"Fork Lift!"

A nurse came into my room to help me get out of my wheelchair and into bed for the night. She pulled back the covers of my bed and let out a gasp as she looked at dozens of plastic forks. It had been a full day of rehab activities topped off by a visit from our good friends Mark & Sylvia Ramquist. They had driven from Seattle to Portland to encourage an old friend. After dinner, good conversation and lots of laughs they headed home. Earlier that evening they had enlisted the help of my roommate's wife to "sabotage" my bed.

Mark & Sylvia had started the "fork" joke years earlier when they slipped out of our church service in Tokyo during my sermon and inserted hundreds of forks in the surrounding grounds with little signs on each fork that announced that I had turned 40-something! The "Fork Wars" had begun! Over the years we've taken turns secretly forking each other's cars, houses, yards... - and now a hospital bed. As I explained things to my surprised nurse she just busted out laughing. She then agreed to do me a favor. I had her phone Mark & Sylvia's cell phone. Somewhere, as they sped along I-5, they heard my nurse say, "I thought that since you are close friends you should know that Tim has been rushed to the emergency room with multiple puncture wounds to his posterior."

The news quickly spread through the hospital and brought a smile to many faces. I became known for the next few days as the patient who had been "forked."

Nothing can lift your spirits like good friends (even if they have a strange sense of humor!) I hope that you have friends like this. I encourage you to be a friend like this to others. It takes some creative imagination and planning (and maybe a few dollars for plastic tableware) but it's more than worth it if you can cheer a friend with a "fork lift."

A cheerful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)
There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)

Just Move the Deer!

I believe in a sovereign God who knows all things and has the power to do all things. I'll admit that I'm often confused trying to figure out why he does certain things and doesn't do others. Take my last car accident for example. We were zipping up I-5 between Portland and Seattle and came over the crest of a hill where a deer (a good-sized buck with a rack) was standing in the middle of our lane. We swerved and missed the deer but rolled the car. I had a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the chest down. That was almost 5 years ago now and we've seen God do some amazing things. He's given enough healing to enable me to walk again. He's done amazing things to provide for us during some very difficult days.

We thank him for all he's done and is doing. But I wonder sometimes... if I could have been an angel at God's side 5 years ago and been able to give him some advice... if he had asked me what I thought of his sovereign plan for Tim Olson... I might have said, "God, your plan to take care of Tim and his family is incredible. You're going to do some amazing things for them. But, if I might suggest another option - why don't you just move the deer."

Why didn't God just tell this deer to move even 5 yards to the right? A simple act for an all-powerful God and it would sure have made our lives a lot easier. But for some reason God decided, "The buck stops here!" I'm learning that God's plan for us is often not to make our lives easier. And I know someday I'll understand more fully why it's good that God has the final say in these life-changing decisions. The Bible says that his ways and thoughts are higher than ours - so don't expect to second guess him. I've chosen to continue to trust the one who knows how everything's going to turn out in the end and do my best to avoid the temptation of giving God advice!

Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor?
Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?

Isaiah 40:13-14 (NIV)

Baby Steps

Most of us take walking for granted. We don’t remember those first steps and those many falls. We just put one foot in front of the other without even thinking about it. Helping teach my grandson, Brendon, how to walk reminds me of how long the learning process is – and how much help is needed. After my spinal cord injury in 2002 brought paralysis from the chest down I had the humbling task of trying to put one foot in front of the other. It was a long process that started with only being able to slightly move one toe on my left foot. And I needed a lot of help. Hours, days, months of physical therapy (PT – which many of the patients thought stood for “personal torture.”) The Rehabilitation Institute of Oregon at the Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland has an awesome staff that encouraged me and caringly stretched me (often literally) to keep me working toward my goals.

If you’re in some kind of rehab or recovery or just trying to see some light at the end of your tunnel the most important thing I would advise (other than continued faith in God) is to look for friends and family who are willing to encourage you (and even “torture” you when needed) to keep you moving toward your goals – even if right now you can only move one toe. And I pray you soon discover the joy of “walking” again. If you’ll take time to watch this one-minute video you’ll see that Brendon seems to be enjoying it!

Mt. Rainier and the man born blind

Yesterday I was hiking near Mt. Rainier. Pause. Thinking about that always makes me pause. Hiking on Mt. Rainier has become one of my wife's and my favorite outings. It's an awesomely beautiful place. Five years ago, as she sat beside my hospital bed, we wondered if we would ever hike it together again. I was paralyzed from the chest down with no guarantee of recovery - but that's a story for another day...

Yesterday, as some family and friends trekked up the trail, Jason was telling me a fascinating story of some of the difficulties his father had been through. But God brought good results out of those tough times. Jason said it was like the man born blind that Jesus talked about in the Bible.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
John 9:1-3 (NIV)

I thought "what an incredible thing it would be to have the work of God displayed in your life." Would it be worth it to endure suffering for that outcome? I cannot imagine the difficulties this blind man dealt with for 20 or 30 years (or more?), but his story continues to be told around the world. Thousands of people have been encouraged by this blind man's story. Was it worth the suffering he endured? God thought so. My hope is that the work of God will be displayed in my life in such a way that others will be encouraged. What's your hope for your life? Would it be worth days, months or even years of difficulty?

(If you've never read the blind man's amazing story Click here).

Before the beginning

I've had some crisis feelings in my life - moments of panic. But this first crisis I was completely unaware of. I was comfortable (I assume) in my mother's womb even though I was causing her lots of discomfort. I guess I was a "pain" even before I could breathe! My dad was given a choice by the doctor doing the delivery, "We can save your wife or your baby." I can't imagine the difficulty of answering that question, even though the answer was obvious. If only he would have known what an awesomely great kid I was going to be he might have answered differently...not!

(In case you're getting tense let me assure you that I survived.) I need to get the full medical facts someday, but what I understand is that where they needed to do an incision was right where my head was supposed to be. I says "supposed" because what they thought was my head was actually a very large blood clot (that I have been blamed for causing!). Realize that this was in the dark ages of 1954 when we didn't have all the high-tech diagnostic equipment of today. After the incision they discovered the clot. The nurse who informed my dad that his wife was fine and that he also had a son was spontaneously picked up and whirled around the waiting room.

So I entered this world as an almost aborted, but wanted baby. I was blue because of a lack of oxygen but I was alive. God has his reasons. One of our greatest goals in life is to discover the purpose God allows us to live in this world he's created. My adventure had begun.

Psalms 139:13-16 (NIV)
¹³ For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, ¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalms 71:6 (NIV)
From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you.

Where do I start?

It all started 53 years ago - and it's almost ended at least 10 times. My life. If I was a cat my 9 lives would be used up. Facing mortality and the brevity of life is sobering. Finding purpose and experiencing fulfillment in that purpose is a daily challenge. I'm hoping that my story and whatever reflections I have on it will serve the purpose of encouraging others who face challenges and suffering of various kinds. I don't pretend to have suffered more than most people - I haven't. I don't intend for this blog to degenerate into a "can you top this" collection. The focus must be on gaining insight, strength and faith to continue fulfilling our purpose in this life. As I begin to post some of my experiences I look forward to interacting with many who have become, or hope to become better people despite (and often because of) their suffering.

If you're new to this blog please take a moment to read my profile which reveals some of my perspectives and biases toward life.