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Sunday, February 18, 2007 
We had a little snow overnight, about four inches. Now it's still snowing, the sun is out too, and it's 19° and very windy. Kassi made a little bit of snow cream for everyone to enjoy when they went back in the house (and yes, hot chocolate). Erika and the dog went up and down the hill a few times (snowsuits make great sleds on dry, icy snow), and Anna kept looking for the grass with her broom. It usually takes me about half of winter to get warmed up to it; now that we may be looking at our last significant snow, I'm reluctant for spring to start. Next week is predicted to be above normal in temperatures (we've been below normal about a month). Hopefully, late February and early March will bring more winter weather. Monday, February 12, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007 I have to say something very nice about Jimmie Daugherty and Respiratory Home Care. It is a long story as to why we needed a Nebulizer at 4:30 p.m. on Friday (right before the weekend), but Tommy's RSV virus, with which he's been struggling over the past few days, turned for the worse. He developed extremely severe coughing on Thursday and had to visit the doctor Friday. We were really worried about him, praying continuously for God's mercy on our little son.
Kassi called me at work to tell me we had a problem; I called medical supply stores and the pediatrician's office. I don't recall how the details then unfolded, but the gears suddenly shifted, and it was determined that Tommy needed a Nebulizer. (By this point, I'm in panic mode, watching the minutes tick by before every medical option short of the emergency room would close at 5 p.m. on a Friday.) Of the places I called, it was Respiratory Home Care in Bristol that could take our particular insurance. Further, they said they'd wait for me, even after they had closed at 5 p.m., to pick up the device. While I was en route from Johnson City to Bristol, they reassured my wife that Tommy would have the machine and medicine that evening, no matter what happened. They took care of the paperwork with the pediatrician's office, rode herd on getting the prescription for the medicine that goes in the Nebulizer, and after I got there, Jimmie Daugherty patiently showed me how to use it. (n.b. They even called us on Monday, February 12, to see how Tommy was doing.) How is Tommy doing? After three nights of coughing his little guts out, last night (after 24 hours of treatment), he slept the whole night through without a single cough. Now he is clearly feeling better, just in time for his birthday! So where was God in all of this? While we parents usually pray for God's instant healing (and a few times, He has done that with our kids), more often we see Him going ahead of us, working out details that are too big, take too much time, or are impossible for us to handle on our own. I believe that the best treatment for Tommy, in hindsight, is the Nebulizer. God, of course, knew that. And He alone made it possible, at the last possible hour, to get this machine. Praise the Lord! Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Mexico Mission Trip is an annual trip headed by Dr. Frederick Martin of Blountville, Tennessee. Each year, he leads a group of medical and dental professionals and assistants from east Tennessee, southwest Virginia and eastern North Carolina to the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. There, in tiny Estancia de Animas, is the Bethshean Mexico Mission, founded by Cris Garcia. The Bethshean Mexico Mission includes a home for elderly people, a Christian camp, and a growing team of pastors and regional Evangelical churches. Working in Estancia and outlying villages, the medical team sows the seeds of the Gospel by seeing hundreds of patients during their brief, but intense, visits. In conjunction with the medical mission is a carpentry team that usually travels during the same week. Led by Gary Edwards of Heaton Christian Church (Elk Park, North Carolina), this team builds buildings, cabinets, podiums, pews and other things for budding Mexican congregations. In 2008, ground will likely be broken for a regional hospital, another project of the Bethshean Mexico Mission. I believe at this point, the nearest state-run hospital is over two hours away from Estancia, so there is a great need for this. Sunday, January 21, 2007
For those interested in the breed, start with White Stallion Productions' website The "World Famous" Lipizanner Stallions. They are the ones who provided the event we saw in Boone. Even more information, however, can be found through the Wikipedia resource "Lipizzan". Many of the feats we saw were developed for military use in Europe during the mid-to-late Middle Ages. I marveled at the relationship between the horses and their riders. These animals moved in a ballet of sorts, under complete and quiet control at all times. My thoughts drifted over to thinking about the foretold Last Battle on Earth, prophesied in Revelation 19:11-21. Jesus returns on a white horse, joined by the armies of heaven on their mounts, and He comes in judgment. That will be some sight to behold, because I expect the other side will be armed to the hilt with tanks, gunships, helicopters, missiles, robots, and aerial drones. We don't see magnificent animals like these stallions in our everyday life. We go everywhere in cars, and very few know anything about horsemanship. Our technology has distanced the wild kingdom far from us. Perhaps in the eternal life to come, as the lions lay down with the lambs, there will be a sort of communication enjoyed between people and animals even greater than what we witnessed with the Lipizanners Friday night. Monday, December 18, 2006
A few weeks ago, I was contracted by Bear Creek, Inc., a local McDonald's Restaurant franchise, to create images to compliment their plans for a lobby renovation in Erwin, Tennessee. The palette called for browns, blues, and golds, rendered in scenic photos from the Unicoi County area. This is the third time I've teamed with Bear Creek and the Frame Gallery. The other two times were for the McDonald's near East Tennessee State University (black and white photos of Johnson City and university landmarks) and the store near the Johnson City Mall (mountain scenic photos from the Southern Appalachians). These images were first posted on my website a few weeks ago (see the archive for Fall 2006). Prints from any of these images are available (visit my Print Sales page or send E-Mail to sales@ericjonjob.com). Sunday, December 17, 2006 Our church's Christmas play this year was The Candle in the Window, adapted from the book for the stage by writer, producer, and director, Amy Schaffner. This story is based on the familiar Leo Tolstoy's Where Love Is, There Is God Also. Our own little Erika played Greta.
Visit Archive for Fall 2006
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The
pediatrician prescribed
Looking for the 2007 Mexico Mission Trip information? Click on
Friday night, we took Erika to see the "World Famous"
Lipizanner Stallions. It's fun to see something hold a seven-year-old's
attention for two hours; she really enjoyed the performance. I was
surprised that it was over so soon; the time passed quickly, and I never thought
that watching horses trot and leap would be so captivating.
