Oh Phil,
         Pour George.  I wish that I had something more constructive to
say.  I know so much about what is going on with Chris.  I can't even begin
to imagine the pain that George must be feeling right now, having so many
unanswered questions and facing the reality that they may never get
answered here on this earth.  What a heavy burden to carry through your
earthly life.
         I was wondering if you might be able to talk to Gretchen about how
that passage in 1 Corinthians 5 effected her, now that she is beyond that
point in her life herself.  I was just wondering if she might have some
insight into how Jeniffer is thinking or feeling that would help George
develop a different approach.  You've probably already thought of that and
have already done it, but it's my suggestion anyway.
         God bless as all of you continue to seek for His answers and His
guidance.
Kathy


At 12:31 PM 4/10/2005, you wrote:
>The Enemy is doing his best to destroy a family.  Jennifer is at the point
>the doctor wants to put her on a ventilator.  Jennifer will not decide if
>she wants to be resuscitated or placed on a ventilator and when the doctor
>asked George about it, George said his hands are tied because his wife
>refuses to talk about it.  Unfortunately, later in the week, they discovered
>Jennifer, when she was well, over a five month period, took money out of her
>savings account to the tune of 5200 dollars.  Jennifer will only say that
>she spent the money and will not detail what she spent the money on.  I have
>personally felt for many months there was something wrong with Jennifer's
>relationship and walk with the Lord.  From age 10 to 20, Jennifer never went
>to a hospital once.  When she turned about 10 years of age, she got a job
>but also began hanging out with all the wrong people.  A friend of her's got
>high one day and literally ran out of his house on to the near by highway in
>the path of an oncoming truck.  He was killed instantly.  When George prayed
>with his daughter a couple of weeks ago, this came out, along with the fear
>Jennifer had, and she admitted to her dad that she had been under such fear
>from that day till now, she had to sleep with a light on in her room.  About
>this period of time, Jennifer lost her job because 2500 dollars was missing
>from her station.  The charges were dropped when the legal system got
>involved because George talked to her employer and they agreed to drop all
>charges if he paid the money back.  George told me that even in their small
>town of about 2800 people, drugs are so bad, there are shootings, murders,
>and violent acts like you can't believe.  With crystal meth labs as easy as
>they are to set up, drugs have become, in recent years, major problems in
>even the smallest of towns.  somehow, Jennifer has gotten in the middle of a
>whole lot of things which she refuses to speak about.  Yet, she is literally
>at death's door.  She struggles to breathe and grows weaker by the hour.
>She has not cried one time that George has seen in the five months they have
>been in the hospital.  She has not read her Bible.  she has prayed but only
>when George has asked her to pray with him.  Jennifer had not gone to the
>hospital for any reason from age ten, when she says she got born again,
>until she was 20 years old.  then every other month, she was in the hospital
>for two or three weeks and even on intravenous medications at home.  The
>people at this hospital say that 97 percent of couples going through this
>sort of a thing end up in divorce court.  Yesterday, George's wife blamed
>George for some things he felt needed to be said to his daughter and his
>wife said she was divorcing him as soon as it was all over.  Last week,
>Vivian, George's wife, blamed God and threatened never to speak of His name
>again, meaning the name of the Lord, if He, God, didn't keep His promises.
>she stopped short of renouncing the Lord.  the only person in this family,
>meaning the extended family of one brother and sister of Vivian, who are not
>in denial about what is happening is George, his son, who is about 27 or 28
>years old, and one of George's sisters who lives out of state but whom
>George keeps in touch with daily.  the rest of George's own family never
>even bother to call to see what is going on.  So, in a very real sense,
>George is all alone.  You may not agree with what I am about to say but it
>is in the Bible and it is truth.  First Corinthians 5 says, To deliver such
>an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be
>saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.  I did not point this passage out to
>George; he brought it up himself.  He also knows that the man guilty of the
>sin the apostle Paul was talking about later repented and was received back
>into fellowship with the church.  Years ago, in the Baptist church, the
>church I was attending had an annual missions conference.  I always looked
>forward to this conference each year because the missionaries who came to
>speak were always outstanding and real spiritual heroes to me as a young
>man.  One of the missionaries was from Canada, that is, he and his family
>had gone to Canada and served in far north Ontario for many years.  they had
>several children.  As he preached one night, he mentioned how many children
>he had but then he said that one of his sons was dead.  He explained that
>they had approached their son about how he was living, which was ungodly to
>say the least, and that they tried to talk to him about how his life style
>was bringing reproach to the name of Christ.  They never identified what it
>was that he was doing.  the son refused to give up his sin so his father
>used First Corinthians 5:5 and within weeks, their son was dead.  I used
>this same verse with my daughter years ago but it had no discernable effect
>upon her.  I don't recall ever getting up the courage to pray such a prayer
>and largely because she had children.  I used the passage, however, to show
>my daughter how very serious the Lord considers such behavior among His own
>people.  George discussed this passage of Scripture with his daughter but
>it, too, had no discernable effect.  It was this conversation George had
>with his daughter which caused his wife to announce would, and I quote,
>Never forgive him for what he said, and second, she was divorcing him when
>this was all over.  I presume she was referring to Jennifer's death.  George
>admitted to me yesterday that this is far from the first time his wife has
>blamed him for something he wasn't responsible for.  I had told George a few
>weeks ago, that unless the Lord was able to minister to Vivian in some way,
>she would get around to blaming God first, George second, and me third.
>Others, of course will be on the list eventually.  Vivian as literally
>substituted her daughter for the Lord, that is, she is placing her daughter
>before her relationship with the Lord.  Much of such things have to do with
>a person not ever being able to bond with others for some reason or another.
>It is usually due to a traumatic experience or some deep woundedness they
>experience in younger years which now has created a safe zone around them.
>Anyone approaching that safe zone finds out real quick they aren't welcome.
>can this happen even in a marriage which has lasted 29 years?  Deception has
>no restrictions.  I am telling you all of this because I don't feel you
>should know just the good things about this situation.  I want you to see
>how the Enemy works to kill, steel, and destroy.  Let me point one other
>thing out while I'm on the subject.  I have learned in the 900 hours of
>prayer and ministry time I have spent in the past two years, the Enemy
>especially likes to go after what the world calls the disabled or the
>handicapped.  I could tell you stories you wouldn't believe relating to
>people in these categories and guess what?  Many of us fall into that same
>classification.  No it isn't fair but the Enemy never ever plays fair.  I'll
>be calling George later today to find out what is going on.  His wife isn't
>speaking to him at the moment but he goes in and checks on his daughter
>frequently.  Otherwise, he stays out of the room.
>
>Phil.