Can You Help A Brother And Sister In Christ?

This is from sister Marsha's post: Marsha's Musings...





As you all know, Shortybear's (Denise) Lovebug (Eddie) has some serious health issues that started on December 23rd. Check her blog if you need more info, and also my post here.

Denise will fill you in on Eddie and her love for him and the Lord. If you haven't read her post from today, it's beautiful! What she won't tell you is about their great financial need right now. That's where I come in. She and Eddie have given me permission to share their need with you.

Denise has been there for all of us, the pray and encourage. Now we are blessed to be able to help them during this extremely difficult time.

Here's what's going on right now:

Because of her own health issues, Denise is unable to work or drive. She has never collected disability because Eddie's income was always more than the maximum allowed by Social Security.
Right now they have no income. Eddie is on short term disability until January 14, then he will be re-evaluated.That's only approximately $230. The doctors have already said he would not be able to go back to his previous job because they say he will not regain filling in his legs and left arm. So, more than likely they will declare him permanently disabled.
Eddie can not drive a car in his present condition. So, his mother takes them to all of his physical therapy appointments, which are 5 days a week. Each appointment has a $25 co-pay - that's $125 a week.
Eddie desires to work, but he will need to finish his physical rehab and then go on to vocational rehab.
They have no money! They were able to pay their rent and utilities for the month, but they have nothing else left. They have a car payment of $343.75 due January 14th, after that, they will be late.
Here's the plan to help them financially:

Some have already sent me money and I've forwarded it on to them this week (a total of $200). Thank you so much!
Denise Walden (Samaritan Women) and I will be hosting a blog that will contain a PayPal Donate Now button. When we have the bank account and paypal account open next week sometime, we will be able to say under all of our buttons, "To Donate Now click here" and it will take everyone right to the page.
In the meantime, they need money NOW! If you can send a gift of any amount, contact me and I will give you their mailing address so you can send a financial gift of any size and/or card. Even $10 will make a difference.
Think of creative ways to promote this on your blog. I'm asking our blog community to sustain them for several months until they get on their feet with various sources of income.
Remember, they need:

Car payment for this month
Rent for February
Utilities for February
Phone for this month
Food
Medication
$125 a week (minimum) for co-pay for Physical Therapy and doctor visits.
I will be going to see them next week. I'm 3 hours away. During that time, I'll help her with whatever she needs, take her to Department of Human Services to see what kinds of assistance are out there to help them right now (if she hasn't been there by then).

If any of you all live within an hour or two of Chattanooga, TN and can give her a hand, please let her know. When this happened, they were in the process of looking for a new church, so there's not the local support there for them like they need.

How to pray:

Complete healing for Eddie. He's suffering from a cord compression.
Denise's health. She's so focused on him, I'm afraid she's not taking proper care of herself.
Emotional well being. They are pretty discouraged.
Wisdom for the doctors
Peace and acceptance of His will for their lives.
"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:13-15

He Sees And Hears Everything

A group of blue uniformed inmate workers were walking down the hallway.They just finished working at the jail's kitchen. I was right behind them, on my way to the Clinic to just start my shift. They were in a neat row, in a long line. Except they were talking loud when they were not allowed to.

“Be quiet!” a command flooded the whole hallway that emanated from hidden speakers. To the surprise of the inmate workers. They didn’t know that all of their movements were being watched, their conversations being listened to. A sudden silence ensued. They kept marching toward the units where they were housed. It was just the footsteps that reverberated. Nothing else.

I know that there is Someone Who sees me and my thoughts, too. 24/7. I love Psalm 139. Why? Because God knows all about us. We cannot hide from Him. He made us.

Psalm 139:

1*LORD, when you look at me you know all about me.
2You know when I sit down. And you know when I get up. You understand what I am thinking about (even when you are) far away.
3You see when I go (somewhere). And you see when I stay (at home).You remember everything that I do!
4For example, before I say a word, *LORD, you know all about it.
5You are all round me, in front (of me) and behind (me). You have put your *hand upon me.
6What you know (about me) is *wonderful. I cannot understand it. It is so high that I cannot climb up to it.
7Where can I go from your *Spirit? How can I run away from you?
8If I went up to *heaven, you would be there. If I went down to *Sheol, you would be there also.
9If I went: ·to where the sun rises (in the east)
·to the other side of the sea (in the west)
10your hand would be there. It would be my guide. Your right hand would give me help.
11If I say:
·I am sure that *darkness will hide me
·or, the light round me will change into night,
12*darkness and light are the same to you!
*Darkness is not dark to you.
The night shines as bright as the day (to you).
13But you, you made every part of me. You made me grow in my mother’s *womb.
14I *praise you for the *mysterious and *wonderful way that you made me. I know very well that everything that you made is *wonderful.
15(Nothing) hid my body from you when I was growing in a secret place. This happened deep in the earth.
16Your eyes saw my body growing. Before I had lived one day, you wrote in your book how long I should live for!
17You have so many ideas, God. They are so difficult for me to understand.
18If I could count them all, there would be more than the *grains of sand (by the side of the sea). I would have to live (as long) as you to count them all!
19God, I hope that you will kill the *wicked (people)! And go away from me you *men of blood (murderers).
20They are your enemies. They say bad things about you that are not true.
21Do I *hate them that hate you, *LORD? Do I really hate them that attack you?
22(Yes) I do hate them, I really hate them. I think of them as my enemies.
23Look at me, God. And know (what is in) my *heart. Look into my mind and know my thoughts.
24See if I am doing anything bad that might hurt me.
And lead me in the old ways.

I am glad that we can’t out-run God. Because that means that we are always in His care. God’s mercy truly runs deep. Thank You Lord!

[Please silence my playlist if you want to listen to this beautiful song]:

Along With Pride, Destruction!

One unit deputy called me and asked for a nurse to evaluate 2 inmates who just had a fight. I didn’t go into details why these 2 cellies [cell mates] fought. As I waited in a small clinic inside that unit, the man approached me, escorted by the deputy. His blood was dripping like a faucet. I found a laceration from his mid-forehead. I controlled his bleeding before I noticed the other injuries. He had scattered scratches on his torso. His left eye, circled with a dark halo. He sat quietly in front of me, the whole time. He was in a somber mood. I planned to send him to the hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

As the deputy kept him in a holding cell, he brought out the other inmate involved. Smiling sheepishly, I could feel his arrogance as he sat in front of me.

“Did you get hit?”

“Nope! I think I only had these fingers broken. That’s about it,” he answered, still smiling wide and holding his head high. [He stated that to make us know that he felt good that he hit the other guy bad!].

“No, they’re not broken!” I answered. [There were only mild swelling, as a result of him, hitting the other inmates, perhaps non-stop and hard]. He only had 1 minor scratch on his back but he didn’t have any other injuries. Not like the battered man.

“You can take him now, deputy,” I uttered. “Just put a sick call request if anything comes up,” I told that inmate.

“I’m fine,” he answered with his head so high as he turned it briefly toward the other man being kept in a nearby holding cell.

What did that inmate's pride gain for himself? He would definitely get more days or even months added to his sentence. He might gain power when this news about this fight would reach by hearsay to other inmates. But would everyone be scared of him just because he was unscathed? He would be inviting other inmates, hungry for power, to strike him in the end.

Having arrogance in our hearts can be deceiving. He thinks that he is indestructible. The truth is we are all mortals. We all get hurt. Our strength diminishes. Power does not offer the best security.

Like when we defy God’s commandments. We are being proud. That will bring us nowhere. We may feel good about doing whatever we want to do. But take heed of deceiving ourselves as to our souls! Don’t be fools who grants favor to an earthly prince. While you throw yourself out of God’s favor.

Let us not fear pride in others. But let us fear pride in OURSELVES.

Proverbs 16:18 - “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Jeremiah 49:16 - “As for the terror of you, The arrogance of your heart has deceived you, O you who live in the clefts of the rock, who occupy the height of the hill. Though you make your nest as high as an eagle's, I will bring you down from there," declares the LORD.

Who's Willing To Prevent The Greatest Human Tragedy?

“Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself, be sure of that.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

Swiping my electronic key to open the metal door in our staff parking, I heard someone hollered from the back, “Hey Rcubes! They just had a code blue there earlier!”

Glancing to where the greeting came from, I saw my co-worker who worked PM shift waving at me, on her way home.

The air was clear when I got to the jail‘s Infirmary. There were no more traces of what had transpired earlier during PM shift. The county’s Homicide Unit just got done, so I heard. The flow of adrenaline could still be felt as all the nursing staff was gathered, conversing about this incident.

He was a young man. His life spent on long-time abuse of illegal drugs. He came down to the Clinic after having chest pains. They occurred after he did some “burpies” [prison exercise]. He was very restless as one nurse initiated the EKG. But during the procedure, he started having a seizure and just stopped breathing. Chaos followed. But with those trained hands, precision was important as the game of tug of war began. Tug between life and death. The jail’s doctor was still there. He started the chest compressions as others initiated the IV, and other things they could do to revive this precious life. To no avail.

“Tragic,” one sighed. “He’s still young.”

As the last PM nurse walked out with weary steps, ready to retire to his bed, another shift took over. Ours. Ready for whatever would come our way. Ready to revive any who would go into cardiac arrest. Because that is the nurse’s first and foremost goal. To save. A life.

Tragic as it was to lose that young man’s life, it was even a greater tragedy to lose a soul who did not know God’s gift of forgiveness. That is the greatest human tragedy. To die not knowing Jesus. Because death is inevitable. We all know that. It will come to all of us like a thief in the night. We will all die. We don’t know when. But what happens when we do? The Bible speaks about two eternal destination: heaven and hell. How do we know where we are heading to?

Jesus said, “I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God.” [John 3:3]

“The truth is no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.” [John 3:5,6].

“And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” - Romans 10:15

We, who were revived before by our Savior must return the favor to those needing His salvation. It is a part of our calling to share what we know about Jesus. The Lord had forgiven our sins when we accepted His gift of salvation. He even took us out of “Egypt” [bondage or slavery], then what now? We are granted His promise of an eternal life. So, what do we do as we wait and long for our heavenly home? God loves all of us. He wants all men to be saved.

But let us first keep the true faith. Let’s study it and know it well so we are not defeated by ignorance. Let this faith make us pour our hearts out in prayers, draw nearer to His Word and manifest with our rich, good deeds. Then, we can teach and share the Healing Power of Salvation from Jesus to those needing it, before they face their own tragic, untimely death.

“But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself seriously - take God seriously.” [Micah 6:8; The Message]




Jesus saying: "Trust me and be relieved. I will deliver you."..."Then, why are you just standing still without stretching your hand to them?"