When I was a kid, the concept of the rapture truly frightened me. Raised in church, I often heard talk of the return of Christ to rescue His people from the earth's destruction. But instead of looking to the heavens for Jesus to appear, I mainly just feared being left behind and what that meant for my future. I vividly remember walking into my house after school and bursting into tears if I didn't immediately see my dad. His absence, I was convinced, implied my doom.
That's how a kid typically views what is known as the rapture and, unfortunately, it's often regarded by many grown-ups with even less understanding. Jesus told His disciples He would return for His followers, not giving them a fixed date to expect Him, but a season. No one but the Father would know the day nor the hour He would return, yet ever since humans have repeatedly tried to predict both.
Harold Camping's prediction that Judgement Day will commence at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 21 is merely the most recent. Some members of the early church were so convinced Jesus would return within their lifetime that they saw no point in working, choosing to kick back and relax. Such idle believers were corrected and urged to keep busy until the Lord's coming. By the way, this is Camping's second stab at the date, and he has a backup (Oct. 21) just in case he's still here at 6:01 p.m.
First, let me make a prediction of my own: Camping's Judgement Day is at least 1,007 years off. He predicts that God will destroy the earth within a few months post-rapture, but Scripture speaks of a seven-year tribulation and a millennial reign before the earth is destroyed and made new, although many believers disagree on what order these events will take place with the rapture of the Church.
Either way, if you're truly concerned Camping's prediction may be true, don't be -- it virtually guarantees Jesus won't come back today. But that doesn't mean you should be unconcerned about your future.
What's sad about Camping's claim isn't so much that it's yet another false prophecy, rather it's just one more way for society to reduce Christianity to a punchline. For the last several days, so much of the chatter on Facebook has mentioned what friends will be doing this weekend "if the world doesn't end." Those who don't know any better might associate one misguided person's assertion with Christians as a whole, making them less likely to take the Gospel seriously. The enemy loves to hear us speak of His adversary in such sarcastic disbelief. But it's not funny. Satan is real and so is Hell.
Still, our sentiments on the rapture shouldn't be generated by fear. It isn't about escaping the fires of Hell; it's about anticipating finally being with Christ -- the One who spilled His blood for us, the One called Faithful and True, the One who makes being in God's presence possible. While thoughts of the rapture used to terrify me as a child, as a more mature believer I can't imagine a more glorious day. Truly, in the last few years I can't tell you how many times I've prayed in tears, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus!" So many of us feel more and more like aliens here as the days go by and, yes, we yearn to be where we belong.
Jesus may not come back today, but He is coming back. Will He find you watching?
Friday, May 20, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
The Broken Branch
For the last three springs in our current home, I've delighted in raising the blinds that cover several windows lining our kitchen. Looking out into the wooded area that abuts our back yard, I have the joy of seeing life laid dormant over the harsh winter begin to peek out in vibrant green and, over several weeks, grow to fill out the bare trees and shrubs. Once again, God makes all things new.
These are just a few examples. Nearly every person named in Scripture comes with a less-than-flattering feature. Still, God used them for His glory. So why would a sovereign God want to use a broken person to carry out His purposes? Those considered upright have a way of claiming glory for themselves. Broken people understand they don't have strength or power of their own and rely on God to work through them. And if they live their lives acknowledging God's hand in their accomplishments, He gets the glory. God allows us to participate in His work, despite our obvious shortcomings, and He makes something beautiful out of it.
Such was the scene out our windows earlier this week as I raised the blinds and noticed something curious about one of the small trees nearest our house. Several trees had been damaged by an ice storm last winter, losing limbs to the weight of the ice. This particular tree had survived with the exception of one branch. The branch didn't completely sever, and we left it to dangle because it was relatively small, it was supported by sturdier branches below and -- I'll be honest here -- we don't do much in the way of landscaping. I had presumed, however, that the branch would remain somewhat of an eyesore, hanging lifeless amid all the lush leaves. But this week I noticed it was sprouting buds.
Again, I have virtually no horticultural knowledge. Our house is filled with artificial plants and every summer I struggle to keep even a tiny crop of basil alive. So maybe it isn't an oddity to see a broken tree branch sprout leaves. Still, God used it to illustrate an important concept to me: He can make broken things beautiful. In fact, it's His specialty.
Scripture is filled with examples of notably flawed people chosen by the Lord to accomplish amazing things. Moses fled his royal home in Egypt after killing an Egyptian, but God used him to lead His people out of bondage and into a land of their own. Rahab, a prostitute, helped ensure the fall of Jericho when she hid Israeli spies on the roof of her home. While most people in Jesus' time considered tax collectors despicable because they were known to pocket portions of the money they collected, Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of His disciples. The Apostle Paul had been persecuting early Christians when God struck him temporarily blind on the road to Damascus. Despite Paul's responsibility for the death of Christ-followers, God used him to spread the Gospel, nurture the early church and to write the bulk of the New Testament.
These are just a few examples. Nearly every person named in Scripture comes with a less-than-flattering feature. Still, God used them for His glory. So why would a sovereign God want to use a broken person to carry out His purposes? Those considered upright have a way of claiming glory for themselves. Broken people understand they don't have strength or power of their own and rely on God to work through them. And if they live their lives acknowledging God's hand in their accomplishments, He gets the glory. God allows us to participate in His work, despite our obvious shortcomings, and He makes something beautiful out of it.
Looking out my window, I'm reminded that I'm a lot like that broken branch. I'm a bit scrawny, compared to those around me, and life's storms have done their share of damage. Some days I feel like I'm barely hanging onto the tree, and I rely on God to hold me up. He nourishes me through His Word and the Spirit and, despite what I feel like day to day, I know He'll produce something beautiful. And it will be to His glory.
Monday, March 14, 2011
What will happen when you die?
Like the rest of the world, the horror of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan has stayed with me since I first heard news of it early Friday morning. As of Monday morning, responders were only beginning to count the dead, but some estimated casualties of at least 10,000. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around such a number in the context of death. We know, of course, that every one of us will die one day. One day. Not today, we figure. Someday when we're in our 90s, after months of slow decline. In our sleep, we hope. Certainly not all of a sudden while we're walking our kid home from school, mowing the grass or arguing with our boss. I mean, 10,000 people gone in a matter of minutes. These aren't just numbers; they're moms and dads who kiss their babies night night. They're grandparents who you'd get agitated with because they fed your kid nothing but candy. The good friend you laughed so hard with the day before your stomach muscles ached. They're people with heartbeats and souls. And I'm sorry, but if knowing that their lives are suddenly over doesn't make your heart hurt, I'm not sure you have one. What makes it hurt worse for me is wondering about the condition of their souls.
Let me be clear, I don't know why God allowed this to happen to Japan or to any one of those people who lost their lives. Only He knows. This much I know: Believers in Christ are called to respond to this sort of thing with compassion, not only with material supplies and monetary aid, but with truth spoken in love. In the days to come, we will give our money and do what we can from the other side of the world to help. But for now I'm going to do the only thing I can contribute from a distance: share the Gospel.
Chances are that if you are reading this, we know one another. Have I told you I love you? I do. Have I told you how much God loves you? I know you may not feel it, but He does. He made you and wants the very best for you. The very best thing for you is to know Him because that will mean that when you die you won't have to bear the consequences of your sin. Romans 6:23 says the consequence of sin is death, an eternal separation from God.
I know sin and death probably aren't concepts you want to dwell on, but you will in fact die and, yes, you do sin. I know you're a fabulous person who does many good things, but you sin. You may have never killed anyone, but you've sinned against them.
God is holy and cannot be in the presence of sin. For generations, men offered unblemished animals as blood sacrifices so they could be reconciled to God. Over and over, they would sacrifice these innocent creatures because they couldn't stop sinning. So about 2,000 years ago God provided the only sacrifice that would cover our sin permanently: His only son, Jesus. Jesus was fully God and fully human, tempted as we are tempted but did not sin. Jesus was crucified, died and was entombed for three days before resurrecting. More than 500 people saw Christ after His resurrection; some touched Him, others ate with Him. He ascended to Heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. He will return to the earth to gather believers and will judge both the living and dead.
The world will tell you there are many paths to God, but that isn't biblical. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only way to salvation. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9)."
You cannot earn your way into Heaven by your good works. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast" (Esphesians 2:8-9). Isaiah 64:6 says "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags." The Pharisees, who were the religious teachers of Jesus' day, thought that by keeping the law they would be considered righteous, but Jesus called them hypocrites because their hearts weren't devoted to God. "You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" (Matthew 23:27-28).
You will not go to Heaven simply because you believe God exists. James 2:19 says that even demons believe in God - and shudder. There's a difference between believing in God and believing God.
It all boils down to Jesus and your relationship to Him. That wasn't a popular statement 2,000 years ago - He was crucified for claiming to be the son of God - and it's not popular now. But that doesn't make it any less true. Either Jesus was a liar, a madman or he was the son of God. You have to decide who you believe He is, and after being reminded last week of the brevity of life, I suggest you do it as soon as possible.
Let me be clear, I don't know why God allowed this to happen to Japan or to any one of those people who lost their lives. Only He knows. This much I know: Believers in Christ are called to respond to this sort of thing with compassion, not only with material supplies and monetary aid, but with truth spoken in love. In the days to come, we will give our money and do what we can from the other side of the world to help. But for now I'm going to do the only thing I can contribute from a distance: share the Gospel.
Chances are that if you are reading this, we know one another. Have I told you I love you? I do. Have I told you how much God loves you? I know you may not feel it, but He does. He made you and wants the very best for you. The very best thing for you is to know Him because that will mean that when you die you won't have to bear the consequences of your sin. Romans 6:23 says the consequence of sin is death, an eternal separation from God.
I know sin and death probably aren't concepts you want to dwell on, but you will in fact die and, yes, you do sin. I know you're a fabulous person who does many good things, but you sin. You may have never killed anyone, but you've sinned against them.
God is holy and cannot be in the presence of sin. For generations, men offered unblemished animals as blood sacrifices so they could be reconciled to God. Over and over, they would sacrifice these innocent creatures because they couldn't stop sinning. So about 2,000 years ago God provided the only sacrifice that would cover our sin permanently: His only son, Jesus. Jesus was fully God and fully human, tempted as we are tempted but did not sin. Jesus was crucified, died and was entombed for three days before resurrecting. More than 500 people saw Christ after His resurrection; some touched Him, others ate with Him. He ascended to Heaven, where He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. He will return to the earth to gather believers and will judge both the living and dead.
The world will tell you there are many paths to God, but that isn't biblical. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the only way to salvation. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9)."
You cannot earn your way into Heaven by your good works. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast" (Esphesians 2:8-9). Isaiah 64:6 says "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags." The Pharisees, who were the religious teachers of Jesus' day, thought that by keeping the law they would be considered righteous, but Jesus called them hypocrites because their hearts weren't devoted to God. "You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" (Matthew 23:27-28).
You will not go to Heaven simply because you believe God exists. James 2:19 says that even demons believe in God - and shudder. There's a difference between believing in God and believing God.
It all boils down to Jesus and your relationship to Him. That wasn't a popular statement 2,000 years ago - He was crucified for claiming to be the son of God - and it's not popular now. But that doesn't make it any less true. Either Jesus was a liar, a madman or he was the son of God. You have to decide who you believe He is, and after being reminded last week of the brevity of life, I suggest you do it as soon as possible.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Aging gray-fully
"Honey, time marches on and eventually you realize it is marchin' across your face."It's a brilliant line for Dolly Parton's character in the alpha chick flick Steel Magnolias. And within the last year I've noticed the troops on the move, with some blitzkrieg activity going on in my under-eye region.
I always said I wanted to grow old gracefully, swearing I'd never color over my gray hair, fuss over a wrinkle or have a little work done by my friendly neighborhood plastic surgeon. But I've come to realize that's a pretty easy thing to say when one is 25 and hasn't yet experienced what multiple pregnancies will do to her mid section.
A few months ago I spotted my first gray hair emerging from where else but front and center, hovering above my forehead. Here I have to make an exception because I actually got a little excited about it. I am kind of eager to see what I look like when the gray hair gets some friends. My dad has a thick head of silvery-white hair, and I figure that if my gray hair looks like his I may just want to keep it. But I think I'll keep my Clairol coupons handy in case I'm disappointed.
What I don't appreciate is the revelation that the makeup I've been using since college no longer looks so smooth over skin that's beginning to lose its elasticity. I guess I'll soon be upgrading to the "age defying" formula, and that hurts.
That's not to say that I'm terribly discouraged by getting older. I take solace in these words recorded by King Solomon recorded in Proverbs 16:31: "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness."
Still, our society caters to the youthful, wrinkle-free population and we respond by pretending we're among them. Ask Abercrombie & Fitch - it uses practically naked teenagers to sell about $3 billion worth of clothing annually. I still haven't figured that one out. Seriously, do you think your abs are going to look like that if you buy a pair of their jeans? My husband recently observed that a new Cadillac commercial that juxtaposes a mid-life couple sipping tea across the dinner table, a voice-over of the words "cold" and "boring" in the background, with vivacious 20-somethings driving Cadillacs with a sporty new design. Cadillac knows it has to appeal to younger drivers to survive, so they throw the rest of us under the bus.
Years ago Annie Lennox released a song called Keep Young and Beautiful, satirically stating what we seem to believe - "It's your duty to be beautiful."
Take care of all those charms
And you'll always be in someone's arms
Keep young and beautiful
If you want to be lovedThe lyrics smack us right in the face, don't they? Truly the sentiment is beyond offensive, yet it's what society is selling. And we buy it.
Granted, I'm 33 and only beginning to see my metamorphosis, but in my own defense I've been over 30 at heart since puberty. Tonight I'll likely spend a good 15 or 20 minutes before bed, exfoliating my face with pink goop containing microbeads and slathering on what seems like pounds of moisturizer. I don't expect it to turn back the clock by tomorrow morning, and that's OK. There's little I can do about that. What I can do is work on the positive side of aging.
Solomon wasn't making a statement about the color of a person's hair, rather he was commenting on the wisdom we hope to acquire along life's journey. And since I believe Proverbs 9:10 - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." - I seek to grow in my relationship with Him. And while the world will see each of us age and take pity, God will see His people growing closer to Him. He thinks it looks good on us.
At the end of Proverbs, Solomon agreed, and that's a lot coming from a man who had 1,000 wives and concubines (The wisest man in the Bible also was extremely flawed, but that's another story.) He said, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." I have to say I'd rather have that etched on my tombstone than "She had the skin of a newborn."
At the end of Proverbs, Solomon agreed, and that's a lot coming from a man who had 1,000 wives and concubines (The wisest man in the Bible also was extremely flawed, but that's another story.) He said, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." I have to say I'd rather have that etched on my tombstone than "She had the skin of a newborn."
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I have followers?
I had a spare 45 minutes or so until my kids get up from their naps so I thought I'd write a little, and I was surprised when I logged on to find that my blog has two followers now. When did that happen? When I shut up, apparently. I guess this means I should be a little more intentional about updating it. So here goes.
Writing "a little" would be an improvement over absolutely nothing, which is what I've been writing for the last few months. I've missed it, and while I would often recall how good it feels to sit down with a hot cup of coffee and bang out something on the keyboard I just didn't have the energy to come up with a worthy topic. I could say that the holiday season wiped me out and that would be true, but it was more than that. Life has been a bit overwhelming, at least in my head.
We've attempted and, so far, failed to potty train our 3-year-old, which only feels like a big deal because we can't enroll her in preschool this fall unless she's completely diaper-free. Any bets on whether that will transpire? We've bribed her with all manner of candy, stickers and toys while practically having a parade through the living room when she has a success. But frankly, this girl really isn't motivated to keep it up. My latest move of desperation is in reading Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day - Proven Secrets of the Potty Pro. It seems a stretch to me, but what do I know compared to a pro?
We've now added food battles to our daily entertainment, as both kids have decided to eat virtually nothing but peanut butter sandwiches. Here, I've enlisted the help of Jessica Seinfeld, Jerry's wife and author of Deceptively Delicious, a book about hiding pureed vegetables in just about everything, including brownies. We're giving it a whirl, although I had a misstep the other night when I set out to make a veggie-laden meatloaf. Our small group was coming over in two hours and I still hadn't pureed my veggies yet. So I started steaming the cauliflower and carrots at 4 p.m., but by the time I finished with the purees it was nearly 5 p.m., leaving no time to cook the meal. So here I was with a house that wreaked of cauliflower and only leftovers to feed my children, who of course didn't eat them.
This blog has been empty since last fall, except for the New Year's Eve message. And that, of course, was a must because it's the closest I may ever come to sending out Christmas cards like the ones we receive from friends and family - the quarter-folded pieces with professional photos of their families and stuffed with full-page update letters. I can't tell you how I love and appreciate those cards, by the way. Those take considerable funds and effort to send out, and please know that I keep them. I'm just not that together yet. Sigh.
Life just weighs us down sometimes. The economy stinks. People close to us get sick; some of them don't make it. Marriages struggle; some of them don't make it. People are killing one another worldwide, and practically in our back yards. With all due respect to Louis Armstrong, I find the world to be less than wonderful.
For my part, for the last few months I've been spending time both on top of mountains and deep in valleys, spiritually. I've felt wrung out, which is not necessarily a bad thing. That's the place where one finally gives up trying to control life and hands it over to the Lord. It's also the place where I find myself nuzzling into Him for comfort and to just feel safe. The really cool thing is that He responds in the most incredible way - by showing me His heart. What an awesome God, who takes what is ugly and makes it beautiful in His time!
Having said all that, my two followers, I just may emerge from my funk to write more often. Sorry about the delay :)
Writing "a little" would be an improvement over absolutely nothing, which is what I've been writing for the last few months. I've missed it, and while I would often recall how good it feels to sit down with a hot cup of coffee and bang out something on the keyboard I just didn't have the energy to come up with a worthy topic. I could say that the holiday season wiped me out and that would be true, but it was more than that. Life has been a bit overwhelming, at least in my head.
We've attempted and, so far, failed to potty train our 3-year-old, which only feels like a big deal because we can't enroll her in preschool this fall unless she's completely diaper-free. Any bets on whether that will transpire? We've bribed her with all manner of candy, stickers and toys while practically having a parade through the living room when she has a success. But frankly, this girl really isn't motivated to keep it up. My latest move of desperation is in reading Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day - Proven Secrets of the Potty Pro. It seems a stretch to me, but what do I know compared to a pro?
We've now added food battles to our daily entertainment, as both kids have decided to eat virtually nothing but peanut butter sandwiches. Here, I've enlisted the help of Jessica Seinfeld, Jerry's wife and author of Deceptively Delicious, a book about hiding pureed vegetables in just about everything, including brownies. We're giving it a whirl, although I had a misstep the other night when I set out to make a veggie-laden meatloaf. Our small group was coming over in two hours and I still hadn't pureed my veggies yet. So I started steaming the cauliflower and carrots at 4 p.m., but by the time I finished with the purees it was nearly 5 p.m., leaving no time to cook the meal. So here I was with a house that wreaked of cauliflower and only leftovers to feed my children, who of course didn't eat them.
This blog has been empty since last fall, except for the New Year's Eve message. And that, of course, was a must because it's the closest I may ever come to sending out Christmas cards like the ones we receive from friends and family - the quarter-folded pieces with professional photos of their families and stuffed with full-page update letters. I can't tell you how I love and appreciate those cards, by the way. Those take considerable funds and effort to send out, and please know that I keep them. I'm just not that together yet. Sigh.
Life just weighs us down sometimes. The economy stinks. People close to us get sick; some of them don't make it. Marriages struggle; some of them don't make it. People are killing one another worldwide, and practically in our back yards. With all due respect to Louis Armstrong, I find the world to be less than wonderful.
For my part, for the last few months I've been spending time both on top of mountains and deep in valleys, spiritually. I've felt wrung out, which is not necessarily a bad thing. That's the place where one finally gives up trying to control life and hands it over to the Lord. It's also the place where I find myself nuzzling into Him for comfort and to just feel safe. The really cool thing is that He responds in the most incredible way - by showing me His heart. What an awesome God, who takes what is ugly and makes it beautiful in His time!
Having said all that, my two followers, I just may emerge from my funk to write more often. Sorry about the delay :)
Friday, December 31, 2010
A Johnson 2010 Review
As in years past, a huge piece of our lives involve ministry and our church, Southeast Christian. Aaron and I love our Sunday school class, Crossroads, and are enjoying the friendships we're cultivating there. Aaron taught a Christian worldview and apologetics program to high school and college students last winter and spring; he plans to teach it to our couples group this spring. We have lead a Bible study for married couples in our home each Sunday night, although our group has been on a break for a couple of months. Aaron and I each are enrolled in the Discipleship Curriculum, a Bible study that over a nearly 2-year period challenges small groups to read the entire Bible, as well as other Christian books, and commit about 70 Scriptures to memory. Together, our respective groups are learning the history of the church and important points of doctrine, as we learn to teach and disciple others. Aaron will finish up the program this spring, and since I only enrolled this fall I will have another year to go. We continue to serve in many other areas at church. It is a blessing to give as God has given to us.
This past spring, Aaron and I took Adam on our biannual trip to Hawaii, leaving Katie at home with Grandma J. Hey, it was fair to take only Adam - Katie had her solo trip to Hawaii before he was even a glimmer in our eyes. Since 2010 also marked the end to one of our favorite television shows, please indulge me while I reminisce using lots of references herein: We visited the LOST island (Oahu), where our airplane came to rest (Softly). We braved the elements (Light drizzle during a horseback ride on the North Shore which, of course, subsided to reveal perfect 80-degree sunshine). We communicated with the natives (ordered breakfast at Zippy's) and tasted exotic foods enjoyed only in their culture (Spam). Thankfully, we never were confronted with a smoke monster or polar bears, but when was the last time you saw a penguin in the tropics? (They were waddling around for display at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki, presumably borrowed from the zoo.)
The only other out-of-state trips we made as a family this year were to upstate New York for our annual week at Camp of the Woods to visit with Grandma J and the Wellman family at their lakehouse and the aforementioned Christmas celebration in New Jersey, where they live most of the year. We love spending time in such a beautiful place with our loving extended family! And for the first time, Katie and Adam were old enough to enjoy playing with their cousins.
We've done a lot as a family, but each of us has had an eventful year. Here's a glance:
Katie: Our firstborn just turned 3 and is growing into the prettiest little girl, if we do say so ourselves. Precocious and strong-willed, Katie keeps us on our toes - a tiny force to be reckoned with, to be sure. A doll, nonetheless. We're still trying to potty train and are told that one day she'll just do it; we live for such a day and hope that it comes before college. Katie loves to sing and twirl, play with her dollhouse and watch Pixar movies (her latest obsession: Toy Story).
Adam: I'm convinced that Adam is the sweetest little boy in the whole world, as at 16 months old he still loves to snuggle with his mommy. Of course, he calls me "Daddy," but such indiscretion is easily overlooked when perpetrated by one so incredibly cute. Adam loves to explore the world, now that he's mobile, and he particularly enjoys turning off the television while his sister is watching the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Much like his daddy, Adam would much rather spend his time reading books than watching tv. His vocabulary is small but Adam enjoys a good chat, so long as it regards food. Considering his mommy's preoccupation with that topic, I suppose that apple didn't fall far from the tree, now did it?We're thankful to God for the abundant life He's given us, for bringing us together as a family and for putting each of you into our lives as well. We wish you all God's best in 2011!
The Johnsons
Aaron, Tonia, Katie and Adam
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Bob has a buddy
Five years ago, after months of investigating the source of severe fatigue and weight loss, my doctor discovered it all came down to a tiny growth on my pituitary gland - call it a microadenoma, if you want to impress your friends. Of course, all I heard was "brain tumor" when I was diagnosed. But the truth is, it's just a benign nubbin. A little extra tissue. Nothing to fear. So figuring that since I would probably live out the rest of my days with the doodad living in my noggin, I might as well name it. Something benign... like Bob.
In a similar scenario, my doctor has been investigating another mystery illness of mine for the last month - persistent nausea and unintentional weight loss - and incidentally came across another microadenoma on one of my adrenal glands. Neither my doctor nor I think this one is anything to fear either, but just to be sure I'm going to have another MRI performed in the coming days.
It's true what my dear, sweet grandfather used to say - If you go to a doctor, he's just going to find something wrong with you. In my case, I usually find out that I'm growing extra parts. My doctor says I'm just bumpy, but I feel more like one of those lab rats that researchers use to grow ears and such.
I haven't come up with a name for this little nodule; I think I'll wait until the MRI - sort of like waiting to name your baby until you've at least seen his or her little face on a sonogram. I'll take suggestions.
All levity aside, after multiple pregnancy tests, blood work, an MRI of my brain and a CT scan of my chest, abdomen and pelvis, all we've come up with is a UTI, a tiny kidney stone and this microadenoma, none of which explain my symptoms. I'm convinced the nausea and weight loss (which seems to have leveled off) are related to stress, as my husband and I are having a particularly tough time dealing with our toddler - let's just say the "terrible twos" are aptly named. I see a gastroenterologist Sept. 23. My primary doctor says he'll probably want to run a scope down my throat to take a look around, and I'm not too excited about those prospects. Could you pray that God would make it plain to my doctors what is going on in my body so that they can treat it properly? Thanks in advance!
In a similar scenario, my doctor has been investigating another mystery illness of mine for the last month - persistent nausea and unintentional weight loss - and incidentally came across another microadenoma on one of my adrenal glands. Neither my doctor nor I think this one is anything to fear either, but just to be sure I'm going to have another MRI performed in the coming days.
It's true what my dear, sweet grandfather used to say - If you go to a doctor, he's just going to find something wrong with you. In my case, I usually find out that I'm growing extra parts. My doctor says I'm just bumpy, but I feel more like one of those lab rats that researchers use to grow ears and such.
I haven't come up with a name for this little nodule; I think I'll wait until the MRI - sort of like waiting to name your baby until you've at least seen his or her little face on a sonogram. I'll take suggestions.
All levity aside, after multiple pregnancy tests, blood work, an MRI of my brain and a CT scan of my chest, abdomen and pelvis, all we've come up with is a UTI, a tiny kidney stone and this microadenoma, none of which explain my symptoms. I'm convinced the nausea and weight loss (which seems to have leveled off) are related to stress, as my husband and I are having a particularly tough time dealing with our toddler - let's just say the "terrible twos" are aptly named. I see a gastroenterologist Sept. 23. My primary doctor says he'll probably want to run a scope down my throat to take a look around, and I'm not too excited about those prospects. Could you pray that God would make it plain to my doctors what is going on in my body so that they can treat it properly? Thanks in advance!
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