Sherds from a jar of clay

My Dad went into the hospital last night with some heart arrhythmia (sp?). He seems to be doing better now, for an 82 yr. old overweight man on dialysis that is. My mom is struggling because the stress of it all makes her dementia and confusion worse. I of course am halfway across the country and my sister is two states away so we are trying to manage it all long distance while managing our own children, families and jobs. Can you say Sandwich. Any way one of the things I do when these crises arise is to call in prayer power and notify people in the town where they live and who love my dad to pray and be on standby to help. You see my dad through 50 years of ministry has touched countless lives and many of them are there to help him back whether he is willing to ask or not.

It always amazes me how God provides and supports in the big and little ways in moments like this and even manages to encourage us. When we share the burdens and the love we can see Gods finger prints everywhere. Here are some examples of God's work and care from the last few days:

From an email from a "kid" who grew up next door to us and who we drove to church each week:
"....So I'll just keep whispering their names at the appropriate time in the prayers of the people and keep them in my own prayers. My thinking is that all these quiet little prayers count as being from the whole congregation anyway.Here's a little story I'd like to share with you and Emily, which I haven't told many people. Soon after my mother's cancer surgery several years ago,she wasn't recovering at all well and they put her in intensive care. I wasn't religious at all back then, but in our fear and despair I looked upward and managed a little prayer -- "Lord, send us an angel." Your father came walking through the door a few minutes later."

From a women who runs a service organization my mom was active in during her adult years:

"God is indeed working in this world. I just tried calling your Mom tonight, as I've had several of our older members in mind lately. She was very rattled and said she couldn't talk due to an emergency. Obviously, I was very concerned about what it might be and told her to "take care". Thanks for letting us know. I'll pass along to the other members."

Another couple who do so much for my folks and help keep me in the loop said this:

"... one of us will go over there this afternoon and make sure she (my mom) is okay and take her to see your dad if he is in the hospital and we can do so with her. I will also make some calls to people to put them on their prayer list, so I am glad to have the names of the ones you have already alerted. Keep in touch by phone today with any needs you have, and I will contact you with any concerns or an update.I know how hard this is for you and your sister; my sister and I had the same situation and it is a worry. We were lucky their were cousins and aunts and uncles available to help in our parents home town. SO, know that I am praying for you, too. Take care of yourself"

Also, It just happens that my son was scheduled to have an EKG today to verify that some fast heart rates he has been having are normal. He was nervous and as the little stickers and leads went on it helped him to know that Grandpa had the same things on him (and he has to have them on longer) and will hopefully help him to pray for grandpa in a new way. My best friend and her daughter also came and shared a McDonald's lunch with us before the appt. to help distract him and provide me with some support.
I had also been "charged up" and encouraged Tuesday night when my homeschool mom prayer group brought the meeting across town so I could participate. God knew I would need the fortifacation of that time of prayer prior to facing Wed. night.

Like I said, God's finger prints, look for them in a life near you, it will do wonders for your day.