Today is my birthday. It means that I am celebrating being 29 for the 2oth time. I long stopped making a fuss about birthdays. Without going into details, there are too many odd things that happened around this date. These days my main goal is to get through the day without serious injury to myself or others. The doctor sure fouled that thing up this year. A pony would be a much better present for me than my diagnosis.

Next week will be a medical test for me on three separate days. Two of them should be a piece of cake. One of them just might be a tad uncomfortable. The phone rang almost constantly with one person or another letting me know when to show up. Mostly, I am just ready to get them over with. I'd rather not have bad news but would like to know what is going on. The odd thing is my body feels good. My weight is the same except for the outside yard work or exercise. I eat the same as always even if that is not completely good. Guess we will know more in two weeks.

There is still a lot of adjusting going on for me. It is honestly hard to concentrate on my reading over the last week. Prayer comes very easy! Much of my best praying is done while running/walking. It helps when no one is in my way but it is a great way to think while oxygen is flowing. The hard part is getting the mind clear to read. Luckily this week should be pretty simple reading. This is just one of the many adjustments that need to be made.

I plan to live a very long time. That is my central desire in all of this. Perhaps it is true that a follower of Jesus has the longing for heaven. There are just many things left to do here. I have no particular claim to fame. Life would go on fairly routine should God call me home. My hope is that experience does not come my way for a long time. I also know that life is in God's hands. No one has a guarantee of anything really past now. This is true whether one has a dramatic diagnosis or not. We all live in the grace of God. My best advice is to remember the prayer of Jesus when He taught to ask for the grace of God for each day. That will be His power to live fully no matter the conditions. My hope is you find it to be true for you wherever you are in the journey.

Bro. Trey