eNews

Sometimes doctors are right. Sometimes the man with pancreatic cancer really has only four months to live, or the injured baby survives just 10 more hours. Despite all their medical training and experience, though, doctors are not prophets. Stories abound of people who have defied the doctors' worst predictions and have gone on to improve and continue their lives. When life and death decisions have to be made, it pays to not give up, but to have hope and - most importantly - to trust God.

The Soldier:
Ben Parkinson, a British soldier from Bessacarr in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, was horribly injured in an explosion in Afghanistan three years ago. Parkinson lost both legs in the blast and suffered brain damage, and doctors said he would never walk or talk again. After undergoing a surgery to straighten his back, which experts said could have left him paralyzed, Parkinson has recovered quickly. He is in the gym every day, determined to walk on prosthetic legs by the end of the year. Through speech therapy, the muscles in his face are strengthening and he's learning to talk again.

"A lot of people would have laid down and just given up if they'd suffered the injuries Ben has," said his mother, Diane Dernie. "But it's just the way he is. He was always such a happy little boy and he was always determined to make the best of everything. Nothing ever got him down. It's quite extraordinary to think about what he has been through and that still remains the case. He's still the same Ben."

Cerebral Palsy:
Doctors originally thought six-month old Annie Mae Cortez's cerebral palsy would leave her a blind quadriplegic. Catching the problem and starting therapy early made a great difference. Five years later, she's living a pretty normal life despite her disability. Anna Mae still has vision problems as well as other difficulties associated with her disability, like seizures and an urgenic bladder, but she's a very happy little girl. She loves to ride her bike and swim and play with her little cousin Kyle. Annie Mae is about 18 months behind in her mental development, but she attended pre-K last year and will go to kindergarten this year at the local elementary school.

Annie Mae's parents call her their "miracle child", and Louisiana Cerebral Palsy asked the Cortez family if she could be their poster child for fundraising. "It's exciting and an honor," Marsha Cortez said. "If we can just give one family hope that things can get better, then it's worth it."

Down's Syndrome & Pulmonary Hypertension:
When he was two-years-old, Greg Fears parents learned that their little boy with Down's syndrome also had pulmonary hypertension, a condition which can result in low blood oxygen levels and commonly leads to heart failure. The doctors told the Fear family that Greg would probably not live past 8-years-old. In July, Greg celebrated his 18th birthday with a huge party that included 100 guests.

"He was king for the day and got loads of presents and cards. He lapped it all up," said Greg's father Paul.

Greg's 15-year-old little brother Tom said, "He's everything to me. When I feel down or upset about anything I just go and see Greg."

Sister Megan, 10, said: "I love him to bits."

Mom Jackie added: "I wouldn't change Greg for the world. I would have 10 of him."

Multiple Organ Failure:
Twenty-six-year-old Cheryna spent 21 days in the ICU of a Fort Worth, Texas hospital after heat stroke caused a seizure that led to a variety of problems, including kidney failure, acidosis, and septic shock. Cheryna's organs all began to fail, her skin turned nearly orange, and the doctors' prognoses were dim all-around.

Her mother Charlotte Stewart, who edits the Religion section for the Longview News-Journal, writes, "There is nothing quite like looking at the battered body of your child, too ravaged by too many medical maladies to donate even one body part, and considering a 'do not resuscitate' order."

And yet, people were praying. Stewart's own church and several others began praying for Cheryna. Prayer came from a variety of places; the cashier at the clothing store, a lady in the hospital cafeteria, a lady filling out paperwork for her own upcoming surgery all volunteered to pray for the dying girl. And amazingly, miraculously, Cheryna recovered. Even the doctor who said, "We might need to amputate her legs below the knee" agreed that Cheryna's recovery was like nothing he'd ever seen. Stewart writes:

"Without discounting one thing any doctor, nurse, respiratory therapist, EMT or any other medical professional did, I firmly believe my daughter's recovery is nothing short of divine intervention. I believe when my friends, family and some strangers boldly went before the throne of God and asked him to intervene, he intervened. Furthermore, I believe when we asked for a healing of my shattered mind, we got it."

We wrote to Charlotte Stewart, and as of Tuesday, August 11, Cheryna still has her legs.  She will likely lose her toes, but her mother told us that Cheryna is able to stand, and she can talk again after weeks of paralyzed vocal chords.  Her story is simply amazing.

Tragedy is normal fare in this fallen world, and we all lose loved ones – sometimes through a long illness, and sometimes in a terrible, unexpected instant. Yet, it is vital that we not lose hope when difficulties come along that are too great for us to bear. These news stories are all recent ones from just the past month, and we left out others for the sake of space. There is great hope in this world of suffering, and God is always at work, even when we're not aware of it. He is faithful, He absolutely loves us, and He can hold us and our burdens when hope just seems pointless.  No matter what happens, we need to put ourselves in His hands.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

Lodi, CA
Lodi, California has become a hotspot in the public prayer controversy. In May, the Lodi City Council opened its bi-monthly meeting with a public prayer like it always did, but that time somebody decided to make a stink about it. That person contacted the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation to get the city council to stop praying "in Jesus name." Since then, the pre-meeting prayers have continued, but without specific reference to Jesus or anybody else.

The city council was supposed to make a decision about its prayer policy last week, and crowds of people on both sides of the argument gathered to make their opinions known and to hear the final resolution. For two hours a huge crowd of pro-prayer supporters rallied right next to a smaller, but still large group of those who favored having a moment-of-silence instead. In the packed Wednesday meeting itself, people from each side had the opportunity to make their arguments. In the end, the city council decided to postpone their final decision until the September 30th meeting.

The Pacific Justice Institute, a legal defense organization that specializes in parental rights and defending religious freedom, offered the city council a solution to help them resolve the controversy. PJI suggested that the city council simply allow ministers or other members of the public to open the meetings with uncensored prayer of their own, giving the persons praying the freedom to pray in Jesus name or not as they chose.

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, commented, "It is simply un-American for the government to censor speech, including the mention of God or Jesus, by private citizens in a public setting. We are offering the City of Lodi a practical, constitutional solution to this needless controversy so the out-of-state special interests can fold their tents and go home."

Pace, FL
Across the country in Pace, Florida, a similar and even more heated controversy has been going on. The principal of Pace High School, Frank Lay, is headed for a court hearing on September 17th because he asked the school athletic director, Robert Freeman, to "bless the food" at a luncheon for school personnel and booster club members at Pace High School. For those three words, Lay  and Freeman were accused of violating a court order to keep religion out of the school.

Sixty-year-old Lay comes across as a down-to-earth southern country man with a sparkle in his eye and a fun sense of humor. You can't detect a smidgen of pride or vinegar in him. He also loves Jesus and is very transparent about that fact, even as the principal of a public high school. As Lay put it during a speech at his church, his Christianity is who he is. It's "gonna ooze out" of him.

The southern town of Pace, Florida, where Lay was raised, is still a conservative, family-oriented community, and a majority of the teachers and students at Pace High School are also Christians. The idea of kicking God out of the schools had never really gotten through to Pace. Until August 2008, the high school had developed a fairly Christian flavor about it, and students and outside leaders were regularly asked to pray at school events. Teachers were free about discussing religious matters in class and did not shy from talking about their churches or encouraging students to join religious clubs.

That is, until two high school students contacted the ACLU, which sued the Santa Rosa County School board, the then-superintendent, and Frank Lay. By January of 2009, the school district had worked out an agreement to keep religion out of the schools. US District Judge Casey Rodgers approved the agreement and issued an injunction on January 19th, and Lay signed it. 

Then, nine days later, Lay made that fatal suggestion for a blessing over the booster club members' food. School Board member Jo Ann Simpson was at the luncheon and reported what she considered to be a violation of the consent decree.

There has been a mixed reaction from the residents of Pace over the whole ordeal. Dana O'Keefe, the mother of two Pace High graduates, did not think Lay had done anything wrong. "A blessing over a meal to me is not evangelism or proselytizing. It's just thanking a higher power for a meal."

A huge portion of the community is behind Lay, but there are those who wonder why he still has his job. Philip Yale, father of three Pace High graduates said, "He is not above the law. There is only one God, and it isn't Frank Lay."

Lay is weary over the whole thing. "You are fearful what you can and cannot say," he said. "If a kid sneezes and you say ‘Bless you,' what then?

"You get tired of it — tired of hearing it, tired of dealing with it. We should be pushing on toward academic achievement, helping kids grow and develop, and moving on into the world. It's been a distraction."

Lay will submit to the judgment of Judge Rodgers in September. "I'm hoping she'll be very gracious that day," he smiled. "She will do what she is called to do. If that means hammering me, so be it. But I hope that's not the case."

Lay and Freeman could each face up to six months in jail or a $5,000 fine.  The Liberty Counsel is intervening on behalf of the Santa Rosa County educators.  "Pray for our schools" has become a common yard sign in the area, and financial and moral support is flying to Pace from all over the county. 

According to US Supreme Court rulings, public school teachers are not to proselytize students, but there are still a lot of religious freedoms that students and teachers retain in school. It's a difficult area, especially when people do not know where the legal lines are drawn. Read next week's eNews to learn more about how the rules apply to religion in United States public schools.