My Dad, Charlie Marshall

Please read the following note from my dad, the greatest consistent Christian I know. He has been preaching the gospel all of my life and I can say first hand that he lives what he preaches. Please pray for him during this new stage of his life as we are praying that Christ would be magnified in his body.

This is my life’s verse (Matthew 6:33). I have tried to live by this verse and God has been faithful to His Word.

In the letters I have sent to those interested in our ministry the past 36 years, I have never asked for anything personally. I have never asked for money for tires, vehicle, or equipment of any kind. I have just given a report on the results of the ministry. However, I now have a SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST.

For over two years I have had an irritating cough. Irritating for those who listened to me preach. I have been to 9 doctors, 2 speech therapists, and had cameras down my throat and nose. I received no help whatsoever.

While in Florida this February, my wife and my good friends, Pastor Malcomb Clements and his wife made me promise to have my lungs x-rayed when I returned to North Carolina.

My doctor did not like what he saw on the x-rays and ordered a CAT scan. I then, was sent to Dr. Richard Pomerantz in Charlotte, NC, at the Presby Pulmonary Critical Care Center. Dr. Pomerantz is considered the top lung doctor in the country. After giving me breathing and walking tests he diagnosed my problem as “Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. What is it?

IPF is a debilitating disease marked by progressive scarring of the lungs that gradually interferes with a person’s ability to breathe. It hinders a person’s ability to take in oxygen. It causes shortness of breath and is usually associated with a persistent dry cough.

After diagnosis the median survival rate is 1 -3 years, but many people live for years with a less active form of disease.

The word Idiopathic comes from a Latin word which means unknown. It is not known what causes IPF and there is no known treatment for cure.

My wife has been using herbs for years and she contacted the Herb Shop and I am taking herbs that is said to be able to heal my damaged lungs.

However, what I need more than knowledgeable doctors or Herbs is God’s Will in my life. So, I am asking you to join me and my family as we pray for healing or as Jesus prayed in Matthew 26:39, “Not as I will but as Thou wilt!”

PS: You will not find my name in the 1 -3 year column. I have put it in the long life column, believing that God is able.