TITLE: Urgent message to FW family By David F. Palmieri Sr. 04/28/08 |
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Urgent: To my FW family, Please read. This is for real, as of this AM Clyde was in critical condition in a hospital in Portland Oregon.4/27/08
My dear brother Clyde (Blakely)
I received the news of your accident at 0500 Pacific Time this morning. I was so relieved when Emily got to the part where you were still alive that I just wanted to hug you before I kicked your butt, but in all honesty you really made my day. I can not understand how I can feel so close to someone who I wouldn't even know had the Lord not brought us together through FaithWriters.
I mean it when I say you made my day. I have been showered with blessings all day in seeing the love expressed by everyone here when they heard the news. Because you traveled 3000 miles earlier this year, in true Christian love, to meet my immediate needs you were able to meet my family, church family, and friends. People were notified and prayers begun for you and your family even before the church doors were unlocked this morning. It has been a never-ending day of blessing for me just seeing the response of everyone concerned especially those of, “The Family of God.”
The first call I made this morning was my sister Joni so that she could notify her church family. It's ironic (bad choice of words) that they know you from our visit to Jackson Baptist Church when we stopped to visit Karen Deikun, another FW family member. That call produced about 200 prayer partners for your cause.
The next thing I did was to contact the prayer message board at FW. Having never done, “the boards,” this was a challenge and a half for this old-timer. Evidently my effort paid off. When I got home from evening service tonight I had several replies from FW family the world over. These I forwarded to Emily's E-mail for you to read when you return home, soon, I pray.
Now that my heart has returned to my chest, and I've regained some sense of composure, I called the Prayer Chain at Shady Rest Bible Church, my home church, where you attended worship services when you were here on your visit. I knew that by the time I arrived for services this morning you would already be bathed in prayer by at least an additional one-hundred-twenty or so of, “The Family.”
What I didn't expect was the compassion and love expressed when I arrived. Not only for you and Emily, but also for me. Everyone knows of our, “kindred spirit friendship,” our, “brothers in Christ relationship,” and our FaithWriters family ties. The not only rallied around you in prayer, but built me up with kind words and gestures knowing of my love for you and Emily and the grief I experienced today. I felt in my heart what it means when we sing, “I'm So Glad I'm a Part of the Family of God.” Like I said bro', you really made my day.
I'm mainly writing this letter to send along with the card that was signed by many of our congregation today expressing their love and prayers. After I started it I decided to submit it to FW in every venue I can think of. My reasons are many. Number one being to insure that everyone in the family knows and can pray for you and your family. Prayer, not only for your recovery, but because I know in my heart what your deepest wish would be no matter what the outcome. It would be, “To Christ Be the Glory.” That is a message that I believe The Lord would have me share with all who's lives you've touched.
My second reason is to brag on FaithWriters, as a blessing, a family, and the medium that Our Lord used to have our path's cross to begin with. I live in a city on the east coast, and you live in the wilderness of Oregon. Thank God for FaithWriters. Thank God for you and Emily.
I love you both...”Because He Lives.” John 14:19...Dave Palmieri
PS: Please let me know when you feel well enough to be chastised and exhorted and picked on. I have a lot of material building up in my head.
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