Friday Check In

 Hey Friends,

This is just a quick blog for today. We are doing okay. God is giving us strength because of everybody’s prayers. Ironing out the details of Dad’s service next week is keeping us busy.

Please pray extra for me. I am battling an ailment that flared up yesterday. My prayer is for God to set me free totally!

I had another post planned for today, but that can wait for a different day. Thanks for checking in. 

Odie

Pray For Me, Please!

The weekend dispatch is being preempted today by a serious prayer request. I woke up about 1:30 Sunday morning with a incredible pain in my left side. I did not sleep a wink after that. As the night progressed we came to the conclusion that is probably a kidney stone.

We found about 7 AM that a hot compress would dull the pain a little bit. I spent most the day with that on my side. All in all I had about 20 hours of horrible pain and some up-and-down fever with bone jarring chills. 

I did some stretching exercises in the evening that are supposed to help move the stone along. The place where the stone seem to be all day is still very tender, but the pain has lessened as of Sunday night about 10 o’clock.

I was not able to go to church and preach either service Sunday. I appreciate Pastor John DiZazzo and his folks extending so much grace and mercy to us. We also canceled our three night meeting in Missouri this week.

Now we are figuring out how to get the bus home. We have some people offering to help us, but I hate for anybody to make a special trip. I am praying for a good nights rest tonight and then things will probably look different tomorrow by God’s grace. 

We walked over to the church during the altar service and have the folks pray for us. Praise God for His help. 

Please, please, please pray for us. Kelly Jo began texting people about 7 AM Eastern time and we heard from most of them multiple times in a day that they in their churches were praying. We appreciate that very much.

Davy

Sis. Tammy Harris

February 22, 2024

I know that you have been praying for Bro. Alan and Sis. Tammy Harris since the horrible car accident Sis. Tammy was in July 2. The doctors gave her absolutely no hope of survival, yet she kept surviving. 

She still had very many things wrong with her recently, but they sat her up on the edge of the bed a couple times, she has been communicating regularly with her family plus she had several positive physical developments. There was hope, real hope for Sis. Tammy

Tuesday morning sister Tammy seemed to be doing really good. A few moments later she was gone. The doctors have no explanation at the moment, except it was probably blood clot.

Please pray for our dear friend, Bro Alan Harris, his sons and their families and the Trinity Pentecostal Church in Central city, Kentucky. They need God to help them through this dark valley. 

Thank you for praying for them and their many friends the next few days. 

Davy

I Really Do Not Have Any BAD Problems

Note: There will be two posts tomorrow. The first at 6:00 AM with A Word For Wednesday and a second post later in the morning with pictures from Tuesday night of Dryden Rd.

Since Sunday I have been weeping over the situations some of my friends are facing. I thank God for a burden to weep and pray but I have felt so helpless.

We have dear friends who are struggling mightily under the load of sick parents and others carrying the heavy load of sick children. 

We have friends that are grieving over wayward children and grandchildren. Their hearts are wounded and dreams for their families seem poised to be washed away by the tide

We have more than a few friends in the prime of very productive lives and ministries facing uncertain futures because of health problems out of their control.

Without divine intervention, Sis. Tammy Harris is about to slip into eternity. Bro Alan Harris is about to lose his wife after praying and hoping for nearly two months since a horrible car accident.

 

Bro. Tim Hudson, a great preacher and tremendous man of God, has been fighting cancer in his vocal cords. After many treatments, the swelling and pain have returned. If the cancer is still there, the Doctor is telling him the best option could be to have his voice box removed. This mighty preacher needs a miracle.

And the list of heartache and pain of people we love goes on and on😩😩

My tears that have been flowing the last 48 hours seem ineffective except for two things. 

1. God understands my tears and He knows what those groanings mean when I make no sense. God will remember our heartaches and griefs and will not forget them. David was confident in the midst of his trouble that God remembered his tears and I am too.

2. The tears have brought me to a firm conclusion. The conclusion is this: 

I really do not have any BAD problems. I have thought I was climbing mountains, but there are saints around me that are fighting for their very lives. I have inconveniences in comparison to the sufferings of my friends. 🫣🫣

I am not trying to spread guilt to those of us that feel we really need help. There is no shame in asking for help in our own problems. We are encouraged to pray fervently when we are in trouble ourselves. I will keep doing that.

But I have been freshly awakened to the fact that my friends, my brothers and sisters are suffering in ways I can barely even comprehend. I am determined, as much as possible, to help carry the load of others who are facing difficulties in life far greater than I can ever imagine.

I really do not have any BAD problems. God help my friends!🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

Thank you for reading.

Davy

Prayer Request And Pictures

We captured some pictures from our week and I have them for you today. 

Before I make way for the pictures, I have a serious prayer request. Bro. David Noe is in the hospital in Louisville, Kentucky and Bro. and Sis. Noe are in desperate need of prayer.

Bro, David had a kidney transplant early this year and has been doing good. He has been sick this week and it has gotten serious quickly. Please pray for our friends in this overwhelming situation.

Thank you.

Davy

Update

Thank you for being patient with me today. The normal fatigue that I have felt since the stroke has pretty much beat me up this week. I suppose it is the abundance of activity the last two weeks and it finally caught up with me.

The crushing fatigue affects my balance, strength, stamina and swallowing more than anything. On top of that, sleep has been very hard to come by since the stroke and even worse the last few weeks. 

We have obligations Sunday and next week so I have tried to limit my activity this week with the exception of a little exercise that needs to keep going for stroke recovery. 

We also have online revival service scheduled for tonight as part of our Summer Revival Series. I may let Kelly and Odie sing their hearts out.

Overall, I need the Lord to help me. Would you pray for me? Thank you.

Davy

Continued Fervent Prayer Requested- Sis. Tammy Harris

I received quite a response from you all letting me know you were praying for Sis Tammy Harris in response to the Mile Marker yesterday. Thank you for that. You all are great.

Pastor Alan Harris and Sis Tammy Harris in late February 2024 at Odie’s house. 

As I mentioned yesterday, Sis Tammy Harris had a horrible car accident on Tuesday afternoon. It was about 48 hours later, Thursday, when we left the hospital in Evansville Indiana and started for home. We were in the room with her along with brother Alan Harris right before we left.

The Lord met us sweetly as we quoted scripture, prayed and sang. Sister Tammy looked at us with her eyes open, nodding slightly but repeatedly as we talked with her, showing definite signs of understanding and communicating. She also was squeezing my hand.

They are mostly keeping her sedated and she is on a ventilator and it looks like a couple dozen machines, so we were very thrilled to see a few minutes of awareness and consciousness. Feeling the presence of the Lord with brother Alan and sister Tammy made it a little easier for us to go home. We hope to go back soon. 

The doctors have fixed many bones and worked on her extensively internally, and there is much, much more to do internally and with broken bones. The doctors are very adamant in warning the family and all of us that she is by no means out of the woods yet. 

Please, please, please add Bro Alan, Sis Tammy, their church in Central City Kentucky and their families to your prayer list. These are wonderful people and some of our dearest friends. Thank you for praying.

By God’s grace we still plan to have revival service tonight live from Odie‘s house at around 8 PM eastern time. I hope you can join us. Thank you for reading today.

Davy

Please Pray Today

Bro. Ricky Boler is scheduled this morning for surgery to have the cancer removed. The doctors are hopeful the cancer can be removed and that will be the end of it. 

We are praying toward that end result and I am asking you to join us in that prayer. We are believing God to help our friend. 

Bro. Ricky had some major things to get accomplished in relation to his business before surgery and being down for a few weeks. He has been working like a borrowed mule for 10-12 days. I feel for my friend and I want to see all this go well. 

May God bless you for praying for Bro. Ricky Boler. 

Thank you for reading today. 

Davy

Our View Out The Window 5/26/24

Please pray for Missionary David Lloyd and his family and State Representative Ben Baker and his family and the Montis family in Haiti. Davy and Natalie Loyd were killed two nights ago along with a faithful Haitian man in the Lloyd’s mission work Jude Montis. 

We can only imagine the pain and heartache these families are experiencing right now. We know that the Lord is our only comfort we are asking him to comfort our friends, brothers and sisters. 

Our View Out The Window 

Prayer And More For Friends

KJo and I are on a mission. A mission rooted in friendship. 

Bro. Ricky Boler from White Plains Holiness  Assembly near Sebastopol, Mississippi was told recently that he has cancer. They want him to have a major surgery sooner rather than later. 

He has the responsibility of his family, his business and the church. Adding in cancer surgery is more than he can juggle right now.

I can only imagine the emotional weight and turmoil.

He asked me to consider coming to the church the next three Sundays and the two Wednesdays in between to lift part of the load. I told him we would pray. 

I went to my study to pray about it and decided to send a text to a few of my mentors and closest friends and ask their opinion. I wrote the text, read my own words and answered my own question. 

It is if the Lord spoke to me and said, You do not need the leading of the Lord to be a friend. That was all it took and we have been working this week on getting things ready to go.

I had weekends scheduled and I needed to make arrangements with those pastors to move those dates to the future. They all understood and were gracious to me. I do appreciate that very much. 

I had committed to myself that I would not travel that far this summer and physically it is probably not the best thing for me. So we are traveling as gently as possible and praying. 

We traveled Thursday, we will travel today and perhaps even finish up this evening. If I can be wise, I will finish it up on Saturday.

Please pray for Bro. Ricky Boler, Sis. Tanya, the rest of his family and the church. Also pray for us that we would be filled with strength and anointing for the task ahead. 

Once we arrive and get through the first Sunday, we should be able to rest up some next week if all goes well.

Thank you for reading and thank you for praying. 

Davy

35% of Normal, 1000% Better Than My Lowest

I am super glad we made the quick trip to Kentucky on Sunday but I definitely feel the effects of it.

This video has the information from this Mile Marker and Wednesday's too.

I mentioned yesterday that last Friday was an evaluation day in physical therapy and occupational therapy. They need to grade the patients once in a while to justify to the insurance the need to continue therapy or to determine if therapy is no longer needed.

Many of the things that were required, were duplicates or similar to things they tested on the first day of outpatient therapy January 19. They were happy to find that I had improved on every measurable goal. I was pretty happy myself!

Praise God!

Even though I have room for much improvement in my balance, walking, dexterity and speech; all these areas are tremendously better than before. That is a super reason for thankfulness. 🙌🏽🙌🏽

The main areas that need to improve now are the numbness that remains on my entire right side and the strength and quality of my speaking and singing voice.  

Also, even though I am able to swallow and consume enough calories to keep me going. There are many normal foods that I cannot eat yet. I am so thankful to be swallowing but I would love to be completely recovered in that area.

I really appreciate you taking time to pray about those three things especially, in addition to all the other areas. We hear from some of you regularly and we know that you are taking these things seriously in prayer and we appreciate it very much.

I am grateful for the inquiries we receive asking when we might be able to return to our regular schedule on the road. I wish I knew the answer with certainty to that question, but the reality is, there is no way that I can know. There are heaps upon heaps of things I need to do to roll that wagon.

I feel like I am about 35% of what I was when I went to bed on the bus on December 28. Yet I am 1000% better than I was when I transferred into ICU late at night on December 29. 

35% of Normal, 1000% Better Than My Lowest

35% means I am a very long way from being able to do all my duties to keep us traveling, singing and preaching. I have had so much fun the last many years that I have made it look easy, but it does not look easy from where I sit right now.😍🤣

1000% means I am incredibly and amazingly improved from where I was immediately after the stroke. I give the glory to God and the people He used to bring me to this point. Hallelujah! There is no God like our God!🙌🏽🙌🏽

That is an honest assessment of where we are right now. I am here by God’s grace and every forward step I take will be by his grace as well. I know God can pull me through IF I can stand the pulling. 

I have purposed to do my part and I have faith that God will do His part. I am working hard like all the progress depends on me and I am trusting, believing and praying like all the progress depends on God!

I have determined with the wise counsel of mentors and friends, that I am not going to rush this. When I am ready to go there still be work to do.

Thank you for traveling along with us. We need you.

Davy

Revisited In Pictures Healing Is A Process

It is a little unusual for me to revisit a Mile Marker that is only two weeks old, but I think I need to. Or at least I want to.

On January 26 I posted Healing Is A Process. You can follow the link above and read or re-read that post as you like.

I will not completely rewrite the whole post, but as a recap, I showed you pictures of the inside of my arm. The first picture was taken two weeks into my hospital stay. I received all those bruises and blood beneath my skin the first day in the emergency room.

Pictures after that were in one week increments showing how the arm was healing. The natural process, that God created in us was healing the wound.

I compared that to the swelling and pressure that is in my brain stem from the stroke I suffered on December 29. It is also healing, it is experiencing the healing process that God instituted in humans. I do not know the rate of healing but I know it is healing. 

I cannot take a picture as the brainstem heals but I have taken pictures each week of my arm as it heals. I draw encouragement every week from that picture, because I know my brain is healing too.

As my brain heals, we are seeing small advances in regaining use of my leg, my arm, my swallowing, my vocal cords, my eyesight. and my balance. All of these will likely continue to improve as my brain heals.

Praise God! Praise God! 

I have a long ways to go, but as my inner arm heals I am reminded, even though I cannot see it, my brain stem is healing too.

Look at these and rejoice with me.

Two weeks. 

Three weeks. 

Four weeks. 

Five weeks. 

Six weeks

As I said before, every day I believe God for an instantaneous miracle and I have received some. But also, every day, I am experiencing and trusting God‘s amazing healing process in my body.

Thank you very much for reading today.

Davy

Revival tonight

I Am On Own

I am on my own.

Do not worry, KJo is still here, but the feeding tube is gone. Hallelujah!

I mentioned earlier this week that the original feeding tube had been taken out and a new one put in last Thursday. They had trouble inserting the new one and I do not believe it ever really got into my stomach.

We tried to flush it with water, as we were supposed to do that night but the water would not go in. We left it until the home health nurse came this week and she could not flush it either.

The surgeon had the home health nurse try a couple things on Wednesday morning, but nothing worked. They had us come in Wednesday afternoon to the office in Hamilton.

After consulting with the surgeon and his assistant, they decided to remove it early.YAY!!!

They told us there is a higher risk of infection when it does not stay in six weeks, but I think they concluded the feeding tube remaining in my abdomen without being in the stomach was a high risk of infection as well.😇

So the feeding tube was taken out after four weeks and two days and I am incredibly thankful. It served a great purpose but I am glad it is gone

I now have a hole to my insides about 3/8 of an inch wide with a piece of gauze over it. They said it would heal pretty quickly and we are praying it will heal completely and without any infection.

We have no other option for nourishment without it going in my mouth and down my throat so I am on my own.

I could not swallow water for 17 days or food for 18 or 19 days and it was only two weeks ago when I began swallowing food at all. I am very thankful I am able to eat at this point. It may not be as enjoyable as it once was, but I am so happy that God has helped. Thank you for praying.

Thank you for reading and passing this word on to others as well. May God bless you all.

Davy

It Is Time To Eat

The morning of December 29, I had two eggs for breakfast as usual. About 10 minutes before I had a stroke, I ate one hotdog wrapped up in a piece of cheese. Unfortunately,I lost that hotdog so my last meal of any substance was early that morning. 

I could eat or drink nothing after the stroke. 

By January 2, I was feeling the effects of no food. That morning they inserted the feeding tube into my stomach. Very late that night they started me on a continuous flow of food for the next 17 hours.

On January 4 they started pouring in food through the tube every four hours, day and night. We kept that up until they took me into rehab and then Kelly and I eliminated the overnight feeding so I could try to get some rest.

I was able to swallow my first real drink of water on Sunday, January 14. Within days the therapists were encouraging me to experiment with swallowing different textures and types of food.

They explained to me that IF I could eat about 300 calories at a time, I could skip one tube feeding.

Even though every swallow was intentional and sometimes a challenge, my goal became to replace those five meals each day with 300 swallowed calories per meal as quickly as possible.

By last Tuesday I was replacing 2 meals each day and hopeful to make progress to five meals each day by this week.

However, Tuesday evening I began having trouble with the feeding tube and so my eating by mouth program was quickly accelerated.

It has been quite a task to find foods that I can consistently swallow, but with the therapist help and prodding, we quickly began replacing all five tube feedings a day two days later.

By then the tube was causing more trouble so we went back to the surgeon. They told us in the beginning the tube had to stay in six weeks before it could be removed, but we were hoping since the tube was leaking they might permanently remove it.

Even though the tube had been inserted 22 days, they removed the troubled tube and inserted a new one. Ugh! It was pretty painful for a couple days, but I kept eating my calorie intake and have not used the new tube at all.

Kelly has worked diligently to find and prepare a variety of food, trying to help me eat. She does not prepare meals according to what might normally go together. The meals are prepared to reach the caloric threshold with as little trouble swallowing as possible.

That sometimes renders some pretty strange combinations, but I am glad to get the calories in and avoid the tube feedings altogether.

So, it is time to eat. Even though the meals may be soft and strange combinations of types of food, I am glad to be eating by mouth.

The therapist assures me that it will get better and I believe it. She said the best way to work on your swallow is to swallow so that is what I am doing.

I am glad to be making some progress. Thank you for praying.

Davy

Healing Is A Process

Healing is a process

There are numerous and varied processes by which the body fights disease, repels invaders and heals itself. Old and sick cells are replaced while the body is mending skin, bones, organs and every part of the body.

Modern scientists and great researchers are still seeking to understand how hormones and enzymes are produced by our bodies to effectively fight for the health of own bodies.

This is no accident of evolution. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Therefore, I say healing is a natural process in the body instigated by supernatural means.

God created the body to heal itself. It is tremendously amazing that our bodies are designed to heal themselves by still little known or wholly unknown processes.

Yet, there are times when the miraculous supersedes the process. Instances when God divinely intervenes in the means by which he designed the body to heal.

We are given descriptions over and again in the Bible when God provided instantaneous shortcuts to complete healing. These are called miracles and they are still available today at God’s divine will in response to fervent prayers of faith in his power and divine intervention.

Hallelujah! I still believe and God‘s people still believe in divine miracles.

What happens when the miracles we seek are not instantly seen in response to our prayers? That is when we continue to believe God. We believe him for the instantaneous miracle AND we believe that the supernatural process he began at creation is still at work through the natural process of healing.

Please remember that God‘s supernatural process of natural healing is constantly at work in our lives.

Let me give you an example.

Two weeks after I entered the hospital a therapist asked about the inside of my arm.

When did that happen?

I said, That happened in the emergency room the first day I was here.

Then she said, Two weeks later, it still looks bad. Given time it will not only look better but it will be better. Your body even now is absorbing that old blood and healing that wound. It is in the process of healing.

She said, Consider the brain stem where the blood clot caused the stroke. That small compact area is inflamed and swollen.

However, the body is working right now to dissipate the swelling and heal that area of your brain stem. It looks bad because it is bad. You see and feel the effects of the trauma in your brain stem, but it is getting better. 

Given time, it will not only look better but feel better and it will be healed. As it heals, the effects all through your body should begin to dissipate and we hope, reverse.

Therefore, my dear friends, while we await the instantaneous miracle we also trust the completion of the supernatural process that God instituted in our natural bodies.

Here is my arm after three weeks.

This is my arm after four weeks.

I do not know if the brain stem heals by the same ratio or in the same time frame, but rest assured it is in the midst of the process of healing. It is operating as designed. It will create new pathways around the affected brain tissue and function and feeling will be partially or completely restored.  

I am waiting and believing for the miraculous and in the meantime I am trusting God‘s already instituted divine process. Hallelujah!!

Thank you.

Davy

Facts And Faith

These are the facts.

Death

Strokes in the area of the brain where the stroke hit me are over 70% fatal. The fact is God blessed me to keep me alive from that very first moment.

Swallow

It is very common to have trouble swallowing after a stroke but uncommon to not be able to swallow at all. I could not get anything down at all for over two weeks. I was told after two weeks that I was very likely looking at 90 days of intensive therapy in order to regain any swallow.

Then it happened. On the 17th day, I was able to swallow water. I was and I am incredibly thankful. The therapists worked. I worked. God worked!

Each swallow is still an effort and I am struggling to swallow different textures so that I can eat, but I am so thankful I can drink water, even though it takes a little extra effort.

At the initial moment of the stroke, when I realized I could not swallow, my thought was, How in the world can I not swallow?

14 days later the overwhelming thought in my mind was, How had I ever swallowed freely? I knew I could, but I could not figure out how to do it. The fact is God gave me a miracle!

Voice, Singing and Preaching

The fact is, my voice is very affected from the stroke. The same nerves, muscles and other parts of my throat that affect my swallowing, also affect my speaking and singing voice. 

Those of you who know me, know that I have used my voice to sing and preach the gospel and make our living most of my adult life. The fact is that would be utterly impossible at the moment. 

However, we do not believe that must remain impossible. They have given me a full retinue of vocal exercises and I am trying to be diligent to regain the ability to sing again. We know that God is able!

Numbness

Also, it is a fact that my whole right side is greatly affected. It is completely numb like it is asleep. Thankfully I have strength on both sides and that is definitely a plus. 

Therapists are working diligently to teach me to have balance, walk, and to help me have manual dexterity in my right hand. I do have a long ways to go and at times it looks impossible, yet we believe God.

Eyes

The fact is my eyes are partially affected and even though I seem to see well, I am extremely dizzy at almost every movement. The therapist is also working on that and I am practicing every day and believing God to change that fact as well.

Faith

These facts could be emotionally paralyzing but we believe in a God who He is able to do the impossible. Faith in God can overwhelm and change facts. 

That is why we are praising God for the obvious miracles and making the facts known to all of you that believe in God by faith. We believe in him, we have faith in our God who eats the impossible for breakfast!

Please continue praying and believing and there is no telling what God will do.

Davy