God Is Still In The Miracle Business

God is still in the miracle business. In the summer we were able to visit a dear friend of ours. We met him in a little town called Snover. We were pastoring then, in the 1970's, just getting our feet wet. We had spent 3 years at Asbury seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. (1967-70) and then took a circuit which had two churches, Snover and Lang. I was pregnant for our first child and we were looking forward to being appointed to a church in the East Michigan Conference for the Free Methodist Church. We didn't expect we would have two churches to pastor but we were enthusiastic to minister there in that small community. Chuck preached his heart out and I worked with children's programs and we felt pleased that God was using us to do His work.

Our Parsonage in Snover, Michigan 1970
Our first church after seminary

Snover Free Methodist Church We Served, 1970-76 (next door to parsonage)

Laing Free Methodist Church We Served, 1970-76

One of the activities that Chuck loved to do was call on people and get to know them. He would network people together with others and he loved answering questions about the Bible and sometimes got involved in deep theological debates. One day when he was walking uptown, in Snover, he met a fella who drove a semi-truck. His name was Doug and he had quite a conversation with him the first time he met him. They used to love to study the Bible together and especially take on Jehovah Witness people.

Doug and Deb 2010 (Doug before being hospitalized)

Later Doug and his family started coming to church and he accepted Christ as his Savior. He matured rather quickly, spiritually, and couldn't seem to get enough Bible reading. He came to our small group Bible study and asked all kinds of questions and learned much. Before long we had him leading the Bible Study discussions. He didn't have a Bible and so I loaned him one of mine. It happened to be the one my mother gave me when I was 12, right after I got baptized. It really was a family Bible and had lots of information in it about the Bible and an encyclopedia of terms and people in it. I remember laying on my bed for hours reading it when I first got saved. The same thing happened to Doug, he read it and read it, saturating himself in God's word. I told him when he got a Bible of his own, he could return mine.

My Family Bible that my mother gave me after I was saved and baptized in 1954

This summer I was on face book trying to locate him and where he lived. I asked his former wife and she then told me that he was in the hospital, not expected to live. They were calling the family in and it wouldn't be long. We were so concerned and started praying for him. We told her we sure would have loved seeing him, one more time, before he died.

After a couple weeks I didn't hear anything so got in contact again.She said he was doing better. Then on May 18th, 2011, the phone rang and who was on the other end but, our good friend, Doug. He was calling to tell us about his miracle. I tried to take notes as he told the story. (so I apologize if I get some of the details wrong)

He had a heart attack and a stroke in March. He was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance and they almost lost him on the way. They were hand pumping oxygen to him. Seven weeks later he was in Hospice not expected to live. He had been on a morphine drip 24/7 and out of it. He spent 6 weeks in Hospice, lost 57 lbs. and his brain was swelling. He couldn't walk or eat much. He was in a drug induced coma and they did a tracheotomy and vented him and put him on a ventilator in ICU and he was not responding. They told his wife, Deb, to get the family together as they did not expect it would be long.

When Deb came into the room, he sat up and reached out to heaven, praying, "Jesus take me home, I don't want to do this anymore." Being on morphine and basically not eating for such a long time, his body was starting to shut down. He asked the nurse for a drink of water. They said they couldn't give him anything in Hospice, so Deb went and got him a glass of water and he drank it all down. Then Doug had an encounter with God and He told Doug He still had a purpose for him and gave him a second chance. Doug said, "I just want to take care of my son and be a good father to him."

15 years ago Doug was diagnosed with C.O.P.D., a pulmonary disease caused by smoking. He had tried hard to quit smoking but couldn't. He told us he walked out of Hospice when he was at the edge of death. He said, "2 weeks ago I couldn't walk, and my arms didn't function well.but my speech was not affected." He had been walking some without a walker or cane. The therapy was supposed to take 6-8 weeks but he was done with it in 11 days and able to go home. He is improving everyday. He went from 186 lbs. before his attack down to 133 lbs in weight. He had gotten back up to 147 lbs.in May.


Doug was hours or moments from death, but God intervened and had a purpose for him to live. We couldn't believe, after we got there, how good he was doing. You would not believe he had ever had a heart attack or stroke. His speech was good, his mind was good and he could recall all the memories from back when we were his pastor in Snover. (1970-76) He told us some things that we had not remembered and it was such a delight to listen to him and Deb, of how God helped her to help him even. It is just amazing how the whole thing happened, but I am not surprised that God can do a miracle like that. Doug has shared his testimony at his church and we are continually blessed by his story. He said that his goal now was to go on a camping trip with his family on July 4th.

Doug telling his story to us (after he was released from hospice and living at home)

Doug and Deb in the yard by their home near Boyne Mt. May, 2011

With therapy going well he was able to go on a camping trip in July and has gained his weight back. And the big thing is... He said... If I ever doubted there was a God, I sure don't now. He is so real to me. I just want to tell everyone I can. He was able to give up smoking quickly, after battling that for years. He tried so many times to quit and it just didn't work. Doug says that God is doing some new things in his life and he is so blessed.

Tonight he was on facebook and sharing how good he is doing. We are so thrilled to be a part of his story. The friendship Chuck and Doug has had, is priceless. Spanning over about 40 years we have kept in touch, checking on his spiritual progress and hearing his struggles, praying for him continuously and trying to cheer him on as a Christian. Now we hear from him loud and clear, "I know there is a God, and I am His child." He still has some rough edges to polish, but he is sure on the right track.  Oh yes, when we went up to see him he finally returned my Bible. It was a little tattered and torn, from use, after 40 years, but it had stood the test. I'm so glad I let him borrow it. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness to Doug and to his family. Continue to bless them and help them grow up in you to the fullness and glory of God.