Hope & Faith

A young man who suffered a devastating injury that left him paralyzed is now preparing to run a 5K race.

Unfortunately, life is full of hardships and setbacks. Trials on the road of life will crop up often without the assistance of bad choices and poor decision-making. No matter what life may throw your way, it’s necessary to keep a positive, upbeat attitude and continue to move forward, as one young man has shown.

Chase Friedman, a TikTok influencer and a Los Angeles resident, was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a New Year’s party in 2021. However, the morning following the party, Chase sustained a catastrophic injury.

“Then, like 7 a.m. the next morning, I got up just to pee,” Chase said. “Like, barely any sleep, and apparently, I tripped. I don’t remember it. I fell, my head hit the sink, and my head snapped back.”

Chase was paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Doctors performed spinal fusion surgery on his neck. The next steps were unknown, according to the doctors. They did, though, give Chase two big pieces of advice.

“The doctors came in after, and they said, ‘Look, we don’t know what’s going to happen,’” Chase said. ‘You might stay like this; you might regain some movement back. If that’s going to happen, you have to do two things: you have to work as hard as you can in rehab and you need to do everything you can to stay positive.”’

Despite everything he’d been through, Chase admits that he was happy nearly every day after for the next three months. He was "in the zone," he reports. 

He continued rehabbing from his injury and surgery for nearly a year. Then, Chase says, he started working out in the gym by himself.

Chase admits that “somehow, we fixed it” and now he’s running half a lap around a track without stopping.

What an amazing young man, who kept a positive, upbeat attitude, enjoys life and refused to quit.

1 Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not see that in a running competition, all take part, but only one gets the reward? So let your minds be fixed on the reward.”

NO MATTER HOW BAD MIGHT BE, GOD GOT IT

FEEL GOOD ABOUT WHY GODS LOVES YOU

Before the calendar even flipped to July, a group of about 50 Santas headed to Christ the Redeemer statue to plea for peace, bringing a little Christmas cheer with them!

One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Christ the Redeemer was completed and inaugurated in 1931 and turned 75 in 2006. Located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Art Deco statue  stands 98 feet tall, has a width of 92 feet, weighs 635 tons, and is the reason two million visitors come to the city every year!   

Back in June, a crew of Kris Kringles from around the world gathered on the steps at the base of the statue, sang Christmas songs, and petitioned those there in person and online to work toward peace. The Santas were dressed in full costumes specific to their countries of origin or simply donned white beards and festive t-shirts. They traveled to the city for Brazil’s 4th Santa Clause National Encounter. They posed for pictures with tourists and probably took a few requests from kiddos during the event. 

In the spirit (pun intended) of much smaller figurines of Santa kneeling in front of Baby Jesus as He lies in the manger, the Santas appearance here demonstrates humility and reverence for the one who makes miracles happen throughout the year—rather than just during a particular holiday season.   

Inside Edition Digital’s reporter Stephanie Officer spoke with a French guest named Margo. Margo appreciates the Santas’ timeless message and the symbolism of sharing their message from Christ the Redeemer. What a treat it must have been for vacationers to have gotten to visit with Santa during their visit to the iconic statue.   

The Santas smile and wave, happy to be doing what they do, but in awe of Him who is more wondrous than any statue and brings more magic than they ever will. 

Nicely done, Santas! Now head back north and get back to business. Christmas is coming!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” 1 Peter 1:3

Actor Dennis Quaid has overcome some personal struggles but now says he’s “grateful to still be here” and “grateful to be alive.”

Hollywood is not generally known as a place to be friendly to Christians and people of faith. Some in the industry have even mentioned that speaking openly about their faith and relationship with Jesus Christ has led to them losing out on work. But that’s not stopping Dennis Quaid from speaking about his journey from addiction to a relationship with God.

In a video posted on YouTube, Dennis mentions that he grew up in the Baptist church but eventually got involved in and addicted to drugs. At one point during his addiction, Dennis stated that he had what described as a “white-light experience.” 

Dennis then ventured on a spiritual journey. He read several religious books and texts, but there was one to which he returned: The Bible.

“I started reading the Bible again,” Dennis said. “But I also read the Bhagavad Gita. I read the Dhammapada. I read the Koran. And I went back, and I read the Bible again, for, like, the second or third time. And I was really struck by the red words of Jesus.”

Dennis said he started to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

In the clip, the star of “The Rookie” and “A Dog’s Journey” talked about his children and how much he enjoys being a father, even if he is “a dorky dad.” 

Dennis also mentioned his marriage and how it’s different from previous relationships.

“Laura’s the love of my life,” Dennis said. “We have a bond with one another that I never had with anybody else before. Yeah, God is in the relationship, for one thing, which I’ve never had a relationship like that before.”

Isaiah 40:28 “Have you no knowledge of it? Has it not come to your ears? There eternal God, the Lord, the Maker of the ends of the earth, is never feeble or tired; there is no searching out of his wisdom.”

Apostle Emmanual Maiyaki

Pastor Lee

One woman in rural Virginia, a quadriplegic, did not let her disability keep her from giving birth to and raising beautiful twin girls.

Life, unfortunately, is full of problems, issues and struggles. Everyone will face trying circumstances. They may be physical, mental, emotional, financial or spiritual. Whatever the case, those situations have a knack for finding everyone. However, some, it might seem, will be forced to endure more than their fair share. 

One woman, Dani Izzie, who suffered a devastating injury in 2009, leaving her paralyzed in all four limbs, has not let life’s struggles and hardships keep her from living life. 

When she was just 23 years old, Dani slipped on a bathroom floor, snapping her neck. 

“My hands are paralyzed,” Dani said. “So, my fingers, I can’t move them individually. And my triceps, specifically, are paralyzed in my arms. And then my core, my abdominals and my back muscles are paralyzed.”

Dani, as horrible and life-changing as her injury was, forced herself to continue and accepted life as a quadriplegic.

“I think the answer was really adapting to my life with a disability, and accepting that having a disability is not the end of the world,” Dani said.

Following her injury, Dani put herself back out there, meeting, falling in love with and marrying the love of her life, her husband Rudy. Soon after the two said “I do,” they learned they were going to be parents to twins!

Then in April 2020, Dani gave birth to two healthy baby girls! 

“To have my body do something right, it’s just very empowering,” she said. “It’s like, ‘Wow, I’m in a quote-unquote broken body but it’s not broken.”

It’s with that same wonderful attitude, grit, toughness, and tenacity, along with her husband Rudy, that Dani is raising her twins.

But despite what she’s endured, becoming a mother and raising two girls while running her own business, Dani does not want to be seen as an inspiration.”

“I think it’s wonderful that people feel inspired, and I’m inspired by other of my friends with disabilities, as well,” she said. “But I don’t want to go to the grocery store and have somebody come up to me and say, randomly, ‘You’re so inspiring.’ Why? Because I’m at the grocery store? I want to be seen as normal.”

James 1:12 “There is a blessing on the man who undergoes testing; because, if he has God’s approval, he will be given the crown of life, which the Lord has said he will give to those who have love for him.” 

Meditation

Beautiful words

Several people shed tears during an emotional moment as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin gave an award to the men and women who helped save his life. 

Football is a violent sport filled with quick, massive world-class athletes slamming into and tackling one another on every play. Injuries are a common occurrence during a regular game of football. But what happened during a January Monday night game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was anything but ordinary. It was frightening. 

Following the end of a play, Damar was seen collapsing to the ground. Emergency crews rushed onto the field, attending to the player. It was later revealed that he had suffered cardiac arrest. He spent several days in the hospital while his life hung in the balance. He has since been released and has been OK’d to resume playing football.

During ESPN’s most recent ESPYS award ceremony, Damar presented the medical professionals who rushed to his side – the Buffalo Bills training staff – with the Pat Tillman Award for Service.

As the clip posted on YouTube shows, Damar was already emotional as he approached the microphone, wiping tears from his eyes. The entire room responded by giving the young man a standing ovation. 

While speaking on behalf of the entire training staff, Nate Breske, thanked the good Lord for His assistance in keeping Damar alive.

“By the grace of God and divine intervention, we had the best outcome we could have prayed for or imagined,” he said. 

Near the end of his speech, Nate stated that while Damar’s situation was frightening, one good thing did come from it.

“Damar’s injury was able to bring our nation together for a moment and show the world the power of prayer,” he said.

Mark 11:24 “For this reason I say to you, ‘Whatever you make a request for in prayer, have faith that it has been given to you, and you will have it.”

Many members of the cute, furry and four-legged community came together to help make one man’s milestone birthday a day he and his family will never forget.

As people get older, birthdays are occasions most like less and less. In fact, those are days on the calendar a good majority of people would like to skip over altogether. However, everything is always better with dogs, even days that remind us that we’re getting older.

A clip posted on YouTube mentions that one family in California took an unusual route when celebrating their father’s 100th birthday. They threw the man a dog parade! And the four-legged community and their two-legged owners responded in a big, big way.

Nearly 200 dogs joined in the surprise dog parade for Dr. Robert Moore. The video points out that Robert was overjoyed by the surprise lineup of dogs, petting every dog that came by to wish him a happy birthday.

Not only did Robert greet every member of the four-legged community by petting them, but he also knew every breed of dog he encountered!

One of Robert’s daughters, Vickie Mallon, was overjoyed by the turnout.

“This is probably the biggest thing that’s happened in our family that’s given us the most joy,” she said.

But the surprises did not stop with the seemingly endless line of dogs ready to meet and greet Robert on his big day. The clip points out that attendees brought “gifts, flowers, balloons and posters.” 

So, who were these people that came out and helped bring a smile to Robert’s face? They were total and complete strangers.

“They were mostly strangers. They were,” Alison Moore, Robert’s daughter said. “And it just, it makes you feel wonderful about your community that people would come out and do that for your dad that you love so much.”

Ephesians 4:32 “And be kind to one another, full of pity, having forgiveness for one another, even as God in Christ had forgiveness for you.”

Meditation

Today we are praying for the community of Merrillan, Wisconsin

This Motivational speech taken from the Passage was taken from Romans 8:18-25,31-39 NIV
The Love of God is so powerful. we need to be reminded of his great Love
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Weekly Devotional @ herbertministries.com
Published 057052023 Herbert ministries

Marriage Soul Mate... Love, Honor, Respect and Trust each other. Follow Jesus Christ and both Surrender to Him.

Keys to seeing, receiving and understanding how and why as a Christian you can have unconditional love from God!

Revelation

One man’s trip to the barber ended in a moving and touching show of support for his daughter battling cancer.

Parents want nothing more for their children to be happy and healthy. Whenever their child is suffering or in pain, those parents are also hurting, wishing there was some way to alleviate that discomfort even a little bit.

In a video posted on YouTube, one father found a loving way to do that for his daughter. It involved a barber taking scissors to his hair. 

DAndray Thomas’ daughter, Brielle, is suffering from stage 4 cancer. Due to the treatments intended to fight the cancer, the chemo and radiation, Brielle has lost her hair. So, to show he is with the young woman every step of the way in her fight, DAndray got his ears lowered. 

As the video mentions, DAndray had dreadlocks that he’d been growing for nine years. But that no longer mattered to him. What is important to this loving father is supporting his daughter in any way possible.

The video shows DAndray sitting in the barber’s chair as scissors and clippers are taken to his hair. He even holds up a long, thick strand of hair to show how much he’s having removed from his head.

The video concludes with Brielle standing with her back to a chain-link fence. DAndray approaches, wearing a wig and hat, but as he removes the hat and fake hair, someone loudly gasps. 

Brielle then turns around to get a look at her father’s new hairdo. They lovingly embrace as DAndray gives his daughter a kiss on the forehead.

Before the video ends, a quote from DAndray pops up on the screen.

“I will be with her throughout every event and experience in her life,” it reads.

What a simple but sweet way for a father to show how much he cares for and loves his young daughter. 

Psalm 127:3 “Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward.”

Several people approaching their final days on Earth had those around them go to great lengths to make their last and final wish come true.

Unfortunately, death is something that all will face and experience at one time or another. The circumstances surrounding the death do not make losing a loved one any less difficult. However, when death is expected, it’s a chance to cherish those moments, making the remaining time with that person much more valuable and precious.

A video posted on YouTube shows how far some people went to make the final wish of their dying loved ones a reality. One person was even able to push a billion-dollar company to let a dying man view a highly anticipated film before its scheduled release date. 

Star Wars films are beloved pieces of cinema, having created legions of dedicated fans. In 2015, Disney was set to release another film in the franchise in December. However, Daniel Fleetwood, diagnosed with terminal cancer, was not expected to live that long. 

So, Daniel’s wife, with help from social media and actor Mark Hamill, got Disney’s attention. Daniel did get the opportunity to watch the film before his death, according to the clip.

Other instances mentioned in the clip involve people moving up graduations and even weddings for the dying parents to see their children take those monumental steps. 

Back in 2017, a 58-year-old woman was in her final days in a hospital. However, she just wanted to see her pet horse one last time. Knowing the woman could not get her to the horse, the animal was brought to her. 

Another last wish, this one from an 87-year-old woman with Parkinson’s Disease, also involved a horse. The woman, who was a former equestrian, wanted one last ride. She had that wish granted. 

The clip, filled with loving and caring people working to help soothe their loved ones as they prepare to pass away, is a tear-jerker of a video. It’ll be hard to watch all 5-and-a-half minutes without getting emotional. 

Revelation 21:4 “And he will put an end to all their weeping; and there will be no more death, or sorrow, or crying, or pain; for the first things have come to an end.”