Pictured here are 3 kidney stones. They look fairly lethal but are in fact at least 10 times their actual size. Last Monday morning, I met for a quick coffee with my mate Paul Brown. Within 5 minutes of sitting down I had to excuse myself and dash home. I could feel a pain around my kidneys reminiscent of one I had had 14 year previously. Lesley took me to the hospital and I was admitted with suspected kidney stones. Tests showed there were 3. One was traveling between my kidney and bladder whilst the other 2 were still in the kidneys (1 on each!). It was the moving one that was causing the pain. Tiny as it was it was traveling through a tube the size of a single bristle on a tooth brush, so size is all relative. The pain was excruciating and only strong medication (including morphine) offered any respite. In fact you imagine my response to the nurse who seeing me in agony offered me a couple of paracetamol!
During the time I was in the ward I took the had some amazing conversations with a fairly evangelistic muslim who was there with the same ailment. He had such a passion for his faith and a respect for Jesus. However, is understanding was very limited. He was quite surprised when I told him that Jesus was the son of God, that this is what the bible said and there was no justification that he was only a profit. The dialogue was interesting but what struck home was when I told him the a story from the life of Jesus. I am challenged by meeting with him again to share more of this truth.
The power of prayer is a wonderful thing. When the doctor told me where he was going to put the camera and the instrument to remove the kidney, if I did not pass it with 24hrs, I confidently predicted that the pain would be gone before then. Indeed it was as I passed it that day (as I was typing this I accidentally put an i in the word passed where the a should be. Either way it is accurate). Praise God. Only 2 to go now!
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