It has been so long, it seems, since my last post. Things have been so crazy here. On Friday the 13th, my uncle was admitted into the ICU unit of the local hospital. My Uncle Timmy is my mom's only brother, and has lived with her most of his adult life. Let me tell you a little about my uncle's amazing life. As a young boy in high school, Timmy was very popular. He played linebacker on the high school football team and had lots of friends. But in the blink of an eye, all of it changed. In 1982 (making Timmy about 19 or 20) he was in a horrible car accident. He and some friends were riding around when the driver lost control of the car and hit a rock wall. Timmy was thrown out of the car and landed face-down on the ground. He was unrecognizable. Somehow, no one else was seriously injured. The wreck scarred Timmy all over. It tore nerves in his right leg, crushed his pelvic bone, ruptured his spleen and damaged his optic nerve. His head was split open and his teeth were knocked out. He was pronounced dead once on the scene and twice at the hospital. But Timmy kept fighting. Exploratory surgery had to be performed, removing his spleen. Doctors told the family Timmy would probably not make it, and if he did, he would never walk again. Family was told he would be a vegetable. But God had other plans for Timmy. Timmy eventually learned to walk again, although he had a limp. Left legally blind from the accident, Timmy attended the School for the Blind in Talladega. After coming back home, Timmy started having terrible headaches every day. In 1988, his head began hurting so badly he left work (he worked with his father doing the family business, vinyl siding). He told my grandpa he'd be back the next day. Well, the next day, Timmy didn't show up for work, so my grandpa decided he'd finish without him. But some equipment he needed to finish the job broke down and he had to stop working. So, he decided he'd go check on Timmy. He found Timmy at home, on the floor, unconscious. My grandpa called the ambulance. At the hospital, Timmy was pronounced dead once again, and once again God had other plans. He was flown to the Huntsville Hospital and they found that Timmy had a whole in the liner of his brain and fluid was leaking from his spine. It was a problem from the wreck he had in 1982. Surgery had to be done on his skull in order to get to his brain liner. The brain liner was so thin that they had to glue the hole together instead of stitching it. Timmy survived, Praise God. The equipment failure was a divine intervention from God, so that my grandpa would go check on Timmy. When my grandpa went to repair the equipment, nothing was wrong with it. It worked like brand new. In 1996 Timmy had another wreck, in which everyone said he was dead. His head was split open and witness said his brain was hanging out of his head. He was lying in the middle of the highway in a puddle of blood. He was flown to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga for emergency surgery. No one expected him to live. God had other plans. In 1997, Timmy returned home (to my mother's house) from the Birmingham hospital, where he had to have his leg amputated. In 1986 Timmy had broken his ankle. He had surgery in the Huntsville Hospital to put steel plates in his ankle. Without his spleen to help him fight infection, his ankle became infected. He was put back in the hospital, removing the steel plates. Over the years the infection worsened and finally his leg had to be removed. In 10 years he was in the hospital 12 times trying to heal his leg. Three weeks after the surgery a home health nurse came in to care for Timmy and discovered the infection had again set in. He went back to the hospital, and within a week, had three more surgeries on his leg. Through all of this, Timmy started drinking... heavily. He is an alcoholic. He has Cirrhosis of liver. Drinking led to drugs, especially a dependacy on crystal meth. Last year, Timmy was admitted into the hospital because he was found in the floor because of drugs and alcohol. The doctors, again, didn't expect him to live. He was bleeding on the inside and his liver wasn't working. He was going through withdrawals from the alcohol and drugs. The doctors couldn't do anything about the life threatening bleeding going on inside him because they couldn't get him stable from the withdrawals. We just had to wait until he came off the drugs and alcohol before we could even think of doing anything about the bleeding and liver. After finally doing all they could, Timmy didn't know who most people were and had no idea where he was. The doctors said his mind would never be right again and that we should put him in a home. My family, especially my mother, refused to accept this. Once again she began  making arrangements to move Timmy into her home and care for him. While in the hospital, we called on our church family to pray. More concerned about his soul than his life, we needed help. Sister Cathy came to the hospital. Timmy loves Cathy and Cathy has a true burden for him. She talked with Timmy and prayed with him, and Timmy gave his heart to the Lord. He began getting better. Timmy's mind was better... and a few weeks after going home, he was normal and began going to church. He was faithful. He was growing. Timmy bought him a trailer and moved it next to my grandparents home. He's been doing good. Now, the devil is a liar. He began tempting Timmy, and like  all of us do sometimes, Timmy gave in. A couple months ago, Timmy drank some alcohol. How much? He says just a couple. Friday, Timmy was admitted back into the hospital. He'd been vomiting blood again. The devil wants his life. Timmy has an awesome testimony of God's grace and mercy and unconditional love and healing. The devil doesn't want it out. So, once again, the devil tried to kill him. He was admitted into the ICU. The doctors said this is the worst he was ever been. His heart rate was 190! His ammonia level was 120 (it's suppose to be under 20). He didn't know what was going on again. The doctors said he wouldn't make it. So, I called on our church family to pray. I posted it on the internet for all to see and be able to pray. I believe in prayer. It was prayer that saved his life many times before. I had faith it would save him this time. Saturday he was better. Sunday I went to church and they anointed my head with oil as I stood in for Timmy and my family who didn't know the Lord. We wanted it to be obvious it was God doing the work... let God show off. I love it when He does. He did. I went from church to the hospital. There my mom told me that about 30 minutes before I got there, Timmy came to and was answering questions. Praise God. At the time we were praying, Timmy woke up and is trying to respond. God has plans for Timmy, plans for him to live and not die! God is so good. Yes, Timmy messed up, but we all do. God loves Timmy unconditionally. We all have a weakness. Sure, ours may not be as obvious as Timmy's weakness to alcohol. Ours may be anger or jealousy or pride or judgmental attitudes. But in God's eyes, Timmy's weakness and yours is the same. Timmy is still in the ICU, still needing your prayers. But the doctors are standing in amazement. They don't see how he's come this far. I see. I know. Praise God for his grace and mercy and healing and agape love. He is so faithful. He is so true.

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