Fasting and the love of God

Last Friday night my wife and went with our friends to their church which is Catholic, for the Stations of the Cross. For those who aren't familiar with the Stations of the Cross these are the significant points that Christ traveled carrying the Cross to Calvary. There are fourteen stations and these have pictures representing them along the walls inside the church. During the ceremony an Altar Boy carries the Cross while two people read from a pamphlet and do it representing Christ and they stop at each station. After the people read Christ part the parish reads their parts. My wife thought it was very moving and wants to do it again this Friday.

Saturday my wife and I completed another day of fasting and I say again this is nothing compared to what Christ endured for us. During this fast we read from the Gospel and prayed for God to watch over and help our friends that are in need.

Sunday after church Joey had me acting like Paul Bunyan again chopping up trees getting them ready for her to burn.

Today I went and visited my friend Ron Nelson at Crawford Long Hospital. You know the saying "There I might be if weren't but for the Grace of God". Well Ron is dieing of cancer. You see he is a Vietnam Vet like I am, he was there from 1968 to 1969 and I was there from 1969 to 1970. The cancer he has, has been attributed to Agent Orange exposure and where he was a grunt he got exposed to it quite often. I don't know if they were still using it while I was there but I do remember them flying over our compound and spraying something. This cancer he has only affects 35 people a year and the majority of those are children. I took my friend Heidi's advice and visited him to say good bye because the way it looks only a miracle could help him now. He will be going home tomorrow and will be under hospice care. He is on pain medicine which means he slept most of the time I was there but it was good to see him. Which meant I mostly visited with his wife Alice she is a strong woman and is holding up very well.

I feel truly blessed that I have my health and I love God for what I have more and more everyday.

Fasting

My wife and I completed our first fast this past weekend. We started it after Friday nights supper and completed it at Saturday nights supper. I know it was not much of a fast compared to the fast and sacrifice Christ did for us. During our fast we worked in our yard and each time we took a break I would read recommended passages from the Bible. My prayers during our fasting were for me to acquire guidance that I can give to my family and thank Jesus for the ultimate sacrifice that he made for us. I talked with my Christian Sister Heidi about the fasting and she related that even though she had never done one that her parents had and that they recieved God's blessing with the issues they were having. She is a very wise woman as I have said in the past. When I have asked her if it is alright for me to ask God things for myself (being brought up like I was and told that we should only ask for others) she has assured me that God wants me to ask for things for myself. I am thinking of fasting again next weekend and during this fast I plan on asking God to help our friends with issues that they are now experiencing.
From Church yesterday when asked to sum up your life in six words a ten year old cancer patient responded with "Cursed by Cancer Blessed by Friends" which I think is very poignant.
Please pray for my guidance during these times.
Yours in Christ
The Older Man Dan

Another Blessed Day

Well I went back to church today it has been awhile. I did have a couple of people ask where I had been which does make one feel good. My problem with going back to the church where my wife and I had been going is that with the previous Minister that was there he new us by our names where this new Minister didn't even recognize that I hadn't been there. It is true that you don't go to church to be recogized by everyone, that you go to church to worship God. My thought is that you can worship God at home that you don't need to go to church, the thing I look to the church for is,is for support and guidance. My Christian Sister Heidi does a great job in guiding me, she is a very Wise Woman for her young age. I am blessed to have her as my friend. I love this quote "The friend who provides both physical and emotional shelter is a true haven, one who helps another weather a storm in safety." And another quote that love also is from an Indian tonque, friend beautifully states "one-who-carries-my-sorrows-on-his-back."
Lent is quickly coming upon us and I have been contemplating doing two things to honor Christ's sacrifice for us on the Cross. First I am not going to drink any alcohol for the fourty days of Lent. Second I am thinking of fasting at least for one day. I know these don't compare to what Christ did for us but I am far from being the perfect human being that Jesus was.
That is it for this post I will let you know how I make out with my Lenten sacrifices.