Tag Archives: glossopharyngeal neuralgia

A Stone of Help: One Year Later!

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Bob Bjerkaas

“Here I raise my Ebenezer!”  These are words that many of us grew up singing in that great hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”  But what do they mean? The second verse of that hymn reads: Here I raise … Continue reading →

Posted in Suffering, Thanksgiving | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Celebrating God’s Goodness, a Gift, and Wisdom from the Mouth of Babes

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

I am grateful.  Many of you have joined me in prayer that God would help me through this recovery and that I would be able to return to my preaching ministry.  This past Sunday I preached my first post-surgery sermon.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Homiletics/Preaching, Suffering, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Preaching, Paralysis, and Pounds: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

First the good news – I will be returning to my pulpit on November 19.  It will have been three months since I last preached and, based upon this post title’s alliteration, I might be a bit rusty!  I haven’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Suffering | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Bald Spots, Pot Bellies, and Plugins

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

This has been quite a month.  At my two month follow-up with the neurosurgeon, I got a good report – things are healing nicely.  But he also said that my issues with speech and swallowing are going to take a … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Suffering | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Spitting, Whistling, And Drinking Soda from a Can

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

Have you ever felt that your prayer requests were too trivial?  That somehow God would be offended if you brought unimportant matters to his attention? Over the course of my ministry, I have met with a number of folks who … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Prayer, Suffering | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Lifesavers and Church

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

This past Thursday, September 14th, I met a man who reminded me of Helen Keller’s famous proverb: “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”  He had come to the practice field … Continue reading →

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A Numb Skull and a Stiff Neck

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

I suspect that as my brothers read this blog post’s title, they are thinking, “Praise the Lord, he’s back to normal – recovery only took a month!” There may be a kernel of truth to that.  But one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Sanctification, Suffering, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

French Toast, Letting Go, and Berger Cookies

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

Here at the California Bjerkaas house, we probably had the most laid-back Labor Day in the entire country.  Nothing but napping and soft foods all day long.  It was like a sneak preview of my retirement… Tuesday morning, after the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Suffering | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

“My Heart Will Sing and I Will Not Be Silent”

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

Tuesday, the 29th of August, in addition to being a day marked by authentic shish kabobs, was also the day I sat down to blog for the first time in almost a month.  That was thirteen days after the surgery, … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Suffering | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The Tenderness of People and Heeding Al Jarreau: Get Your Boogie Down!

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

An old time preacher, Henry Moorhouse, once said, “It is a wonderful thing for a pastor to suffer, that he might learn how tender people can be.”  What was true in the mid-nineteenth century is still true today.  And it … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian Living, Suffering | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments