My grandfather, Elvis “Harvey” McBride, passed away on Monday, August 11, at St. Mary’s Health Center in Jefferson City with his daughter (my mom) at his side.
We were spared having to make some awful decisions about further care (essentially hospice). His doctors and nurses were wonderful. My pastor provided wonderful pastoral care for both my grandfather and for my family.
The visitation was on Wednesday and the funeral was on Thursday. This was a very emotional time for me and for my mom (since we are both “lonely only’s”). We heard a wonderful Christ-centered, Cross-focused message from my pastor at the funeral. Grandpa’s pallbearers were five of his great-nephews and my best friend since preschool who golfed with grandma and me (when Elliott visited grandpa in the hospital… grandpa told him to keep hitting it up the middle).
The graveside service was especially emotional. It was rainy pretty hard and we had military honors. Two young sailors folded the flag and gave it to my grandpa. Then came taps and the gun-salute.
The funeral dinner hosted by the women’s groups from St. Paul’s was as “fun” as it could be on a really rough day. We enjoyed seeing family and friends, telling stories about grandpa, and rejoicing in the hope that we through Jesus’ death on the cross.
My stack of American Red Cross certification cards is pretty big. It includes Lifeguarding, CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer, Oxygen Administration, Bloodborne Pathagens, Emergency Response, and Standard First Aid and CPR. I’m certified in all those areas and I also serve as an instructor.
Guess what… in my ten years as lifeguard and five years as an instructor… I’ve only got in the water once in a rescue and the most extensive first aid I’ve done is do some heavy duty bandaging on a kid at camp.
My wife (who I’ve taught in FA/CPR) however, has had two seperate occasions where she has been the primary rescuer. Once at a Panera (I think) when a worker had a seizure (she was standing in line) and today at her current employment (a food service establishment) when a patron fainted.
I’m certainly proud of my wife… but it does seem funny that I’ve never had to deal with anything like that before. I guess I shouldn’t complain.
In my previous post I said that my grandpa was doing 100% better. He slipped some on Monday. He was diagnosed with a very serious blood infection on Monday and they also said he seems to have had a series of mini-strokes (they aren’t really a worry for us right now). He is still battling pneomonia. On Monday he also pulled out his feeding tube and got pretty fiesty with a nurse over putting it back in. Currently he’s without a tube. Tomorrow they may put in a “peg tube” in his side. They are also going to reevaluate his condition to determine if they can do surgery on a sore that is probably causing the blood infection. That surgery was supposed to happen today , but he was too unstable this morning.
He hasn’t been alone since he came in last week. Mom and I have been here together each night since Sunday. They got us a room down the hall a couple of nights ago which has been a true godsend. This will be my fifth night at the hospital since last week.
Please continue to keep my grandfather Elvis (or Harvey) in your prayers in this difficult time.
From KETC, LIVING ST. LOUIS Producer Anne-Marie Berger traveled to California for a special tour of the USS John C. Stennis, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. As guests of the U.S. Navy, Anne-Marie, photojournalist Scot Page and KETC board member Jeffrey McDonnell began their visit at the Naval Air Station on North Island in San Diego. From there, they flew in a C-2 cargo plane that landed directly on the Stennis, 100 miles off the coast. After 36 hours on board, they were catapulted off of the carrier’s flight deck.
In most shots I’m in a blue jacket with white stripes on the sleeves. I’ll hopefully post some of my own video in the future.
Grandpa is doing well…. 100% better than my previous post. He is out of ICU, breathing better, blood pressure has been stabalized and is talking. He got pretty fiesty last night and pulled out his feeding tube and then stood up beside the bed. Much better today. The move wore him out so he rested most of the evening. I’m pulling another night shift just to have somebody close by and watch out for him (my family lives about 40 minutes from the hospital).
Mom is home now after being in Alexandria, Virginia for her high school class reunion. She actually missed it because of the health crisis. My mom rocks… she drove 998 miles on Friday straight through with only stops for gas, bathroom breaks, and soda. 15 1/2 hours = average speed of 64.5 miles per hour roughly. She’s a trooper.
Lisa was also here with me this weekend so last night Lisa (my wife if you haven’t figured it out), my mom, and I went to a wedding. One of my cousins married a young lady from my church. We got to see lots of family, lots of friends, and some of my old teachers. It was a blast all around. My pastor did the ceremony and gave a great sermon. It is so nice to hear Jesus mentioned not simply as an example, but as the Savior of the world. I also have to say my pastor is a great guy because he came twice in two days to check on my grandpa. My grandpa doesn’t come to church much at all and doesn’t consider himself religious, but he loves my pastor. They always visit in the Chinese restaurant in town and he loves talking to Pastor and pastor’s wife. Pastor always gives him the Gospel. When pastor walked in the room on Thursday night when things were looking grim he prayed one of the most beautiful prayers I’ve heard pointing my grandfather to the cross and to what Jesus did for him.
Today I preached (sermon number 4) at my home church. I preached on the Gospel text (Feeding of the 5,000). I had been prepping for this one for a while since it was somewhat of a special occasion. A family at my home church has an endowment fund set up to support seminarians. I’ve been close with the family for just about my whole life. The endowment is named after a woman named Elora. I was confirmed with her autistic grandson and went to high school with her granddaughter. Today was a family reunion for them of sorts and a dinner was held in my honor at their house. I was invited to preach because of this. I have to admit… it was fun! My pastor even commented that I must have been reading Nagel. I also taught Bible story on John 20. This was done on the fly (since I just finished a John course at the sem) and I haven’t had time to prep with grandpa being in the hospital. I may post the sermon… I may not.
Well, I’m off to bed. I’ll keep posting updates. Thanks for your continued prayers.
I’m sitting in the hospital (St. Mary’s-Jefferson City, MO) with my grandfather right now. I got in at about 10:30 p.m. last evening… and spent the night.
Over 13 years ago he had a single bypass, heart valve replacement, pacemaker implanted, and an internal defibrillator implanted. For the next 12 years he had no problems. A little over a year ago he had a bought with pneumonia and hasn’t been the same since. He’s been hospitalized at least four times this year alone. He was brought in by ambulance two nights ago when my grandma couldn’t get him out of his chair. He went into respiratory arrest last night and I rushed to Jeff City from St. Louis (I was coming this afternoon anyway to see grandpa and preach at my home church). My mom is currently driving from Washington, D.C. where she was at for her class reunion. The problems are: his kidney’s nearly quick working because of the lasix they gave him (last month) for pneumonia, also his blood pressure was down dramatically
This is especially difficult for me since I was raised by my mom, my grandma, and my grandpa. My father has never been in the picture (left when I was less than a year old) so my grandpa has been and still is my father. He taught me how to golf and still gives me tips. He taught me how to shoot. He taught me so many things about being a good man and being kind, gracious, and loving.
I ask for your prayers for him (his name is Elvis) and for my family.
Almighty God and gracious Father, in Your mercy look on those whose increasing years bring them weakness, anxiety, distress, or loneliness. Grant that they may always know care and respect, concern and understanding. Grant them willing hearts to accept help and, as their strength wanes, increase their faith with the constant assurance of Your love through Jesus Christ, their Savior. Amen.
O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need, look with favor upon your servant Elvis. Assure him of Your mercy, deliver him from the temptations of the evil one, and give him patience and comfort in his illness. If it please You, restore him/her/them to health, or give him grace to accept this tribulation with courage and hope; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
One of the more humorous parts about being a seminary student is how quickly we can turn on each other.
One example: During Confessions II today, where we are discussing the Formula, my very good friend asks a question about the Two Nature’s of Christ. In the process of asking a hypothetical question, he clearly stated a heresy from the early church (or a combination of two ancient heresies). While we knew what he was asking about and we knew he did not subscribe to that heresy, we of course turned on him like a pack of wolves. In fact, you could probably hear in the background students gathering wood and a torch to burn him. The worst thing is when you are the one talking and you realize that you are going to spout heresy… but it’s too late to stop. You just prepare to be pummeled.
If you haven’t figured it out already… I’m very conservative. Gun control is an issue near and dear to my heart. I learned to shoot when I was quite little and have always had guns around the house since I grew up in the country.
While I don’t yet have a conceal and carry permit, I plan on getting one. I followed the D.C. gun-law supreme court case with great interest naturally. I’m amazed at the complete idiocy of the council-members, mayors, and gun-control advocates who argued for the ban (now ruled unconstitutional). They argued that the removal of the ban will cause gun crimes to rise. Prove it to me. D.C. has had a gun ban in place for years and their crime rate is terrible. Chicago and some of the suburbs have tough gun bans, but they still have high crime rates. Today (if I heard on NPR correctly) a Florida law is going into effect that allows employees to exercise their right to bear arms by keeping a gun in their vehicle while they are at work. Of course, liberals are crying out that this will lead to more gun violence. Wrong.
People who legally carry guns are not the issue. Gun violence hasn’t gone up in states that have conceal and carry laws. We simply need to make sure criminals don’t have guns. So what if your employees legally have guns in their car. A gun law isn’t going to stop ANYONE from bringing a gun into the workplace.
Remember folks, gun control means using both hands.
A few days ago I mentioned a “big event” in my life that was coming up. Well it has happened and it was awesome.
A few weeks ago I was presented with the opportunity to be part of distinguished visitor trip to the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), a nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Naturally, I said absolutely. The group included:
Coach Ron Zook, University of Illinois Football Head Coach & 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year
Mr. Adrian Melendez, Director of Football Operations, University of Illinois
Ms. Cassie Arner, Director of Football Sports Information, University of Illinois
Dr. James Thompson, Dean of Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia
Dr. Richard Blahut, Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Univ. of Illinois
Mr. Jeffery McDonnell, Board of Directors for PBS Channel 9 KETC, VP & CCO for J&J Management Services
Mr. Scott Page, Videographer for PBS Channel 9 KETC
Ms. Anne-Marie Berger, Producer and Director for PBS Channel 9 KETC
Mr. Dave Kurland, Senior Director for Community Relations, NBA Chicago Bulls
Mr. Samuel Powell, Pastoral Candidate, Concordia Seminary St. Louis MO
I’m not actually going to post about the trip in detail tonight. I’m tired… I didn’t get much sleep while on the trip (Monday through Thursday night). All I will say now is that the trip was incredible. It included:
A carrier trap (a landing)
A catapult shot (takeoff)
Viewing takeoffs and landings from 20 feet away
Viewing all aspects of the ship
Meeting incredible sailors and marines who literally put their life in harms way each and every day.
Ever wonder what a seminarian does over break? Do you think that we lock ourselves up in our rooms/houses, eagerly awaiting the start of the next term? Well, yeah… some of us look forward to class… but we also have lives outside of the seminary.
What am I doing this break (two weeks between end of spring term and start of summer term)?
First, I’m helped out at a wonderful church in Southern Illinois last weekend and I will be preaching this next weekend at my home church. This will be my third time helping out there… and my first time preaching… ever! While I am certainly nervous about this… I’m also excited about this opportunity.
Second, I’m doing a lot of work with the American Red Cross. I’ve been a lifeguard instructor for about six years now. I’ve since expanded out to nearly all the available first aid and CPR courses that the Red Cross offers. Yesterday and today I helped with a lifeguarding course at SLU. Tomorrow is a day of rest and preparation. Thursday I teach a First Aid and CPR course at a Lutheran Camp. Friday I will help with testing and skills tests at a lifeguard class.
Saturday I head with my wife to see my grandfather who is having is oil changed… aka… getting a new defibrillator. This will be his third one. Please keep him in your prayers… his name is Elvis (how cool of a name is that!). With this visit to Central MO comes preaching at my home church.
Then the big event begins on Monday… I’m still not entirely sure if the “big event” will happen… so I’m not going to talk about it. If it does… I’ll be posting pictures and videos. All I can say and ask is that you keep me in your prayers as I will be partaking in something that has an “inherent risk of injury or death.” Don’t worry… I will be with trained professionals.
Then… back to class. Lutheran Confessions II, John and the Catholic Epistles, and (pending approval) Christian Initiation (a independent study course looking at Christian initiation rites and working toward a faithful Lutheran practice of the catechumenate).
