Every day, The Trammel Family is praying for Kate McRae, would you please join us.

Here is Kate’s Background Story (online link)

Monday June 29th, 2009 was supposed to be a day filled with summer fun. The kids and I were going to the water park to celebrate summer. However, I noticed that a slight tremor in her right hand that she developed over the past 2-3 days had notably worsened. We decided to take her to her Pediatrician, just for safe measure. Her Dr decided to get a CT of Kate’s head, to rule anything out. We proceeded to Phoenix Childrens Hospital for a stat CT of her head. At 5:30 I, Holly, Kate’s mom, was taken into a room alone and told Kate had a massive tumor on the basil ganglia portion of her brain. The world stopped for us that day. I called her dad and through sobs told him to come to the hospital quickly. Our journey had begun. Kate was directly admitted to the PICU. One minute thoughts of the water park the next our child is critically ill in the PICU. We would have never chosen to be a part of this journey with childhood cancer, but it was chosen for us, and our sweet Kate. She is now in the Phoneix Children’s Hospital undergoing treatment for this disease.

Kate underwent a craniotomy with tumor resection on July 3rd, 2009. They unfortunately were only able to remove 50% of the tumor due to it’s location in the left temporal lobe of her brain and the fact that the tumor had wrapped itself around major blood vessels to her brain. Kate experienced right sided paralysis immediately following surgery. She has since regained much of this, however right sided weakness still continues.

After a few days of waiting the pathology report was in, Kate was diagnosed with a very malignant, aggressive brain tumor called a supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor or sPNET. Our hearts were shattered. Dreams for our little 5 year old daughter put on hold to battle this monster. Long term prognosis and outcomes weren’t encouraging so Kate has been put on a study that is showing a little more promising outcomes, hopefully a better chance at survival and less long term side effects. She is currently undergoing the Head Start 3 Study out of Los Angeles but doing it at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The study involves the initial brain surgery, 5 round of very intense chemotherapy with possibility of a subsequent brain surgery and then another round of chemo with a stem cell transplant. We are hoping to avoid radiation after transplant. Kate is also in physical therapy and occupational therapy and has been released from speech therapy.

We believe strongly in the power of prayer and the ability of Jesus to heal our precious daughter. Whether He does this through modern medicine or simply a divine touch, we aren’t picky. We are asking others to join us on this journey and fervently pray for our Kate. The road is long and unbelievably hard. We have 3 children, all who are intensely affected. Olivia is now 7, Kate is 5 and Will is 4. Please keep all of us in your prayers as we try to walk this journey of childhood cancer. Thank you.

As of September 29th Kate was readmitted to begin her 3rd round of chemo. She will be hospitalized for the entire round.

You can find updates on Kate here.

Calvin considered prayer to be holy and familiar conversation with God, our heavenly Father; reverently speaking, it is family conversation, or even intimate covenantal conversation, in which the believer confides in God as a child confides in his father. Prayer is “an emotion of the heart within, which is poured out and laid open before God.” In prayer, we both communicate and commune with our Father in heaven, feeling our transparency in His presence. Like Christ in Gethsemane, we cast our “desires, sighs, anxieties, fears, hopes, and joys into the lap of God.” We are “permitted to pour into God’s bosom the difficulties which torment us, in order that He may loosen the knots which we cannot untie.” Prayer is the outpouring of the soul, the deepest root of piety, and the bedrock of assurance. It is the most important part of the Christian life, the lifeblood of every true believer.

The above comes from John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, Doxology (Chapter 19 — The Communion of Men with God)

It was surely Calvin’s perspective that prayer … does make a difference to the work of God. While prayer never coerces God to act other than his infinite wisdom has willed, it nevertheless is one important and necessary condition which must be present for certain aspects of God’s work to be carried out. Prayer, then, is not contrary to divine sovereignty but a divinely ordained instrument functioning within the sphere of God’s sovereign wisdom and power in carrying out his will. — Bruce A. Ware, “The Role of Prayer and the Word in the Christian Life according to John Calvin,” Studia Biblica et Theologica 12 (1982): 90.

No real surprises here. Bishop Robinson prayed to the “…God of our many understandings…” By any account, given the coverage of what was to be expected from Robinson’s prayer, the Bishop’s prayer was no surprise, but shocking none the less. When you consider the fact that the bible is replete with references to “the only true God”, “the Lord God of Israel”, “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”. God, understood in truth, is hardly a God of many understandings.

Scripture makes it abundantly clear that there is only one God, one Lord, one Savior.

If not convinced, consider for your own study this small sampling of Scripture pointing to the “one true God”

Jer. 10:10, John 17:3, Acts 3:13, Ephesians 4:4-6.

1 John 5:20 sums it up nicely:

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

One final thought here. Is it just me, or is it obvious to others that Bishop Robinson’s prayer completely excluded any “call of justice” for the unborn. A holocaust of immense proportion, the senseless murder of 1.2 million babies annually in the U.S. alone, not even mentioned in Robinson’s prayer. (see Abort73.com)

I would like to echo Steve Camp’s prayer for Bishop Robinson:

pray earnestly for Bishop Robinson that the true God of the Bible would grant him godly sorrow leading to repentance from sin, genuine saving faith to believe, and the grace to confess and know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Being mindful of 2 Tim. 2:24-26, it is important that we remember to correct our opponents with gentleness. Lord help us keep our motives pure and our own hearts clean before You.

This is the first of many first no doubt to be associated with the Obama Presidency. Christians, if ever their were a time to humble ourselves and pray it is now (2 Chronicles 7:14). It is my humble opinion that many influential Christian leaders are encouraging the Christian community to pray the wrong prayer with respect to Obama and his Presidency. These Christian leaders are praying and asking others to pray blessings upon Obama.

Congratulations again President-elect Obama. May God bless you and strengthen you as you embark on a historic journey. — Bishop T.D. Jakes

The Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders. I am honored by this opportunity to pray God’s blessing on the office of the President and its current and future inhabitant, asking the Lord to provide wisdom to America’s leaders during this critical time in our nation’s history. — Rick Warren

When asked “Are you looking forward to an Obama administration? A change?”, Pat Robertson had this to say …. I am remarkably pleased with Obama. I had grave misgivings about him. But so help me, he’s come in forcefully, intelligently. He’s picked a middle of the road cabinet. And so far, if he continues down this course, he has the makings of a great president. So, I’m very pleased so far. (This is a stagaring quote from Robertson)

Note: Emphasis in italics are mine.

The cry from our Christian leaders should be that Obama turn from his wicked ways, come to faith in Christ, and lead our nation as a true man of God. It is appropriate, as many have pointed out, to use 1 Timothy 2:1-5 as a model for whom we should pray, how we should pray, and for what we should pray. It’s unfortunate however that many apply this portion of scripture in very broad terms. John Piper, in his message, Pray for Kings and All in High Positions, make this point.  You will want to read through and maybe even listen to this message from Dr. Piper.

In closing, there is no question, that as Christians, we should pray for our leaders. The critical issue here is that we pray as God would have us to pray. So my prayer today is that our prayers would be Spirit lead and not something of our own invention.

None will ever be drawn to Christ, savingly, by mere preaching; no, not by the most faithful and scriptural preaching … Most of us are in such a feverish rush to ‘win souls’, to do ‘personal work’, to preach, that we have no time for definite, reverent, importunate crying unto the Lord for his Spirit. O brethren, join the writer in contritely owning to God your sinful failure to give the Spirit his proper place!

The above comes from The Life of Arthur W. Pink, a new release from Banner of Truth Trust

Other A. W. Pink Titles:

1. The Sovereignty of God
2. Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross
3. Exposition of Hebrews

Matthew Henry saw that Christians benefit from discipline, as well as from talking freely with God. There are examples of styles of prayer and Henry talks as well of the nature of our communion with God. Banner of Truth says “Ligon Duncan’s editorial work has given this valuable book a new lease of life”. Available here.

(HT: OldTruth.com)

length of prayers

The chief fault of some good prayers is, that they are too long; not that I think we should pray by the clock, and limit ourselves precisely to a certain number of minutes; but it is better of the two, that the hearers should wish the prayer had been longer, than spend half the time in wishing it was over. This is frequently owing to an unnecessary enlargement upon every circumstance that offers, as well as to the repetition of the same things. If we have been copious in pleading for spiritual blessings, it may be best to be brief and summary in the article of intercession for others, or if the frame of our spirits, or the circumstances of affairs, lead us to be more large and particular in laying the cases of others before the Lord respect should be had to this intention in the former part of the prayer.

There are, doubtless, seasons when the Lord is pleased to favour those who pray with a peculiar liberty: they speak because they feel; they have a wrestling spirit and hardly know how to leave off. When this is the case, those who join with them are seldom wearied, though the prayer should be protracted something beyond the usual limits. But I believe it sometimes happens, both in praying and in preaching, that we are apt to spin out our time to the greatest length, when we have in reality the least to say. Long prayers should in general be avoided, especially where several persons are to pray successively; or else even spiritual hearers will be unable to keep up their attention. And here I would just notice an impropriety we sometimes meet with, that when a person gives expectation that he is just going to conclude his prayer, something not thought of in its proper place occurring that instant to his mind, leads him as it were to begin again. But unless it is a matter of singular importance, it would be better omitted for that time.

Preaching in Prayers

The prayers of some good men are more like preaching than praying. They rather express the Lord’s mind to the people, than the desires of the people to the Lord. Indeed this can hardly be called prayer. It might in another place stand for part of a good sermon, but will afford little help to those who desire to pray with their hearts. Prayer should be sententious, and made up of breathings to the Lord, either of confession, petition, or praise. It should be not only Scriptural and evangelical, but experimental, a simple and unstudied expression of the wants and feelings of the soul. It will be so if the heart is lively and affected in the duty, it must be so if the edification of others is the point in view.

Method in Prayer

Several books have been written to assist in the gift and exercise of prayer, and many useful hints may be borrowed from them. But a too close attention to the method therein recommended, gives an air of study and formality, and offends against that simplicity which is so essentially necessary to a good prayer, that no degree of acquired abilities can compensate for the want of it. It is possible to learn to pray mechanically, and by rule; but it is hardly possible to do so with acceptance and benefit to others. When the several parts of invocation, adoration, confession, petition, etc., follow each other in a stated order, the hearer’s mind generally goes before the speaker’s voice, and we can form a tolerable conjecture what is to come next. On this account we often find that unlettered people who have had little or no help from books, or rather have not been fettered by them, can pray with an unction and savour in an unpremeditated way, while the prayers of persons of much superior abilities, perhaps even of ministers themselves, are, though accurate and regular, so dry and starched, then they afford little either of pleasure or profit to spiritual mind. The spirit of prayer is the fruit and token of the Spirit of adoption.

The studied addresses with which some approach the throne of grace remind us of a stranger’s coming to a great man’s door; he knocks and waits, sends in his name, and goes through a course of ceremony, before he gains admittance, while a child of the family uses no ceremony at all, but enters freely when he pleases, because he knows he is at home. It is true, we ought always to draw near the Lord with great humiliation of spirit, and a sense of our unworthiness. But this spirit is not always best expressed or promoted by a pompous enumeration of the names and titles of the God with whom we have to do, or by fixing in our minds beforehand the exact order in which we propose to arrange the several parts of our prayer. Some attention to method may be proper, for the prevention of repetitions; and plain people may be a little defective in it sometimes; but this defect will not be half so tiresome and disagreeable as a studied and artificial exactness.

Peculiarities of Manner

Many — perhaps most — people who pray in public have some favourite word or expression which recurs too often in their prayers, and is frequently used as a mere expletive, having no necessary connection with the sense of what they are speaking. The most disagreeable of these is when the name of the blessed God, with the addition perhaps of one or more epithets, as Great, Glorious, Holy, Almighty, etc., is introduced so often and without necessity, as seems neither to indicate a due reverence in the person who uses It, nor suited to excite reverence in those who hear. I will not say that this is taking the Name of God in vain, in the usual sense of the phrase: it is, however, a great impropriety, and should be guarded against. It would be well if they who use redundant expressions had a friend to give them a caution so that they might with a little care be retrenched; and hardly any person can be sensible of the little peculiarities he may inadvertently adopt, unless he is told of them.

There are several things likewise respecting the voice and manner of prayer, which a person may with due care correct in himself, and which, if generally corrected, would make meetings for prayer more pleasant than sometimes they are. . . Very loud speaking is a fault, when the size of the place and the number of the hearers do not render it necessary. The end of speaking (in public) is to be heard: and when that end is attained a greater elevation of the voice is frequency hurtful to the speaker, and is more likely to confuse a hearer than fix his attention. I do not deny but allowance must be made for constitution, and the warmth of the passions, which dispose some persons to speak louder than others. Yet such will do well to restrain themselves as much as they can. It may seem indeed to indicate great earnestness, and that the heart is much affected; yet it is often but false fire. It may be thought speaking ‘with power’, but a person who is favoured with the Lord’s presence may pray with power in a moderate voice; and there may be very little of the power of the Spirit, though the voice should be heard in the street and neighbourhood.

The other extreme of speaking too low is not so frequent; but, if we are not heard, we might as well altogether hold our peace. It exhausts the spirits and wearies the attention, to be listening for any length of time to a very low voice. Some words or sentences will be lost, which will render what is heard less intelligible and agreeable. If the speaker can be heard by the person furthest distant from him, the rest will hear of course.

The tone of the voice is likewise to be regarded. Some have a tone in prayer so very different from their usual way of speaking, that their nearest friends, if not accustomed to them, could hardly know them by their voice. Sometimes the tone is changed, perhaps more than once, so that if our eyes did not give us more certain information than our ears, we might think two or three persons had been speaking by turns. It is a pity that when we approve what is spoken we should be so easily disconcerted by an awkwardness of delivery: yet so it often is, and probably so it will be, in the present weak and imperfect state of human nature. It is more to be lamented than wondered at, that sincere Christians are sometimes forced to confess: ‘He is a good man, and his prayers as to their substance are spiritual and judicious, but there is something so displeasing in his manner that I am always uneasy when I hear him’.

Informality in Prayer

Contrary to this, and still more offensive, is a custom that some have of talking to the Lord in prayer. It is their natural voice indeed, but it is that expression of it which they use upon the most familiar and trivial occasions. The human voice is capable of so many inflections and variations, that it can adapt itself to the different sensations of the mind, as joy, sorrow, fear, desire, etc. If a man was pleading for his life, or expressing his thanks to the king for a pardon, common sense and decency would teach him a suitableness of manner; and anyone who could not understand his language might know by the sound of his words that he was not making a bargain or telling a story. How much more, when we speak to the King of kings, should the consideration of his glory and our own vileness, and of the important concerns we are engaged in before him, impress us with an air of seriousness and reverence, and prevent us from speaking to him as if he was altogether such an one as ourselves! The liberty to which we are called by the gospel does not at all encourage such a pertness and familiarity as would be unbecoming to use towards a fellow-worm, who was a little advanced above us in worldly dignity.

I shall be glad if these hints may be of any service to those who desire to worship God in spirit and in truth, and who wish that whatever has a tendency to damp the spirit of devotion, either in themselves or in others, might be avoided.

GUWAHATI, India – About 2.5 million people have been made homeless in India’s northeast state of Assam after a second wave of flooding caused by heavy rains over the past three days, an official said on Monday.

The flooding has affected about seven million people and killed 12 people since Friday and has washed away thousands of homes, bridges, electricity poles and telecommunications towers — disrupting power and phone networks in many areas.

Read the complete story here.

Eugen Echo has done an excellent job of tracking the events releated to the Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan.

You can view the complete post here.

Update [August 22] Negotiations between the Taliban and Korean officials have been at a near standstill since the release of the two Korean female hostages. New reports indicate that the Taliban are losing patience. Meanwhile, the Korean officials are simply asking for more time. Several of the Korean hostages seem to have grown in their resolve and courage and have gone on a hunger strike.

I recently received an email today from a fellow minister in the United States who “confessed” that he had no idea that this was going on until he stumbled onto this blog. Let’s do our part to both pray and help bring light to this situation.

• I recently did an interview with a reporter for the Covenant Wire about the situation. Click here to read it.

• Here’s a video timeline produced by a Korean TV station.

I’m approaching the busiest 6-8 week stretch in a while. If you run into resources, news, or other contributions, send them this way…

This is another special prayer request I would like to share with everyone.

My very best friend, Michael McGrath, has told me his father has Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Hodgkin Lymphoma, both, forms of cancer.

Please put Micheal’s father, Robert, on your prayer list too.

I have a very special prayer request to share with everyone.

I have a good friend who’s wife (Margie) is having very bad headaches. These headaches are serious enought that Margie recently had an MRI to try and discover what might be causing them. The good news is the MRI did not show anything abnormal in the brain. The bad news is the headaches still come, they still bring a lot of pain, and the Doctors still don’t know what is causing them.

So, please add Margie to your prayer list like I have, and pray for her every day. Please also pray for Orlando, Margie’s husband, as well.

… one of our daughters was involved in a accident on a 4-wheel ATV yesterday. At one point we were told that she would need major surgery, but a specialist was able to set the arm and we are praying for her full recovery. Please pray for Ashley.

Mike Corley is the host of the radio program “The Mike Corley Program” and you can find his blog at http://theexpositor.wordpress.com/

I am asking all of you who believe in the power of prayer to lift up my father (Gale) when you can. Dad has brain cancer (Glioblastoma Multiforme)

Update on my Dad’s Cancer — Nov 7, 2007

Dad went back to the doctors to have and MRI and then review it. Well, we did not get the kind of report we were hoping for. As it turns out, in the last three months since his surgery, the tumor has grown back and is bigger than even the original growth. The doctor says in his estimation the tumor is growing aggressively. Based on this report, the doctor is only giving my dad three to six months to live.

We are thankful for your continued prayers.

Update on my Dad’s Cancer — Sept 19, 2007

Dad has now completed 17 Radiation and Chemo treatments and doing well physically. He has at least 10 more treatments to go and will have an MRI next week. We are praying for a good report from the MRI. Dad has been released to resume normal activity like driving, etc. and we are thankful for that.

We want to thank you for your continued prayers. May God richly bless you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (King James Version)

5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Update on My Father’s Prognosis — Aug 9, 2007

Dad had his first visit with the Radiation Oncologist and the Dr. confirmed what we had come to understand through some research on the internet. There has been very little advance in the treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme in the last 30 years. Dad was told those with his condition can expect to live anywhere from 6 – 18 months. As you can imagine, this is not what we wanted to hear, but it is in line with the statistical mortality rate associated with Glioblastoma Multiforme.

So that is what the Doctors say but we will trust in the report of the Lord. We will continue to walk in faith, trusting in the Lord for Dads healing.

Please join us as we continue to pray for Dad. You may also want to pray for these needs as well.

*** Update on My Father’s Prognosis — Aug 6, 2007 ***

Dad was released from the hospital today and the final word in the natural realm is that Dad has level 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme. He will be meeting with a radiation oncologist this Thursday. Please continue to pray that God will touch Dad and make him whole again. We are praying for doctors who have a true concern for the well-being of there patients.

Psalm 121

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

*** Update on My Father’s Prognosis — Aug 3, 2007 ***

Preliminary reports suggest that my father has Glioblastoma Multiforme. This is the most critical or advanced form of brain cancer. Obviously this is not the report we where hoping for but we continue to put our trust in the King of kings and the Lord or lords.

We continue to ask that you agree with us in prayer that God will completely heal my father. We understand God’s ways are not always our ways and his purposes are not always our purposes. Yet we continue to ask God to touch Dad.

Posted on Aug 3, 2007 | by Staff

WASHINGTON (BP)–With two South Korean men having been executed, 21 young Koreans remained hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan at the two-week point Aug. 2 following the Christian aid workers’ kidnapping July 19.

Read complete post here.

Related links:

S. Korea Mourns Slain Christian Hostage
Church mourns death of Korean hostage
Korean Evangelical Churches Under Cyber-Attack Amid Hostage Crisis
Korean Church Body Appeals for Urgent Prayers for Christian Hostages
Koreans want answers in hostage crisis

Read the complete report here from The Christian Post

Lord I pray that the people of these nations who do not follow You will turn to You, the only giver of true life, and life eternal.

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]]> http://blog.shanetrammel.com/2007/08/03/s-asia-monsoon-kills-over-1000-displaces-19-million/feed/ 0 http://blog.shanetrammel.com/2007/08/01/special-prayer-request-for-my-father/ http://blog.shanetrammel.com/2007/08/01/special-prayer-request-for-my-father/#comments Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:48:22 +0000 Shane Trammel http://blog.shanetrammel.com/2007/08/05/special-prayer-request-for-my-father/ To all my readers,

I am asking all of you who believe in the power of prayer to lift up my father (Gale) when you can. Dad has brain cancer (Glioblastoma Multiforme)

*** Update on My Father’s Prognosis — Aug 9, 2007 ***

Dad had his first visit with the Radiation Oncologist and the Dr. confirmed what he had come to understand through some research on the internet. There has been very little advance in the treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme in the last 30 years. Dad was told those with his condition can expect to live anywhere from 6 – 18 months. As you can imagine, this is not what we wanted to hear, but it is in line with the statistical mortality rate associated with Glioblastoma Multiforme.

So that is what the Doctors say but we will trust in the report of the Lord. We will continue to walk in faith, trusting in the Lord for Dads healing.

Please join us as we continue to pray for Dad. You may also want to pray for these needs as well.

*** Update on My Father’s Prognosis — Aug 6, 2007 ***

Dad was released from the hospital today and the final word in the natural realm is that Dad has level 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme. He will be meeting with a radiation oncologist this Thursday. Please continue to pray that God will touch Dad and make him whole again. We are praying for doctors who have a true concern for the well-being of there patients.

Psalm 121

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

*** Update on My Father’s Prognosis — Aug 3, 2007 ***

Preliminary reports suggest that my father has Glioblastoma Multiforme. This is the most critical or advanced form of brain cancer. Obviously this is not the report we where hoping for but we continue to put our trust in the King of kings and the Lord or lords.

We continue to ask that you agree with us in prayer that God will completely heal my father. We understand God’s ways are not always our ways and his purposes are not always our purposes. Yet we continue to ask God to touch Dad.

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Copyright © 2010 Shane Trammel's Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Support blog.shanetrammel.com! Visit Westminster Books.
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