The two things you can do to help Cori and I right now...

Many of you have asked what you can do to help Cori and I during this trying time and we appreciate the love you have shown so much. Of course there are the simple things that we appreciate. When you provide a meal or show concern for our kids and things like that. I do want to thank all of you that have contacted Rhonda Ramos to express your love for us in this way.

However, the number one thing you can do for Cori and I right now is to surround us by taking some time to devote yourselves to a few simple prayer focal points that I have listed below. Can you do that? Write these three things down and then take 5-15 minutes as soon as you can to pray out loud concerning these three things...

The first is that we want the enemy to pay dearly for this attack. I have been asking God to give us relationship with 100 new families for every broken vertebrae Cori suffered. That's 300 total new families at our church as a result of this attack.

The second thing is that Cori would be able to heal supernaturally through this process so that God would get the glory even out of her pain.

The third thing is exactly like a prayer Jesus prayed for Peter (and the disciples) before he went to the cross. That is, that our faith would not fail us. We are entering into 2014 soon and Cori and I believe the Holy Spirit has led us to call this the year to be "All In" through every aspect of our lives. This is gonna require the highest level of faith, relationship, love and intestinal fortitude we could ever imagine because God has called our church and us, as individuals and families, to great things. Those great things require us to be all in when it comes to faith, sacrifice and trust in Him.

I have definitely felt my faith intensify through this experience as a result of those prayers and the discomfort Cori and I have endured so far has allowed us to feel a greater respect for those that give their lives away for Christ's sake. I have even said over the last 24 hours that "If Satan wants us to stop what we are doing, he is going to have to kill us." I will not be moved and I believe that God is our defense. Period.

Beyond that, if you attend the Intersection, I want to encourage you to show your love for us by jumping in with both feet to help Cori and I at the church. We will need to rely on our leaders and volunteers like never before, so I encourage you to sign up for something new or volunteer in an area that you have been wanting to help out in. Take that step and Cori and I will feel the support and God will get the glory!!

Much love to you all!

What's up with Cori?

Hello Everyone!

If you are reading this, it is probably because you care deeply for Cori and I....thank you for that :)

I want to say first that Cori is at home, resting in her bed with our kids at the moment I am writing this. Our spirits are good and our faith is strong after what I would consider to be my least favorite Christmas Day experience.

As we were preparing our own family Christmas meal yesterday, Cori slipped down some stairs carrying some ice and drinks, resulting in some pretty serious injury to her back. After spending the evening and most of the overnight hours in the Gettysburg ER, we were informed that Cori managed to break her back. I know that sounds bad, right?

The good news is that it is not the typical broken back most of us think of that requires surgery or therapy. Thank God, her spine is intact and unhurt. The break she sustained was in three of the small tabs that grow out of the (L2, 3 and 4) vertebrae called, "transverse processes". These boney tabs are the place where our back muscles attach to the vertebrae so it results in a lot of pain, but there is no spine injury.

Typical Lumbar Vertebrae

Having said all of that, Cori still has a long recovery process ahead of her as she deals with what amounts to a typical orthopedic break (like a broken rib, etc.). The doctor has put her on complete bed rest for a week and we need everyone to help her keep the doctors orders so if you have appointments with her, you will want to check with her before you head out to meet her. This is nothing more than an attack from our enemy. We also believe that God will send a swift and fearful retaliation from Heaven as His saints pray and stand firm. As for Cori and I, we will not be moved and the Kingdom of Heaven will be advanced as a result of this sucker punch. Amen!

We appreciate your prayer for complete and speedy recovery and I appreciate any and all help you would like to provide for us over the next few weeks as we take care of Cori. As you can imagine, there will be lots of people asking questions on how to best help and if you would like to help, we ask that you contact Rhonda Ramos who is spearheading the care for our family (Thanks, Rhonda and the whole care team!) Her email is rhondita1432

@yahoo.com and she can help you find out what we need moving forward.

We wanted you all to know where things stand at the moment and I will be updating this blog (www.jeremiahherbert.blogspot.com) as often as I can, so please keep checking here if you want the latest info on her recovery. Much love to you all and thank you for loving us! We value your prayers, thoughts, cards or whatever you can do to reach out to us!

Blessings!
jeremiah

Inital steps

 I was reading an old blog post of mine from this time in 2008 when I first told God that I would plant a church. It really helped me let go of some recent hurts and disappointments as I read over my thoughts from 5 years ago...God help me to stay humble and hidden in you as the tests grow larger.

 Here is the entry from 2008...

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Inital steps

I should be sleeping right now.

I have to get up in less than 4 hours to head in to church but I can't stop thinking about the future. I have begun the initial steps toward a new future as a church planter/site pastor at Freedom Valley. The concept is still very new to me, but I can feel God's joy over my willingness to sacrifice my own ambitions for His and that is what I want. His will be done...(Step one)

So, I am going to jump out in the middle of traffic and try my best to get my ducks in a row. I have changed my reading habits. Instead of manuals on melody, pitch and worship I have begun to read leadership books and, gulp...church planting for idiots manuals! Instead of worship preview cd's I have begun listening to podcasts from well known leadership gurus because I have a lot to learn...and fast.

Most of all, I am looking at the Gospels, because I want to learn to minister like Jesus did during His time in the ancient dust near and around the Galilee. I am reading Acts because I want to begin to think like God's favorite people did. (Step two.)

I am doing these things because I sense that the time is short. Jesus is coming back soon and I want to be found ready. So I have trimmed my lamp, filling it with the oil of intimacy and the result of this intimacy is a keen awareness of the work that must be done. (Step three)

Is it possible that God could raise up another group of disciples in this day that will turn the whole world on it's ear again? We won't know until we offer ourselves up to His crazy ambitions and die to our own.

"Dear God, I am way out of my element here, so it's gotta be you and not me! Help me throw my desires and ambitions on the altar of your passion daily. Make me a better evangelist than singer, a better pastor than musician and let my worship manifest as I open up my mouth to preach the good news! I am yours."