Words of Inspiration

[writen in the 1997 after I became a Christian]

The Lord my God is a powerful God who brings joy and happiness into my life.

When your life is falling apart, when everyone else is panicking, turn to Christ and he will calm the storm.

When the Lord is in your life nothing else seems to matter.

by Chris Brann

13^th August to 25^thAugust in Hospital  –  Recovering during September and October 1998

GOD DOES ANSWER

As most of you know, I have been quite ill lately.  During August I ended up in Hospital with Flu, Pneumonia, Septicaemia, Jaundice and Pleurisy.  My only memories of about six days are patchy but important to me, so I thought I would share them.

I woke up in hospital thinking I was dead! But people or aliens were trying to make me come back to life.  But if I were dead then someone else would have to go in my place.  On top of that I just couldn’t manage to do what they were telling me to do.  After what seemed to me a few long hours of almost torture, but was actually a couple of days, I heard a distant voice saying “we should have removed his ring first”.  This made me realise I still had my wedding ring on and as only God or death could separate me from Bern (my wife), God made me realise I must still be alive.  As otherwise my ring would have gone and not meant anything to me.  From then on I started to concentrate on my wedding ring and wanted to live again.

I am told that for the first days in Intensive Care I was pulling all the tubes out and struggling against all their efforts to help me.  Then they saw me playing with my wedding ring and I became calmer.  Looking back I know that God got me to want to live in answer to all the prayers that you were sending to him. For this I thank Him and you, I am only here because of his great faithfulness and your love and faith in Him.  I give to Him all the Glory for my recovery.

After what to me were a few more hours, but was actually days, I noticed that my Wife and Mother were with me some of the time.  I also noticed Ken (my Vicar) but most importantly David Beaven (a church friend).  I don’t know why but seeing him was really calming, he told me they were going to move me to a normal ward.  This lifted my spirit as I was feeling like giving up and dying if I had to put up with much more of the terror I was going through.

Once I was on a ward, I was put through more agony as my mother and wife kept making me cough, which was painful and hard to do.  When they left me that night I wasn’t looking forward to being on my own.  I should have known better that the Lord Jesus would never leave me with any help.  On duty that night was Ann-Marie, a Christian, who I knew from Ascension’s first Alpha Course and Jason Darby another Christian.  They both, along with another patient next to me, looked after me and helped me through the long night.  By the morning I was feeling much more with it, I still was weak and confused but knew that God was with me and that I would get well.  The Lord does heal and answer our Prayers; He also uses all situations for good.  Through this hard time for everyone He has strengthened people’s faith and shown how the body of Christ working together can do anything in faith.  The Lord has used this time to teach me not to judge what others think of me, as I can not know what is truly in their hearts.  I have also learnt the meaning and value of the 23rd Psalm.  “He walked with me while I was in the shadow of death and then guided me to new life and understanding while restoring my body and soul.  I know that I will always dwell in his house forever and he will never let me go”.

I have been very touched by the love and concern shown by so many people from all over the world, some of whom hardly knew me.  Also by the number of people who were praying for me and those near to me to be able to cope at this time.  I thank God for all His blessings, His love and your love and the skills he gave to the Doctors and Nurses.  I know that I will soon be fully fit again and ready to do whatever the Lord has lined up for me.

Thank you for all your Prayers.

In the service of Christ our Lord.

Chris Brann

Remember trust in the Lord Jesus, He is always faithful, He is always with you, even when you aren’t thinking of Him, He always Answers prayers if you believe and listen to Him.

A minute doesn’t go by without me [Berni] thinking to myself how very fortunate my family and myself are to have Chris with us today.

Chris’s last words to me were “Ask everyone at Church to pray for me” I spoke to Marilyn and David they very kindly passed it on to everyone.  Chris has always believed in prayer’s being the answer for help and we all know it has been through all your love and prayers for Chris he has recovered so miraculously and for this Kathy and myself thank you all.

It all seems like a dream now as it did then, how before our very eye’s our lives could have been changed on that Saturday.  Without me thinking of it consciously, his Holy Spirit was right along side me when the doctor called Kath and myself into the room to tell us they couldn’t even give us a 50-50 chance of his recovery.  As the doctor was telling us this, a voice inside me was telling me he was going to live as he wouldn’t let him come this far without Chris finishing what he has been drawn to do for God.  It was from this point a great calmness, I haven’t experienced before was with me (as normally I a terrible worrier) and continued to be with me all through Chris’s illness.  God put the right people there for Kathy and myself and I know the prayers you all were praying for both of us gave us both encouragement to stay strong.  I know this is true as one night after visiting Chris my sister Marion, saw my “The Message” Bible on the table and read the front cover on which Chris had written “Berni, I pray that God will talk to you through his Holy word”. Then she opened it at Matt. 4:1-16 which read “The Test” Jesus being tested by the Devil (it was on that day we felt maybe Chris was being tested as he had a vision that he shouldn’t be given anymore medication or he’d die).  After she had left I picked the Bible up and myself read what he had written on the cover, then I open the Bible to Ephes. 6.5-24 “A Fight to the Finish” and the words “God is strong and he wants you strong….. Pray hard and long, Pray for your brothers and sisters, keep your eyes open, keep each other’s spirits up, so that no one falls behind or drops out”.

Chris himself did not know what anxiety he was causing everyone from all over the place.  My family from Canada, although so far were so close to me, as their love for Chris was so over-whelming by their concern for him, they had a “hot-line” going between them and they took it in turn each day to phone me.  My brother-in-law jokingly said to me when he heard he was in a Ward “Can we stop praying now!  My 6 year old niece Amelia said a pray to God, telling him she wasn’t having a good day, so could he please make Uncle Chris better.  I know it was those constant prayers of love for Chris that has made him recover so quickly.

I truly believe God does answer but he needs to know that we care enough to ask him.

Berni Brann [1998]

On the 14th of August, my son (Chris) was rushed into hospital.  When I phoned Parry ward I was told that unless I got there straight away I might not see him alive again, so I went.  When I arrived they were taking him down to ITU (Intensive Care Unit), where he stayed for five days.

As I sat in the hospital with my daughter-in-law and my youngest son, I realised that my life was at a stand still.  Although I had been to Alpha and had asked the Lord into my life, I was still trying to serve both man and God.  but seeing my son so ill and realising that God was so much with us, and all the people praying, I came to the conclusion that I was at the crossroads of my life.  I knew then that no matter how old you are God is still there for you.

I have spent the last  two months looking after Chris, who has been an inspiration to me.  His faith is so strong., it has helped me to decide what to do with my life.  So as of the 19th of October I shall be living on my own. My life will be devoted to God.  The thought that my son could die before me was terrible never realised how much he means to me.

Kathy Brann [1998]