Thursday, July 19, 2012
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
March 23 Medical update
Here it is, one week since the last Medical report: Good news and not so good news.
Good news. My heart is in symphonic rhythm. Not only that but is good on pressure!
Not-so-good-news: The blood clot figure is too high. The 3 MGs of Warfarin (1/day) made my blood too thin. I'm to stop taking it for 3 days and have it checked again on Friday, March 26. Then I will probably be placed on a lower dose.
Conclusion: Now when I say that my plan is to go wherever and on and such a day and add "Lord Willing", the "Lord Willing" seems to have much more meaning than it used to. (improper sentence?)
So - am looking forward to His plans for the rest of my life. Praise the Lord!
Good news. My heart is in symphonic rhythm. Not only that but is good on pressure!
Not-so-good-news: The blood clot figure is too high. The 3 MGs of Warfarin (1/day) made my blood too thin. I'm to stop taking it for 3 days and have it checked again on Friday, March 26. Then I will probably be placed on a lower dose.
Conclusion: Now when I say that my plan is to go wherever and on and such a day and add "Lord Willing", the "Lord Willing" seems to have much more meaning than it used to. (improper sentence?)
So - am looking forward to His plans for the rest of my life. Praise the Lord!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Tale of Two Women and a Man
In about 1900, there was a young girl who migrated with her folks from Holland to America settling in Roseland, Illinois. Roseland was on the far south side of Chicago and that local area was mainly populated by Dutch immigrants. Her name was Minka (Americanized to Minnie) Postma. Her future husband claimed that the first time he saw her in church; he knew he wanted to marry her. He was James Bernard Pruim, Americanized from his real name, Jacobus Bernardas Pruim. James was born and raised in Roseland and went to the local Dutch Christian School where he learned to be fluent in both English and Dutch languages.
James and Minnie had 3 sons and 1 daughter. The daughter, Annette, was dearly loved by her father. She was definitely a “daddy's girl.” After completing her studies in English at the mostly Dutch Christian High School, she got a job in downtown Chicago as a secretary. She never joined her folk’s church but chose to go her own way.
When Annette was 25 years old, she met Jack Hopkins, a man that was so different from her usual acquaintances that she was leery of him. Leery perhaps, but attracted nevertheless. They had a rocky start beginning with their first date. Jack had just bought an Indian Chief motorcycle that was his pride and joy. Annette was aghast and believed that decent men (good church going Dutch men) did NOT ride motorcycles. They dated on and off for a year or two and finally Jack sold his Indian motorcycle and began to get serious about Annette. Jack was against religion in general and Christianity specifically. Before they got married, Jack got Annette to agree that they would NOT go to church and IF they had children they would certainly NOT go to any Christian school. He thought Christian Church schools were un-American.
In February of 1949, Annette and Jack were married and, to keep Annette's folks happy, joined a little Methodist church in their neighborhood in Riverdale, Illinois, just south of Chcago. They never darkened that church's door again. In August of 1950, their first child was born, a son named Benton James. After Ben was born, Annette started talking about being concerned that the Lord Jesus was coming again and that when He came, He would not be her Savior. She was under conviction that she was lost and not going to be saved. Jack regarded the whole idea as nonsensical but agreed to have the Pastor from "their" Methodist church to come and talk to her about her concern. The Pastor came to our home and ridiculed her idea that the world would some day come to an end and said that the earth is eternal. Annette said, “What about the Bible? Jesus said that there would be an end time.” That too was ridiculed along with the miracles that Annette brought up such as Jesus walking on the water. That miracle was resolved by his saying that Jesus knew that lake so well that he was stepping on stones right near the surface of the lake. Annette was devastated. Jack thought that the Pastor was a thinking man and did not believe in the bible or in miracles. In retrospect, the pastor was a bigger unbeliever than Jack.
About this time, Annette was pregnant with our second child when she had a caller at the door – another local pastor - this one with an invitation for us to try his church if we did not have a church home. He noted Ben crawling around on the floor and that Annette was with child. He asked if he could pray with Annette before he left. She told him yes, of course he could pray. He prayed for our family, for the big brother and the child who was soon to be born and then he left. All this took place without him entering our home. The whole conversation was conducted through our open front door.
Jack came home that night to a happy and excited wife. She wanted to go to that young preacher's church on Sunday. Her appeal was so insistent that Jack reluctantly agreed to go. The service was at a small church with perhaps 20 in attendance (no choir). Nevertheless, Annette was just so enthused that Jack went again the next two Sundays. The Pastor was both a college and seminary graduate who not only preached from the Bible, but gave every indication that he believed it wholeheartedly. He was a problem to Jack as he had figured that all educated people knew that religion was for dummies and that Christianity especially was for weak minded old women. And all educated men knew that the Bible was not Gods book.
After Jack went home from church that third Sunday, he got his wife's Bible and began to read it to prove that it was full of lies. Within a week, and just from reading the book of John's Gospel, he was miraculously saved. He went from unbeliever to believer, from darkness to light. What a glorious change! His reaction to all that was happening was Jesus is alive!" Praise the Lord!
Well, they joyously joined the Church, and after making a profession of faith they became active in Sunday school, prayer meetings, Bible study and Sunday worship. Both Jack and Annette were overjoyed at God’s grace and enjoyed their new place in God's Kingdom.
When we told Annette's folks about our experience and when Minnie heard Annette's story about feeling lost and alone and scared and that when Jesus came to earth, He would be her judge, not her Savior, Minnie told us her story. She had a time in her early marriage when she felt like the Lord Jesus was coming back and that He was not her Savior. The same experience that Annette had. Minnie had always gone to church and though she was never deliberately anti-Christian, but she felt lost and helpless. James, her husband, could not comfort her nor did visits from the elders of the church. If Minnie and James were out visiting and the weather would become cloudy, Minnie would say, “Let's go home, James.” She knew the Bible said that the Lord would return on a cloud, and she was afraid.
One day when she was in the basement washing clothes, the Lord Jesus appear to her and He said, “Look at my hands and my side." She immediately said "My Lord and my God." These were the same words the disciple Thomas uttered when he was shown the Lord’s wounds. Great peace came over her and she was assured that she now was a child of God and that Jesus was her Savior. After that experience, she had the elders come hear her story and they did not know what to make of it. They said to be thankful and not to talk about it. Minnie never told her story to her children until that day when Annette told her of her experience.
So there is the story of two women, Minnie and Annette. Thankfully, although Jack was dragged along to church with Annette, he found the Lord Jesus by reading the bible to prove it false. Jack not only sent all their 5 children to Christian schools but served many years on the board of the local Christian School and as president as well.Jack and Annette had 50 great years of marriage until Alzheimer’s took her life when she left to be with her Savior.
Praise the Lord! Jack/John Hopkins
James and Minnie had 3 sons and 1 daughter. The daughter, Annette, was dearly loved by her father. She was definitely a “daddy's girl.” After completing her studies in English at the mostly Dutch Christian High School, she got a job in downtown Chicago as a secretary. She never joined her folk’s church but chose to go her own way.
When Annette was 25 years old, she met Jack Hopkins, a man that was so different from her usual acquaintances that she was leery of him. Leery perhaps, but attracted nevertheless. They had a rocky start beginning with their first date. Jack had just bought an Indian Chief motorcycle that was his pride and joy. Annette was aghast and believed that decent men (good church going Dutch men) did NOT ride motorcycles. They dated on and off for a year or two and finally Jack sold his Indian motorcycle and began to get serious about Annette. Jack was against religion in general and Christianity specifically. Before they got married, Jack got Annette to agree that they would NOT go to church and IF they had children they would certainly NOT go to any Christian school. He thought Christian Church schools were un-American.
In February of 1949, Annette and Jack were married and, to keep Annette's folks happy, joined a little Methodist church in their neighborhood in Riverdale, Illinois, just south of Chcago. They never darkened that church's door again. In August of 1950, their first child was born, a son named Benton James. After Ben was born, Annette started talking about being concerned that the Lord Jesus was coming again and that when He came, He would not be her Savior. She was under conviction that she was lost and not going to be saved. Jack regarded the whole idea as nonsensical but agreed to have the Pastor from "their" Methodist church to come and talk to her about her concern. The Pastor came to our home and ridiculed her idea that the world would some day come to an end and said that the earth is eternal. Annette said, “What about the Bible? Jesus said that there would be an end time.” That too was ridiculed along with the miracles that Annette brought up such as Jesus walking on the water. That miracle was resolved by his saying that Jesus knew that lake so well that he was stepping on stones right near the surface of the lake. Annette was devastated. Jack thought that the Pastor was a thinking man and did not believe in the bible or in miracles. In retrospect, the pastor was a bigger unbeliever than Jack.
About this time, Annette was pregnant with our second child when she had a caller at the door – another local pastor - this one with an invitation for us to try his church if we did not have a church home. He noted Ben crawling around on the floor and that Annette was with child. He asked if he could pray with Annette before he left. She told him yes, of course he could pray. He prayed for our family, for the big brother and the child who was soon to be born and then he left. All this took place without him entering our home. The whole conversation was conducted through our open front door.
Jack came home that night to a happy and excited wife. She wanted to go to that young preacher's church on Sunday. Her appeal was so insistent that Jack reluctantly agreed to go. The service was at a small church with perhaps 20 in attendance (no choir). Nevertheless, Annette was just so enthused that Jack went again the next two Sundays. The Pastor was both a college and seminary graduate who not only preached from the Bible, but gave every indication that he believed it wholeheartedly. He was a problem to Jack as he had figured that all educated people knew that religion was for dummies and that Christianity especially was for weak minded old women. And all educated men knew that the Bible was not Gods book.
After Jack went home from church that third Sunday, he got his wife's Bible and began to read it to prove that it was full of lies. Within a week, and just from reading the book of John's Gospel, he was miraculously saved. He went from unbeliever to believer, from darkness to light. What a glorious change! His reaction to all that was happening was Jesus is alive!" Praise the Lord!
Well, they joyously joined the Church, and after making a profession of faith they became active in Sunday school, prayer meetings, Bible study and Sunday worship. Both Jack and Annette were overjoyed at God’s grace and enjoyed their new place in God's Kingdom.
When we told Annette's folks about our experience and when Minnie heard Annette's story about feeling lost and alone and scared and that when Jesus came to earth, He would be her judge, not her Savior, Minnie told us her story. She had a time in her early marriage when she felt like the Lord Jesus was coming back and that He was not her Savior. The same experience that Annette had. Minnie had always gone to church and though she was never deliberately anti-Christian, but she felt lost and helpless. James, her husband, could not comfort her nor did visits from the elders of the church. If Minnie and James were out visiting and the weather would become cloudy, Minnie would say, “Let's go home, James.” She knew the Bible said that the Lord would return on a cloud, and she was afraid.
One day when she was in the basement washing clothes, the Lord Jesus appear to her and He said, “Look at my hands and my side." She immediately said "My Lord and my God." These were the same words the disciple Thomas uttered when he was shown the Lord’s wounds. Great peace came over her and she was assured that she now was a child of God and that Jesus was her Savior. After that experience, she had the elders come hear her story and they did not know what to make of it. They said to be thankful and not to talk about it. Minnie never told her story to her children until that day when Annette told her of her experience.
So there is the story of two women, Minnie and Annette. Thankfully, although Jack was dragged along to church with Annette, he found the Lord Jesus by reading the bible to prove it false. Jack not only sent all their 5 children to Christian schools but served many years on the board of the local Christian School and as president as well.Jack and Annette had 50 great years of marriage until Alzheimer’s took her life when she left to be with her Savior.
Praise the Lord! Jack/John Hopkins
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
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