God, Who Loves to Answer Prayers

6 months ago…
        Bloated, exhausted, severe pain head-to-foot, unable to breathe, unable to stop coughing, no sleep, unable to dress without help, and worst: unable to pray… diagnosis: Congestive Heart Failure as a result of heart disease…

4 months ago…

        Able to control the pain, eliminated much of the bloating & fluid retention, coughing gone, able to walk & sleep, and best, again able to pray… however, a major cardiac issue still looms…

6 days ago… 5:30 am!

        Open-heart surgery to replace the Aortic valve—an extremely invasive procedure that would take 4 ½ hours.

5 days ago…

        Awake, breathing on her own!  Up walking!  Able to kiss her husband—yeah!  Eating real food—totally unexpected so soon!  Several walks during the day, and feeling extremely grateful…

3 days ago…

        ALL tubes, drains, major IV’s etc. gone! Pain under control, eating full Cardiac diet, free to walk as desired/able (wt spotter, of course)…

2 day ago…

        RELEASED! Ready to move to Transitional Care facility for a week to 10 days, in preparation to return home…

        Even the devout, the believers who strive for a daily walk with the Lord, are subject to the weakness of seeing in order to believe…and even tho’ Jesus repeatedly cautioned us against this, he lovingly grants us the true pleasure of being able to see His hand at work from time to time.

        During these past 5 days, we have received just such a sign—clear evidence of His active working on our behalf—and we are awed and humbled.

        If the first month or so of this journey left us amazed and grateful, words simply are not adequate to describe the wonder of the past 5 days!

        After so many months of wondering, questioning, praying, seeking God’s peace and sense of direction, we found ourselves at that place where, even tho’ we had His peace, yet we were also filled with apprehension, and let’s face it, not a little scared!  We’re not talking about setting a broken leg here… just the idea of someone deliberately cutting into & cracking open our chest (sternum, breastbone), moving things around to access and surgically replace a vital part of one of the most vital organs in our body—that’s overwhelming!

        We live in a day of incredible breakthroughs in medicine & surgical techniques, often making possible in a few days what formerly would have required weeks. Added to that, however, is the sovereign hand that years ago foresaw this need and settled us in the same community as one of the top 10 Cardiac hospitals (best on the West coast!) in the nation. Having readily available such marvelous facilities, surgeons, nurses & support personnel made such a serious step slightly less daunting, yet scary nonetheless.

        Much can be attributed to the fine surgeon, the supporting nurses and the various auxiliary personnel, and rightly so. Much can also be attributed to the hard work that Patricia, my bride of 45 years, put into preparing her body for such a demanding procedure, as well as working with the post-op requirements. Yet, when all is said & done, it is the unseen Physician who ultimately deserves our gratitude & highest praise.

        The author of 1 John writes, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” [I Jn 5.14-15, niv, emph. mine]

        We have been privileged to not only have many people here in the States praying for us; God has been good to provide brothers & sisters lifting us to the Father from England, Ireland, China, Africa, Canada, Indonesia and New Zealand. It is one thing to know people are praying and to be grateful for their willingness. A new level of appreciation is reached, tho’, when we see the God of heaven so obviously hearing those prayers and granting the requests! 

        In and of ourselves, we are so frail, prone to lean on our own resources and abilities, in spite of such obvious inadequacies. How foolish!  The heavenly Father makes it clear that he anxiously awaits our pleas…

        King David writes, “Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.” [Ps. 55.17, nlt]

        The prophet Jeremiah writes, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” [Jer. 29.12, niv]

        Are we grateful to have such excellent facilities for this surgery? Absolutely!

        Are we thankful for such skilled personnel to carry out such demanding care? Without a doubt!

        And yet, even the best facilities and medical professionals are no guarantee of success.

        Ultimately where does it all rest? The writer of one of the marvelous ‘Songs of Ascent,’ Psalm 121, puts it this way:

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—

    where does my help come from?
  My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.
  He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
  indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep…”

        As we look to many more weeks of recuperation, of regaining strength & healing, we are humbly grateful: for doctors and nurses… for technicians and therapists… for praying saints… but most of all for a God who loves to answer the prayers of His saints!

 

Terry & Patricia Lampel | Cup of Cold Water | Everett, WA, USA

Be a "Star"

Isn’t it amazing how easily we allow the little things in life to fade unknowingly into history?

Today we seem to live in a service & support society where attention is only given to those items for which we ask help. For someone to voluntarily offer to do the unrequired, to act over and above that which is requested or scheduled is often rare.

Recently we spent 2 weeks in a hospital and witnessed this sad truth in action. We were supported by many wonderful nurses, doctors, and aides all trained to provide excellent care and treatment; the majority performed their roles with skill and care. We become used to having both the scheduled routines, as well the requested tasks, carried out as expected. What came as an unexpected blessing was an aide named Star.

After almost 2 weeks of a merry-go-round of nurses, aides, doctors etc., Star entered our little universe as a breath of fresh air. Star’s presence did not rely on her physical or mental attributes. Instead, it was her spirit, her happy willingness to go out of her way, which brought us such delight.

Remember the days when, if you had to be hospitalized, nurses would always bathe you, remake your bed, help you with personal needs, and include such simple things as applying lotion to your back, or performing other comforting, relaxing actions?  In our enlightened 21^st century, however, we quickly found that such acts of kindness were rare—not missing, simply not seen very often.

Star walked into our room one evening and asked Pat, “Would you like me to wash your back for you? Then, how about a back rub with some lotion?”  Is there any answer to that other than a grateful “Yes!”? And that was to be Star’s MO… always looking for those little acts of kindness. What an incredible blessing she was. Whenever Star entered our room, we always knew it was for our good, not for her scheduled routine.

As we go about our day, doing the things we know we must, or the things requested by others, how often do we look for those opportunities to do the unrequired? The little things no one even thought to ask of us? I’d urge you to take time each day to look for ways in which you can be a “Star,” to be the answer to someone’s unasked point of need… to be a blessing.

Terry & Patricia Lampel | Cup of Cold Water, Everett, WA

Gray Power or Prayer Power?

What the world needs now...

   There is much talk about "Gray Power" in the world today. People want to claim this power when it comes to their political, financial & physical (health) matters of life. I'm not going to speak of these; too much has already been said or written about them. No, my concern is not about the lack of respect for,  and value of the older generation. My concern is for the millions of "aged" sitting at home, due to various infirmities, feeling feeble… powerless.. yes, useless.

   The untapped "power" I speak of is found in recognizing God's wondrous creation of each human being… in recognizing that power is PRAYER.

   Just think… you are here not by chance, but by God's choosing. His hand formed you and made you the person you are. He compares you to no one else—you are one of a kind.  You lack nothing that His grace can't give you. He has allowed you to be here at this time in history to fulfill His special purpose for this generation.

  

   "For You created my inmost being;

       You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

    I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

       your works are wonderful, I know that full well."  Psalm 139.13-14, niv84

    We are all God's children, no matter our age, our physical condition, or the circumstances in which we live.

   I want to share my heart with you about this insidious attitude that has become rampant in our society over the years. It has been programmed into us that if you can't be "doing" or be "involved" in some way, you are not worth any value in this life. Every child of God who can think can also lift their voice, whether silently or vocally, in PRAYER to the Father.

   My prayer is that Light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious {power} blessings that will be yours, together with all God's people.

   May you always be:

A MIND through which Christ thinks,

A HEART through which Christ lives,

A VOICE through which Christ speaks,

A HAND through which Christ helps.

   Remember to "Trust & Obey" —God is in control...

        "He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

         He keeps every promise forever.

         He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry.

         The LORD frees the prisoners.

         The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.

         The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down.

         The LORD loves the godly."    Psalm 146.6-8, nlt

Our limited potential accents God's limitless power.

Terry & Patricia Lampel, Everett, WA | Cup of Cold Water ministry

"Blown by the Spirit"

thoughts from Patricia...

Because the light in early lighthouses was an open fire, exposed to the elements, wind direction was critical to the success of these guiding lights.

If the wind came from the direction of the land, the light became more visible to the sailor.
If the wind was blowing inland, however, the flame was more difficult to see.
Like those early lighthouses, our lives, too, are exposed to the rough elements.
Is our light blown backward, made nearly invisible by the world's harsh blast?
Or, does the gentle breeze of the Spirit blow our flame outward, so everyone can see?

Paul writes to the believers at Ephesus, "You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the light." Eph. 5.8, cev

The Holy Spirit has been more than a gentle breeze in our lives… Today, we are faced with "breezes" coming at us from many directions.

God continues to be our anchor, our foundation, and our center-point.

Terry & Patricia Lampel, Everett, WA | Cup of Cold Water ministry

"Go Tell!"

Are you getting a bit weary of these old, cliché statements like, "Merry Christmas", "Happy Christmas", "Merry X-Mas", "Happy Holidays"? Doesn’t it seem like we could come up with something a little more appropriate?

I've been thinking…  Wouldn't it be wonderful for those of us who believe in and worship the Baby born in Bethlehem to use a greeting that both conveys the meaning of the season, as well as identifies us by who we are in Christ?

During the days of the early Church, almost 2,000 years ago, believers in Jesus Christ, would often greet one another with the safe, obscure words, "He is risen"; if the person being greeted was also a believer, the response would usually be, "He is risen indeed!" Those early Christ-ones had good reason for being discrete, even veiled, in the event that they might bring attention to themselves & others as "enemies of the State." Death, or at the least, imprisonment was the frequent result in such exposure.

In some Christian groups, It has become common for believers in Christ's resurrection, upon greeting one another on Easter Sunday, to repeat those aged words, "He is risen… He is risen indeed!" to each other. Possibly those early shepherds could offer us a timely ID catch-phrase we could use to remind us of what our response should be at Christmas time.

Luke's gospel (Luke2.8-20), the only one to document this delightful part of the Christmas story, illustrates some important responses:

¬  Upon being frightened by the sudden appearance of the angels with the news of Jesus' birth, they followed the angel's directions, and went…

¬  Having witnessed the actual Christ child, their immediate response was to return, "glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told." In other words, they again went and this time, they told!

 

Those early shepherds set a high standard of response for us to follow today. Can you imagine the world's reaction to us being as excited over His coming as we can get about presents, food, trees, decorations, etc.?  It seems that there could be no more appropriate greeting for us each Christmas than to give one another a gentle prod, by saying, "Go Tell!"  What do YOU think?

Terry & Patricia Lampel, Everett, WA | Cup of Cold Water ministry

Why Music?

People who talk with Pat & me for any length of time often hear us speak about or refer to various songs, composers, artists, videos of music, etc. A friend once replied, in a conversation, “Do you know how many times you mention a singer or song, just as if you expect me to know who you’re talking about?”  We laughed together, realizing that we all have our own “spheres of comfort” in which we are… OK, “comfortable.” For us, that sphere is music—especially music that glorifies & lifts up our matchless Savior & Lord, Jesus Christ.

Many years ago I taught in a Christian school, where one of the teachers simply did not like any music, and would refuse to sing with the other teachers, even behind closed doors. That always puzzled me. It’s one thing to only have the ability to make a joyful “noise”; it’s something else to not want to open your mouth in praise.

As a child, I used to be embarrassed by my father as we would sing in church. You see, Dad loved Jesus, and he loved music… but he could not even come close to being able to “carry a tune.” That never stopped him, however, from loudly joining in the hymns, or tapping his feet as other musicians played or sang! Today, I would love to be able to tell him just how proud I am—and should have been then—for not caring what others thought—only what God thought.

Scripture is replete with admonitions, as well as examples, to be a participant in this wonderful, free expression of praise and love for our God.

♬ “Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes!

      I, even I, will sing to the LORD;
      I will sing praise to the LORD God of
      Israel.” 
(song of Deborah & Barak, Judges 5.3)

 ♬ ”Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
       Talk of all His wondrous works!”

(David, celebrating return of the Ark, 1 Chronicles 16.9))

♬ “Sing praises to God, sing praises!
     Sing praises to our King, sing praises!”

(the sons of Korah, Psalm 47.6)

♬ “Sing to the LORD a new song;
      sing to the LORD, all the earth.”

(Psalm 96.1, emphasis mine)

♬ “Sing to the LORD, bless His name;
    Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”

(Psalm 96.2, emphasis mine)

♬ “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,

      teaching and admonishing one another
      in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
     singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
(Paul, while in prison, to the church at Colossae, Col. 3.16, Eph. 5.19-20)

So you see, the choice always belongs to us. The common term today is GIGO: “Garbage IN, Garbage OUT.” In other words, there is a proportional relationship between what we allow into our minds & what comes out from our mind. God has given us the instruction to fill our minds with things that honor Him (Philippians 4.8), and then, to do accordingly (Philippians 4.9)—you didn’t realize that computer terminology (such as GIGO) was actually a Biblical concept, did you?

For us, a day without listening to or singing edifying music would be tantamount to learning that we would never see the sun again! Music lifts, heals, invigorates, soothes, instructs, encourages, exhorts, and just plain adds warmth & enjoyment to your life! IF (or since) our Creator God created music, and placed so much importance on it, why is it that we compartmentalize it to Sunday worship?  What about you?  We’ll let you make the application.  Terry & Pat Lampel | Cup of Cold Water ministry | Everett, WA

Thankfulness at Midnight

       Can you imagine? You’ve finally hit the sheets after a tough day, hoping for some respite from your stresses, your anxieties, your conflicts, possibly some physical pain. Yet, as so often happens when sleep doesn’t come swiftly, you lie awake. Have you ever noticed that a bad tooth, e.g., can feel worse when you try to go to sleep? As your mind flits from one stray thought to another, often this is precisely when our conscience brings to mind all sorts of things.

       The psalmist lets us glimpse the fact that often his bed was anything but a place for sleep. Psalm 6.6 says, “I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.” Yet, as was so typical of David, it was then that his thoughts would begin to focus on his God. In Psalm 63.6, he says, “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” How often do we allow the pressures and pains of this world to squeeze out the very words on which the Lord would have us meditate?

       But then, in Psalm 119.62, David takes this conscious thought to an extraordinary prompt of praise & gratitude to God: “At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws.” (emphasis mine).  The Message translation highlights just how remarkable the psalmist’s response is: “I get up in the middle of the night to thank you; your decisions are so right, so true—I can't wait till morning!” David was so moved by thoughts of his God that his only option was to get up in the middle of the night and express his gratefulness to God!

       Notice that he did not wait until Sunday worship service, or even the mid-week prayer gathering. And he definitely did not wait for a convenient Thanksgiving holiday to roll around. No, he immediately got up (“I rise”) and expressed to his Lord exactly how filled with gratitude he was. Knowing David, he probably sang and danced exuberantly around his palace bedroom, not really caring what others might think! And, by the way, the word “laws” (“decisions”) is one of the many words used for God’s revealed Word. In other words, David was excited about (“so right, so true”) God’s laws and, yes, His rules & regulations!  He’s not rejoicing about some miracle or unexpected bonus; simply God’s instruction to him and his people.

       I have to confess that its been a long time since I got up out of my bed in the middle of the night for the sole purpose of praising & thanking God. Oh, I might pray for Him to bring relief to some overpowering pain, or to let me get to sleep, after wrestling with an uncooperative body for hours… but to get out of bed just to thank Him for revealing His Word to me? That is a staggering thought! What self-centered creations we are!

       I urge you right now—not on New Year’s Day—to determine to start cultivating a thankful, grateful heart. As the month of November heralds our annual “day” of Thanksgiving, let’s commit ourselves to become known as people of gratitude.  Wouldn’t it be marvelous to have generated such an “attitude of gratitude” this month that, when Thanksgiving finally rolls around, we find ourselves so filled with a thankful heart that all we can do is simply & quietly reflect on God’s incredible goodness?

     Terry & Pat Lampel, Seattle, WA | Cup of Cold Water ministry