Thursday, April 10, 2008

Shout to American Idol!

I'm not a die hard American Idol fan. It's a rare thing for me to get both kids to bed and things organized for the next day before 8pm and so I usually miss most of the show, but I do catch it when I can. Last night I tuned in and caught the last hour of the Idol Gives Back show. It was pretty interesting, seeing all the places they plan to honor with gifts, all related to poverty stricken areas. But the last performance of the show gave me a whole new respect for AI and if I knew who made the call to have this season's contestants perform it, I would give him/her a medal. Imagine my shock and suprise as Ryan Seacrest announced they would be singing "Shout to the Lord"! I nearly fell out of my chair that on network television in a prime spot, on a prime show, that a praise & worship song would be featured! It was both amazing and wonderful and much, much overdue! Maybe there is hope for America yet!

On a side note, for those of you that find it in your heart to pray for others in need, I have two families I'd like you to put on your prayer lists for the weeks to come.

First, Penny Paracca, a fellow board member of mine from Birmingham's Children's Hospital Auxiliary has been fighting an unknown illness since October last year. She has been in and out of the hospital, has endured multiple surgeries, fought high blood pressure problems and is now on full dialysis. They aren't certain of the source of each problem or the diagnosis for her. Two weeks ago, she was rushed, unconcious to the emergency room and spent a week on life support before they could wean her off. Her husband, Bill, is the most faithful person I have ever encountered. Throughout this entire process he has continued to believe and profess that Penny will be cured and his positive demeanor and faith is an inspiration. This week however, even worse news. In what seems to be a tragic accident, Penny & Bill's daughter Brooke was found dead in her garage on Monday morning. At this time, they believe she may have slipped and hit her head, fatally. Brooke and her husband have two young boys, 10 & 3. So for this family that has endured so much in the last 6 months, and just had this laid upon them, please say a prayer for their continued faith and healing.

Second, my dear college friend Kerry Curtis wrote tonite to share that she is at her father's bedside in northern WI as he is undergoing chemotherapy for bone cancer. Kerry herself has been dealing with an auto immune problem for nearly a year which had them believing for some time that she was facing cancer. Thankfully that does not seem to be the case for her, although I am sure she is still dealing with other issues due to her diagnosis. Now she has to be strong at her father's side as he fights for his life. Please pray for her strength during this difficult time.

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