Heart Hope by Olga

Dick Cheney recently had a tiny pump implanted to assist in the functioning of his heart. The device was inserted after Cheney had discussed his previous heart problems with doctors and they determined that if nothing was done, his heart could possibly fail. Other people have experienced a much better quality of life after having the same type of surgery, so it’s great that science and technology have progressed so far that people’s lives can be improved by procedures like this. Our spiritual hearts sometimes need a little bit of help also. They might get hard and calloused or they might become divided and distracted or stubborn and prideful. When we have these things going on in our hearts, we are in danger of failure in our Christian walk. Those hearts need some help from the Great Physician, who can perform the spiritual surgery that can improve the quality of our lives. God does not just change our hearts, but He is willing to give us a new heart, a pure, loving heart. This is His ...

My friend Ikie had her hip replaced less than a week ago. After having several experiences with hospitals and surgeries in recent months, I thought I would give her sometime to recover and get over all of the pain, drugs, and lack of sleep, so I was quite surprised when she called me today and sounded better than ever. She reported that her recovery had been a breeze and that she had even been “entertaining” friends. Ikie also informed me that she had learned some things from this experience that I thought were worth passing along. First of all, the people in her church had stepped up to the plate and had showered her with gourmet meals and cards of encouragement. I think the thing that astonished her most was getting meals from people that she hardly knew and cards from people she had never met. The impact that this had made her realize the importance of doing the same for others when they are suffering in some way. Since Ikie has been such an active and independent person, using the...