Just click this link and it will take you to the page on Amazon.com where you can buy it either in hardback or paperback version.

Overcoming the Trials of a Lifetime: Finding Meaning and Joy in the Midst of Afflictions, Illness, and Hardships

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/197366058X/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_LIE4CbPGG4FQ5

shhhh, click the link to see a sneak peek at my book’s front and back cover on the eve of it going to the printer:

9781973660583_paplow (1)

The author of this book has had Parkinson’s Disease for twenty years, but this book is intended to bring God’s message of help and hope to anyone facing: Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, ALS, Huntington’s Disease or dementia, chronic pain and illness, terminal and potentially terminal illness, complete or partial paralysis, as well as any parents of any child with any of the foregoing or whose child has Downs syndrome or is autistic or mentally or physically handicapped.  In addition to patients and parents, anyone who is a friend, family member or caregiver for any of the foregoing.will also benefit.

The book also is written from the perspective of a young man who nearly lost his faith like a prodigal son but who finally came back to the faith after 18 years away. Parents whose sons or daughters who have fallen away from the faith, will be encouraged by reading this transparent account and it might give them hope.

I believe the official launch and release is only a few weeks away.

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My best guess is my book will be available at end of next month (May).

Withered Leg and Childlike Faith
When one of my sons was younger, he was in Awana, a great children’s discipleship program. I helped him with his weekly exercises, and one week his assignment was to pray for someone in his house, a grandparent, and a parent. So he picked our dog, his grandfather, and me.
Here’s what he prayed:
“Dear God, I hope our dog will get his eyes better, so he can see again and not be blind. God, I hope Grandpa’s polio leg will get better and be normal again. [His grandpa had polio in the 1940s.] Dear God, I hope Daddy’s left ear will work again, and he won’t be deaf in it anymore.” I had mumps at age seven and lost the hearing in my left ear.
I listened to my son’s prayer, and when he prayed, it was clear his God could do anything—absolutely anything; not even the sky was the limit. Beyond imagination is what his God could do, and so I thought, Wait a minute—I need to talk to him. He hasn’t been around the block like I have. He isn’t praying for stuff that might happen. I don’t want him to be disappointed.
Although his God could do anything, my God was in a box that I constructed, based on what I thought God could do. I thought God could do whatever was inside the box, but whatever was outside the box was beyond God’s reach.
Speaking of how to manage expectations, here’s a scene from my two boys’ younger days: Alex was about ten years old, and Spencer was about eight. I was late in driving us to church, and to compound the problem, I was teaching that morning and just couldn’t be late. I drove as aggressively as I could, but I had to stop at seemingly every red light.
I began praying out loud, something like this: “Dear heavenly Father, I am your servant, and I thank you for the many blessings you have granted us. But forgive me, Lord God, if I ask for one more blessing. Can you please give me some green lights? Not all the time, just when I’m trying to get to church and especially when I am teaching. Please, Lord, give me green lights.”
Unexpectedly, Spencer offered a theological problem-solving method. He said, “Dad, just ask for red lights, and God will give you green lights. That’s how it works.”
Could reverse psychology work on God? Not a chance.
Then Alex said in soft deadpan, “Why don’t you just adjust your alarm clock, so you get up earlier?” Always the practical one.
By the way, on the rest of the way to church, I got a mix of reds, greens, and yellows.

Creepy Tunnel Syndrome
Hezekiah’s Tunnel is an ancient waterway connecting a valley spring outside of the walls of Jerusalem to the Pool of Siloam inside the walls.
Back in 1981, Hezekiah’s Tunnel in Jerusalem was very primitive, and it was not the tourist site it is now. There was one security guard sitting on a folding chair and reading an Arabic language newspaper. At first, I thought I saw movement from the guard, but he just sat there on a folding chair next to the tunnel entrance. In 1981, things in that area seemed more tranquil than they do now.
Nowadays, I would have prepared by getting dressed like I was going fly-fishing in Wyoming, with those rubber pants that go from your toes to your armpits. But this is now, and that was then. Being foolhardy like every twenty-year-old, I was ready, wearing shorts and sandals. We also had no protection against critters.
The guard warned us that we needed flashlights, which Todd and I didn’t have. Our solution was to go into the church in the nearby garden of Gethsemane and steal a couple of votive candles—the little ones with the paper around the top so the wax doesn’t burn your hand.
As we ventured into the tunnel, the water was only ankle deep at first, but the tunnel was not level, and the water level fluctuated, reaching a high level at just above our knees. (Today, I wonder what creatures were in that water.)
When there was a slight draft, our candles went out, leaving us in the pitch-black and knee-deep in dirty water. Naturally, we pressed forward in the dark, reasoning that we had come too far to turn back. What idiots. We accomplished this by putting one hand on each side of the tunnel and then just creeping forward, inch by inch.
Eventually, we saw a light at the end of the tunnel, went toward the light, and came out of the tunnel, soaking wet, in the middle of the Pool of Siloam. A group of French tourists was next to the pool with their guide, who was carrying her “Follow Me” umbrella. We just walked past them, as they were all rendered speechless.
Although it seemed like hours, we had been in the tunnel no more than fifteen minutes. One day I’ll share this story as an illustration of the wisdom of being prepared. But for now, it is the best example I have to show the importance of having the teachings of the Bible at the ready, as they are the lamp unto our feet.

My Father’s Mental Illness.

Somewhere in the vicinity of 1967 and 1968 something inside my dad snapped. At the time, people called it a “nervous breakdown.” Later, more clinical descriptions became Dad’s labels, such as “paranoid” and “schizophrenic”. My dad was in and out of the Veterans’ Hospital. During one of the times, my dad was outside the hospital, I experienced one of the saddest and most frightening events of my life.
My father feared to lose my mom in a divorce. Acting upon this fear, he abandoned reason and held my mom against her will in a bathroom in the house. He threatened to kill my mom, but after several hours my mom talked her way out.
The following week, he grabbed me and took me to the bedroom that he and Mom had shared happier times. But this time was different.
Dad didn’t threaten me or hurt me, but he did give me two sleeping pills to swallow without water, and then he told me to calm down and be quiet. After locking the door, he retrieved his favorite handgun from the closet: A World War II German “Lugar” handgun.
Soon the police were on the other side of the door demanding that he give me up and saying something like “come out with your hands where we can see them.”
Very quickly the police ascertained that both my father and his brother were veterans and firefighters with the Minneapolis Fire Department. This afforded some time for my dad to think as the police agreed to stand down out of professional courtesy to a fellow first responder.
Soon after that, my Uncle Bob was talking through the door with my dad, his brother. Bob eventually secured my freedom by removing the bolts from the door and convincing my dad to surrender. The most enduring memory I have from those days was of me that night, sitting at the top of the stairs, weeping, as I watched my dad hauled away in an ambulance and wearing a straight-jacket. I was seven.

Rom. 8.28

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

                Entire books have been written about Romans 8:28. This verse about God working everything for good is probably the most frequently quoted verse spoken to those who are suffering and afflicted.

                In some case, the delivery of this message actually fans the fires and is downright hurtful. But the world has many alternatives to Romans 8:28 that are not Biblical and are quoted by mindlessly by meaning-well Christians.

For example, during an ecumenical ceremony honoring those who died on 9/11, the speaker misquoted God’s word by merely saying,” All things work together for good.”

                Several important elements are missing from this misquote: It is God who does the working. It is not a promise for everybody, but only for the called/those who love God. The good that is worked together is God’s good which is according to his purpose. The good in this verse is God’s good, not whatever “good” you desire or describe.

In some cases, we will never know what “good” was the purpose. Deut. 29:29.

Besides misquoting Romans 8:28, we also encounter many lookalikes or worldly substitutes.

Below is a list of some worldly wisdom commonly offered as a substitute for Romans 8:28.

Romans 8:28 Doesn’t Mean:

                 1. ”Every cloud has a silver lining.” The “good” in Romans 8:28 is not in the things themselves. It is in their divine purpose. It is in the plan God has for the things.

                 2. ”Things just have a way of working themselves out for the best.” Romans 8:28 is not about benevolent fate. It’s about a personal God who takes care of those who love him.

                 3. ”If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.” Romans 8:28 is not a command, it’s a promise. The good that God purposes in the lives of the called is not dependent on human efforts.

                 4. ”God helps those who help themselves.” God’s promise in Romans 8:28 is unconditional and applies to those who are called and love God, not those who are self-reliant.

                 5. ”Trust God but keep your gunpowder dry.” There are no exceptions or surprises for God. He works all things together for his good purposes.

                6. ”Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” We can be assured that the things in our lives truly work for good, even if they appear not to.

                7. When imagining Gods plan for our lives or when struggling with the issues of God’s sovereignty being used selectively to ensure that only those who love God and are called according to his purpose will benefit. Especially before loading the debate and argument guns, it is very advisable to take a moment to worship God and remind ourselves of just how much above our understanding God truly is.
                No illustration I could ever conceive would do justice to the vastness of the universe, let alone God its Creator.