I Am Back

Please forgive me for not sharing with you for a number of months. Events, and a lack of energy are my part of the reason that I have been missing in action.



I trust that you all had a blessed Christmas. We do wish you a very blessed and prosperous New Year. We had a joyful time with family at Christmas. Joern and Ann were not with us this year and we missed them very much. Last year, we had a couple of neighbors and friends, along with Mike's family, here on Christmas Eve and did it again this year. Most of them went caroling around the neighborhood, and then came back for eats and Santa for the kids. It was a nice evening.



The significant event since I last blogged, was the marriage of our son Dave to Laura Chambless in October. They are living in their home in Sugar Hill, GA. The wedding was a most wonderful event. I was able to attend, with the help of our friend and caregiver, Dale. Many family and friends were there for the wedding which was in an absolutely beautiful setting on Sea Island, here in Georgia. The bride's parents, Phil and Ouida, made it truly a fantastic Wedding Weekend. Daughter, Ann, and husband, Joern, were able to make it home from Afghanistan and were part of the wedding party, as were daughter, Rachel, and husband Mike. Granddaughter, Eden, was the Flowergirl. The Lord was honored.



I continue to weaken, but fortunately, can still feed myself by holding a special spoon. I am still able to pick up a glass, if it is not too heavy. I can also turn pages on the books that I love to read. I have started a new Piper book and will comment on it once I have finished reading. My bi-pap is still my life line. We are very fortunate to have the equipment we need in order for one person to be able to move me around.

As a follower of Jesus, it is so good to know that when we are in the troubled waters of weakness, pain, and deterioration, we have a strong anchor in Christ. Jesus does, indeed, never leave us or forsake us.



God bless you and I hope to be talking to you soon.

Rob

P.S. to the Update

The "send" button was clicked before I spoke of a major event in our family. Our daughter Ann and her husband Joern, are now in Kabul, Afghanistan. They left the U.S. August 2nd. They are employed by Purdue University and are working on projects at Kabul University with the Faculty of Agriculture. Joern's responsibility will likely involve emphasis on program planning and organizational issues, and eventually, the areas of Animal Science, Agricultural Economics and Extension, Forestry and Natural Resources. Ann will be more focused on improving technical curriculum content initially, and then Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Protection. We pray for safety and wisdom for them as they get acclimated to their surroundings. They are currently living in a German Guest House on the campus, but are looking for a more permanent living arrangement.

We are praying that they will be able to make the trip home for David and Laura's wedding, October 20th. We are also praying that I will have the strength to make the trip to St. Simon's Island, GA, 5 1/2 hours from our home, in good stead.

Joern and Ann have told us that the "safest place to be is in the center of God's will." We say, "Amen" to that. It is necessary for us to trust in our sovereign Father, without wavering. We covet your prayers for them as well.

Rob and Kathie

Filling In The Gap

Due to various reasons, I have been missing in action regarding keeping my blog updated, but now I am back and want to fill in the past many weeks with an update on my situation.

Kathie and I had the joy of celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary on June 23rd with a wonderful dinner hosted by our children. Our guests were our children, their spouses and their spouses' parents, in our son's case, spouse to be and her parents. Two wonderful women from Kathie's Bible study, served the catered dinner. After dinner, Phil, father of our daughter-in-law to be, played the piano and we had a blessed time singing songs of the faith. God has seen fit to give us exceptional in-laws.

Kathie recently went NY for a few days with the highlight being attending the Brooklyn Tabernacle, which was a next to heaven experience. Our friend and nurse, Dale Kelley, (our first employee at Meineke), stayed with me while Kathie was gone. Having the opportunity to be with Dale was a wonderful thing for me.

We appreciate all of you who continue to support us in prayer, cards, calls, and visits. We also, are pleased to lift up your needs before our Father, so please keep us informed of your needs.
An update on my current status...I am currently unable to stand and we are so grateful for the lift system that we have at our disposal. This system, a hoyer lift in the sunroom, and a battery operated overhead system in the bedroom and bathroom, allow for one person to transfer me with ease. It is necessary for me to be hooked up to the bi-pap except for getting cleaned up in the morning and evening. Eating with the machine on has made my mealtime much more enjoyable. I use a nasal cannula during the day and full face mask at night.. Fortunately, I can still feed myself, my hands getting all the more feeble, however. Needless to say, my physical condition is weakening.

For over a year now, Kathie and I have worshipped together in our sunroom, turned sanctuary, listening to CD's from Mt. Paran Church of God in Atlanta. We begin with the worship music lead by their wonderful choir and orchestra and then the message by Pastor David Cooper. We are so grateful for this medium that allows people in our situation to have the blessings of meaningful worship.

This brings me to the book I would like to recommend that I have read several times through in recent months. That book is, "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ," by John Piper. In this book, John Piper focuses in on what I believe is the crucial venture, and that is to become more acquainted with the facets and beauty of Jesus Christ. When He is seen most clearly, life makes the most sense. Because in Him, is life and the light of men. II Cor. 4:4..."seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Ephesians 1:18..."seeing with the eyes of your heart." So the ministry of the Holy Spirit within us, is to enliven our hearts to see Jesus through the instrument of the Word of God. This is why it is crucial for us as believers to feed our souls daily on the Word of God. When we do so, then we can clearly say that we have heard from God. Our privilege daily, is to read and meditate on God's Word, and to pray with confidence to our Father through our Savior, Jesus. For any who are looking for a place to begin reading God's Word, go the Gospel of John, which is the story of Jesus, as told by his best friend, John.
By the way, "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ", can be gotten through www.desiringGod.org, rather inexpensively.

Thank you for all of your prayers on our behalf, they are truly making a difference.

Warmly and gratefully in Christ,
Rob

We got there and back again

For those who have followed my blog, sorry that it has been so long since I've been in touch with you. I like reading your e-mails and posts. Here is my e-mail address rob.toren@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you. We did travel to St. Simon's Island in our new van and it really worked quite well. We stopped half way at David's soon to be wife, Laura's uncle's church in Dublin going and coming. It is a Presbyterian church and it has a handicapped bathroom. Laura's uncle's name is Proctor. He will be participating in the wedding. While at St. Simon's Island we had a nice visit and lunch with Laura's mom at the Beach Club and saw where the wedding and reception will be. Kathie made some decisions for the rehearsal dinner and arranged where we will be staying.

For those that wonder about the mustang with smoking tires at the top of my blog, it is the car I bought a year and a half ago that my son drives in NHRA drag racing. At his last outing in South GA motor sport park he won runner up at the race. There were 57 cars in his class so he had to win quite a few races to reach the final. Unfortunately, he fouled in the final race, but was still able to come away with a nice check and award. It is fun for me to follow Dave by way of phone between races. Dave had a nice write up and pictures in the last National Dragster magazine.

Because of weakness, I have had to use the hoyer lift and over-head lift system. We got a U-harness and it works very well. I haven't had to use it much but, it was like the Lord brought solutions to our problems just when we needed them. We see it all as a part of God's grace and mercy. I have recently read a couple of books, one is Bill Bright's final book called The Journey Home: Finishing with Joy. I had read it last fall, but wanted to reread it. For any one who has a fatal illness or wonders of their final destination it is a great read. The other book I just finished is called Why the Rest Hates the West: Understanding the Roots of Global Rage, by Meic Pearse. It explains that the conflict with radical Islam is not religious but it is cultural. The authors says that the West needs to wake up to what it's culture is doing to the world. If you are in church work or have any interest in sharing your faith with the lost the author's explanation on pages 80 and 81 are worth the price of the book. The other part of the book is about understanding the roots of global rage. He gives a very interesting historical account of how our culture became what it is today.

As I close I'll leave you with this thought: Early in the history of our country a friend of a godly older pastor went to visit him, hearing that he was on his death bed. Expecting to find a man who had one foot in the grave, he left after a joyous visit finding the man had one foot in Heaven. This is the conclusion of Bill Bright's book. I trust it may be said of me, as well. With that I'll leave you until next time. Thank you for your prayers and we pray for you.

Today's Great Joy

Today, I have the joy of having my daughter, Ann, as my amanuensis (scribe and "inspiration").

This week, our daughter, Rachel, husband Mike, and kids, are vacationing at Myrtle Beach, S.C. They are enjoying their time there, and Ann has taken a leave of absence from her work on the left coast to be with us in Atlanta for a week and a half, or so. We anticipate Joern's arrival at the end of the week.

During this week, I have had a number of occasions to use the new van, you see pictured, above. We have gone out for lunch, for walks, and even a picnic. It has a motorized ramp that slides out the side door, through which I can maneuver up into the vehicle. In the front passenger area, there is a locking mechanism which secures the wheelchair into place. I feel quite comfortable and secure riding in this van, but I must admit that I occasionally have words of caution for my driver --"Look out!"

I have a few family announcements to present:

1. An engagement: Our son, David, recently presented his girlfriend, Laura Chambless, with the rock. She accepted his rock, and set a date for the blissful event --October 20, 2007. We are happy about the forthcoming expansion of our family.



2. A new house: Yesterday, we ventured in my new van, to David's new, and first house. I was there to observe the flurry of activity, of cleaning and moving. I stayed out the of way (as best I could). Dave's new house is close to his work and is in a nice neighborhood. We were quite pleased and surprised, according to God's providence, that some old friends, Michael and Misty, live next door.



3. A trip: On Wednesday (through Friday), I will be making the longest trip I've made in the past year+. We will be traveling to St. Simon's Island, on the South Georgia Coast, where Laura's folks (Phil and Ouida) live. There we will be looking into wedding event plans. When we get back, I will let you know how our trip went.

My dreams are coming to pass. I was praying that God would not take me Home before experiencing some of these milestone events. This coming Sunday, we are celebrating birthdays! My grandson, Alex, turned 2 on 30 April. Mike and I will be celebrating our birthdays in the coming week and a half.

As a tip for caregivers, I mentioned in a recent post the benefits of ground flaxseed. Kathie has been taking this with me. She has been doing so for the lowering of cholesterol. An interesting note, Kathie went to the doctor last year, and came away with a prescription for the drug Zetia. She went to the doctor 6 months later, and upon being asked the question "Have you been taking the drug?", she answered,"No, I am doing a natural regime." With dismay, the doctor said, "I guarantee you, your cholesterol has not been lowered." Kathie had her cholesterol level measured, and it was 32 points lower! The omega-3 oils in flaxseed are, indeed, very good for health (and regularity).

To return to the mentioning of Old Friends (i.e., long term friends, with no inference to age[wink]). I recently requested that the book Knowing God, by J.I. Packer, be picked off the shelf. It has been many years since I last read this book. If you've not read it all, or it has been a long time since reading it, I would highly recommend the reading thereof. You have already heard me state in previous posts, that the ultimate goal in life is to know God and to learn to walk with Him. If someone would ask, "Have you heard from God lately?", you could say, "Yes!" if you have been prayerfully reading His Word, the Bible. Jesus said, "My Word is Truth" (John 17:17). In this day, when many people believe that there is no absolute truth, or that truth is an individual matter, we need to hear from Jesus. He says that there is no truth apart from Him, and that Truth can only be fully known by knowing Him.

To encourage you in your walk, I would say to you, "Get to know God!" It will first prepare you for meaning in this life, and ultimately, it will prepare you for the World to come, where Christ reigns supreme. Packer's book, is really a Biblical guide to a deeper discovery of the person and nature of our Heavenly Father. He tells of the access we have to the Father, by the means of His Son, Christ Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. I have seen God afresh, and with renewed discovery of the vast dimensions of God's work on our behalf. One thing that is quite amazing to me about God is this: He chooses us, in spite of our desperate unworthiness, to be in a relationship with Him as His adopted sons and daughters. And that He, if you would, allows us to set the proximity of our relationship to Him. He does not force Himself upon us. He tells us, "If you will draw nigh unto Me, I will draw nigh unto you" (my paraphrase of James 4:8). Drawing near to God to accomplish this goal, we need to fight our natural (fallen) inclination, which is to run and hide. Isaiah (53:8) writes "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. "

Again, drawing on thoughts of Packer, there are two words that describe the Mount Everest of truth in scripture, and by so doing, describe the full truth of the Bible. The two words are: Propitiation and Adoption. The first word, propitiation (Hebrew kapporeth) is used four times in the New Testament. Propitiation is a word that has to do with atonement, it is the work that Christ has done on the cross, to cleanse us of sin. And with that, propitiation carries the meaning, that Christ, in dying for our sin, dealt with the Father's anger and wrath against (human) sin. It is the work of propitiation, accomplished by Christ Jesus, that has brought mankind into a position in which we are made acceptable to God, and set into His family as adopted children.

I will end here at this time, and will comment on this in future posts and conversations, but for now, you can look for me on the road to life Eternal, captured by these two Mount Everest words. These words, which cause me to, proverbially, click my heels in the air with joy, because of what God has done through His Son, Jesus, for me, and if you have this faith, for you, as well.

Goodbye for now, and may the Lord richly bless.

My rationale for this little blog

Hello everyone. Thanks for following with us so far. My blog writer and motivator is Rachel. My purpose in writing is really two fold. First, is to inform all of my friends and relatives of our ongoing situation and update you on my thoughts and impressions that come to mind as I journey down the tunnel of ALS. It's been a time to realize the fruits of a life of faith and how they are not mere words. I've truly realized that Christ is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). My second objective is to give some assistance and inspiration to those, who like myself, suffer with incurable illnesses. And, to give their caregivers some tips on what we've learned in the 4 years since the onset of my ALS symptoms.

Even before the onset of ALS, I made it a practice in my adult life to take natural vitamins and supplements. When I started having symptoms we did a lot of research and we tried many holistic treatments. Just to mention a few, we tried the Makers Diet, Dr. Day's regimen, juicing of organic fruits and vegetables. Then we went to using distilled water and adding minerals. I was on a six month experimental program with supplements from Manatec. I tried fasting, which incidentally left me quiet light. I never did gain that weight back. That one was probably not a good move. There are a number of other things we tried as well. Although none of these programs helped me in my condition with ALS, I say somewhat jokingly that I am probably the healthiest sick person around. I thank the Lord that I virtually never get colds or the flu!

I am currently taking 60mg of Pyridostigmine three times a day. I learned about this from a fellow ALS sufferer in MI and it really does give me energy. It excites the nervous system. I've been taking this for about two years. The second thing I'm taking is fresh ground flax seed. I take a tablespoon every morning with my breakfast in a 4oz. glass of orange juice. This, along with three stewed prunes has kept me from having a common problem that many ALS patients deal with.

New Thought ...

Another thing that I believe is helpful is taking an ounce of VIBE. It is a pure mineral source that is obtained through Eniva. I'm sold on this product as it preserves my health. I firmly believe it has helped slow the symptoms of the illness. Having had several friends come and visit us recently, and anticipating a number more coming here in the upcoming weeks, we really do thank God for the people He has put in our lives to encourage us in this journey. It is wonderful to have cultivated such wonderful friendships during my life. It sure can go a long way to have people stand with you when the troubled times come. I've told my kids in their growing up years when they have complained about not having friends that you have to be a friend to have a friend. There's someone out there in your world who wants to be your friend. For sure as a believer, to quote an old hymn, you have a friend in Jesus (What a friend we have in Jesus).

This spring we've had Bill and Carol from Tupelo; Gary and Jill from ND, Milton and Sue from WI, my sister-in-law Sue from MN; Ardel and Lois from WI. Next week we'll be seeing Roger and Peggy from WI and Karl and Becky from WI. We have really enjoyed having everyone come and have had a lot of time to share and reminisce together. Through these Christian friends, we've come to experience fresh and new what friendship is which, is discovering the uniqueness of Christ in our fellow brothers and sisters.

I'll talk about our new mini-van purchase we just made.

Have a very Blessed Easter!

Today I finished a book called Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. It's Published by Crossway and edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. I thought it was a very meaningful book about dealing with suffering, whether it be applied to a personal experience, or gaining a better understanding of suffering. It goes a long way to give a clear picture of how to deal with suffering and view it. I would greatly recommend it to anyone who wants help dealing with the issues of suffering and pain. Two of the writers are quadriplegics.

In Gods providence, I'm thankful for the wife and family He's put in my life and giving me care and support in this ever deepening valley. At this point of my ALS, everything from my neck down is affected. I'm on a bi-pap machine most of the time. A bi-pap is a non-invasive air pump. I wear it in my nose during the day and a face mask at night. Fortunately, when I'm on it I can talk and communicate well. I enjoy visits from friends and talking on the phone with my headset on.

To give a short history: four years ago, March 2003, was my first sign that I had some trouble. I had weakness and some muscle pain in both my left leg and right arm. It came on quite suddenly and up until that time I had 58 years of wonderful health. It took 9 months of doctors visits to finally come to a diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). As a 58 year old I was a rather typical ALS patient as 2/3 of patients are men usually in their 50's.

A year ago, January, we moved into a home that we share with our oldest daughter and her family. My wife and I live on the terrace level and we had it designed for complete wheel chair accessibility and a ceramic roll-in shower, which, has proven to be of great help and benefit. I really like the shower which, has two shower-heads. One is an overhead rain shower and the other is a wall-mounted shower head that can be hand-held. My shower is a welcome end to the day. The first of next week, I'll be getting a handicapped Chrysler, Town and Country. I will be able to drive my wheelchair right into it and we can get away from the house, periodically. I have a motorized wheelchair which, until now, I have not been able to ride for long periods of time because it could not hold my bi-pap machine. However, last week our friends Milton and Sue came and he rigged a platform to hold my bi-pap and we ordered a battery so that I can now be much more mobile.

Each new weakness brings new challenges to cope with and overcome. Life is, for sure, a moving target. But, with God all things are possible!

Until next time...