Day 37: Karl Bream
Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are His deeds, and His righteousness endures forever. He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. Psalm 111:2-4
He replied, "Whether He is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind, but now I see! John 9:25
Forgive the length brothers and sisters. My boast is not bound by 2024 or any year. It dates back almost a decade now. While long past, the overwhelming joy surrounding the gift God gave me is very real today. I can’t speak it or think about it (or write about it…as I am finding out right this moment), without being emotionally overwhelmed.
My son was a football player and quite a good one briefly. I admit I am biased, and I lived vicariously through him. In his first six varsity games, playing as a sophomore, he was 5th in the county in scoring. I was proud of him for how he played. But then the injuries came. An ankle. Torn knee ligaments – twice! Concussions. All the surgeries, the pain, the rehabs. It felt endless. Before long he was a graduating senior and never was able to play more than a couple more football games in between all the injuries.
I wasn’t angry with God about what happened, but I asked Him why this had to happen to me. Yes, to me. There was no answer. What was put on my heart instead was guilt. Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but also to the interest of others.”
I was self-centered. What happened, happened to my son, not to me. Once my perspective was corrected, I still asked God why all this had to happen to my son. Today, I am still curious but at peace in the knowledge that it is an awesome answer from God even though I don’t know what it is. There is something truly wonderful in that.
Over time, around this same period, my son’s behaviors and actions started to change. It progressed from emotional outbursts, to cutting, suicide threats and actions. I have always said, there is no instruction book on how to be a parent each day, and my wife and I had no ideas. Nothing. We had no clue why the behaviors started, what was going on, or what to do. Zero.
While we could step in and fix just about anything up to this point with our children, we were absolutely and completely helpless this time. After one episode, we had no option but to call an ambulance. Eventually, New Jersey said he had to go to a mental health facility for a few days or a week. I don’t even remember how long.
My son was gone, and we had no idea why. It was worse when I realized that the facility was even worse for him because of what the other patients were doing and saying. I turned back to asking God why this was happening. I was begging and pleading with him. I’d do anything to have my son back. There was nothing from God.
As my son’s stay was potentially ending, a practitioner was set to interview both him and me. I prayed the eyes of the practitioner would open just so my son could come home. I prayed they wouldn’t take him away for longer or potentially forever. I’m so thankful that prayer was answered and while my son was still gone, he was physically home. All the behaviors were still there, but it was better than longer term care. I am so grateful to God and the unknown practitioner who gave us our son back. I can’t fathom an outcome had that prayer not been answered.
One day during this ordeal, with the help of my father-in-law, who is a physician, a new theory emerged that my son’s behavioral change was due to a brain injury – specifically the concussions from football. My father-in-law indicated that he heard there was a new, experimental brain center in California that was having some success in treating certain issues like PTSD and concussions. Maybe, just maybe, it could be helpful. There was hope. I prayed again that this might be the answer.
The brain center explained that my son’s brain waves could be off and that they could be moving in the wrong direction or out of phase. That sounded pretty crazy to me. They had a nice picture of a red brain before treatment and a blue brain after treatment. For $1000, not covered by insurance, they could test their experimental system which involved projecting waves or rays into his head to correct the direction or phase of his brain waves and see if that could help.
Hope was gone. I am a skeptic. With no training at all, I could make blue and red brain pictures and send some invisible waves into someone’s brain for $1000 and then let them know it didn’t work? What a scam! Of course, we would try and do anything to help our son, and so we paid the $1000, flew to California, and then waited for the expected and obvious answer - that it didn’t work and we were out $1000!
Lo and behold though, the scam wasn’t over. The system could help him. But now for $20,000, still not covered by insurance, he could come back for 10-12 treatments over 3-4 weeks in California and there was a chance that would help. Even if it did help, there wasn’t a guarantee it would last, and so in the future we might need to go back for another set of sessions for another $20,000 (and so on and so on).
I didn’t trust it. I didn’t trust God. Who ever heard of shooting rays into someone’s brain to recalibrate their brain waves? Complete and utter nonsense and a waste of time and money!
As you probably can anticipate, God provided an absolute miracle!!! It was like night and day. Shoot some waves into my son’s brain and my son was back. Just like that! Just like normal! The switch was flipped. Medically, his brain waves were going the right direction and in the right phase and that made him a different person. The person he was…for a decade now.
Praise, Praise, Praise! I could type it 1000 times. Praise! Thank you, God! So thankful! Every day, every month, every year! So much joy! Overwhelming joy!!!! That is the power and wonder of God.
He does things that can’t be comprehended. God has given me overwhelming joy! It is so much, that I cannot bear it. I know that sounds crazy, that someone can’t bear the amount of joy. We hear about unbearable pain, but I am here to witness that God provides completely overwhelming joy!
Prayer
Heaven Father, thank You for Your amazing gifts. I cannot understand or comprehend Your power and mercy. You are so good to me. Thank You for providing a small glimpse of Your power. I don't have the words to express my gratitude for Your blessings, but You know my heart. You are a great God. Help me to use my experience to tell others of Your greatness. All praise and glory to You. Amen.
He replied, "Whether He is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind, but now I see! John 9:25
Forgive the length brothers and sisters. My boast is not bound by 2024 or any year. It dates back almost a decade now. While long past, the overwhelming joy surrounding the gift God gave me is very real today. I can’t speak it or think about it (or write about it…as I am finding out right this moment), without being emotionally overwhelmed.
My son was a football player and quite a good one briefly. I admit I am biased, and I lived vicariously through him. In his first six varsity games, playing as a sophomore, he was 5th in the county in scoring. I was proud of him for how he played. But then the injuries came. An ankle. Torn knee ligaments – twice! Concussions. All the surgeries, the pain, the rehabs. It felt endless. Before long he was a graduating senior and never was able to play more than a couple more football games in between all the injuries.
I wasn’t angry with God about what happened, but I asked Him why this had to happen to me. Yes, to me. There was no answer. What was put on my heart instead was guilt. Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but also to the interest of others.”
I was self-centered. What happened, happened to my son, not to me. Once my perspective was corrected, I still asked God why all this had to happen to my son. Today, I am still curious but at peace in the knowledge that it is an awesome answer from God even though I don’t know what it is. There is something truly wonderful in that.
Over time, around this same period, my son’s behaviors and actions started to change. It progressed from emotional outbursts, to cutting, suicide threats and actions. I have always said, there is no instruction book on how to be a parent each day, and my wife and I had no ideas. Nothing. We had no clue why the behaviors started, what was going on, or what to do. Zero.
While we could step in and fix just about anything up to this point with our children, we were absolutely and completely helpless this time. After one episode, we had no option but to call an ambulance. Eventually, New Jersey said he had to go to a mental health facility for a few days or a week. I don’t even remember how long.
My son was gone, and we had no idea why. It was worse when I realized that the facility was even worse for him because of what the other patients were doing and saying. I turned back to asking God why this was happening. I was begging and pleading with him. I’d do anything to have my son back. There was nothing from God.
As my son’s stay was potentially ending, a practitioner was set to interview both him and me. I prayed the eyes of the practitioner would open just so my son could come home. I prayed they wouldn’t take him away for longer or potentially forever. I’m so thankful that prayer was answered and while my son was still gone, he was physically home. All the behaviors were still there, but it was better than longer term care. I am so grateful to God and the unknown practitioner who gave us our son back. I can’t fathom an outcome had that prayer not been answered.
One day during this ordeal, with the help of my father-in-law, who is a physician, a new theory emerged that my son’s behavioral change was due to a brain injury – specifically the concussions from football. My father-in-law indicated that he heard there was a new, experimental brain center in California that was having some success in treating certain issues like PTSD and concussions. Maybe, just maybe, it could be helpful. There was hope. I prayed again that this might be the answer.
The brain center explained that my son’s brain waves could be off and that they could be moving in the wrong direction or out of phase. That sounded pretty crazy to me. They had a nice picture of a red brain before treatment and a blue brain after treatment. For $1000, not covered by insurance, they could test their experimental system which involved projecting waves or rays into his head to correct the direction or phase of his brain waves and see if that could help.
Hope was gone. I am a skeptic. With no training at all, I could make blue and red brain pictures and send some invisible waves into someone’s brain for $1000 and then let them know it didn’t work? What a scam! Of course, we would try and do anything to help our son, and so we paid the $1000, flew to California, and then waited for the expected and obvious answer - that it didn’t work and we were out $1000!
Lo and behold though, the scam wasn’t over. The system could help him. But now for $20,000, still not covered by insurance, he could come back for 10-12 treatments over 3-4 weeks in California and there was a chance that would help. Even if it did help, there wasn’t a guarantee it would last, and so in the future we might need to go back for another set of sessions for another $20,000 (and so on and so on).
I didn’t trust it. I didn’t trust God. Who ever heard of shooting rays into someone’s brain to recalibrate their brain waves? Complete and utter nonsense and a waste of time and money!
As you probably can anticipate, God provided an absolute miracle!!! It was like night and day. Shoot some waves into my son’s brain and my son was back. Just like that! Just like normal! The switch was flipped. Medically, his brain waves were going the right direction and in the right phase and that made him a different person. The person he was…for a decade now.
Praise, Praise, Praise! I could type it 1000 times. Praise! Thank you, God! So thankful! Every day, every month, every year! So much joy! Overwhelming joy!!!! That is the power and wonder of God.
He does things that can’t be comprehended. God has given me overwhelming joy! It is so much, that I cannot bear it. I know that sounds crazy, that someone can’t bear the amount of joy. We hear about unbearable pain, but I am here to witness that God provides completely overwhelming joy!
Prayer
Heaven Father, thank You for Your amazing gifts. I cannot understand or comprehend Your power and mercy. You are so good to me. Thank You for providing a small glimpse of Your power. I don't have the words to express my gratitude for Your blessings, but You know my heart. You are a great God. Help me to use my experience to tell others of Your greatness. All praise and glory to You. Amen.
Posted in Boast in the Lord \\\\\\\'25 pt2
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