Nathan Neighbors
Follower of Christ, Husband, Father, & Youth Pastor
When I last posted I was preparing to go into surgery on November 11th for my back. The surgery was a success and I’m home recovering. Six days into my recovery things got really interesting. My wife is pregnant with our third baby boy. We were supposed to have six weeks for me to recover before baby Luke was born, but he and the Lord had another plan. On November 17th baby Luke came into the world. I couldn’t even drive Ashley to the hospital. However, I was able to be there by her side for the delivery (in a chair).
God is so faithful. He knew that Luke would make his debut a bit early so my surgery was perfectly planned a week prior. The doctors say that Luke came just late enough in the pregnancy that he was out of the woods as far as major health issues. He was born at 34 weeks and 5 days (almost 5 weeks early). This birth was unlike our other two. Because he was so small the birthing process was very quick and we didn’t get to spend time with him initially. Within seconds of delivery the nurses whisked him away to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and he’s been there ever since. We’re now beginning day 5. Luke is healthy and everything looks good, but he needs to eat more and grow stronger before he can come home. It’s hard leaving him each night at the hospital, but the folks in the NICU are amazing.
I’ve been astounded by the Christian witness in our county hospital. Since arriving in the NICU, Luke has been given a hat made by a local church, a care package from a ministry and today he even got his own little Bible. The love of Christ is being proclaimed to the smallest ones of Spartanburg and to their families. We’re very thankful that baby Luke is doing well and that the Lord has us in this place with great doctors and nurses to help him grow strong and come home soon.
Have you ever gone through a high ropes course? As a youth pastor I’ve done my fair share of these. They’re great for team building and group unity. The last time I did a high ropes course I was at Centrifuge in Ridgecrest, NC with my students from Morningside. Most ropes courses take people through various tight rope type sections that require great focus and team work to maneuver through successfully. At the end there’s often a big jump where participants have to put their full faith in their team, the leaders, the ropes, and in the Lord that they will not smack the ground and reel in pain.
The surgery I’m facing tomorrow feels a lot like it did when I was sitting on the edge of that small wooden platform 40ft above the ground at Ridgecrest. Tomorrow I’m laying my life on an operating table and letting a neurosurgeon open my lower back to cut away some of my L5-S1 disc to alleviate the pressure that it’s putting on the nerve that gives feeling to my right leg. For the last month I’ve been in severe pain in my lower back, right leg and numbness in my foot and toes.
In my head I know that this is what I need to do. Like sitting on the wooden platform, I knew I wanted to get down. However, my nerves are racing thinking of all the “what if’s.” What if the rope breaks? What if I hit the ground? What if I don’t get back up?
As a pastor, I see people go into surgery all the time. Every Friday I go to our local hospitals to visit our members as they face similar procedures. But this Friday it’s me who’s wearing the drafty gown. It is different on this side of the pastoral visit. The good news of Christ that I share every Friday at the hospital is the same great news for my life too. God is God…He is in control…I don’t need to fear. I need to jump!
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 ESV)
Today I went with Ashley for our third ultrasound so the doctor could be sure that Luke was growing at a healthy rate and to make sure everything was good. While they were doing the ultrasound the technician used her gagillion dollar machine totake a 4D image of Luke’s face. I know we’ve come a long way with technology, but this is totally crazy. With a slide of her wand she was able to see not only outlines of Luke, but his actual face. Simply amazing. We truly are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Nathan Neighbors 