Dear Sir: I am writing in response to your request for additional information in block 3 of the accident report form. I put "poor planning" as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details will be sufficient. I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six story building. When I completed my work, I found that I had some bricks left over which, when weighed later were found to be slightly in excess of 500 lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley, which was attached to the side of the building on the sixth floor. Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the bricks. You will note in Block 11 of the accident report form that I weigh 175 lbs. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explained the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collar bone, as listed in section 3 of the accident report form. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of beginning to experience a great deal of pain. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, that barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you again to my weight. As you can imagine, I began a rapid descent, down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and several lacerations of my legs and lower body. Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope and I lay there watching the empty barrel begin its journey back down onto me. This explains the two broken legs. I hope this answers your inquiry."

(Editor's note: This has been floating around for years but we all need a laugh now and then. I hope you laughed. I still do.)

Current Issue

Prayer Requests

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church -- and a restoration of a clean funny bone!

2) Pray for our country. . .Pray for the members of the Congress as they take their summer recess, that each elected representative will get in touch with his or her constituency learning how best to serve those who have placed them in office.

3) Pray for our president. . .Pray for American troops now poised and waiting further direction off the coast of Liberia. Pray for wisdom for the president and his advisors, as well as for any troops who will intervene. Pray for the unrest to cease so that lives will be saved and American intervention will be unnecessary.

Additional leaders to pray for: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Health & Human Services Tommy Thompson, Director of the Secret Service Ralph Basham, Director of the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives James Towey.

Read: Psalms 17:1

Oregon

4) Pray for a little girl with muscular dystrophy. Solid Christian family but it is hard to be different.

5) Pray for a family whose middle child is having problems. Aiden is 3 years old and just got a new baby brother. Pray for peace in the family.

6) Pray for an older lady who has just put her mother in a care center and now has the task of cleaning out the family farm. She is not well either and it is a daunting task.

Nevada

7) Pray for Zack. He has a brain tumor that is terminal. His parents have sold their home in California and moved to Colorado Springs to be able to care for him in his last days. Pray for their strength. Pray for God to come into fullness in this home.

8) Pray for a man whose wife left last week. Pray things can be worked out and she comes to her senses. Both are Christians.

9) Pray for Roanna. She was brought up in a strong Christian home but met a man who didn't do what he should have done. She has two children to raise on her own and it is hard.

10) Pray for Jessie who is having a hard time growing up. She got in with the wrong crowd and has done drugs, alcohol, and jail time. Recently she was released and came home -- clean and sober. She has now left home again doing the same old stuff .

11) Pray for Ben. When he was born he had trouble keeping food in his stomach. The doctors couldn't find a cause. When he was 7 or 8 he caught pneumonia and was hospitalized. Because the doctors had to do some sophisticated testing, they discovered he had a brain tumor since birth that pressed on the breathing center of the brain. They successfully removed the tumor from the brain stem, but there was minor damage. Ben has grown up to be a fine young man who is now a senior in high school and facing some of life's decisions. Pray for Ben. He is a Christian.

12) Pray for the parents of these last 3 young people. It has been a long hard road to raise their children and it isn't over yet. Pray for strength, peace, comfort, and the resolution of some anger.

Missionaries

13) Pray for Scott and Evani Hunnicutt in Brazil. They have returned to Brazil after a furlough at home. Evani was sick much of the time she was in the USA but is feeling better now. While they were gone, Nilza, a growing Christian lady in their cell group, began a Bible study to replace what Scott was doing. It now had 12 people in attendance, some committing to Jesus and others coming to church. 15 people accepted Jesus in the time Hunnicutts were gone. Ademir, their 16 year-old foster son, grew significantly. Praises to God.

Pray for their vision and plans for this term, Evani's health, Nilza's growth and fruitful ministry, and financial support.

Mars

We were sure born at the right time...cause at an earlier time, we would be afraid, and think it was something evil. So watch the show that God has created for us since the beginning of time.

This month and next Earth is catching up with MARS, an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close will be in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and disturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the last 5,000 years but it may be as long as 60,000 years.

The encounter will culminate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of minus 2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. With a 75-power telescope, Mars will look as big as the full moon to the naked eye.

Mars will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August, Mars will rise in the east at 10 PM and reach its azimuth at about 3 AM. But by the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30 AM. That's pretty convenient when it comes to seeing something that no human has seen in recorded history.

So mark your calendar at the beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month. Share with your children, and grandchildren. No one alive today will ever see this again.

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Top

August 10, 2003
Prayer Requests
I Had A Drug Problem When I Was Young!

So often we pray for missionaries and the answer comes--"Your prayers were answered." This is a letter from Rod and Dawn Taylor returning to Ireland, shares more than that. It shares feelings and some of the details of how. Thought you'all might be interested.

Hi Everyone,
Dawn and I are grateful for your partnership with us through prayer. God has done some amazing things and we really wanted to share them with you and ask for your specific prayer as we head into a three-week stretch of ministry and preparation to head back to Ireland.

As I write, my suitcase is packed and I'm almost ready to head for the airport. My destination is Budapest for the GEM Annual Conference. I am in charge of the conference for our GEM teenagers that runs concurrently with the main conference. Please pray for the team from Auburn, Washington that is coming over to minister to our students. Pray that a close relational connection is made and that God accomplishes his purpose in the lives of these teenagers.

I have the opportunity to spend a day in Ireland on my way to Budapest. Please pray that I will be able to accomplish all that I need to in order to prepare for our return to Dublin as a family in a few weeks.

Speaking of our return to Ireland, you have heard that we had a short-fall of $1500 per month and that we had to postpone our trip back home. Well, in the last month, God and his people have responded in amazing ways and just last night we received our official clearance to return to Ireland. We have our tickets in hand and will fly back on August 19th. We can look back and see how God has used the extra days in the USA to increase our faith and trust in Him. He has done much in these last few weeks to continue to prepare us as a family for what lies ahead. God's timing is perfect.

One of the specific ways God has worked in these last few weeks is in giving us a much clearer handle on Ryan's situation. Up to this point, all we had been told was that his muscles are low tone and that his core muscles were not properly developed. Just recently we were referred to a clinic in Orange County that specializes in these issues and now know that Ryan has a disorder called dyspraxia. Dyspraxia B is a difficulty with thinking out, planning and carrying out sensory/motor tasks. It is an immaturity in the way the brain processes information, which results in messages not being properly or fully transmitted. This is not curable but we have hope that through therapy great progress can be made and indeed we have already seen some progress in Ryan. Please pray that we will find a therapist in Ireland who understands dyspraxia and the complex issues that are involved as well as a teacher who will be sensitive to Ryan's specific needs as he learns and grows.

While I'm in Budapest Dawn will be working to prepare for the move back to Ireland. This is a huge task that is complicated by the fact that Dawn still cannot lift boxes because of her surgery. Pray that God will give her strength and wisdom as she works through all the packing and organizing while I am away.

Most of all, pray that we will keep our eyes on Jesus as we make this transition. We are eager to get back to Ireland and jump back into ministry God has called us to. Thanks for your prayer. We are grateful for you.
Journeying with God, Rod Taylor, Ventura, CA & Ireland

Current Issue

Prayer Requests

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church -- in America -- and in Ireland.

2) Pray for our country . . . Pray for our nation's judges. The courts have become a battleground for those seeking to remove all traces of our godly heritage from public life. Pray that the judges will be able to discern the intentions behind these cases, and that they will have the courage to continue our long tradition as a nation "under God."

3) Pray for the president. . .Pray for the president and his advisors as they follow up his recent meetings with key Middle Eastern leaders to continue their efforts to bring peace to that troubled region. Pray that God would work to give wisdom to those who are drawing up plans that will influence the future of the region.

Additional Leaders to pray for:

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman
Secretary of HUD Mel Martinez
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.

Read: II Chronicles 7:14

"If you pray for bread and bring no basket to carry it, you prove the doubting spirit which may be the only hindrance to the gift you ask."

--Dwight L. Moody

Oregon

4) Jesse is recovering nicely from his hip and leg surgery last week. The surgery was to correct some things caused by his dwarfism.. He is mostly pain-free and should be off the crutches in the next few days. Pray for healing so that he will be ready to return to school.

5) Please pray for a step mother's salvation and deliverance from extreme bitterness. The situation has become very difficult for her stepson on whom she has vented most of her anger.

6) Pray for Dale and he is due for surgery to remove a brain tumor behind his right eye. Would you please remember Dale, his wife Kym, and his family in your prayers. Pray that every last trace of the brain cancer cells are eliminated and terminated. Thank you for your prayers.

Missionaries

7) Joyce, working with Korean Christian kids in California, is having a Kids' Seminar on Youth Issues soon. One speaker will deal with abortion -- others on other teen-related topics. 2 Cor.10 says that the battle starts in the mind. Pray that any worldly mindset that the kids might have on these issues be taken down and replaced with God's Word and perspective. Pray that God has all the kids there who need to be and that their minds are open and receptive.

8) Pray for InterAct Ministries missionaries in Russia. They currently are only able to get 3 month residency visas. Pray that they will be able to get 3 year visas. Much time is spent on paper work.

9) Pray for Bittu and Anju, two Punjabi women living in Canada as they attend Bible school this fall. Pray God would provide needed finances.

Fact: Missiologists say that the United States is the fourth largest mission field in the world.

YOU ARE THE RESIDENT MISSIONARY!

Current Issue

I Had A Drug Problem When I Was Young!

I was drug to church on Sunday morning.
I was drug to church for wedding and funerals.
I was drug to family reunions no matter the weather.
I was drug to the bus stop to go to school every weekday.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults and teachers.
I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents.
Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in every thing I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin, and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America might be a better place.
Signed, Old

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dear God: Thank You for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy.
Joyce, age 5

Thought you might like to know -- there are 19 shopping weeks 'til Christmas (that's 4 paychecks if you are paid monthly!)

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August 17, 2003
Prayer Requests
Great Truths That Little Children Have Learned

Make My Heart Like Yours

Search my heart O God, then tell me what you find.
Light the fire of my spirit with a spark of your love.
Let the Holy Spirit burn through all my being and renew my mind.
Alas, O God, change my heart and make it yours.

You numbered the hairs on my head; my prints are like no others.
We came from the same womb, my sister and my brothers.
Yet, we are not the same.
I will celebrate my differences and glory in your name.
Alas, O God, if you make my heart like yours.

Shall I follow you like a helpless lamb?
Shall I come when you call to me?
The closer I walk to you I have found
O God, I am free.
It is in my freedom I ask of you to bind my spirit in yours.
Alas, O God, make my heart like yours.

As I am led let me lead.
As I am fed let me feed.
While you stay the same,
let my heart change
and look more like yours.

I realize at last
I can’t change the past.
It’s time to rest in you.
You’ve given me a chance anew
to make my heart like yours.
Alas, O God, make my heart like yours.

(c) Loretta Diane Walker, Odessa TX

Current Issue

Prayer Requests

1) Pray for revival and an awakening in the church. . .and true, deep heart change.

2) Pray for our country. . .Pray for Americans heading back to school this month, both young and old. Pray that this year will be productive and educational and that those in positions of authority in educational institutions would lead with integrity. Pray for those teachers and students who are persons of faith to, within appropriate guidelines, boldly represent their faith in God.

3) Pray for our president. . .Pray for the President as he seeks wisdom on how to legally codify the definition of marriage. Pray that it will be according to biblical principles. With many forces insisting on variant definitions of marriage, pray that God's Word and His standards will be honored by our government.

Additional leaders to pray for: Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Alan Greenspan, Director Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Bradley A. Buckles.

Read: Psalm 17:6 & Ephesians 6:18

Missionaries

Update on Rod Taylor’s trip to Budapest, Hungary for a youth conference for missionary kids:

We prayed that they (the kids) would arrive safely and that God would work in their lives. He did.

For the first time in my three years of leading this conference I saw them begin to soften as a whole group. The vast majority of these teenagers have a real relationship with Jesus but most of them also have deep wounds and an outer shell of protection that is difficult to penetrate.

I’ve been praying that Josh would be broken for three years. This year, for the first time he admitted and "owned" his own sin. We talked for hours about his pain and his loneliness. Then, as we embraced before he boarded his bus for the airport his eyes filled with the tears I have longed for in my prayers for the past three years.

Kelsey came to grips with a difficult and dangerous relationship and has committed to go home and break it off. Please pray that she is able to follow through.

Shawn allowed me into the core of his heart as we talked for hours and hours throughout the week. To me, this is sacred ground.

Another student has been trying to tell me about a sin issue in his life for three years. This year, God gave him the courage to open up. He has some deep problems. Please pray for him.

Ryan and Lauren start school on September 1st. Pray that we can purchase the uniforms and books for them as well as work with Ryan’s principal and teacher to help them understand dyspraxia and how that effects his education.

4) Pray for a missionary couple as they are on a trip to see needs firsthand. They have gone back into a difficult place for a while. Pray for safety and wisdom.

Oregon

5) Pray for a couple who quit going to a church because the congregation wasn’t "friendly". Pray God reaches their hearts.

Illinois

6) Praise God with Ted and Nancy that his follow-up cancer screening was clean. Pray for the ability to get through the last test without difficulty. It is scheduled for early September.

Idaho

7) Pray for Pat and Janet. They have adopted four children, the last two are brother and sister, both have fetal alcohol syndrome. The children were passed from various relatives to foster homes, none of which had any religious or Christian foundation. They longest stay was 2.5 years. Two years ago, Pat and Janet adopted D.J.(now 13) who is filled with anger, hits anyone trying to make him comply with anything he doesn’t want to do. He has improved with love and guidance and now tries to just hit something instead of someone. He apparently is quite intelligent and able to concentrate when he wants to. Nikkole struggles more and is unable to hold things in her mind very well, even things for her own safety. She is also very angry.

Pray for Pat and Janet and the four children (the others are 16 and 18). Finances, spiritual protection, strength and wisdom would be good!

Current Issue

Some Deep Thoughts

"You may trust the Lord too little, but you can never trust Him too much."
Anonymous

"Beware of despairing about yourself: you are commanded to put your trust in God, and not in yourself."
St. Augustine

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues."
Cicero

"The Christian life that is joyless is a discredit to God and a disgrace to itself."
Maltbie D. Babcock

"It is only when men begin to worship that they begin to grow."
Calvin Coolidge