Posted on 01/05/2007 6:55:11 PM PST by mkjessup
Prayers up!
Thoughts and prayers are with you...
prayer bump
Prayers
Prayers sent for your Dad and his family.
Prayers up for your Dad and your family.
Good Evening Everyone...
A little past 10:00 pm EDT.
My apologies for not being able to keep up with this thread today, and I know there are also private mails I have not answered yet - thank you all for your prayers and kindnesses, I can tell you that Dad is holding his own for now, although he isn't eating enough to really get his strength back up, this man that used to weigh around 225 on a 6 foot frame is down to around 130 and the only possible benefit to that is that his heart isn't having to work quite so hard to carry the greater weight, but I know that he's lost a great deal of muscle mass and that's not good.
And yet, Dad has moments of clarity and still shows an interest in the daily routine of things, and that is encouraging. Dad's doctor has said that he doesn't believe it is very likely Dad will be going home with Mom any time soon, however it is possible Dad might unexpectedly begin to improve and gain strength, the doctor said "he's seen that happen before". The key is to get more nutrition into Dad and we're doing all we can in that area.
I know my Mom and Dad are both very grateful for your continued prayers and thoughtfulness, as am I and all of our family. Dad has always been a very private person when it comes to his faith in God, but in these recent days he has begun to talk of the Lord more openly, and in some ways that alarms me because of the possibility that he senses that perhaps he will soon be called home. In any event I will do as he has always told me, which is to trust God in all things.
Thank you again my FRiends, knowing you are with us during this difficult time is something which means more than words can express, and you are likewise: in my prayers too.
Bless you and Goodnight.
Best,
Mark (MKJ)
Prayers for Dad and Mom and the rest of the family for as long as needed.
Prayers going up for you and your Dad and Mom
Prayers offered.
9:00 am EDT 7 January 2007
Good Morning my FRiends,
Dad isn't doing so well this morning, all he wants to do is sleep, and isn't as responsive as he was. His doctor seems to think that his time is nearing an end. It is impossible to say if Dad will be with us another day, or another week, month or more - which is as it is with any of us for our lives are predetermined by Almighty God.
I continue to believe that our Great Physician might yet work a miracle with my Dad, and I will hold on to that belief. I remember when my GrandDad passed on, I was young and naive but my mind believed that if I could but put my hand on my GrandDad's shoulder even when he was in his casket, that I could raise him up through the Power of Christ, why? Because I read it in the Bible, and I wanted that more than anything on this Earth at that time.
Needless to say, my efforts were 'less than hoped for'.
What my immature mind did not understand is that our human wants and needs cannot trump the Greater Plan which is God's, and God's alone. He alone gives life, and He alone determines how much of it each of us shall have.
So, I will hold on to what I concede might be considered a childlike and naive belief and faith that Dad might still pull out of this, but I must also accept and temper my desire with the reality that God's Will indeed, shall be Done.
I thank you all for your continued prayers and thoughts, Mom is doing pretty good I have to say, she told me this morning not to worry about her because in her own words she said "Your Mother is a tough cookie", and indeed she is.
May the Lord Bless you and keep you all.
Mark
Thanks for posting your prayer request about your father. Prayers up, with thanks to God in advance because He cares.
.
A Prayer of Healing for MKJ's Dad:
"Almighty GOD,
...if it be Your will...
...please Heal him with Your LOVE.
...If it not be Your will then...
...please Heal his Fear"
AMEN
.
We're still here with you...
Good Evening FRiends...
Coming up on 10:00 pm EDT.
Thank you again everyone, for the support and the prayers and encouragement, you are all demonstrating that the power of prayer IS the most powerful implement we have in the spiritual tool belt, and you are all appreciated so much.
Today Dad was a little more lucid although he had a 'theme' to his conversation which was to tell us to be sure and take care of Mom, he seems to tolerate only short visits and then he becomes insistent that we should all go, so we naturally honor that request and give him some time. Mom is doing ok, and I know she is finding new strength, in no small part from your lifting our family up in prayer.
A minister friend of my Uncle came by and talked with Dad, prayed with him, and generally had a good visit. I have the sense that Dad is perceiving things more in the spiritual realm, and of course that can mean any number of things.
I remain hopeful for a dramatic and miraculous recovery, because if I have learned anything in my brief life (I'm past the half century mark now), it is that God truly loves what I call the 'photo-finish', right when everything appears to be hopeless, looks like all is lost, no chance, time to give up, and suddenly like a thunderbolt from out of nowhere, God demonstrates His Power, which requires no effort at all on His part, and I believe that if it is within His Will, that Dad will ultimately rise up from what is surely his deathbed right now, and walk out under his own power.
Either way, Dad is going to be healed. Because even if the above described miracle that I wish for doesn't come to pass, Dad will then be healed from the ravages of time and disease, and in that Moment, he will be ushered into Eternity by our Lord and Saviour, where our loved ones await for us all.
I thank you again, and I pray for God's Blessings upon you all.
Goodnight my FRiends.
Mark
Mark, as we are praying for your dad, you, and your family - your words have been inspiring and have ministered to me and I'm sure to others on this prayer thread. It is evident that the Lord has surrounded you with his grace. May God continue to bless you and your family.
Prayers up for your Mom and Dad, and you, too. May God grant you all strength, healing, and the inner peace only He can provide.
Hello my FRiends.
It is coming up on Noontime EDT and I believe that I most likely spoke with my Dad for the last time a short while ago. His condition is deteriorating, and while we cannot know how much longer he will be with us, I can see that his time with us is nearly at an end.
Dad has been slipping in and out of consciousness but he did seem to understand me when I told him how proud I am to be his son, and how proud I am that he is my Dad. I told him that his parents are waiting for him, and that it's ok now, that we'll take care of Mom and for him not to worry. I told him that the Lord is with him, and that I love him, and he very faintly was able to tell me he loves me too.
I have asked God to help my Dad to now let go, to grant him peace and rest, that perhaps he might go to sleep now, to then suddenly awaken in the presence of the Lord God Almighty, who wert, and art, and evermore shall be.
My Mom, my family and I will always be grateful for all of your loving prayers, thoughts and encouragement during this time, and as I have said in the past on different occasions to people I may never meet, it is my hope that we will all meet one Day in our Father's House so I may thank each and every one of you personally.
And then, I can introduce you to my Dad, Mom and our family.
May the Lord keep you all in His Hands until that Time.
Thank You and Bless You.
Mark
It is hard to say our final goodbyes to those we love, but we must always remember that our life on earth is but a small portion of the eternal journey of the soul. Prayers for your good father.
I am truly thankful for your father's service to this country. Rest assured, I will keep your father, mother, and you in my prayers. Be hopeful, for what may seem to be dire may turn around and healing take place. This is what I pray.
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