Prayer Preparation

Tomorrow is the big day!

Holly and I will be at the Sacred Heart Hospital in SanDestin on Monday @ 6 am to report for duty. I should go in for surgery around 7 am and be out by 11-noon.

God has given us great peace and confidence and trust in Him through this process! We have literally felt people's prayers in a very supernatural way over the last week. May we continue to walk inebriated by God's Spirit ... impacting the way we see life, talk about life, and live life!

We'd like for you to partner up with us in prayer ... b/c we believe this thing is ultimately in God's hands whether God chooses to heal me supernaturally sometime between now and Monday morning or whether God chooses to use the hands of a man that he has created for this very purpose and time.

We want to be clear that our overarching prayer request is that we would trust God and that God would receive much glory and fame through whatever happens because we KNOW that is His will!

Beyond that, here are some specific requests we'd like you to join us in calling out to God ...

- Pray for skill & wisdom for my neurosurgeon, Dr. Arriola, as he performs the surgery.

- Pray that the numbness/tingling/loss of strength I'm experiencing in my abdomen (from my ribcage down to my hip bones) and around to my back would be healed tomorrow. My doctor said those symptoms are not associated with the issue in the neck, but b/c of the severity of the herniated disc it could be causing my whole body to go haywire!

- Pray that the numbness/loss of strength in my hands/arms will be healed tomorrow.

- Pray that the pain in my neck and shoulders will be healed tomorrow, but due to the extent of the compression on my spinal chord, it could take a while for the pain to subside.

- Pray that I will be able to breathe without hindrance after surgery. I had this same procedure done 1 level higher in my neck last year and had breathing problems for 2 days afterward because of the breathing tube and irritation in my esophagus (surgery is through the front of the neck & they have to move stuff around to get to the disc).

- Pray for Holly, for sustaining grace to strengthen her as she takes care of our family over the coming weeks!

- Pray for wisdom in retooling the student ministry over the next few weeks & that we don't lose connections with especially fringe kids.

- Pray for patience in recovery. Actually, pray for me to press into God and that I could hear God well during this recovery time. I spent a lot of time studying and preparing series to teach last year when I was down. It was an incredibly productive time. If I can really connect with God during this time, it could prove to be a great gift!!!

Thanks for your prayers and for being part of our family!