About Jude Ministries
Pray For Me
June 2005:
The following prayer request was posted in October 2004:
In April, due to both pain management issues and moral issues, I became unemployed. Since that time I have discovered how difficult it is to maintain any type of routine work schedule with my pain management issues. So far, not only have the doctors been unable to control my pain with over medicating me, they are unable to explain why I have pain in the first place. To say this is frustrating is an understatement.
God remains faithful. When I need to teach, He takes away the pain. To keep me occupied, He arranged for my church to move their website to a server where I needed to learn a different programming language. I am about to display the "new" CRBC site which will be virtually all database driven.
Once that is complete I will return my attention to this Jude Ministries website. I have many lessons and studies to post and hope to move the Jude site to a fully database driven site as well. Based upon my experiences with the church site, this may take the rest of this year, but I pray for the strength to accomplish this task by the end of 2004.
Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support. May God richly bless your study efforts.
Since that time I have visited several more neurologists, neurosurgeons and othopedic surgeons. A variety of techniques have been tested in a continuing effort to relieve my pain, but so far to no avail. A new surgeon has a theory about the stability of my spine and suggests surgery to attempt to correct the situation. The odds of improvement are in my favor, but not without some odds on the down side. Debbie and I would appreciate your continued prayers as we investigate this new possiblity for a resolution of my pain issues. For all of those who may read these pages and are fighting pain yourself, you have are deepest prayers. This, sitting like Job in the town square with nothing to do but to scrape the sores, is not any fun. But, it is God's current season for my life and in His strength we will continue forward.
Jim A.
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A Continuing Request
Back in January 2003 I asked for prayer for back surgery. In February, I offered my thanks for what appeared to be successful surgery. And, I believe that in terms of what the surgery was to accomplish, it was successful. But, for those medical textbooks that discuss the success of surgeries in terms of pain free results, I fail to qualify.
Currently I continue to have residual pains in my rump that appeared immediately following surgery and have not subsided. If anything, they may be getting worse. While the operating diagnosis is "nerves regenerating," no one is exactly certain this is the real answer. So,
A little more prayer would be greatly appreciated. I cannot work full days for a full week, continue to take pain pills on a regular basis, and am walking with a cane. While this may be the state God desires of me, I would ask for prayer to cure most of this pain and the related problems.
Thank you for your continued support.
Jim A
April 19, 2003
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Thank You --
My surgery was a success, at least in the sense that I have survived the ordeal and am slowly recovering. It appears to early to tell if all of my pains and issues have been resolved as my nerves were badly pinched and are creating their own unique pain as they "untangle."
Nonetheless, thank you so much for all of your prayers --
Jim A
February 19, 2003
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I am a firm believer in the power of prayer, yet, I feel self-conscious in making a big deal out of personal prayer requests. The Scriptures teach, however, that we are all to share each other’s burdens, so I ask for your prayers. I have been fighting severe back and leg pains for almost a year now. After endless tests, I have been diagnosed with two different problems – four bad disks in my lower back and a condition called stenosis. Stenosis is a growth of the spinal bone and the disks caused, generally, by arthritis. The growth pinches on the nerves causing the leg pains.
On January 30th I will undergo surgery for the stenosis. My physician is conservative and prefers not to fuse multiple disks so we will undertake to cure the stenosis then revisit the back pain. Relieving the leg pain may, in fact, help my back.
I marvel at the intricacy of the human body. While intellectually I understand there is a vague connection between the things above the waist and below the waist, this past year has provided a new insight into the relationships – how back pain can create leg pain and so forth.
There is a “God thing” story in the midst of this. My family doctor is also conservative so we have approached the treatment of my pains in a careful manner. This meant moving from muscle relaxants to physical therapy to pain management doctors. It is this last group who recommended a surgeon specializing in spines.
So, there we were sitting in church after a Sunday night service discussing my problems with another member of the church who has similar issues in his upper back. He inquired as to the name of my surgeon. I told him it was “Dr. So & So.” A lady I did not know was walking passed in the hall. She stops, does an about face, and returns to our group with the statement, “That’s my husband!”
While we travel in different circles at our church, including service times, it develops God has continued to watch over me during this time of pain. My surgeon is a Christian and a member of my own church! God is good!!
Thank you for your prayers over the next few weeks.
Jim A.
