Who are you praying for?

My life...seemed to be filled with endless luck, built on self-confidence, pride. It was how I was forged at a young age - survive! Growing up as a fatherless boy with two brothers seemed normal, mom made the best of it, spent lots of time outside with my grandpa, mom married again. As a teenager I felt alone, angry, started drinking to numb my life. I wanted to get out...escaped NYC by joining the Air Force, just wanted out, but I was drawn back to marry a hometown girlfriend at a young age. She was in terrible pain and I thought I could help change her. I was wrong! Six years later seizures, suicide attempts, eating disorders continued, I continued to drink to numb my life...I was tired and wanted to get out again...divorce #1.



Party time...new freedom, life without sickness, worries...I quickly fell head-over-heals in love with my beautiful new bride. She made life fun again, risking it all, adventure, dancing in the rain!!! We jumped in a car and set out to stake our claim, to make it! Four years later our son was born, we wanted to give him all the worldly things we did not have growing up...family, stuff, stability. Life rolled on, attempted to expand our family....no luck...I began to take and make it, continued to numb life through drinking as pressures built, moving up the corporate ladder, sacrificing family time for financial gain...thinking all was well back home..."I was in control", but the reality was I did not listen, could not hear or feel what meant the most to me in life...numb. The crash - train wreck - after 16 years life dream #2 was over, divorce (D2), again...I hit rock bottom, no confidence in life. Something always was always missing, what could it be?



Saturday morning, what am I going to do, wanted to run...get out...my son and I drove around, talking, passed in front of his school he said "let's go to church, dad". What? We had not gone before, Sundays were for fishing and drinking...OK, "what church do you want to checkout?"...he told me of this "Rock-n-Roll' church he had attended with a friend. We did not know how life was about to change for us, mom was leaving and I was about to find what was missing...



Sunday morning..."Life Change" it stated in big letters across this large painting, the bloody body on a cross, with his hand reaching out...I knew it was Jesus but did not think anything of it... then the pastor spoke about the wilderness, how we have all sinned, yet God loves us, sent his only Son and if we believe in him we are never alone...we are "born again"...I LOST it, cried like a baby...can't remember the last time I showed any emotions, I felt like the pastor was talking directly to me, like no one else was around...did he know me, what I was feeling?



As our life change was happening, adjusting to the D2 process, I was not feeling life's pressure and needed to know more, what was going on?...purchased a Bible, could not wait to hear more about Christ on Sunday. A few weeks later I asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior...went to see the pastor, wanted to know what was going on with me...felt different, expressing feelings, letting go...I am not in control and it's OK, BTW no more Jack Daniels, no more numb life...I want to feel everything!!! The pastor suggested I read "Born Again" by Charles Colson, on page 117, I could totally related to Mr. Colson's experience...this is how I felt when I gave all of me to Jesus.

Paul writes in the Bible asking God to take away his thorn of the flesh... "And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’" Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong".—2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NASB)

Thank you for praying for me and I wanted to make sure you know who I am, my weakness, I am letting God do the changing from now on, from the inside out.....

Jamaica 2008 trip

Dear Friends,
I wanted to bring you up to date on what is going on in my life, as most know I have experienced a major change. I really did nothing to deserve these amazing things that happen yet in January of 2007 God reached me and began to change me from the inside out. Over this past year God has done some incredible things in my life and because of this, I am excited to share my present opportunity with you.

I will be going on a short-term mission trip with DELTA Ministries International (DELTA). DELTA is an interdenominational evangelical organization specializing in Short-term and Mid-term missions by supporting the ongoing work of local churches nationwide. DELTA also provides a variety of services that help churches ensure their short-term mission team is prepared and ready to serve when they arrive on the field.

By April 25th, my training will be complete and I will fly out of Ft. Lauderdale International Airport and arrive in Kingston Jamaica ready and excited to serve. I will be helping the missionaries with their daily work as well as helping several special projects and the Jamaica 2008 event http://www.jamaica08.com/ . We might find ourselves conducting open air meetings, distributing literature, leading Bible studies, working in children's ministries or doing work projects. Whatever we do, I am certain that God will use us to further His kingdom.

I am excited about what God will do through my team and me this spring, and I can hardly wait to go. Of course, I can't make it there on my own. I am going to need a lot of help. First, I will need prayer support. I need to have at least 10 prayer partners: people who will pray for me every day that I'm in ministry. This form of help is vitally necessary to the success of the team. So please consider committing to be one of my prayer partners.

Thanks again for the interest that you have shown in my life. You have been a great encouragement to me. I look forward to sharing with you all that God accomplishes this spring. He is so AWESOME……how great is our GOD!!!!

In Christ,

Al Cannon
PS. I am going to Cuba on another mission trip in September…….