Tuesday
morning, Elizabeth and I met with a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, MN. After three months of dealing with the effects of this traumatic
event we were very anxious to say the least. The doctor showed us the before
and after pictures from the MRI and explained that both dissections and the
pseudo-aneurysm had healed.
We
had been so full of fear — fear of a stroke, fear of an aneurysm, fear of
living in a hospital bed, fear that this might be the end. Reading the Psalms
seemed to be the only balm that would sooth the anxiety and curb our fear of the
unknown. But just as King David did, we trusted the Lord and cried out to Him
for a complete healing.
When
we got the good report it felt like the feeling that comes when you narrowly
escape a car wreck. Joy. Exhaustion. Unbridled emotion. Release. Shock. I kept
telling Elizabeth, "It’s over... It’s finally over... The book is done... Let’s
move on...It’s over." We called our closest loved ones and texted our good
news to the world. What a great feeling. Thank you for partnering with us to pray for her healing. The Lord has
been faithful and we are excited for a new season of health to come.
My
wife is an amazingly strong woman. She is beautiful, feminine and graceful.
Throughout all her trials this year (and there were many) she stayed strong.
She had sever hyper-emesis, three blood clots, a root canal*, IVC filter both
in and out*, a baby*, gestational diabetes, a bleed in her iliopsoas muscle, two
arterial dissections and a pseudoannurism (the * means she did it with out
narcotic pain medications).
She
is the strongest woman I know. I am proud of her. I am in love with her. I get
the privilege and honor of spending the rest of my life with her.
I want to get something out to you about what is happening in my life. Here is a quick mind dump to share with you.
·Pastor Drew
did an outstanding job teaching on the “Rich Young Ruler.” The best line of the talk was his
definition of RICH: “having more than you need.” We can all fit into that
mindset in America.
·Drew
challenged us to look for things that might not be totally surrendered to
Jesus. Areas where we may be out of alignment with his callings for our lives.
This is an important thing to do every so often. The stuff of life can grow like a weed and eventually choke God’s best from
our garden if we are not careful.
·Sunday’s
mailer dropped early... We are trying a new way of doing our mailer and it
came a week before it was supposed to. I was a little frustrated. It’s kind of
like when people come to your house an hour before they were supposed to. You are
getting ready for them and the food is being prepared, but you are still in
your cleaning clothes and the table isn’t set. Basically we have a few plans
that were going to be implemented next week for the new arrivals. They were
also sent before a major holiday, which isn’t ideal, but everything is ok.
·We will
to try to an add on Facebookto rekindle people’s memories about the
mailer. So if you see them, hit the “Like” button and help us out.
·Visitor
flow was great. I met a lot of new people. I love hearing people’s stories.
There was a group of guys from Sierra Leon and a lady who is a guardian for people
in an assisted living home. So cool!
·Welcome
to the team. Alyssa Whitmire is joining the High Point Team as the Director
of Children’s Ministry. Add her as a friend Facebook and watch for great things
to come out of our Kids Department.
·Next week
is the beginning of “People of the Second Chance.” I am so excited for it
to begin! The Lord is going to do powerful things in people’s lives.
God of Second chances. I love this Song by "Carlos Whittaker". We will be singing it each week of this series enjoy it and see what happens when he takes the song to a park to record a video for it.
·I am excited
for football to begin. I like football but I don’t know enough about it, so
sometimes I feel lost when they start talking about nickels and dimes. Being in
two fantasy football leagues and not knowing most of the players is going to be
a lot of fun. I play by the numbers ESPN gives me, so for me the fun isn’t
because I am imagining myself on the field. What I am excited about is watching
it with Olivia. She is at the age where she wants to do whatever Dad wants to
do and maybe that thing might be football. I am going to get her a RODGERS
jersey this year.
·Elizabeth
is still having migraines. It has been going on since Memorial Day. Going an
entire summer with a massive pressurized headache is really starting to wear on
her. Please pray for complete healing and for pain relief.
·The air
is crisp and I love it! I don’t wear shorts unless I have to and short
sleeves are even a stretch. Why? Because it doesn’t look sharp (at least not on
me). I see the ads of the skinny guys in their Bermuda shorts and think, “Hey,
they look good.” Then I realize I will probably meet someone and start talking
about church and Jesus and they will look at me and dismiss me because I look
sloppy. Jackets, long sleeves, and shoes look much better, and now people won’t
be wondering what it feels like to have a fur coat growing on my legs when I
talk about church and Jesus.
·Pray for
me this week. We have a leader meeting, a wedding, and an important Sundays
service. It’s a lot to pile on top of all the other stuff going on in the
Farina house. I also feel as though I am staring a new job. You remember that feeling? As we move to a new level of church and family life so I must move to a new level of leader, husband and father. It's a bit messy but in my weakness the Lord is making himself STRONG! Thanks for praying for me.
On June 13, 2010 I went to the Emergency Room with an
excruciating headache. I was admitted to Regions Hospital in St. Paul Minnesota
and diagnosed with a carotid artery dissection with a pseudoaneurysm. This is
basically a tear in the wall of the artery and causes a clot to form in the
interior of the artery. The change of blood flow and clot usually leads to a
stroke. My dissection was deemed inoperable due to its location inside my head
at the base of my brain. I was treated with blood thinners and released from
the hospital after two days in the ICU.
On June 23, 2010, I returned to the emergency room and a
second arterial dissection was discovered in my vertebral artery. This one was
also deemed inoperable due to its location at the base of my neck near my
spinal column and is believed to be a result of the change in blood flow and
stress from the first dissection.
Having one dissection is uncommon; having two is very rare
(2.5 per 100,000).
I spent two nights at Regions Hospital where I underwent a
neurological exam every four hours to watch for signs of a stroke. Due to my
age, medical history and rareness of this situation I was transferred to Mayo
Clinic in Rochester Minnesota on June 26.
After consulting with a team of specialists from various
fields, multiple MRA and CT scans, vile after vile of blood tests and two
nights at Mayo, I’m home! The doctors have found no underlying condition to
date (although I will follow up with a Geneticist on an out patient basis). I
will be treated with blood thinners and have a follow up MRA scan in three
months. They believe that without further injury the clot will dissolve and the
dissection may heal. Once this set of dissections heals completely there is
only a 1% chance each year that I will have any follow up dissections.
These next four weeks are very important to my recovery. I
have a lot of restrictions to prevent any further tearing in my arteries. Among
other things I am not to push, pull or lift anything over 5lbs - which will be
hard to do with a two small children!
We have seen the hand of God throughout this process and
believe that the prayers of many have made a difference. I was already on blood
thinners at the onset of this event due to my difficult pregnancy, a fact that
Dr’s believe likely prevented a stroke. The Doctors actual words were “...you
dodged a bullet”. Every nurse that treated me assumed that I had suffered a
stroke, because it’s almost unheard of not to with this condition. I do still
have a persistent migraine headache triggered by the upset blood flow, but no
lasting physical impairment. Praise be to Jesus who shed his blood for me!
We have experienced the very presence of God, which has sustained
us despite the gravity of the situation. When we have been troubled, He has
comforted us. When we have had to make difficult decisions, He as granted us
wisdom. When we were presented with physical unknowns, He has given us eyes of
faith. We are moving forward one day at a time believing for complete healing
and days free of fear. I’ve never been more convinced that my life has a
purpose and I intend to live every day pursuing my full potential in Jesus
Christ.
Thank you to the countless individuals who have prayed for
me all over the world; to High Point Church for surrounding me with love; to
the many friends who have visited me in the hospital and helped care for our
kids; to my family who has dropped everything and made me their priority; to my
fantastic husband who has not left my side.
Elizabeth was admitted into the hospital again on Wednesday night. She has another arterial dissection. I feel like we are on an episode of House. The Dr.'s do not know what it is that is causing these. We keep hearing them say things like, "You are a mystery... Very interesting... HMMM." Please keep praying. We are ready to get out of the Hospital and move on with Life.
As we have been in the Hospital we find ourselves singing simple songs of faith. I figured I would share with you a few of our favorites.
I hope these bring you Hope! Jesus is the giver of HOPE! Although we may be uncertain of what is to come and the Dr.'s are uncertain of what to do next God is not surprised, in doubt or uncertain.
The Holy Spirit is our comfort. Like Paul and Silas in Acts 16 we sing despite the walls around us and Know that The one who is all powerful will hear us and meet us in our affliction.
On Tuesday, it will have been six weeks since little Lewis was born and
three weeks since Elizabeth found out she had a third blood clot. I think
we are in the clear...for now. I can't help but have a tinge of uncertainty in the
back of my mind wondering when another shoe will drop. That’s a good and bad way to live.
It’s good in that it keeps you on your toes. It keeps your Grace Meter up and your prayer life tight. It
forces you to enjoy the present because it is all you
are guaranteed.
It’s bad in that you shouldn’t worry about things you can’t
directly control. Doing so will destroy you. It will steal your joy.
It will keep you from living beyond the present.
To be honest: I have spent much of this last year
simply existing. Not being able to look into the
future because I wasn't sure if my wife and child would experience a
future. Getting some distance from one ER visit only to have another one a few
days later. Moving from one complication to another all the while knowing that
this child has to come out and that the potential for fatal complications was
exceptionally high.
You don't really
live when that’s your reality. You exist.
When not in crisis, I have learned, you must live in the tension
of enjoying the present while anticipating that your best days are ahead of
you. If you stop anticipating the future then
you move into a dangerous place. It is a place of death and dying. It is a
place of atrophy spiritually, emotionally and physically. It is
not a good place. Unfortunately I think a lot of people get stuck here
when trauma hits them.
They need help to get
moving again.
I am ready to lift my eyes to the Horizon, again. I feel ready to start really pushing for the Hope
that is to come. As I write this, I realize I am walking with a limp. I still
don't feel 100% yet. I wish I weren’t... I wish I were stronger. But
Jesus never asked me to be 100%. He simply asked me to trust Him.
Here are some verses and a
song by one of my favorite worship lyricists (PhilWickham) that encourage me...
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”Matthew 11:28-30
"He said to me,"'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."2 Corinthians 12:9-10
We don't want you in the dark, friends, about how hard it was when all this came down on us in Asia province. It was so bad we didn't think we were going to make it. We felt like we'd been sent to death row, that it was all over for us. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally—not a bad idea since he's the God who raises the dead! And he did it, rescued us from certain doom. And he'll do it again, rescuing us as many times as we need rescuing. You and your prayers are part of the rescue operation—I don't want you in the dark about that either. I can see your faces even now, lifted in praise for God's deliverance of us, a rescue in which your prayers played such a crucial part.
Through the month of January you are
not going to hear much from me. I am taking a season of withdrawal in my life. Last November, I felt that I needed
to hone in the focus of my heart and mind for God to do something big in me.
Last year He called me to lose 55 lbs., and I am so glad I followed through.
The Lord fulfilled promises and answered prayers for both me and the church
through my act of obedience. This year I feel like I need to clear out as many
voices as I can that might be distracting me from clearly hearing the voice of
God.
Jesus did this often. I always wonder why Jesus — fully
God and fully man — even needed to pray, rest, and recharge. But if He did, then
so do I. This has been a stressful season for me and mine. Elizabeth's
pregnancy, Rapid church growth and Seven years of full time ministry has its
cost. I feel like we are getting ready for something larger and greater than we
have yet to experience. Jesus withdrew to rest, get stronger, hear from God,
and have a fresh word for the people he was sent to lead. Moses went to the
mountain top and came back luminous. Daniel prayed and fasted to break through
impossible circumstances. I need more from God to live the life I am called to
live and I want to withdraw to gather
strength for greater things Yet to come!
Here is my plan...
Read — I started a reading plan to go through the Gospels
in 30 days. (You can do the same at www.youversion.com.) My goal is to study
Jesus and His withdrawal moments — how and why He prayed.
I am also reading “Leading On
Empty” by Wayne Cordeiro- I feel like he is personally walking me through how
to defragment my life. I am taking each chapter and walking through each
chapter with Elizabeth and the Lord. What an AWSOME experience.
Food — This looks different for
everyone some fast food totally, partially or fast a particular type of
food. For me I am doing a combination of things.
Media
-I am cutting out as many secular
non-worshipful voices as I can. Music, movies, magazines and books that do not
point me to Jesus will be cut from my appetite this month. Television has been
reduced to only News sources.
-No blogs, no Facebook and NO Twitter — I am having withdrawals. This is almost painful, and
I have had to break this a couple times because of Elizabeth's health crisis on
Saturday, my need to get a couple numbers off of some profiles on my phone, and
this blog post letting you know what’s up. It is also funny how my e-mail sends
me Facebook updates and Facebook e-mails, so it’s like it will not leave me
alone. I guess that means it is staying around a while.)
-I also shut off the Push feature to
my phone’s e-mail. I am now my e-mail’s master. I think that may stay longer than
January.
Schedule — I am taking certain days
off over the next month, during which I will be alone and without normal
distractions so I can focus on the Lord and hear his voice with clarity.
Journal — I am keeping a daily journal of thoughts, prayers,
observations, revelations, and dreams.
(This
is a goal and has already had to change a little. Let me first tell you that I
live by the Spirit of the Law and not the Letter, meaning that even though I
may say I am not going to do this or that, I may do it if I feel I need to for
a good reason. I also am taking Sundays as a celebration day, meaning I am free
to enjoy with my family whatever seems beneficial. This season is about
reducing noise in my life and resetting my out of balance rhythm. It is not about
a list of does or don’ts.)
I am expecting God to break through my life in
tremendous ways. I am expecting Him to change me. I was not expecting how hard
these first few days have been. Nor was I expecting how the enemy would try and
distract me. I shouldn't have been surprised. He met Jesus in the wilderness
before his ministry began.
My prayer is that I hear his voice like Adam
and Eve did in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden, or like Samuel did when
God came to him in the night as a youth, or like the disciples did in the the
Upper Room when the Holy Spirit came upon them with fresh power and boldness.
My prayer is that I would have new strength and insight to lead the next five+
years with a freshness and sensitivity to the Lord.
What is the Lord drawing you to do? What’s your next step in your faith
walk? It may not look much like mine, but that's OK. Start with where you are
and go one more step.
I
look forward to letting you know how it goes in a few weeks.
I love when Our band reinterprets a song and makes it contemporary and exciting. This Sunday during the offering time The Band played... "The Touch The Feel of Cotton" Song.I asked the 1st service to text in what they thought it was but no one got it.
I am enjoying this series. It is a challenge for me. I feel like each week I am boiling a box of spaghetti as I prepare. I am realizing how much content their is to cover and how little time I have on a Sunday to get it covered. We will defiantly be revisiting these subjects in the new year.
Monday night was fun to be apart of but not so fun to watch. Favre was consistent and Rogers was not. It might have had something to do with his O-line but It just wasn't a great game for my packers. I look forward to next month in Lambeau.
Elizabeth Update... She is doing a little better with the fluids they have been giving her by IV. This afternoon we are going in to get a picc line put in so that she doesn't have to get an IV every few days. She has small veins and it takes a half a dozen tries sometimes. She also found out yesterday that she needs a root canal... YEAH! She hates dentists, (she had a bad experience as a kid, but haven't we all?) So We keep saying "Put it on my tab" and laughing because that is about all we can do. Keep praying for her she is going through a lot to get this baby here.
I am being challenged lately about how we are training and developing you as the church to "Live Your Potential" lots of thoughts and planning. I am going to be challenging you in the next few months to do somethings you have never been challenged to do! Maybe I have been watching too much "Biggest Loser" but I want to get you into shape spiritually, physically and mentally and help you experience a new level that God has for you! Stay tuned in... And start praying about if you are where God wants you to be? What your next step may be?
We have our 3rd Leadership Lunch this Sunday. I love this time with our Ministry Team Leaders. They do a great Job and deserve to be thanked and developed. I look forward to who God is developing to be our next leaders.
Phil Wickham is coming out with a new album soon http://philwickham.com/.I was sent his 1st album this week. He put it together in High School. It got me excited to find a Youth specialist to help us find and cultivate the next Great Worshiper, Leader, Politician, Teacher, Salesman, Missionary. If we can show our kids their potential at a Young age they will thrive in this life. Scripture calls it shooting arrows! I want to shoot O and the next little one we have as far as I can to make a difference in this world!
Take a minute and listen to this song as you Thank God today for His grace and mercy and Love. Take a minute to allow his presence to wash over you. Take a minute and Thank God for His Grace!
It seems that when Elizabeth and I and the team work the hardest for Something with a great potential for gain in Gods kingdom all Hell breaks lose. We are gearing up for fall. Big things are happening! We are about to invite hundreds of people to experience High Point and Jesus for the first time in a couple weeks. We are moving to 2 services September 13th, which is a shift for our leaders, volunteers and me as we prep to make a "positive and lasting impresion of Christ and His church" twice each week. Over all im every area we are going to the next level as a church!
I feel a little hard pressed on every side these past couple weeks. Nothing over arching is wrong but a bunch of little things keep showing up and happening that are causeing some distractions. Things like unexpected car repairs, sicknesses in the family, people who have been apart of HPC forever stepping away, out of nowear, personal finaincial hits... Like I said nothing overtly ominous but when you put it all in a week and a half before the crazy stress/pressure of the looming fall I'm starting to realize it's all related.
I'm sharing this with you becouse I could use your prayers! James 5 says that your prayers Righetous one are powerful and effective! Elizabeth and I need it. Courtney and Kendall, Mike and Amy ad the leaders of High Point need your prayers! Will you drop us a line when you pray for us? It will mean so much and help so much! We in turn will give more specific details of need or joy as it happens and together we will acomplish great things this fall! Many will know Jesus after this fall is over and it will becouse we worked together and prayed together to make it happen.
I have spent the last half of the year working on losing what I spent a lifetime gaining. I grew up with some bad habits and immature self control in my eating habits. I had grown fat... I have lost 50lbs and have just a few more to go to get to my goal weight. This weekend I cleaned out my closet and tried on my size 40 pants... I am never going back to those! I am now between a 33-34 waist. UNREAL!!!! I haven't been that size since freshman year of High School. SCORE!
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