New postings in the gallery…
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I loved this e-mail sent to me by Lena Harrison. What an analogy for our Christian walk!
Life is a series of lessons – some difficult, some joyous, but to know that whatever our trials, HE is there.
Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of Passage?
His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him an leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.. He cannot cry out for help to anyone.
Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.
He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him . Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
We, too, are never alone.
Even when we don’t know it, God is watching over us, Sitting on the stump beside us.
When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.
If you liked this story, pass it on. If not, you took off your blindfold before dawn.
Moral of the story:
Just because you can’t see God,
Doesn’t mean He is not there.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Another tear jerker for the season in an e-mail from Karen Bondurant:
‘Friends are God’s way of taking care of us.’
This was written by a Metro Denver Hospice Physician:
I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter and die – I barely managed to coast into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn’t even turn over… Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the quickie mart building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay. When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her.. It was a nickel.
At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat) , and the gas pump reading $4.95..
I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying ‘I don’t want my kids to see me crying! ,’ so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, ‘And you were praying?’ That made her back away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, ‘He heard you, and He sent me.’ read more…
An e-mail from Bob and Margaret Tilton:
Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience. I had cut back on nonessential obligations – extensive card writing, endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas.
My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting season for a six year old. For weeks, he’d been memorizing songs for his school’s ‘Winter Pageant.’
I didn’t have the heart to tell him I’d be working the night of the production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his teacher. She assured me there’d be a dress rehearsal the morning of the presentation. read more…
By Dr. Gary S. Day
The Bible was not written as a science textbook, but to communicate God’s truths to all humanity. That is the reason it is written in popular, and not technical language. However, nothing written goes contrary to the facts of any discipline of science.
Science theories come and go, even the popular ones. History shows Christians have made two major mistakes when it comes to the Bible and science. First, many have harmonized a popular science theory with the Bible, and when that theory is discarded, so goes the veracity of the Scriptures in the minds of men. Secondly, Biblical passages are rejected when a point is seen to be in conflict with science, only to later learn that it was human knowledge and not the Bible that was in error. Luke’s reference to a Roman Chiliarch in Acts 22-23 is an historical example. For a long time he was thought to be wrong in his reference until extra-biblical sources proved him and the Bible correct. read more…
I have stated previously that I didn’t think there would be a binding agreement on a global carbon tax at this summit. I also said a lot would depend upon Obama’s last minute appearance. It seems he is willing, after all, to disregard the telling East Anglia e-mails and the wishes of a great deal of the American people. Will he forge ahead with policies that will inevitably strike more blows to our economy and national sovereignty? The following video will give us his thoughts on the matter.
Remember, the E.U. has used the global warming hoax as an excuse to obtain more power on a global scale. They are now in SECRET negotiations – behind closed doors at the summit. Why?
We must remember, however, that Obama’s speech is still political rhetoric. He has not signed us over yet, and the people have not been put in the position of paying a carbon tax – yet.
We are in the early stages of facism. We are on the brink of a depression. We are watching and waiting for the next move of God with His people.
This is from an e-mail from my neighbor, Lena Harrison:
This could save your life or the life of someone you know and love!!!!!
I am an ER nurse and this is the best description of this event th at I have ever heard. Please read, pay at tention, and send it on!
FEMALE HEART ATTACKS
I was aware th at female heart at tacks are different, but this is the best description I’ve ever read.
Women and heart at tacks (Myocardial infarction).. Did you know th at women rarely have the same dram at ic symptoms th at men have when experiencing heart at tack …. you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold swe at , grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor th at we see in the movies. Here is the story of one woman’s experience with a heart at tack. read more…
By James W. Sire
A Review by Dr. Gary S. Day
When James W. Sire read Archie Matson’s book, Afterlife: Reports from the Threshold of Death, he became motivated to write the book under review, and he first listed the ways Matson misunderstood the Bible. Sire listed that Matson:
1. Set-up straw men, like the literal view of interpreting Scripture
2. Used innuendo
3. Argued in a circle
4. Failed to take into account other relevant biblical texts
5. Engaged in name calling
6. Misrepresented Biblical data
7. Charged that contradictions were in the Bible that clearly
8. Draw wild and speculative conclusions read more…
I just received this e-mail from the mother of a 22 year old young man who has suffered a great deal throughout his life. Our church has continually prayed ESPECIALLY for him. He has the disease that Abraham Lincoln had – the bones grow so fast that the nerves pull away from the bone, but besides that, he has suffered from something else for the past year. A large goiter (the size of a chicken breast) was blocking his windpipe and he couldn’t breath well. He was afraid to sleep because he would have to push the thing out of the way to clear the air passages. He became very ill, yet the doctors were undecided as to what to do. One fearless doctor here in Kingman threw malpractice fears out the window and did it PRO BONO! This wasn’t even his specialty, but he wouldn’t let his fear over a malpractice suit keep him from saving David’s life. And, by the way, Dr. Ramirez is a Christian. GOD BLESS HIM!
Here is the e-mail (I took the liberty to correct a few typing errors) for those who want a true blessing of faith this Christmas. God always picks up after man admits his limitations:
“I want to thank everyone for your prayers. Not only does our God reign, HE IS FAITHFUL! Dave had his surgery on Monday of this week. The surgeon that did his surgery is a Christian. After seeing Dave 10 days ago and sending us to Phoenix with no success of any doctors or hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic, helping him, we returned to Kingman to Dr. Ramirez and he said, “I will do the surgery.” He said he “couldn’t just sit by and watch David die.” because by this point David had become gravelly ill. On Monday, Dave went into the hospital and what should have been a 25 minute surgery became a five hour ordeal. The Dr explained to us that Dave may never speak again and that he [the Dr.] did not feel qualified to do the surgery, but as I had stated, he said he could not just watch him die. Four hours into the surgery the nurse came and told us that Dave was stable, but Dr. Ramirez, knowing that we are people of faith, asked us to keep praying. He said things were getting very complicated. The doctor told us through his nurse it would be at least another two hours and asked us to keep praying [and buy the way, I called my prayer partners and you know who you are.] The doctor came out an hour later and told us that after that four hour mark, all of a sudden, the arteries and the nerves that go to the voice box and the part of the thyroid that wrapped itself around Dave’s esophagus just became very clear and he was able to successfully complete the surgery. The doctor seemed as though he was walking on air. He told us all that he had just been an instrument of a miracle! He even went as far to say without removing the breathing tube he was sure Dave would be able to speak! Well praise be to God not only can Dave speak, but we brought him home today! Sound familiar? Three days? Well, anyway, again I want to give our God the praise and honor do His name and thank all of you saints for praying for our family. THANK YOU !!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU! Psalms 23 and Psalms 91 were the Scriptures God used to encourage me through the past many many months. I do not know what any of you are facing in your personal lives but God does, and I can say without a doubt He is ABLE!!!!!! and willing, to bring into completion that which He has begun!!! God bless all of you and MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!”
I think there are TWO miracles in this story. One, that the doctor went BEYOND the limitations of insurance protocal and fear of malpractice and followed his conscience and our God, even though he wasn’t “qualified” to do the surgery! Second, that David’s vocal chords were not affected.
Bravo to Dr. Ramirez of Kingman, Arizona. A true physician with a heart of flesh.
Gary and I saw David after the surgery and he looked wonderful – he could speak and eat too! God is soooooooooo good.
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,…” (Ephesians 6:18 NASB)
Intercessory prayer is one of the most important things we as Christians can do for others. If you have a request for yourself or others, please visit our new “PRAYER LIST” page on the menu bar. We are committed to praying daily.
God bless you.
