We may not be posting every day, but we did not intend to let 3 days go by!
Dan was scheduled to receive his custom-fit wheelchair last week, but it ended up being too small, so the new one arrived today, needing only a few minor "tweaks" which will be taken care of throughout this week. Dan will soon be able to maneuver the chair himself using the "sip and puff" method for now.
Dan is learning to use voice and mouth to access a computer. He checked his gmail account today and had 60 messages, but since most were "junk," he didn't go through them yet. He may be accessing his Facebook tomorrow.
His swallowing looks good, but he does not desire to drink much. He lets the feeding tube do the work.
Dan has been pretty down lately. He knows how helpless he is, and seems to be entering a phase of hopelessness. Thank you for praying. God is so much bigger than this painful situation. I'm hoping the visit from college friends this weekend will be an encouragement.
Know that you are all loved!
Huge Milestones
11 months ago
19 comments:
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
I pray that you may be aware of the Glory of God, and that you can be a reflection of His glory.
Much love,
Gat
"Sip and puff" method? Sounds...fun? Continuing to pray. Look up, Dan. He is able.
Psalm 16,
Amanda
"O Lord, be gracious to Dan; he has waited for You. Be his strength every morning, his salvation also in the time of distress...The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high...He will be the stability of Dan's times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Dan's treasure."
Isaiah 33: 2, 5-6 just for you, Dan...Let God be your strength, your stability, your treasure. Let Him fill your heart with joy and peace. This is my prayer for you each and every day.
I am coming! We all are and I can't wait to see you again. Keep your thoughts on Him. And let me know if you want anything...I am happy to be your messenger girl. :)
With love and prayers,
~Kim~
I heard about Dan through Heather Everett, whom Dan met in Mexico. I just want you to know I am praying for Dan and all of his family.
"praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens."
-ps 68:19
keep handin' those burdens over!
on my knees,
a sis
Dear Dan & Family -
You are in my prayers, don't forget to lean in to our loving God, he loves you.
In His Grace - Bev - Salem, Oregon
Matt 11:28-12:1
28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."
God bless you, Dan. There is not a day go by, but we pray for you. You are loved so much, first, by our wonderful Lord and God and then by your family and friends. We will pray especially for you to be stronger and accomplish the things you need as of right now. We don't know the future, but we do know who holds the future and He is a wonderful God.
Matt 11:28-12:1
28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."
God bless you, Dan. There is not a day go by, but we pray for you. You are loved so much, first, by our wonderful Lord and God and then by your family and friends. We will pray especially for you to be stronger and accomplish the things you need as of right now. We don't know the future, but we do know who holds the future and He is a wonderful God.
Dear Knudsens,
We continue to pray for you daily, thinking of you often. We trust you will take comfort in knowing how deep is God's knowledge of our emotional, physical and spiritual needs- and that HE cares to meet us right where we are. The journey is often painful and raw, but HE nevers leaves us alone on the journey, but draws us to Himself. We are praying for HIM to be your source of HOPE in the dark times......HE is working an Amazing Plan - we just don't see the end like HE does!
Dan,
What you are feeling is very normal. Of course God is in control. You know that. I just want to give you permission to be normal...and have normal days. None of us have spiritual highs 24/7. Give yourself a break. It is OK with God. He can take it. Talk to Him about it. He understands where the rest of us fail you. He will bring you though this. Praying for great days ahead.
Dear Dan,
Every Christian who walks with the Lord for very long and who seeks to really live righteously hits a point of great struggle. Sometime we just don't know what God is doing. Sometimes we are just devastated by what He allows and it hurts so badly you just want to give up. The hill seems too high to climb. It is there that we have to give up what we thought it would be and surrender to Him, even if it kills us. Give him the anger and disappointment. It will not be easy but you cannot quit. He has a plan for you. It is certainly not the one you anticipated. This is a big change in what you may have thought your purpose was. Fight this battle in your heart with prayer. Cry out to God and give him everything you are feeling. This is the death of a lot of dreams you had. Grieve the death of the life you had. Yet even in that death, God will bring new life. Then choose to trust, moment by moment. Sometimes that is all you can do. Graciously, that is enough. God will fill in the rest.
Roman 8:24-27
As I drove to work this morning; Dan and all of you again came to my mind. What your day will be like compared to mine. King David's story just kept running thru my head. That there were times he just yelled out to God...why! That his faith failed many times, he was angry, he didn't understand, and even wanted to give up. But thru, even his sin...he is called a man after God's own heart. I love the fact that God gave us real people stories with the valleys and the mountain top of thier lives. I believe God is still the business of have people stories written down (not in the inspired way) but stories that will impact other lives. Dan look at King David; you will question, you will give up, you will cry out to God "WHERE ARE YOU". But I think you also can be called a man after God's own heart!!!! Praying in Northern Ohio
Scratch,
I am praying for you. Be encouraged. Our God is still in control. Know that you are loved and cared for. Know that you are being looked after. Know that God is using you far beyond your wildest dreams. Be still and know that HE is God. We love you. Thank you for what you've done for me through your faithfulness.
-Dart-
Dear Dan,
Our prayers continue for you and your family! We ache for you yet we know that God IS in control. He never makes mistakes and He causes ALL things to work together for good! Keep your thoughts on Him. He is the God of ALL comfort.
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. (St. Patrick - 5th century)
See you next week!
Keep trusting!!!
Love,
Jan Stern
Hi Dan,
God will give you the grace to get through the next 10 minutes. God will give you the grace to get through the next hour. God will also give you the grace to get through tonight. Tomorrow He will replenish His grace for another day.
Unfortunately (by our terms) He doesn't give us grace beyond one day, but each day His grace is renewed. It is enough.
This is a very hard assignment, but God has chosen to use you in a mighty way and you will prevail. Meditate on 2 Cor. 4. I will continue to pray for you and your family.
A friend of a friend of a friend,
Dan and family,
This is just total affirmation of what others have already said. We are praying for you and your family, for encouragement, for comfort, that all of your needs will be met (in Christ Jesus) that He will guard your heart and mind and body 24/7. We do have a gracious and wonderful God that indeed wants us to be ourselves when we cry out to Him. He knows our thoughts. We just need to tell Him all of our problems. He is GOD. Praise His holy Name.
John and Joan Crouse Topeka KS
Hey Dan,
Just wanted to let you know that I'm praying for you; for you to have a positive attitude because Jesus died for you. You are precious to Him, worth the cost of His blood. Remember how much He was willing to pay for you. Hard times come, but the Lord has a plan. Everything we do is for His glory.
I also want to tell you how impressed I have been with your attitude so far. You have been a real inspiration and encouragement. Keep up the good work you are accomplishing for Christ!
Love in Christ,
Kati Brase
We have a good God who is listening to our prayers.
"Why do you say…'My way is hidden from the Lord, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God.'? Do you not know? Have you not heard ? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power…." Isaiah 40
Prayng for your comfort, peace, strength, endurance - - -
In His Grace -
Bev - Keizer, OR
How could I add to what so many have said--so I will comment on a different aspect--your wheelchair. I just heard Joni on the radio yesterday, talking about her first wheelchair. HER chair. She had used hospital chairs, PT chairs, but this one was HERS. It represented to her a step forward. She also mentioned how after being in bed for a year, how important receiving her own chair was. I hope this chair will be as encouraging to you, a symbol of a small amount of independence from the bed and the ability to get around. God bless you as you learn the tricky techniques in using it. There will probably be a few scuff marks here and there:)
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