Well, it's Sunday and we're not at church...

   So this morning was exciting because Sarah arrived last night and so we tried to figure out the best scenario to surprise Kim with her presence.  We picked up a breakfast sandwich at Hardees along with a coffee for Kim and went up to His room.  When we got here I went in the room and gave him his food and then Sarah Facetimed me on the phone and I had her talk with Kim.  She talked about wishing that she was here with him, and then she walked in the door!  Kim had just taken a bite of food and was like, "Oh, my God!" He was truly shocked…and then overcome.

   After we were here a bit the nurse-practitioner from the thoracic surgeon's office came in to have Kim sign paperwork for permission to operate tomorrow.  They are hoping that all they'll need to do is go in and do some minor work through a small hole.  They'll be assisted by a small camera they'll put in as well, and they're looking for the few places where there are "pockets" where his lung is still a little collapsed - like little folds. They would cut those out to help the outside of the lung seal against the inside of the chest wall fully.  They'll also look for the hole to see what's going on with it.

   She said, like always, if they find they need to do more or do something more invasive it may mean a larger incision and a bigger deal overall.  Their hope is that they can just do what needs to be done with the smaller incision and minor work, and then they'll have an additional chest tube in to help get the lung inflated fully.  She said it would then be around 2-3 days recovery and maybe he could go home Thursday or Friday - that's if they do the minor not major procedures.

   So our prayer is that they can do what needs to be done just doing the minor procedure….

   In our chatting we were just talking about "thin places" - Kim, Sarah and me.  Kim was talking geographically about how the next volcano will more than likely be formed in Yellowstone because of the activity already there and the "thin place" that it is - there isn't much between the surface and the turmoil below.  Then we were talking about the "thin places" in Kim's lungs, presumably "thinned" by years of smoking, that seem to have "broken through" because of their thinness.  

   So I then talked about how I've read of "thin places" theologically.  Those times in our lives when the sh%# hits the fan, life is way out of control, and we find ourselves dealing with God in ways that we previously hadn't.  There was a meme on Facebook today that kind of grasps the idea…  It talked about people that we admire for their strength and grace - they didn't get that way because life went perfectly. They got that way because life hit them upside the head and they had to learn how to handle it in a thousand different ways.  You get the idea.  The unexpected crap in our lives, the hard things, the difficult relationships that we try to wade through provide opportunities of "thin places" where God is so very very close if we but reach out to Him, look His direction, or invite Him to play a part in our lives.  Or maybe it's allowing yourself to receive instead of always playing the stoic, letting people come and minister to you, taking time to step back and chill a bit and not have to pretend that life is fine and you can handle everything without missing a beat.

   Sarah talked about those "thin places" being times when we're our most vulnerable - the masks are gone, the buffers have been stripped away, and the real you is exposed to God and everyone else…  It can be very scary for many people.

   I find myself, in "thin" times like this, asking myself, "What is God wanting to teach me or say to me?"  It may have nothing to do with me and everything to do with Kim and his relationship with the Lord, but I'm guessing God will use this time for both of us - if not many of us…  

   "Thin places."  The place or time where the membrane between the world we live in and the Kingdom of God are ever-so-close.  It seems like we would long to be in that place all the time, but more often than not we're overwhelmed by it.  Maybe if we "let go" sooner instead of hanging on so tightly it wouldn't be so hard.

   So pray for God to do a work in each of us as we hang out in this "thin place" for awhile.   Another new birth, another transformation choreographed by our God who doesn't like to leave us how we are or where we're at, but continues to challenge and stretch and beckon us to come even closer and experience more of His Kingdom instead of our own…

   Pray for Kim tomorrow around noon when he has the next surgery.  As always, thank you for your prayers and your emails and texts and FB messages of encouragement.  I really do feel like we have a large community carrying us through this craziness.

May the adventure continue…(and then take a little breather!)  Lol!

~Sally