Isaiah 53:5

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.

Greetings all!

Every year at around sharathon time, I give thanks to God for what He did for me 5 years ago.  Many said it was a miracle and I agree.  How else could I explain being able to walk a mile without any assistance after 18 days?  Or being told by a speech therapist that if she hadn’t heard it herself, it would be hard to believe that I could once again talk like this only 16 days after having a stroke?

The 2 brothers who came to my bedside 2 days after I was taken to the hospital believed that God could heal me and prayed that over me.  One of the brothers asked me 2 things that Holy Spirit had revealed to him before coming:

1)  Do you believe that the Lord can heal you from this stroke?

2)  When He does (note not If, will you be willing to tell others about what He’s done?

With tears in my eyes I answered “Yes” to both questions…. now, as Paul Harvey used to say, is the rest of the story.

Something I didn’t ask for that day, but do now, is healing for my “chronic stubbornness” and “control freak-ism.”  I ended up in the hospital 5 years ago because I had gone off my blood pressure meds, believing that “I could handle it now.”  Then again last year, at about sharathon time again, I ended up back in the hospital because I’d done it again.  Ok, so throw pride issues in their too.

You see, though I still believe that God is in the miracle business, I also believe that He’s responsible for providing tools like medication to help us as well.  And more importantly, I also believe He can and does often let other things happen that He can use as “teaching moments” for us to grow in Faith and to build our trust in Him.

Now let’s revisit that “stubbornness” issue for a moment.  Had I known then what I know now, I would’ve known I was having a stroke and would’ve sought help much sooner than I did.  I was told I was lucky.

May is national stroke awareness month.  Did you know that every 3.5 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies of a stroke? … Every Second Counts…

Stroke is a leading cause of death in this country and a major cause of serious disability. In the U.S., more than 800,000 people suffer from strokes each year. So it’s important that you know the warning signs. I invite you to go to the News Blog at WBFJ.FM, where we have put together some information about the warning signs of a stroke that could be literally “lifesaving” for you and your loved ones.  It can happen to anyone….it did to me.

Grace and Peace,

Dennis