Said Brother Monk: Lord, I have been through much pain and suffering of late…May, June and July are blurs. Still, I call upon your name, that thou, O Lord, according to your great love and mercy and will …That You, O Lord, will be able to continue my healing, step by step by step, little by little. I sense Your hand upon me. I know You are not healing me all at once, but, that I may be ever humble and thankful and give You the glory and praise and thanks for my progress. Everyday is some forward progress, Lord, a little bit and a little bit and a little bit…for Yours is the glory forever and ever. Thy will be done, Lord, on earth as it is in heaven. How great art Thou, Lord, O great healer and guiding hand for those who love You. O Lord, how great art Thou! Nothing is too hard for You Lord, but a little thing in Your greatness and power.

From recovery to my room at the hospital from the second surgery at the same site to remove a large hematoma, in the wee hours of the dark morning, I lay in my bed straight up, fearing to lie-down; my incision of some 40-50 staples in my lower back was raw…I could not get the right breathing, could not get a full breath…and this was how I suffered through the long morning hours…the thought that I might die was ever present…and I prayed to the Lord Jesus that if this is my time, that He would be pleased to receive me with open arms, to be with Him forever. Then an infection was discovered at the wound site, and I was given a pic line to administer two heavy duty antibiotics for four weeks at home following my release. Then came another set-back: two blood clots…one in the back of my right leg behind the knee, the other in my right lung! We got it in time, Lord, and that is the pattern of how You bring me through all my trials and sufferings and illnesses, and operations. O how great Thou art, my Lord and God and Savior! I had to learn to walk again with my right leg that doesn’t work so well-the ankle and toes are very weak, the toes move very little…the nerve (s) to my tight foot was accidently cut during the second surgery due to a massive amount of blood at the wound site…But, thanks be to GOD, my Lord and Savior, I can walk! You are with me Lord, and ever present, and I am with You. I love You Lord Jesus, O BLESSED AND HOLY TRINITY, O Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, with all my heart, and all my soul, and all my mind.. Thanks be to God, I can walk and walk and walk.

For three months I was hurting, Lord…but you brought me through, and now, even though my right leg is getting better, yet my toes and ankle are not yet strong or working as they should. But now I can walk with a cane and have completed months of physical therapy and pool, and am able to walk about two miles, and do the recumbent bicycle for about 4-5 miles, plus weights! And what a blessing my Lord You have given me at this time of healing; and what a wonderful blessing You have given to me my wife, my coach, my cheerleader, and my family and friends who have prayed for me and supported me throughout. I am focused on walking tall, and I have some work to do on my belly. But I will get there Lord with Your constant help. To be where I am now, Lord, Almighty God, Heavenly Father, Eternal Father, King of the universe…your humble servant is ever grateful.

In the fullness of time as appointed by God, He sent His Son, His only begotten Son to earth to be born a child of His earthly mother, Mary, blessed and holy Mary, mother of God. And at this time, your appointed time in the year 2014, approaching 2,00 years since the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ Jesus up to heaven, I am only one of millions who you watch over and help and heal. Who cannot gaze upon You, O Lord, and think in the heart and mind exactly what You did for the world when Your blood was shed for us on the cross at Calvary. You and only You, Lord Jesus, for You are the Holy One who takes away the sins of the whole world; You are the Lamb of God…so that believing we would have forgiveness of our sins and have eternal life with our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. O that more than a quarter of the world’s population would come to faith in the Lord Jesus, as the Father calls through the Holy Spirit. Shall it ever be so? Shall there ever be a great harvest of souls as when it shall be done in the Great Tribulation in future years? O that today, this very day that God has given us in His wonderful creation of His spoken word, one more Gentile and one more Jew would come to the saving faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. If the world only knew of Your great love and mercy and saving grace for all people-everywhere, who would come to faith.

O Lord, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. Thanks be to GOD.

Amen.

r T