He is the lead singer of our church band--and just an amazing person. He's in his twenties and absolutely in love with God. He has dedicated his life to serving God and does so many things--so many outreach programs... I can't believe that God would take him from here when he is one of the only ones who is so good...

Anyway... He has leukemia and pneumonia in both lungs.

Pray for him, please.

http://www.rickpearson.org/my_condition.html

Absolutely Ash.

i will pray as well. sorry to hear that.

absolutely, will pray

I WILL PRAY... REMEMBER THROUGH ALL OF THIS GOD IS AUTHOR OF LIFE NOT DEATH. HE IS NOT "TAKING" HIM. SOMETIMES THIS OLD WORLD JUST BITES. WE GET SICK STUFF HAPPENS.PRAY FOR HEALING, AND WISDOM FOR DOCTORS AND MEDICINAL EFFECTIVENESS. IN THE END PRAY FOR GOD'S GLORY TO COME FROM THIS HARDSHIP.
HANG IN THERE
NABSTER

me to*

Thanks guys. I really appreciate it.

I'll pray

Hey Ashley...

Ditto Nab and everyone else.

Praying and believing God knows what He's doing. /

I sure will pray sis!


God bless ya and know that you are lifted up as well!

Thanks, everyone.

I hear he's doing much better. =)

My condolences to him.

Ashley I'm sorry to hear about your friend...know that he is lifted up in prayers by your online family and God's will be done in his life....

Thanks.

The church is very heavily involved in this.

Anyway... things got worse, and then they got better, and then they got worse, and now it's okay? I'm not sure.

He had brain surgery and there was bleeding in his brain.

He's constantly on my mind.

It's very sad. I just read the update:

It's very sad... I just read an update:

Friends,

This is no easier for me to write, than it is for you to read, but the time is NOW. We need a God-sized miracle of healing for Rick Pearson. The concern for his life is great. Earthly wisdom has exhausted it's understanding of the situation. Doctors have admitted moments ago that only a miracle will turn this situation around. There is great concern surrounding Rick's neurological function and doctors are not sure that even if the cancer is defeated, Rick would ever return to his normal brain capacity.

Though these are overwhelming thoughts to those of us with finite minds, these are the very things that God need only speak a word over in order for them to become obsolete. The family is requesting that you pray GOD SIZED prayers for a GOD SIZED intervention into this situation. We are praying for Rick's complete and total healing. We are praying for Rick's brain to be completely restored. Rick's brain function has improved a little bit over the last few days and the doctors are clear that they cannot explain it. Of course not! Who can explain the beautiful mystery that is our Creator? We are praying for every single God-formed corner of Rick's brain to be healed in a miraculous way, restoring the beauty of Rick's music, his humor, his faith, his humility, his courage and his love. We are praying for every shred of Leukemia in Rick's God-designed body to be eradicated by the power of the will of God. We are praying for every single internal organ which God specifically knit together for Rick while he was in his mother's womb to be returned to it's healthy, functioning, pre-cancer state and begin to operate as though it were never compromised.

We are not praying these things lightly. We are praying that The Great Physician and Creator of the Universe would intervene in this situation and we are believing that He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ask or imagine. We believe that God is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. We believe that every positive thing that has happened thus far is a miracle of His making and we are so humbled and grateful to Him. We believe that He is in the business of glorifying Himself and are amazed daily at how the sickness of a 23 year old has drawn each of us into a closer, deeper and future-altering dependence on Him.

We are begging God for His mercy over Rick and their family and are begging Him to show off His power in this situation. This is the time to stand in the gap. This is the time to intercede. This is the time to get on our faces at the feet of our Father and plead for His power. Rick is tucked securely in the hand of God and has nothing to fear. We have the responsibility of intercession for Rick and this family and are calling on you to join us and pray as those who have hope and make these requests known to the Father who is sovereignly in control of all that concerns us. We desire to be a part of God's great story. Please agree together with us as we approach the Throne. The need is urgent.

Shannon

I am very sorry for what you are going through right now.

I only hope that when he dies, you will not blame God for this. If you want to talk about it, my PM box is always open.

Again, I am very sorry for what you are going through.

It's not "when" he dies, sir.

Look, I do not feel like making you sadder while you are down. Sometimes these things happen no matter how much you pray and no matter how much you think he would be better off here.

Just take my advise and understand that it is not the result of some god that this man is dying.

Just shut up.

For what it's worth I will shut up.

However, I have put in a formal request for the prayer team at my school for Rick. Even though I may not pray, there are others out there who are praying for him right now.

Do not take my lack of prayers as a sign of disrespect or comtempt towards Rick. I understand how much he means to you and that is why I have gone to some measures to have people pray for him.

Good Luck.

God doesn't work within the timeframe of man or doctors or any of that. He has an ultimate plan and He is God. We have to trust that He has it all under control. If we don't, it's us that ends up running about in a frenzy instead of the peace and joy that comes from God's love.

With Rick, as with my cousin Anthony, each day they remain alive on this earth is a gift. We should be thankful for it and make the most of it. Know for certain that as believers, Christ dwells within them and He is comforting them.

God may choose to extend their lives or He may not. But either way, there lies within that decision, a Divine purpose.

I'll be praying for all of you.

God IS Good! /

trust god no matter what...love god no matter what/...this is the foundation...an unshakeable faith that enables one to live and have joy in this ultimately messed up world in which we live.

ashley, i pray for strength for everyone whom he has touched during his life. may his love endure. may people love like he has and given like he has. may yall find comfort now and later.

Do you have an update as to how he's doing?

He is breathing and keeping his heartrate on his own.

He wasn't supposed to survive more than 24 hours two weeks ago.

I WILL BVELIEVE THE REPORT OF TH LORD(NOT MAN)
GOOD NEWS I PRAY IT CONTINUES.

He died this morning.

I don't know what to feel.

Really sorry for your loss Ashley You guys will be in our prayers.

Oh Ashley , i am sorry for your loss...
hate this world and hate the stuff of this world but not God who loves us. Hang in there.
Was the"chills" post before or after his passing? just curious...

Before.

I'm so sorry to hear this Ashley. His extended time with you was a blessing and God will use that in some way for good.

My number is in "girlworld" if you want/need to talk.

i only hope you can realize the Holy Spirit revealing Himself too you to give you faith and strength through a tough time.
nab

I am very sorry for your loss.

In due time, you will understand.

so sorry ashley. and embie is great to talk to, i've called her before. we are all praying for you here.

Please excuse this.

I can think it in my head, and write it out--but the moment I speak, my voice cracks and I can't continue in fear that I may cry. Why am I scared to cry? I don't know. I think maybe I should save my tears.

Why does every one try to justify it? They ask questions like, "How old was he?" "Was it expected?" "How did he die?" Does any of that really matter? Everyone tries to distance themselves from death--make it as far from them as possible. Why? We're here to die.

The funeral was today. I'm 300 miles away--working and going to school. My mom went. Over 3,000 people attended (3,000 people died on 9/11. That's a lot of people.). Mom says it wasn't a funeral, really. It was a celebration. People shared stories. Amazed at how many lives he touched. I couldn't hear it. I was glad she talked non stop for 30 minutes. I could cry without her knowing. There were stories about roommates and nintendo games. Stories about proposals and 90s haircuts.

I'm glad I wasn't there.

I really don't know how to deal with this. What am I supposed to feel? I feel sad. I feel lots of other emotions that don't have names. I think mostly, I feel sick. I have a lump in my throat. It's so tragic. It's so, so, so tragic. I don't understand. Not at all. I'm not meant to understand. I know that. But it'd help.

He truly was an inspiration. He's done more in his short life than I will ever do in mine. He was so straight. So figured out. The tragedy draws me closer.

My throat hurts.

What am I suppose to feel?

If this is how I feel to someone I'm not super close to, what the hell will I do when I lose a parent or a sibling?

...I really don't know what to feel except like throwing up.

I cannot help you with this. I am sorry. Nothing I, nor anyone can say will help this be any easier. Please do not get mad at those rejoiced over his life instead of mourning over his death. People take things very differently. However, I am very sorry for your loss.

Would someone please help her? She needs someone to talk to right now and this site is usually chalk full of good, christian people readily available for talk.

Ashley, I'm so very sorry for you current reality and pain.

I of course can't know for sure but sometimes thinking something is easier than giving it a voice. Thoughts are silent until we speak them and speaking them makes them more real and absolute.

Some people view crying as a weakness. Frankly it takes a stronger to person to cry than deny the pain that causesthe crying. God gave us the gift of crying to break tension and frustration,among others. In fact, crying is the beginning of healing. Not allowing yourself to do that will just make things worse and begin to affect you physically and psychologically. I'm sure it will sound trite but is that the sort of thing he would have wished for you? There is no shortage of tears. None are ever wasted. We have plenty of them for both good and bad times. Saving them is wasting them.

IMHO, no, none of that matters. There is no justification. We are either alive of dead. That's all there is to it. Death is not the same world wide. Here it more often than not is portrayed as a bad thing. The end not the beginning. It's to be feared not welcomed. No one ever knows how much time they or anybody else has. A death is an uncomfortable reminder of our own mortality. Many people shelter their children from death. IMHO, again, I beleive this to be wrong. Children haven't had the negative brainwashing about death we gather over the years. If they ask questions about it the answers don't need to be deep they won't comprehend anyhow, but then you need to deal with the uncomfortable. The older a person is when exposed to real death not tv, movie, or even news report death the harder it is. It's a first after a lifetime of deaths bad publicity. It isn't a part of your understanding of the natural order of life. We don't hide pregnancy and birth from children. It's a part of their preparation for adulthood. Death should too be a part of that preperation. The sadness of loss should be combined with the gladness of no more suffering and going home.

Celebration is exactly what his funeral should have been. It's what it is in much of the world and acceptance of the fact that it happens to all. Here, we make funeral directors wealthy, and feel guilty about having no control over death. Instead of continuing to live, we tend to feel it's a betrayal so we die a little. We're actually very selfish about death. Death is for the living. Instead of being happy for the person who died we want them to be here still, regardless of their quality of life. Think of it, does anybody really beleive an expensive casket and our American death ritual matter the least little bit to the dead person? It only matters to the living.

I'm not saying people shouldn't be sad and even feel the pain of loss. Perhaps it's a lack of faith. If eternal reward is absolute, and people absolutely beleive that, then they can celebrate. If that faith isn't there, they are left to all the negative trappings of death and loss.

Many people ask your question about feeling. In all honesty, there is no answer. I guess the closest anybody could come would be to reply feel all the feelings and try to identify them. There is NO prescribed way to feel. Feelings will change at different times during grieving. Some may never return, others may. The worst thing a person could do is deny whatever they are feeling. Stuffing it will not allow a person to get past it. I can identify with that sick feeling you mention. In fact add sad and empty to it and that would be me right after the death of anybody I've ever known personally. It was just more intense the closer I was to the person.

I guess I was fortunate in that I have been in funeral homes and at funerals since I was probably four years old. As I remember it these many years later, it was the sadness and tears around me I most remember. Viewing the body and seeing a coffin lowered into the ground are far less clear memories. It wasn't until I was in my middle to late teens and lost a favorite uncle that I started getting any insight of the pain of loss. At it's very best, it sucks big time. I certainly couldn't find anything to rjoice in or clebrate. I now realize, other than the mechanics, I knew nothing of death. A decade or two later, I began to get a glimmer. It still sucks. But I am now somewhat able to rjoice in my loved one no longer suffering and being with God.

If you allowed yourself to cry and even scream if you wish, instead of holding it in, your throat may feel better. Throwing up isn't out of the question either. At times of stress like this the body goes through a lot of physical and emotion stuff to help us deal with it and not go mad. God in his infinite wisdom designed us that way. The only way to feel physically better is to let all the bad stuff out. The rest will take time and prayer. I personally beleive, the best prayer is just talking to Him like you would any friend. You can't possibly say anything to Him He hasn't heard before. He understands, what you and the rest of the human race can't.

I'll include especially you but by proxy every life he ever touched in my prayers.

Hi Ashley,

What you feel, what we all feel when someone dies is our own loss and our own mortality. We pray together but the prayers that we pray are for those who remain here, the ones he left behind. He is looking into the face of Jesus. What better place could we all wish to be? It's our pain and the pain that someone so beautiful is no more...but he is, it's just he's eternal now. He's gone on to start the party ahead of us. He's just waiting now for the rest of us to catch up.

Grieve, you need to...cry as well and as Thom said...scream...scream load. It will help you release that which is bottled up. You will feel better. But do celebrate the life that he gave to the world and think only on those wonderful gifts.

I pray for you and your loved ones. I also pray that God will give you the strength to endure such trying times.