Dave Petersen Has Heart Attack!!

[Rhoni]

Pianoperson,

Praying for our friend Dave. It must be frightening both physically and financially for them both. Give them my best regards and tell them I am praying for them.

Blessings, Rhonda

[Malvaro]

From a recent email....
Date: Tue, 29 May 2007 16:37:54

Greetings!

As many of you already know, our friend Dave Petersen (one of the three points of the original Lanny Wolfe Trio triangle) suffered a heart attack this past week and underwent heart surgery to correct two problem artieries--one with 99% blockage. To God be the glory for making the operation a success. Some damage to the top of his heart was done and only time will tell if that damage will be rectified or modified. How is Dave doing? Fine! It's been a week since the surgery and he'll be okay if we can get him to follow the doctor's orders and not overdo himself in the recovery process. I appreciated so much JCM alumni, Joel Lewis, making some of you aware of Dave's recent surgery.

Since Dave and Bonita are not presently on staff at a local church and cover their living expenses by traveling around the country ministering in local churches, they don't have the luxury of some of the fringe benefits of being employed on a regular basis by a local church. And because Dave and Bonita don't have health insurance, you can imagine the financial stress that they are facing at this time. Add to that the fact that Dave has lost some of the income that he would have had if the heart attack had not happened, along with down time in the recovery process and you can appreciate how it would be easy for Dave and Bonita to feel nervous and concerned about trying to make everything make sense in their life right now.

Almost 30 years before Dave had this heart attack, the Lord gave me a song "In Everything Give Him Thanks." The Lanny Wolfe Trio has sung that song so many times and, when singing it, it has been easy to shout about Job's comeback and overlook the "now" relevency of the second verse--NOW, WHEN TROUBLES COME . . . in our own lives. And, be assured, just as sure as death and taxes--TROUBLE COMES! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow . . . but just hang on because we ALL take our turns dealing with TROUBLE when it comes! STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What I want you to think about it that we should not always be quick to blame trouble on the devil! May I remind you that it was God who brought up Job's name in the first place in a casual conversation with the devil--"Have you considered my servant, Job!" I am suggesting that oftentimes, I believe, God allows trouble to come our way so that we can profit from it, grow closer to Him from it, grow spiritually from it, be bigger or better for it . . . and that we could possibly have "twice as much" as we had before trouble ripped something from us! If God did that for Job, why wouldn't he do it for you or me . . . or Dave and Bonita!

I used to think this story was in the Bible so that I would stop feeling sorry for myself whenever trouble came my way; after studying it many times, I now feel that it is there not so much to teach me a lesson . . . but to teach the devil a lesson . . . that being "Don't mess with my kids whom I have confidence in! Could it be that through you or me or Dave and Bonita that God is wanting to remind the devil again in 2007 . . . not to mess with His kids that He has confidence in. and that we will stand tall against the storms that come our way.

Yes, troubles WILL come; heart attacks will attack the righteous and the unrighteous, but when they do, we need to see how God wants to bring glory to HIM that can do all things! If Dave's singing and ministry has ever touched you even once, I would like to ask you to pray about helping them out at this difficult time for them. Whatever you can spare would be helpful.

Some of you are pastors and might want to take up a special offering so that your congregation could share in this blessing. Some of you pastors may want to help out by contacting Dave and having he and Bonita come and bless your congregation with Dave's anointed singing and ministry. They could do a choir clinic at your church that would give a spiritual boost to your music ministry department.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the family to show what "family" is all about and to come together and show our love by reaching out. Now's time for the family to rally together. You just never know when you'll be on the other end of the equation and hoping that "your friends" in the body are caring about you and your situation. Let's all chip in and do something! If we do, it WILL make a difference!

~DP contact info removed~

Dave is married to my wife's first cousin, Bonita. He's probably easily misunderstood but they have a great heart and they both love using their talents for God.

He can sing and, trust me, the girl can 'whoop' an organ like nobody's business. They were passing through to see us a few years ago on the very night I had been asked to speak at a HUGE black Baptist Church in town.

They found out who those two were and put them up to sing / play before I preached and those poor people were bouncing off the walls before they were done. We may not see everything eye to eye but they are a BLAST to be with. He is, without a doubt, one of the funniest people on earth when he gets going.

Good people and, yes, he is doing better at last report.