Recently I watched the Tribe Called Quest documentary and found out through it that Phife has Type 1 Diabetes. In a lot of ways, the disease has caused havoc in his life. My aunt has Type 1, my father-in-law has Type 1. It hasn't been unknown to me, yet I never understood EXACTLY what it is.
From the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation): Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. While its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved.
Here's the thing for me. I always thought of my aunt's injection of insulin as somewhat a cure. It's not. She'll have to do that every day for the rest of her life. Same goes for Phife, same goes for my Father-in-law, same for the millions of Americans suffering from this disease presently . Since I don't always see these injections happen, it's easy for me to take for granted the difficulty of a life lived needing to measure so many factors throughout a day just to survive. The chairman of the JDRF says that those with the disease "need to be mathematicians, physicians, personal trainers, and dieticians all rolled into one."
Since Type 1 can strike suddenly, it also means that none of us are exempt or immune. We need a cure. Right now there are as many as 3 million folks with Type 1, and about 80 people are diagnosed with it PER DAY! That's staggering. For more info visit www.jdrf.org. Meanwhile, support Diabetes research and get your fresh up at the same time by purchasing some gear from Type 3, featured in the commercial above.
So, this morning I was rocked as I read a little book called "Who Will Deliver Us," by Paul F.M. Zahl. I was repeatedly amazed at the riches found in this book, especially since it's only 85 pages long. I couldn't get over how helpful the book is, and how many facets of the Power of Christ's death it addressed. Then I thought, "I'm sure there are tons of books as short as this that were as helpful and potent." Reading through an author's thoughts on a topic in a couple sittings can be very beneficial for a number of reasons. This is where I got this idea. What if I solicited some of YOUR favorite shorter books? What are the most helpful books you've read that fit the bill? One hundred pages or less? I'll start with a couple of my own, including the one that sparked this post. Won't you add to it for our mutual benefit? Pass this along to friends so they can join in as well. Happy Reading!
