Dear Marie,
 
I am so sorry for the weight of your prayer request.  We are certainly praying for immediate divine intervention at a powerful level.  As a pastoral staff member and later executive director of a number of crisis centers, I counseled hundreds of individuals.
 
There are  some immediate steps that you can take if you live in or near a metropolitan area.  There are usually "Suicide Help Lines" listed in the phone book under "Counseling", "Crisis Intervention", etc.  Also it is possible for the family to commit him to the psychiatric ward of a nearby hospital for 72 hrs. for evaluation.  He desperately needs medication.  It is of great concern that his behavior has switched to a calm "wrapping up of loose ends".  He needs to be made aware of the legacy that he would be leaving his children and the fears that would plague them regarding their own worth and vulnerability to suicide.  Suicide is an ultimate form of rejection to the children who know that their father had a choice of whether or not to seek help and remain in their lives or abandon them.
 
Please do not delay hours...call your pastor for assistance to direct you to the right resources and ACT immediately.  We had a similar situation in a circle of acquaintances a few weeks ago.  The intended suicide of a young mother was stopped when she was found unconscious...she was committed for psychiatric evaluation and is getting appropriate medication to deal with her depression.
 
Please know we are praying!
 
Judy Morford