johnb@gatech.edu (John Baldwin) (11/27/90)
This is LONG. Sorry. Please DON'T hit 'N' now, however!
The following is the forwarded contents of a letter drafted by my
pastor, with the help of several friends. He has requested that
we inform as many fellow believers as possible, and ask for their
prayer support. Since this newsgroup reaches an incredible number
of people worldwide, I thought it appropriate to post it here.
My comments follow the text of the message below.
============== FORWARDED MESSAGE STARTS ==================
Emergency Prayer Request Nov. 24, 1990
Dear Prayer Warrior:
Please make this prayer need known to your prayer chains, intercessory
prayer ministry, and other people and groups in your church and other
churches that might be willing to pray for us.
I am a pastor. My wife and I started Greater Gwinnett Baptist Church
in Suwanee, Georgia four years ago. Our daughter Tiffany, now four
years old, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1987. Surgery was
performed that resulted in a small portion being removed, and a
determination that it was a slow growing tumor. We've been watching
her the past three years through CT scans and MRI scans. Recently
we discovered that the tumor is growing farther into her brain stem.
Some doctors have said that the tumor is inoperable. We recently
saw specialists in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. The
doctors agreed that the best decision would be for a surgeon to
remove as much of the tumor as possible and then follow-up with
some other type of procedure to shrink the rest of it. Dr. Ben Carson,
a well-known neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore,
Maryland has agreed to do the surgery. He has been featured on
"20/20," in "Reader's Digest," and in the news as being the lead surgeon
in separating the "Binder" Siamese twins joined at the head in 1988.
He is a strong Christian who relies heavily on the Lord and prayer.
Dr. Carson has told us that knowing that Christians are lifting him
up in prayer as he operates is a great encouragement to him. Would
you please intercede on behalf of Tiffany, our family, and Dr. Carson?
As a show of prayer support, today would you and willing members of
your church (prayer chains, intercessory prayer ministries, other members
of your extended family, and *other churches*) please send Dr. Carson
a short note stating that you are praying for him as he operates on
Tiffany Stone? The surgery is scheduled for the week of December 2-8.
Here are our key prayer requests:
1. That God will give wisdom to Dr. Carson and the other doctors
involved with the case.
2. That God will give guidance to Dr. Carson's hands during the
surgery.
3. That God will protect Tiffany from physical handicaps as a
result of the surgery.
4. That God will protect Tiffany from any sickness between now
and the surgery.
5. That God would minister to our other two children, Heather
(age 8) and Joshua (age 6) as they seek to understand
what is going on.
6. That God would give us physical strength and His grace.
PLEASE SEND PRAYER NOTES TO:
Johns Hopkins Hospital
ATTN: Dr. Ben Carson, Meyer 5-109
611 North Wolfe Street
Baltimore, MD 21205
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with
hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." [Romans 15:13]
From the bottom of our hearts we thank you for your help.
Filled with the God of Hope,
Charles and Sherryl Stone
1060 President's Lane
Lawrenceville, GA 30243
=================== FORWARDED MESSAGE ENDS ======================
Some comments might be useful here.
I have known Charles Stone since I returned to Atlanta in 1987
from a stint in the U. S. Navy. I have watched both him and his
family grow tremendously in the Lord these past three years, and
his obedient leadership has been responsible for my own personal
growth as well. Our church started with very few people, and I
have been priveledged to watch God grow this tiny branch of Christ's
body by a factor of 12x!! Charles is more than just the pastor of
my church; he is my friend.
I hope this information lends credence to my statements which follow,
which I wholeheartedly believe to be true:
Neither Charles, nor his family, nor our church as a congregation believe
in the "name it and claim it" theology of healing. God can and DOES
glorify Himself by NOT healing people sometimes. This is hard for me
to understand, and even harder to explain, but it is true.
Yet, God said in His Word, by the pen of Paul, "Be anxious for nothing,
but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses
all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
[Phil. 4:6-7, NKJV].
So, as I understand it, we are to pray for the outcome that we want.
God doesn't guarantee it, but it pleases Him when we ask. Thus, I would
say that our most heartfelt desires are (1) FIRST AND FOREMOST, that
God's will be done, and that God is glorified through this situation!
And secondly, that if it pleases Him, we desire earnestly that Tiffany
is healed.
I'm sure that Charles and his family would also appreciate hearing from
prayer supporters. He has a strength and a peacefulness of demeanor
which I know can only come from the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit,
but I know that he has his down times, too. A short, warm note of
encouragement will do much to strengthen him and his family. You
needn't be overly sentimental nor eloquent.
Thanks, and sorry for the length of this posting!
Best Regards,billyk@tcom.stc.co.uk (Billy Khan) (11/30/90)
Please, first let me assure you that i will pray as you asked for in your request. But please don't deny Jesus in this! He said himself that if you ask for anything in his name he will grant it! Please read the following verses from James.. 1 James 5:14-15 'Is anyone of you sick? he should call the elders of the church to pray over him and annoint him with oil in the name of the lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the lord will raise him up' Please believe that Jesus's healing power works directly and cure's far faster than any surgeon, no matter how good they are. jesus has the authority over everything, he can heal anything, he can work without the medium of a surgeons skill. Please give him the chance!! Lay hands on Tiffany and ask for her to be healed in Christs name. Love and Prayers. Drew.
johnb@srchtec.uucp (John Baldwin) (12/04/90)
In article <Nov.30.04.57.11.1990.5166@athos.rutgers.edu> you write: > > But please don't deny Jesus in this! Believe me, we aren't! Otherwise, why pray? > He said himself that if you ask for anything in his name he will > grant it! Please remember also that a text taken without context is a pretext. I think He meant if we ask in accordance with His Father's will. I certainly know that God is willing for Tiffany to be healed, but He may also (does also!) have plans I don't know about. To wit, during Tiffany's first hospital stay, her whole case was a testimony to the Glory of God. People came to salvation because of the incident... talking to Charles (her father), watching the Stone family, and friends, and the church all respond to this crisis, and so on. > Please believe that Jesus's healing power works directly and cure's > far faster than any surgeon, no matter how good they are. jesus > has the authority over everything, he can heal anything, he can > work without the medium of a surgeons skill. I firmly believe in this! I know of several cases where God has shown His might in healing, and just left the doctors shaking their heads. > Please give Him the chance!! Lay hands on Tiffany and ask for > her to be healed in Christ's name. We have already done so, during the first crisis. We will do so again. God *has* answered that prayer, though not in the specific way *we* (humans) intended... in the words of her family doctor, who is also my family's doctor and a man strong in Christ, "When you look at the medical records, and then look at Tiffany, they're not the same little girl! The little girl in the records should not be able to walk, or talk, or do much of anything at all. Tiffany runs, she jumps, she plays at the playground, she rolls around on the ground with the other kids. She shouldn't be able to DO that! Praise GOD! She can." > > Love and Prayers. > Drew. Thank you for *both*. Best regards, -- John Baldwin | srchtec!johnb@gatech.edu | johnb%srchtec.uucp@mathcs.emory.edu