The Sheepfold and the Voice of the Shepherd

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Stone sheepfold John 10:22-30 Recently my boys have been spending a great deal of time outside in the area that will soon be transformed into our garden. They spend endless hours digging in the dirt for worms. They then promptly take those worms and throw them to the chickens. It amazes me how even chickens can learn to recognize sounds or voices. My oldest makes this funny high-pitched sound when he comes out of the house and heads toward the coop. The chickens practically fall over themselves running toward the fence or out of the coop when they hear him making his sound. They know there is food to follow! In Sunday's Gospel Jesus tells us that, "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." and "I am the gate for the sheep." Today, again, Jesus mentions that His sheep know His voice and follow Him.  In these few verses we learn that Jesus is both gate and shepherd for the sheep. In those days and even today in some places, a sheepfold w
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The Donation Process

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Today I spent an hour and fifteen minutes with Karen from the National Marrow Donor Program. She told me a little about the young man who needs my stem cells. Apparently we I am a perfect genetic match, as if I were a relative. With this treatment it will improve his chances of living another year by 40%. If it works, it could be his cure. If not, it's the last effort.

He has ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) which is very aggressive so the doctors are hoping to act quickly. I would like to ask you for you prayers for this young man. He is doing okay now but has had some setbacks recently. I just hope he stays strong for the next few weeks while they run me through the wringer. Even more important is the need for him to stay strong as they prepare his body to receive my cells.

The next step for me is to have an intensive physical examination next week. They will run me through the mill I have been told. They'll do blood work, x-rays, EKG, and everything else to make sure that this will be safe for me as well as the patient. So, again, your prayers are appreciated.

Instead of trying to explain the entire process I would like to point you to a fellow blogger who has been through this recently. He writes about the experience in great detail and far better than I could ever hope to do. So, if are interested in learning in advance what I may be going though please check it out here. I will continue to post about my own experience as the days go on. Thanks for the prayers.

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