Check in on Dan

180 movie

2012-01-20T19:24:00.001-06:00

This is an amazing film about abortion. Ray Comfort has an incredible ability to engage people. Take 30 minutes and watch it. There is graphic content at times so be advised. (Liberals and moral relativists may find the message offensive.) :-)

http://180movie.com/

Walk with the Spirit

2012-01-13T14:45:00.000-06:00

This is a passage from A. W. Tozer's book Mystery of the Holy Spirit.
Always remember that you will know the Spirit more intimately as you make more of Jesus Christ the Lord. For Jesus said the Holy Spirit would take the things of His and show them unto us. We walk with the Holy Ghost when we walk with Christ. For Christ will always be where He is honored. The Holy Ghost will always honor the one who honors the Savior Jesus Christ the Lord. Let us honor Him by giving Him His right title. Let us call Him Lord, let us believe He is Lord, let us call Him Christ. Let us believe He is Christ, and let us get away from this cheap Jesus dear kind of stuff that pulls Christianity down to the world of erotica and makes it half-sexy. Let's get rid of that whole silly business and remember, "God has made this Jesus, whom ye crucified, Lord and Christ; and set Him at His own right hand and put all things under His feet and made Him to be head over all things of the church; and He shall reign from the river to the ends of the earth." This is the Christ we adore and let us be careful to honor Christ; always honor Christ. Honor Him by obedience, honor Him by witness, honor Him by testimony; and as we all honor Christ, then we will fellowship with the Holy Ghost.

Christ for real

2012-01-05T00:13:00.000-06:00

This is an excerpt from Christ For Real by Charles W. Price.
If you would stretch your imagination, suppose I wanted to travel from London to New York by air, but after consulting a travel agent I become unhappy with the information given me. The cost is too great, and the weight allowance too small. However, I really do want what the airline is offering so I decide I will have it on my own terms. Imagine that I then go to London airport, write out a ticket myself on a piece of paper the same size as a genuine ticket, being careful to include all the detail you would find on the real thing. I then take my place in the line and with a warm smile on my face hand the ticket to the man at the check-in desk. He would probably look at it, look at me, look at it again, and then hand it back saying, "I am sorry, but you cannot travel with that." "Why not?" I protest. "It says 'London to New York,' it has the name of your airline on the top, it has the correct flight number and departure time written on it, and the correct price written on the bottom right hand side." "I am very sorry," he might say. "The information may be correct, but the ticket is not valid and you cannot travel." Imagine I then write across the back of the ticket in bright red felt pen that this particular airline is the greatest. The agent would probably smile, say, "Thank you—not many people say that. But you still cannot travel." Suppose I take the ticket back and this time I put it to music and sing it to him. Then I teach him some new songs: "Amazing plane, how sweet the sound, that carries a wretch like me. I once was walking, but now I'm flying, was at home but now I am free!" I then invite him to join in and we sing it as a round, I start off and he joins in halfway through and we really have a good sing-along. At the end of the song he will probably turn to me and say, "Thank you so much for coming and cheering me up. I haven't had such a good sing for quite a while. But I am sorry, you cannot travel. Here is your ticket, would you please now go away!" Why would I not be eligible for travel? Is it because my ticket says the wrong things? No, it may say the right things. Is it because I express the wrong sentiments? No, they might be very impressed with my praise of the airline. Is it because I sing the wrong songs? No, they might like my songs and even ask to use them in their television commercials. There is only one reason why I cannot travel, and it is a very simple one. My ticket is issued by the wrong authority. The only ticket that is valid is the one issued by the airline in response to the right conditions being met, and anything short of that is invalid.
People can express all the right sentiments about Jesus Christ, sing the right songs, go to the right church, and use the right vocabulary, but unless they are living on God's terms, where He has issued the "ticket" and the right conditions have been met, they will have a Christianity that just won't work. They will discover that when they want to "fly," the ticket will bounce at the check-in desk. There will be no power in their lives, no consciousness of God, the Bible will remain dry, prayer will be a chore, and no one will ever see a living God being active in their lives. The terms of Christian living are not up for debate or for negotiation. I live the Christian life on God's terms, or I do not live it at all. Therefore our business is to find out God's conditions and be very careful to meet them.
There you have it.

True repentance

2011-12-02T02:36:00.000-06:00

I was going to leave this as a comment but it was too long.
Repentance is being reconciled to God and it is the starting point of a truly regenerated person. As I went back and found this summary of what Thomas said about repentance, I also picked up on some things I didn't notice my first time reading through the book. I will read the book again maybe soon, maybe not.
My quick explanation of true repentance is to emphasize the difference between just saying something and actually being something. A lot of people say they are Christians, but that doesn't mean they've been truly transformed by Jesus Christ. Another quote by Ian Thomas is, "If this repentance is real, it will result in a Spirit produced 'hunger and thirst' to be like Jesus." A true Christian will exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
A super simplified way of thinking about it is this: a lot of people out there claim to be Batman. The truth is, however, they don't own a bat-suit, they don't drive the Batmobile, and they don't fight crime. So guess what? They aren't Batman!
This simple analogy does not take into account true Christians who are living in the flesh (I posted about that a few months ago). Only God can see someone's heart. I don't mean to make anyone doubt their salvation either, but I would much rather be guilty of that than to not have warned people from entering eternity, thinking their destination was secure, only for them to hear, "depart from me I never knew you."

A great place to find out about repentance is the Bible. Start in the gospel of John. Then go to 1 John. Then probably James. And then Romans. Not necessarily in that order, but maybe.

This blessed me

2011-12-02T00:28:00.000-06:00

A story about the difference between Christ and Confucius and Buddha taken from Four-Fold Gospel by A.B. Simpson.

A man once said, "I was down in a deep pit, half sunk in the mire and was crying for some one to help me out. As I looked up I saw a venerable, gray-haired man looking down at me. His countenance bore the marks of his pure and holy spirit. 'My son,' he said, 'this is a dreadful place.' 'Yes,' I said, 'I fell into it. Can't you help me out?' 'My son,' he said, 'I am Confucius. If you had read my books and followed what they taught, you never would have been here.' 'Yes, Father,' I said, 'but can't you help me out?' As I looked up he was gone. Soon I saw another form approaching, and another man bent over me, this time with closed eyes and folded arms. He seemed to be looking into some far-off distant place. 'My son,' he said, 'just close your eyes and fold your arms and forget all about yourself. Get into a state of perfect rest. Don't think about anything that could disturb. Get so still that nothing can move you. Then, my child, you will be in such delicious rest as I am. 'Yes, Father,' I answered, Til do that when I am above ground. Can't you help me out?' But Buddah, too, was gone. I was just beginning to sink into despair when I saw another figure above me, different from the others. He was very simple, and looked just like the rest of us, but there were the marks of suffering in His face. I cried out to Him: 'Oh, Father, can you help me.' 'My child,' he said, 'what is the matter?' Before I could answer him, he was down in the mire by my side; he folded his arms about me and lifted me up, and then he fed and rested me. When I was well, he did not say, 'Now, don't do that again,' but he said, 'We will walk on together now;' and we have been walking together until this day."

2011-11-28T23:43:00.002-06:00

When repentance is real, as observed by the allknowing
eyes of God, it will result in spiritual regeneration and a thirst to
become like Jesus Christ.
--Ian Thomas "Saving Life of Christ"

OWS

2011-11-21T22:40:00.002-06:00

This is a shout-out to occupy Wall Street:
"For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice." (James 3:16 ESV)

Jealousy and selfish ambition-- fitting descriptors...

2011-11-17T22:35:00.002-06:00

"No one can take advantage of you if you are being generous."

I do not know if I made this quote up, but I used to say it five years ago. I had almost completely forgotten about it. Even after I was reminded within the past year, my response was, "that doesn't sound like something I would say." Thankfully just tonight I remembered a situation from many years ago when I truly believed and lived like no one could take advantage of you when you're being generous. It was joyful back then and it was joyful now to remember.

Biblical virtues are not simply actions but involve a lifestyle.

2011-11-07T11:20:00.004-06:00

This is the song Send Me/Represent by the group Amped. You should listen to the song, but I also posted the lyrics from verse two. The artist understands a life attitude of worship in his statement of, "send me; I'll go," because a life of worship is a life submitted to God. These lyrics also contribute to my post on a worldly Christian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOsBE_xbSj0

“Hey! After, 1, 000 years in the west and the church is
Get'n bigger daily without understanding worship. (say what?)

Some regenerated but a lot ain't saved.
You walk outside and be surprised cause the block ain't changed.
And the numbers, they be getting em.

Something just ain't hit'n them.
America ain't christian they just practicing a ritual.

That's why we should be missional.
Hey, what you think I'm spit'n for?
The united states is dying
And in the east it's looking pitiful.

Some places if they catch you
They'll arrest you.
They'll serve you,
But they still need the word too.
The gospel should be heard too.
We claim we ain't ashamed,
But we ain't hit the block up.
Were in our christian bubble,
While our brotha's get'n locked up.
Lord I wanna stock up,
Pack a bag and walk up
In a country where sharing my faith may get me shot up
Anywhere I go, whether my city or far abroad,
I just wanna show them Jesus Christ the risen holy God."

2011-09-25T21:45:00.001-05:00

We are saved to worship God.

-- Tozer

Bid soon

2011-09-13T23:50:00.002-05:00

There are some really neat items on the auction especially for in the home. I just shamelessly promoted a link to the auction in my previous two points, but now I want to explain a bit about the auction in case some have been turned off from any of the various steps.

Here is a link directly to the auction: http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/1900/auctions/2062?reset_filter=1

I'm sure by now you know that it's for my older brother, Matt, and sister-in-law, Emily, to adopt a child from Uganda—it is a complicated and costly process.

Scroll around to different pages of the auction and click on any items that interest you. Before bidding, you'll be prompted to create an account with this auction website. I think it took me about a minute and a half to register—it’s not a big deal at all.

The auction ends Thursday evening, which means it will probably get busy towards the end of the auction as each person wants to monitor the items they are trying to win and make additional bids during the last few seconds. Auctions are competitive and cutthroat so bid high :-)

The auction is here!

2011-09-10T10:37:00.001-05:00

Click the link and get bidding! The auction will end in a couple of days.

http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/1900/auctions/2062/show_info

Another Tozer quote

2011-09-06T22:29:00.005-05:00

This quote is from Tozer's book The Purpose of Man.

The purpose of nature is to lead us to the Creator and to worship Him. The purpose of man's feelings and emotions is to lead to the One who implanted those within the heart of man, to the Creator. Everything in all of creation is to point to the Creator and to evoke with adoring wonder and admiration and worship. Wherever we go, we can worship.

Do not miss this auction!

2011-09-04T20:54:00.000-05:00

Market on your calendar 09/10/11

Just keep checking the link to this blog as more information is coming soon. This will be a great auction with some great items for a great cause.

http://onehopeoneheart.blogspot.com/

2011-08-22T22:44:00.003-05:00

Dang, we're in a tight spot! The evil empire, DHS [cue music] (who up until this time I, surprisingly, had taken little issue with), will most likely cut many of the hours I receive for caretakers. My mom and I have a very God-centered, year-long plan in place and I don't know how this impending setback will affect that plan.

Proverbs 16:9 "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." I know God is in control.

I personally do not do well when a situation is uncontrollable, so I have been initially angered by the news of potential cutbacks. I will find out soon exactly what changes will be made, and I know there is an appeals process...

Worldly Christian

2011-07-19T12:18:00.005-05:00

This post is in response to a comment from the 17^th: Please explain a worldly Christian.

The apostle Paul had to deal with worldly Christians. (I did not know if the use of worldly Christian, carnal Christian, and Christian living in the flesh are identical in the Greek, but they carry the same ideas.) Paul addressed the church at Corinth as, "people of the flesh, as infants."

The quote about a worldly Christian in my last post is from A.W. Tozer, and he used the same verse in Corinthians to write an entire chapter about who he described as carnal Christians. He said carnal Christians are: Self-centered, feelings oriented, dependent on the external (when worshiping God), without purpose, unproductive (they must be tricked into reading God's Word), shifts blame away from self, and eats a limited diet [of God's Word and spiritual disciplines]. This is a limited explanation of the chapter, and I would encourage you to get a hold of his book Reclaiming Christianity to read the rest, but you can start to see the types of characteristics that expose those who may be a worldly Christian.

The apostle Paul in Romans chapter 1 listed what is apparent in those who are of the world, whether Christian or not. He said in verses 29-32,

They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Paul also said in 1 John 2:15-16, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world."

Ephesians 5:1-21 is too many verses to list here, but you should read them. It talks about how a Christian is to live and what to avoid. Ephesians 5 is the only passage I've listed that talks about sexual immorality, which is one of the greatest ways self-identified Christians reflect the world’s standard rather than God’s.

Pretty much all of this discussion can be summed up in Romans 12:2 where it says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." I like the way The Message translation explains verses one and two from Romans 12,

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Worldly Christians are Christians who are characterized by anything from the above-mentioned.

The book Reclaiming Christianity by A. W. Tozer was written over 50 years ago, but it is astonishing how it reads as if it could have been written yesterday. One of the most startling chapters I read was one that talked about words that are now dead in the church. Here is another parting quote:

In the great campaigns of a former generation, [The word ‘accept’] became the catchword for evangelicalism, fundamentalism, full gospelism and world missions. [The word ‘accept’] contained a mighty truth that has long since died, but the word stays on. It stays on the theological spectrum and is producing a generation of Christians, or so-called Christians, that are [unrepentant] in their hearts, frivolous in their spirits and worldly in their conduct. Telling people who come to us to be converted, and "accept Jesus," and so they say, "all right, I'll accept Jesus." So they accept Jesus and that is all about there is to it. There is no transformation and no [unrepentant] root of their being that is ever cured. There is pride that has never been crucified, a worldliness they have never been able to deal with and a frivolity of spirit that is beyond description.

Score

2011-06-29T16:21:00.001-05:00

I didn't do as well on my LSAT as I would've hoped to. I will probably just take it again.

Here is a parting quote from the book I am reading: “You cannot have a Christian world, but unfortunately, you can have a worldly Christian.” –A. W. Tozer

Chip Ingram

2011-06-22T15:39:00.002-05:00

I've recently been listening to Chip Ingram's daily podcast. The podcast is free and I highly recommend it. Here is his website.

If you don't know what a podcast is, you are reading this blog on a computer and that's a really good start.

LSAT

2011-06-07T15:51:00.002-05:00

I don't know how I did overall. It could very easily be anywhere from really bad to really good. We shall see.

God at work

2011-06-06T20:12:00.000-05:00

Watch this. An amazing story of God's mercy and grace.

LSAT

2011-06-05T22:26:00.002-05:00

My LSAT is Monday around one o'clock. Would you all lift me up in prayer?

Coach Tressel

2011-06-03T22:07:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to a blog where a family talks about their personal interaction with the former coach of Ohio State, Jim Tressel. Tressel is a Christian and while it was wrong of him to violate the NCAA rules, it is saddening to hear how some members of the media have made him out to be a villainous person.

Spring

2011-05-20T22:59:00.002-05:00

I was kindly reminded that it is May now, so perhaps an update is in order.

The truth is I don't like updating this. I have an e-mail address if anyone wants to know what's going on with me, and most of the time I would post something only because I had been motivated by a specific something that would get me justifiably angered; once angry enough, I would write about what was on my heart in terms of what an accurate Biblical perspective would be. I have not in the past few months been justifiably angered by a specific something partially because it's in God's hands, and also because when I picture the type of man of God I want to become—the even-tempered, wise, reasonable man from the book of Proverbs and Paul's epistles—I do not want to be easily riled by circumstances.

With that said, it has been some days since I last posted, and I was just reading an article about Mr. Obama’s pretentious, willfully ignorant, anti-historically accurate, and impractical (my words, not the article) speech at the State Department about the Middle East; so it felt like posting.

I have studied solidly for the LSAT these past months. Time has flown-by now that I actually think about it. My days were relatively the same routine over and over. I would get out of bed, maybe exercise or do personal computer stuff, eat lunch, study the entire afternoon, eat dinner, and then after dinner either study more or personal entertainment. But, in two weeks I finally get to put my 20% nervousness 80% excitement to good use. My test is around 1 p.m. June 6, and I would very much appreciate if you prayed for me. Specifically pray that God would bring to my mind the information that I have been working to put in there for eight months and also that I would have a clear mind and focused energy.

I used to tell myself and tell others that I would take the LSAT and if I completely bomb I would take it as God closing the door on me pursuing a law career. Well, I'm glad I never truly believe that, because hundreds of dollars and optimism about my practice test scores have confirmed: this is for real. And since this is for real, I know there is the next stage to complete immediately after the test is done, and I want to jump right into it.

Well, I don't know when I will post next. There isn't any point to saying something right after June 6, because I won't know my test results until the end of June, and I'm not going to just advertise what my test result is, so maybe towards the beginning of July I'll say if I am happy with the way the test turned out.

One more reason I don't like to post is because I really don't like straight up talking about myself—I’m not President Obama… Hey-O!!!... No, but seriously God places all leaders in charge for a reason. Maybe the reason is to make us more patient or maybe to bring about the downfall of America. I don't know, it could be both.

Peace

2011-01-21T07:35:00.003-06:00

I haven't really felt like writing for a while. Obviously feelings should not necessarily dictate reality or necessity, but they do play a huge role in desire, inspiration, and motivation.

I'll just share a little bit about what I've been up to. I plan to go to law school, but before actually attending I need to apply, and before I apply I need to take the LSAT. So for these past few months I've been studying for the LSAT – which I will take in June. Some days and weeks are better for studying, but overall it's been going pretty well.

During my final year at Cedarville, and even as recently as the summer, I had wavered a bit whether to continue on to law school – as has been my goal since high school to be a lawyer. Probably around the month of July, I 100% mentally recommitted to pursue the law track, and since then I have had a renewed peace about the decision. God has opened a lot of doors these past few months and allowed me to get connected to various people and organizations.

God is good and life is moving on!

My brother Matt and his family are adopting again. I believe Emily will be updating her blog regularly . onehopeoneheart.blogspot.com

2010-12-12T00:10:00.002-06:00

I went to a memorial service for Rich Ferrell today. He was 52 years old when he died. I always knew him as Mr. Ferrell. As I get older, more and more adults I have known since when I was younger requests I call them by their first name, but I think Mr. Ferrell would have always been Mr. Ferrell to me. Not because he thought he deserved it, but because I know he deserved my respect. Mr. Ferrell was the type of person who made you feel special when you talked him, and welcome when you were in his home (and there was always a group of us from the youth group over at the Ferrell house.)

Over the years I have read various quotes or philosophic arguments about the length of one's life. Most are trite sayings such as, “It's not how long you live, but how you live that matters.” “The depth of life is more important than the length of life.” Or I guess God wanted them more.” Even St. Augustine was able to reason that man's life is exactly how long it was supposed to be, or something like that. Today, all those quotes are next to worthless.

There sure is a difference between knowing about loss in your head, and to experience it. Only a fool would show up to a memorial service and comfort the family by assuring them that St. Augustine's formula for the length of one's life was a compelling read. I don't think death is supposed to be easy. It is the most glaring evidence that sin exists, and that earth is not our final destination. Death is part of life and it sucks. But God is good, and we know that nothing escapes his overall will.

Take comfort, for life is possible because death has already taken place:

"’Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15)

It only takes one more death—from this earth—for us to be in the presence of our Savior's transcendent love!

Mr. Ferrell will be missed.

please reply

2010-11-07T23:43:00.003-06:00

I'm asking the anonymous person--who replied on November 5 to the post about the abortion video--to please, please, please e-mail me at scratchknudsen@gmail.com. It's tough to really get what you want to say in just a few sentences. Some might say your comment came across brash, but I'm sure you're a reasonable person. I just have a few questions for you, and maybe you can share more insights as to where I'm misunderstanding abortion. I believe my response to Mary Alice helps clarify that I do admit when I make mistakes, and I would like to have a humble discussion with you.

And to the anonymous person who posted on November 3 about starting a blog, I would simply ask that you make sure to check the Bible next to anything I say. My aim is to accurately represent the Bible and I hope yours is as well.

2010-10-31T11:43:00.002-05:00

Check out this video in light of the abortion topic. Well done.

Thank you Connie Lukacs for posting this video on Facebook.

Very good!

2010-10-25T14:53:00.004-05:00

I want to say a huge thank you to Mary Alice's comment posted on Oct. 10th, in response to my 'pa-thetic...' post. When I read her comment recently, I agreed with everything she said, because what I wrote did not reflect what I intended.

Mary called me out on my generalization of Beatles haters, Koran burning wackos, and those who oppose abortion. It was wrong of me to simply say, "and those who picket abortion clinics."

An explanation of what I wish I initially said is that those who could be included in the same category as Beatles haters, Koran burning wackos, are individuals who fire bomb abortion clinics, murder doctors, and brutally harass the women who can unfortunately obtain a legal abortion. All three could be considered extreme religiousness and missing the point of true Christianity. What Mary Alice expressed in her comment is exactly what I was trying to get across in my post, "We lovingly offer alternatives to moms." BAM! Nailed it.

Jesus said, "whatever you have done unto the least of these, you have done unto me." I would submit that prenatal infants are some of, if not, the most 'least of these' in our world.

I clearly misspoke in my post, and I hope my past statements -- including my senior research project -- reflect where I stand on such issues. I too want to love what Jesus loves, and hate what he hates.

Mary Alice thank you for being kind enough to point all this out.

When we stop thinking; they win. (I understand obviously a better way to state that is 'when we stop trusting in the LORD; they win', but I'd like to hope these two statements can go together.)

2010-10-17T00:38:00.003-05:00

God's love is ineffable except that it has been expressed in His Words to us -- the Bible -- and manifested in His Son.

Jeremy Mohr

2010-09-20T00:56:00.003-05:00

Pray for Jeremy Mohr and his family. It is my understanding that Jeremy has suffered a significant spinal cord injury similar to one I have. Jeremy goes to Grace College. We know that the Lord is never inactive in the lives of His children, but believe me that sometimes circumstances do not appear as if God is in control. Maybe someone reading this knows the Mohr family. I certainly pray that Jeremy will come out of this in the best physical condition possible. It's time to be sensitive and reassuring that there are those who love the Mohr family and will be there to support them. And most important is that God loves the Mohrs.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

pa-thetic...

2010-09-15T15:01:00.005-05:00

I was listening to the Beatles and quickly become angered by the thought of what has been done in the name of Christianity. Did you know “Christians” protested the Beatles when they came off the plane from England? Everyone by now has also heard of the pastor in Florida who was going to burn Qur’ans in the name of “Christianity.” The pastor reasoned the Bible says to love our enemies, but that doesn't apply here because we are at war. Loving enemies doesn't apply in certain situations? Christians should be at war with the physical world? Where are those taught in the Bible? If you're having trouble finding them, it's because they are not in the Bible. The name of Christ has no business being slandered by his supposed followers protesting the Beatles, burning Qur’ans, or picketing abortion clinics for that matter. Our fight as Christians is not against the world; it is for the world. The Lord needs workers to send out into the harvest, Luke 10:2. Jesus commanded us to be in the world. Just as the Father sent Jesus into the world so Jesus has sent us into the world John 17:18. We're not to love the world as 1 John said, but the Bible does not call for a total separation. Nowhere are we taught to draw lines in the sand and say, “world, come over to us.” You want to know the types of people who are attracted to Christianity by such stunts as protests and burnings? The already hardened self-righteous “Christians” who look an awful lot like the New Testament Pharisees…

The world will know us by our love not hate.

2010-08-27T23:13:00.003-05:00

Twice in one month, whoop-de-doo...

What is knowledge without action? What is knowing without doing? Is it possible to know something in your mind and not do anything about what you know? Or a better way of asking these questions is if there is any purpose to knowing about something but then never doing anything about that knowledge? The point of knowledge is to do something. And knowing about something also brings about proper and improper responses/actions. If you know you need to cook raw pork to a certain temperature to ensure you have killed off all the bacteria, but then you do not cook it enough and still expect no bacteria, you would be foolish. It is simply incorrect.

The purpose of the preceding is to say that with knowledge of Jesus Christ and what God's Word says, then there must be some sort of action with this knowledge. Remember how knowing without doing is worthless; it's pointless. Therefore knowing about Jesus means you choose to follow or not follow. By definition you must act, so which one? Action must follow, so if you have faith, then there must be works in your life. Furthermore, for those who believe they have chosen to follow Jesus Christ can ask themselves what is believing the Holy Spirit is in your heart, without exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit? What is believing in Jesus Christ and not doing all that the Bible says? (I'm not talking about what you think the Bible says based on growing up and hearing sermons in churchesand then nowadays going to the Internet to rationalize a topic biblically by pulling out verses you think apply. Read the Bible cover to cover and let it speak for itself. “The Word of God is living and active; sharper than any two-edged sword.” You know what swords do? They stab you, and cut you, and in the Hebrews 4:12 verse just mentioned, the sword is to pierce to convict. False intentions cannot be hidden from God. When you read the Bible honestly, you will have to change. You can't remain pursuing this world.)

That was a quick rant, so let me get back on topic: Those who have faith in Jesus Christ will then respond with either correct or incorrect actions. Correct actions are biblical works such as being more loving and more peaceful etc. Biblical works also include turning from what the Bible clearly states as sin.

In conclusion if you say you have a relationship with God, then your life should exhibit true Biblical actions. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).

Holy Spirit

2010-08-14T14:39:00.006-05:00

The Holy Spirit has been on my mind on an off for the past four years. I've been mainly trying to figure out ‘what is the Spirit?’ and ‘what does He do?’. In my quest for understanding the Spirit, I recently listened on audio book to Forgotten God by Francis Chan, which addresses the topic of the Holy Spirit, and as the title alludes, how He is the forgotten God. These are some of my thoughts based on the Bible and other credible godly sources, and also some of my own insights mixed throughout.

The churches I have attended in the past (along with the churches of most churchgoing Americans) do not properly understand or talk about the Holy Spirit. So much of the credit due the Holy Spirit is improperly credited to the believer based on this improper understanding. When there is triumph over sin or trials we often say, "thank God you were able to overcome," but this is wrong to say. The correct response is, "thank God through the power of the Spirit you were able to overcome.” This may seem like a slight distinction but it is not. To be filled with the Spirit is the pulse of what it means for someone to be “Christian*" or "saved." And to be Spirit filled determines the activity level of one who is filled with the Spirit. When we have the ability to do anything good (good in the biblical sense of the word), it is only through the power of the Spirit. So the reason to say, "thank God through the power of the Spirit you were able to overcome,” is necessary because it's true.

When a nonbeliever is a hopeless unregenerate sinner, by what work does he enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ? Was it by the work of himself or by a work of God known as grace? With this truth in mind why then do believers (including myself) act like sanctification is up to us? I was saved by grace through faith, yet from there I act like my relationship with God depends on me. I can do nothing on my own, but in Christ I can do all things. And when Jesus left the earth He sent a helper to represent Him until his return, so it is in the Spirit I can do things, and all forms of spiritual good are possible. If I need to work on anger, contentment, pride, jealousy, or love; this is only accomplished by the work of the Spirit who is within each true believer.

Perhaps a post for a later day, but the Bible is very clear on the marks of a true believer i.e. one who is filled with the Spirit. Not all who believe in Jesus are regenerate, and not even all who are perceivably doing work in Christ's name are truly regenerate (Matthew 7:21 & 22). Knowing this is not for speculation on others' salvation, but for personal reflection. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). You want to know the greatest disappointment imaginable? Someone who gets to the gates of heaven and hears “depart from Me; I never knew you.”

*The term Christian should be put to death because unfortunately it hardly means anything anymore in America, because of all the baggage attached to it, but that is a conversation for another time

Thank You

2010-07-29T21:22:00.002-05:00

I want to extend a much overdue thank you to those who gave donations for my exercise bike.

I have been using the exercise bike for almost 2 weeks now and it seems to be going well. I would not have the bike right now if not for the many people who were gracious enough to give money. The pike is designed to improve health and body function, but I want you all to know that both those are worthless without knowing Jesus Christ. He is the reason I would want to improve health or body function. I want to be healthy so I'm able to serve God more efficiently, and I would want improved body functioning to serve God more effectively. Without Christ, pursuing an ideal body is as vain as chasing the wind (Ecclesiastes).

July something or other...

2010-07-09T01:37:00.002-05:00

It seems to always be an unusual hour late at night when I get around to posting something on "my blog." Let me start by addressing the faithful readers : grandma, I'm doing good right now. No, I'm kidding about that, but I am doing pretty good. My two summer classes are actually going to be finished in just over a week. They are summer classes so does that mean summer is over when they are? That can't be right, because it feels like summer is just getting underway.

The fourth came and went, but Mike and Liz made the trip to Chicago for the weekend and it was good to see them. We celebrated our 24th birthday with family, and some gifts that were a blast from the past.

btw, if you don't have a church you call home; find a Harvest Bible Chapel. A Haitian earthquake couldn't shake those four pillars. That was too soon, so I'm out for now.

\/ peace

3-D

2010-06-24T22:02:00.003-05:00

I went to see 'Toy Story 3' in 3-D at the theater today. It was great. The movie is funny and entertaining, but then because it's in 3-D it looks so much better. If you've never seen anything in 3-D, first of all open your other eye, and second of all go see a movie in 3-D. It's worth the extra four dollars.

On a lighter note, I was attacked by a bug while I was in bed last night. It was quite an awful experience. the bug was some sort of flying moth-like bee. I swear the thing bit me in the neck, but there were no physical signs of trauma. It's the type of thing you see a horror movie, but you never think a small insect would kill you in your own home. Take nothing for granted...

Happy GOLDEN Birthday Dan (& Mike)

2010-06-24T17:07:00.011-05:00

24 on the 24th

Of course we can't mention Dan's birthday without mentioning his twin brother, Mike.

They were born within 4 minutes of each other, Mike being the older. At 7# & 6#11 oz, wow, they were perfectly healthy and raring to go.

They had/have this special "twin" ability, which made them think alike[Liz would agree] Although they are identical, and most people cannot tell them apart, they do have very different personalities, likes, and dislikes.

What a joy it has been to see them grow and mature through the years. They have shared in family vacations, Cubbies, Awana, working at Mc Donalds, youth group, Crossroads Basketball, camps, and missions trips, Cedarville U grads, OPE, and 2 cars.

They leave a trail of friends and good memories wherever they go. Happy 24th Birthday Mike & Dan. We love you guys.

Dad & Mom

Prayers for Alex

2010-06-16T20:38:00.005-05:00

Hey, many of you have seen comments from "Beth" who is the mom of an 11 yr old quadriplegic boy, in OH. She found us, shortly after Dan's accident in '07, and has always been a constant source of enthusiasm, despite her own son's circumstances. Alex needs prayer. Please read below.

“I wanted to let everyone know that Alex is just not doing well. There is something going on that cannot yet be figured out. He is not able to get up. I am asking for prayer. I have been in contact with the docs and there is discussion as to what may need to be done, i.e. tests, hospital stay, etc. The docs cannot figure out how to get his BP under control

I am going to be honest...it is difficult to watch this special little man not even be able to get out of bed. Alex’s autonomic system went really crazy after the rod surgery, to stabilize his back, because he is still growing, .The most unstable part of the system is the blood pressure, and it has been almost 6 months since his surgery.

Please, if you could, lift a prayer up to The One, with the answers.”

-Beth Marlarkey [Alex's mom]

Alex, "Youngest Person to Get 'Christopher Reeve' Breathing Device"

2010-06-05T22:43:00.002-05:00

Hey... how ya feelin'..?

You're doin' good. You keep on keepin' on...

Colossians 1:11 "May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience..."

Why do ethical issues matter?

2010-05-28T01:27:00.009-05:00

I think ethical issues matter because we as humans are rational beings, and figuring out ethics* gives a sense of purpose to our lives. As Descartes said, "I think therefore I am," and our ability to reason perhaps helps justify our existence. I believe voicing our opinion matters, because it will help refine our views, in the same way that gold is melted to remove the impurities. We can voice our opinions in order arrive closer at a proper standard of life/ a good life. I am a Christian, and this gives me the opportunity to know that a proper standard of life/a good life does exist, and it exists beyond legal, aesthetic, and cultural conventions. So that when the hair on the back your neck stands because you heard about a three-year-old girl being raped and murdered, you can recognize that this is inherently wrong against the very nature of our humanity, and it is not just something our culture has proscribed as wrong.

It also seems that it is not only correct to believe ethical issues matter, yet also we ought to have a stance on them, and share them with others. For as Socrates said, "the unexamined life is not worth living," so we can examine ethical issues in a pursuit of a standard for the good life. Since we need to examine our lives, and yet to merely examine our own lives, is to fall short of recognizing that we do not know everything, and that others views could prove to be vital in that refining process of our knowledge. This is why I believe we should share our views with others.

To hold view that we cannot say what others do is 'right' or 'wrong' is inconsistent, because if someone breaks into your house intending to harm you and your family; you will take action to prevent that harm, and it is because you believe the intruder's actions are wrong. If you did not believe the intruder's actions to be wrong, then you would have no authority to stop him. And to remove the idea of authority, would destroy any notion of a civilized life.

"Umm... excuse me Mr. intruder, you can't be here in my house in the middle of the night." "Why not, there is nothing 'wrong' with me being here in your house right now." "Well Mr. intruder, I can't tell you what to do, but I hope you decide it is wrong, and then you leave."

My fellow blog enthusiasts, please assure me you won't ever do this?

Is it possible to go through life never confronting a situation where you had to say whether another person's actions are right or wrong, such as in the situation of the intruder? It seems like to do so would require a life of total isolation from any human contact. Or, it would take a life so timidly misguided that it would think their opinions could be of no benefit to others. Or, it would take a life so prideful that it would think their opinions were too superior for others.

* Ethics is the process of asking basic questions about the good life, about whether there is right and wrong, and, if so, how we can know what it is (MacKinnon, 2009).

(Image is of Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker.")

quick thought

2010-05-25T00:08:00.007-05:00

I am a huge fan of irony, so I will let you all hopefully enjoy this as much as I did.

"Many people wish to not believe in God, because they say He is unfair. Yet by saying, 'God is unfair,' is to acknowledge His existence. And to acknowledge God’s existence and then say He is unfair, is complete idiocy."

As far as updates go, my online classes started today. In introduction to philosophy, I began by looking at the classical Greek view of prime physical beauty and how it relates to contemporary US society. I did not start work on my ethics class because I do not have the book yet (that's right kids you don't need to have the book on the first day of class). Ethics from a secular college. I feel like that could use the drum sound effect, "BAH-DUM--CHA." Ohh I'm kidding, but seriously, good times...

Summer plan

2010-05-14T12:01:00.002-05:00

Hey,

As you all know by now, I graduated from Cedarville May 1st. Let me share with you my upcoming plans for the summer. I'm going to take two more classes in order to be officially finished with my undergraduate degree. The classes are intro to philosophy and ethics, and they are both through College of DuPage. I'm still a little bit up in the air about future plans. My goal for many years was to continue on to law school, and after working on my senior papers this whole semester, my interest in the legal field was reaffirmed. Or after finishing class is August I would possibly like to find a job and began working somewhere doing something. Either case is possible.

There is great news about the fundraising efforts to purchase an exercise bike. The cost is covered, and I will be getting the bike probably soon. We'll let you know more soon.

Senior Research Paper

2010-05-03T16:51:00.003-05:00

If you want to read my senior research paper about withholding or withdrawing treatment from severely handicapped newborns; just e-mail scratchknudsen@gmail.com, and I will send you a copy.

DAN KNUDSEN - CLASS OF 2010

2010-05-01T12:25:00.009-05:00

Happy Graduation Day, Dan!!!

Job well done.

from Dad, Mom,

Matt, Em, Addy, GG, Savannah,

Jeff, Jen, Mike, Liz,

Grandma K, Grandpa & Grandma J.

[Aunt Linda & Uncle Mike too]

Dan with Kyle, Brad, Ben, Josiah - Care guys '09 - '10

YOU'RE INVITED

2010-04-27T17:41:00.011-05:00

Dan's Freshman Photo - August '04

Hello to all of Dan's care givers, and helpers in Cedarville, OH area. We are sure, that we missed some of your email addresses, to invite you to this farewell event for Dan Knudsen.

All of his family, would sure like to meet you, and personally THANK YOU for all of your help during these past 2 years.

EMAIL ANNOUNCEMENT

Dan Knudsen is graduating from Cedarville University this May, and we would like to extend to you a big 'THANKS' for having a hand in making Dan's Cedarville graduation, a reality.

Stop in and say hello to Dan, and his family,

Friday, April 30th, 6-8 pm

Center for Biblical and Theological Studies [BTS] - Room 116.

Refreshments & snacks will be served.

Please feel free to bring along family members, or other students, whom have helped in Dan's care.

Dan Knudsen & his family

Notes of encouragement and farewell wishes, can be sent to: checkinondan@gmail.com
Keep up to date with Dan @ http://checkinondan.blogspot.com/

The dream of Dan's exercise cycle equipment. is finally becoming a reality. http://www.giveforward.org/knudsen/

Mom Again

2010-04-14T20:00:00.003-05:00

Dan is much too busy right now finishing up his last semester to post, but that works out for us to share something special with you. Last summer a dear friend who regularly came to help Dan heard about Dan's need for specialized exercise equipment and donated a very generous amount to get started saving for it. We didn't know where to begin with fundraising, but the Lord supplied a parent from one of my last year's students to get the ball rolling. She communicated with a parent of one of my current students, and they set up this fantastic website to help us. You have to click on this link to find out more: https://www.giveforward.org/knudsen/
Mark did a very impressive job of writing a brief summary of Dan's accident and equipment need.
Once again we are "jaw-dropping" at the generosity of so many.

Mom Sneaks In For a Quick Word!

2010-04-09T20:47:00.004-05:00

I have been meaning to write for months! I had read through all the earlier posts and was once again in awe of our amazing God's protection and provision. When I read the posts, it felt heavier to me than when we actually went through it. Your prayers carried us through those early days. Thank you. Remember when Dan couldn't sleep or eat and had unbearable pain? Remember the ventilator and tubes? As far as I'm concerned, best invention ever: the diaphragm pacer!

Can you believe Dan made it back to college and will graduate in 3 weeks? We are so excited!

Dan is doing incredibly well. The best physically, spiritually, emotionally since his accident. Our family can't say thank you enough to all those who care for Dan while he is at Cedarville.

Don't you love Dan updating this site with what he's doing and thoughtful insight instead of us just giving medical updates?!! I sure do! God has great plans for him.

Thanks for sticking with us when there was no update for many weeks!
We sure love you all!

The first scripture the Lord gave me in March of 2007 was II Chronicles 20:12 "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You." God is our ever-present help in time of need. Just look to Him!

3 years

2010-03-08T23:56:00.002-06:00

It has been 3 long years, but I thank God for every minute.

Some days move right along, and it doesn't seem like too much in my life has changed. Other days (the ones you can all relate to) just drag on and on, when everything that could happen does, and the glaring defects of this sin fallen world are painfully obvious. The latter type I would argue are in fact far more beneficial for mental, emotional, and spiritual growth.

I am going to try to create a word picture. If you light a candle and let it burn in your house; no surprise, it will most likely stay lit without problem. But if you take that candle outside on a windy day, then it doesn't stand much chance of staying lit. You could, however, build a fire big enough to withstand the wind. Think of yourself as the flame in my example. Two things to remember: 1st You can be preparing for the winds that will come in your life by continually "building up your flame" through Jesus Christ, and 2nd sometimes you won't know how much you needed to prepare, and then you will instead face the need to respond, and the only acceptable response has to be that Christ is all I need; Blessed be the name of the Lord.

doing good.... How 'bout you?

2010-02-09T21:05:00.005-06:00

I'm doing great and I feel healthy....

I have finally arrived on a topic for my senior research paper. The ethical and legal issues surrounding withholding treatment from severely handicapped newborns.

Enjoy the snow; don't get stuck.

More winter?

2010-02-03T14:48:00.004-06:00

Well, I guess we are doomed for six more weeks of winter because Punxsutawney Phil is scared of his shadow, along with a majority of three-year-olds. In my opinion he is losing a lot of his credibility because it's the same prediction every year. Eventually, no one will pay attention to him.

I haven't done too much this week. I just continue to memorize the countries, major cities, and physical features of different continents for geography class.

I had an excellent dinner last night, because Ben made a very tasty beef Wellington, and Dr. Couser (a Bible professor here at Cedarville) was able to join us, and impart wisdom. It was a great reminder that I need to continually step up and take responsibility for my actions and growth forward in life, without excuses or procrastinating. In our culture, we are surrounded by full-grown children, who desire to act like boys rather than be men.

January

2010-01-27T15:23:00.002-06:00

Hello again!

I feel great and think that whatever health bug I had seems to now be gone. The Romans and Galatians class I was telling you all about is as exciting as I was hoping it to be. I hope that I'm going to learn a lot, the class is going to be very beneficial. One example is when Paul mentioned that he would be all things to all men, he didn't say this meaning to be a compromise of his values in order to present the gospel in a way that would seem more attractive to certain types of people.

Some friends and I went to the Cedarville men's basketball game last night. The team Cedarville played was ranked #2 in the division. Cedarville won the game in the last few seconds. They won in dramatic fashion, it was heart pounding. I thought the other team would score and Cedarville would lose, but no such fate. Walsh packed up the sorry train and headed for no where.

2010-01-20T12:24:00.006-06:00

I probably should have given a continuing update because my last report left you with: "...I've checked my oxygen saturation percentage. It is on the low side but I can still breathe." That was possibly a bit too dramatic. I think I should've said, "I can breathe okay, even though my oxygen saturation percentage is on the low side."

I felt the most congested Saturday, and now I can tell I'm almost fine.

So what's in the news...

Congratulations to Senator Brown of Massachusetts. Republicans stave off the health care bill for a bit longer. History's most expensive Band-Aid and cosmetic surgery will need to wait.

2nd week

2010-01-15T15:27:00.002-06:00

The second week of my final Cedarville semester is wrapping up. This week is not finishing exactly how I would like, because yesterday and today I have felt some chest congestion, and this has brought a slight cough. Not too bad though, I've checked my oxygen saturation percentage. It is on the low side but I can still breathe. I do ask for your prayers because I would rather not get sick. When I am sick I feel tired and simply have a hard time functioning as myself. I want this last semester to be great. I want to finish strong.

hmm

2010-01-12T15:01:00.002-06:00

I like Tootsie Rolls.

I've been staring at this page for a few minutes now, not knowing what I should write. So that's what I came up with. The fact that I like Tootsie Rolls.

Once I start talking sometimes I start thinking. Chapel was fantastic this morning. God's grace is sufficient. He makes the first move in our lives and also ensures our completion.

New Semester

2010-01-08T11:01:00.002-06:00

I am back at Cedarville for the semester. I have a geography class and my senior Pre-Law research project. This is my last semester and it really is mixed emotions. It's great to think about graduating. We all know it has been a long road coming back to Cedarville. However, I've been at Cedarville for pretty much the last six years, and it's going to be a major adjustment not to be here.

Da Bulls & Christmas

2009-12-28T15:05:00.012-06:00

Last Saturday I got to go to a Chicago Bulls game with some of my relatives. The Bulls are not anything to write home about, but the experience of this game made it special. My cousin Don got a suite for all of us to enjoy together. Thanks Don.

It was blizzard conditions, which made driving a long adventure, but the special parking, and getting into and around the stadium were very smooth. Yes, we were looking down onto the stadium floor, from the banners, but the game was good, and it was a good time with Matt, my brother, and my dad.

Christmas gatherings included visiting grandparents and family at my Uncle Mike's house. He build a ramp for me to get into his house. Then we had family at my house. It was great to see more aunts, uncles ,and cousins. Missing was my Grandpa Knudsen, who always read the Christmas story.

We had the traditional Knudsen Christmas kids play, but, since most of us are grown, it takes on different, sometimes humorous tone. I was the inn keeper. My nieces, Addy & GG, played Mary and Joseph. Savannah was not willing to play baby Jesus, and sort of did her own thing as an "extra" in ALL of the scenes. [think Maggie on the Simpson's]

I go back to school next week. Final semester. I'll post next week.

Happy New Year.
Dan

ps FYI, I passes all my classes with a 3.8 gpa.

2009-12-22T21:57:00.002-06:00

I continue to get better, but I am not at full health yet, so I stayed in bed today. My sickness could have been caused by a minor flu. Sleep throughout the entire night has been lacking in recent days.

I will begin reading Romans & Galatians because I am going to sit in a Bible class nest semester.

better

2009-12-20T18:59:00.001-06:00

Except for the Bears losing, I am feeling much better today.

I did it the normal way.

2009-12-19T10:18:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a long day, BUT everything went well, and I got home around 8 pm. I had sort of a restless night, but that is to be expected.

One good thing to report, about my surgery. Most people who are put under, have a breathing tube that is put down their throat / trach, then a inner tube like "cuff" is inflated against the trach wall, so the flow of oxygen can be controlled. In the past, I have had to have special things done, because of my DPS [breathing pacer] and the Shiley in my trach. All of this has caused extra work, switching out to a cuffed Shiley, etc, on the part of the anesthesiologists.

The clear Hood Stoma Cap, that I now wear [instead of the old "in the trach" Shiley] does not restrict my trach airway. Thus it was possible for me to be put under, the normal way. They still have to sync their breathing machine with my DPS, but it felt neat, to do it the normal way.

Thanks for all of your notes and emails, but especially your prayers.

Minor Surgery

2009-12-17T23:35:00.017-06:00

Please pray for me today. I have outpatient minor surgery scheduled for 2pm today. I guess there is no such thing as a "minor surgery," but it should only take around an hour. Pray for the technical details, any anxiety on my part, and a quick recovery (after all, it's Christmas time).

Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything,but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Fall Semester classes

2009-12-15T17:51:00.003-06:00

I officially finished class for the semester this past Monday. I took persuasive theory and cultural anthropology. They were both excellent classes. Persuasive theory was one of the best classes I have taken at Cedarville. I think what I appreciated the most was my professor, Dr. Phipps. I learned practical ways to communicate and persuade by understanding various theories and being more perceptive of people's personality types. Cultural anthropology, the study of people in different cultures, was interesting because it focused on the sensitivity towards the uniqueness of various people groups and how to appreciate their differences. Unfortunately it bordered on moral relativity, so its immediate relevance fluctuated. I believe I did well and now that those two classes are completed I only have four classes left until I graduate this may!

Church

2009-12-13T17:11:00.005-06:00

I was able to attend church last night. I love going to church. There was a great message on Revelation 4, which was about a picture of God‘s throne room in heaven and His awesomeness. This past semester, I thought about heaven and eternity, and how short life is on Earth in comparison the eternal nature of our existence. An eternal perspective of my life makes me understand that I have a purpose now.

Early Christmas in the Dorm

2009-12-09T23:20:00.002-06:00

If you look closely you can see some stockings hanging on the shelves, and a Christmas tree on top.

Earlier tonight was the OPE Christmas party. We all wore ridiculous Christmas sweaters and exchanged "white elephant gifts." Thankfully I ended up with about 2 pounds of Good & Plenty candy. They sure tasted good, (I'm only kidding, I didn't eat them all).

I would consider this a decent gift considering some people receive gifts such as Playdough, a cassette tape of Elvis, or a bottle of hair bleach with a can of pork and beans. It's always a good time with OPE. We hung out for a while, after the gift exchange, as the group slowly dispersed.

Oh, and there was also food to eat. This is a fact, that although common, should never be unappreciated.

Live it up!

2009-12-07T23:18:00.005-06:00

I am going to post about my semester in a few days, after I get home.

Ephesians 5:15-17: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

How many times have you heard the concept of "you only live once," as being synonymous with living recklessly? Just live your life and party everyday! No, that would be unwise. If we only live once, then life should not be wasted in a dizziness of regret or self-pity. The only fulfillment in life is to actively live for God. I used to have in my mind that wisdom was an unattainable concept. I was wrong, wisdom is possible, and it is practical. James McDonald from Walk in the Word gives a great definition of wisdom: "Making the best choice with the best result in every situation." I want to be making the best godly choices, and then they will become easier to make.

College Football

2009-12-06T01:25:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to the Crimson Tide and Longhorns. They will play each other in the BCS championship game. I'm sure many are disappointed the Florida Gators did not win, because they are Tim Tebow fans. Tebow is a committed Christian and he writes bible verse references on his eye black for each game. Did anyone see which one he wrote? It was John ? :33, but I didn't catch the chapter.

Today I played a strategy board game called Settlers of Catan. I lost as usual, but it was still fun.

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

-Dan

A little bit... more often

2009-12-05T00:43:00.005-06:00

Hey this is Dan! I want to start writing some short posts on a consistent basis. I recognize that when this blog started it was to inform everyone what was happening in my physical life. I will continue to update what I'm doing in life but also what I am learning in life. I may post one sentence or multiple paragraphs. I want you to keep in mind it is my desire that everything I say and do is not for myself, but for the glory of God.

This is a quote by John Piper from his book entitled Desiring God: "I know of no other way to triumph over sin long-term, than to gain a distaste for it, because of a superior satisfaction in God.”

2 Peter 3:18 Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ

-Dan

Friday Feasts

2009-10-15T01:59:00.005-05:00

This may be the easy way out to do the blog, but Jen recent visit just reminded me of a weekly food gathering in Dan's dorm that had not been blogged about yet. Read what she has to say about Friday Feasts [as I call them] They are a great time to eat good food, strengthen friendships, AND doubles as a healthy result for Dan. He has had lower over all BP since he started cutting back on sodium and eating "dorm" cooked meals.

A very big THANKS to Sarah S., who heads up Dan's food team. Thanks to Ben who connected Sarah and Dan. Also, thanks to Anthony M, the Lawlor RA who has made some excellent "momma mia" meals on Tuesday nights. All of these meals are to die for, but are by invitation only.

Pricilla and Sarah [in the back] prepare one of the first Friday Feast meals.

Jen's Blog

Meet The Guys

2009-09-21T01:11:00.030-05:00

It time to meet the core guys that help Dan.

All of them are full time students at Cedarville. All are OPE guys [except Josiah]. All have arranged their class schedules to clear 1 or 2 days each week to help out Dan. They also cover Saturdays and Sundays every 4 weeks. All of them were involved with Dan's care [usually an overnight guy] last year. Pretty AMAZING group, you must agree.

Listed below is the following information - Name, Hometown, Year in college, Degree, Something about themselves. A comment from me, Bill.

Ben Roose - Tustin, MI - Senior, Biology [headed to medical school]

"I'm #2 in a set of twins, like Dan." [It's a twin thing.]

Ben comes from a home where both parents are doctors, was home schooled, excels in anything he thinks about, looks at, or touches. Ben is invaluable with his astute medical logic, and seems to be the "go to guy " for many medical issues with Dan. AND is excelling in his culinary skills.

Brad Colas - Vestal, NY - Senior, Criminal Justice,
"I enjoy watching Shark Week"

Brad, a "Just the facts" kind of guy, has great organizational skills and was instrumental with Dan's complex care schedule. Brad is the Cheif Justice for the CU student court. He is also a Cedarville EMT, never turns down food, and has an energetic spirit.

Dale - Education,
"My passion is to teach others in this world."

Dale will definitely make teahing come alive, as he has just started his student teaching. Shy at first meet, but full of intriguing stories.

Josiah Heskett - Logan, OH - Junior, Nursing / Army ROTC
"My interests are in Piano, Army ROTC, and Music Composition"

Josiah is THE ONE that you want with you when an emergency happens. He is WIRED to take control, subdue the opposition, and come out laughing. He volunteers and loves to help out others. Go Army!

Kyle Lowry - Allegan, MI - Senior, Psychology
"I enjoy hiking, spending time outdoors, you know ... manly stuff."

Kyle goes way back to Dan's Lawler dorm days. He is a true faithful friend, has a heart of compassion and quiet spirit. He has stepped in for Dale, who is now student teaching.

Uphold all of these great guys in your prayers when you think of or CheckinonDan.

CU Fall '09

2009-09-01T22:57:00.008-05:00

Well, Dan's senior year at Cedarville, has started off with a whirlwind of activity.

Bill here -- cannot believe that I have been here for 2 weeks already. The first week was filled with OH Care Program for the nurses and the care guys, then training with the 5 primary care guys that are staying with Dan 1 -2 days per week, and alternating the weekends.

The start of the school year holds meetings galore with profs, special needs departments, and academics, etc. It was suggested that Dan do a "helps" table in the student center, so an email including the previous blog post went out to the entire faculty, staff and student body. To date, this has generated an additional 45 responses, making it a total of 66 students who are helping Dan. They were put into the categories of Care Guys, Nurses, Academics/Hang Out, Food, PT & eStim, Laundry/Cleaning and the Overnight Guys.

Thanks to the students who have volunteered and are giving generously of their time.

Special thanks to Barb, mom of CU student Emily, who has been invaluable to all of us. Holding classes for the many new PA's of Dan and Emily. Things like how to fill out forms, what supporting documents to submit , getting binder/log books in order to chart your day's care, 29 pages of documents, first aid tests, background checks, etc. and the list goes on and on. I could NOT have done all this time consuming work by myself, let alone for 5 of Dan's primary care guys and nurses. She has a well oiled system in place, and we are learning each day from her experience. THANK YOU BARB!!

Dan has had a few good weeks, getting acquainted with old friends and new ones. He was having high blood pressure issues and is currently tracking his sodium level as a possible cause. His studies are progressing well, both in classroom and online.

I am having difficulties uploading photos from my phone/camera. Stay tuned.

Cedarville Student Volunteer Opportunities

2009-08-25T00:32:00.003-05:00

[this page is designed to give the CU students detailed information to volunteer for a fellow student.]

for further info and consideration, reply to: checkinondan@gmail.com

There are many opportunities to serve at Cedarville this school year. We can think of no better way to impact your life than to spend a few hours helping a fellow student.

Dan Knudsen, class of '08, sustained a high level neck injury on a MIS trip, Spring Break '07. His C2 injury resulted in the need for 24/7/365 care for his daily life. A friend from church, Garrett, took on the challenge to be a full time caregiver in the summer 2008, thus allowing Dan to come back to Cedarvillle. Now Garrett is able to continue his studies, thus leaving, Dan's ability to finish college at CU in question.

Seeing this need, a few of Dan's OPE buddies came up with a plan for him finish his education. Ben Roose, Brad Colas & Josiah Heskett all have full college schedules and studies, and yet they have signed on to help Dan roll across the platform in 2010.

There are many ways you can join these guys, because we all know that "Many Hands Make Light Work".

Academic help includes - walking with him to and from classes and chapel, transcribing papers, typing, tutoring, test aid, schedule management.

Physical help includes - lunch or dinner feeding, helping cook or prepare low sodium food, hanging in his room 1-2 hours a week, [to give others time off], laundry help, tracking and ordering of medical supplies.

Personal help includes - help with daily getting up and in bed routine, hair grooming, daily exercise & eStim of muscles, overnight stays [sorry no girls on this one]

For further information, talk to Dan or one of the 3 guys mentioned above, then send an email to checkinondan@gmail.com Include your name, phone #, area of interest, all in the subject line.

"Thank you, that you cared to Check In On Dan today."

Dan knows that not all are able to help, or the timing is not right for you, but please keep Ben, Brad & Josiah in your prayers. [Dan too] .

Thank you

2009-08-16T20:41:00.002-05:00

Thank you for such gracious comments and for continuing to check in on how we are doing. We are amazed by such kindness.

Dan is back at Cedarville! Lord willing, he graduates in May!

Please pray for Dan. He really does have so much pain. It doesn't seem quite right to be paralyzed, supposedly have little or no sensation, but have pain. We squeezed in several doctor appointments the last couple of weeks, hoping for answers, but found none. We continue to learn what is involved with a spinal cord injury.

You are dear friends whether we know you or not! Thank you for your encouragement.

Summer '09

2009-08-03T22:59:00.013-05:00

Dan finished his 2 online classes last week, has visited several doctors in the last 2 weeks trying to get answers to his ongoing aliments, and has enjoyed spending time on the computer, not having to do class work!

As you obviously know, we don't update this blog very often, but it seems that Dan is finally not in crisis mode any more. That is not to say there are no issues; they are ongoing.

The biggest concern is Dan's constant pain -- especially in his hands. We went to a hand specialist, quite excited for answers, but his response was that it is a result of the spine injury. We will try new splints, but have no hope at this point of let up of pain.

We are all gearing up for Dan to go back to school this fall. It's quite an ordeal for anyone to pack up for school, but with all of Dan's equipment, whoa!! Bill will once again stay for a couple of weeks to get Dan started and help train the new guys who will help with Dan.

So, all in all Dan has had a good summer. Thanks to the few of you left out there who check in on Dan and pray for us. We're still in the journey!! Please pray for Dan.

"Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do. Psalm 73:26, 28

Mike & Liz Wedding

2009-07-06T13:39:00.009-05:00

MIKE & LIZ got married July 3rd, 2009

WOW! What a fun weekend!
Beautiful bride and groom, perfect outdoor wedding, reception with good food, great music & dancing [thanks DJ Raul] and chatting with family, friends, relatives on both sides.

Dan was the best man; groomsmen were OPE guys, Ploeg, Staab and Hueni.

Dan gave a funny AND tearful "best man's speech", as only Dan could do.

Flower twins, Addy & GG were too cute.

GG said that she was the ONLY girl that Dan danced with.

HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY

2009-06-25T23:59:00.009-05:00

Happy Birthday to Dan. #23 for the record. Dan did blow out the 3 candles on his cake, which is difficult with low volume pacer air. We're not big cake eaters [ can you tell?]

Dan also celebrated by getting a new Hood Stoma Cap for his trach [see upper photo]. It is made of clear Silicone, does not have a neck tie [which always moves and irritates Dan], stays in with 2 "wings" that fit inside his trach, and is finally the correct size [try #3]. It is taking some getting used to, especially with suctioning and the cough assist, but it seems to be working out okay.
Big thanks to NURSE Talitha (CU'09) for assisting "Dr. Bill" (LOL) on this procedure.

Matt & Em & the grand kids came over to help celebrate. Addy & GG are getting to be quite the artists. They asked for their rides, around the house on Dan's chair, which he gladly gave.

We are well into preparations for a 5-day visit to OHIO for Liz to become an official Knudsen. Which reminds me, Happy Birthday Mike [get your own blog] who is just days away from getting hitched.

It's Dan

2009-06-20T21:26:00.013-05:00

Hello again, it's Dan.

What a great semester! I need to thank so many people who helped me with everything these past few months. I could not have accomplished anything without them.

One year down, one more to go. I am taking two classes online over the summer-Business Law and History of World Civilizations II.
It seems like my family's big plans for the summer focus around my twin brother's wedding July 3rd in Cincinnati. I had a really neat opportunity to share my story with a group from my grandma's church this past Sunday.

Thank you to those from the class of 2009 who helped me this past year with my care.

Grandpa Knudsen Home-going

2009-06-02T22:50:00.004-05:00

Grandpa Knudsen went home to be with the Lord Tuesday afternoon. We would love your prayers for the family.

Funeral information can be seen here at Norris Funeral Home website.

Photos:

Top - grandpa "helping out" feeding Dan on his regular lunch visits. [he was always good for a nap]
Left -Dan standing next to Grandpa K on our '06 vacation.
Right - Grandpa rescues a drowning squirrel from the pool at our Geneva house.

Happy Birthday Savannah

2009-05-30T16:15:00.005-05:00

Savannah turned 1 year old this past week. She is not into riding on Dan's wheelchair like her sisters Addy & GG, but she will in time.

She can be funny, shy, serious, inquisitive, and loves to read books with her bigger sisters. Isn't she the cutest? [spoken like true grandparents]

* Be in prayer for Dan's paternal grandfather - John, who suffered a severe heart attack on Friday.

May 09

2009-05-05T10:11:00.005-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to GG & Addy

FYI, Dan is back in IL for a while. If you are interested in helping out with his weekly care, give us a call, or send an email to: checkinondan@gmail.com

If you have a few hours a week or every other week, or 1 time a month, we are flexible.

Needed areas of help:

Nursing or light medical care
AM getting up [starts at 8 or 9]
PM getting in bed [starts at 8 or 9]
Physical exercise & range of motion exercise
Lunch time meal prep & feeding help
Visiting or hanging out for a few hours, giving us time to get other things done
Insurance paperwork and filing of medical papers, etc

Another financial need -- we would like to get some money to Garrett, Dan's caregiver. Garrett did not get paid the whole year he was with Dan except for the days they were back in IL for breaks. The OH care system is still NOT in place, so he was not able to receive money from OH either. He was only paid about 30%, of what he should have made this past school year. [I know, a true servant] Dan could not have completed this year without his dedicated care.

If you would like to donate to Garrett, mark your check "For Garrett c/o Dan Knudsen", and send to:

Harvest Bible Chapel, 1000 N Randall Rd, Elgin, IL 60123

I don't think this is a tax deductible donation, but Garrett [and Dan] would greatly appreciate your generosity.

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers, as always.

End of school year '09

2009-04-30T23:40:00.006-05:00

"Thought you might want these to post on the blog . . . This was OPE's last cookout of the year. Dan drove out in the grass and got to sit in the sun, it was great." ~ Garrett

Well technically, Dan's summer school is a part of the 09 season, but after his final Friday, Dan will have completed his 1st year of college at CU since his accident.

Provided that he passes his Constitutional Law exam today. It is a long written test, and Dan has worked hard to keep up with all of the written part of this class. He does not want any "favoritism, or easy grades" handed to him. We don't know how he has managed to get everything done, considering his constant health issues. [4 hospitalizations, a few ambulance rides, cold weather issues, etc, etc, etc.]

We are so proud you Dan :-)

Pray for him to have clarity of thought as he takes this final.

Autonomic Dsyreflexia [AD], which causes high blood pressure [above 170 for Dan], continues to bother him each night, and many nights he has had to leave his Nitro paste on him to keep his blood pressure down to the low hundreds. The cause?? who knows. His doctors seem to be out of answers, and think he might need to spend some time in the hospital for extensive testing.

Easter, family & friends

2009-04-14T21:01:00.013-05:00

Good Friday, Easter, and Dan's visit home have come and gone, and it was enjoyable.

He was able to attend Good Friday and Easter services at church, and saw a number of people, many of you, who help out with his meals and care when he is home.

Friday was egg coloring time at our house and grandma K's. The tradition continued with the next generation of Addy & GG K.

Easter brought family together: Grand parents, Aunts & Uncles, Cousins , Brother & Sis-in-law, and of course Dan's 3 Nieces. A delicious dinner was enjoyed, followed by G-ma J's "world famous" Easter egg hunt.

Cousin Don was in town, and as always, has surreal Military adventures to tell. We are proud and thankful for his service to our country.

A local friend, John, who has a similar injury to Dan's, dropped by for a few hours to hang out. Of course, watching the CUBS win.

Dan's health was pretty good for the most part. The swings in his blood pressure are still puzzling, but hopefully it will not be a deterrent for him to finish these few weeks left of school.

Dan's Home

2009-04-09T00:08:00.002-05:00

Yay -- Dan is home for Easter break, and the CUBS have won 2 out of 3. :o)

ps. we can always use helping hands, getting in and out of bed, lunch, exercize, visiting, while Dan is home. Easter Blessings to you all.

Help at CU

2009-03-30T14:06:00.004-05:00

Dan has been working like a mad man this semester. He is taking an online course in Macro Economic, and classroom course of Constitutional Law. This class is the start of what attorneys would do, act, say, present, in a court of law. Despite the hard work, new concepts, and the rigorous research, Dan loves it. He has always loved to use his power of persuasion on people. [Especially his parents]

We'd like to say all else is well, but it is not.
Dan still does not have medical care funding from IL [brick wall], OH [moving forward, oh so slowly] or the insurance company [he is not "home bound" status = need no assistance, period]

Of course when all seems well, his physical situation can turn on a dime. After a 48 hour bug last week, he is having Autonomic Dsyreflexia [high and low blood pressure] issues AGAIN this week. [see reference in side bar]. We are trying to track everything he eats and drinks, consulting with medical doctors, but have found very few answers. Some say "it's just his life". The worst part is him missing class. He puts forth so much effort and does not want any favors.

The AD spikes up at night, and someone [usually Garrett] is up in the dead of night, applying Nitro Paste to lower it, monitoring his BP until it gets back down to 100, removing the paste, trying to sleep. just to have it repeat itself again.

DAN NEEDS HELP . . . Nursing help.

If you, or if you know any nurses [RNA, CNA, PA, Nurse Caregivers] in the Cedarville, BeaverCreek, Xenia, Springfield area, Dan could use 1-2 hours of help in the evenings or weekend mornings, 1 day each or every other week, for these last 5 weeks of his college.

Please give and have them contact us at this email address: checkinondan@gmail.com

Thanks and Love,
Bill & Debbie

2 Years

2009-03-08T07:11:00.013-05:00

This past Friday night marked 2 years since we received the phone call that Dan had an accident and was on his way to a hospital in Mexico. I was recently looking at photos of those early days, Dan with tubes in his mouth and nose, neck brace, months of hospital stay, and realized how powerful prayer is. I look back and shudder at the heaviness of it all, yet at the time we didn't carry that same heaviness. Whether is was the short stay in Mexico, ICU, rehab, back home, I now know that prayer carried us through each stage. Even after 2 years, tears occasionally flow like when looking over photos and videos of Dan BEFORE his accident. The grief process still continues. Thank YOU for carrying us.

Dan is doing well. He looked so good when he arrived home last week for spring break. His week included taking a test at his local community college for his online course, seeing and babysitting his 3 nieces, lunch with grand parents, taking in a movie [Pink Panther 2} with his Aunt Mary Kay, AND catching up on emails. He continues to have some minor blood pressure issues, but we are growing in our understanding of Dan's physical needs.

Dan's spring break also included a visit to his mom's 2nd grade class at Harvest Christian Academy in Elgin, IL. To them, a celebrity was coming! What an inquisitive group of students they were. Their questions included:

"What's that thing on your chair?" [It displays the controls for my chair]
"How fast can it go?" [Faster than you can walk]
"How do you eat?" [Many people help feed me]
"What do you eat?" [Almost everything]
"How do you read The Bible?" {I use Bible Gateway.com ESV]
"Does it bother you when people stare at you?" [NO, people look and then look away, kids look until their parents tell them to stop. I smile back at them.]
"What are you studying at college?" [Pre-Law]
"Will you be able to walk again?" [only God knows]
"Do you get jealous when you see people do things you can't?" [NO, I am glad for them]

There were some cards and gifts for him which were much appreciated. Dan thoroughly enjoyed his visit as much as the students enjoyed him. Thanks to all of Mrs. Knudsen's 2nd graders for loving Dan.

This is one of Dan's favorite verses , which he quoted to the students. Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

That Was A First

2009-02-20T22:34:00.003-06:00

I got a call from Dan's cell phone, with Garrett on the other end, saying that Dan was on his way to the hospital.
[Gulp] . . . "What's going on?" . . . "Dan has been up since 3 a.m. with high blood pressure." . . . [Oh no, not again!]

This was the first hospitalization without parents being around, and I was mentally in the car, zooming toward Ohio. Do the Dr's know about AD? His pacer? How about the nurses? Will they have his Nitro paste ready if his BP spikes again? How often will they check it? What are they looking for? and the brain raced on.

I was able to talk with the ER nurse, and then Dan, who assured me that he currently felt fine, and was taking care of everything. We discussed what was possibly going on with his high BP, [it was low the entire time I was there] and what specialists to bring in for consultation.

Dan was only hospitalized for 1 day, and the focus, possible causes for high BP is with his diet. There is something called Bowel Transit Time, which is severely hampered in Spinal Cord people.

Thanks to Garrett for his tireless care for Dan, and for Elizabeth & Morgan for spending time at the hospital, to give Garrett some needed R&R. Thanks for others who called and helped out in various ways.

God is Good

ps. keep Alex M [first pacer transplant] in your thoughts and prayers, as he has been in the hospital with a severe cold. Beth [the mom] has been running on overtime.

Feburary Happenings

2009-02-14T01:36:00.007-06:00

I, Bill, was at CU this past week for my monthly visit: assessing Dan's health needs, nursing concerns, ordering medical supplies, shopping for grocery and supplies, tweaking Dan's care schedule, and mainly giving Garrett some days off.

A special routine that has been added to the schedule this semester are lunches provided by the ladies of Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville. Dan does not have classes on Tuesday and Thursday, and cold weather is not a friend to his health. Thus when Pastor Miller asked how the church could help, lunches were the logical choice. Mary Lynn heads up the entire program.

Tuesday they were cooked a delicious meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes & gravy, cooked carrots and home grown corn, and a few other items, compliments of Nedra Callan [she knows CU history]. This is just one of the special home cooked meals brought over by church ladies. [Judy, Kathy, Jewel, Cathy, Shelly, Patti, Mary Lynn, Pat, Nedra, Murtha, Chief and others] Thank you for your willingness to cook and help feed Dan. The food helps him physically, the conversations are fun, and he's very appreciative of your ministry.

Dan is still in need of a few people to help with his care. It could be students or local people.

A scheduler - who can help to keep track of the 25+ individuals who help with Dan's weekly care. [someone who has access to the campus email is preferred]
A few more nursing students, to help with weekend care.
More help is needed [1-2 hr at a time] on Thursdays, to give Garrett a full day off.

Send us an email if you would would like more information on any of these areas of need.

Dan is doing well with his campus law class and his online accounting class. Many of the things that are easy for us can be very slow and time consuming, especially typing assignments.

I told Dan that he should be very proud of the progress he is making, despite constant physical issues like low blood pressure, sleeplessness, chairs that breakdown, [it took a month to get the tilt mechanism repaired], colds and extra suctioning, irregular diets, and the list goes on. He continues to persevere in spite of these obstacles.

Thanks as always for your prayers, and thoughts as Dan comes to mind.

Note from Mom: When I talked to Dan on the phone recently, his voice "lit up" when he told me about the 'lunch ladies' meals! Thank you ladies (and to our dear "Chief.")

Garrett Writes

2009-01-31T09:17:00.002-06:00

"Well we're in our second semester at Cedarville and things are going very well. As you all may know we have hit a lot of problems with insurance and funding but, nevertheless, God always provides and we made it. We are still trying to work out some of the kinks but we are trying to stay faithful and believe that God is always faithful. So if you all could be in prayer for that that would be great as we are always in need of prayer. We are still working on bringing guys in on Thursdays so I can get a day off. So far so good but we still need to get something scheduled and set in stone. <----another prayer request :o)

Serving Dan has definitely proved its challenges as some of you might know who have worked with Dan. It is not because of Dan himself but just the overall care and responsibility for him. God has really used this time to grow and strengthen me spiritually and responsibly.

I was inducted as an "honorary member" of OPE at the beginning of last semester and couldn't be happier with the friendships I've made over this time. OPE is such a great group of guys with hearts to know God more and grow closer to Him. We have our small group once every week and this semester we are going through the gospel of John. It's so amazing! I love these guys and thank the Lord for letting me be apart of their lives. It's amazing what God does when we surrender our lives to Him, listen to His voice, and obey Him. He has allowed me to be a blessing to Dan and that, in itself, is a blessing to me. I am blessed to be His hands and feet and serve others while He does all the "preaching" and grows us to be more like Him.

The future is still a bit unclear of what the Lord wants me to do, but so far I am feeling like I'm being released to move on and continue in my education next fall. So please be praying that the Lord brings someone into Dan's life that is able and willing to continue where I might be leaving off. I know God still has plans for Dan (as He does for all of us) so we are trusting that he will continue to take care of Dan and provide.

Thank you all so much for your prayers! They definitely do not go unheard! I have had some down moments of stress and frustration but through Christ I always overcome. I'm still here so it can't be all that bad :o) Thank you all again so much and I trust you will keep praying for Dan."

Spring Semester & Nurse Katy

2009-01-17T21:52:00.014-06:00

Despite "no funding" from IL or OH for Dan's caregiver, Garrett, or others who care for him on a daily basis, Dan is determined to finish his education at Cedarville U. We seem to have made in roads to IL state officials, but some laws prevent caregiver funds from crossing state lines, despite the fact that it’s all federal money. Go figure.

Bill accompanied Dan and Garrett back to school last week to help with new semester "stuff," including grocery shopping [for inclemate weather days], insurance phone calls for PT and OT, the run up to Dr. Onders in Cleveland [see last post], helping with the "checkinondan" caregiver schedules, giving Garrett time off, AND also checking out a few things for Mike and Liz's wedding in July.

His one-week stay to take care of "stuff" turned into 2 weeks because of a 3-day search with multiple phone calls to get the wheelchair repaired, ordering a new hydraulic for the van ramp, a visit and more paper work for 2 OH aid offices, while still fielding business calls and issues. Bill will spend 1 week each month at CU, like last.

Dan has people from Grace Church in Cedarville who bring lunch 2 times a week, but is still in need of care helpers in other areas:

· 2 student nurses for alternating weekend care

· someone who will take care of Dan's scheduling

· full day of care givers on Thursdays so Garrett can have a day off

· a nurse or CNA in the Cedarville area, for volunteer help on Thursday mornings

"Baby, It's Cold Outside"

Most of the mid west has been hit with sub zero temperatures and many schools have been closed . . . but not universities, including Cedarville. So students just bundle up and make their way to class. Getting Dan ready to go out can take some time with getting on gloves, a scarf, a hat, 2-3 blankets - well tucked in of course.

Dan has a nurse, Katy S., [CU class of '69], who volunteers 4 days a week, 2 hours each day, to help Garrett get Dan ready for class. Katy, former nurse at CU clinic, missionary, and volunteer for many community organizations, is also an avid sewer.

She has made sewing repairs, for padding on Dan's chair, altered his pants longer, and recently whipped up a pair of "winter blanket pants" [see top photo] and mittens for Dan. It’s a blanket that looks and acts like a pair of breakaway pants, which are easy to put on and take off.

"Oh, it didn't take any time to sew, I just had to figure out how to make them first" she laughs.

Dan, along with us are all very appreciative of Katy, her experiences of a full and interesting life that always entertain, and her willingness to be at Dan's side four morning at 7 am. God Bless You, Katy.

Alex, "Youngest Person to Get 'Christopher Reeve' Breathing Device"

2009-01-09T16:38:00.012-06:00

Dan was there.
I am so excited, I can hardly stand it. Bill just called from the van. He and Dan drove to Cleveland today to have Dr. Onders (pacer Dr.) help install a less evasive trach cap, and they met Alex M., the first child to have the pacer surgery. Bill said there were news crews galore because of Alex! Dr. Onders said Alex had good results and should be able to be weaned from his vent of 4 years. Yeah!! Bill will write more, but I had to tell someone.

Bill here, I will try to provide the newspaper links, as they become available, and if you see any, email us the links. Fox already has this posted. The local Cleveland newspapers, [available online] will have more detail than the national news sources.

It was cool to finally meet Alex and Beth [who comments on here often]. Alex was estatic to see Dan and peppered him with questions. Dan surprised him by turning off his pacer and doing his neck muscle breathing, to which Alex yelled "MOM, he turned off his pacer". We heard that Alex's diaphragm responded excellently after the hour plus procedure.

Beth and Kevin were blown away to see ALL of the major news networks and local papers there. Dan's name [we shamelessly plugged Cedarville U too] might show up in a few news sources.

I tried to install a new trach cap on Thursday, which had been recommended by Dr. Onders, and after the unsuccessful install [& a bit of blood], I called Cleveland for help, Mary Jo [Dr Onders assistant] said, "Come on up". Which we did. It ended up being a long day, three hours up there, six hours back. [thanks to a mid-west snow storm], BUT we were glad to be a part of history in the making. PACE! ALEX PACE!

Bill, Dan, Beth [Alex Mom], Alex, Kevin [Alex Dad]

cleveland.com
Akron Beacon Journal
Cleveland Fox News
Cleveland.com photos

Happy One Year of Pacing

2009-01-06T01:03:00.008-06:00

This is pretty cool. On the 1st year anniversary of Dan gaining freedom from the ventilator, [see the count up clock on the side], we want to pass on exciting information of a young Ohio guy, Alex M., who will be the first child implanted with the same DPS. We saw so many youngsters at Hopkins this past summer, and at other rehab hospitals, who will benefit from this wonderful device.

Although we have never met in person, we came to know this family via email/phone shortly after Dan's accident, and they have been a constant source of prayer and encouragement. We are in awe of Beth, a mom who is home with 4 young children, the oldest being a C1&2 quad. It makes our life seem pretty .... easy.

We do remember well the excitement, the testing, the phrentic nerve working, and the apprehension. Please keep Alex, Kevin & Beth in your prayers Thursday; also Dr. Onders, Mary Jo, Jennifer, and others who will be on the medical implant team.
Following is an email from Alex's family:

Time to get excited!!! This coming Thursday, January 8th, 2009, Alex [age 10] will be going to Cleveland, Ohio to become the first child implanted with the diaphragm pacing system by Dr. Raymond Onders . Here is a link to a one minute video showing the system, how it works, and Dr. Onders himself.

The procedure is outpatient, minor surgery, and we are told that Alex should be eating sometime later that same day. He may stay one night in the hospital just for observation. If that happens, he would stay in ICU just because that it is the only place in the hospital that holds home vents [Christopher Reeves was in bed #1, Dan was in #20]. He wants to eat hospital food too:). You can not believe how difficult and expensive it is just to get a room that we will fit in! We have not traveled since the accident [5 yrs ago] so this is ALL new territory.If you want to send prayers or good wishes please do so through email as this week will be hectic. There is also a ramp project going on at our house and has been for the past two weeks.
We will let everyone knows what happens probably on the prayforalex.com site.

Thanks for praying and your support. This is huge!! After the surgery there will be a weaning period to get Alex of the vent. The average weaning time is seven weeks. Some individuals have taken longer [Dan took 4 mths] and some less. Alex will still be getting breathing support but it will be much more natural. The benefits are so numerous. There will be a lot of new things to learn. This is exciting but overwhelming at the same time. We will keep you all posted.
Beth

P.S. Dan, Garrett & Bill are headed back to Cedarville to start a new semester. Funding for school is 80% done, but there is no funding for Garrett yet, or other care givers that Dan needs 24/7/365. Dan is not letting any of this denial of care aid (because of "crossing state lines" nonsense) stop him from completing his degree. We will post more about Dan's exact financial needs at a later time.

Merry Christmas 2008

2008-12-23T22:10:00.007-06:00

Merry Christmas & Feliz Navidad, to all of our CheckInOnDan friends. We trust you are enjoying time with your families and all the festivities of the Christmas Season.

We ask you to be in prayer for a few pressing issues:
1. Dan to continue to have a consistent blood pressure.
2. State of IL, funding/approval for Dan's personal assistant, Garrett.
3. State of OH, to be expedient in approving care for Dan.
(Dan currently has NO support, medical care, etc, from either state)

Dan had an article in the Cedarville University, Alumni Inspire Magazine, His article is on page 16. Enjoy

PS - If you are not able to open this link, email us, for a PDF copy of Dan's article.

Holiday Help

2008-12-12T00:17:00.002-06:00

Dan is done with his first semester, post accident. He has hopefully passed all 9 of his credit hours. That being said, Dan could use help, here at home, to replace the 25+ people who help him at school. His care assistant, Garrett, will be gone for a 2 week vacation with his family, for a much deserved rest. Very few people know of intensity in taking care of a person with a high level of injury, such as Dan has. Garrett does, and Dan could not have completed this semester with out him. Thanks Garrett. It's been wild at times ;D

This request for help, is mainly for those who live in the Elgin, Fox Valley area. Below are the areas of help that we could use. Most of these items would only take 1-2 hours of your time. It could be just one time, or weekly. ONLY respond to IF you are able to help.

We ARE looking for regular help when Dan is at home, for now and the future. This is a paid position.

Thanks as always for your prayers & love,

Bill, Debbie & Dan Knudsen

1. Lunch, your left overs, our lunch food, or purchased [feeding Dan is not necessary, but very helpful]
2. Dinner [preparation only]
3. Range of Motion - Exercising Dan's arms and legs [no experience required - Dan will explain as you go]
4. e-Stim [exercising with electric stimulus device] its easier than it sounds.
5. Getting up in the AM - 1.5 to 2 hours
6. Helping into bed in the PM - .5 to 1 hour
7. Visiting or Hanging out with Dan while Bill & Deb get away to do some shopping.

Finals Week

2008-12-07T16:57:00.002-06:00

Where has the time gone since Thanksgiving?

4 sleepless nights, 4 days in the hospital, Doctors who tested & monitored, poked and prodded, many consulting with specialists, etc, 3 days recovery at home, and all the while, loads of studying by Dan for his Finals. [pray that he remembers all that he has studied]

Since all systems seem "GO" Dan, Garrett and Bill headed back to CU on Sunday. [Eating pizza most likely right now] Dan has a final exam to complete this Monday, and then say his good-byes for this semester. It's hard to believe that the semester is already over. Lots of major changes and adjustments for Dan, CU staff, professors and Deans, Garrett, OPE guys, dorm buddies, nursing students, physical therapists, etc. It has taken "many hands (to) make light work" as Dan's Grandma K. would say.

Oh Yes, you want to know ALL of Dan's medical issues? [what about those HIPPA laws?] His high blood pressure and AD episode were from the usual irritating issues, except his toes, which got a very clean bill of health. His bladder, surbra pubic continue to be an irritant, so a new med was prescribed.

Why did all of this happen at this time? Only God knows. We are thankful to Dan's SCI Dr. Khim Yin. We had access to her at 2am, to talk us through unstable moments, saw Dan at the hospital daily, with many other phone updates, and orchastrated all of Dan's care, tests, with the 5 other specialists. Spinal Cord injuries are different from person to person, and so we continue to learn for the future.

We continue to give Dan to God, knowing that he is still with us "for His purpose".
Thanks for your continues prayers, even when "all seems okay".

hospital visit

2008-12-01T21:57:00.003-06:00

After 4 restless nights, Dan checked into our local hospital today. EVERYTHING is being checked by his SCI doctor, urologist, podiatrist, cardiologist, and internal doctor. He should be back at CU this week for final projects and exams.
we will keep you posted.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T22:16:00.004-06:00

Many things happen so slowly around here, then much happens in the blink of an eye.

Dan is home for a week of Thanksgiving break, and it is good to have him around here. We have been able to let Garrett off for a few days of much needed rest, and are quickly reminded of the care Dan needs on an hourly basis.

This was the first Thanksgiving in this home. And the final count was 15.(smallest Knudsen holiday on record!) Absent this year was Dan's cousin Cory, who went home to Heaven this past spring, after many years of battling Muscular Dystrophy. His quick whit and innocent smile were missed.

We had a quiet evening, but were awakened at 1 AM Friday, by Dan, who complained of a pounding headache. Within minutes, he was in the middle of his 2nd ever, Autonomic dysreflexia [AD] Episode. [For those who helped out with the first one in August, this was not as long lasting or intense.] Thus began a flurry of events including, a 911 call, nitro paste, 170+ BP, low oxygen level, holding up a non responsive son, ambulance ride, ER, informing Drs. and nurses of AD, and waiting. We got home about 5AM. and had a sleep-in day.

Dan's subra pubic was the probable cause, and it was replaced by the ER Dr. It was something a nurse was scheduled to do last week at CU, but the insurance cut all of Dan's nursing care, as he is considered "stable" and not in need of any skilled nursing care. Please pray with us that those denying this need, would reverse their decision and grant this crucial need in Dan's weekly care.

All seemed okay on Friday, except dizziness from a new med for his UTI, but at 1:30 AM, Dan woke us up again with the beginnings of a headache. This time we applied 2 applications of nitro paste, called his SCI dr., gave him a few extra meds, and put him in his chair, to keep him more upright. His BP dropped to under 130 and we breathed a slight sigh of relief. Dan slept in his chair the rest of the night.

We continue to search for answers, and fight for Dan's medical needs. We were glad this happened when Bill was around, but it's not a good event to see your child go through. It's definitely not good for Dan, or anything that he can control.

It's events like this that we realize our inability to control, or know everything there is to know about this complex injury. Continue to pray that doctors, medical people, care givers, insurance companies, IL & OH state aide agencies would be able to address and meet, Dan's physical care.

Bill, Deb * Dan

"Let It Snow .. Let It Snow .. Let It Snow .."

2008-11-17T21:00:00.008-06:00

"Oh the weather at CU turned frightful"

Finally, the long awaited posting from Dan about his being back at Cedarville U. "now that the semester is a few weeks from being over ...

How's life at the ville? "It's been great being back at Cedarville, connecting with friends old and new. There are about 25 people, local nurses, students, and others, who help Garrett with my daily care. Not to mention the McKinney [dorm] girls who help out with my 3-4 loads of laundry each week. "

How many classes are you taking? "3: Christian Worldview Integration [classroom], US History II [online CU], and Managerial Accounting [online - community college]

How are they going? "Very good. It's been a lot of work, but being back and doing classes sort of make me feel somewhat back to normal"

How is it getting around campus? "not too bad as CU is intentionally wheel chair accessible. i put on about 2 miles a day, and charge my chair almost nightly. I am not looking forward to the cold weather. It takes more time to go anywhere outside"

How is the food at Chucks? "MEH" "It tastes like I never left" "i always eat breakfast in my room, and the dorm fridge is stocked with food, for when i can't get out.

How is dorm life? "CU has set up a "suite" for me to live in McChesney Hall. 2 bedrooms, a large handicap bathroom and direct outside access, for the nurses who help out daily." [Thank you again Class of '08]

If you want to ask a questions about life back at college, leave it below in the comments, and i will answer you. ~ Dan

Mini update

2008-10-28T19:45:00.003-05:00

Dan was home last weekend for fall break. He looks great and is still enjoying school. As Dan and Garrett were planning to leave Monday morning, Dan's wheelchair broke. A very specialized part was needed, had to be ordered, and so they were not able to leave until Wednesday night.

Dan has made it through the first half of a semester! His work load is heavy, but he's plodding away. Doing assignments takes more than double the time as before his accident, so we are extremely proud of him for working so hard.

Dan has an amazing attitude. He shared some ministry ideas when he was home. I can never forget that Dan should not be alive, so we know that the Most High God has spared him for some purpose.

Please pray for him: lack of sleep, work load, all 3 wound sites cause pain (trach, pacer, supra pubic). I always tell him that it doesn't seem quite right that he can't move or "feel", yet he has pain.

Thank you, faithful ones, for continuing to check on Dan, especially since we don't update often enough.

Family News

2008-10-21T21:42:00.010-05:00

We are happy to announce the engagement of Dan's twin brother Mike, to Liz (CU '08). So, I am going to "borrow" a family news item from Jen's blog site!!! (You have to love 'copy and paste'.) Here goes:

Mike and Liz are engaged!!!!!
Yay!!!! We are so excited for another wedding, but more so for Liz - for those of you who haven't met her, this girl is incredible! And for those of you who have met her, even for a minute, you see right away she is one of the sweetest, most genuine people out there...but she does have that little hint of "feistiness" that must be evident in all Knudsen girls. :-D
It's pretty surreal thinking of my little brother getting married! We have no doubts that he is going to be a great husband. Mike is probably the most easy-going out of any in our family (well, before Jeff came along!), although also has that passion and sometimes impulsiveness that most of us have! For those who don't know, he has just started his 2 year graduate program in Athletic Training at Western Michigan. That alone was pretty surreal - my little brother is in graduate school - wow! We are so proud of him for grabbing on to something he found out he loves and going after it with such hard work and excitement. And now even more excited that he found someone he loves and is grabbing onto her for life!
Mike and Liz: we know you are going to do so well in whatever you take on - just keep putting the Lord first in EVERYTHING! We're so excited for you!!!!

I was just thinking about how so many of you were "with us" as we were planning Jen's wedding at the time of Dan's accident. We were just looking at photos of her wedding and were amazed at how Dan was sitting up so straight, because he was not able to again for about a year. We know the Lord held him up for that special day. We're excited for another Knudsen wedding in the summer '09.

Dan said...

2008-10-12T11:50:00.001-05:00

Hey everybody, I'm gonna post myself soon... The line about the Cubs is untrue. I am in mourning. It's all about the playoffs.

-Dan October 11, 2008 10:56:00 PM CDT

Welcome to Checkinondan!

2008-10-07T06:12:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile, hasn't it?
We've struggled to put our thoughts together, so I just wanted to share a few things that have been special.
Although I spent several weeks with Dan when he was at Kennedy Krieger this summer, I didn't do much of his care. When he got home and I started to do his range of motion with him, I was in shock at how much muscle mass he had in his shoulders! His shoulders and upper arms felt so strong! I was so thankful for the therapies in Baltimore and really hope we are some day able to get the equipment he needs to continue the exercising.
Dan recently had a procedure to cut back his toenail to prevent in-grown toenails. He may have some severe spasms for awhile, but then greatly reduced spasms. In-grown toenails have been the cause of most of Dan's spasms. He really is trying to reduce his medication. (Exercising reduces spasms also.) He will have his other toe done soon.
I just asked Dan yesterday how classes were going, and he replied "good." (Same reply as before his accident -- hmmm, real answer or pat answer to appease mom!!! [he usually does well])
I guess my favorite incident was when we took Dan to college. When friends came up to him, welcoming him back, they only saw Dan, not a wheelchair. My heart was enriched.
Thanks for continuing to check for updates. How about if we update sooner next time?!!
(We are not in mourning over our Cubs. There's always next year . . . . ) The truth is they had a great season.
Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord Himself will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forget you.

Who Turned out the Lights?

2008-09-17T21:00:00.008-05:00

The aftermath of Hurricane Ike brought days of rain [8.5"] around the Chicago area and was also responsible for high winds in southwest Ohio. The winds were responsible for power outages at Cedarville, so Dan was without power Sunday afternoon until early Tuesday.

Dan uses a bit of electricity, including things like his bed's "low air-loss" mattress, so the dorm guys loaned him a futon mattress with extra pillows to prevent pressure sores. Dan's cold, which is clearing up, caused the need to be suctioned more, and so his portable suction machine was used. However, Dan needed his cough assist, so Garrett had to get it from the dorm to the student center, where there was a generator. They also had to recharge cell phones and Dan's chair at the student center, along with the suction machine.

When I called Dan, his concern was that he couldn't check his Fantasy Football standings!! (or watch CUBS games.) Nothing like college students "roughing it" for a few days.

We are SO thankful for the pacer vs. the vent. What an experience that would have been! We were told soon after Dan's accident that after 5 hours of loss of power that a vent patient has to head to somewhere with an alternative form of power.
Thanks again, Dr. Onders. Thank you, Lord, for guiding medical professionals to greater understanding.

Big thanks to Garrett, Dan's PA, who has had a few too many challenges thrown at him, in this 1st month of school. Bill, who had been at CU since August 15th, finally came home last Wednesday. We are both filled with mixed thoughts and emotions, because ... just because we're not close to Dan. We have confidence to know that Dan is in God's watch care, and that many at CU are helping out on a daily basis. Garrett, we are so grateful for your constant concern, and watch care over Dan. Do pray for Garrett's stamina to endure, and for help with scheduling regular time off for him.