The "Heart" of the Matter

I must begin this post by saying, “I thank the Lord that I am able to deliver this post!” The reason is, I have just returned from a 7-night “vacation” in Alachua General Hospital in Gainesville, Florida.

I went to the Emergency Room Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 1st) with chest pains. A Heart Catheterization was performed on Wednesday, which revealed three blockages needed immediate attention. The open- heart bypass surgery took place on Thursday morning with successful results. I returned home on Tuesday (Nov. 8th). To God be the glory!!!

I have so many examples of how the Lord had total control over the situation, even though, I must confess, that I had some fears of what lay ahead. The right doctors, nurses and staff were in place at the exact moment they were needed. A dear Christian friend was the Charge Nurse of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit where I was located for a few days. The nurse assigned to me during that time is a Christian. Once moved to a regular room I found one of the nurses (a Christian) had been present during a revival meeting last year. One of my closest friend’s daughter (a Christian that has been brought through many heart procedures) is also on the hospital staff and visited regularly. There were also many other opportunities to share Jesus and exchange testimonies. God also took care of the scheduling issues in that only two preaching engagements remained before the end of the year. He lessened the financial burden with co-workers donating part of their sick leave so that I may still receive payment from my secular employer (since my leave has long been exhausted). I could go on and on giving praise to the Lord for all He brought about over the past two weeks.

There are so many people that I would love to thank in this note, but I’m afraid I would leave someone out, and there are many that I do not know their names at all. I received so many telephone calls leaving messages with hospital staff as well as many visiting me during my stay.

To all of the family, friends, churches, co-workers in the Lord’s Work, co-workers at New River Solid Waste Association, and those that I don’t even know of that prayed for me, your prayers were heard and much appreciated.

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,” – Phil 1:3

God bless you,

James