From: David
Date: Thursday, January 6, 2000
Lynne, Family, Christmas, and Our Awesome God
The call came at 3:15 in the afternoon, Christmas Eve, 1999. "David, this is Russell. Start some prayers going. The fireplace collapsed on Lynne, and the paramedics are carrying her out the door."
As more calls were made, and family and friends began to pray, we wondered, "Was she awake? How seriously was she hurt? How does a fireplace collapse?" "Please, Lord. Be with Lynne and her family right now."
Over the next hours, the story came out. My eldest sister had stood on her fireplace hearth to light a candle on the mantle. As she did, the entire limestone facade gave way and knocked her to the ground, trapping her underneath the pile of rubble. She couldn't move her arms or legs, but she was awake.
Her 12-year-old twin boys had found her on the floor. "Mommy, are you OK?" "Eric, I need you to call 911 and get help right now." "Aaron, I need you to get the cell phone out of my purse and call your Dad at work When the operator answers the phone, don't let them put you on hold, and don't take 'No' for an answer. Tell them it's an emergency, and come home right now. Then put out the dog so she won't freak when the paramedics get here." Within 4 minutes, the emergency team and Russell were on the scene.
After 11 hours in the ER, we knew more. Lynne had a contusion of her spine and herniated disks in her neck. Her ankle was badly broken. But miraculously, no rocks had fallen on her head or torso, so there were no internal injuries. She was bruised and scratched, but there were no stitches, even though some of the rocks had smashed a toy car and cut a Christmas tin in two. The doctors expected the feeling to return to her arms and hands over the next 2-4 weeks, then they would evaluate the possibility of surgery.
Christmas Eve was on a Friday, and my younger sisters, Teresa and Ruth, were at Lynne's bedside by Monday afternoon. Lynne could feel the warmth as they opened and closed her hands and massaged them with lotion. Ruth scratched Lynne's nose for her, and Teresa held the phone to her ear. They dried the tears from her eyes and ears. They laughed together as they worked on a crossword puzzle. And they cried some more when it was time to leave on Wednesday morning.
I was finally able to see Lynne on Wednesday afternoon. Her boom box was in the corner of the room, and she had been listening to Christian radio and CDs almost since she arrived. "Do you have any Dennis Jernigan?" I asked her. "No, I've never heard of him." "Have you heard, 'You are my strength when I am weak, you are the treasure that I seek, you are my all in all?'" Lynne smiled. That was a favorite. "How about, 'For all that you've done I will thank you, for all that you're going to do?'" Another smile.
"I want you to have this CD. This is my copy, but if you don't have it, you need it. I call the last four songs the 'hold me' medley. They have been especially meaningful to me when I've felt weak and vulnerable. The first one starts, "When I cannot feel, when my wounds won't heal, Lord, I humbly kneel, hidden in you." The next morning, Lynne told me how much the music had blessed her during the night.
My family and I returned home on Friday, so it wasn't until Sunday evening that we could gather with Teresa's family to do Christmas. I stared in disbelief when I opened my present from Teresa. It was another copy of the CD I had given Lynne. I told everyone the story. Then Teresa told me her story.
Thursday night before Christmas Eve, as she was falling asleep, Teresa awoke with the thought, "Rich Mullins!? That's not the CD I intended to get for David. It was the guy who wrote, 'I Am a Sheep.' Who was that guy?" She took down the songbook I had given her and looked it up. "Dennis Jernigan! That's him! I need to go and exchange this CD tomorrow morning."
The store did not have the Dennis Jernigan CD that Teresa wanted, but when she saw The Collection included Thank You and All in All, she bought it. That was 1:00 in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, a mere two hours before the phone call from Russell.
When I fall down you pick me up,
When I am dry you fill my cup,
You are my all in all!
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is your name!
Outline | Previous | Next
Date: Thursday, January 6, 2000
Lynne, Family, Christmas, and Our Awesome God
The call came at 3:15 in the afternoon, Christmas Eve, 1999. "David, this is Russell. Start some prayers going. The fireplace collapsed on Lynne, and the paramedics are carrying her out the door."
As more calls were made, and family and friends began to pray, we wondered, "Was she awake? How seriously was she hurt? How does a fireplace collapse?" "Please, Lord. Be with Lynne and her family right now."
Over the next hours, the story came out. My eldest sister had stood on her fireplace hearth to light a candle on the mantle. As she did, the entire limestone facade gave way and knocked her to the ground, trapping her underneath the pile of rubble. She couldn't move her arms or legs, but she was awake.
Her 12-year-old twin boys had found her on the floor. "Mommy, are you OK?" "Eric, I need you to call 911 and get help right now." "Aaron, I need you to get the cell phone out of my purse and call your Dad at work When the operator answers the phone, don't let them put you on hold, and don't take 'No' for an answer. Tell them it's an emergency, and come home right now. Then put out the dog so she won't freak when the paramedics get here." Within 4 minutes, the emergency team and Russell were on the scene.
After 11 hours in the ER, we knew more. Lynne had a contusion of her spine and herniated disks in her neck. Her ankle was badly broken. But miraculously, no rocks had fallen on her head or torso, so there were no internal injuries. She was bruised and scratched, but there were no stitches, even though some of the rocks had smashed a toy car and cut a Christmas tin in two. The doctors expected the feeling to return to her arms and hands over the next 2-4 weeks, then they would evaluate the possibility of surgery.
Christmas Eve was on a Friday, and my younger sisters, Teresa and Ruth, were at Lynne's bedside by Monday afternoon. Lynne could feel the warmth as they opened and closed her hands and massaged them with lotion. Ruth scratched Lynne's nose for her, and Teresa held the phone to her ear. They dried the tears from her eyes and ears. They laughed together as they worked on a crossword puzzle. And they cried some more when it was time to leave on Wednesday morning.
I was finally able to see Lynne on Wednesday afternoon. Her boom box was in the corner of the room, and she had been listening to Christian radio and CDs almost since she arrived. "Do you have any Dennis Jernigan?" I asked her. "No, I've never heard of him." "Have you heard, 'You are my strength when I am weak, you are the treasure that I seek, you are my all in all?'" Lynne smiled. That was a favorite. "How about, 'For all that you've done I will thank you, for all that you're going to do?'" Another smile.
"I want you to have this CD. This is my copy, but if you don't have it, you need it. I call the last four songs the 'hold me' medley. They have been especially meaningful to me when I've felt weak and vulnerable. The first one starts, "When I cannot feel, when my wounds won't heal, Lord, I humbly kneel, hidden in you." The next morning, Lynne told me how much the music had blessed her during the night.
My family and I returned home on Friday, so it wasn't until Sunday evening that we could gather with Teresa's family to do Christmas. I stared in disbelief when I opened my present from Teresa. It was another copy of the CD I had given Lynne. I told everyone the story. Then Teresa told me her story.
Thursday night before Christmas Eve, as she was falling asleep, Teresa awoke with the thought, "Rich Mullins!? That's not the CD I intended to get for David. It was the guy who wrote, 'I Am a Sheep.' Who was that guy?" She took down the songbook I had given her and looked it up. "Dennis Jernigan! That's him! I need to go and exchange this CD tomorrow morning."
The store did not have the Dennis Jernigan CD that Teresa wanted, but when she saw The Collection included Thank You and All in All, she bought it. That was 1:00 in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, a mere two hours before the phone call from Russell.
When I fall down you pick me up,
When I am dry you fill my cup,
You are my all in all!
Jesus, Lamb of God, Worthy is your name!
Outline | Previous | Next