Please note that I have a new mailing address: 1310 Snake Foot Drive, Apt. 104, Louisville KY 40243. I have closed the PO box I was using, and all mail will need to go to this new address, if you have not already made the change.
As you know, the last several months have been the hardest of my life. There have been times when survival — at least in this life — seemed out of reach. But thousands of readers (no exaggeration) have been praying for me each week, and I am happy to report that I am beginning to make some progress toward recovery. Although I still have some very difficult days, the good days are becoming more frequent, and I have finally been able to start writing a few pages again. I cannot thank you enough for your patience, understanding, support, and outpouring of love.
Three mental health professionals have been involved in my recovery: a clinical psychologist, a psychiatrist, and a neurologist. All three have been helpful, but I have decided to make a change in the psychologist I am seeing, so I will be seeing a new psychologist next week. I am grateful for the help that I have been given. As in all fields of medicine, it is an exciting time in neuroscience and mental health. New advances are being made each month. Those who work in these fields are typically very compassionate people, and I have been fortunate to get the help that I have.
As I mentioned, I have begun writing again. For me, that is the most significant sign of progress. By year’s end I hope to have 60% of the pages written for Obeying the Gospel. If the first few months of next year are productive, it may still be possible to publish the book late next year. I am still as excited about the project as ever. Indeed, the hope of getting back to this work has been the guiding light in my struggle since last summer.
You should know that I am still hampered by a number of physical problems that impede my work. As I mentioned in my last report, evenings are especially hard — so hard that, for all practical purposes, I cannot do any useful work after about 5:00 PM. Even in the daytime, I sometimes struggle just to get a few hours of work done. But I am determined to do whatever I can and am learning to be more efficient with the portions of time that are available. Plus, my doctors are working with me to help me get more sleep at night, and that has proven to be the biggest help of all.
I am still enjoying the new apartment that I moved into in September. I know I keep mentioning this and you probably wonder why it is such a big deal, but this apartment has been a great blessing. It is such a comfortable, secure, and pleasant place that I give thanks for it every day. It broke my heart not to be able to move to Meridian, Mississippi, as you know, but if I can’t live there, this apartment is the best alternative I could possibly have. I am very, very happy living here — and I do not take for granted the support by which you make it possible for me to live here.
Strange as it may seem, I am very optimistic about my life and work right now. It may be that in past years I had begun to take my work for granted. If so, I have been vividly reminded that none of us has anything that can’t be taken away very quickly, if the Lord chooses (James 4:13-17). So I have been humbled and have become a more grateful person. My doctors are confident that I can make a full recovery, and if so, I plan, by the Lord’s grace, to throw myself more enthusiastically into the work He has put before me. Despite all the failures, mistakes, and setbacks, I wouldn’t trade the life I have for that of anybody else I know. And if the Lord wills, I intend to fighting the good fight.
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com
