Good morning, it is Saturday, March 17th. I have continued my pattern of gradual improvement this week and can visibly see the difference and feel yet a little stronger and sharper. I continue to improve in both my strengthening and stamina-increasing exercises. I have been reading in the Gospel of John and this morning read the passage about the raising of Lazarus from the dead in chapter 11. Of special note was when Jesus said that Lazarus' sickness was for the glory of God and added so that their faith might be increased by giving them new reasons for their belief. I know that my experiences of the last months have influenced the faith of many others in addition to myself. Thank you to the many of you who have mentioned that these blogs have encouraged, taught, and strengthened you and your faith. That is surely one way that this sickness has been to the glory of God. The glory of God is really the character of God and includes all that God is (omnipotent, omniscient, loving, unchanging, just, omnipresent, compassionate, etc.) and is capable of doing. When those are in evidence, we can always see the fingerprints of God. Many turned to Christ because of Lazarus and many who were already believers had their faith "charged" and changed through his experience. It is so often through the lives and experiences of others that our faith is influenced. I know that so many of you have influenced my faith as I have seen the way you have faced life's trials and hopefully vice versa. This is God's plan because our lives are the "bible" that many will read. As always, I thank you for remembering me in your prayers. Tomorrow, Lord willing, I'll be preaching another message in the series, Peter's Prescription for Getting Along with Others. I hope you'll be able to be there.
Pastor Brown