When I wrote Day 26, I told you that it would eventually be replaced by a copy
of the testimony that I delivered to our congregation at CUMC.
It will forever be the 26th and final entry, which represents the 26 days
that Jolie spent in the hospital. The following is the message I delivered on April 22, 2012:
"Do You Believe In Miracles ?
This week, many people have asked if I would be nervous today.
Actually my nerves are OK. It's my emotions that I'll
have to try and keep in check. So if I pause at any point, just bare with
me. My eyes might tear, nose run, throat swell, and voice crack........
because I know it's going to be an emotional and spiritual day for me.
It's my hope that it will be for all of you as well.
Earlier in the week, I told Bob "please no sappy introductions."
I didn't want to begin crying before I even started to speak.
But it wouldn't have really mattered what he said, I'm
overwhelmed just looking around at how many people are here today for support.
But I guess that I shouldn't be surprised, as we have had an
incredible support system since day one.
So I would like to start today with some well earned thank yous. First to
everyone of Central United Methodist Church. Several weeks ago, I wrote a
letter to this congregation because I wasn't quite ready to talk about Jolie's
amazing journey. I hope that all of you had the opportunity to read that
letter. But I'm also really glad to be able to thank you in person today.
This church, its staff and its members, mean the world to our family.
The next group is all of our dear friends. It would be
impossible to go through an experience such as this, without an amazing group
of friends. And Jolie and I are blessed to have just that.
And the last group is the numerous doctors, nurses, therapists and
EMT that helped in Jolie's recovery. I'm very honored that so many of you
were able to join us today. I have a whole new appreciation for
these caregivers and what they face on a daily basis. Most emergencies
don't have such a happy ending as ours. So (and this is just my opinion),
but I would think it has to feel pretty wonderful for them to be able to look
over here today and know that they were a big part of this success story.
It really is impossible to completely explain how overwhelming
everyone's love, support and prayers have been. So from Jolie and I, and
our families, we sincerely thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts.
I've always been impressed with how Bob steps up here every Sunday morning,
notes in hand, but he never has to look down at them. I'm sorry,
but I will be looking at mine quite often, as you can already tell.
I just don't want to leave anything out.
For those of you that know me, I'm sure that you are all astounded that I am
standing before the congregation today. I'll be the first to admit that
I'm a quiet and reserved person. And that speaking today is way outside
of my comfort zone. A friend and I were recently discussing this
important day, and how difficult it would be. He said
"You know, some people that talk all the time can sometimes get tuned out
by others; but when someone quiet speaks out, then people listen because
you can be sure they have something important to say".
And yes, I believe today is very inportant. Quiet and
emotional, probably not the best combination for speaking to a large group.
But if Jolie had the strength to get through her tremendous
obstacles, then I could certainly stand here and talk about them.
And it's just too amazing of a story not to talk about.
On January 29th, at approximately 9:45 in the morning from the children's
Sunday School room here at Central, Jolie turned to me and said
"I'm feeling dizzy". And she then immediately collapsed.
At first we thought she had fainted, but quickly realized that wasn't the
case. Dr. Bennett later referred to this as ventricular fibrillation.
For the rest of us that aren't in the medical field, this means
that her heart stopped pumping and began to just quiver. For more
than an hour, doctors , EMT and nurses worked continuously to bring Jolie back.
30 minutes here in our church, plus the ambulance ride to the ER,
and then another 30 minutes under Dr. Doug Phillips and his team in the
emergency room. After more than an hour, a heartbeat was miraculously
established and then maintained.
I
didn't remember all of the conversations from that Sunday
between myself and Dr.Phillips, so I went back to the hospital about a month
ago to talk with him. Here's the most fascinating parts of that
conversation: He said "Jolie kept showing signs that she
wanted to stay, so we kept working. I didn't put those signs there, they
were put there by God. This is truly a Miracle" he added. Pretty
powerful words. What Dr. Phillips is implying here is the fact that
the ER normally wouldn't have worked this long. They've seen this before.
But something was different this time.
I've had the opportunity to talk with all the doctors and nurses involved with
Jolie's recovery. During the first week, the conversations were
primarily medical talk.... this is what we're doing, these are the things we
want to try, and so on. Then, the conversations turned
more personal and I got to see and hear how they were feeling. Today,
they will all tell you that they've never experienced anything quite like this
before. They will all tell you how amazed they are to see such an
incredible recovery. Yet they are unable to explain what caused this to
happen. They simply throw out all medical explainations and agree that
it's an act of God. A Miracle. Direct intervention of God's power.
It's quite amazing now, to go back and look at every detail that had to line up
in order for us to be here today. First keep in mind that we're
starting with a healthy 35 year old woman. That went without a heartbeat
for an hour. That was given breaths by someone else for an hour.
And who was shocked numerous times to attempt jumpstarting her heart.
This event could have happened any time / any place. But it
happened right here in church. Seems like a pretty good place for God to
watch over you. Turns out to be a great place because of the quick action
and willingness of nearby church members that morning, who just happen to be
doctors, nurses & EMT. Also pretty convenient considering both the
ambulance service and the emergency room are located just blocks away.
By
all counts, Jolie left us for about 1 hour that morning. Temporarily leaving
behind a husband, two children, a mother, a father, a brother, a grandmother
and many many friends. Yet here we are today. Without
heart damage, without lung damage, without brain damage. For me, even
today, this is all still difficult to completely understand.
God laid everything out, and put all the right poeple, in the
right place, at the right time. So yes, I completely agree with
every doctor's evaluation: What we've experienced is a Miracle.
And maybe the most powerful sign for so many of us was the prayer service held
on the very next day. Where people filled this church to pray for
Jolie, and then to see those prayers answered immediately as she opened her
eyes for the first time. I don't claim to have all the answers, and I wish
that I knew why some prayers are answered and some seem that they are not.
I wish that I could some how comfort those that struggle with this.
For me, I will always believe that there is a reason behind
everything, and sometimes the answers will come to us at a later time.
I am also unable to completely explain why Jolie was selected to go
through this. But I think we have already began to see some of those
reasons. And again, with time, I believe we will understand more of why
she was selected.
Bob Peden allowed Jolie and I to select the song choices for this morning.
We looked through the long list of songs the praise band already knows.
But we also began to think about other songs that were fitting for today.
One song stood out, "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless.
My thanks to Paul Goldman and our praise band for learning this
song over the past 5 days. I feel like it was written for our family.
My favorite verses:
I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do
I've always considered myself a Christian. Always thought that I had a
pretty good relationship with God.
The truth is, through all of this I have realized that my relationship wasn't
what it could be or what it should be.
I am now able to see what really matters in life. Prayer takes on a
whole new meaning. Relationships with family and friends are so rich with
love. And most importantly, my relationship with God is forever
better.
This makes me want to be a better person. This makes me want to do
more. The list of things that I want to do continues to grow.
And I will do them. No more just talking about them or thinking
about them. Speaking today is just step one.
As frightening as this experience was, it was also one of the most
incredible experiences for so many us. All you have to do is look
around this room to see evidence of that. I know that Jolie's life,
and my life, have been forever changed, but we're not alone.
Just ask Dr. Lawrence Mason. or CCU Nurse
Kellie McLelland. or Sabrina Williams. So many lives have been
touched by this story. Hundreds, just in our own church. Thousands,
just within our hometown. Tens of thousands? Absolutely,
nationwide. What about hundreds of thousands? I don't know.
The exact total will never be known. But what I find so
beautiful, is that this number continues to increase. As we talk today,
it increases some more. As we talk about it tomorrow, it will increase
some more.
Jolie is often stopped in public by individuals that she's never met.
And she has received flowers, notes, letters and cards from people
that she has never met. Many of them start off by saying... " you
don't know me, but I'm a friend of so & so, or a sister of so &
so. I live in San Francisco, or I live in Myrtle Beach.
You're story has inspired me so much. I just wanted to
let you know that I'm praying for you everyday." Jolie and I both
find this so incredible. That poeple so far away are so touched by
her story and are praying daily for her recovery.
Not everyone has been touched the same way. Obviously some more than
others. But the level doesn't really matter. Because from what I've
seen during the past 3 months, poeple are sharing this story with one
another. And this has led them closer to Friends, closer to Family,
closer to their Church, and most importantly closer to God.
So the question now is: We've experienced a Miracle..... what do we do
now? To me, it seems like an incredible waste to have witnessed a
Miracle and not do anything about it. or to not share it with anyone that
will listen. or to not take a closer look at how I, or you, or we
can make a difference. You see, I think this Miracle was also intended
for me, and for you, and not just for Jolie.
Let us always remember how incredible those days and weeks after January 29th
were in each of our lives. How close we all became, and how much
love we shared. With whom do we spread that love to now? Bob Rambo
talked about spreading that love a few weeks ago in a sermon. He said
that he did not have any amazing personal life stories, and referred to his
life as vanilla.... plain & ordinary. I can't say that for myself any
more. I feel that it's not only my obligation, but my privelege to share
this Miracle with others.
On most Sunday mornings, Bob ends his sermons with an open ended question.
Always challenging us to go out and make a difference. Well, I
accept this challenge. And I hope all of you will join me going forward. I'm
not going to stand here and say that I've led the perfect life to this point.
But simply suggest that it's never too late to change. Can one
person make a difference? I think we all have been shown the answer to
that. Just look at the ripples created around just one person, from one
event, three months ago.
I
would love the opportunity to come back and share my experiences with everyone
6 months from now, or 12 months from now. To share how I'm being a
witness for God. To share what's different in my life. And to share
what's different with the lives that I encounter along the way. We've
witnessed a Miracle, what will we do now?
I will close today as I did with each journal written during our many nights at
the hospital.....
I Love You All !
What an Incredible God We Have !"
