Except for the pieces we've been writing for The Roar down in Australia (and this time of year, those have been pretty exclusively about American college football), there's been a hiatus of a couple of weeks at least where we haven't added very much to your reading, particularly on the Christian front.
There are two reasons for that.
1) Much of the time I'd normally spend on writing new material for Act II Ministries has been spent editing and selecting essays for a new project, available soon: a collection of the best Christian essays from the past year-plus of Act II to be published before Christmas. There were over three hundred different pieces to choose from, and we want to make this book something that will help win people to Christ, or strengthen the commitment of those who have already found the Lord's goodness.
2) My health has taken a turn for the worse, as it occasionally does. Many times previously I've discussed the 'thorn in my side', the tubular aggregate myopathy which God allowed me to have, which slowed me down enough to take the time to listen to Him and begin walking by His Side. But the disease hasn't gone away just because I became a Christian, and its effects have now reached to point where I'm having to start the process of disability retirement from my regular teaching job.
In the meantime, typing has become more difficult for me - not so much the physical aspect but trying to stay coordinated enough to spell something correctly (or at least well enough for the auto-correct to help!) My poor girlfriend has gotten the brunt of my bad typing: my texts are almost unreadable at times! Having the mental stamina to put out these posts is becoming more and more rare. Even when I'm back on first priority for this blog, I suspect posts will be fewer and farther between because of it. (On the other hand, when I stop teaching altogether, I may have more time to dedicate to this production, too!)
The truth is, I've been very fortunate as far as this disease goes. It was discovered in just about one year from first appointment to diagnosis, much faster than the very few people I'm aware of with the condition (there are only about 50-75 of us TAM sufferers in the world, apparently). So before I'd followed the obvious doctoral advice of exercising more to stay in shape - the worst advice for a TAM sufferer, because that creates more tubules faster! - I learned not to. The people I'd talked to on line with the condition were already wheelchair bound and out of work before the condition was diagnosed; I got six more years before this moment! And while I'm very wobbly when I walk, I'm not in a wheelchair as of yet, either! So I'm very blessed in that sense.
My girlfriend has been a huge help, as have my tween and teen children. Moving to a small house last year undoubtedly prolonged my health. My assistant teacher is probably doing 90% of the classroom work, in hopes of extending my stay as a teacher. The school district I work for has been tremendous in its support. All in all, I really have no complaints given the condition I suffer from. God through His human appendages has been very good to me.
It's my aim to make it alive until the Rapture, which I sincerely believe is within the next year, maybe two years at most. Honestly, that's one of the things that keeps me going when the fight seems hopeless. I also know that God has a plan for my remaining time on earth, no matter how short it is, or He would have taken me along with my late wife four years ago. So I don't want to usurp His right to take or give my life - it's not my role, no matter how much preferable Heaven will be to my current malaise of pain and exhaustion. That's His Call.
So, I'm still here. I'm still fighting. I may not be getting very much done, but anything I can accomplish for Him is more than nothing. God bless you all, and I love you all.
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