"I AM with you"...

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
He burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
[Psalm 46, NIV]


Tonight...as we again prepare our minds for battle tomorrow...this psalm is our heart's cry and prayer! For in the Stillness, lies all Truth! Heavenly Father, bless and exalted your name through your miraculous works tomorrow in Jackson life! Lord - I believe you are our Healer! You have brought us to this very moment, and you are our Deliverer! Our Rescue! Our Refuge! Our Hope! Our Life! Our Fortress! Our Provision and Portion! Lord - you have gone before us, and though we walk through this Valley of sorrow and suffering in the shadow of death - nothing is impossible for you! Nothing...shock and awe us - and let your Amazing Grace abound! Forever and ever... Amen!

The preparations over the last two weeks have been intense, hectic, and crazy...but here we are! On the eve of yet another miracle! The stress has been overwhelming at times; Fear has thrown doubt and deception in our face...but we stand firm on the Promise of Full and Abundant Life in the Freedom and Power through the Blood of Jesus! This has been the longest three months of our lives...but the day is finally here! The stage is set and the Glenn surgery is about to be knocked out yall!

We leave for the hospital at 5:30am, as Jackson is the first case of the day! He should be prepped and ready to go by 7:30am. We will then hand Jackson over to the anesthesiologist and continue to place him in God's Hands and Wonderful Care! He will be under general anesthesia, placed on a ventilator, and then the team of surgeons - led by Dr. Victor Morell - will begin the open-heart surgery. They will go right back through the same incision site, removing the stainless steel wires, opening the chest, and place Jackson on the heart/lung by pass machine - with the hope of NOT having to stop his heart, as was the case with the Norwood Surgery three months ago. The surgical procedure should take no more than two hours...and we should know how things went mid-morning. The Glenn surgery is the second open heart surgery in the series of three - where Jackson's current B-T shunt will be removed and replaced by the Glenn Shunt. The Glenn shunt will connect the Superior Vena Cava directly to the pulmonary artery, allowing for a more effective and complete circulation of oxygenated blood to the brain and upper extremities. This will also remove about 25% of the volume and work load off of the right ventricle (which is the only functioning ventricle) - hopefully improving the Tricuspid Valve's current leak. It is not as evasive as the previous Norwood Surgery...however - there are many risks, and though no one wants or likes to talk about the white elephant in the room - its there! The greatest risks include death, stroke, infection, bleeding, etc...But God! And He alone is our Hope and point of focus!

We will keep you updated through out the day here on the blog...and I will also try my best to catch you up on the bumps, twists and turns of the Cardiac Cath last week - that landed Jackson in the hospital for three days with two heparin treatments and a blood transfusion! Not fun or expected...but our Heavenly Father is the giver of great and perfect gifts in the midst of adveristy!


Specific Prayer Requests:

1. Rest! Physically - we are absolutely exhausted! We are spent! But somehow...God gives us the strength and energy to take the next step (one step at a time) that goes beyond all understanding!

2. Healing! Jackson is not the only person being healed through this journey...but, we ask specifically for physical healing in Jackson's life tomorrow!

3. Peace! There is nothing harder than being separated from those you love - and we desperately miss Carter and Jordyn already! They are spending the night and day with my brother, and then heading to the farm with "Grandma and Grandpa Deer" (Carter's naming of my mom and dad!) for the weekend. Both Carter and Jordyn are battling colds - and emotions! Carter is fully aware of what is taking place tomorrow, and suffering well! He is worried and anxious...but continues to set the example in his prayers for his baby brother! Jordyn - well she just knows she is not the center of attention any more, and the transition at age 2 has been tough on all of us! She has such a passion for life...and her baby Jack Jack! I am not sure Jackson has received more kisses from one individual than he has from his big sis!

4. Victory! And opportunities to share His Story! It is not Jackson that is at the center of this Journey...but Christ Alone! And in Him - there is Victory!

So troops, are you ready? It is time for battle...time to soldier up! Continue to reinforce that foundation of prayer, and praise Him! Keep the attitude of worship at all times - and let His mercies, grace and power reign in, over and through your life! We love you so much...and we will never be able to express in words how your prayers, encouragement and love have truly lifted us in this walk! The River of Joy is here...let us fix our eyes on Him!

And in the stillness, remember...If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.  [Romans 8: 31-39, NLT]

All Eyes on Jesus!