A fella rushes into a doctor’s office in an awful panic shouting "Doctor doctor I’m shrinking! I’m shrinking! You’ve gotta see me right away!" The doctor says, "Hold on now, you’re just going to have to be a little patient."

Hello Friday. Welcome to that special day that so many long for each week. It is March 9, 2012 and I bid you greetings as we continue our journey here. The other day I told you about that mystery number of what we would owe for the heart procedure my wife had done. My wife has always had some of the best insurance around. We knew there had been significant changes made effective the first of this year. That number was a doozy. We had guessed it to be high but our high was less than half of what it ended up being. We thank the Lord we were able to handle it but here's what I want to communicate. Polls continue to show a huge backlash against the federal healthcare program that is being implemented. This administration has thrown every kind of promotion scheme imaginable at trying to change people's perceptions but Americans overwhelmingly continue to oppose this legislation. Simple question. Why? Everyone who must access the current medical system are experiencing the same kind of sticker shock that we did. The free market will always do what it believes to be in its own self interest and these medical providers and insurance companies are reacting in a preemptive manner to the coming changes that will be imposed by this healthcare mandate. Now. Here's the rub. This legislation was supposed to drive down the cost of healthcare but people don't have to wait to see exactly how absolutely fallacious that promise is. My estimate between the before and after as to what we had to pay is by a factor of four. No wonder people are saying thumbs down to government run healthcare. And, that's my report from somewhere near the front lines of where this action is taking place. I report. You decide.

I want to give a shout out to my wife's brother, Milton, and his sweet wife Glenda. Most of you remember Brother Milton, the man of God. Brother Milton was here working on rebuilding our home after Hurricane Ike when he had a massive heart attack and stroke. Given up for dead several different times during the ensuing months, God had something different in mind. This past Monday, Brother Milton and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. As someone used to say, "I feel a hallelujah coming on!" My wife had called Milton to check on him and she said had you not known about his great struggle, you would not have recognized it in the way he talked and interacted on the phone. Another blessing! I do know this for sure. Brother Milton who is one of the most humble people I've ever known will tell anyone at anytime that he knows that God has done this in his life and he will encourage anyone to join with him in giving all the glory to God. Now I am often asked about why one individual makes an unexplainable recovery while another goes on to their reward. I can't answer that based on any knowledge I might come up with but I can point any and all to the God who is in control, of everything, including situations where the doctors tell the family to get ready to say farewell to their loved one. In Brother Milton's case, he had plenty of the medical staff, including a renowned cardiologist, using the word miracle before he left that hospital for his home in Florida. Now that is why it's called Amazing Grace! Amen.

Another busy week. Nothing like trying to keep a few dozen balls up in the air at the same time to make the time fly by. I want to once again acknowledge the love, support, and prayers of so many on behalf of our family in the passing of our sister, and in particular, the intercessions on behalf of my sweet wife. I endured a lot to get her to be mine. Back in the day, that is, in the mid 1960's, when I used to drive onto the parking lot of their Church property, all those home boys gave me that stare. They must have missed the Sunday when the preacher taught about welcoming visitors! I was a foreigner to them. Not only from a different town, it was a rival town. And, mostly, they detested the fact that I was there to chat up one of their own. That love stuff is strong. Many of them were tall and muscled up. I was a little dude but compelled as I was, I basically pranced my way through them as if I had come to conquer. Even at their fellowship gatherings at someone's house I was more or less tolerated. The outsider. My oh my, the things I did, for that woman! Don't be surprised if she tells that story a little different but that's the way I remember it and I'm sticking to my version. I actually don't think she would tell it differently because that's the way it was. I was able to get through all of that because when it came down do it, I wasn't there to see anybody except her. The rest of them were not on my radar screen, that is, until I had to deal with her dad, and her mom, but that came later, and that's another story, for another day. Have you noticed that I do have some stories to tell? Good. Glad you are paying attention. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday, and Lord willing I'll catch up with you next Monday. Amen.     .....More later.