Yesterday, I had the privilege of preaching again at Covenant Presbyterian Church, where I've served as the Youth Minister for the last three years. It's hard to know if the presence of the Holy Spirit was alive in the pews as the congregation listened to my message, but it received a wonderful response as everyone was leaving the church.

The praise was bittersweet however. Shortly after my sermon, Ken (my father-in-law, and pastor of CPC) announced to the congregation that I would be resigning from my position effective August 15th. With our second child on the way in the next 2-3 months, and my already over-full schedule - something had to go. And, as difficult as the decision was, my position at Covenant made the most sense for my family. Amanda and I have thought about this, and prayed about this for a few months now. The family dynamic makes it that much harder on us. I'll miss the youth and congregation dearly because they've become my extended family over the last seven years.

I'll still continue serving in my capacity as Campus Minister for Celtic Cross (our presbytery supported PC(USA) campus ministry at KSU) part-time.

Please keep Covenant in your prayers as they seek God's direction for the Youth Ministry going forward, and seek my replacement. Pray that they find the minister God desires for their youth ministry, that the transition occurs smoothly, and that the wounds of my leaving heal quickly. I think God is doing wonderful things at Covenant. Please also keep Amanda and I in your prayers as we also go through this transition time, and welcome a new life into our home!

Cheers.
Dan

Playing in the backyard...

Getting out of the car - to go in to McDonald's On the McDonald's playground...

Smelling Grandma Terrell's flowers... This past weekend, Dan took 8 students from Kennesaw State University on a weekend retreat, where he is the part-time campus minister for CELTIC CROSS - KSU. Everyone had a great time on the retreat getting to know each other, building community, bonding in the fellowship of Christ, and setting the stage for a future full of opportunity for Celtic Cross. Dan would like everyone to pray for one of his students, Anahita Fazli, an international student from Afghanistan who recently committed her life to following Christ. This was a big deal for Anahita who is a former practicing Muslim. This summer, she is back in Afghanistan and her life could be in grave danger. Pray that she is kept safe, and returns to KSU in the fall to continue her studies.

Dan with CELTIC CROSS - KSU Cheers!

Public Service Announcement: Colonoscopy, not so bad. Prep leading up to colonoscopy, very bad.

We got back home about 12:00pm today. I'm feeling pretty lowsy (nauseau, bloating, gas, etc.) but I'm blogging, so I guess that's a sign-of-sorts. Last night was not fun at all. After downing 4 dulcolax (5:00 p.m.) and drinking my first half of the Gatorade/MyraLax concoction (32 ounces, 7:30 p.m.), I waited... and waited... and waited... until about 10:15 p.m. when I got this awful feeling in the pit of my stomache. Only, it wasn't the "right" feeling. After puking my brains out for a few minutes, I settled back on the couch.

Eventually Amanda convinced me to go to bed and get a couple hours of rest. Got up at 4:00 a.m. this morning to complete my prep. Drank the next 32 ounces of the Gato-Lax. This time the pipes responded the "right" way.

7:30 a.m. - we arrived at Marietta Surgical Center where I was very well cared for. The medical staff was great. Got back to my room at about 8:45 a.m., and started the procedure about 9:15 a.m. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room.

Dr. Shah (my G.I. doctor) gave us the report - he said there was a lot of inflamation in my large intestine (colon) as well as in my small intestine. Most likely, he said I have Crohn's disease. We will not know for sure until the pathology report comes back - which I'll learn more about at my post-op. visit in a couple weeks. The good news is there weren't any ulcers, which are common with Crohn's, and could be an indication that its not Crohn's - but Dr. Shah seemed pretty confident that, albeit a mild case, it was Crohn's.

This of course was a shock to both Amanda and I. It was the last thing we expected to hear this morning. Especially given the fact that Amanda is an Ulceritive Colitis veteran (same thing basically, except it only affects the colon)! What are the odds?

Another bit of good news is, if it is Crohn's, it is at least treatable/manageable. The meds however are extremely expensive.

appearantly... Plumbing is the theme for February.

Short post today. Just an update to let everyone know the latest on my totally awesome gastro-intestinal game of Clue...

I went to my G.I. doctor for a follow-up yesterday to discuss my lab results, etc, which we're basically inconclusive. So, just for the fun of it, I get to have a Colonoscopy tomorrow. No major finds are expected - just a routine procedure to make sure we're not missing something. I'd appreciate your prayers.