Kimberly called from the hospital around 12:30 and told me that the doctor had finally released Isaac to come home. Ten minutes later Brunswick Elementary School called to let me know that Hannah-Grace has Fifth's Disease. It includes an itchy rash that can last for four weeks, but since she was in this stage she was no longer contagious. She has "slapped face" red cheeks and red blotches on her forearms.

Dr. T. also told us that it takes four weeks to get to this stage, and during this stage it is very contagious but there are no symptoms (arghhhh). So now, more than likely, all the kids will get the "disease" or already have it.

The name sounds worse than the "disease." She is fine and you can barely she the discoloration. The only real difference is that she is "itchy."

I went in to the hospital this morning once the kids got on the bus. Isaac was still doing pretty bad -- my hope was to bring him home by lunch (when H-G gets off the bus). But the doctors decided to keep him another night. So I went back in later this evening. The G's kept the kids and put them to bed (thank you so much!). Apparently five minutes before I got to the hospital Isaac had a complete turn around. He started talking and playing. He started mashing buttons (including calling the nurse several times). He loves to mash buttons, especially if they make adults run fast! I said, "so let's take him home" but the doctors want to keep watching him. I guess it's better to go one more night. Kimberly was able to get some rest this afternoon,and prayfully he'll be coming home tomorrow morning (depending on when the doctor makes his/her rounds).

Thank you to those who came by to visit,prayed for Isaac and our family, cooked us dinner, and have helped our family.

Kimberly dropped this kids off at church this morning and took Isaac to the Emergency Room. As a I was finishing up all the after-the-service stuff that we have to do because we rent our facility, I called Kimberly. She was still sitting in the waiting room. Our friend and neighbor Guin offered to take Hannah-Grace home with her and I had two car seats in my car. I then had to rush home because Kimberly had set up a Craig’s list sale – with a lady coming somewhere from West Virginia. I sold our “goods” and was waiting for Kimberly to come home but as the afternoon dragged on, she never did.

As we talked back and forth over the afternoon the doctors wanted to keep him there and watch him – rotovirus. Our same friend Guin and eventually another friend Kristy came over and watched the kids so I could go and see that was going on. Long-story-short and after two ivs and many many many diapers (did I say a lot) – we changed diapers one after the other for hours, they admitted Isaac to the hospital to stay the night.

So I just came home, and will get the kids on the bus in the morning and head back with a change of clothes for Kimberly and Isaac, and prayfully they will be coming home with me.

Please pray for Isaac. Our concerns are not dehydration (he is on an iv) and he is not throwing up, but he can’t stop the explosions in his diapers. I don’t want to gross you out – but if I didn’t know the difference, and had not seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought that he urinated in the diapers and not the other.

The Boswell family is working on the fifth day of a horrible who-knows-how-long sickness marathon. The relay started with me leading the way for the first three days, then handing off to Hannah-Grace. Her remarkable ability to project upon walls and doors is nothing but spectacular (really it took me forever to clean it up). Then Kimberly grabbed hold of those little germs and then handed it to the boys. We all went to our various doctors (yes even me), and then waited at various pharmacies for our various meds.

Isaac seemed to not be affected until his doctor just happened to look in his ears (since we were all there), and he had double ear infections. In his left ear was some wax, so Dr. T. had to dig it out. It was at this point, that after four kids we had a first. Isaac struggled so hard while I was holding him that the capillaries burst in the side of his face and around his eyes. You can Google “stippling” – but that is what it reminded me of – tiny pin point red dots all over the side of his face.

Today Isaac’s sickness kicked in at 3:30am, and as I sat down to write this at 9:20pm, he is just coming out of it. He threw up all day, every 15-20 minutes. Kimberly and I are exhausted and both still not over our hand-off of the bug.

This past Sunday we began a sermon series entitled “A Frayed Religion.” It is an expository series based on the book of Job. I have asked for eight volunteers to share how God has carried them through a very difficult time in their life and so far we have seven out of the eight weeks covered. Jenny B. started us off last Sunday and she did a wonderful ‘job.’ What made her testimony so powerful was that she was so transparent and honest, and gave God all the glory.

To be honest preaching this book is going to be very difficult for me. Even at 34, I still feel like I am young and have so much to learn about God. There are people in our congregation that have gone through such deep and debilitating life crises that anything I have been through seems quaint. So I point them to Job and his suffering and to a God who love them, and I get out of the way.

I have finished my sermon for Sunday (chapter two) and there is so much there. It feels like a burden that I have to get off my chest; like a burning in my chest. It is also like throwing a handful of darts in the air knowing that the darts will fall in the crowd and cause pain for those they hit. But there is no way of knowing who the darts will fall on. The study of the book will cause grief for some and prayerfully will be a healing balm for others.

Job is such a beautiful book; I pray that I will do it justice as a preacher.

Here's the order:
March 1st, Job 1
March 8th, Job 2
March 15th, Job 3-14
March 22nd, Job 15-21
March 29th, Job 22-31
April 5th, Job 32-37
April 12th, Easter
April 19th, Job 38:1-42:6
April 26th, Job 42:7-17

Tonight I taught at our Remnant Bible study (the sr, high to 20 somethings). We discussed three inadequate sources of authority (tradition, experience, and intellect). After about thirty minutes of going through various Scriptures we closed with prayer. The church and tradition dominated much of our conversation. As we were standing to go and pray (the boys go the basement of the home where we meet and the girls stay in the living room), Eric suggested that that we mix it up, (i.e. the girls go the basement, and the boys stay in the living room). His idea was met with instant disagreement, “the boys always go downstairs, and the girls always stay upstairs.” I had to chuckle, even the young find security in doing things the same way every week.

It is a constant struggle for church leaders to initiate change for the right reasons at a pace that causes tension but not division. A church leader must always be gently pushing the congregation away from tradition which leads to dead religion, while steering clear of foolish and non-biblical new ways of doing church. It is a dangerous razors edge.

This Saturday Joshua and Caleb’s Cub Scout Tigers den went to the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue. It was an hour of “get down,” “don’t push that button,” and “Caleb please don’t put your leg in the jaws of life” (no kidding). It was a first grade boys Disney. There were sirens, lights, heavy mechanical machines, trucks, apparatus, and on and on it went. The building smelled of gasoline and medical supplies. It was like holding back raw energy. I was really afraid to turn my back in fear that the boys would take off with one of the trucks (you know they keep the keys in the ignition).

The volunteers on duty were great and very patient. It was encouraging to know that we have people like them keeping watch.

Thank you Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue, and all those who keep watch for the rest of us.

Last Saturday the boy’s Sunday School class, and the elem. department at Daybreak served their community by going to a local nursing home. There was an activities director that was leading the residents in the making of a scented door hanger for their rooms. So our guys jumped in there and helped out. We discovered during the craft time that there was a lady there who was over 106 years old.

Once Joshua and Caleb knew how to help, they were very attentive and caring toward the ladies they were helping. They struggled a little because the room was cramped and they had to lean over their wheel chairs that were crammed against each other. All in all, it was a great experience for them to learn who to help and serve other people and I pray it was a blessing to the residents.

Caleb has not lost a single tooth. His teeth are holding tight and not wanting to leave his mouth. If you have eve smelt his breath it would make you wonder why. Kimberly and I have laughed about this and Caleb is completely ticked off that Joshua has lost five and therefore has five dollars cold cash. So as Caleb was complaining the other day about his teeth not coming out he made us look to see if any of the teeth were loose. So when we looked we discovered that there was a tooth that had grown in behind his baby teeth.

Kimberly made an appointment with the dentist and we took him in. I took him there in the morning with the intention that she would pull the baby tooth. But she said it was not uncommon and that it will eventually come out on it’s on and the pressure from the tongue will move the “Jaws” tooth back into it’s proper location.

Couldn’t the dentist have just told us that over the phone? It’s all about the co-pay.