Thursday, September 25, 2008

Abigail reading her Bible to a neighbor


I saw this through the window the other day - it really warmed my heart... brought tears to my eyes actually.

Paul's arm is finally straight - Praise God


Paul had to go back to the hospital for surgery today to "straighten" his arm. One of the two bones was at 28 degrees - and anything greater than 20 is unacceptable. So, they put him under and put lots of pressure on it. This reduced it to 5 degrees. They had to give him morphine twice (and they even said he has a high pain tolerance). Needless to say, he is wiped out - and so is Amy. I'm taking the other three and the dog to a park while these two crash on the couch for a while. Thanks to everyone for praying. Paul has really been through it with his poor arm, but we are confident all will be well with it now.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Thoughts after contemplating this past week


Could anything be more winsome than true self-forgetfulness, humility, and godliness?  Would to God that all of us truly regard ourselves as crucified to all that is part of this world that is passing away.  If only I could love another person as Christ loved me.  May we always regard the most unlovable and the most personally repulsive as though they were the Lord Christ Himself in our midst.  If only I could live as if I were to stand before the Lord Jesus Himself in person, with all of my heart-motions and motives laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom I must give an account.  If only it did not take intense personal suffering to break us of inordinate affections and turn our eyes towards things eternal.  Pain makes us long for that city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.  One day of true humility, one day of true self-abasement, one day of heart-brokenness over my children’s and loved-one’s souls – If only God would grant this to His whole church.  “Lament and mourn and weep!  Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom” – James 4:9.  May God teach us all what this means.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Paul's Arm

This is what the x-ray looked like before they "reduced" it (i.e. straightened it). We are thankful to God for the Fairfield 911 people and the Liberty Township Children's Hospital. They were all wonderful to Paul. Medical technology is a true blessing from God. I told Paul, "200 years ago, this day, and the following days would have been a lot worse. God is so good to us!" I'll post some pics of Abigail's stitches and other injuries when I get time. Please pray for us. We're exhausted from everything that has happened this past week.



Quite a week

All of us have weeks (or sometimes even longer) that we'd just as soon forget. This past week in the Hines' household:

1. We miscarried.
2. Abigail fell while skipping around at an outdoor restaurant and got abrasions on her thigh, ankle, shin, and 10 stitches in her chin.
3. As Amy and Abigail were on their way home from the hospital, Paul was bumped off of a futon in our basement and broke both bones in his right arm - it was bent back just above his wrist. So, we spent from about 8:00 PM until 1:30 AM at Liberty Children's Hospital getting that fixed.

Just pray for us, we are exhausted and emotionally drained from all of this.