Sunday Thoughts
Comedian Sophie Tucker said, “I’ve been rich, and I’ve been poor. Believe me, rich is better.” Here’s my update: I’ve been strong and I’ve been weak. I like strong better. Give me power–the ability to make things happen. That’s what I want.
But here’s the catch: Jesus Christ, God himself, was all-powerful, but he set that aside to attend to my needs and yours. The apostle Paul famously writes about this when he includes perhaps the oldest hymn we have on record. It’s found in Philippians chapter 2. There we read:
Philippians 2:5-11
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Think about this: Jesus Christ, the creator of all things everywhere, submitted to Mary and Joseph; he received religious instruction from people who knew infinitely less than he did; he accepted all kinds of limitations. I hate limitations. Jesus accepted limitations on my behalf.
Pressing on,
Mike
Amazed
As I mentioned in an earlier post, its amazing what neurosurgeons and neurologists know about the brain and what they don’t know. The brain itself is also amazing. Right now my recovery has two aspects to it. My brain is healing and as it does certain things turn back on. The second aspect of my healing is my learning to compensate for the deficits I now have. The last two weeks have brought a lot of recovery – mostly as things turn back on. And everyone I am working with is optimistic that I will continue to make good progress. But let me be honest, I got knocked down pretty far.
Today was the first of two days of assessments and I got some objective measurements of where I am at. My cognitive abilities and memories are unimpaired. My speech pathologist is optimistic that my voice can get much stronger, and I am very encouraged that I am now swallowing without much thought or difficulty. The physical therapist says its clear that my physical strength is fine. My issues right now remain my abilities to focus my eyes and balance. On the berg balance scale I got a 17 which is not a good score. It means I am at high risk of falling. My lack of balance makes me appreciate how awesome balance is. The hundreds of little compensations our body does constantly is a marvel. (Trust me, if you have to consciously think about your balance you are in trouble.)
The other test I took was the six minute distance test. Two and a half weeks ago I would have been shooting for more than a mile. I may not have made it, but I sure would have made more than the 206 feet I made today. I’m not discouraged, I’m very thankful. I have a wonderful family, I have great friends, and I woke up today looking at sailboats on Lake Michigan. I am in much better shape than most people in this stroke rehabilitation facility and I enjoy the unqualified love of the creator. So, I’m not discouraged! But I am aware of how much more I need to regain. Your prayers are appreciated. Again please pray that I can read and God turns on those parts of my brain that allows balance to be unconscious.
My Dad remains hospitalized and is very weak. Both his white and red blood counts are extremely low. The hope is that he will begin regaining strength sometime in the middle of next week.
That’s all for now. Go Hawks!
Press on,
Mike
Free At Last
ICU is a series of pokes, tubes, and other indignities. The tubes might be the worst. At one point–with 6 heart leads, two IVs, a central line into my jugular vein, and a feeding tube going into my nose–I had ten tubes going into me. Rolling over required help to make sure the tubes didn’t get tangled. Late this morning, they took the last tube out, and this afternoon I checked out of the hospital and into the rehab center. Free at last. I’m very glad to be moving forward.
REALITY CHECK
One of those commenting on a recent post shared this quote: “The truth is that self-sufficiency is a myth perpetuated by pride and temporary success. Health and wealth can disappear instantly, as can life itself. Rejoice in your insufficiency, knowing that ‘My Power is made perfect in weakness.’ 2 Cor 12:9.” We can fool ourselves for an extended period of time, but will will have to face our own limitations. I’m thankful to be reminded of how dependent I am upon God, my family, and my friends.
Pressing On,
Mike
What Defines Us
It’s not uncommon for us to feel defined by a major event. Especially a major negative event – eg, a divorce, bankruptcy, cancer, stroke, etc. The truth is these things can overwhelm us and appear to be our story but after a while they become just a part of our story. The most important thing about us is that we are made in Gods image and loved by Him. We desperately need to put our failures and challenges in the proper perspective.
THE OPPORTUNITIES CATACLYSMIC EVENTS BRING
One of the first thoughts I had as I was being loaded onto the ambulance and taken to the hospital was that this event was a great opportunity for me. I was aware that i was in trouble but I was pretty confident I was not going to die. My next thought was I want to be a good steward of this event. My sense is that God could use this to help shape me in good directions.
The truth is, every day provides us with an opportunity to move in new directions. But a crisis seems to provide a great excuse to say I’m going to be different moving forward. Sheri and I have been having discussions about what the PSM (Post Stroke Mike) will be like. I’m sure some of you have suggestions. So far nothing has jumped off the page but as before I would ask you to pray that I am a good steward of this opportunity.
A note from Sheri Woodruff
Hi Everyone! Thank you, thank you for the huge outpouring of love and support that we have received!! We have not felt alone in this at all and really appreciate hearing from so many friends from all over the world! I know that many of our dear friends from Bellingham and overseas are reading the blog to stay updated on Mike’s status and I want you all to know that we love you!
There has actually been much joy in the midst of this exhausting trial. It has made me so grateful in a new way for how I have chosen to invest my time and live my life!! How very glad I am that I have an intimate and trusting relationship with God! I can honestly tell you that there really is a “peace that passes understanding.” The calm and peace I had during the first hard days of Mike’s stroke was amazing. I am so glad that we’ve done the hard hard work to build a respectful and honoring marriage. Our bond is strong and we now admire and love one another in deeper ways. Our boys have been wonderful and I’m so proud of them and so glad that we have made family a priority over the years.
And, I’ve said for years that I have the best friends in the world, and the past 11 days has only confirmed it.
So, know that we are doing well even though our lives have been flipped upside down for a while. ha. (Mike needs to be careful about his sermon topics from now on!) We love you all and those that know me well won’t be surprised to have me say, “Get your relationship with God right and strong! And, be kind and patient with those you love because you never know what a day may bring.”
Mike is making progress every day. He is working hard to be a good patient. His headaches have been better today and even though he has been really miserable much of the time he hasn’t complained.
Much love from us both,
Sheri
Abide in Christ
In the mornings, Sheri has been reading me a chapter of Andrew Murray’s classic devotional, Abide in Christ. It is a meditation on John 15 and the metaphor that Christ is the vine and we are the branches, and we need to stay intimately connected to him. In this morning’s chapter, Murray notes that there are things that we cannot do on our own. We talked about this before. Our salvation is based entirely on the work of Christ, but our sanctification is based on a partnership of sorts. As Augustine said, “We cannot do it on our own, and God chooses not to do it on his own.” In order to become more like Christ, we need to do what we can do to seek after him, but we depend, ultimately, on God to change our heart.
As it turns out, I am in a similar situation, as it relates to my recovery. There are some things I can do. But ultimately I need God to repair my brain (to rewire it), so that I can get better. I learned today that my left vocal chord was paralyzed by the stroke. In a very Shakespearian way, that leaves me with a very weak voice which is a bit of an occupational challenge. (For those of you who hope my sermons will now be shorter, be forewarned that I intend to get my vocal chords back to full strength.) The good news is that the left vocal chord may turn back on, on its own, and even if it doesn’t, there are ways to strengthen my voice. I really really dislike not being able to just work my way back, but I am thankful for the opportunity to be dependent on God.
My dad is making a bit of a rebound. Last week, my siblings all gathered around him, believing that he was on death’s door. But it appears he has turned a corner, and is regaining strength.
Thanks for your prayers. Tomorrow, Sheri will write.
Press on,
Mike
Patience and Ataxia
Patience and ataxia. I need the first. I have the second. Ataxia means I have a lack of order to my movements (“a” is Greek for not, “taxia” means order). I’m getting better, but I have a long way to go.
I am now off the Neuro ICU floor and am in a step down room, I hope to be moved to a regular room today.
My swallowing is much better, but I still have focus issues and headaches.
They took the central IV (it was an Intra-Jugular line), getting this out was a big step forward.
My sons are here and I took two walks today. They were not very far (50 feet) but at least I got vertical and out of my room. My son referred to this as my “two-a-day” work out.
I hear Jamie did a good job. Thank you for all your prayers and support.
Press On,
Mike
Mike Woodruff Update #3
I’m doing much better than anyone expected and the last two days have been positive. Personally, I’ve been coming to grips with how significant this stroke was. I think I’ve been in a bit of denial. But I feel the love of my family, the prayers of many, and the grace of God.
It’s unlikely we’ll ever know, but spontaneous vertebral artery dissection is sometimes caused by genetic predisposition or by some type of trauma. The questions they asked were: have you recently been in a car accident, gone skydiving, had significant chiropractic adjustments, or been swimming. This winter I started swimming a mile a couple times a week because it was miserable to run outside and I don’t do the treadmill. They’re not sure about cause\effect, but there’s clearly a correlation between swimming and SVAD (spontaneous vertebral artery dissection). Apparently the repetitive turning of your head to the side can cause a kink in the artery, which leads to a tear in the lining of the artery. Blood gets behind the tear and bulges and eventually cuts off blood supply and there is a stroke.
No. Some docs have said this is a one and done event. Others say that it can happen again, but the likelihood is 1%. It’s also worth noting that the type of stroke I had was atypical.
I think of my job as challenging and occasionally overwhelming, but not stressful. As you know, I think Christ Church is at a crossroads and I want to make sure I’m leading faithfully and well. I have not felt particularly stressed. I did ask docs if stress could be a factor and they all say no.
I’ve stopped asking this because it’s obvious no one knows. It’s amazing what they know about the brain and amazing what they don’t know. Clearly the next two weeks will reveal a lot about the trajectory of my recovery. So far the signs are very encouraging. The swelling is improving fairly quickly. My issues now are balance and visual focus. It’s clear that my return will be measured in weeks, not days. I’ll likely have 2-3 weeks of inpatient rehab.
Medically, I’m quite interested in finding out why me because I’d like to ensure it doesn’t happen again. In terms of thinking God has let me down, nothing could be further from the truth. This has been a sweet time. It’s confirmed the love of my wonderful wife in new ways, we’ve been able to watch our boys step up and act like men, and the stroke has brought greater dependence and intimacy with Christ. This event has confirmed our faith, not shaken it. There’s a long path ahead of me. I’m sure dark moments lie ahead. But I’m not discouraged. God is good.
My dad’s situation is deteriorating quickly. He’s taking a new drug that’s only used as a last effort. Using it precludes any other treatment options. If it doesn’t kill him, he likely rallies for the summer. He’s currently very weak and all my siblings have flown down to be at his side. It will be very hard if he doesn’t make it, because I’m in no shape to get down there. But I know I will see him again.
We’re overwhelmed with support. Thank you. I’m not making any effort to stay current with email, voicemail, or texts. I know they’re adding up. Sheri and the boys are around nearly 24/7, and we’re really trying to discourage all other visitors. I’m poor company and it’s very exhausting. Pray for my recovery and pray that I grow closer to Christ through this challenge. Perhaps in the weeks ahead visitors will be a welcome thing, but not currently. Know that I am pressing on and praying for you.Please pray for the staff. I have complete confidence in them but in addition to their jobs they must do mine as well.
Mike Woodruff Update #2
Dear Christ Church Family,
I heard wonderful things about the Easter services. I heard great things about Syler, the worship team, the beach service and really regret not being there for the cardboard testimonies. We may have to do them again next year so that I can see them.
On Thursday morning I had a wellness physical with a clean bill of health. On Friday morning I suffered a spontaneous vertebral arterial dissection which lead to a stroke in the cerebellum and medullar areas. It presented itself as dizziness and I initially thought it was dehydration. As things got worse Friday afternoon I asked one of my sons to pick me up. I didn’t think I could drive. I went straight to bed. At 6:30 PM I started throwing up. At 1 AM I realized I was too dizzy to crawl to the bathroom. At 4 AM Sheri called 911.
Staff at Lake Forest Hospital quickly determined that I had a stroke and I was sent to the neurology floor at a downtown hospital. I’ve been in the ICU unit since then. I have another 24 hours in the dangerous window for swelling that would require surgery. The staff here now think we are past the worst. The stroke did not affect my cognitive abilities or memory, but did affect balance and swallowing, I’m doing better and most tell me I can expect a full recovery. No one can give me a date as to when I can be back but it looks like, contrary to what we originally thought, I can expect a long rehabilitation.
Sheri and my boys have been wonderful and I am learning some very interesting things. Six months ago when I started reading in preparation for our upcoming fall series “Broken: Preparing for the day when life stops working and your faith is tested”, I thought I wonder if some of the preparation I need to go through for this series is to suffer. I prayed that not be the case. Perhaps the Lord has other plans.
Thanks to all of you who have reached out. We have many 2 AM friends and we feel very blessed. Pray for the staff who I know will do so well without me that you will wonder what I actually add to the team. Pray also for a full recovery, balance, and swallowing.
The first few days I was here I was craving Starbucks. Now it’s a tall glass of water and steak dinner. We all have many blessings and do not appreciate them until they are gone.
God is good all the time.
Press on, Mike Woodruff
Mike Woodruff Update #1
Dear Christ Church Family,
Mike Woodruff is sick and will not be able to serve us this weekend. While we expect a full recovery, it may take awhile. Please keep Mike, Sheri and the boys in your prayers. The family has asked for no calls or visitors and to respect their privacy. The best thing we can do at this time is to pray and trust in the sovereignty of Christ at this time.
We have a great staff who has stepped forward to serve this weekend and we look forward to seeing everyone tonight at our Easter Vigil Service at 5:30 pm and tomorrow for Resurrection Sunday with services at 6:00 am at the Lake Forest Beach, 7:30, 9:00 and 11:00 am at the Lake Forest Sanctuary, 9:01 and 11:01 am in A201 and 10:00 am at Highland Park.