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Author
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Topic: My mother-in-law
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helpforhomeschoolers
Advanced Member
Member # 15
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posted
Hi Gary:
Thank you for the wonderful praise report. We will continue to pray here on this end. God is faithful. The time is short, but he is ever working drawing those that are his from the womb to himself now in these last days.
Father God, we thank you for our brother Gary and his family. We thank you for allowing us to share in the work that you are doing in their lives through prayer and through the sharing of good news and testimony of your glorious and merciful hand in their lives.
Father we know that you are not a respector of persons and that what you do for one you will do for any. Your word tells of a man to whom Simon Peter would tell words whereby he and ALL his house would be saved. This is our prayer for Gary and Cheryl, that by the power of your Holy Spirit, you will bring words whereby ALL their house shall be saved. And we trust that you will bring those words to ears that can hear and hearts of good soil that your word will take root.
Thank you Father for your grace and your mercies that are new each and every morning.
In Jesus Name we give thanks and prayer,
Amen!
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
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Gary
Advanced Member
Member # 523
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posted
My dear brothers and sisters,
I have rested and seem to be more "with it" today. My co-workers said I was like a zombie yesterday. The stress of a death and funeral can be devastating, even taking weeks to recover. And that's mainly the physical exhaustion. Emotionally it seems to take years.
I do have some good news to tell you that has come out of all this.
First, my wife came through it all extremely well. When Mom lay dying, Cheryl said all she wants is to be there at her side when she dies. I was concerned about how this would affect her, as she seemed to be near a breaking point as it was. But when she watched her mom die, and saw how peaceful she was, and that she had not really suffered, it was like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she was at peace, probably more so than I have ever seen her. She is still very tired, as am I, but I can see that her whole outlook on life has been affected by this.
Second of all, my brother-in-law of whom I spoke earlier, has been showing positive signs. He is no longer the angry man filled with bitterness. I was very nervous when I heard that he wanted to speak at the funeral, because I remembered how angry and bitter he was when he spoke at my father-in-law's funeral ten years ago. But this time was different. He spoke of love, and forgiveness. It was clear from what he said that he's still searching, but his heart is no longer hard, it is soft and tender, and I believe the Holy Spirit is working on him.
He even tried to reconcile with his brother, from whom he has been estranged for well over ten years now. (Unfortunately, that brother still wouldn't speak with him. There's another one to pray about!)
Indeed, I can see the Spirit working in my wife's family now, just as He has worked for so many years in my own family! I can see Him working so wonderfully to transform the lives of my wife, and her brothers and sisters! What a wonderful, marvelous God we have, who works in His own time and His own way to do more wondrously than we can imagine!
In Christ,
Gary ![[cool_shades]](graemlins/cool_shades.gif)
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"For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:23 NASB
Posts: 436 | From: Mankato, Minnesota | Registered: Oct 2002
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Gary
Advanced Member
Member # 523
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posted
Hi, sister Linda,
I'm so happy to see you added your prayer here. It's all appreciated so much!
The funeral is over; it's Sunday evening, and I'm emotionally exhausted, so I'm going to bed. ![[zzzzzz]](graemlins/20.gif) But before I go just let me say I saw positive signs in my brother-in-law, so much so that I was amazed!
I will tell you more when I have rested.
In Christ,
Gary
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"For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:23 NASB
Posts: 436 | From: Mankato, Minnesota | Registered: Oct 2002
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helpforhomeschoolers
Advanced Member
Member # 15
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posted
Yes, thank you Father God for this wonderful report of Praise and your perfect grace and mercy.
Thank you for this pastor who faithfully called on Gary's mother in Law over the years.
We stand with our brother Gary now and ask for your continued blessing and favor in his life and in the lives of his family.
Hear the prayers of his beloved wife and ours as we stand with her. Bring peace for her where there is now worry for her brother.
Show him that there is a table prepared for him and none can keep him from the bread or the cup that Jesus offers at the foot of the cross.
Show him Lord, show him that you are there at the door and guide his hand to knock that you may open. Help him to understand that we are all prodigals Lord but you wait with open arms for our homecoming.
Bring comfort to him and peace and show him that he is welcome in this the congregation and the body of Christ.
Lord we know that it is your will that Gary's brother in law come to know Christ Jesus as saviour and our prayer is that your will be done in the earth as it is in the heaven above and we thank you for we know that you hear our prayers and do answer them.
But Lord, if it is possible please...may Gary's brother in law come quickly to the cross so that they can have time with him in this life to share you as a family.
Soften his heart Lord and draw him to you now while there is time for them to all rejoice together in your great mercy and grace and talk together about the wonders of your word and comfort each other with the peace that comes with knowlege that they will one day all be together with their mother and with you in glory.
Thank you Father God.
In the mighty name of Jesus we pray these things.
Amen!
Posts: 4684 | From: Southern Black Hills of South Dakota | Registered: Jun 2002
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Pastor Dave
Advanced Member
Member # 965
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posted
Thank you for the update brother Gary. You can be sure that your wife’s brother is in my prayers.
Father, Thank you for the peaceful passing of our brother Gary’s wife’s mother. You are a great and mighty God. Lord I offer up a prayer for Gary’s wife’s blood brother that soon he will be part of the Body of Christ a member of the true Church and our brother in Christ. Make it possible for him to meet mom in heaven in the sweet by and by. Lord bless Gary’s family in this time of grief for a dear mother that they will keep their eye on our Blessed Hope and that grief will be turned to joy and wonderful memories. In the Name of Jesus Amen.
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Your servant in Jesus our Christ, Pastor Dave
John 3:3
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Posts: 273 | From: Niles, Michigan | Registered: Jan 2003
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Gary
Advanced Member
Member # 523
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posted
Brothers and sisters,
I want you to know that Mom passed on to glory yesterday morning at 7:25am CST. She died peacefully after rapidly declining this past week. My wife got her wish as she was there alone with her when she died.
As to her salvation, I had forgotten about our visitation pastor who had been seeing her in the nursing home frequently over the past two years or so. It turns out he had been speaking with her about her salvation and reading the Bible to her, doing the work of an evangelist, and he told us he is as sure as he can be that she is with the Lord today.
So our tears of sadness at losing her are mixed with tears of joy!
I and my family are doing very well, and we thank you for your prayers. Most of the rest of the family are also doing well. But I would ask your prayers for my wife's brother, who spoke very bitterly at Dad's funeral 10 years ago and is having a very hard time coping with the loss of Mom now. (He's a divorced Catholic, cut off from the sacraments of his church and doesn't know the Lord.)
In Christ,
Gary
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"For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:23 NASB
Posts: 436 | From: Mankato, Minnesota | Registered: Oct 2002
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Pastor Dave
Advanced Member
Member # 965
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posted
Father, for Gary’s wife’s sake make her mother’s passing as peaceful as possible. Lord make it possible for this mother to here the gospel one more time that she will have an opportunity to accept Jesus before her passing. Father touch Gary’s wife that she will have the strength to get through this time of pain and trouble. May the peace that passes all understanding be upon her. Give the pastor that has been appointed to minister to Gary’s wife a special anointing that his ministry will be a blessing to all involved. I lift up your name Lord in praises and supplication. In Jesus Name Amen.
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Your servant in Jesus our Christ, Pastor Dave
John 3:3
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Posts: 273 | From: Niles, Michigan | Registered: Jan 2003
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Gary
Advanced Member
Member # 523
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posted
I just received word from my wife that she heard from the nursing home. They say her mother has now begun refusing to eat or take her medication. She has been going downhill for the past 10 years since my father-in-law passed on, the past five in the nursing home. When I last saw her this past Sunday she would only sit with her face in her hand, looking down, and would give only a one-word response to anything we asked her, and frequently wouldn't respond at all.
She went pretty much unchanged for most of the five years she's been in the home, but the past six months she's gone downhill rapidly. She's had mini-strokes in the past, and has had blood clots in her lungs, so we knew it would be only a matter of time. But if she stops eating altogether she can't last more than a couple weeks.
She's never been a religious person; she's universalist in her beliefs and has always refused to listen when my wife and I tried to tell her she needed to get right with the Lord. Now it seems to be too late for us to get through to her, as her mind just isn't there any more; I'd have to say she's in the Lord's hands now, as far as that's concerned.
I'm more concerned for my wife now, as she's been through a lot in recent years since her dad passed away ten years ago. I will stand by her, but I'm afraid she's near a breaking point, and is desperately in need of prayer.
She was crying on the phone when I talked to her, but she told me she had the presence of mind to contact a good and trusted pastor who is going to meet her at the nursing home shortly.
Thank you for your prayers.
In Christ,
Gary
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"For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 6:23 NASB
Posts: 436 | From: Mankato, Minnesota | Registered: Oct 2002
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