Category: stories

Toward the end of The Fellowship of the Ring, J. R. R. Tolkien’s first book in his Lord of the Rings masterpiece, Gandalf faced a monster in the mines of Moria to stop its advance upon his friends. “You cannot pass!” was Gandalf’s bold declaration… spoken with the authority God gives His children against the enemy. The resulting struggle caused both the monster and Gandalf to fall into the abyss.  The eight remaining members of the Fellowship were overwhelmed with sorrow at the loss of their leader.

In The Two Towers, the second book of the trilogy, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas were shocked beyond belief in the dreaded Fangorn Forest when a shining figure revealed himself as the friend they thought had perished. Gandalf had survived the fall and defeated his foe. He declared, “I have passed through fire and deep water, since we parted. I have forgotten much I thought I knew, and learned again much that I had forgotten.”

I told Susan that it seems God knows that every few years I need to be shut away in the hospital for a couple of weeks. He teaches me best when my full attention is on Him with the sure understanding that He alone is the Sovereign Lord who holds everything in His hands.

One night of chills and fevers, I opened my eyes to see that I was receiving an infusion of red blood cells, which supply oxygen to the body and give us energy. My immediate reaction was to raise one arm and say, “Thank you for the blood!” (Anyone who has experienced the boost of energy from receiving blood can relate.)

“I learned again much that I had forgotten.” Despite having a blood disease… and despite being reminded of blood’s importance every time I visit the doctor… and despite participating in Communion every Sunday… I tend to forget.

“Thank you for the blood,” triggered every good thought of what Jesus has done for me. He gave His blood… to cover my sins. “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22) The life of the innocent Lamb of God was willingly laid down for our wrongdoing. Jesus’ blood cleanses us… and this gift should never be forgotten.

“Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” Matthew 26:27-28

“If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” I John 1:7

(Quote from The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien, ©1954, p 98)

The T-cells taken from my body the last day of May were shipped to a drug company who is trying to perfect CAR-T cell therapy. These cells, a part of my immune system, were super-charged to fight the myeloma cancer.

July 9, I received the treated cells in my 9th floor hospital room and basically was told to wait. The doctor explained, “Immediately after the cells entered your blood stream they started multiplying as normal cells do. Then, like a military invasion, they mobilize to search and destroy the cancer.”

A few hours after receiving the cells I started running fevers. Days two and three, chills and fevers were constant. The fourth and fifth nights were the worst then the fevers finally broke. The doctor kept telling us these were good signs as a war was raging within my body. I was not so sure.

The cancer in my blood is measured by testing something called Free Lambda. The counts for a healthy person range from 5.7 – 26.3. Elevated counts mean the cancer is active. On April 4 my count was 102.1. On May 1 it was 203.2; on May 23 it was 384.5; and on July 3 the count had risen to 918.6. Last week blood was drawn to find the effect of the treatment. My Free Lambda count dropped to 1.3. We are praising God and thanking our friends at Emory.

On the very day this test was done, my friend Barry Garner passed away after a courageous fight with the worst type of brain tumor. Barry encouraged me and many, many others to trust in God through the good times and bad. He fearlessly walked through “the valley of the shadow” knowing God was with him. He is now in the presence of His Savior, the perfect place. The pain and sorrow on earth is softened by the hope Barry constantly proclaimed about the love of God.

What do you do with such opposite reports? Is it possible to celebrate good news and mourn the loss of a friend at the same time? Jesus teaches us to think with a kingdom mind… where life and death, joy and suffering, and victory and defeat are in the hands of the Father. Does not the cross of Christ reveal how God’s ways are different from the world’s? Jesus’ death led to our life. ‘For the joy set before Him’ Jesus suffered… and now He sits at the right hand of the Father. And what everyone thought was sure defeat ended up being the greatest victory in the history of the world.

Please pray for Barry’s wife and kids in a difficult time. Thank you for all the prayers for me and my family. May our message be one that causes people to think about eternity and find true life in the Son of God.

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39

Most of the stories I tell point to God’s involvement… either an answer to prayer, or His divine intervention to rescue, or what I consider to be a supernatural display of His love and care for His children on earth. It is important to read of God’s power and character in the Bible. But when we experience His blessing firsthand, we realize He cares just as much for us as for the famous saints of old.

God uses our testimonies to reveal not only what He is capable of doing, but what He likes to do. I often tell the story of a frustrated young Taylor after he had fished all morning without a catch. I reminded him of Jesus telling Peter to cast out into the deep after Peter had experienced a fishless night. Taylor yelled: “If Jesus said it, then it has to be true!” Immediately after those words of faith, the eight-year-old cast into the middle of the pond and caught two huge catfish on his last half-worm. Middle school students hear such a story and think: “Hmm… if Jesus listened to a little boy fishing, perhaps He’ll listen to me.”

Testimonies also help listeners realize that God has been involved in their lives in ways they may not have considered. A story I’ve told from years ago involved Susan and I attending a Sunday school class at her parents’ church where we knew many people. The topic was centered on how God speaks to people. As the message unfolded, I had an incredible feeling of déjà vu. I leaned to Susan and whispered, “I dreamed this very thing last night.”

I don’t think I had ever dreamed such an exact event before and I don’t think it has happened since. So what was I to do? I wrestled a bit with the question and concluded that since it seemed to connect with the topic, God probably did not intend for me to keep the story to myself… so I tentatively raised my hand. “I think God speaks to us in a multitude of ways. This discussion is an exact reenactment of a dream I had last night.” A friend echoed, “Yeah… I heard Dana whisper this to Susan a little while ago.”

I felt for the teacher… what do you do with such a comment from a visitor? Thankfully the bell rang before things got too awkward and class was dismissed. What stands out in my mind was the number of people who then came to me and shared similar dream stories. It was almost as if my comment triggered other testimonies. If I had been a listener who had never had such an experience, I might have thought: “Wow… this means that our God, who gave young Joseph dreams that were not fulfilled until many years later, still gives people dreams today…”

Testimonies from other believers have caused me to think differently, pray differently, and have more faith. Perhaps our capacity to trust in God increases as we hear of His wonderful ways. And perhaps a Father smiles broadly as His children give Him glory for everything good.

“No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.’” Acts 2:16-17

“They overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” Revelation 12:11

I’ve made it a habit when we visit Kinsey and Jordan in Birmingham to take morning walks on the nearby Samford University campus. Last week I noticed a sign saying the Sozo Children’s Choir would sing in the large assembly center that night.

Before her senior year in college, Karlyn spent the summer in Uganda working with the Sozo ministry caring for orphans who had experienced many difficulties. Going back to the days of Idi Amin, Ugandans have suffered at the hands of evil leaders. More recently, Joseph Kony has kidnapped thousands of children to carry out atrocities in his Lord’s Resistance Army reign of terror in northern Uganda.

Karlyn in 2014 and Kinsey and Jordan in 2015 witnessed firsthand the beauty of Uganda and the power of God’s love flowing through individuals intent on sacrificing physical comforts to serve children in need. When I texted Karlyn about the concert, she was sad she was not there to see the children she knew. She sent me a couple of pictures from her visit.

Our friends John and Suzanne Hunter, who live in Namibia, say that worship in heaven will be led by God’s African children. The choir was outstanding and the brief message about the future plans for the ministry was inspiring. But the best part of the night occurred when they asked the audience of nearly 1000 Americans to stand and worship the One who created us and loves us.

Karlyn texted that the youngest member of the choir was named Hannington and he would probably sing a solo. As we stood to worship, a small boy stepped forward and led: “You’re a good, good Father… it’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are… and I’m loved by You…” Through smiles and tears, praise was lifted to the One who is “perfect in all of His ways.”

Twenty-five children sang with beautiful voices the words below that God wants all of us to understand. May our lives be expressions of worship every day.

You unravel me with a melody, You surround me with a song
Of deliverance from my enemies till all my fears are gone
I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God
From my mother’s womb, You have chosen me, Love has called my name
I’ve been born again, into a family, Your blood flows through my veins
I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God
You split the sea so I could walk right through it, my fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me so I could stand and sing, I am a child of God

The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things He did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do You hear what these children are saying?” they asked Him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants You, Lord, have called forth Your praise’?” Matthew 21:14-16

“Good, Good Father” written by Pat Barrett
“No Longer Slaves” written by Jonathan Helser, Joel Case, and Brian Johnson

“Yeah… but I’m the prodigal son times twenty-seven.” This was Jim’s reply when I told him the Father is always welcoming home His prodigal children.

I’ve written about Jim several times over the years. He’s my friend whose pattern has been: leave the streets, get clean, work hard, bless people… then return to drugs and homelessness. He’s been gone fifteen months. I get pretty upset with Jim after his falls, but without fail, God always calls several of us to go to the streets and search for one we love.

Since last summer, I’ve been about 0 for 30 finding him. I’ve made new homeless friends in the ‘search zone’ and when departing I usually say, “Tell Jim I’m looking for him.”

A recent Saturday, our daughter Kinsey was in town, so I took her with me into Atlanta. She’s known and loved Jim most of her life. As we strolled my familiar route, she commented, “Dad, I’m impressed you know your way around.” Kinsey understands well my directional challenges.

After walking the narrow streets and alleys, we headed back to the car and saw a man pushing a bicycle. “That’s him,” I said to Kinsey. “Dana… Kinsey… what are you doing here?” We hugged and chatted, then followed Jim to the location he stays… a porch behind a bar. He asked about everyone in the church, he showed us his wounds from a recent bike accident, and he pointed out all the small businesses he helps for a little cash.

“Why don’t you come home with us, Jim? You can get a shower and a good meal and see everyone at church in the morning.” “No,” he replied. “I’ll just cry the whole time.” “We’ll all cry,” I said, “but that’s OK.” Then we made the ‘prodigal’ comments.

It’s a thought-provoking question: If the prodigal son left twenty-seven times, would the Father still welcome him back? When Jesus told Peter how many times to forgive a brother, I think He surpassed twenty-seven. It is no challenge for God, but I have a hard time grasping such a mentality. Anger, judgment, and cynicism easily crowd out mercy, love, and compassion.

But then I ask: How many times have I failed? How many times has the Father forgiven me? How many times have I returned to familiar dark paths? We may not retreat to drugs and homelessness, but other choices are just as wrong. But because of what Jesus did, the Father forgives. His arms are always welcoming the lost child. I want to be just like Him.

“Be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” Luke 6:36

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” Matthew 18:21-22

We’ll be away Spring Break so I won’t write next week.
Happy Easter!!