I returned back to work last week after being gone for 8 weeks. It was a long week, especially since I was dead tired by 2pm each day. I managed to push through and make it a full week. It was a busy week attempting to get up to speed with all that has changed within Tribune Interactive over the past few weeks. I was pleased to find that my team did a great job keeping things up and running with few incidents. I am not sure they really need me anymore. Well it feels great to be back in the swing of things, now to get my blog part of my normal routine again.

Who would have figured that it would take a bizarre photo gallery on Sun-Sentinel’s website to get me writing. A photo gallery on the site entitled “50 Worst Album Covers” was just strange enough to get my attention. The following album, “Understand Your’e Swede” by Jimmy Jenson, cover was beyond bad or bizarre, but frightening. The man looks down the path at a woman and eight kids, which seems harmless, but look at his hands they are grasping a bag and ax.

I only wonder what was the message the artist was attempting to convey? It appears to be a scene from a bad B-Movie. Is he going to understand the Swede with an ax? Do the Swede all wear horrible sweaters, have blonde hair, and not understand contraception? What is the sinister plan of the blond man with the ax and what is in his bag?

To see the complete photo gallery go to http://wsfltv.sun-sentinel.com/community/wsfl-50-photogal,0,5043914.photogallery

It has been almost 4 weeks since I was released from the hospital and I am finally starting to feel like myself. I have almost weaned myself completely off the Vicodin and made the switch completely to Ibuprofen. It has been over 24 hours since my last Vicodin and I am really pleased about it. I have been able to get out of the house and become more mobile; which I am so thankful for. My incision is completely healed and surprisingly doesn’t look too bad.

The signs that I am returning to normal is am feeling so cagey and starting to build to-do lists and plan my days. I am also starting to make good use of my days, such as cataloging my CD collection. Now if only the weather would cooperate I would sit out on the deck and get some sun.

I started a study of 1 Samuel this past weekend with my Men’s Group. We went over 1 Samuel 1 and dissected verse by verse. It was an informative couple of hours of reflection on Hannah’s predicament and her faith. It is interesting to think that God always seems to use the most unequipped people to change the earth or the direction of His church. Hannah was to give birth to Samuel the last judge of Israel and the one to anoint Saul the first king of Israel, but there was one issue, she was barren. Hannah was praying on the steps of the template for a son; which she swore to give to service of God.

There is much more in this story, but I repeated this to account for an observation made by a member of the group. He had commented on the great faith these people had in the Old Testament and how most of these great figures of faith were nobodies of their days. These people were rarely were witnessed to the great miracles and lived in seclusion only to visit the temple for special occasions. He then expressed his guilt and concern over our lack of faith, since we have all these examples of God providing for others and most importantly we now have Christ. I think he has a great point, why do we have so little faith?

I believe this lack of faith is due to our inability to rely on anyone but ourselves and our conceit. A.W. Tozer penned that he believed our current condition as a result of our loss of the majesty of God and dependence upon ourselves. “With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness and divine Presence. We have lost our spirit of worship and our ability to withdraw inwardly to meet God in adoring silence. Modern Christianity is simply not producing the kind of Christian who can appreciate or experience the life in the Spirit. Be still, and know that I am God, means next to nothing to the self-confident, bustling worshiper…” (A.W. Tozer - 1961)

So, what do you think?

Here is a really cool concept by an incredible man of God, Steve Sporre. I met him on a visit to Portland last May. At the time he was the Worship Leader of Bethany Church. He has an amazing story and amazing talent that should be heard. Take a few minutes and listen to Chapter 1 of his book and if you are interested he is reading each chapter and posting it on his blog.

Into the Mirror - Chapter 1

In June, Em and I are expecting our third child, which appears to be a little girl. I believe it is fair to say that we are eager to introduce this child to our family. My kids are doubly excited to have a baby sister that they can teach how to drive their parents crazy. This is exciting times for the Jones’s and we seem to keep rolling with every punch that comes along with this great news. The punches: my surgery, healing from my surgery, we have to find a new place to live, moving in the next few weeks, and a baby on the way.

Apparently this isn’t enough to keep me busy and at my wits-ends; Em’s employer has decided to change their work relationship/arrangement. Em has been working from home 3 days a week and in the office 2 days a week. This has allowed us the ability to only have our daughter in daycare part-time which has been financially beneficial, but also great for the bonding of my family. Just 10 weeks prior to delivery date of our daughter her employer has decided to adjust her schedule to work in the office 5 days a week. I am not really a distrustful sort and will not speculate on why this happening at this time, but will say that this stinks and quite honestly poor timing. Em had communicated with her employer that she cannot change the current arrangement they have, since the day-care cost for two kids full-time and one part-time and transportation would negate the salary she currently collects. Since, then they have posted her position on Monster.

My current assumption is that Em will return to freelance design and marketing work once her employer let’s her go. But, here is my struggle. I fail to understand how a small manufacturing firm in a small town cannot be more sensitive to their employee’s needs, especially after employment of a few years. This is in stark contrast to the how respectful and considerate my employer, Tribune, has been to me. I guess through all of this I am thankful for my job and boss. Thanks Barb and Tribune.

I am sitting in the living room and started thinking about all the things I miss, since my surgery and not able to leave the house.

10. Red Robin Burgers
9. Driving
8. Work (Really!)
7. Video Game Night at a Friend’s
6. Movies within a Theater
5. Beer at the end of the day
4. Sleeping in Comfort
3. Starbuck’s Macchiato
2. Playing with my Kids
1. Freedom (Confinement is driving me crazy!)

Well, I have been home for 10 days from the hospital 10 days and I am so ready to get out. I am stuck in the house until tomorrow when I visit my Surgeon and have the staples removed and get a check -up. I hope that some of my pain comes under better management and he gives me the okay to get out of the house from time to time.

What I have learned sitting in my chair in the past week is there are only a couple of channels on all of cable that is worth anything. They are the History Channel, Discovery and the BBC. I am not sure why I pay for the bazillion channels. I am flabbergasted that many of the channels that exist even receive commercial endorsements. My favorites this week are Ax Men, Cities of the Underworld, Nightmare Kitchens, and of course MythBusters.

I have also been able to get in some reading (currently reading some Donald Miller and Palahniuk), serious game playing on my PSP (Rainbow Six Las Vegas and Untold Legends), and serious puzzle time.

Needless to say I am ready for things to get back to normal.

Kind of gross, but here are my incisions. The long 7” cut with the 23 staples is where the surgeon gained access to my right lung.  The lower two slits are where my chest tubes entered my chest cavity (yuck).  The incisions don’t really hurt that much any longer, but I am still in pain in my ribs and sternum from the spreading of my ribs to give the docs access.

Sorry if too graphic or too much skin….

I just received a call from my Doctor/Surgeon’s office with the pathology report form the mass that was cut out of my lungs. The mass was sent to Pathology on the 10^th. Though my doctor stated that he was sure that it was all good and had no signs of cancer, I have been anxiously waiting this report. The nurse let me know that the pathology report came back just as my doctor said it would; as sequestration and inflamed. The pathology report read pulmonary sequestration with aged inflammation. The nurse said that the sequestration has been inflamed for a long time.

She closed our call that this is great news, NO CANCER. Since, there is a lot of cancer in my family it has been needling in the back of my head ever since I was diagnosed. So, that is one more hurdle crossed in my road to recovery.

Thank God for another good report!