He loveth me in weal and woe;
His will is good, true His affection,
With tender love His heart doth glow.
My Fortress and my Rock is He:
What pleaseth God, that pleaseth me.
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 (and the Bible verse from which the above hymn comes from Salomo Franck in 1655)
Sad to say, as beautiful as that hymn verse is, I can't honestly say that I come close to really living it. I'm always leaving all things to my direction. And, of course, it's the wrong direction, sinner that I am. The good news is that Jesus took care of that for me. He really did. He pleased God -- for me. And he pleads for me before the throne of Almighty God. He has forgiven my sins and made me a part of the heavenly kingdom! I know that I am called according to His purpose. That is my hope. That is OUR hope.
This morning, as I was helping my dear wife get dressed, I noticed, painfully, that she could hardly stand, even for a few seconds. It seemed she could hardly bear the short time it took; her legs were shaking from weakness, an indicator of how much this disease has progressed since I first posted about it last January. Linda's arms get weaker too. It's hard for her to even raise a fork to eat.
Most of the time, we are getting used to what it takes to care for her. We accept what has to be done, and simply do it. But this morning it seemed to hit me in the gut like it did last January when we first learned that she had ALS. We have explored what help we can find to improve her condition. We simply have to leave it to God's direction.
Blessed Lord Jesus, teach us to trust in You rather than in our own abilities, for our works are nothing without You. Help us, in Your mercy, to leave all things to Your direction. Give us the strength to bear our burdens. Strengthen our faith that we will look to our citizenship in heaven. Send Your holy angels to comfort and protect us during these trying times. Deliver us, Lord Jesus, in Your mercy.
Lord, Have Mercy upon us.
Christ, Have Mercy upon us.
Lord, Have Mercy upon us.
The last verse of the hymn:
My God desires the soul's salvation,
Me also He desires to save;
Therefore with Christian resignation
All earthly troubles I will brave.
His will be done eternally:
What pleaseth God, that pleaseth me.
Come, Lord Jesus. Amen
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
5 Days old and Now She Has a Name!
Our thirty-second grandchild was born at home on February 3, 2011 at 6:06 am to Sky and Marion. Her name, we just found out today, is Greta Linda Freet.
Greta was 9 lbs. 6 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long. A big baby!
Greta was 9 lbs. 6 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long. A big baby!
Dish Networks #1 In Customer Satisfaction? .... Hardly
It all started because we were dissatisfied with our cable provider. We decided to go with DSL and Dish Networks. I'm certainly rethinking my decision to go with Dish Networks.
All was well when our dish was installed last December. We were most happy with the service and the programming. Then less than a month later, the receiver takes a dump. I contact Dish Networks and they offer to replace it, but if I pay for postage. No way, it was less than 30 days old. After insisting on speaking with a supervisor, they immediately offer to send the replacement at their cost. Including shipping both ways.
And send it they did, a more expensive one, which they insisted I had to pay extra for, even though I had never asked for it, and, in fact only wanted a replacement which was equivalent to the one which died. I gave up, since it seemed that I had been scammed; opting to deal with the situation at a later date.
Here comes February. We get a bill for $300 (plus change) extra, which they promptly extracted from our checking account. When I contacted them this evening, it seems that, even though they were charging me additional money each month for use of the better receiver (with DVR), since I had never sent it back to them, I had to pay for it also. When I noted that I was already paying a monthly fee for the use of that receiver, the agent insisted that I send it back in order to get my credit.
For the second time, I insisted that a supervisor contact me by telephone immediately. And, like the first time I made that demand, the agent relented and offered to credit the $300 (plus change), and apologized for the inconvenience.
The bottom line is that these representatives for Dish Networks are simply inept (that's putting the best construction on it). Putting a realistic construction on it, they are doing everything they can to grab money from unsuspecting customers. And when they are contacted (I used online chat to get a quicker response), they show themselves as the inept representatives they (seem to be) trained to be.
They would be history with us except for the fact that I agreed to a 24 month service. My mistake, for sure.
I'm sharing this with you all because I don't want you to make the same mistake I did.
I will be glad to share the transcripts of these conversations with anyone who wishes to learn more about Dish Networks customer service. Let me know, and I'll email them to you. If I knew how to attach them to the blog I would.
All was well when our dish was installed last December. We were most happy with the service and the programming. Then less than a month later, the receiver takes a dump. I contact Dish Networks and they offer to replace it, but if I pay for postage. No way, it was less than 30 days old. After insisting on speaking with a supervisor, they immediately offer to send the replacement at their cost. Including shipping both ways.
And send it they did, a more expensive one, which they insisted I had to pay extra for, even though I had never asked for it, and, in fact only wanted a replacement which was equivalent to the one which died. I gave up, since it seemed that I had been scammed; opting to deal with the situation at a later date.
Here comes February. We get a bill for $300 (plus change) extra, which they promptly extracted from our checking account. When I contacted them this evening, it seems that, even though they were charging me additional money each month for use of the better receiver (with DVR), since I had never sent it back to them, I had to pay for it also. When I noted that I was already paying a monthly fee for the use of that receiver, the agent insisted that I send it back in order to get my credit.
For the second time, I insisted that a supervisor contact me by telephone immediately. And, like the first time I made that demand, the agent relented and offered to credit the $300 (plus change), and apologized for the inconvenience.
The bottom line is that these representatives for Dish Networks are simply inept (that's putting the best construction on it). Putting a realistic construction on it, they are doing everything they can to grab money from unsuspecting customers. And when they are contacted (I used online chat to get a quicker response), they show themselves as the inept representatives they (seem to be) trained to be.
They would be history with us except for the fact that I agreed to a 24 month service. My mistake, for sure.
I'm sharing this with you all because I don't want you to make the same mistake I did.
I will be glad to share the transcripts of these conversations with anyone who wishes to learn more about Dish Networks customer service. Let me know, and I'll email them to you. If I knew how to attach them to the blog I would.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
ALS Rears It's Ugly Head
Many of you know already that my dear wife has been diagnosed with the affliction of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). This is a nasty one, my friends, every bit as scary as cancer or the like.
The doctor who made the diagnosis has also asked that we get a second evaluation, which is scheduled for February 10. But, given the serious nature of the disease, we also are scheduling extensive sessions of Homeopathic (natural) medicine. There is no cure or even much aid for ALS with Allopathic (today's generally accepted) medical treatment.
We know the challenges ahead. We have a lot to learn. We no doubt have much more to bear. And, yes, we are scared. But we can also look to the promises of our gracious God and Savior, that he will never leave us or forsake us. And when he calls us home to heaven, we will be eternally happy and perfect.
Sola Deo Gloria!
The doctor who made the diagnosis has also asked that we get a second evaluation, which is scheduled for February 10. But, given the serious nature of the disease, we also are scheduling extensive sessions of Homeopathic (natural) medicine. There is no cure or even much aid for ALS with Allopathic (today's generally accepted) medical treatment.
We know the challenges ahead. We have a lot to learn. We no doubt have much more to bear. And, yes, we are scared. But we can also look to the promises of our gracious God and Savior, that he will never leave us or forsake us. And when he calls us home to heaven, we will be eternally happy and perfect.
Sola Deo Gloria!
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