Hello from hot, Hot, HOT, Cincinnati, Ohio. Yesterday marked the fifteenth day in a row of at or above 90 degree temperatures. In two more days, a new record for consecutive days of 90 degrees will be set. The old record dates to 1901. However, before I proceed, I know many of you have been praying for me, and also Bess and the family. First, I want to thank the LORD for allowing me to go on a little further. I also want to thank the doctors and medical staff at the Bethesda North Hospital for the fine care I received. Not only was it top quality, but you could sense genuine human compassion from these good people as well. It is no wonder I chose to be born at Bethesda 57 years ago! I also thank Brenda Conley, and Bill Wolfe for keeping everybody informed. Thanks goes to my family who is even now my best support system. Finally, I thank each of you for your prayers, calls, cards, and E-mails. I was told I was being prayed for from as far away as France. Wow!!!
One thing I learned was how important a visit from the preacher is when you are in the hospital. As a pastor, I have made thousands of hospital, care facility, and at home sick calls. I knew the visits were appreciated, but I had never really considered that those visits were valued and treasured. However, when I became the patient, I quickly saw it from another perspective. I received visits from the hospital chaplain, Thad Griggs, another Southern Baptist colleague. My mom’s Pastor, Brady Clark, stopped by to visit and pray with me. Two of my dearest friends, Pastor Jim Rankin and Pastor Norman Patterson along with their wives, Lisa Rankin, and Chris Patterson came by. Each of these visits was to me a gift more valuable than gold. It sure seems different when you are the one lying in the bed looking up instead of the one who is above the bed looking down.
You do not have to be clergy to bless someone with a visit. Do you know of someone who is confined due to illness, or even age? Plan to make a trip one day soon to see them. Phone calls are nice, and cards are fine, but nothing beats that face to face visit. Go see someone this week.
I have my final cardiology visit here in Cincinnati today at 10:30a.m. Bess and I plan to make our way back to Florida on Tuesday morning. Please pray for our trip; poor Bess will have to do all the driving. Perhaps next week I can tell you a bit more about our journeys, which included visits to some of the winter friends of our Church. My the Lord Jesus bless each of you, and I’ll see you next Monday Morning With Pastor Vic.
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