"The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's
attitude in any given set of circumstances."
— Victor Frankl
"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philippians 4:11
Friday, October 31, 2008
It's In The Attitude!
"The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's
attitude in any given set of circumstances."
— Victor Frankl
"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Philippians 4:11
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Caleb's 1st Bible Notes
This past Sunday night while Pastor Allard was preaching, Caleb was doing his usual picture drawing and scribbling in his notebook that he takes to church, nothing unusual. Then over half way through the message I noticed Sis. Paula sort of leaning over the pew making a comment to my daughter. My daughter was looking down at what my grandson was writing and Kerrie then, with excitement and almost in tears looked up at me and mouthed these words: "He is taking notes about what Pastor is preaching!" I could hardly wait until service was over to read what he had written. What Sis. Paula had said to my daughter was, "He really knows how to take notes doesn't he!" Well I guess he does unbeknown to us for this is what he wrote:
In case you are having trouble making out his spelling, this is what he has written:
like or don't like
one or the other
good or bad
care or not care
saved or not saved
The amazing thing is, Caleb got it right. Pastor said something about Acts 38 and I guess Caleb thought he said Acts 30:8 LOL!!! Pastor preached out of Rev. 3:14-20
That's right right Caleb, we are either going to be saved or not saved. We either like Jesus or we don't. It's one or the other. We are either good or bad. We either care about Jesus or we don't care about Him.
These are the verses that Pastor was expounding on when Caleb began to take notes: verses 15-16
" I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth."
Pastor was expounding on how God wants us to either be cold where He can gather us into His arms and warm us into loving Him again. He can revive, restore us when we are cold. When we are hot, we are on fire for Him. Yet, when we are lukewarm we have that I just don't care anymore attitude and when we get to that point, that is when God is unable to reach us. We don't respond to His touch anymore. We brush Him off when He reaches out to us. We just don't care if God even comes around. When He tries to embrace us with His Love, we reject Him and that is when He says I will spew you out of My mouth because thou art lukewarm.
It thrills my soul to know that even though Caleb is only 7, he does understand the Anointed Word of God that is coming across the pulpit. My prayer is that it will take root deep in his heart and grow strong. That he will become a mighty warrior for the cause of Christ.
Parents and grandparents, don't hesitate to take notes of what the preacher is preaching in church. This is another way to be an example to your children and grandchildren on how to listen to the preacher and to study the Word of God. This will also help them to hide God's Word in their heart that they might not sin against Him. When they run into a trial they can go back to their notes and say "What was it that Pastor or Bro. So and So said in their message about that?" And they can draw strength from their notes from those messages they have heard. They can go back to those scriptures they have written down and look them up again and re-read them and re-enforce the Word of God in their life.
Our children are watching every move we make. How are we teaching them to behave in the house of God? Are we teaching them to sit there with their arms folded and watch their watches and wish the pastor would hurry up so they can go home? Are we teaching them how to pass notes to one another, or write a list of things they need to do, or eat candy, or talk and carry on during the preaching? It is so important for us, as parents and grandparents to be the example we need to be to our children and young people not only in praise, worship, and prayer, but also on how to glean from the preached Word of God.
(Prov 22:6 KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
In case you are having trouble making out his spelling, this is what he has written:
like or don't like
one or the other
good or bad
care or not care
saved or not saved
The amazing thing is, Caleb got it right. Pastor said something about Acts 38 and I guess Caleb thought he said Acts 30:8 LOL!!! Pastor preached out of Rev. 3:14-20
That's right right Caleb, we are either going to be saved or not saved. We either like Jesus or we don't. It's one or the other. We are either good or bad. We either care about Jesus or we don't care about Him.
These are the verses that Pastor was expounding on when Caleb began to take notes: verses 15-16
" I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth."
Pastor was expounding on how God wants us to either be cold where He can gather us into His arms and warm us into loving Him again. He can revive, restore us when we are cold. When we are hot, we are on fire for Him. Yet, when we are lukewarm we have that I just don't care anymore attitude and when we get to that point, that is when God is unable to reach us. We don't respond to His touch anymore. We brush Him off when He reaches out to us. We just don't care if God even comes around. When He tries to embrace us with His Love, we reject Him and that is when He says I will spew you out of My mouth because thou art lukewarm.
It thrills my soul to know that even though Caleb is only 7, he does understand the Anointed Word of God that is coming across the pulpit. My prayer is that it will take root deep in his heart and grow strong. That he will become a mighty warrior for the cause of Christ.
Parents and grandparents, don't hesitate to take notes of what the preacher is preaching in church. This is another way to be an example to your children and grandchildren on how to listen to the preacher and to study the Word of God. This will also help them to hide God's Word in their heart that they might not sin against Him. When they run into a trial they can go back to their notes and say "What was it that Pastor or Bro. So and So said in their message about that?" And they can draw strength from their notes from those messages they have heard. They can go back to those scriptures they have written down and look them up again and re-read them and re-enforce the Word of God in their life.
Our children are watching every move we make. How are we teaching them to behave in the house of God? Are we teaching them to sit there with their arms folded and watch their watches and wish the pastor would hurry up so they can go home? Are we teaching them how to pass notes to one another, or write a list of things they need to do, or eat candy, or talk and carry on during the preaching? It is so important for us, as parents and grandparents to be the example we need to be to our children and young people not only in praise, worship, and prayer, but also on how to glean from the preached Word of God.
(Prov 22:6 KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Blessed Be Your Name
"We can let circumstances rule us, or we can
take charge and rule our lives from within."
— Earl Nightingale
The news my husband and I received this past Friday was not anything we wanted to hear. I tried to act as though it didn't bother me but it did a little bit. Did I say a little bit? No, it bothered me A LOT!!! As the day went on, my nerves became shot. No matter how much I tried to ignore the situation it was there. It plagued me, taunted me, burdened me. Next thing I knew I had a tremendous migraine. "NO STRESS WHATSOEVER" is what my neurologist keeps telling me. Stay away from stress at all cost or you are headed for a major stroke. Well how in the world do you do that in this life, stay away from stress? Well my goodness silly girl, TAKE IT TO JESUS IN PRAYER!!! Don't worry, be happy, He has everything under control. When will I ever learn that? I should have fallen on my knees IMMEDIATELY and given it ALL to Him.
On Saturday night I was suppose to go to the Jr. Conquerors' Rally with my daughter and grandson in Strathmore. Oh, I was so tired. I just wanted to stay home and nurse my migraine. I didn't want to be around anyone or any noise. Yet, I promised Caleb I would go with him, so go, I must.
I went and I had a wonderful time. My daughter sat in front of me with the children. I sat with two other parents and another grandparent. We were laughing and having just as much fun as the Jr. Conquerors were. Sis Marie, Sis Charlene, thank you for making me laugh so hard. I really needed the laughter. Sis. Mae Mae, Girlfriend YOU ARE A RIOT!!! and like SIS. WILSON, you pinned ALL the blame on me for causing disruption in service. How dare you! LOL! It is a good thing you sit on the other side of the Sanctuary at our home church. If you and Paula were to sit next to me, Sis. Wilson, and Brett during service I am afraid we all would be called up to the front row immediately and then to the Pastor's office after service. I am so thankful for the family of God and for the Spirit of the Lord. My burdens were lifted and I found peace in the midst of my storm. There is no place like the arms of God when you are troubled and heavy laden. My God is Soooooo GOOD! He knows just what we need and just when we need it. He is always right on time.
The theme was "Don't Be Clowning Around With Jesus". The games were fun, the young lady who led us in worship with songs did an outstanding job. The object lessons were great. I was so blessed just being there to support our children. They need to know that we are behind them all the way. That they are important to us. They are the future church of tomorrow. The choir from Delano, YOU ROCK!!! Blake, Tony, you guys did awesome on your solos.
Then there was the message by Bro. Josh Tredway. You've all heard the story of the "Three Little Pigs?" Well, He preached on "The Three Little Jr. Conquerors" and let me tell you, it was Outstanding! I enjoyed it as much as the young ones did and I'm 54. Go Figure! He had 3 Jr. Conquerors each playing a part and a house made of straw, sticks, and one of bricks. Then there was the big bad wolf. Everyone played their part as he preached.
The first two Jr. Conquerors got their house blown down by the wolf because they didn't get serious with serving God. They were busy clowning around. When they went to church they didn't pray and worship as they should. They didn't listen to the preaching like they should have. They were to busy writing notes or clowning around during that time. They didn't build their house on a firm foundation. So when the wolf (devil) came along he was able to huff and puff and blow their house down. They ran to the brick house and their they found safety. That Jr. Conqueror built his house on a firm foundation. He prayed and praised and worship God like he should. He listens when the preacher is preaching. So when the wolf (satan) tries to blow down his house it's not going to happen. No clowning around for this Jr. Conqueror. He knows where his safe harbor is. It is in the Lord.
I know now that through this situation the devil tried to knock me down. Oh he huffed and he puffed. He blew and he blew. He tried hard to take me out. He really did his best to keep me home from church Saturday night. Oh but my heart was fixed on Jesus and I had made a promise to my grandson and I can not lie to him. I couldn't let him down. So, try as hard as he did, the devil couldn't take down my house. It is built upon a firm foundation. It is the Word of God and this House is a House of safety and there I find refuge for my soul.
It's Sunday Morning and I am refreshed spiritually from Saturday night's service in Strathmore. Bro. Bryce is leading song service and he begins to sing "Blessed Be Your Name" I love this song and we sing it often but this morning it really touches me when we get to verse two.
Blessed be Your name when the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be, blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name on the road's marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name
But because of the news my husband and I received on Friday, this is where the song really gets ahold of me...
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
"There can only be one solution to any problem:
a change in attitude and in consciousness."
— Gregg Braden
However God chooses to work out this situation, whether
He gives or takes away,
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
"Mirror Mirror On The Wall"
*******************************************************
Shrek, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were all having lunch together.
Shrek said, 'I have always thought that I'm the strongest man in the world, but how can I be sure?'
Angelina Jolie agreed. 'I'm told I'm the most gorgeous of them all, but sometimes I wonder.'
Brad Pitt said, 'I'm pretty sure I'm the sexiest man alive but I've never had it confirmed.'
They all decided that the best way to find out if their beliefs were true was to ask the famed talking 'mirror, mirror on the wall' to confirm for them whether Shrek was the strongest, Angelina Jolie was the most gorgeous and Brad Pitt was the sexiest.
They agreed to meet again the next day for lunch to discuss their findings.
The next day Shrek walked up with a smile. 'Well, it's true.
The mirror told me that I am the strongest man in the world.'
Brad Pitt perked up and said: 'And I know for sure that I'm the most sexist of them all.'
But Angelina Jolie lifted her sad, pretty face and said...
'Who in the world is Jolene Mendoza ?????"
I Know, I Know....
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. Ecclesiastes 1:2
NOW, on a more serious note*****
Proverbs 31:30...Fair looks are a deceit, and a beautiful form is of no value; but a woman who has the fear of the Lord is to be praised. (Bible In Basic English)
Isaiah 61:3...He gives beauty for ashes...
Psalms 149:4...He will beautify the meek with salvation.
1 Peter 3:3-4...Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self (KJV, let it be the hidden man of the heart), the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Girlie Wisdom!
1. A friend of mine confused her Valium with her birth control pills... she has 14 kids but doesn't really care.
2. One of life's mysteries is how a 2-pound box of chocolates can make a woman gain 5 lbs.
3. My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.
4. The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.
5. The nice part about living in a small town is that when you don't know what you are doing, someone else does.
6. The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.
7. Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.
8. Sometimes I think I understand everything, and then I regain consciousness.
9. I gave up jogging for my health when my thighs kept rubbing together and setting fire to my shorts.
10. Amazing! You hang something in your closet for a while and it shrinks 2 sizes!
11. Skinny people irritate me! Especially when they say things like...'You know sometimes I forget to eat!' .....Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name and my keys, but I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!
12. The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing and then they marry him.
13. I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That's my idea of a perfect day!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Is this the kind of tolerance we can expect if Prop 8 loses?
Below is an e-mail I received from American Family Association. Check it out! And the "NO VOTERS" say they are the voice of tolerance and moderation? No! They are trying to FORCE their way down our throats and into the minds of OUR CHILDREN and make it to where we have no say so in OUR CHILDREN'S upbringing whatsoever. We need to make sure we vote "YES ON PROPOSITION 8".
American Family Association
Donald E. Wildmon
Founder and
Chairman
Prop. 8 Supporter Violently Attacked for Distributing Lawn Signs
Last update: 6:42 p.m. EDT Oct. 13, 2008
MODESTO, Calif., Oct 13, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- In a violent display of intolerance, an opponent of Proposition 8 attacked and seriously injured a man who was volunteering on Sunday for the initiative to define marriage as between and a man and a woman.
Prop. 8 supporter, Jose Nunez, 37, was brutally assaulted while waiting to distribute yard signs to other supporters of the initiative after church services at the St. Stanislaus Parish in Modesto.
The assailant grabbed about 75 signs and yelled at Nunez accusingly, "What do you have against gays!" Although Nunez replied that he had nothing against gays, he was attacked anyway. The assailant punched Nunez in the left eye and ran off with the signs.
Nunez, his eye dripping with blood, walked into a building on church grounds where a fellow parishioner called 911. Police and paramedics responded to the scene.
Nunez, who suffered a bloody eye, serious wounds to his face, and a scratch to his knee, was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital where he received 16 stitches under his eye.
According to the Yes on 8 campaign, the attack shows that their opponents are not as tolerant and open-minded as they would like voters to believe.
"It's outrageous that the No campaign calls themselves the voice of tolerance and moderation and wants people to feel bad for supporting Prop. 8. There was nothing tolerant or moderate about beating up Jose," said ProtectMarriage.com-Yes on 8 press secretary Chip White. "Clearly the man who attacked Jose is intolerant of those who support traditional marriage," White added.
Ironically, Nunez, a native of Mexico, became an American citizen two months ago and plans to vote for the first time in November. Nunez, who is recovering and in good spirits, said the attack only strengthens his resolve to help ensure that Prop. 8 passes.
"The other side wants to intimidate us, but we can't stop standing up for traditional marriage. I may be bloody and bruised, but I'm not giving up. Protecting traditional marriage is just too important for our kids," said Nunez, the father of three children, ages 9, 5, and 3. "I don't want my kids taught in public school that same sex-marriage is the same as traditional marriage," Nunez added.
Nunez has been forced to take time off work to recover. It was not immediately clear how much Nunez will suffer in medical expenses and lost wages.
Anyone who is interested in contributing funds toward Nunez's medical expenses or lost wages may contact the campaign at info@protectmarriage.com.
The campaign asks those who have been attacked, threatened, or had yard signs stolen to file a police report and to email the campaign.
SOURCE ProtectMarriage.com
American Family Association
Donald E. Wildmon
Founder and
Chairman
Prop. 8 Supporter Violently Attacked for Distributing Lawn Signs
Last update: 6:42 p.m. EDT Oct. 13, 2008
MODESTO, Calif., Oct 13, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- In a violent display of intolerance, an opponent of Proposition 8 attacked and seriously injured a man who was volunteering on Sunday for the initiative to define marriage as between and a man and a woman.
Prop. 8 supporter, Jose Nunez, 37, was brutally assaulted while waiting to distribute yard signs to other supporters of the initiative after church services at the St. Stanislaus Parish in Modesto.
The assailant grabbed about 75 signs and yelled at Nunez accusingly, "What do you have against gays!" Although Nunez replied that he had nothing against gays, he was attacked anyway. The assailant punched Nunez in the left eye and ran off with the signs.
Nunez, his eye dripping with blood, walked into a building on church grounds where a fellow parishioner called 911. Police and paramedics responded to the scene.
Nunez, who suffered a bloody eye, serious wounds to his face, and a scratch to his knee, was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital where he received 16 stitches under his eye.
According to the Yes on 8 campaign, the attack shows that their opponents are not as tolerant and open-minded as they would like voters to believe.
"It's outrageous that the No campaign calls themselves the voice of tolerance and moderation and wants people to feel bad for supporting Prop. 8. There was nothing tolerant or moderate about beating up Jose," said ProtectMarriage.com-Yes on 8 press secretary Chip White. "Clearly the man who attacked Jose is intolerant of those who support traditional marriage," White added.
Ironically, Nunez, a native of Mexico, became an American citizen two months ago and plans to vote for the first time in November. Nunez, who is recovering and in good spirits, said the attack only strengthens his resolve to help ensure that Prop. 8 passes.
"The other side wants to intimidate us, but we can't stop standing up for traditional marriage. I may be bloody and bruised, but I'm not giving up. Protecting traditional marriage is just too important for our kids," said Nunez, the father of three children, ages 9, 5, and 3. "I don't want my kids taught in public school that same sex-marriage is the same as traditional marriage," Nunez added.
Nunez has been forced to take time off work to recover. It was not immediately clear how much Nunez will suffer in medical expenses and lost wages.
Anyone who is interested in contributing funds toward Nunez's medical expenses or lost wages may contact the campaign at info@protectmarriage.com.
The campaign asks those who have been attacked, threatened, or had yard signs stolen to file a police report and to email the campaign.
SOURCE ProtectMarriage.com
Monday, October 13, 2008
Thank You from Jared Doran
Below is a Thank you e-mail I received from Jared to everyone who has prayed for him and the family during this time of loss in their lives. I am posting it so that those of you who have prayed for them can read his expression of appreciation. I too, want to say thank you for your prayers on their behalf. God Bless you each and everyone.
To everyone,
October 2nd I had a delivery just 15min away from Mena, AR. Well, what’s a guy in love supposed to do, the woman of his dreams was getting off work in just a little bit. I, of course, drove the fifteen minutes out of my way to surprise her as she was walking out of the bank. I was in my unmarked delivery van so she had no idea it was me. In fact, she told me she was thinking, who is this moron, don’t they know we are closed? When she saw me she got the biggest grin on her face and asked, “what are you doing here?” We got to spend a little over an hour together that day, which was the last time I would ever see her conscious.
God is so merciful. It feels weird to say that when I just lost the most precious and dearest person in my life. I feel lost, but at the same time, I feel like I am full of purpose.
On October 5th at 7:20am I was startled awake by the phone ringing. Kayla doesn’t usually call me quite that early and it scared me. I sat right up in bed and grabbed the phone. It was Krista, Kayla’s sister. She said that Kayla had woken up in pain and when she went to use the restroom she had collapsed and started having seizures. When they had called an ambulance Kayla stopped breathing. They ended up having to resuscitate her twice in Mena. I ran into my parent’s bedroom yelling that Kayla was in trouble and bad sick and we needed to go. It’s a 2-½ hour drive and I was impatient. Dad jumped on the computer and sent out some emails for prayer while mom was in the shower. We left and only got about 45 minutes down the road when Bob, Kayla’s dad, called and said her condition was bad enough that they were moving her to Little Rock. They where just waiting on the fog to clear up so they could fly. We got to the hospital around 10am and her helicopter got to the hospital around 1pm. I sat in the emergency room with her for an hour or so praying and they told us they were moving her up to ICU. They told us she had 2 huge blood clots in her lungs that had blocked both of her main arteries. She had, had 3 heart attacks and had to be resuscitated 3 times, that they were scared of brain damage. I sat with her for as many hours as family would let me. I held her hand in to the wee hours of the morning talking, singing, praying, and hoping that God would do the miraculous in the way I thought He should.
By Wednesday night I had only 3 or fours of sleep, and most of that was sitting by Kayla or in a recliner. I was exhausted to say the least. But I didn’t want to leave the hospital for more than just a few hours. She just wasn’t responding the way the doctors said that she should. Well, when the nurse that night was cleaning out her lungs Kayla made 4 attempts to cough, which she hadn’t done up to this time. This was a big deal that put lots of hope in my heart and gave me a kind of peace. Mom talked me into going home to get some sleep so I went home earlier than I had, and slept about 10 hours or so and got back to the hospital around noon. She hadn’t tried to cough again, and that scared me. When I went into her room at 12:30pm or so I put my hand on hers and it was cool, I felt her arm and it was also cool, as was her shoulders and forehead. Even her feet were cold. I felt her feet and they were cold so I put a blanket on her and sat down next to her knowing that this was probably the last day or two we would get to spend together.
I had shed a ‘boat load’ of tears up to this point and was sitting there in shock. I couldn’t believe that my life was lying there on that bed slipping out of my grasp. I had prayed so many prayers and hoped beyond hope that this would change. While I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God could raise her up and heal her, I really felt like he wasn’t going to. At the same time I was so scared to feel that way, I thought it lessened my faith. I just had to trust God that he was doing what was in our best interest.
The doctors had told Bob and Sharon they were going to have to make a decision in the next few days if they wanted her to be on life support or not and we were all in agreement that no one wanted to make that decision. We started to pray that God would make that decision for us. If He were going to give her back to us that He would raise her up, if He weren’t that He would take her. It was Thursday now and the doctors said they were running one more test. It would take about 2 hours to conduct and for us to get something to eat or just relax. We all went down to the Cafeteria and everyone was pretty solemn. We came back up and sat around a while when the nurse came out and said the doctor wanted to speak to the whole family and for us to gather in one room. He then told us that there was no increase in brain activity and what he feared was true. She had actually declined quite a bit in the last 48 hours and there was only a small part of her brain working. He told us that as of 4:40 on October the 9th 2008 the state of Arkansas was declaring her brain dead, which is the same as death. We were all so shocked, we felt as if some one had let the air out of the room. Most of us started crying and when I left the room it really started hitting me again. We walked in her room to say goodbye and I could hardly stand. I don’t know how to express the pain I felt. I’m not going to even try.
Bob and Sharon, Krista, Mom and Dad, Pastor and Sister White, and myself were in the room that afternoon weeping. We weren’t just crying we were weeping. All of us, no one was trying to be strong we just wept!!!
Her funeral was today, Monday, October 13th, and it was so beautiful. There was so much pink, Kayla’s favorite color. There were around 450 people there, and Pastor White and my dad did such an awesome job. They had a slide show that everyone cried and laughed through. It is amazingly hard to look, what you thought was your future, in the face and say “I’ll see you up there.”
Kayla was the most amazing woman I have ever met. She was very giving, loving, selfless, and just incredible.
When I was about 17 I started praying for my future wife. I prayed very specifically. I mean very specific. She literally filled every, and I mean every, area that I had prayed about. She was perfect for me!!! She kept me in line. Our love seemed unusually strong we felt like we could go through anything together. We had already come through some tough situations and felt like God had given us the victory over those; we had fought some spiritual battles that only our parents know about.
It’s hard to say goodbye, but then again, I didn’t, I never told her goodbye, and I won’t. I will do exactly what she wanted me to do. I’ll preach, and I will see people get the Holy Ghost under my ministry.
Kayla lived her life so she didn’t have to ‘get right with God’ before she died, she STAYED right with God. She lived her life as a testimony. She literally affected the city of Mena. The mayor and his wife were there. There were so many different kinds of people there at the funeral. Don’t wait getting yourself right with God. DO IT NOW!!! She didn’t have time to ‘pray through’.
I want to say thank you to everyone who has prayed for me and for Kayla and her family. You will never know this side of eternity what that has meant to us. Most of you have received thank you emails from my dad and sister but I wanted to thank you personally. There is no way I could respond, individually, to the MASSIVE amounts of support and prayers we have received. I had to take a week and a half off of work, so thank you for the offerings. I love you all, and please don’t stop praying now.
Jared C Doran
To everyone,
October 2nd I had a delivery just 15min away from Mena, AR. Well, what’s a guy in love supposed to do, the woman of his dreams was getting off work in just a little bit. I, of course, drove the fifteen minutes out of my way to surprise her as she was walking out of the bank. I was in my unmarked delivery van so she had no idea it was me. In fact, she told me she was thinking, who is this moron, don’t they know we are closed? When she saw me she got the biggest grin on her face and asked, “what are you doing here?” We got to spend a little over an hour together that day, which was the last time I would ever see her conscious.
God is so merciful. It feels weird to say that when I just lost the most precious and dearest person in my life. I feel lost, but at the same time, I feel like I am full of purpose.
On October 5th at 7:20am I was startled awake by the phone ringing. Kayla doesn’t usually call me quite that early and it scared me. I sat right up in bed and grabbed the phone. It was Krista, Kayla’s sister. She said that Kayla had woken up in pain and when she went to use the restroom she had collapsed and started having seizures. When they had called an ambulance Kayla stopped breathing. They ended up having to resuscitate her twice in Mena. I ran into my parent’s bedroom yelling that Kayla was in trouble and bad sick and we needed to go. It’s a 2-½ hour drive and I was impatient. Dad jumped on the computer and sent out some emails for prayer while mom was in the shower. We left and only got about 45 minutes down the road when Bob, Kayla’s dad, called and said her condition was bad enough that they were moving her to Little Rock. They where just waiting on the fog to clear up so they could fly. We got to the hospital around 10am and her helicopter got to the hospital around 1pm. I sat in the emergency room with her for an hour or so praying and they told us they were moving her up to ICU. They told us she had 2 huge blood clots in her lungs that had blocked both of her main arteries. She had, had 3 heart attacks and had to be resuscitated 3 times, that they were scared of brain damage. I sat with her for as many hours as family would let me. I held her hand in to the wee hours of the morning talking, singing, praying, and hoping that God would do the miraculous in the way I thought He should.
By Wednesday night I had only 3 or fours of sleep, and most of that was sitting by Kayla or in a recliner. I was exhausted to say the least. But I didn’t want to leave the hospital for more than just a few hours. She just wasn’t responding the way the doctors said that she should. Well, when the nurse that night was cleaning out her lungs Kayla made 4 attempts to cough, which she hadn’t done up to this time. This was a big deal that put lots of hope in my heart and gave me a kind of peace. Mom talked me into going home to get some sleep so I went home earlier than I had, and slept about 10 hours or so and got back to the hospital around noon. She hadn’t tried to cough again, and that scared me. When I went into her room at 12:30pm or so I put my hand on hers and it was cool, I felt her arm and it was also cool, as was her shoulders and forehead. Even her feet were cold. I felt her feet and they were cold so I put a blanket on her and sat down next to her knowing that this was probably the last day or two we would get to spend together.
I had shed a ‘boat load’ of tears up to this point and was sitting there in shock. I couldn’t believe that my life was lying there on that bed slipping out of my grasp. I had prayed so many prayers and hoped beyond hope that this would change. While I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God could raise her up and heal her, I really felt like he wasn’t going to. At the same time I was so scared to feel that way, I thought it lessened my faith. I just had to trust God that he was doing what was in our best interest.
The doctors had told Bob and Sharon they were going to have to make a decision in the next few days if they wanted her to be on life support or not and we were all in agreement that no one wanted to make that decision. We started to pray that God would make that decision for us. If He were going to give her back to us that He would raise her up, if He weren’t that He would take her. It was Thursday now and the doctors said they were running one more test. It would take about 2 hours to conduct and for us to get something to eat or just relax. We all went down to the Cafeteria and everyone was pretty solemn. We came back up and sat around a while when the nurse came out and said the doctor wanted to speak to the whole family and for us to gather in one room. He then told us that there was no increase in brain activity and what he feared was true. She had actually declined quite a bit in the last 48 hours and there was only a small part of her brain working. He told us that as of 4:40 on October the 9th 2008 the state of Arkansas was declaring her brain dead, which is the same as death. We were all so shocked, we felt as if some one had let the air out of the room. Most of us started crying and when I left the room it really started hitting me again. We walked in her room to say goodbye and I could hardly stand. I don’t know how to express the pain I felt. I’m not going to even try.
Bob and Sharon, Krista, Mom and Dad, Pastor and Sister White, and myself were in the room that afternoon weeping. We weren’t just crying we were weeping. All of us, no one was trying to be strong we just wept!!!
Her funeral was today, Monday, October 13th, and it was so beautiful. There was so much pink, Kayla’s favorite color. There were around 450 people there, and Pastor White and my dad did such an awesome job. They had a slide show that everyone cried and laughed through. It is amazingly hard to look, what you thought was your future, in the face and say “I’ll see you up there.”
Kayla was the most amazing woman I have ever met. She was very giving, loving, selfless, and just incredible.
When I was about 17 I started praying for my future wife. I prayed very specifically. I mean very specific. She literally filled every, and I mean every, area that I had prayed about. She was perfect for me!!! She kept me in line. Our love seemed unusually strong we felt like we could go through anything together. We had already come through some tough situations and felt like God had given us the victory over those; we had fought some spiritual battles that only our parents know about.
It’s hard to say goodbye, but then again, I didn’t, I never told her goodbye, and I won’t. I will do exactly what she wanted me to do. I’ll preach, and I will see people get the Holy Ghost under my ministry.
Kayla lived her life so she didn’t have to ‘get right with God’ before she died, she STAYED right with God. She lived her life as a testimony. She literally affected the city of Mena. The mayor and his wife were there. There were so many different kinds of people there at the funeral. Don’t wait getting yourself right with God. DO IT NOW!!! She didn’t have time to ‘pray through’.
I want to say thank you to everyone who has prayed for me and for Kayla and her family. You will never know this side of eternity what that has meant to us. Most of you have received thank you emails from my dad and sister but I wanted to thank you personally. There is no way I could respond, individually, to the MASSIVE amounts of support and prayers we have received. I had to take a week and a half off of work, so thank you for the offerings. I love you all, and please don’t stop praying now.
Jared C Doran
Friday, October 10, 2008
Update On Kayla
I received word that Kayla Pack has gone home to be with the Lord. Thank you to those who have sent up prayers on her behalf. Please continue to keep her fiancee and family in prayer at this difficult time of loss. Their hearts are broken, especially Jared's. He is really taking it hard. They will need the peace and comfort of the Lord at this time in their lives more than ever before.
Blessings to you all for your prayers,
Jolene
Blessings to you all for your prayers,
Jolene
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Prayer Request
Please pray for Kayla Pack who is only 21 years old. If you don't know her situation she is engaged to Jared Doran who is the son of Don and Melinda Doran of Arkansas. Kayla collapsed on Sunday morning and quit breathing. It was because of blood clots in her lungs. She stopped breathing three times and this caused a lack of oxygen to the brain which has caused brain damage. The doctors told the family that there is no upper brain activity. The lower brain is what makes us do things we don't have to think about, like the heart beat and breathing. The upper brain is what makes us who we are. The Doctor's told Kayla's parents they need to get ready to make a decision in the next few days. The doctors have declared Kayla brain dead. They are going to be removing her from the machine here in the next few hours. Please pray for God to intervene on behalf of Kayla Pack, her family and fiancee', Jared Doran. The Doctors aren't giving them a lot of hope for her recovery but we are all believing God for a miracle.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Our Parental Rights
Please check out the following link. We as parents and grandparents must make a stand in maintaining OUR PARENTAL RIGHTS. If we don't we will lose our children to whatever the world wishes to impose upon the minds and hearts of our children. Even more so, we MUST make a stand for what is right as a Christian based upon the Word of God and hold fast to our Godly values and not let anyone twist those values and try to impose their thoughts upon OUR children.
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