The Man who Died Three Times!

NOTE: This a paraphrase from my blessing of listening to a caller on K-Love.

As I was listening to K-Love radio yesterday, a very interesting caller told a story of the time he died three times. He actually was revived twice. The third time was unsuccessful, and they were about to call hime dead. However, the doctor said to hit him one more time with the paddles. Praise God, He came back to life.

And now let’s backtrack. This young man was a veteran suffering from PTSD. He began doing drugs…not to numb the situation, but the reverse. He said he was already numb and the drugs made him at least feel something. But, we all know this was not a solution. I don’t know how long he had been a user when the fateful weekend occurred. It was very bizarre! The dude was partying in one part of Illinois…maybe Champagne? I don’t remember. Anyway, he remembers partying there on a Friday night. The following Tuesday, he was revived in a hospital in Chicago. He has no remembrance of how he got there. Upon further investigation, a store owner found him laying outside his business. He called the police. Who in turn took him to the hospital. 

Fast forward to the time after he is revived in that hospital in Chicago. He ends up going to jail. After he has been there for quite a while, he began to question the meaning of life. At some point as he is sitting in his cell, something tells him to turn on the radio, and he does. The song that has just begun to play is Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave. As the words soak over him, he realizes he has been blaming everybody and everything else for his situation. He realizes he has to take responsibility for himself, but more than that: there is a God who will redeem him. He cried in his cell. He didn’t make it clear if he was saved that night, but it sure was the beginning of his turn around. He went on to mention he has had a relationship with the Lord since 2013. His third child is on the way.

One previous problem that added to getting him down was the lack of a job. He now has a full time job! More excitingly, he is ministering to veterans suffering from PTSD. There are times they tell him, “You don’t know what I’m going through!” He replies, “Yes, I do.” Praise God for the doctor telling the nurse to hit him one more time with those paddles so that he didn’t die in that state he found himself in. Praise God that even in jail, God ministered to him through a Daddy Weave song on the radio. Praise God for a radio station choosing to play Christian music. Praise God for the sharing of his story and his willingness to give back to help others. He is truly Loving others as himself.

One thing he tells the veterans he ministers to: 

In a car, the rearview mirror is small. We need to learn from our past, but not live there. The front windshield is much bigger, therefore we need to look ahead. WOW! That is a wonderful message for all of us. 

One of the DJs, Kank mentioned that God wants us to press on. 

We find this in Philippians 3:14; I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Romans 8:28 tells us: And we know God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.