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Howdy!
My name is Bob Schmalfeldt. I'm a 49-year-old Christian, writer, husband, father, former journalist, current United Methodist Certified Lay Speaker and Commissioned Stephens Minister, an unapologetic liberal and a dyed-in-the-wool goofball.
I'm also a recovering paraplegic. In November, 2000, following several years of chronic back and leg pain and many spinal surgeries, I had a stroke in the T-8 level of my spinal cord which paralyzed me from the waist down. But in January, 2003, sensation and movement began to return to my legs. I recently underwent a six-week intensive bout of inpatient spinal rehabilitation and am continuing rehab now on an outpatient basis. And I am currently working in rehab to master the intracacies of walking a few feet at a time using leg braces!!!! This after being told I would never regain the use of my legs.
Up until last November, I'd written and produced a weekly web effort called "FOOD! A Weekly Snack for the Spirit!", in which I would let my computer choose a verse of scripture at random and then write whatever I felt moved to write about the verse.
But after a year where I survived a system-wide infection that nearly killed me, a year that included a lot of difficulties for me and for many of the people that I love, I've decided to return to the web with a site dedicated to what Paul said in Philippians 4:13 -- something my wife of 16 years and I have discovered to be absolutely true.
I invite you to become a regular visitor to my blogs, "Hang In There" (Christian advice for dealing with adversity), "Unapologetically Liberal!" where I give one liberal's opinion about the lies being told about people who think and believe the way I do, and "The Unblinking Eye!", where I vent my disgust at the decomposition of broadcast news reporting as it focuses less on information and more on pandering and "entertainews".
Two things of which I'm certain -- we're all going to have problems, and we're not going to agree about everything. I am equally certain that civilized human beings can talk about their deeply-held political/social beliefs without fear of being demonized, and that our Lord Jesus Christ stands always ready to give us the strength we need to endure anything.
A Liberal Christian? Yes, Virginia -- there is such a thing!
--Bob Schmalfeldt