Years ago my family went to church with a guy named Ted.  He was a lifelong smoker, and had developed a pretty bad case of emphysema by the time we met him.  They finally starting bringing him to church in a wheelchair, and he stayed on oxygen all the time.  There was a large machine in his house with little hoses run to each room, and he carried a small tank around with him on wheels.  He frequently spent time in the hospital.  No one would have held it against Ted if he had stayed at home.  It would not have made him a lazy Christian or a bad witness.  But instead he was one of the most faithful members.  He wanted to come to church for as long as he was able, and did.  Continue reading →