Physical healing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[GhostHawk]

I'll add one more of a slightly different note.

I grew up on a farm, Dad's place was not big, 540 acres he owned free and clear.

By the time I was old enough to start being a help running combine or driving trucks I would consistently see something that seemed strange to me.

Now Dad he believed the Lord helps those who help themselves, and that means not getting behind in your labors. So year after year we would be in the middle of our harvest, and he would hear of a neighbor laid up through no fault of his own. Sick, in hospital, unable to get his harvest in. Dad would give us a stern talking to, we were going to be on someone elses place, no skylarking, no not paying attention. We were to be on the bounce, paying attention and giving it our best.

Then he would take the combine, we'd drive the trucks over. We would pull in the yard, which field, where to take the grain, and away we would go. Mind you dinner was at 12, we would be harvesting by 1 or shortly after. By 2 we would start seeing help arrive. Dad would be running the show, meeting people as they came, clueing them in. Managing the trucks, and seeing that all went smooth. Normally one day or a day and a half would see all their harvest in the bin or the Elevator. Then we would go back to our work.

There were few years there where someone did not need a hand.

Then I started seeing a pattern. The morning after we would finish harvest. We would wake to the sound of rain, and it would rain for a week or a month.

So I asked dad once, knowing that the rains might come, how can you leave our work and help the neighbor?

Dad Laughed, Do you really think that after doing the Lords bidding, stopping my work and going to help a neighbor, that the Lord is then going to turn around and punish me?

Dad lived in the Lords hip pocket, and we had a couple of years when the rains came early, and we lost some. But even those years we lost less than most. And as long as dad went when called, all smiled upon us. And I believe he was called. Either that or he could judge the dryness of field 3 miles off knowing when it would be ready to harvest. Which is also possible.

I firmly believe that it is not enough to believe, we have to do his work.
We are the Lords hands. We are his mysterious ways. And I believe he rewards those that do that work.

BTW Dad is 92 now, had a stroke and a heart attack last november. But he is still sharp. Is back up walking on his own. Even now, he is watched over. That and the power of prayer.

[nagantguy]

I'll add one more of a slightly different note.

I grew up on a farm, Dad's place was not big, 540 acres he owned free and clear.

By the time I was old enough to start being a help running combine or driving trucks I would consistently see something that seemed strange to me.

Now Dad he believed the Lord helps those who help themselves, and that means not getting behind in your labors. So year after year we would be in the middle of our harvest, and he would hear of a neighbor laid up through no fault of his own. Sick, in hospital, unable to get his harvest in. Dad would give us a stern talking to, we were going to be on someone elses place, no skylarking, no not paying attention. We were to be on the bounce, paying attention and giving it our best.

Then he would take the combine, we'd drive the trucks over. We would pull in the yard, which field, where to take the grain, and away we would go. Mind you dinner was at 12, we would be harvesting by 1 or shortly after. By 2 we would start seeing help arrive. Dad would be running the show, meeting people as they came, clueing them in. Managing the trucks, and seeing that all went smooth. Normally one day or a day and a half would see all their harvest in the bin or the Elevator. Then we would go back to our work.

There were few years there where someone did not need a hand.

Then I started seeing a pattern. The morning after we would finish harvest. We would wake to the sound of rain, and it would rain for a week or a month.

So I asked dad once, knowing that the rains might come, how can you leave our work and help the neighbor?

Dad Laughed, Do you really think that after doing the Lords bidding, stopping my work and going to help a neighbor, that the Lord is then going to turn around and punish me?

Dad lived in the Lords hip pocket, and we had a couple of years when the rains came early, and we lost some. But even those years we lost less than most. And as long as dad went when called, all smiled upon us. And I believe he was called. Either that or he could judge the dryness of field 3 miles off knowing when it would be ready to harvest. Which is also possible.

I firmly believe that it is not enough to believe, we have to do his work.
We are the Lords hands. We are his mysterious ways. And I believe he rewards those that do that work.

BTW Dad is 92 now, had a stroke and a heart attack last november. But he is still sharp. Is back up walking on his own. Even now, he is watched over. That and the power of prayer.

What a great story, thank you for sharing! Your dad sounds like a great man, a great neighbor and a good father! HE was not joking when he said "love thy neighbor" I do not claim to be a good man, I try, I do not claim to be a model Christian but I do try. I will however drop almost anything and go help a friend, neighbor, family can't tell you the amount of times we've been late getting some where cause I stopped to help someone broke down, this is not bragging nor look at me I'm good, it's bow I was raised, it's how mom and dad were. When my grateful grandpa died, he was a farmer, horse rancher, horse whisperer, heavy equipment operator, hunter, leather worker, all around stand up guy. Anyhow at his funeral scores of people showed to pay respect and tell of some thing he'd done to help them, some we didn't even know, a few we knew grandpa didn't like, but he'd help them any how, money time, work plowing jarvesting, witnessing the word of God, breaking horses, whatever, he even took in several folks who didn't have a place to.stay, the only thing bad that happened was one fellow whom grandpa let stay in the camper stole a cat when he moved on.......my great grandparents went to a very small church and I'll tell you this, there was not one child in their flock that ever went without boots, winter coat, or a full belly. I've fallen far from the mark but when I see him in heaven I hope he won't be to disappointed in me!

[johnson1942]

uplifting, thanks. i know what Ghost Hawk is talking about when he talks about water and the problems when their is too much at the wrong time. my sister and her husband farm just a few miles from where Ghost hawks dad did and they always have water problems in the spring and fall. too much of it. this is one of the first years they got their crop in with out too much water. thanks again for the up lifting stories every one.

[spotsboss]

Before Jesus said goodbye and ascended into heaven, He promised His followers that He would send Someone to take His place. Someone who would live in their hearts. He called Him the Comforter. We now know that Jesus was referring to the person of the Holy Spirit.

To need a comforter, it is assumed that you have an affliction or difficulty of some sort. So Jesus didn’t promise to take us out of affliction, but that He would be with us in it.

God did not spare His own son from suffering. He was murdered by an angry mob. At the time, only God knew that His purpose in the cross was the redemption of mankind. Ultimate good would come out of ultimate evil. He often gives us the opportunity to do the same thing in our own lives.

He didn’t spare St. Paul from his illness and the same has been true for millions of godly people throughout history.

Why? Can’t God heal if He wants to? Yes, but not if He can be glorified in a higher way. As someone with cancer myself, I can tell you that illness can bring you closer to God and give you the opportunity to trust Him deeply and thereby grow to be more like Him.

He may heal you, but if He doesn’t, maybe it’s because He wants you, in your illness, to model patience, courage and faith to those around you. Or because your family can learn care giving in a deeper way or develop a spirit of cheer and quiet serenity, all through your adversity.

Sometimes all we know, and this is enough to know, is that because of the cross God understands our suffering and through the Comforter He has promised to be with us always.

[nagantguy]

I'll add one more of a slightly different note.

I grew up on a farm, Dad's place was not big, 540 acres he owned free and clear.

By the time I was old enough to start being a help running combine or driving trucks I would consistently see something that seemed strange to me.

Now Dad he believed the Lord helps those who help themselves, and that means not getting behind in your labors. So year after year we would be in the middle of our harvest, and he would hear of a neighbor laid up through no fault of his own. Sick, in hospital, unable to get his harvest in. Dad would give us a stern talking to, we were going to be on someone elses place, no skylarking, no not paying attention. We were to be on the bounce, paying attention and giving it our best.

Then he would take the combine, we'd drive the trucks over. We would pull in the yard, which field, where to take the grain, and away we would go. Mind you dinner was at 12, we would be harvesting by 1 or shortly after. By 2 we would start seeing help arrive. Dad would be running the show, meeting people as they came, clueing them in. Managing the trucks, and seeing that all went smooth. Normally one day or a day and a half would see all their harvest in the bin or the Elevator. Then we would go back to our work.

There were few years there where someone did not need a hand.

Then I started seeing a pattern. The morning after we would finish harvest. We would wake to the sound of rain, and it would rain for a week or a month.

So I asked dad once, knowing that the rains might come, how can you leave our work and help the neighbor?

Dad Laughed, Do you really think that after doing the Lords bidding, stopping my work and going to help a neighbor, that the Lord is then going to turn around and punish me?

Dad lived in the Lords hip pocket, and we had a couple of years when the rains came early, and we lost some. But even those years we lost less than most. And as long as dad went when called, all smiled upon us. And I believe he was called. Either that or he could judge the dryness of field 3 miles off knowing when it would be ready to harvest. Which is also possible.

I firmly believe that it is not enough to believe, we have to do his work.
We are the Lords hands. We are his mysterious ways. And I believe he rewards those that do that work.

BTW Dad is 92 now, had a stroke and a heart attack last november. But he is still sharp. Is back up walking on his own. Even now, he is watched over. That and the power of prayer.

What a great story, thank you for sharing! Your dad sounds like a great man, a great neighbor and a good father! HE was not joking when he said "love thy neighbor" I do not claim to be a good man, I try, I do not claim to be a model Christian but I do try. I will however drop almost anything and go help a friend, neighbor, family can't tell you the amount of times we've been late getting some where cause I stopped to help someone broke down, this is not bragging nor look at me I'm good, it's bow I was raised, it's how mom and dad were. When my grateful grandpa died, he was a farmer, horse rancher, horse whisperer, heavy equipment operator, hunter, leather worker, all around stand up guy. Anyhow at his funeral scores of people showed to pay respect and tell of some thing he'd done to help them, some we didn't even know, a few we knew grandpa didn't like, but he'd help them any how, money time, work plowing jarvesting, witnessing the word of God, breaking horses, whatever, he even took in several folks who didn't have a place to.stay, the only thing bad that happened was one fellow whom grandpa let stay in the camper stole a cat when he moved on.......my great grandparents went to a very small church and I'll tell you this, there was not one child in their flock that ever went without boots, winter coat, or a full belly. I've fallen far from the mark but when I see him in heaven I hope he won't be to disappointed in me!

[Blackwater]

6bg, I understand your predicament, but I think the problem really lies in your view of what God really is. He said he'd cause it to rain on the just and the unjust alike. He never said he's only reward the righteous, or that the righteous wouldn't suffer sometimes. That would make him like some giant cash cow that we only go to for cash when we need it, and His aim was to be much more than some simple, finite bank to enable us to seek our own wills. He gives the righteous problems in order that they might have an opportunity to demonstrate their faith and its real value in times of troubles. This often touches even the hearts of disbelievers, when they see the real power and value of belief and prayer. He created the world with poisons, but he also provides the antidotes. Apparently, He wants our faith to be REAL and genuine, and not just some seeking for reward. Look at the trials Job faced. And Lucifer was extatic at it, until he saw that Job maintained his faith.

Very simply, there CANNOT be a reward for belief. This prevents belief from becoming a simple "payoff," which would reduce faith to something besides the real thing. God doesn't seem to think very highly of immitations. You're being tested, just like we all are, and therein, you have an opportunity to show others and yourself just how strong and valuable and irreplacable faith really and truly is, or at least can be IF we'll but demonstrate it.

If you come to faith for a payoff, you're looking for the wring thing. There's no payoff but death for us all in this realm. After that, though, there's eternity, and how we perform and the decisions we make with our very free will, determine how that eternity will be spent. It all makes sense if we can just drop our view of God as something more human than truly Godly. God is most emphatically NOT so terribly limited as we humans are. He is so far beyond that that I doubt we can conceive of just how great and all-powerful He really is.

Keep your faith brother. It's in these times of need that we need them most. If you keep your head straight, this could be the most poignant and instructive and elucidating period of your whole life. It sure can't hurt to give it a chance.

Sometimes people get angry with God when they encounter problems in life that really test them severely. That's a very human reaction, but being human makes it less than what we Christians are charged with being. We're supposed to recognize our position in the universe and in eternity, and bear whatever life brings us. He gave us DNA and all sorts of things so that we might exist, but in that existence, things happen that make things hard to bear. But we've had life, and a simple OPPORTUNITY to demonstrate just how deeply our faith extends. Why and how it all works has been debated by all manner of people for millenea now, and I can't pretend to give you the answer to all that here and now. What I CAN offer you is the simple truth that these times you're going through with your wife are the very ones that CAN, if we simply view them rightly, and without haughtiness or hubris, be the most poignant and significant things that ever occur in our lives. They can and sometimes do, transform people from casual believers into REAL believers. And most of it is dependent on our simple attitude toward it all. If we approach it with haughtiness, hubris and a sense of "entitlement," then we err, and things will never be "right" again. If we approach them with humility, knowing that if we all got what we DESERVED, we'd likely never have had even an opportunity at life, and all the good things and pleasures we've known. You'd never have had the chance to love your wife even one minute because you'd never have existed had Christ not died on the cross in your and my and all our steads.

I know that's not how we humans would have done things, but that's why we CAN'T have those powers. We don't have the wisdom God does, and would make a mess of it, just like we've done in this world that we already have. So don't lose your faith, but keep it even tighter. It's all we really have in this life to truly hold onto when the bad times come, and be assured, they come to all of us. But when they do, that's no time to abandon our only real solace. I know a number of folks who've met the same type of thing you're going through, and they've been of all ages, from young to old. Only the ones who kept their faith, and strengthened it through these times of trial came out better. Those who abandoned their faith lived very bitter, joyless lives. I think even a blind man could see that abandoning our faith just isn't the way we need to go when we encounter trials.

On the ball fields, we admire the player who, though tried sorely, maybe by a bigger, stronger opposition, sets himself to the task of winning, and figures out a way to make those "advantages" meaningless. In other fields of life, we forget that simple principle, and often justify and rationalize abandonment of faith, when it's the greatest asset any of us will ever possess, and all we have to do is simply do a little work and searching in the Bible for our reasons to continuing to believe and trust. Who knows what lies ahead for you and your wife? Certainly not me nor you, nor anyone. And in all the possibilities that might come from your situation, who's to say that they might not wind up being positive for both of you?

It's taken me a lot of years to realize this, but death, whenever it comes to any of us, is NOT our enemy. It's just a transition from this world to the next, more unlimited and all-encompassing realm. Many who've died and returned say they are no longer in the least afraid of death, but almost look forward to that transition. And neither you nor I or anyone else, including the docs, really KNOW what's going to happen. I don't know your age or experience, but I've always had a lot of older friends who I loved and talked with often. When these have faced trials, they did so stoically, and their faith saw them through, or helped them across the threshold between this life and the next. I could never cry at these funerals when it was the latter. It just seemed so inappropriate, even though I knew I'd miss them greatly. This included my Mom and Dad, too, BTW.

Faith will see you through ANYTHING, if you just let it, and it CAN, at least sometimes, change things through simple prayer. If you abandon your faith, or pray in your doubts, you lose that option, I think. I think it's pretty obvious. God can't hear prayers offered with doubt and distrust. But pray earnestly and honestly in full belief, even if it's in desperation, and He'll hear you. What He does depends on way too many things than we can know in our limited and very finite realm, but whatever answer you get, it'll be truly righteous. If you can't or don't or won't understand it as such, that's your error, and a mere assumption. It's like a problem child pitching a fit and saying "I'm gonna' hold my breath 'till I turn blue," when he doesn't get what he wants. Life's just not like that, and I think if you simply look around, you'll see that. But you have to be honest, and detached enough from what you WANT, to see what's THERE, and REAL.

I wish you and your wife well, and I think we'll all be praying for both of you. May God bless you at all times in your life, and help you to realize just what blessings can be, when they come in disguise. Keep the faith. You can't truly know joy without it.

[GhostHawk]

I am sure you all have heard the phrase "Pillar of the Community"

That is my dad. He ran for the school board when he heard his neighbor was running, and intended to close our school and move us 8 miles to a bigger town. Dad ran saying lets build an addition, a decent gym, shop, science, and home-econ classrooms and an office. He won, hands down, 2 years later the addition was built and moved into. We kept our school for another 30 years. Dad served until his children were all through school then quietly retired. Tapping a neighbor to pick up the torch.

He was a driving force on the local fire fighters, always pushing for better facility's, equipment, more training. He pushed the building of a town hall/firehouse, he and others spent all winter cutting and nailing rafters.

Dad and I did the leveling of the firehall floor so all would run to a central drain. And he did it with an eyeball and his chin leaning on a shovel. He would use the horizon line for his level, then each stake got my shovel put on top and he would direct my fingers up and down. I count it to my credit that I spent 2 days nailing plywood and shingling that roof. Since then it has been used for weddings, celebrations of all kinds.

The local grocery store was having problems making ends meet. Dad wrote a 100 dollar check. Let me know when it is gone, I'll write another. In the days when a coke was a nickle.

He was a pillar of his church as well. Many times he was urged to join the local luthern church just down the street. No, best we stay seperate, not favoring one side or the other. So we drove 8 miles every sunday to a Methodist Church where he was a trustee for decades.

It is hard to see the Mighty men like him fade and disappear from the small towns and villages.
They leave a mighty big hole.

Dad would probably be upset if he knew I was talking about him. He retired from farming near 30 years ago. He had half a dozen people approach him offering more rent than he was asking. He turned them all down. He offered it to a pair of brothers a bit younger than me. The only explanation he ever made was "I like the way they take care of the land"

John Wesley Jamison the Lord does not make them like you anymore.
Ok Lord, I'm telling the story. Doing it my way. Probably all bassackwards and twitchy.

First be a man, set your feet, honest, level and true.
Then add faith like a rock, unshakable, unbreakable.
Be responsible for the choices you make, OWN them.
Remember why we are here, LOVE!

[jcwit]

I'm 72,when I was 13 I had polio, my mother was told I would not live thru the night. She sat out side my room I was told and prayed all night till my fevor broke and I lived.

A week or so later I was told I'd never walk again, I spent 6 or 8 years in the military with no problems.

Fifteen years ago I came down with cancer, was told I had a 25 to 30% chanch of living, here I am, still here.

Now try to convince me that prayer does't work!

[johnson1942]

thank you jcwit, that was a good post.

[Blackwater]

Thanks, guys, for some excellent and very poignant posts. Your stories are very much appreciated. And Ghosthawk, that's how a lot of men used to be, all over the country. The Great Depression pretty well taught folks that they HAD to be worthy and true to their word. Even then, many vascillated and failed, but pretty much all of them knew they'd failed, and didn't try very hard to deny it. Today, though, most folks seem to be very much into denying they've erred even when it's so clear and plain that it's unmistakable. I guess PC theology dictates that the REAL sin is in admitting when we err? Of course, that's in direct opposition of what Christ bade us do - confess our sins and errors - but PC theology is pretty much the reverse of what Christ advised us to do if we wanted to have joy in our lives. Ain't it funny how that works? And we wonder why things don't go any better than they do!

[6bg6ga]

I'm 72,when I was 13 I had polio, my mother was told I would not live thru the night. She sat out side my room I was told and prayed all night till my fevor broke and I lived.A week or so later I was told I'd never walk again, I spent 6 or 8 years in the military with no problems.Fifteen years ago I came down with cancer, was told I had a 25 to 30% chanch of living, here I am, still here.Now try to convince me that prayer does't work!

Let me guess......when you had cancer you were never treated with any drugs. I'm going to pray tonight for a full head of hair. Maybe if I pray all night I'll end up with enough so you don't see my balding head. I too was sick when I was young and had a fever of 104 and it was climbing. I prayed and so did my mother but I give credit for the shot in the butt I got.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I'm going to participate in this thread to keep a promise. The promise was made to God, that I would always tell this story of how he helped me, and subsequently my wife, if asked. I guess this thread is a request to tell that story, one that I could easily ignore. No one likes to be ridiculed or criticized for their beliefs. But I have to keep my word.

I was an extremely healthy person most of my life. When I arrived at age 67 I awoke one morning with pains in my left shoulder. I thought that it was probably the result of sleeping on it, as I prefer to sleep with my arm out and a pillow between my head and shoulder. Over the next few days it didn't go away and I just slept on the right side. Then the pain progressed to my neck, first at the base and then went upward. Then I developed marble sized lumps on the back of my head and neck which were probably infected lymph nodes. Then the pain progressed over to the right shoulder, so that I wasn't able to sleep on either side or on my back. I started sleeping sitting up. I consulted the local M.D. who took some blood samples and who told me, "You have an unknown internal infection. Something is killing all of your white blood corpuscles as soon as your body produces them, and you're losing." He referred me to an oncologist. I saw the oncologist every few days and he'd have 5 to 7 vials of blood taken. The news was always the same, "I don't know what's wrong with you, but you don't have"...a long list of maladies. They gave me every test they could think of, various scans and trips through tunnels, etc. I asked them for antibiotics, anything that might help. The answer was always the same, "We don't know what's wrong with you, so we can't treat you." They did nothing for me except draw blood time after time. I grew weaker by the day, and the night finally came when I went to bed, about 6:00 p.m. actually, and I knew that I was going to die. Before I got into bed I said, to God, "Sir, I know you're busy, and I know that I prayed about this to you before, but I wanted to remind you how bad off I am, and just say respectfully that if you're going to help me it should be tonight because I don't think I'll be around in the morning." I passed out, went to sleep, became unconscious, knew nothing. Then, at about 1:00 a.m. I felt cold. I woke up and found that I was dripping wet. It was like I had just climbed out of a swimming pool. My underwear was soaked, the sheets were soaked. All I could do was towel off, put on some dry underwear, and go back to bed sleeping on a towel. When I woke up again, about 8:00 a.m., I was soaked again. I still had the lumps on the neck and pains all over, but over the next two months things began to improve. About six months later I was pretty well able to get around and lift and move things, etc. At that point, one morning, July 10, 2010 to be exact, I heard my wife in the bathroom. I called and asked, "Are you getting up?" and she replied, "I think so." Then I heard a "Thump". I called out, "Are you all right?" No answer. I went to the bathroom and found the door closed. I had to push it open carefully, and found that she was lying on the floor with her head against the door. I was able to get one arm in and gently push it to one side so that I could gradually get it fully opened. She was unconscious making little moaning noises and obviously close to death. I phoned for the paramedics. They arrived in good time and went to work on her, and soon the ambulance arrived. They transported her to the regional medical center located about 35 miles away, and when she was wheeled into the emergency room she began to have a massive heart attack. That was because she had suffered a brain aneurysm and her cranial cavity was being flooded with blood and her life functions were beginning to shut down. If you don't know what an aneurysm is, it is when the wall of a blood vessel weakens and begins to swell out like a balloon filled with blood. When it bursts you have what is called a hemorrhagic stroke. When next I saw her she was in intensive care with one nurse doing nothing but care for her. Every opening in her body had a tube coming out of it and there were lots of wires attached to her and various machines. It was just like on TV or in the movies, blip, blip, blip, except for her brain which showed no activity at all. The doctor that was in charge of the Intensive Care Unit for that day was a elderly lady who happened to be a Neurosurgeon. She told me that for all intents and purposes my wife was dead, being kept alive only by the machines, and that if they were unplugged she would die. She wanted me to go home and think about what I wanted to do. I pretty much knew the answer because my wife and I had talked about it several times in the past, that we did not want to be kept alive artificially. Our Minister showed up and he, I, and my daughter prayed beside my wife. The minister prayed aloud and paced about a bit while doing it. He asked that if he was willing that God heal and restore my wife, but of course that His will be done in the matter. I went home to make the hard decision. I knew what it would be, but getting up the resolve to say, "Pull the plugs" is very, very hard when you truly love the person. I went back the next morning and told the Neurosurgeon that I'd made up my mind. She said, "Well, I'd be reluctant to withdraw life support now. During the night we saw her move her foot twice." As a result she was take by helicopter to Portland, OR, Oregon Health and Science University Hospital, a truly amazing place. She was in their Intensive Care Unit for over two weeks, and then in Critical Care for another two weeks. I visited her about every third day and watched her begin to slowly "come back". After she left Intensive Care I walked into her room one day and asked, "Do you remember who I am? Who am I?" She replied, "You're my husband." I sat down in an arm chair. She said, "Who is that sitting on the sofa?" There was no one (visible) there. I asked, "Where is he exactly?" She pointed at the sofa about three steps away. I went over to the sofa and sat on the end and asked, "Do you still see him?" "Yes." I moved over a cushion toward the center. "Do you still see him?" "Yes." I moved to the center. "Do you still see him?" "No, he's gone now." "What did he look like?" "He was shiny. I couldn't see him clearly." After being in OHSU for a month she transferred to a nursing home for another six weeks, then I took her home. Thankfully I had good insurance as her bills totaled about one million dollars, and I paid about six thousand. Thirty days after her stroke the neurosurgeon who had been her doctor in Portland wanted a follow up visit. He said to her, "I'm so glad to see you sitting there across the desk from me. 50% of the people that suffer your kind of stroke die before they get to the hospital. The other 50% die in the hospital." It's been six years now since her stroke and all she takes is an aspirin tablet as a blood thinner in the morning and a small blood pressure tablet before bed. Every time I, or a doctor takes her blood pressure is is in the neighborhood of 117/62. I have no doubt that she will outlive me. Many folks have said, and I believe that God permitted me to live in order to be her caregiver, as he sees and knows all things and knew what was going to happen to her. I know that God hears prayers. I do believe that he can heal those who request healing or have it requested in their behalf. I've lived it and seen it twice.


I guess that's the end of my story, but I wanted to make a comment to all who will read it. This Castboolits Forum of ours is unique in that although it's primary purpose is for the discussion and sharing of knowledge of our great hobby, it also seems to be a vehicle for the advancement and discussion of Christian beliefs. There are those who believe, and those who contend, question, and scoff. It is fascinating to see those of the latter persuasion and viewpoint keep returning to the threads that discuss Christian beliefs to express their doubt and negativity, almost like a moth drawn to the flame. There is something that keeps pulling them back. After all, no one makes them visit these threads and argue or comment--they just can't seem to help it. If there is something I don't like, find distasteful, or don't believe, I don't participate. Whether they want to believe it or not, and recognize it or not, something is pulling them. They're searching, looking, but can't see the forest for the trees. May God bless you all, my friends, and grant you good health.

Once again, I kept my promise. Thank you Father God for what you did for me first, and then my wife.

[Blackwater]

Let me guess......when you had cancer you were never treated with any drugs. I'm going to pray tonight for a full head of hair. Maybe if I pray all night I'll end up with enough so you don't see my balding head. I too was sick when I was young and had a fever of 104 and it was climbing. I prayed and so did my mother but I give credit for the shot in the butt I got.

That's always an option and one explanation for it. But something tells me that when you were going through it, you were grateful for those prayers IN ADDITION to the shot. "There are no atheists in foxholes," comes to mind strongly here.

At the moment just before death, when we know we're dying and about to cross over the threshold into that unknown realm from which no traveller returns, what will your attitude be then? You can claim you'll "stick to your guns" all day long, but I won't believe it. When one sees that door swinging open, and you know you're going to be drawn into it, I suspect your thought will be "Forgive me, Lord! I just wasn't thinking right!"

By not realizing that now, you lock out the very real joy that life can give us, and you limit all your relationships by your existentalist views. You can't REALLY love someone unless you truly believe it really matters. To try to do that is "cherry picking" what you accept and what you deny, and that's just not much of a way to deal with the one life you have to live.

Belief and faith is stronger than ANYTHING this world can confront us with, if we simply let it be. Denial is emptiness, plain and simple, and how anyone regards the wonders of this finite realm God created for us as being "empty" is, very simply, beyond me. It just doesn't make any real sense when it's tested.

I think many very devout Christians come to REAL belief due to challenges like the ones you're facing right now. Faith, untested, can never grow or be set in concrete, like it was intended for us to hold it. It all makes sense, UNLESS we simply get "tired" of dealing with it, and decide to deny it. Ol' Lucifer is strong and smart, and tempts us in whatever ways we're most susceptible to. We have to really THINK to keep ourselves on the right path - the one that brings us happiness, satisfaction, and the simple strength to endure the bad times and come out on the final end of it better, stronger, more lucid and humble and grateful.


I can't remember the verse (maybe someone here can?), but one of the apostles said that we are to be grateful for our trials in this life, because it's those times that we grow the most, and find our "wings" in this life, so that we can soar above all the cares and woes of life that so pock-mark this realm we're living in now. But if we carry our loads well, and finish the run with an acceptable degree of honor and faith, we're then rewarded beyond our ability to fully comprehend. But the faithless and haughty and deniers will not be able to share that, and must be dealt with very differently.

We reward those among us who simply win foot races, or ball games. How could it be different in the afterlife? Again, it all makes sense unless you're determined to deny God and prayer because of your suffering and desires. We all WANT things to be easy in this life, but they never are, and sooner or later, we're all tested, and tested sorely. It may be a different test for each of us, but it's all still a sore and unpleasant test, that goes against our OWN wills. But how else COULD we really be tested, and given a simple opportunity to show what we truly ARE on the inside of us? Tests are necessary, even if we can't find it within us to enjoy it. We've been instructed to be grateful for the tests we face. I know it's hard to ENJOY these times, but there's a REASON for everything that happens to us in this life. While Job may not have understood WHY he was being tested as he faced all the challenges Satan placed before him, he simply kept the faith, and slogged along through all of them, and when Lucifer could not break his faith, God rewarded him more than he'd been rewarded before all this. God IS fair. We sin, and thus earn the bad times in our lives, and even our existence is a blessing. But that sin is forgivable because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, who ELECTED to suffer in our stead, so we could have all the things we have today, the bad along with the good. And all we have to do to be granted Heaven after this life, is to remain steadfast, and simply keep our faith. That's all. How can that be viewed as "unfair?"

[Boaz]

I'm going to participate in this thread to keep a promise. The promise was made to God, that I would always tell this story of how he helped me, and subsequently my wife, if asked. I guess this thread is a request to tell that story, one that I could easily ignore. No one likes to be ridiculed or criticized for their beliefs. But I have to keep my word.

I was an extremely healthy person most of my life. When I arrived at age 67 I awoke one morning with pains in my left shoulder. I thought that it was probably the result of sleeping on it, as I prefer to sleep with my arm out and a pillow between my head and shoulder. Over the next few days it didn't go away and I just slept on the right side. Then the pain progressed to my neck, first at the base and then went upward. Then I developed marble sized lumps on the back of my head and neck which were probably infected lymph nodes. Then the pain progressed over to the right shoulder, so that I wasn't able to sleep on either side or on my back. I started sleeping sitting up. I consulted the local M.D. who took some blood samples and who told me, "You have an unknown internal infection. Something is killing all of your white blood corpuscles as soon as your body produces them, and you're losing." He referred me to an oncologist. I saw the oncologist every few days and he'd have 5 to 7 vials of blood taken. The news was always the same, "I don't know what's wrong with you, but you don't have"...a long list of maladies. They gave me every test they could think of, various scans and trips through tunnels, etc. I asked them for antibiotics, anything that might help. The answer was always the same, "We don't know what's wrong with you, so we can't treat you." They did nothing for me except draw blood time after time. I grew weaker by the day, and the night finally came when I went to bed, about 6:00 p.m. actually, and I knew that I was going to die. Before I got into bed I said, to God, "Sir, I know you're busy, and I know that I prayed about this to you before, but I wanted to remind you how bad off I am, and just say respectfully that if you're going to help me it should be tonight because I don't think I'll be around in the morning." I passed out, went to sleep, became unconscious, knew nothing. Then, at about 1:00 a.m. I felt cold. I woke up and found that I was dripping wet. It was like I had just climbed out of a swimming pool. My underwear was soaked, the sheets were soaked. All I could do was towel off, put on some dry underwear, and go back to bed sleeping on a towel. When I woke up again, about 8:00 a.m., I was soaked again. I still had the lumps on the neck and pains all over, but over the next two months things began to improve. About six months later I was pretty well able to get around and lift and move things, etc. At that point, one morning, July 10, 2010 to be exact, I heard my wife in the bathroom. I called and asked, "Are you getting up?" and she replied, "I think so." Then I heard a "Thump". I called out, "Are you all right?" No answer. I went to the bathroom and found the door closed. I had to push it open carefully, and found that she was lying on the floor with her head against the door. I was able to get one arm in and gently push it to one side so that I could gradually get it fully opened. She was unconscious making little moaning noises and obviously close to death. I phoned for the paramedics. They arrived in good time and went to work on her, and soon the ambulance arrived. They transported her to the regional medical center located about 35 miles away, and when she was wheeled into the emergency room she began to have a massive heart attack. That was because she had suffered a brain aneurysm and her cranial cavity was being flooded with blood and her life functions were beginning to shut down. If you don't know what an aneurysm is, it is when the wall of a blood vessel weakens and begins to swell out like a balloon filled with blood. When it bursts you have what is called a hemorrhagic stroke. When next I saw her she was in intensive care with one nurse doing nothing but care for her. Every opening in her body had a tube coming out of it and there were lots of wires attached to her and various machines. It was just like on TV or in the movies, blip, blip, blip, except for her brain which showed no activity at all. The doctor that was in charge of the Intensive Care Unit for that day was a elderly lady who happened to be a Neurosurgeon. She told me that for all intents and purposes my wife was dead, being kept alive only by the machines, and that if they were unplugged she would die. She wanted me to go home and think about what I wanted to do. I pretty much knew the answer because my wife and I had talked about it several times in the past, that we did not want to be kept alive artificially. Our Minister showed up and he, I, and my daughter prayed beside my wife. The minister prayed aloud and paced about a bit while doing it. He asked that if he was willing that God heal and restore my wife, but of course that His will be done in the matter. I went home to make the hard decision. I knew what it would be, but getting up the resolve to say, "Pull the plugs" is very, very hard when you truly love the person. I went back the next morning and told the Neurosurgeon that I'd made up my mind. She said, "Well, I'd be reluctant to withdraw life support now. During the night we saw her move her foot twice." As a result she was take by helicopter to Portland, OR, Oregon Health and Science University Hospital, a truly amazing place. She was in their Intensive Care Unit for over two weeks, and then in Critical Care for another two weeks. I visited her about every third day and watched her begin to slowly "come back". After she left Intensive Care I walked into her room one day and asked, "Do you remember who I am? Who am I?" She replied, "You're my husband." I sat down in an arm chair. She said, "Who is that sitting on the sofa?" There was no one (visible) there. I asked, "Where is he exactly?" She pointed at the sofa about three steps away. I went over to the sofa and sat on the end and asked, "Do you still see him?" "Yes." I moved over a cushion toward the center. "Do you still see him?" "Yes." I moved to the center. "Do you still see him?" "No, he's gone now." "What did he look like?" "He was shiny. I couldn't see him clearly." After being in OHSU for a month she transferred to a nursing home for another six weeks, then I took her home. Thankfully I had good insurance as her bills totaled about one million dollars, and I paid about six thousand. Thirty days after her stroke the neurosurgeon who had been her doctor in Portland wanted a follow up visit. He said to her, "I'm so glad to see you sitting there across the desk from me. 50% of the people that suffer your kind of stroke die before they get to the hospital. The other 50% die in the hospital." It's been six years now since her stroke and all she takes is an aspirin tablet as a blood thinner in the morning and a small blood pressure tablet before bed. Every time I, or a doctor takes her blood pressure is is in the neighborhood of 117/62. I have no doubt that she will outlive me. Many folks have said, and I believe that God permitted me to live in order to be her caregiver, as he sees and knows all things and knew what was going to happen to her. I know that God hears prayers. I do believe that he can heal those who request healing or have it requested in their behalf. I've lived it and seen it twice.


I guess that's the end of my story, but I wanted to make a comment to all who will read it. This Castboolits Forum of ours is unique in that although it's primary purpose is for the discussion and sharing of knowledge of our great hobby, it also seems to be a vehicle for the advancement and discussion of Christian beliefs. There are those who believe, and those who contend, question, and scoff. It is fascinating to see those of the latter persuasion and viewpoint keep returning to the threads that discuss Christian beliefs to express their doubt and negativity, almost like a moth drawn to the flame. There is something that keeps pulling them back. After all, no one makes them visit these threads and argue or comment--they just can't seem to help it. If there is something I don't like, find distasteful, or don't believe, I don't participate. Whether they want to believe it or not, and recognize it or not, something is pulling them. They're searching, looking, but can't see the forest for the trees. May God bless you all, my friends, and grant you good health.

Once again, I kept my promise. Thank you Father God for what you did for me first, and then my wife.

Thank you .

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Por nada!

[Pine Baron]

Der Gebirgsjager, Thank you. All Glory to God.

[Blackwater]

Cer G, please accept my thanks as well for your poignant and uplifting story. There are SO many like this about, but people, for whatever inexplicable reason, just don't seem to relate them very often. That's a shame, since stories like this show so clearly how God truly DOES work in our world, and how prayer can and does make such crucial differences.

We all tend to serve OUR wants and will, so easily and fluidly and typically. I think God made us like that so we'd just simply survive. But He ALSO gave us the soul within us, that we might, if we'll but do it, be guided by MUCH more than mere survival. We were never intended to be a bunch of uncontrolled wants and desires. We were made, originally, to be FAR more than just that.

Stories like yours really illustrate that so poignantly! And they're so easy to understand if we simply don't carry a shield of denial around in front of us, batting away all the evidences of what truly IS in this world. Thank you, and FWIW, it is FAR from being "nothing!" Stories like yours reaffirm and validate and strengthen the faith of believers, and just makes the deniers look like a doe caught in your headlights at night. They have nothing with which to deal with stories like yours. They can mock and deny 'till earth passes away, but it's still there, right in front of them, if they'll but put down their shield and simply accept the reality of it. That's what makes it far from being "nothing." Thanks. We all need to reaffirm and strengthen our belief. After all, we're only human.

[GhostHawk]

Great story!

[TXGunNut]

Never, never, never underestimate the power of prayer. We are, after all, praying to an all-powerful God. His will be done but our prayers are heard< no doubt about it.

[6bg6ga]

Religion is nothing more than a psychological need to believe in a higher being than ourselves. A lot of nice stories that have some of you with a feel good feeling in your gut but in reality is probably nothing more than a coincidence. I've seen no medical evidence to support any such claim. Nothing has been brought forward to support the so called cancer or acute problems. The only thing that has been stated was "I was sick and I prayed" its not enough for me. I've had one incidence in my life where I experienced an individual make a miracle recovery. The cancer was documented by a whole department. The individual had a whole convent of nuns praying for her for about a month and the cancer went away. The incident was also investigated by the catholic church and was found to have merit. So, what I have read so far isn't backed up with any proof as far as the Cancer or the acute medical condition therefore is nothing more than coincidence that you happened to pray and your problem was gone.
I'm amazed that none of you claim to play with poisonous snakes and the power of prayer would not only keep you from getting bit but if you did get bit you wouldn't die as a result. Someone recently within the last year or so got bit by an eastern diamond back rattlesnake and died so I guess the power of prayer didn't happen to work in this instance. I frequent a lot of churches and what I see would amaze you. I had one Baptist preacher tell me the devil made him fall and after getting up from his fall he promptly prayed and his shoulder that he hurt was instantly better. Give me a brake....... I have no love for the devil as its all of the good vers evil thing. If there is a devil I doubt that he/she/it would target a Baptist preacher so that an injury would result. The reality of this whole thing is some of you people lead such a screwed up life that you need to believe there is something out there and that something is a god and that god is going to waste his time watching insignificant people like yourselves so that he can work a miracle or two. I believe in a God simply because we didn't just happen into existence but I also believe we are nothing more than a simple amusement and when God tires of us we will be gone in a split second. So, please no moronic comments like "I will pray for you" from any of you. You all are free to believe in whatever you wish to the extent that you wish and keep it to yourselves please.