The Gathering Place Where Family Matters

Let me share with you something that happened to me on January 1st, 1984. The evening before, our little son Jeffrey Michael, was born at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo, New York. The doctors and nurses knew that something was wrong, terribly wrong. Within the hour they notified us that the Buffalo Children’s Hospital ambulance and Intensive Care Unit team was on the way to transport him back to their hospital. He was in critical condition.

In the wee hours of the morning, I drove to Children’s Hospital. The Medical Director of the cardiology department met me in a private conference room. He had completed a heart catheterization of my fourteen-hour-old son. “Jeffrey is a complicated little boy,” he said. “We’ve seen all the problems with his little heart before. But we’ve never seen all the problems in one child who was alive. He’s a medical miracle.” Dr. Pieroni went on to write out the long list of Jeff’s heart complications. Here sitting with me was the Chief of Cardiology. He was so kind to me that New Year’s Day.

“I know that you are eager to be with your boy,” Dr. Pieroni continued. “But I have to warn you. While he did very well in the cath, we haven’t been able to get him settled down. I’m not sure that sedation is good for him, but he is really upset and blue. I just want to warn you,” he said as he led me to NICU that morning.

The nurses helped me to get scrubbed as well as gowned up. Many eyes were on me as I approached the sickest child in the entire unit that morning. Jeff was wailing and almost frantic. I reached in and took his hand. “Jeffrey, Jeffrey,” I quietly said, “it’s all right. Daddy is here. Jeffrey, Daddy is here,” I said. Quietly, I continued talking. Within seconds he stopped crying and settled right down. His little fingers wrapped around my finger as I talked with him.

There was a hush at his bedside. His nurse was the first to speak. “Michael, you’ve been talking to him before his birth, haven’t you? He obviously recognized your voice,” she said. While still quietly talking to Jeff, I shared with the medical team that every evening in the two months before his birth, Karen and I made sure he was awake. I would then read to him, quote Bible verses to him, and pray with him.

“He obviously recognized your voice” is the key to the story. It makes me think of what our Savior said to us. What a great way to begin the new year by remembering that He said, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:11, 14, 27). We read His Word, and this is His voice speaking to us. We recognize His voice. That’s why it is so important to read the Bible! 

It was a special moment for me that day with my little boy who would be with us for a little over four years.  It is a special day every day to hear the Lord’s voice through reading His Word. We can trust Him. We can get to know Him better. We can discover daily the blessing of hearing His voice through the Word.

New Year’s Blessings to you dear friends.

“The Question No One Saw Coming and Mary’s Instant Response!”

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10).

It would have been the most difficult thing that Mary ever faced. She was to represent her company at a meeting of the board of a large company that potentially would become a customer. The best laid plans of the entire team of presenters were finalized. Fast and furious meetings took place to check, double check, and continue to refine the presentation. Then the day came when the team would fly across country to present their proposal to the CEO, CFO, and a select group from the Board of Directors. Mary and her team would overnight at an airport hotel and early the next morning, Mary would lead the team in the presentation. Throughout the night Mary awakened and prayed. Early the next morning she read the passage that is our verse for the day. She knelt at her bedside and poured out her fears, apprehension, and inadequacies to the Lord. The meeting was going extremely well and then suddenly, the CEO asked a question that no one on the team had thought of, much to their chagrin. Instantly the answer came to Mary, and she spoke with quiet confidence in the meeting. Within the hour the presentation was completed, and the team left. Stepping out of the building the team turned to Mary and asked her, “Where did you get that answer? We never talked about that aspect of the presentation. But your answer was right on target, Mary. Great job!” She stopped right there on the sidewalk and turned to her team and said, “This morning I read about being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. I can tell you that the answer did not come from me. The Lord really helped me with the presentation. I thank you for all the work you did and the questions you answered as well. Now let’s get something to eat. I’m starved!”

For today: How will the strength of the Lord and the power of His might be played out in your life today?

“Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high” (Psalm 113:5).

The exuberant souvenir salesman desperately wanted just one more sale today. He held up the pottery and claimed, “You’ll never find a duplicate. You can’t compare it to anything else on earth!” The tourist noted that the pottery was beautiful, and she wanted to remember the foreign town in which she was visiting. It only cost ten dollars, so she bought it. Carefully the salesman wrapped it in paper and handed it to the traveler who boarded the bus just before it departed. Along the trip, the tourist wanted to look at this amazing gift, and to her chagrin, on the bottom of this one-of-a-kind pot, she saw that it was made in a different foreign country! She had been duped. Turning to the person with whom she was traveling she remarked, “Well, I’m glad that the Lord is truly unique. Not at all like my purchase of the day!”

For today: Our God is awesome in all that He is and all that He does! Nothing compares to Him.

“For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did He in Heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places” (Psalm 135:5-6).

“You have such a settledness about you,” Irene commented. “You put on a pretty good show, but I know that you don’t mean it underneath and for real, Leslie. You just can’t really mean it,” Irene said with a bitter tone in her voice. To say the least, Leslie was rather taken back, and so were the others in the class of older believers. After a few awkward moments of silence, Leslie quietly spoke. “First of all, I would never want to put on a show to anyone. Second, it doesn’t mean that I don’t hurt and feel painful feelings. But last, I do want to say to you, Irene, that when a person settles certain things in their hearts, it helps them on the hard days. Long ago I settled the matter that He would be my Lord on the good days as well as on the hard days. I settled the matter that He is great, and that whether I understood what He did or not, I would trust Him. So you see, that while I may be hurting, I am still trusting. It all depends on what you have settled in your heart.”

For today: Thanks, Leslie. Settling Who is in charge is important for all of us.

Christmas at Will and Maddie’s Home

“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).

Will gathered his family beside him on the couch that was next to the Christmas tree in their family room. Two of his little children wanted to sit on his lap which made holding his Bible rather challenging. It was a good thing that he knew Luke 2:1-11 by heart. It had been their desire to train up their children to know what genuine Christmas celebrations would look like from a Biblical perspective. That’s why before any presents were opened, the family would celebrate the Lord Jesus and thank Him for coming to this earth to be the greatest Gift of all. The Lord Jesus came to be their Savior. Though several of his youngest children didn’t understand yet the full implications of the meaning, the older children of Will and Maddie most certainly did. Will smiled when listening to his son Zachary pray, “Lord, we are happy that we can start our day with You. Thank You for coming to be our Savior. Thank You that the gifts Mom and Dad are giving us are pictures of your greatest gift. We’re sad that on this day when we celebrate your birthday, many people won’t even think of You. But we think of You and love You. Thank You, Lord Jesus. In Your Name I pray, Amen.” It was a precious time around the tree that was a little bent, a little crooked, but beautifully decorated in the home with lots of love.

For today: On behalf of all my family and all those that help to make Dr. Mike’s Daily Prescriptions possible,  may the Lord richly bless you. Keep CHRIST in all your Christmas plans.