreciation for days such as this....especially if it was one that was observed by Jesus....
I included a article orginially written in 1984, but still holds a great amount of significance reminding us of what the holiday is.....Hanukkah: Is It Really a Minor Festival? - http://www.jewsforjesus.org/publications/issues/3_5/hanukkah/
I included a article orginially written in 1984, but still holds a great amount of significance reminding us of what the holiday is.....Hanukkah: Is It Really a Minor Festival? - http://www.jewsforjesus.org/publications/issues/3_5/hanukkah/
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