These are NOT my words!!

I happened upon Bill Sweeney’s blog, and I saw this message from his widow Mary. Mary referred back to Bill’s blog, “Pressing On”. Both messages were so encouraging to me, that I have, (with Mary’s permission), copied and pasted them on my blog, and after each message posted a link to their blog and message.

I was so encouraged with these messages, because of circumstances going on in my life, that I wanted to encourage you as well.

If you are unfamiliar with Bill and Mary’s story: please click here, and you will go to the page in Bill’s blog, that shares his story.

And Now, Mary’s Update: (December 30, 2023):

It’s been three years today that Bill was promoted to his eternal home. I ran across this post about “Pressing On” that he wrote on January 1, 2020, and felt as we approach a new year, someone might need some encouragement to carry then over into 2024.

I visit Bill’s blogs often as it makes me feel close to him as I laugh at his humor and digest his wisdom. As I read each blog, I can’t help but think of all his “blogger friends”, because you became his second family. Being a prisoner in his body may have isolated him physically, but because of technology and friends he made through his blog, he was a very sociable man. Thank you all for the love and encouragement that you gave Bill (and me) in your comments. They continue to bless and encourage me. Bill started a blog to encourage others in their suffering, but God knew Bill needed encouragement from you all to keep pressing on.

When Bill wrote this blog, it was a month before the Covid lockdown. He was so optimistic about the new year. He didn’t know that COVID would take away peoples’ jobs and even their lives. Nor did he know it would be the hardest year of suffering for him, ending in his death. Yet his goal in 2020 was to give others hope as we were all isolated. He stopped writing his book and just concentrated on encouraging others even though he was very ill. He loved people and wanted everyone to know the God that gave him hope. He kept pressing on.

On another note, Bill never wanted to diminish anyone’s suffering. Sometimes we tend to compare our pain and how we react to it. We think that we can’t have a bad day because someone else has a deeper suffering. We all have different levels of pain in this life and we process and feel it differently. There were so many days throughout our journey where we were hanging on by a thread. Don’t beat yourself up on those days that you are barely hanging on. Allow yourself to feel the pain that comes with your suffering, but don’t stay there. Ask God to give you the strength and grace you need for that day and keep pressing on. I can’t promise you will get the outcome that you want, but I can promise He will be there with you in your pain as He promised:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.”  -Psalms 23:4

Click here to read Mary’s blog on their site: Unshakeable Hope.

Bill Sweeney’s Blog: Pressing On Happy New Year!

I believe 2020 will be a great year.

Regular readers of my blog know that I’ve had ALS for twenty-three years. I’ve been on hospice for the last fifteen months, and in that time, I’ve had three close encounters with death. I don’t mean to make light of this, but I think you could say that I have one foot in the grave, and the other is on a banana peel. Knowing this, and reading that I’ve declared that 2020 is going to be a great year, you might be questioning the state of my mental health. I get it, but please hear me out.

I’ll admit that my mental health is not as good as it once was. I recently watched a movie for twenty minutes before realizing I’d seen it before. I don’t know if this is related to the ALS or just getting old. Regardless, I have total recall when it comes to the suffering that Mary and I have endured throughout this protracted trial. If the new year holds more suffering for me, bring it on! I am putting suffering on notice – you will not steal my peace, joy, and hope! If suffering results in my death this year, suffering still loses:

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18).

I’ve made plans and goals for the new year – I’m pressing on!

“Whatever things were gain to me (my health, career, my ability to breathe on my own, eat and speak, and walk…), those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ…” (Philippians 3:7-8).

I feel sorry for those who have all of their hopes invested in the things of this world. I hope and pray that my simple posts might draw them to Christ, and the Unshakable Hope that comes along with making a commitment to follow Him. That would be a great bonus for the time and effort I spend pecking out these posts on my eye-tracking computer. However, I feel called to encourage those going through difficult times. I think these are the people who can relate to my posts. I’m rededicating myself to this calling for 2020.

It’s kind of funny, but, in a sense, I feel that my body, which was perfectly healthy for the first thirty-six years of my life, has since been betraying me. I realize, of course, this isn’t the case, but I allow myself to believe this to motivate me. It’s payback time now – I’m going to punish this body by using every bit of the strength and energy left in it! The common sports metaphor for this is “leaving it all on the field.” I was on the swim team in high school, so in my case, it would be leaving it all in the pool. The Apostle Paul liked to use sports metaphors. In 1st Corinthians chapter 9, he compares the Christian life to running a race. Being very familiar with Greece, he was likely referring to the Olympics. He tells us to make our body “our slave” and “run in such a way that you may win.” Notice that in the following passage, Paul uses the phrase “press on” two times:

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14).

I hope you’ll join me in “forgetting what lies behind” “press on” to what lies ahead.

Happy New Year!

Pressing On

Wasn’t this great!! Hope it has encouraged you!! It has me!!