We Shall Be Changed in a Moment

MUSIC BLOG

04-04-2024

We Shall All Be Changed

1 Corinthians 15:51

Holman Christian Standard Bible

⁵¹ Listen! I am telling you a mystery:

We will not all fall asleep,
but we will all be changed,

I was shopping in Walmart a few weeks ago and found a St. Patrick’s T-shirt that said, “This is Your Lucky Day”. The shirt was $6 and there were two in the proper sizes for me and Ronda.  $6 was a no-brainer, so they went into the cart. That was the shirt I was wearing on Sunday evening, March 17^th.  We had dinner, played Skip-Bo, came home to prepare for Monday, and promptly went to bed.  It was about 1:13 a.m. when I suddenly woke up.  I had a stabbing pain in my lower right side.  I leaned over to my wife and whispered, “I think my appendix burst!”  I got up and went to the living room and tried to find a comfortable position to no avail.  In a few moments, Ronda came in to see where I was, surmised the situation and by 1:30 a.m. we were headed to the hospital.

We were at an intersection where we had to turn left or right, both turns would lead to a hospital.  The left turn led to the big hospital in town with a hit-or-miss reputation, while the right turn led to a smaller version of the hospital that purportedly had better patient care. In pain, I told Ronda that I didn’t think I could make it to the smaller hospital.  That was one of the first things God did for us that night.  Hoke County Hospital we found out later, doesn’t perform surgery.  We would have had to be transferred to Cape Fear anyway.  The next miracle for me was being admitted to the Emergency Department. It was well into the a.m. of St. Patrick's Day.  The Emergency Department has a reputation for being notoriously slow and crowded, especially on holidays and weekends.  Ronda drove up, let me out and I walked into triage. By 2:00 I was assessed with either gall bladder or appendix and was given some pain relief.  By 4:00 a.m. I was wheeled into the radiology department for a CT scan. The attending Dr, Dr. Fromm came and told me that he would be assembling a surgical team, he told me that my appendix would be coming out today.  Having done all for me that they could in the emergency room, I was sent upstairs to a room on the third floor to wait for surgery.  I don’t really remember too much of the rest of that day until they came to wheel me into surgery.  I remember trying my best to be an encouragement to every person who attended my needs.  If they were transporting me, I commented that the hospital sent me the very best they had and thanks my transport team member.  The nurses who administered pain meds and took vitals got the same treatment.  I was keenly aware of my dependence on their expertise and very grateful for each person. 

In the surgical waiting room, I met the anesthesiologist and the surgeon.  Both were confident and positive.  It was now after 8 p.m. I had been waiting for surgery for 16 hours. I have been in surgery before on a couple of occasions.  I remember being in the surgical suite and counting backwards.  I do not remember having that particular experience with this surgery.  I do remember waking up in my room with a terrible pain in my right side, like a stitch in your side from running too hard. It was hard to breathe.  Ronda said that after surgery, Dr. Appersai came in and said all went well and that I would probably go home tomorrow.  Immediately following the surgeon’s report, an intern came by and said, “There was so much puss in your husband.  He’s going to be sore, and we’ll have to keep him for several days on intravenous antibiotics before he goes home.

Those last two statements were typical of my stay in the hospital.  The next several days I spent with lights out and shades drawn.  I had no visitors save for one couple from another church that I have known for years. I was too sick to read my texts.  I know that people were praying for me, but I longed to see someone and hear those prayers.  I was hurting, getting sicker by the day, and isolated.  I was a minister who needed to be ministered to. By Thursday I was on an NG tube, I had two IV lines.  I had more blown veins than I care to remember.  I do remember the name of nurse Stephanie who was always able to find a vein even when the others failed.  I remember a first-semester student who probably saved my life by noticing my swollen fingers and toes.  This is another God moment.  It happened on Tuesday, the day following my surgery.  Her observation led to the doctor’s finding a pulmonary embolism and my need for a heparin drip for blood thinning.  Another God moment was a church friend encouraging me to ask for a follow-up CT scan.  The intern I broached this with began to give me 6 ways to Sunday why it was way too dangerous for me to have such a procedure (even though I had fared very well with the same procedure just two days before.  I told the Dr. that I didn't want to go home without seeing if it was safe.  The CT scan was scheduled, and it was discovered that I had fluid in the lining of my right lung, a bit more than a liter to be exact.  Another God moment, this was the cause of the pain or stitch in my side that I had since coming out of surgery.

When I was at my lowest a dear friend from a church in town but not the church where I’m currently serving, came in and had prayer with me.  The husband looked at me and told me I would be ok, God had this.  I would get well and go home soon.  I had an overwhelming filling of the Holy Spirit and emotion as the couple laid hands on me and prayed. Their visit was less than 5 minutes, but it changed my spirit and level of hope.

From that moment, people started to come by and visit and pray with me.  My pastor came by as did my daughter from Wilmington, a former staff member and friend, and several friends from a former church. All of these visits were greatly appreciated and very encouraging.  

On Monday, I started to get regular meals and by Wednesday I was released after lunch to go home.  Ronda brought me home and then went to church to direct the choir and orchestra for our Easter presentation.  I rested on Wednesday and Thursday and felt I needed to be at church for the Friday performance. After praying with the cast and choir, and having communion with the choir, I retreated to the balcony for the performance.  It was truly a God thing to experience.  The choir was amazing and each person who portrayed a disciple was inspired.  To hear that was an emotional experience.  It was beautiful.  God was once again present and powerful.  Although Ronda has never conducted this piece, she has played it many times on the piano and performed it many times as well, another God thing.  I also know that she really enjoyed to opportunity to lead the choir and orchestra through the event.  God put this together years ago when He put Ronda and I together. 

He continues to show Himself by having people care for us in the recuperation time.  Yesterday a long-time friend brought us a meal.  The meal was very much appreciated but their sweet visit was even more so.  There are so many ways that God has shown His presence and strength in this situation.  My thoughts have gone to this scripture over and over.  It was in a twinkling of an eye that my situation changed.  I know this scripture is referring to that final trumpet call, but It also reminds me that our present circumstances can also change in a moment.

What are you going through today? Maybe you haven’t had such a tumultuous two-week journey as me, but I bet you’ve had your issues to work through.  God is in your circumstances.  He is working on your behalf. He loves you and will bring you through.

Blessings,

Marty