June 15, 2010 The 23rd Psalm (2)

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters.

Good Tuesday morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful morning here at the Southern location of the North Pole. It is also NATIVE AMERICAN DAY here in the USA and we have many NATIVE AMERICANS on this line. The writings from this line are forwarded to the Cherokee Nation line. So Happy day to all of our Native Americans, to Vicki, Lone Wolf, and yes even me. And special thanks to Mr. Doug Boyer for all his work with our Native American brothers and sisters with "Brotherhood Native American Outreach".

It is Tuesday and that means it is Schools Day on the line. Also please keep praying for Allison, Ron, and also for Kathleen Sansoni who all have cancer. Kathleen is starting back in chemo treatments. At the end of the message today is a complete update for the family of Allison who give thanks to God and our prayers. Schools are closed but we still pray for them. Pray that they can get more education, and kids really want to learn.

The 23rd Psalm (2): Psalm 23:2 - He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. (KJV) (please note that I use the King James Bible for Psalm as I think it flows so much better.)

A shepherd watching over his flock will take them to green pastures to eat and to rest, and the shepherd also wants them beside still waters so that they may get a drink. A shepherd who takes good care of his flock always sees that they are safe from harm and danger, they see that they have food and water and a place to rest and sleep. If they would put the flock beside a raging river the animals being thirsty would still try and get a drink and be washed away. We have seen the power of raging water in recent days and it stops at nothing. As a youngster years and years back when the streets were dirt, and yes, they were dirt as I would go to the farm of my Uncle Lester and Aunt Romaine and my cousins, one of whom is with us on the line... I remember their meadow, while I don't recall any sheep, but do remember that nice meadow and how the creek would flow so slowly going past. Although it could rage sometimes, most often is was nice and still.

Now let's take a look at The Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus, and how this verse of Psalm 23 reflects on us today. When our Lord God made the heavens and the earth, one of the first things He did before He made Adam and then Eve was to make a garden... It is named Eden, and it had all we would have ever needed. It was a beautiful garden of rest with eats and water and then we messed up. And we all know that story. But let me fast forward to today and I want to look at how we are rested today.

First when we were born we were made that our bodies need to have rest, have sleep, and we also need food and water for our bodies. Parents were equipped by God to reproduce and Mothers were plumbed to feed the babies they had. Most parents had little beds to keep kids in, but I do remember stories of how, when parents traveled back in those days that dresser drawers were used in motels to keep baby safe. Today I would like to thank God for our "green pastures and still waters." Please let me talk about them for I am sure you will find that you have the same things... Yesterday my friends Dave and Tom went with me to the Museum Annex where we had a lot of work to do, putting antique buses away after our big event last week. It was hot, and the buses are not easy to move around. We had a lot of water on hand, but still it was hot. After our mission was done and I headed home, home to my Green Pasture, yes my Green Pasture, which is a really nice house on a nice street with really nice neighbors who put up with me, a back yard farmer, who has a few buses in that back yard. But it is our Green Pasture, and today I want you to look around yourself and see if you do not think that where you live is indeed your green pasture. Yesterday I came home very tired and I do mean tired, I did a few must-do things and got something to eat and then I laid down to rest in my green pasture... A nice bed in an air conditioned bedroom with a few of my herd. Yes, up on the bed came 4 of our 10 dogs who just wanted to be next to me. As I think of the tired sheep laying down on that green grass of the pasture I think of my nice bed. I have many times in my life laid down on a nice green lawn. We would do this as kids, maybe after a pickup game of baseball in the summer we would lay down on a shady spot of the field and take a nap.

And for that still water, back to my Aunt and Uncle's farm, and I remember a pump that was out back where you could hand pump water up and get a drink. And I also remember along my paper routes where their were water hoses hooked up to the outside water pipe and I would stop on a hot day and get a drink out of the hose. To this day when I am outside and working with a hose, I often get a drink from that hose. I have been told it is not good for you. Ok, so you live in a town with water, I have a well... but in the town the water comes through those rusty pipes and into the house plumbing as does my water, but that hose, it could hurt you... Kids would be better off today drinking from a hose than those sodas. Oh and what would happen today if you were to go to a house with a hose and pick it up and get a drink. I have a dear friend who now lives in Florida, we went to school together and she lived with her parents on my paper route. Yes, I used her hose many times to get a drink. Today my still waters comes in most part right out of the pipes in my house. Do you really want to enjoy some still water today? Fill your bathroom with nice warm water and get in it and take a short nap... Today my green pasture and still water, all provided as those things in verse one. "I shall not want."

Now just one more statement to those many pastors on the line... We have flocks and we must be sure that those in our flocks do have green pastures and still waters. What might that mean to us? We need to be sure they have shelter, a bed and food. We need to be sure they have heat and at least a fan for in the summer. We need to work for The Great, The Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus... Amen.

Dear Father in Heaven, Thanks for my green pasture and my still water, and thanks again for another day of life. Lord, please bless this day our Native Americans all over this country and bless them each day. And Lord, please remind all those people who are born in America that they are today's Native Americans and we should be thankful for what You have given us, a great Nation, Under You and with lots of green pastures and still water. Lord, bless those with cancer and heal them, in the name of Jesus, heal them please. And Lord, bless our schools and all who work with them as they plan next year. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Go forth and share. folks, and and keep on keeping on for Jesus... love ya. Pastor Dan.

Carry The Light Ministries
16 Dewalt Drive
Mechanicsburg, Pa. 17050
Phones Home 717 691 8200 Pastor's Cell 717 991 0754 Dolores' Cell 717 991 0763

Now an update on Allison

Hello Prayer Warriors,

I am writing with some good news and some not so good news. We are very thankful that her potassium this morning after several boluses through the IV is 3.4!!! That is such a relief. Also her H&H after getting blood is 8.8 and 24.3 which is also better. The platelet transfusion which helps with clotting her blood took her platelets from 7 to 12. So, overall her electrolytes and blood counts are improved but still not where they should be.

The not so good news is that last night Allison spiked a temperature after the second unit of blood so the doctors have decided to do blood cultures to make sure she doesn't have an underlying infection and they are adding Vancomycin to her antibiotics that she is already receiving. She reacted to the Vancomycin last time with a swollen, red face and hands and some shortness of breath. This time they will be giving her Tylenol and Benadryl before they give the medicine hoping to prevent a reaction.

We were also told that she will be getting more platelets today since her platelets only came up to 12. That means more Benadryl which knocks Allie out. This morning Allison was having severe episodes of chest pain, almost like a spasm in her esophagus. The doctors feel her mucositis has slightly worsened because her white blood cell count is still 0.1 and she needs the white blood cells to begin to heal. Usually once her counts start to rise, the improvement is pretty dramatic. But this morning she was in a lot of pain. So, they also decided to increase her pain pump dosage and add a drug called Carafate which is a liquid to help coat and soothe her esophagus. That will start this afternoon.

So, we remain in Hershey and until her white blood cells are able to rebound and her mucositis begins to heal, we must wait. We pray that her bone marrow begins to recover from the chemo and starts to make some cells, red, white, platelets....we want them all!! Thanks for all the prayers and the responses to my previous email letting us know that you are praying. We know this is just another valley we must travel to reach the mountain top. Allison's spirits remain good even though she is quite sedated. She has had some visitors (although we have discouraged too many due to the risk of infection) and she enjoyed that very much!! We are asking for prayers for a quick response by her bone marrow to begin making cells so her mucositis heals and she can get off the antibiotics and go home. Thank you once again!!!

As we ask for you to pray for Allison's complete and total healing, successful and safe surgery and a return to college in the fall, we claim the scripture from Matthew 18:19 that says, "Again, I tell you the truth, if two or more of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you." AMEN!! We have faith in this scripture and hold fast to it's promise. Thanks prayer warriors for joining us in this battle!


In His Love, Tom, Zina, Allison and Andy