Special Prayer Request (Evening of Nov. 18th)

Posted on November 18, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Hello,

I request your prayers this evening for a new born baby who might not live through the night.

The following is from an email from the new mother:

Ashlynn Grace was 1lb 9oz and 12 inches long and Clarissa Faith was 1lb 7oz and 11 3/4 inches long. Their
gestation age was 26 weeks and 1 day (14 weeks early). They were extremely tangled in their cords and were having drops
in heartrate about every half hour.

Ashlynn’s BP has been too low so they have been giving her fluids and Dopamine to help stabalize it.  They also have her on Nitric oxide to
dialate the lung vessels and make them easier to open after exhaling.  Clarissa is actually doing a little better than Ashlynn…

________________________________________________________________

Mary Ann, Zeke and I just visited their mother in Ft. Worth at the hosptial. Tonight, I am going to vist the father in another hosptial where the babies were flown to in Dallas.  The NICU unit was full in the hospital where they were born. We were told that tonight is very critical. The doctor said that Ashlynn might not make it through the night.

I ask you to please pray for this family, especially for Ashlynn. Please pray that if it is God’s will, that Ashlynn’s lungs would perform better, that she would no longer need the nitric oxide, and that both babies would become more stable tonight.

Please pray for our friend Heather and her husband Scott too. This is indeed a stressful and frightening time for them.

Thank you,
Brian Humek  


Praying to God, Struggles

Independent of my Circumstances

Posted on November 12, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Independent of my Circumstances
Philippians 4:12

Philippians 4:12 states that Paul had learned to be content in all situations. The idea of his being content actually meant being independent of all outside circumstances. He was not  controlled by the uncontrollable. Sounds confusing? Well, I think a good example is Paul singing while in prison. With God’s grace and strength, he was able to do this. It was not of his own doing. He was independent of his outside circumstances because he relied on God. 

While it’s a minor outside circumstance that is bothering me, my son has had a minor cough for almost five weeks. He went to the doctor three weeks ago. He was given medicine. Now the medicine is gone. His slight cough has continued. I don’t know when it will go away. The doctor said it was a very minor case of bronchitis. I try to keep him from exhausting himself too much, which is very hard to do since he is a boy. We’ve succeeded in getting him to drink lots of water. I pray for him so often to get better. I cringe when I hear him cough sometimes. But you know what? This isn’t serious in the realm of things. There are so many worse things that happen to little kids, like death, failing organs, mental diseases. I am allowing a little thing like a lingering cough affect me negatively at times. I need to be like Paul. I need to be independent of this outside circumstance.

While situations may differ -a bad day at work, your favorite team lost, your spouse is upset with you- Christians and non-Christians alike, allow their outside circumstances to affect them negatively. I know a person who is friendly all the time. I can never tell if he has a problem or not. He’s not wearing a mask. He simply has a stable personality during all situations. We all may know someone like that, or maybe not. I definitely want to be that type of individual …but I’ve got a long, long, long, way to go. How about you? 

Christian Graces, Peace, Struggles

Faith of a Baseball Fan

Posted on November 2, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Faith of a Baseball Fan
Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” -Hebrews 11:1

A Christian Ethics professor moved to Louisville, KY. After settling into his house, a neighbor came over to introduce himself. The professor was working in his garage when the new neighbor came by. After their conversation, the new neighbor said, “I see you’re a man of faith.” Surprised, the professor, said, “Why yes, how did you know?” The new neighbor pointed in the direction of a Chicago Cubs pennant on the wall of the garage, “You’re a Cubs fan, that’s how I knew.”

A side-note to non-baseball fans: The Chicago Cubs are always full of promise but usually end up breaking the hearts of their fans year after year after year after year…. must I go on? Being in a similar situation, living life as a Cubs fan, I too am a man of faith. Every April when baseball season begins, I am sure of what I hope for, that the Cubs will go to the playoffs or better yet, the World Series. In addition, this is something that is often unseen.

No matter how many times I’ve struggled through a lousy baseball season full of disappointment, I remain a fan and think they will do better the next year. In the life of a Christian, many times we live by faith, or at least we should. When we consider the struggles we go through, we press on because things will be better, if not here, then in Heaven. The light at the end of a tunnel can’t always be seen, but we know by faith that it is there. Jesus Christ died on the cross so we can all possess that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you God for your son Jesus.

Faith, Hope

Ezekiel

Posted on October 21, 2005 by gophumek | Permalink 0

Ezekiel
James 1:17

It’s midnight and I just crept into my son’s room to pray for him. I do this every single night. Being his father is the toughest job I’ll ever have. But being his father is also the most rewarding job I could ever have. He is a blessing to my life and I adore him. I remember a card we received when he was born. The Bible verse on the card was James 1:17. “Every good and perfect gift is from above…”  I am truly thankful to God for my son Ezekiel who is a good and perfect gift from above. He’s not exactly perfect all the time, and he even misbehaves …. but God made him good.

Today, tonight, or tomorrow, take an extra moment to hug your son or daughter a bit harder. Tell them how special they are to you. Tell them they are a blessing. Read them James 1:17 and say that THEY are that good and perfect gift from above.

The late Lewis Grizzard once wrote, “The best gift a father can give to his son, is the love of baseball.” In keeping with my baseball theme of late, I have included this quote. However, I would like to add a line to Lewis Grizzard. My quote goes like this, “The best gift a father can give to his son, is instilling in him an unyielding love for God, and a love for baseball.”

God's Love, Hope, Leadership, Praying to God