I Would Like You To Meet Rudy
Today, I’d like to introduce you to a “flesh and blood” angel.  His name is Rudy.
This Rudy. Â His name is Rudy Najm. If you have a few minutes, Â please read this complete blog entry. Â I think you will be as blessed as I was in meeting this beautiful individual. Â When I desperately needed an angel to come into my life, he appeared. For this, I will forever be grateful!
During my journey with this cancer thing, I’m learning that God’s angels come in all shapes and sizes. This includes occupations.  As you can see from the above picture, Rudy is a pharmacist in Livonia.  He owns his own little business.  But wait I’m getting ahead of my story.  Let’s back up a few days. Â
It all began one cold and stormy….Â
I became acquainted in a most, unusual way.  It all started when I was going through my “hell trip” to the Emergency Room at U of M Hospital, Ann Arbor. I won’t bore you with all the gory details. Just go back a few weeks on the blog, and you can read all about my trial by fire.  Â
After it was all over and I was home, recuperating, it became apparent I had a need for some good, preventative care - including someone who knew what types of scrips were needed. Â
In stepped my daughter, Maria. She lives just north of us, and she recently found a pharmacy,  it’s a small drug store that is unlike any other. Â
Not the big-box store variety. Rudy has a small store in Livonia that is pharmacy and pharmacy only! He left one of those big chain places to open his own business, and he is now serving the people in the greater Livonia area. Maria has been going to him for months and raves about the personal service. Up until my episode, I paid little attention.  It took an emergency trip to the ER and Sue realized that if her husband was to receive any comfort during his radiation treatments and upcoming chemo, she needed more than a big-name drugstore.Â
Maria and Sue began making regular trips to iPharmacy for all of my prescriptions. Rudy knew what he was doing. And now, I’m feeling better, and I have a better handle on what it is like to live with Cancer.Â
Today, September 7, 2017, I finally met the man. I had a prescription that needed filling for my repaired tooth. Amoxicillin to help me fight off infection. I walked into iPharmacy and Rudy was behind the counter. He was on the phone with a customer, who was obviously giving him a difficult time. I watched his face and listened to his thoughtful responses. From this one-sided conversation, it seemed that the person was insisting on having her own way with Rudy. He answered every question. Never got ruffled. And after 5 minutes, he was finished with the phone call and looked at me with a “Rudy” smiled.Â
I introduced myself, but he already knew who I was and indicated that he could now put a face on a name. Â Â
We chatted for a few minutes while one of his young employees finished filling the script (at record time). I shook his hand and promised him he now has ALL my prescription business.  And I remember telling him,
“For a number of years my wife and I have been going to CVS, Walgreens, and other drugstores. When the grocery stores like Kroger and Meijer opened thier pharmacies - we switched our business, thinking it was better, faster service, and cheaper. I had forgotten what it was like to shop at a place like this where the owner knew my name and took a personal interest in my story.”
 On my drive home, I thought about what had just happened. And then I recalled a story in the Bible.
In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly leprosy disappeared. Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.” Â
But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. Luke 5:12-15 (NLT)
With apologies to Eugene Peterson, I’d like to give this story a BKT interpretation of Scripture.Â
For years, people were going to the big-box church for healing. It was difficult to get an appointment. Many times, the priest would send them away “healed” - and the person would soon discover, much to their disappointment and hurt, that nothing had happened. They were still sick. They were still dealing with their pain.  And, eventually, they died.Â
One day, Jesus came to town. He did not represent a well-known hospital. Not even a clinic or a drug store that dispensed pharmaceuticals. He was just one, amazing man, with compassion for the hurting. And he worked his miracles. Â
People were healed instantly. No one had to wait for hours in line and leave disappointed. If Jesus touched them - it was all over for the sickness. And people, who had forgotten what it was like to listen to a genuine man of God, suddenly realized they found someone who knew their name and took a personal interest in their story.  Luke 5:12-15 (BKT)
 It’s two-thousand years later, and nothing has changed. I don’t know where you, the reader, find himself in your journey with suffering. But if you will trust in God, pray for strength and healing grace, you won’t go away disappointed.Â
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Â
Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. James 5:13-
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