“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.” (Philippians 1:21-26)
The following is an Annual post I put on my Facebook every April :
Four years ago, on Sunday morning, April 18, 2021, I woke up at 5:05 AM from a dead sleep with this baby elephant sitting on my chest. At least that’s what it felt like. I sat up, and immediately knew all was not well. I woke Kerri up to tell her she had to take me to the hospital since I thought I was having a heart attack! At first Kerri thought I was waking her up because I was having a seizure but she quickly realized what I was saying After a quick prayer we were on the road very quickly to Auburn Faith Hospital 5 minutes away from our house. After the ER staff assessed me they confirmed I was indeed having a heart attack and needed to be transported to Sutter Roseville for the Cath Lab. That ride was about 15 minutes with lights and sirens, but it felt like it took FOREVER.
After arriving in Roseville I was whisked into the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, which looked like something out of NASA. They were waiting for me and ready to get started. They gave me a shot to “relax” me so my memory of that part is a little hazy. What I learned later is my heart attack was due to a 100% blockage of the “LAD” Artery (left anterior descending artery) and it has a special name the docs call it, the “Widowmaker,” as it has a very high fatality rate. The fact that we got to the hospital ASAP was key to my survival. The docs opened up the blockage and put in a stent to keep my artery open. While recovering I felt like I had been kicked in the chest by a horse. After a day in the ICU and another day in the Cardiac Telemetry unit I was discharged home.
So those are the basic facts of what happened. In the days after this I ruminated several days over what all this meant, and what God wanted me to learn from THIS experience. I think I could summarize all that came to me in the following:
All we do, and all we have (including the number of our days on this planet) are in God’s hands.
Going back to the morning of my attack, in the ambulance at one point the pain was very intense and it felt like I wasn’t going to make it. For the second time in my life I was face to face with death. But surprisingly I had an overwhelming sense of peace and calm. I wasn’t panicked, scared or worried. My life was completely in God’s hands and I knew that my future, as well as that of my family was safe. I distinctly remember praying that if this was indeed my time to make it quick. I didn’t want myself or my family to have any unnecessary suffering. Don’t get me wrong – I wanted to live, yet I knew that being called home was a great alternative for me! In the days after my brother reminded me of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi while imprisoned for his faith, facing a Roman trial and possible death. Paul wrote the following honest discussion about his dilemma:
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.” (Philippians 1:21-26)
Paul chose to rejoice no matter what the outcome. He was so sure of who Christ was that he was convinced that whether he lived or died either way was good. All this because Christ was the absolute center of Paul’s life, and the very standard he measured all against.
With the benefit of hindsight we can see just how God was getting us ready for this. During 2020 we, like many of you, experienced a rough year, and for much of the time the focus was on politics and world events, while we waited to see what would happen in the fall elections. Following the Inauguration Kerri and I embarked into a deep time of study in the word, with a specific focus on what God says about the last days. We made it a priority to make sure we had our daily devotions and prayer together to start our day and not let anything get in the way of them. It feels like we were apprehended by God, and looking back we can see that God was strengthening our faith in Him and making sure we were grounded in Him and His Word to be watching world events through a biblical perspective. What we didn’t know was how He was also getting us ready for this event.
The day before my heart attack, Kerri and I were working around the yard together and she stopped and said “I feel like something big is about to happen.” We had no idea how true that would turn out to be.
I also realized looking back how quickly things progressed that morning. If you’re not prepared for a life threatening event, you may not have time to get right with God, or negotiate with him on what you’ll do if He’ll rescue you, etc. If you have the time, your mind will be full of emotion just dealing with the stress of whatever is happening. It’s not the time to try to set things straight. It’s much better to have your salvation secure before you’re caught in a life or death situation.
If you’re reading this right now and you’re not sure where you’re going to when your time on this planet comes to an end, I urge you to stop and make the decision to give your life to Christ. Did you know we are eternal beings, and will live eternally?
Choosing Jesus will settle where you will spend that eternity.
Your salvation was paid for in blood – the blood of a perfect, righteous man-God, Jesus Christ, who came to earth for one purpose: To save mankind from sin, Satan, death and eternal separation from God eternal condemnation for sin. You can make that choice now. In fact, you are a prayer away from your salvation; the Bible says, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10). With regard to Romans 10:9-10, if you have heeded the salvation call and you are ready to receive salvation, then say this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I believe you came to die on the cross for my sins and was resurrected on the third day. I repent of my sins and ask for your forgiveness. I accept you as my Lord and Savior. Amen”
Congratulations! You are a born-again Christian now!
Well done for sincerely accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Taking the decision to believe and become a follower of Jesus is your best decision ever; for you will never regret taking such a decision. The next step is to get into a good bible believing church and learn more of what God’s Word says for you and your life. If you have questions or want to talk please reach out to me!
Dead Man Walking 
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