The Foray

Whew! What a Ride!

Sorry to have been away from the Foray the last few days. Life has been "interesting," to say the least!

Will gave us a real scare last Friday. While at school, he had a grand mal seizure -- a first in his long and eventful medical history. His teacher said that it struck without warning. Knowing nothing about seizures, I learned the following from the Mayo Clinic website:

"A grand mal seizure — also known as a tonic-clonic seizure — features a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions. It's the type of seizure most people picture when they think about seizures in general.

Grand mal seizure is caused by abnormal electrical activity throughout the brain. In some cases, this type of seizure is triggered by other health problems, such as extremely low blood sugar or a stroke. However, most of the time grand mal seizure is caused by epilepsy.

Many people who have a grand mal seizure will never have another one. However in some people, daily anti-seizure medications are needed to control grand mal seizure."

Denise and I are so thankful that Will's seizure happened while he was at his new school, Orange Grove, because their personnel are seasoned pros when it comes to dealing with seizures. The staff told us afterward that Will suddenly let out several loud cries, stood up from his desk, became stiff, and then started convulsing. The teacher quickly positioned him on the floor, his face eventually turning a blueish color as this went on the next 2 minutes.

I'm telling you, had this happened in our home, our poor family (not having ever dealt with such a thing) would've absolutely panicked! The Lord knows.

Anyhow, Will's been fine since he came home from the hospital. A procedure unrelated to his seizure revealed this past Monday that he has some stomach issues which we're now treating with medication. He returned (excitedly!) to school today and, from all accounts, had a wonderful day. Whew! What a ride!

Thanks to the outstanding professionals at Orange Grove Center    who assisted our son when were were miles away and totally unaware of his need, and who even came to the ER later to check on him! And thanks to all of you who prayed and stood with us last weekend as we entered uncharted territory with Will. Our young man will undergo some further tests in the coming weeks to try and pinpoint the cause of his seizure. In the meantime, we'd be so very appreciative if you would help us pray that (A) he has no more seizures, and (B) his eating picks up. We want him to start eating voraciously, like the teenager that he is!

As for the future, we don't know what it holds; but we know who holds it. And we're good with that!

Blessings all!
Greg

Lupi's Makes Pizza Good!

Just back from a wonderful lunch with the family at Lupi's . We ordered a pepperoni with extra cheese and, wow, was it ever good! It was delivered so hot, I think it took almost 20 minutes for it to cool down below the "burn your tongue" level.

The Lindseys always enjoy the food and atmosphere at Lupi's; if you're as crazy as us, you might just too!

Greg

Back in the Saddle Again!

Hi, y'all! It's good to be back!

The Lindsey family had a great Pigeon Forge vacation again this year. (Seems that's about as far away as we ever make it.) The kids had a blast riding go-karts, swimming, shooting pool, and exploring a new fun-center called "Magi-Quest," on the left side just as you enter the Pigeon Forge strip. Denise and I enjoyed watching them have a good time.

Personally, I was excited to see that a new museum(?) called "Titanic" is being built and is scheduled to open in 2010. You can't miss it because it's being constructed to resemble the bow of the Titanic; it's on your right as you head toward the strip. I hope it will be as interesting as it looks.

One word of warning: If you're planning your own Pigeon Forge get-away, be prepared for your travel through Sevierville to be an absolute nightmare! Starting today, the highway is being widened in an effort to improve traffic flow. I'm sure it will improve things when it's finished, but until then, it's going to be a HUGE traffic-jam. Maybe "one big parking lot" more aptly describes it!

Anyhow, it's good to be back!

Greg

Some Much Needed R&R

  Hi, y'all! Just so you know, I don't plan on doing any blogging for the next week and half, as I'm taking some much-needed vacation days. Husbanding, parenting, pastoring, blogging -- whew, I'm bushed! Not that these aren't all joys, mind you! I just need some down time to let the old brain "rehab" for a while.

So thanks for dropping in. I'll see you soon!

Greg

PS In my DREAMS, this beach scene has something to do with my vacation; in REALITY, it has nothing to do with my vacation. The only way I'll see a sight like this will be if I log in here! 

Thanks for Your Prayers

Thanks to everyone who prayed for Will today. I'm happy to report that he is back home this evening and doing fine. Our son is such a trooper! The doctor told us today that he obviously has a "high threshold" when it comes to pain. (I wish I could say that he gets that from me.) Hopefully he will be back to full speed in a few days.

Thanks also to Pat, James, and Mike for taking the extra time to post your encouraging comments. I really appreciate it!

Most of all, thank you, Lord, for guarding over Will yet again. He is such an incredible young man who "wordlessly" speaks to our hearts and enriches our lives every day. We're thankful for him beyond all ability to express!

Greg

Please Pray for Will

We have to take Will for a procedure today that will require him to be put to sleep and would deeply appreciate prayers for two things: his calm (once he realizes what is about to happen) and his safety during the procedure itself.

Denise and I have been down this road a bunch of times with Will throughout his 17 years, but it never seems to get any easier -- only harder, in fact. Not that what he's having done today is anywhere near as serious as some of his past stuff, but still he is being put to sleep once again. And like most parents, we'll be glad when it's all over!

I've often reflected on the fact that one of the "benefits" of Will's handicap is that he doesn't go to bed at night "dreading" the next day. I'm so thankful for this! Worrying isn't something our son does. He just leaves that to others!

Thanks everyone! I'll update you when it's over and he's back home.

Greg

A Beautiful Morning for a Walk

I enjoy life in Shannon Hills. Being an older subdivision, it's really quiet. We've got good neighbors. Everyone seems willing to help each other out if there's a need.

Lately, I've taken to early morning walks. Wait too late and the summer sun will make you pay! There are only a few "relatively flat" places for a stroll in Shannon Hills. (There's a reason it's called "Shannon Hills.")  Walk anywhere else and you're really going to have to "hoof it," as we used to say when I was growing up.

I don't know if you're into early morning walks or not, but I commend the practice to you. It will give you some time to be alone with God and your thoughts; it'll also help you feel better physically.

Greg

PS The only irritant on my beautiful morning walks? Small, yapping dogs that act like they've never seen a human being before! Their noisy and aggressive idiocy reminds me that the world is fallen.

Mired Down

Do you find it easy to become "mired down" in your day-to-day life? Probably most of us do.

The same thing can happen when it comes to gathered worship on Sundays and to practicing the Christian life.

"Overcoming the obstacles of tradition and technique requires an openness that's often absent among believers mired in cultural expressions of Christianity. Developing missional thinking requires us to have our own cultural presuppositions challenged, regardless of the era from which they are derived." (Ed Stetzer w/The North American Mission Board)

According to the dictionary, to be "mired" in something is to be "hindered, entrapped, or entangled." Sound like what you'd like to be? Me neither. Not in life and not in worship!

As Stetzer goes on to say:

"A church becomes missional when it remains faithful to the gospel and simultaneously seeks to contextualize the gospel (to the degree it can) so the gospel engages the hearers and transforms their worldview."

I agree, and (more importantly) so does the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. 

Such openness will keep our churches from the travesty and tragedy of becoming "mired down" with the good news about Jesus Christ.

Greg

Some Great Bluegrass Gospel

We enjoyed some great bluegrass gospel at Shadow Valley in beautiful Fayetteville, TN, on July 4. My favorite bluegrass band in the world, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, performed (among others), and they were characteristically outstanding.

I realize that some of the "less-cultured" among us find bluegrass rather distasteful, but it's their loss. As for me, I love it! Started playing bluegrass when I was 16 and it's in my blood to stay. If you want a treat and a taste of some authentic all-American culture, check out www.doylelawson.com

 Greg

It's NOT "Happy July 4th!"

Wishing others a "Happy July 4th!" is like wishing them a "Happy December 25th!" or "Happy Holidays!" It begs the question. What IS July 4th? What's significant about it? Vaguery isn't helpful. You want your surgeon to be precise, right?

"Happy Independence Day!"

Greg