Fr. Nigel update, 10/30/09, Friday afternoon, 3:27pm

Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 3:27pm
From: Elizabeth Strickland
Subject: Fr. Nigel update, 10/30/09, Friday afternoon, 3:27pm
      Fr. Nigel continues in critical condition, but your prayers are bringing tiny changes for the better. His breathing is a little better today and is more level, although he remains on the ventilator. His x-rays show that his lungs are starting to clear, but please persevere in praying for continued healing of them. Thanks to your prayers and God’s healing touch, his temperature has come down a little, but Lynn asks that you persevere in praying for an elimination of his fever and whatever is causing his fever. Please also persevere in praying that all of his organs, especially his kidneys, continue functioning.
      This marks the 20th day of Fr. Nigel’s time in the hospital and the 20th day of Lynn’s time in the hospital as well. Please continue to hold up Lynn in your prayers for protection and endurance, and for solid rest at night. May God bless you all for your persistent prayer.

Albany Intercessor

Fr. Nigel update 8:32 AM

Fr Nigel update 8:32 AM

10/30/09 Friday morning
Fr. Nigel continues to be in critical condition. He had a good night and is stable. He continues to battle a fever which goes up and down, so prayers for the fever will continue. He continues to have improvements on the scale of a mustard seed, so your prayers are so, so important.
Please pray for:
healing of his lungs so that he may be removed from the ventilator
all organs that they continue to function, especially his kidneys
elimination of his fever and whatever is causing his fever.
Come Holy Spirit, come now with more power.
Blessings to all of you for your prayers.

From: Elizabeth Strickland

Also “continue prayers for protection from sickness for Lynn. You can imagine how exhausted she is.” From Fr. Haskell last night.

Nehemiah 2

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We and others are convinced that God is doing a larger work among us through the illness of Fr. Nigel Mumford. Therefore, I ask you to make Monday, November 2nd a day of prayer and fasting. Please fast from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Let us see what our God will do.
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      And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.”
      So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?”
      Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”
      So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
      Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
      Furthermore I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.” And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.
      Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.
      So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work. (Nehemiah 2:1-16)
      Holy Spirit, please give us a heart to survey the damage done to the Episcopal Church; help us recognize the damage for what it is.

Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” (Nehemiah 2:17)
      Jesus, give us a heart to rebuild the Episcopal Church as we see the distress it is in. Help us rebuild its walls and gates so that every strange doctrine does not come in to it.

And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work. (Nehemiah 2:18 )
      Father, help us share with one another all that you have done for us so that we may encourage each other in the good work you have set before us.

But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?” (Nehemiah 2:19)
      Jesus, you endured the laughter and contempt of those who despised you as you carried out the great commission your father had given you. Help us persevere to the end in the great work you have given us. Guide Bishop Bill as he leads us in this diocese.

So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven himself will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.” (Nehemiah 2:20)
      Holy Spirit, help us resist every effort or call to compromise the gospel; help us endure through to the end. Thank you.

      A word received: Look to me.

Friday: 40, 54; Nehemiah 2:1-20; Revelation 6:12-7:4; Matthew 13:24-30
Saturday: 55; Nehemiah 4:1-23; Revelation 7:(4-8 )9-17; Matthew 13:31-35

      Notes from the Front Line

***** I strongly recommend Repentance: The Joy Filled Life by M. Basilea Schlink. It is a classic of its kind and can be purchased as a used book from Amazon for under $5.

Albany Intercessor

Rev. Nigel Mumford

Luke 13:18-20 (Young’s Literal Translation)
And he said, `To what is the reign of God like? and to what shall I liken it?
It is like to a grain of mustard, which a man having taken, did cast into his garden, and it increased, and came to a great tree, and the fowls of the heavens did rest in its branches.’
And again he said, `To what shall I liken the reign of God?

There is a story of a child’s artwork prepared in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The drawing was that of a crucifix. The teacher asked what the black dots were in the shed blood of Jesus. The child answered, ‘Mustard seeds.’

Dear Father,
We thank You for the shed blood of Jesus and for the “mustard seeds” of improvement in Nigel’s condition. We continue to claim the shed blood of Jesus over Nigel and his family. Amen.

Southern Sudan

Matthew 12:18-21 Young’s Literal Translation
Lo, My servant, whom I did choose, My beloved, in whom My soul did delight, I will put My Spirit upon him . . . a bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, till he may put forth judgment to victory, and in his name shall nations hope.’

Dear Father,
We thank You for Your servant Jesus, full of Spirit, full of love. You delighted in Him. We delight in Him too. We hope in His name for Southern Sudan. Amen.

A menu of Sudan prayers can be found here.

David Booth Beers

Matthew 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

Dear Jesus,
You are the power of God and the wisdom of God. I lean on You and not on my own understanding. Bless David Booth Beers as he recuperates from knee surgery. Amen.
1 Corinthians 1:24, Proverbs 3:5

JW