Born Again Christians Thread-No Bashing please

[disneyaggie]

Thank you both for your prayers,
and thank you to anyone else who has prayed, also.

You're not going to believe this, but it got worse (then better, that's later).
The hospice outfit that the nurse worked for sent a man
to her house who posed as their Chaplain!!
Yes, I said posed.
He knocked on DSis' door, told her he was the Chaplain,
she mistakenly thought our mom had called them and so she let him in.
He immediately starts grilling her about her finances,
when did she expect to get any insurance,
exactly what type of medical insurance did they have, etc.
She started shaking, getting very frightened since it became
obvious this man was not who he said he was.
He offered no spiritual help, no Bible was produced, no prayers offered,
he just kept asking questions about her finances.
When she got angry and told him exactly what the hospice nurse had
done/not done, and what the transport person had done
(I just found out that the transport person started harassing
my DSis immediately for $$$, calling her every 2 hours starting the next day,
showing up at her house unannounced - I think 3 times - and to top it off
when they took her DH's body they didn't allow her time to give them
the special blazer she wanted him cremated in, and they took his special
blanket that he had kept around himself through the last days).
Well when she told the "chaplain" all this he told her (quote),
"You need to cool your jets, I want you to wait 24 hours before
contacting anyone. I promise you the hospice will help take care of
the expenses you've been presented with (yeah, right!)."
He left soon after that, leaving my DSis very upset and frightened.
This is beyond the pale, I have so much anger right now and no way
to take action on DSis' behalf, I can only continue to pray that the Lord
will do something to stop them from taking advantage from someone else.[/b]

Oh my stars! My heart aches for everyone who had to go through this. I am in the healthcare industry and would be horrified if I had heard this. I see sickos like this preying on families and patients every now and then and I just have to remember that God has "special plans" for those folks!

Forgive if you have already posted this, but have you contacted the Attorney General in your area? Also, you may have an investigative reporter for your local newspaper and/or TV station. They will really hammer these losers! Also, the BBB is supposed to be a good way to file a complaint. In addition, any medical group is accountable to some governmental agency, which I strongly encourage you to report this to. They have GOT to be stopped. My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.

 

[luvthatduke]

Oh my stars! My heart aches for everyone who had to go through this. I am in the healthcare industry and would be horrified if I had heard this. I see sickos like this preying on families and patients every now and then and I just have to remember that God has "special plans" for those folks!

Forgive if you have already posted this, but have you contacted the Attorney General in your area? Also, you may have an investigative reporter for your local newspaper and/or TV station. They will really hammer these losers! Also, the BBB is supposed to be a good way to file a complaint. In addition, any medical group is accountable to some governmental agency, which I strongly encourage you to report this to. They have GOT to be stopped. My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.

Thanks disneyaggie.
Your advice is well-taken.
We are doing what we can from here, which doesn't seem like much,
while encouraging DSis and hoping she has the strength
in the end to help law-enforcement prosecute these creeps.
The other 2 families weren't able or didn't want to do much once they got
their loved ones back, but perhaps if my DSis has any fight left
after she gets her DH she can work with the DA or AG and maybe the
other families will join in, also.
These circumstances are so difficult,
as she is trying to grieve while walking on eggshells with
the evil people, that once her DH is retrieved I have the feeling
she will simply be grateful and won't have the energy to fight.
But, one can hope...

 

[ead79]

Oh goodness! I cannot even begin to fathom what sort of person would take advantage of someone in their time of greatest need. It’s absolutely unspeakable. My prayers are with your family. May the Lord help them to fight the battle and protect the physical body of Mikey’s dad. May He provide them the comfort and strength they so desperately need. This is just heartbreaking.

God bless that oxygen delivery man! Truly an angel walking here on earth. May the Lord bless him richly for his kind heart.

 

[luvthatduke]

Thank you, Elizabeth.
I don't mean to hog the thread with our ongoing saga,
but I know many are praying & I feel it necessary to
let you all know what I know, as I get more info.

Yesterday was the most difficult day for my DSis.
She finally got the name of the crematory where her DH
was supposed to be taken.
(Remember, the transport guy said they couldn't cremate
him without 'X' amount of $$$ (which was the main surprise to DSis),
and that the crematory was storing him for the last 3 weeks,
and they were the ones charging for the storage).
So, she calls the crematory hoping to speak to someone directly
so she can begin to straighten out the mess,
and she is told devastating news.
They received her DH on 12/3, and he was cremated on 12/6!
(he died the monday before Thanksgiving).
She was never notified, as the crematory apparently accepted that
the transport guy, acting as the "official" representative of a local service
that is in partnership with another funeral home, was allowed to take
the ashes - and only he knows where they are right now.
My sister has nothing left to give, when she was told he
was already cremated, without the clothing and without
the small goodbye time she wanted with DH, herself and their son, well...
... she's just given up.

She then finds out from the crematory that the transport guy
lives 2 blocks from her house
- this is important (and frightening) because he lives behind a local
funeral home (who is not authorized to perform cremations in their county).
Now, this jerk has told her since day one (the day her DH died & was taken by him) that the body is in storage at the crematory,
and they are the ones charging the $$$.
The crematory told her that they would never store a body,
they just don't have the capacity to do that,
once they received the body and the paperwork was filed,
they cremated her DH within 3 days & they have the records to prove it.

It is obvious this creep lied through his teeth, and not only does he have
her DH's ashes (we hope they're his, my gut still says otherwise),
but DSis now has to prove all of this to the Sergeant of the local precinct
who said he'd "drop by" this week to investigate.
The coroner did not continue to get involved, as planned,
because now there is no body.
DSis is working with an attorney, but in all honesty I don't know if she's
got any mental, emotional or physical energy to contribute to this fight.
Once she found out it was all a lie and that her husband had already
been cremated, and that no one knew specifically where his ashes were,
she just seemd to collapse.

We are not wealthy people, so we can't just drive or fly around the country,
plus my sister does not allow others to intervene for her.
I am sitting on my hands compelling myself not to call the names/places
I have taken notes about, as I am afraid of gumming up whatever
DSis' attorney and the police are working on.

I really do appreciate all of your support and prayers,
and I'm glad I have place where I can come to vent my frustration, as well.

~Blessings

 

[ead79]

Please don’t worry a bit about updating us on what is going on. My heart absolutely breaks for your family. It is just gut wrenching. The good news is that no one is beyond God’s reach. I will pray that He will move the people taking advantage of your family to return the ashes to her free of charge. My prayers remain with each of you, as I know it must be so difficult to be far away when all this is going on.

 

[luvthatduke]

Thanks, Elizabeth.

Found out today that the Coroner did decide to
stay involved and apparently contacted the guy
and told him to return the ashes to my sister.
So far, he hasn't.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

Hi everyone! I have not been on this thread in a couple of months nor have I read any of the posts since then so I apologize that I don't know what has happened on this thread since then. I hope you are all well!

Anyway, I wanted to share with someone and this seemed like the perfect thread to do it. We do not currently have a church. We had many problems with our former church so we decided to leave it. We were planning to start looking for another church after Christmas but my best friend emailed me last week raving about her new church. I don't get to see her often and last time I saw her was when she came to the hospital to see Kylie after she was born. So anyway she recently got saved after finding a church that she became a member at. She raved about it and then invited dh, Kylie, and me to go with her and her dh, and her ds (he will turn 3 two days after Kylie turns 1!) to her church this morning and we did. It was a great church! I loved it and I think after only 1 service we have found our new church. That's exactly what Monica said she felt after only going once and now I see why! We plan to go several more times before making that decision but I think that we will eventually become members there honestly. They did a Christmas service that was very good and then the preacher did his sermon and it was an excellent sermon. They do not have Sunday school so they have a 2 hour service. The preacher was not only passionate about what he preached but also entertaining and we didn't get bored.

The people were very friendly as well. And something else that really did it for me was the fact that they welcome all races and it was not just white members there. That may not be a big deal to some of you but I live in MS. Although we have come a long way there are still a lot of racist attitudes in this state. I have not been to many churches that had members that weren't white. My best friend's dh is Mexican so this was a deciding factor for her as well. It shouldn't be about race but sometimes people make it that way. I had some bad church experiences in the past where I never went back b/c of something racist that was preached! I will spare you the details as it was terrible and I don't wish to relive it! I can't believe a preacher would spew such hatred. It made me doubt those preachers salvation in all honesty. Anyway, that's the past so I won't dwell on it. But I just wanted to say that I think I have found a church finally and I am excited!

It has been a long time since I have felt passionate or on fire about attending church as I have had some bad experiences in the past but I felt that passion today and I realize I am ready to give church another chance! God is good! Kylie is at a wonderful age right now and was fine playing in the nursery there so we are going to go back and see if we still like it as much. Pray that we will b/c I would really like to have a church again and have Kylie grow up attending church and I really think this is the one. Plus, it would be great to see my friend more often. We all went out to lunch afterwards and it was just the perfect day!

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[Aidensmom]

Luvthatduke - I just caught up on this thread. It seems like things just keep getting worse and I can't believe all of that has happened, it is so heartbreaking. Your sister continues to be in my prayers, as do Mikey and you and your family.

Tasha+Scott - That is great news! I am currently looking for a new church home too and hope I find one soon.

 

[gr8ful4Him]

Hi all,
I hate just popping in like this without saying much else, but I can I ask you guys to pray for the folks at the Lutheran church in the next town over? They had a SS teacher that was involved with young children pass away recently and then today we got news that their pastor died of a massive heart attack. We are helping them out with childcare tomorrow night while they have a prayer service.
Thanks,
Deb

 

[luvthatduke]

Deb, prayers said. How difficult this time,
especially Christmastime, will be for the personal families
and the church family! May they all receive the abundance of God's comfort.

Tasha+Scott, I grinned as I read your post!
Your passion and excitement is evident
I know what you mean about 'seeing white' and some churches
- it's so refreshing to go into a church and see many colors, ages, types, etc.
One of the best things about a church we attend frequently
is to see biker guys sitting next to blue-haired seniors,
praising the Lord and holding hands, as well as black, white, hispanic, etc!

Aidensmom, and others - thanks again for your prayers.
One good thing happened Saturday (just found out tonight).
My DSis deduced where the crematory was located
(the transport guy refused to give her any address, just vague directions)
and did find the correct place, thank the Lord.
The crematory is a "hole-in-the-wall" place in a strip mall, believe it or not.
The couple who run it were apparently very nice,
and they informed my sister that they never have communication
with the families, their operation is set up and licensed to deal with
funeral homes, only - however, HUGE PRAISE, they still had her DH's ashes!!
We thought the transport guy had since gone back & gotten them,
but thank the Lord he didn't!
So, she has his ashes, but the crematory couldn't remember the state
of her DH's body when they received it (it had supposedly been in
storage - at the crematory (LIE!) - for 2 weeks, but now DSis doesn't
know if her DH was stored in the guys garage or what).
Having the ashes is really an anti-climax, she is devastated at the
deception and the treatment she's received from the creep,
and is simply exhausted. She knows she needs to contact authorities
but frankly she is afraid and is just too mentally & physically drained to do anything.

Mikey continues to worsen, he now walks around the house
shrugging his shoulders and holding his head in his hands (literally)
and will not move during his waking hours from inside his dad's sleeping bag.
My sister had no choice but to bring him to the crematory,
and he had to sit there and listen to the whole conversation.
He said, "Daddy" to every man who walked by while they were there...

It is killing us to not be able to hold him, to not be able to help.
But, God did answer a major prayer by allowing her to find the
crematory without an address, and she now has the ashes.
However, all of the family is thinking they're not his,
or at least not all of him (sorry to be gruesome)...

Thanks again, please have a wonderful Christmas!

 

[Aidensmom]

Luvthatduke - Praise God that the ashes were found and your sister has them!

But I think Mikey needs some kind of professional intervention. He really needs some help. Is there anyone that you can call? Some kind of social service program? I wish I could just hold that little boy and make him feel better.

 

[luvthatduke]

Aidensmom, yes I agree that some intervention
would help both of them.
Unfortunately, the holidays are upon them and
anything is now going to have to wait a week or so.
The area my sister lives in does not have the best
set-up for things like this, and if someone were called
there's a good chance that DYFS would be notified and
to be honest they would likely make the situation much worse.
At this point, my sister is not going to trust anyone (for good reason),
so all we can do right now is ask the Lord to help
her make the decisions that she needs to.
We are hoping she will come home for a while, that would be a big help
to both of them I'm sure.

 

[person]

Open disrespect for the Bible bad taste in my view.

 

[luvthatduke]

Open disrespect for the Bible bad taste in my view.

Ummm... WHAT?

 

[live4christp1]

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Things have been really crazy here at work (we are going through and audit) and it has been very hectic at home trying to arrange ways to transport us all to the various Christmas practices, activities at church, etc. and finishing shopping with one vehicle that only seat 3.

I have been stopping in briefly to read and please know that each of you continue to be in my prayers with the various needs posted here on this thread.

Praying that you all have a blessed Christmas Day and reflect on the birth of our Savior.

We Were The Reason - Avalon

As little children, we would dream of Christmas morn
And all the gifts and toys we knew we'd find
But we never realised a baby born one blessed night
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

CHORUS:
We were the reason that He gave his life
We were the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live



As the years went by
We learned more about gifts
The giving of ourselves
And what that means

CHORUS

On a dark and cloudy day
A man hung crying in the rain
All because of love
All because of love

I've finally found the reason for living
It's in giving every part of my heart to Him
In all that I do, every word that I say
I'll be giving my all just for Him, for Him

And ..

CHORUS

He is my reason to live...


Merry Christmas Friends!

Cristy

 

[luvthatduke]

Amen, Cristy!

 

[Talking Hands]

How true this is! I think I'm going to put this on my wall at work (I have a wall where I put up motivational passages, etc.). Thanks for posting!

As far as the last two posts, I think the point is not to alter the meaning of the words. The "translations" in question clearly do so. Now we can quibble over which English translation is better, but there is a line of syntax and etymology which has been clearly crossed by these works. At some point, at least in my opinion, the Word ceases to be the Word, and just becomes a book. That point comes when the meaning of the word, in its original Koine Greek, Hebrew, and maybe Chaldee or Arabic grammer, syntax, and context, becomes lost in the translation.

In interpreting and translation we talk about equivalent message. Not a word for word translation because that actually may change the message but producing a message that is the same as the original while rendering it clearly and concisely in the target language following the grammar and syntax of that language. This can be very difficult to achieve. I do this daily in changing English to ASL. I find I have to very carefully study God's word in order to do this for Bible verses. Same with lyrics to music. The only way I can do these is the ask God for His help to make sure that the message is clear and the message He wants transmitted to those I am interpreting for.
Hopefully that translators of the Bible had this same goal in translating the Bible.

 

[Talking Hands]

Asking for prayers. I twisted my ankle a week ago Saturday. Been wearing a brace on it since. Done the ICE bit and was off it my entire trip to Disney. Fortunately I have mobility problem and use a powered wheelchair anyway. The ankle is still pretty tender and I need to stand for 1 1/2 on Sunday to interpret the worship service for Christmas. Please pray that I am able to do it without too much pain.

 

[Albertan mom]

Asking for prayers. I twisted my ankle a week ago Saturday. Been wearing a brace on it since. Done the ICE bit and was off it my entire trip to Disney. Fortunately I have mobility problem and use a powered wheelchair anyway. The ankle is still pretty tender and I need to stand for 1 1/2 on Sunday to interpret the worship service for Christmas. Please pray that I am able to do it without too much pain.

Will pray for you.

Could you interpret the service from you wheelchair, or a high stool??
That is awesome that you do that, what a blessing you are to the hearing impaired.

 

[Grandma Bear]

Wow! A lot going on! I have not been able to participate for the last three weeks because my computer was down. I pray everyone was blessed today
and that you were all uplifted because of the presence of the one who's birthday we celebrated. Keeping all of you in my prayers and wishing you
all a very healthy and prosperous 2006.