Mended Hearts
Mended Hearts® is a peer-support group for patients and their families. A cardiologist founded the organization in 1951. The chapter in nearby Cookeville, Tennessee, provides churches (and other organizations as well, I think) free Automated External Defibrillators when at least five members receive CPR and AED certification to help people with heart emergencies. I am proud of our church because fourteen people participated in the training session and have been certified.
Representatives of Mended Hearts came to our church on Sunday to present our free AED machine, which is valued at over $1,000. The Cookeville chapter has given away over 200 of these. The couple who are wearing Mended Hearts vests in the photo below have presented over 100 of them. They are members of the organization because of the heart disease that he suffers. The others in the photo are three of our 14 certified users.
Ray and I have had lots of time to think about his heart over the last three months. As we drove home after eating lunch with church friends on Sunday, he looked thoughtful and said simply, “I figure now is my chance.” I looked at him quizzically. He said that Philippians teaches us not to be anxious and that is what he is going to try to do.
God offers that opportunity for us all, even homeschooling mamas who are anxious about . . . all sorts of things. I know I probably share this passage more than any other. It’s just that I don’t know what I’d do without it and I don’t know what you would do without it either.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.
The Lord is near.
Be anxious for nothing,
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 comprehension,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7