Debi Pearl's Blog, page 2

Shielded With Prayers

A week before we were due to attend a 3 day conference in October, Mike was working on our house. A 2×4 board caught on the saw blade, and pushed a splintered piece of wood backwards, piercing his right arm! The board hit the bone & fanned out exiting the arm in two places. His bone wasn’t broken! Once he got over initial pain, it didn’t even hurt.

With the adventures we’ve had lately, the Doctor at the local hospital asked Mike what he did to himself THIS time. Then, everyone pulled out their camera phones and started taking pictures. The local hospital wasn’t set up for this kind of injury, so they just stabilized the limb and sent Mike to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. Upon arrival, the medical staff there was also impressed and took pictures of their own. Mike just smiled.

Knowing we had the ministry with the Amish folk coming up, we immediately contacted people to pray. Five days later, we were on our way to the meeting place on the Indiana and Kentucky border. Upon arrival, our car’s transmission died!

During the meetings, Mike was writing on the board with that hand and worked through a schedule that had him teaching for more than 15 hours over 2 ½ days. He never had a headache or throat problem and his arm never hurt. He didn’t want to be bothered with fiddling for his reading glasses because he had so much to say in so little time. We knew people were praying because Mike’s mind was so sharp and clear, he was able to recall and quote chapter after chapter of Scripture. He didn’t NEED glasses to read!

And that was just the BEGINNING of the many things God did! We both felt like were at the right place at the right time with the right message for the right people. It was VERY powerful and VERY moving to see God do something among this people. We knew we would not be part of the exciting future, but we were thrilled to be able to catch a glimpse of what is to come.

Thank you so much for praying!

Shielded With Prayers

A week before we were due to attend a 3 day conference in October, Mike was working on our house. A 2×4 board caught on the saw blade, and pushed a splintered piece of wood backwards, piercing his right arm! The board hit the bone & fanned out exiting the arm in two places. His bone wasn’t broken! Once he got over initial pain, it didn’t even hurt.

With the adventures we’ve had lately, the Doctor at the local hospital asked Mike what he did to himself THIS time. Then, everyone pulled out their camera phones and started taking pictures. The local hospital wasn’t set up for this kind of injury, so they just stabilized the limb and sent Mike to Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville. Upon arrival, the medical staff there was also impressed and took pictures of their own. Mike just smiled.

Knowing we had the ministry with the Amish folk coming up, we immediately contacted people to pray. Five days later, we were on our way to the meeting place on the Indiana and Kentucky border. Upon arrival, our car’s transmission died!

During the meetings, Mike was writing on the board with that hand and worked through a schedule that had him teaching for more than 15 hours over 2 ½ days. He never had a headache or throat problem and his arm never hurt. He didn’t want to be bothered with fiddling for his reading glasses because he had so much to say in so little time. We knew people were praying because Mike’s mind was so sharp and clear, he was able to recall and quote chapter after chapter of Scripture. He didn’t NEED glasses to read!

And that was just the BEGINNING of the many things God did! We both felt like were at the right place at the right time with the right message for the right people. It was VERY powerful and VERY moving to see God do something among this people. We knew we would not be part of the exciting future, but we were thrilled to be able to catch a glimpse of what is to come.

Thank you so much for praying!

Cultivating Cautious Chicks – Protecting Children from Predators

You may have noticed in our latest issue Mike’s article for parents that discover their child has been exposed to sexual activity (WHEN THE WORST HAPPENS, June 2010). We’ve also made available for free an audio download called SEX EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN. This is because we sometimes get heartbreaking letters. The most heartbreaking ones have to do with children.

Yard chickens develop a natural pecking order. Mama hens brood and raise little chicks. Roosters protect the hens and vie for position. At least, that’s how it used to be.

Today, if you go to the feed store and get little chicks, you’ll find that brooding and natural mothering tendencies have been bred out of them. This is because corporate chicken farms need to have everything streamlined. This means that eggs are hatched in a hatchery and baby chicks are never taught to scratch for bugs by a mama hen.

If you place these distant descendants of yard chickens into an actual yard, they will be defenseless. The hens weren’t taught how to be mamas, so they don’t know how to teach the chicks. The roosters never learned from example either, so they bully rather than protect. These birds won’t know what to do when a hawk’s shadow flitters across the grass. In the chaos of that chicken yard, they’d all be easy pickings for the first predator to show up. Of course, the chicks would be the first to go.

So, what do you do when the chicks are in danger? You call to them. You cluck a warning. You show them where to hide and how to run to help. Chicks need to know that there are bad guys and they need to know how to stay safe.

That’s why I’ve been working, working, working to complete another children’s book called YELL AND TELL. I don’t know when it will be complete, but I’ll REALLY appreciate your prayers as things move forward. Keep watching my blog and No Greater Joy Magazine, and I’ll update you on the progress!

Cultivating Cautious Chicks – Protecting Children from Predators

You may have noticed in our latest issue Mike’s article for parents that discover their child has been exposed to sexual activity (WHEN THE WORST HAPPENS, June 2010). We’ve also made available for free an audio download called SEX EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN. This is because we sometimes get heartbreaking letters. The most heartbreaking ones have to do with children.

Yard chickens develop a natural pecking order. Mama hens brood and raise little chicks. Roosters protect the hens and vie for position. At least, that’s how it used to be.

Today, if you go to the feed store and get little chicks, you’ll find that brooding and natural mothering tendencies have been bred out of them. This is because corporate chicken farms need to have everything streamlined. This means that eggs are hatched in a hatchery and baby chicks are never taught to scratch for bugs by a mama hen.

If you place these distant descendants of yard chickens into an actual yard, they will be defenseless. The hens weren’t taught how to be mamas, so they don’t know how to teach the chicks. The roosters never learned from example either, so they bully rather than protect. These birds won’t know what to do when a hawk’s shadow flitters across the grass. In the chaos of that chicken yard, they’d all be easy pickings for the first predator to show up. Of course, the chicks would be the first to go.

So, what do you do when the chicks are in danger? You call to them. You cluck a warning. You show them where to hide and how to run to help. Chicks need to know that there are bad guys and they need to know how to stay safe.

That’s why I’ve been working, working, working to complete another children’s book called YELL AND TELL. I don’t know when it will be complete, but I’ll REALLY appreciate your prayers as things move forward. Keep watching my blog and No Greater Joy Magazine, and I’ll update you on the progress!

I’m DONE!

WHEW! It’s been so BUSY around here!

I’m excited to tell you that Preparing To Be A Help Meet is on its way to the printer FINALLY!!

This has REALLY been a team effort with so many being willing to share their heart stories. Even the single guys that have reviewed the book say they love it because it helps them identify the traits they want to look for in a GREAT future wife. My editor tells me that it rivals Created To Be His Help Meet and may even be better. It’s a book that has something for everyone, whether single or married.

This book was written to with a lot of flexibility. It will be good for individual study or in a study group setting. There are even plans to start a chat forum online for people that want to discuss points of the book across the world wide web! So MANY things are coming together so quickly. We are aiming towards the middle of April for a release date … That’s only 4 or 5 weeks away! If you want to be SURE to get a copy, you can pre-order one from No Greater Joy.

Me? Well I’m going to take a B-R-E-A-K!! … That’s right. As of Wednesday, I’m officially off duty for a couple of months. I’ve had my nose to the grindstone these last four months, and I’m worn out! So I plan to dig in my herb garden. I LOVE my garden. If you want to find me, you’ll need some work clothes and gloves because I’ll just put you to work!

I’m planning on just sitting in the sunshine with my daddy, playing with my grandchildren and fishing with Mike … and maybe not in that order. All I know is I’m getting away from the office for a while and doing a great big cannonball dive back into the stuff that makes life so much fun here on Cane Creek.

Update

The official website for Preparing To Be A Help Meet is live! Join in the conversation, learn more about the book, ask questions, and more! Take me there now »

I’m DONE!

WHEW! It’s been so BUSY around here!

I’m excited to tell you that Preparing To Be A Help Meet is on its way to the printer FINALLY!!

This has REALLY been a team effort with so many being willing to share their heart stories. Even the single guys that have reviewed the book say they love it because it helps them identify the traits they want to look for in a GREAT future wife. My editor tells me that it rivals Created To Be His Help Meet and may even be better. It’s a book that has something for everyone, whether single or married.

This book was written to with a lot of flexibility. It will be good for individual study or in a study group setting. There are even plans to start a chat forum online for people that want to discuss points of the book across the world wide web! So MANY things are coming together so quickly. We are aiming towards the middle of April for a release date … That’s only 4 or 5 weeks away! If you want to be SURE to get a copy, you can pre-order one from No Greater Joy.

Me? Well I’m going to take a B-R-E-A-K!! … That’s right. As of Wednesday, I’m officially off duty for a couple of months. I’ve had my nose to the grindstone these last four months, and I’m worn out! So I plan to dig in my herb garden. I LOVE my garden. If you want to find me, you’ll need some work clothes and gloves because I’ll just put you to work!

I’m planning on just sitting in the sunshine with my daddy, playing with my grandchildren and fishing with Mike … and maybe not in that order. All I know is I’m getting away from the office for a while and doing a great big cannonball dive back into the stuff that makes life so much fun here on Cane Creek.

Update

The official website for Preparing To Be A Help Meet is live! Join in the conversation, learn more about the book, ask questions, and more! Take me there now »

In the Works

As this new year begins, I’m excited about our newest project, Preparing To Be A Help Meet, a book for single young women. It has truly been a labor of love because young women were willing to send me their love stories to help illustrate each lesson. We’ve had so many willing to share that it isn’t possible to include all of them in this single book. I say book, but it’s really a study guide and book all in one volume that can be used for group study or individually.

During this process, I’ve been reminded all over again that the calling of a help meet is that which requires heavenly resources. So often old habits and stinking thinking gets in the way of what God has created us to be. We must daily choose the better part. It’s really convicting to review the Scripture again as this newest book is prepared for printing.

Just as Daniel chastened himself and prayed for understanding (Daniel 10), as the Church labored through the night in prayer when Peter was in prison (Acts 12), there are times when we must clear the way with prayer. Prayer and angels go hand in hand. There are barriers that are crushed when God’s people pray.

As you remember us in prayer, pray for physical stamina, wisdom, clarity of purpose and efficiency in the many tasks at hand. Ask God to send His messengers to hand-deliver the very things that are required. We SO value your prayers! I’m convinced that the earnest prayers of faithful believers will make all of the difference in how quickly and how well we are able to reach our goals…

So, pray as you see the need, and we will rejoice with you to see God’s supply.

In the Works

As this new year begins, I’m excited about our newest project, Preparing To Be A Help Meet, a book for single young women. It has truly been a labor of love because young women were willing to send me their love stories to help illustrate each lesson. We’ve had so many willing to share that it isn’t possible to include all of them in this single book. I say book, but it’s really a study guide and book all in one volume that can be used for group study or individually.

During this process, I’ve been reminded all over again that the calling of a help meet is that which requires heavenly resources. So often old habits and stinking thinking gets in the way of what God has created us to be. We must daily choose the better part. It’s really convicting to review the Scripture again as this newest book is prepared for printing.

Just as Daniel chastened himself and prayed for understanding (Daniel 10), as the Church labored through the night in prayer when Peter was in prison (Acts 12), there are times when we must clear the way with prayer. Prayer and angels go hand in hand. There are barriers that are crushed when God’s people pray.

As you remember us in prayer, pray for physical stamina, wisdom, clarity of purpose and efficiency in the many tasks at hand. Ask God to send His messengers to hand-deliver the very things that are required. We SO value your prayers! I’m convinced that the earnest prayers of faithful believers will make all of the difference in how quickly and how well we are able to reach our goals…

So, pray as you see the need, and we will rejoice with you to see God’s supply.

A Funeral

Mike had just finished working on the next issue of No Greater Joy. I was looking forward to things settling down.

Now maybe I could focus on finishing a couple of writing projects. Maybe I wouldn’t have such a difficult time collecting my thoughts…

Tuesday morning, December 1, 2009 we received news that Mike’s mother had died during the night. This meant that we had to notify family quickly because the burial would be within 24 hours. Mike went back to the building site where he had been working on our house. He needed some time to do some hard labor.

I busied myself with the many details that now filled the day. The weather promised rain. Before I got too far along, we were in for yet another surprise. Mike fell from the scaffolding. His wrist was badly hurt.

A trip to the emergency room revealed that the wrist was broken. We were sent to another specialist where Mike received the news that he would need surgery. They scheduled the pre-operative work-up for the next day — the same day as the funeral.

Wednesday morning dawned rainy. I didn’t think many would attend, but we had EXTRA people on hand for the burial and remembrance. Mike didn’t have anything prepared to say, but he didn’t have to speak. Mike’s younger brother, Steven sang and played the guitar then began sharing sweet and often hilarious stories of their mom during their growing up years. Then Mike and his sisters began to share their favorite memories. Everyone joined in with their own recollections, jokes, pranks, funny stories and remembered the testimony of how she was saved. We sang and we laughed and we rejoiced for the gift of a life that touched so many. It wasn’t a long service but it was a precious time.

We had to leave an hour after starting in order to take Mike for the blood and heart tests required before his surgery the next day (Thursday). As we made our way to the hospital, Mike told me that this was the way all funerals should be. I wholeheartedly agree!

A Funeral

Mike had just finished working on the next issue of No Greater Joy. I was looking forward to things settling down.

Now maybe I could focus on finishing a couple of writing projects. Maybe I wouldn’t have such a difficult time collecting my thoughts…

Tuesday morning, December 1, 2009 we received news that Mike’s mother had died during the night. This meant that we had to notify family quickly because the burial would be within 24 hours. Mike went back to the building site where he had been working on our house. He needed some time to do some hard labor.

I busied myself with the many details that now filled the day. The weather promised rain. Before I got too far along, we were in for yet another surprise. Mike fell from the scaffolding. His wrist was badly hurt.

A trip to the emergency room revealed that the wrist was broken. We were sent to another specialist where Mike received the news that he would need surgery. They scheduled the pre-operative work-up for the next day — the same day as the funeral.

Wednesday morning dawned rainy. I didn’t think many would attend, but we had EXTRA people on hand for the burial and remembrance. Mike didn’t have anything prepared to say, but he didn’t have to speak. Mike’s younger brother, Steven sang and played the guitar then began sharing sweet and often hilarious stories of their mom during their growing up years. Then Mike and his sisters began to share their favorite memories. Everyone joined in with their own recollections, jokes, pranks, funny stories and remembered the testimony of how she was saved. We sang and we laughed and we rejoiced for the gift of a life that touched so many. It wasn’t a long service but it was a precious time.

We had to leave an hour after starting in order to take Mike for the blood and heart tests required before his surgery the next day (Thursday). As we made our way to the hospital, Mike told me that this was the way all funerals should be. I wholeheartedly agree!