Tire Pressure Light

The tire pressure sensor light has been brightly lit on my dash for some time now.  I have repeatedly checked the pressure in all four tires and found them to be properly inflated.  Since I had some time of this week, I decided to take the FJ in to the shop to have them check out the warning light.  As I pulled into the service bay and started explaining the issue, the service attendant looked at me kinda funny and said, "Did you check the spare?"

I just rolled up the window and left.  The apparently 'super-stupid' look on my face was enough.  I'm sure they laughed about that all day.

Check the spare...duhh!

Merry Christmas Ya'll!

I know I've written about this before, but there's no law I know if against redundancy, is there?  It's Christmas Eve and I'm excited.  No, it's not the gifts or stuff.  Really, it is the marking of another year and the celebration with family as we remember the blessings our Father has granted and the ultimate gift of our salvation in Christ.

Our traditions are rather simple, yet I believe that they are profound too.  Tonight, we will not track Santa, or rush the kids off to bed, or stay up all night assembling stuff, or sneaking out loads of presents.  No, we will start the evening off with a simple candlelight service to celebrate the coming of the Savior.  It is the first thing we do and I believe it sets the proper tone for all that follows.

After the service, we'll come home and exchange stocking gifts.  If there is any sneaking around, it is sometime before this point as we all try to stealthfully place a small gift or two into each other's stocking.  The stocking gifts take a lot of pressure off of the whole event and evening.  It has allowed us to share something special and sleep well.  It has been years since we had to get up early on Christmas morning.

But, when Christmas morning arrives, we are all excited.  Usually, there are extended family around and plenty of food.  We'll exchange gifts mid-morning and enjoy our company through the afternoon.  It's peaceful and enjoyable.  We will remember the story of Christ's birth and the significance of the gifts we share.

I hope that as you enjoy your Christmas traditions, you will remember the Lord Jesus Christ as well.  He is the reason we celebrate and exchange gifts.  It is a remembrance of the most precious gift we could ever have the opportunity to receive, life.

Merry Christmas!

Mea Culpa

You know, there are times I am really disappointed in myself.  These times usually come after I realize that I have slidden down the preverbal 'slippery slope.'  It is only when I'm at the bottom, that I realize where I am.  That happened to me today.

I was caught off guard.  And in a moment of self indulgent weakness, I complained rather bitterly about another person in my office.  It was un-professional.  It didn't glorify my Lord at all.  Tomorrow, I will apologize to the person who listened to my outburst.  They deserve it.

Each day I start out with a time of scripture reading and prayer.  It is utterly amazing to me how quickly that can be lost when I walk in the office.  One day, I hope to change that.  With God's mercy, maybe I will.

Back Surgery

The continuing saga of the last five months of Jobesque existence led to back surgery a couple of days ago. The pain had become so intolerable that even the slightest movement brought excruciating pain in my back and down my leg. So, we hit the phones to the doctors to see what could possibly be done.

We finally managed to get in touch with the doc reading the MRI results. His comment was, "Yep, Mr. Fryar, you have a severe herniation of the L5-S1 disc. That'll take surgery to fix. I'm gonna call Dr. Dossett to get you an appointment."

By the afternoon of the next day, we still had not heard anything from either doc. So, we hit the phones again. And after many calls, we finally got in. It turned out the Dr. Dossett had to pass off to Dr. Clavennes, which turned out to be a good thing. Its amazing how God does that.

The next blessing came in the form of a nurse practitioner that recognized I needed some serious pain management and got me admitted to the hospital that evening. What an incredible blessing. They got my pain under control and my surgery scheduled. I met the doctor and he concurred that the only real option was surgery, so it became a matter of time. The next evening I was in and done in about an hour and a half.

When I awoke, the pain was gone. Wow. They had removed the portion of the disc that was pushing on the nerve and placed some pain-reducing agent in there as well. I could not tell I had been operated on. It was amazing. They told me that the nerves would wake up again in a day or so and that I would need to be extremely careful for the next few weeks while things healed.

I am so thankful for the skill and knowledge that God has allowed these doctors to posses. I am also so thankful that He has allowed me to receive treatment. I still don't know why I have been required to endure these trials and I may never know. But the Lord has also shown me mercy through all of this and I will praise Him for that.

It is hard to be thankful for a trial. And I have discovered that instantaneous thankfulness for suffering is very hard indeed. However, I think that as time goes by and I can reflect on the happenings, the thankfulness will come. I believe it will come because I will see the wonderful things that God did during this time emerge from the haze of the pain. And I'm looking forward to that.

A very good reference and discussion of the type of procedure I underwent can be reviewed here.

I Don't Even Know Where To Start

I thought I was getting to the end of a serious time of testing with the jetski accident this summer. However, the Lord had other plans. Thanksgiving Thursday, I injured my back. I thought it was minor, but time has proven otherwise. The doctor was kind enough to call in a prescription on 11/28, and the pain was reduced. But, it came back with a vengeance. It has lasted with intensity ever since.

Last Thursday, I had an MRi. The doctor was supposed to call me with the results, but he hasn't yet. I think he will find a herniated disc which is putting tremendous pressure on a set of nerves down my left leg. It is so painful. This morning, I was in tears uncontrollably.

I do not know what the Lord is working in my life. Whatever it is, the lesson has been extremely difficult. I'm not Job, and I cannot claim to be righteous other than by the blood of my savior, Jesus. I only hope that this trial will end soon. I am blessed that it has not been worse and I know that I am loved as a child of the Lord. It is just so hard right now.

I am praying that He will heal me and that I will not fail in this trial.