| Friday November 27, 2020 ” Comfort, comfort O my people.” Isaiah 40:1 Yesterday it was 13 years. I had eaten a breakfast of sausage and eggs at the Sip and Bite Restaurant in Elmira. I said hello to Steve Brnjas, interim pastor here Poole for a time, on my way in that morning. I do not remember leaving the place, nor do I remember driving home. I remember waking up about a day and half later in Grand River Hospital. I had a heart attack at home. My wife and the local fireman did CPR and used the AED to slow down my heart rate. It took the fireman seven minutes to arrive, and the paramedics responded seven minutes after that. I was in the hospital for a week before surgery ( triple bypass ), and then another week for recovery. I came home with over $1000 worth of medications. I began physical and emotional rehabilitation after arriving home. Rehab continues until today. It was a miracle. The odds of surviving a heart attack are astronomical. But, God is not into odds. Shirley, the fireman, the surgeon, the cardiologist, the nurses and the pharmacists did what they were trained to do. They did not save my life. People do the same life saving techniques, and patients do not survive. So, it was God. Some say it wasn’t my time. Some have said that it was luck. Why me ? This is a dumb question, for me. It happened, and I have been given 13 years to serve God, the community and the world. I am still on the way to being made perfect in Christ. I have much to discern, and learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Advent begins this Sunday. The theme for this year is “ On the Road…”. Come along the road, to meet Jesus again, for the first time. AMEN  FRED |
