Dear First Baptist Family,

I need to share some frustrating news. I am writing to you from the hospital, waiting for an operating room to open up, and I will have surgery as soon as one does. The good news is that my brain is in good shape. I’m experiencing no spasms, no nerve pain, and no neurological symptoms of any kind. This continues to be good news about the ultimate success of my last brain surgery.

The problem I am confronting is that after so many surgeries, the flesh around my scalp is not healing properly, and now my wound has ruptured, and that rupture must be repaired. The surgery team is going to do that with an operation that will add grafts to the damaged layers and resew the wound. This operation will not be fun, but it is also not brain surgery. The recovery will be much less difficult, and they only want me to stay a day or so after it is complete to monitor my health.

As I write to you, I actually feel very good. I’m encouraged by the plan of the medical team, and I am really trusting in God. Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Jesus is taking very good care of me, and I am overwhelmed at my lack of want as I sit here next to Lauren, surrounded by a competent medical team, and feeling the love and prayers of the best church in the whole world.

I obviously will be out of touch for a brief time, but I look forward to connecting with you in the very near future.

God bless you all,

Pastor Heath.