Aches and Praise Two Hundred & Eighty Five

Dear friends,
 

Earlier this week we received word that Adam Donley, the younger brother of Timothy, who was wounded in Afghanistan in 2012, was in a car accident and suffered a broken vertebra and a broken ankle. Gregg and Kathryn Donley sent this update yesterday about their youngest son:

“Adam had surgery on his ankle this afternoon and has returned to his room. The surgeon placed two long screws in his inner ankle and a plate with 6 screws in his outer ankle and up his leg. The surgeon said that it went well. Adam will not be able to bear any weight on that foot for at least six weeks. After that he may be able to wear a boot and do some light weight bearing. Real physical therapy won’t start until 3 months. If all goes as planned, this hardware may also be removable after a year. That would be truly remarkable…but it may also be a very long year.

Adam will have to wear a back brace every time he sits or stands for 2-3 months in order to support the injured L-3 vertebra. Because his right shoulder blade is also broken, he cannot use crutches or traditional means for moving around, so Physical Therapy will have to think up some creative solutions for activities of daily living.”

The Donleys request prayer that Adam would be able to sleep, that his pain would be kept under control, and that the teams of doctors and therapists would have wisdom for making a plan for his future therapy.

We also received word this week that a lady in our church fell on stairs outside and fractured her foot. Please pray for Margaret as she recuperates from this injury.

Last week I wrote about second chances in reference to the “new” head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, who was recently hired for the second time in Montreal, after coaching another team for nearly ten years. I also wrote about Montreal being chosen as the best city in the world for students. The world’s second-largest French-speaking city is also a centre of medical research and excellent health care.

On Monday, Karen and I went back to the optometrist that we had gone to before we  decided to go closer to home. Even though we hadn’t seen this doctor for many years, he welcomed us as if we had never left. This reminded me of how much the Lord loves us and wants us to spend time in His presence, meditating on His Word.

Scripture for the weekend: Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.” Psalm 37:3-5 (NIV)
 
Thought for the weekend: “The facts are that God is not silent, has never been silent. It is the nature of God to speak. The second Person of the Holy Trinity is called the Word. The Bible is the inevitable outcome of God’s continuous speech. It is the infallible declaration of His mind – for us put into our familiar human words.” – A. W. Tozer (from his book “The Pursuit of God”)
 

By His grace,

 

Steve


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