Stronger Each Day

Ken_rickshaw Today, I walked thirty feet with the walker. That is the longest distance that I have walked since going home on December 10th.I also was able to lift forty-five pounds on the triceps exercise machine(known as the rickshaw see picture above). This afternoon I worked on getting back into my wheelchair from a crawling position. The good news is that I was able to support myself on all fours, but I still have a long way to go before I am proficient at getting back into a chair by myself.

Overall, my assessment is that the end of this two weeks I will be able to return home ahead of where I was in my rehab process when this most recent health crisis hit. That is something that I did not anticipate. I know that Romans 8:28 that talks about “all things working together for good” is often misapplied and overused, but this circumstance seems to fit into that category.

The severity of the sepsis and the resulting physicalset back would have indicated that I had a lot of catching up to do. I am thankful that is not the way it is turning out. The excess weight from water retention has dissipated and my weight is 167 pounds.

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In my youth there were two books of the Bible that I struggled with. One was Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament the other was Revelation in the New Testament. I have gained a better understanding and appreciation of both of these books. The Book of Ecclesiastes was always a challenge because of sorting out what were the frustrated ramblings and wrong conclusions about life and what were the principles that were reinforced by the general truth of the Bible.

What I have found is how current an Old Testament book can be. In its pages we find attitudes and perspectives that come down to our present day. Here is one for you to consider:

“Don’t ask, “Why were things better in the old days than they are now? It isn’t wisdom that leads you to ask this!” Eccl. 7:10 (GW)

Since Solomon lived some 900 years before Christ, what would be the context of the “old days?” The days of King David? The days of King Saul? Both of these had their share of war and a dysfunctional royal family.

Are the old days for us the days of the Great Depression? World War II? The 1950’s? Someone once said that those who long for the “good ole days” suffer from a bad memory. Certainly times have changed and values have changed along with those changing times. One thing remains constant and that is the truth of God’s Word, our trust in God and the priority of the family as the primary instructor in godliness and spiritual truth. It is true that the culture in general in the past was more affirming of faith and “Biblical” values. That environment allowed many to take for granted that children would walk in the “fear and admonition” of the Lord.

The Book of Judges chronicles the time when Israel was to take possession of the Promised Land. However one of the saddest verses of the Bible is found in Judges 2:10…

“After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.”

Back in the earliest days of Israel’s history was a failure of passing the faith from one generation to the next. The admonition of Moses in Deuteronomy 6 was ignored. The result was idolatry, being sidelined and sucked up by the prevailing culture and as a result, “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

In our day of cultural relativism that is the message that we find on a consistent basis. So what we find is that much of what we see in our world today is not new to humanity. But it should serve as a reminder for us to know that there is a truth to be followed and guiding principles for our life that can be found in God’s Word. The challenge is for parents to be the guardians of passing of a spiritual heritage to the next generation. It is a challenging world out there handle with prayer!

Thank you for your continued prayers for my recovery and strength. If parents of young children and teens would like help in passing on the faith to their children check out Kirk Weaver’s Family Time Training at www.famtime.com

All the posts regarding Ken’s illness and road to recovery can be found at

www.caringbridge.org/visit/kensummers

 

 

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