BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

“Around 4 a.m., I called Mom and told her what was happening. She told us to get on our knees and repent to God, ask Him to forgive us, and ask Jesus into our hearts to save us. When we knelt and started praying, the blinds on the windows flew up toward the ceiling. The green presence flew out the window, the blinds went back down, and a bright, white light filled our home. The putrid odor was replaced by a wonderful fragrance. We heard glorious music from heaven. We both felt washed clean and flooded with God’s blessings.” Now, as Jennifer sat listening to the moan of the respirator that forced air into Jim’s lungs, she realized that when Jim died, faith rose in her from all the teaching series she’d heard. Despite all odds, faith in God was keeping Jim alive. Somehow, Jim lived through that long night. The next day, his doctors explained to Jennifer that if he did survive, he would have to be spoon-fed, like a baby, for the rest of his life. He had suffered a severe brain bleed in the left frontal lobe. A facial surgeon found he had more than 100 fractures in his face. If he lived long enough to have facial reconstruction surgery, he would need a tracheostomy. The surgery couldn’t be performed while he was intubated. The Face Peel Days later, Jim was scheduled for that surgery. Jennifer prayed, “Lord, I ask You to guide the surgeon’s hands as if You were doing the surgery. I ask that his face be restored to perfection.” The surgeon expected the surgery to take five hours. Nine hours later, he walked out of the surgery suite. “I wasn’t planning on doing this,” he explained, “but something told me that I’d better do a peel down of his face. I cut from one ear to the other and from the bottom of the right ear on the right side and around the jawline. Then, I peeled down his face. When I did, I found bone fragments on his brain that would have killed him in a week or two. I put at least 30 titanium plates in his face. This is the most incredible surgery I’ve ever done.” Even though the facial reconstruction went well, the rest of Jim’s doctors were still dismal about his chances of survival. Staples ran around his head like railroad tracks. His swollen face was black and blue. Jennifer played Christian music nonstop, asking the nurses to keep it going when she went home to shower. While the music played, Jim’s vital signs were stable. When the nurses turned the music off, things went downhill. In the months leading up to the accident, Jennifer had sought God with diligence. She had pored over back issues of the "Believer’s Voice of Victory" magazine. She’d watched Christian television programs, including KCM’s "Believer’s Voice of Victory" TV broadcast. During the week of Mother’s Day, she was watching a broadcast when Kellie Copeland said something that not only changed Jennifer’s life, but prepared her for the fiery trial she now faced. “Listen,” Kellie said, “you need to go before the Lord in faith. Not crying and in fear. Go in faith, fully expecting an answer. Say, ‘Lord, what are You going to do about this?’ You’ll get an answer.” Assessing the Damage Kellie’s words were still alive in Jennifer. Not only would she not give in to tears, she refused to let negative, weepy people in the room. One day, however, the whole barrage of death-filled warnings became too much for her. Feeling alone, Jennifer hid in her car and wept. Afterward she called her mother. “Jennifer, you need to listen to the voice of Truth,” her mother said. “Medical facts are just facts. God’s Word is Truth. Are you going to be like the 10 spies, or are you going to be like Caleb and Joshua?” Jennifer climbed out of the car, ready to take her promised land. From the night Jim had arrived at the hospital, Jennifer had refused to believe that he would die. Now that it was clear he would live, the physicians believed that he was brain-dead. Things reached a climax when a neurologist spent a good deal of time determining Jim’s neurological condition. “Jim, can you squeeze my hand?” Nothing. Hey Buddy, can you move this finger?” Nothing. “Can you wiggle a toe?” Nothing. At last, the doctor turned to write in Jim’s medical record. “I’m sorry, but he’s not in there,” he told Jennifer. Exasperated, Jennifer walked to the bed. * * * * article continues on p. 16 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FEBRUARY Read Through the Bible Old Testament / New Testament Fri 1 Ex. 23-24 / Matt. 24 Sat 2 Ex. 25-27 Sun 3 Ps. 18; Prov. 3:19-35 Mon 4 Ex. 28 / Matt. 25 Tue 5 Ex. 29 / Matt. 26 Wed 6 Ex. 30-32 / Matt. 27 Thu 7 Ex. 33-34 / Matt. 28 Fri 8 Ex. 35-37 / Mark 1 Sat 9 Ex. 38-40 Sun 10 Ps. 19-21; Prov. 4:1-19 Mon 11 Lev. 1-4 / Mark 2 Tue 12 Lev. 5-7 / Mark 3 Wed 13 Lev. 8-9 / Mark 4 Thu 14 Lev. 10-12 / Mark 5 Fri 15 Lev. 13 / Mark 6 Sat 16 Lev. 14 Sun 17 Ps. 22-24; Prov. 4:20-5:14 Mon 18 Lev. 15-16 / Mark 7 Tues 19 Lev. 17-18 / Mark 8 Wed 20 Lev. 19-20 / Mark 9 Thu 21 Lev. 21-22 / Mark 10 Fri 22 Lev. 23-24 / Mark 11 Sat 23 Lev. 25 Sun 24 Ps. 25-27; Prov. 5:15-23 Mon 25 Lev. 26-27 / Mark 12 Tue 26 Num. 1 / Mark 13 Wed 27 Num. 2 / Mark 14 Thu 28 Num. 3 / Mark 15 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * BVOV : 15

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