30% Chance of Survival

My cell phone rang the other day while I was on the landline phone at work. My heart lit up to see the name of my dear friend Mary (not her real name) that I had not talked to in quite a while. Unable to answer the phone I was looking forward to hearing her message on my voicemail.

The tone of the message was exactly what I had expected... upbeat and fresh with a sparkle in her voice. She simply said that she and her husband would love to talk to me. How nice is that!

I returned the call within 30 minutes. She answered the phone and said, "Oh David. Thank you so much for calling. Hold on a minute and let's get Bob (not his real name) on the other line." Sure enough he came on and said, "Hello David." This whole scene reminded me of talking to my grandparents as a young boy back in the day when everyone would pick up every available phone in the house and talk to "the grandparents" as fast as possible because it cost so much money to call "long distance."

I was excited to hear their voices. Mary and Bob talked to one another for a few seconds while I listened in. The decision had to be made. Who was going to tell me the story? Bob said, "You go ahead Mary. You tell David."

And the story began...
A diagnosis of Diabetes a few months ago...a car trip to a major metropolitan city...Bob turning a shade of yellow...a stop into a hospital... a CAT scan...another diagnosis... Pancreatic Cancer.

Then there was the inevitable pause...
It was my turn to say something, anything...
I started to speak.
My voice faltered...
Tears streamed down my face...
I find it extremely hard to speak when I am crying and my face is all contorted...
But speak I did...
Before long all three of us were crying on the phone.

Bob went on to say, "The good news in all of this, if there can be good news, is that when I went to the specialist he said, 'The good news is that 9 out of 10 people who walk in my office with your diagnosis, I have to tell them there is nothing I can do for you' But for you, I can do something.

The specialist continued, "With the type of treatment we are going to propose there is about a 30% chance of survival."

Bob and Mary let that bit of news sink in.
We talked for another ten minutes or so. I prayed over the phone and we all cried some more.
In saying good-bye, Bob, in his typical manner said, "David, I know this may sound a little strange, but I hope you are going to have a great day."

My iWitness...

I got stuck on the "30% chance of survival" line in our conversation.
My first thought was that if you hit a baseball just 30% of the time you are in the Hall of Fame!
Then again, being the tennis player that I am, I thought, if you only get in 30% of your first serves in a tennis match then you are going home early.

Eventually my mind and heart landed on this...

On this earth, on this roller coaster of a ride called life...
We have a "Zero Percent Chance of Survival."
None of us get out of this alive.
We are all going to die... some sooner than we thought and some later than we thought.

At the same time, my mind and heart landed on this as well...
All of us have a "100% Chance of Living."

Whether we survive for 20 years or 60 years or 100 years, the good news is that we have the chance, the opportunity, the privilege to live and to live recklessly, with abandonment, with joy, with laughter, with tears of pain, with friends, with family, with God...!!!

How many people have I buried that stopped living 20 years before they died. Do you know how sad it is to say at a graveside service, "We bury him today, but he stopped living back in 1994."

To my friends Bob and Mary and to all who will take time to read this blog, please hear me when I shout at the top of my lungs...

LIVE!!! Live the life, ride the roller coaster, jump off the bridge into the water below, climb the mountain, race down the hill, dance the night away, ride the waves, catch the sunrise, blow kisses, hug everyone you know, laugh in spite of yourself, round third base with your legs a kicking, arms a pumping and crack the biggest smile you have ever cracked as you slide head first into home plate having  devoted yourself with reckless abandonment to the One who abandoned himself so that you could live an abundant life.

Would you please do me a favor?
Give me the joy of saying at your graveside service, "We bury him today. However! However ladies and gentlemen he lived until the day he died!"

One of my favorite quotes..."Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but rather by the moments that take our breath away."

Live today in a way that takes your breath away long before the day arrives when there are no more breaths to take.

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

ps - Please pray for Bob and Mary! God knows who they are and so do they...

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40. 28-31)

Fill 'er up

I was enjoying an incredibly long ride along the back highways of northern Florida. XM radio blaring a tune from the 80's, sun shining, sunglasses perched on my long nose, pulse rate around fifty-eight...
My lazy puppy dog eyes drifted toward the dashboard and there it was staring at me, mocking me, yelling at me, "You idiot! Can you not see me shining my bright little icon at you?!"

I was running out of gas!
The radio still blared, the sun was still shining, the sunglasses did not move from their perch but... my pulse rate soared as I panicked thinking, "How long had the 'almost empty' light been on?" And by the way, "Where in the world was I? Where was the nearest town? Would I make it to the next service station? Would I be stranded on the side of the road only to be attacked by swampy alligators?"

The next town, the next service station arrived within minutes and with deep relaxing breaths I eased my rental car next to pump number 5. I hopped out with a little extra skip in my step. I popped open the gas tank, swiped my credit card, chose the 87 octane, squeezed the handle and began filling 'er up.

Within no time the pump made that halting sound alerting me that the tank was full.
I replaced the handle on the pump looked at the "total" and was taken aback at what I saw.
I had only put in $50 worth of gas. The tank was only about three quarters full.
And then it hit me...$50 worth of gas was the maximum amount of fuel this pump was allowed to expend at one time.

I protested under my breath!
I need more than $50 worth of gas to fill 'er up!

My iWitness...

Two competing thoughts struck me regarding "fill 'er up."

There are many days when I am running on empty trying to squeeze out an extra mile or two on spiritual fumes and reserves. The warning light has made itself known that it is time to pull over and get refueled but I love to push the envelope and see just how far I can go before my gas tank is completely empty. Believe me when I say that I have been stranded many times because I didn't heed the warning sign.

Nonetheless, the times I have pulled over to get spiritually refueled, I have looked at God and said, "Fill 'er up!" And within minutes or hours or days I look at the pump only to discover that God has not filled me up. Rather, God has given me just enough gas to make it to the next town, the next service station. Of course this makes me more dependent on God to make more frequent stops than I had planned to be refueled with His grace, mercy and love.

On the flip side, how many times has God been ready to dispense a whole tank load of His grace, mercy and love on us and $50 into the refueling process we say, "That's enough God. I don't need anymore. I've got to go, places to be, people to see."

And off we dart with half a tank while God is left holding the handle saying, "But I have so much more to offer. Why are you so satisfied with so little when I was ready to fill 'er up!"

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰ giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Ephesians 5. 18-20)

Lost and Found

With the Polar Vortex's little brother bearing down on the city of Chicago I sought refuge on an upholstered bench that was getting hit by direct sunlight through some very large plate glass windows at the world's busiest airport - Chicago O'Hare.
Paying attention only to my task at hand, an airport worker walked by the end of my bench, leaned over picked up a book that was abandoned on the floor, looked at it the title and quickly tossed it down on the bench. My eyes quickly drifted over to the title of the book which read, "Priesthood, Pastors, Bishops." My first thought was, "With a title like that, no wonder the book has been thrown to the side!"
But, upon further review, my second thought was, "This book is right up my alley." I crawled on the bench to pick up the book and began flipping through the pages. In the middle of the book was a boarding pass with the name Dinah Dutta on it. She had flown from Kansas City to Chicago. She had sat in first class in seat 3C.
I decided to do a little research. I looked her up on Facebook and voila, there she was. She's the pastor at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Atchison, Kansas. I made the decision to put the book in my backpack and when I got home to Dubuque, Iowa I would mail the book to her.

A couple of hours later I was on my way home after being in the Sunshine state of Florida for the previous week. That was Monday.

In the late afternoon on Tuesday I conducted some more research. I called St. Mark's Lutheran Church only to find a "full" voicemail inbox with no room to leave a message. I checked LinkedIn and discovered that Dinah also served a Lutheran church in Valley Falls, Kansas. I called the church,, only to get another answering machine. There was no need to leave a voicemail this time as the lady's voice on the answering machine offered Dinah's cell phone number.

I quickly made the call to Dinah's cell phone. The third effort was met with another voicemail inbox. Dinah is of Indian descent and her accent was beautiful to hear on the recording. I left a detailed message telling her that I had her book and would be happy to send it to her home.

One minute after hanging up my phone rang.
The called id simply said, "Dutta, Dinah."
I answered the call, "Hello Dinah Dutta!"

My iWitness...

The joy in her voice was more than apparent. She had been looking for the book. She knew she had it in her hand in the Chicago airport and upon arriving at her set destination it was nowhere to be found.

We chatted for a few minutes and I told her that I would be happy to mail it to her.
I inquired, "Where would you like for me to mail it to?"
She replied, "Well, I am at Wartburg Seminary right now."
My jaw hit the top of my desk, "Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa?"
She said, "Yes."
"I am in Dubuque!", I almost shouted.
We both laughed at the impossibility of such a happening.

She told me that she had a break in her class schedule at noon.
"I'll meet you in the chapel at noon on Wednesday", my voice filled with anticipation.

I had one more question...
"Dinah, were you on the 3:30 flight to Dubuque yesterday?"
"Yes" was her quick reply.
My voice almost trumped over her response, "So was I!!!"

The book that was lost was a lot closer than she or I knew...
I wonder how many times in life that I have felt lost I was a lot closer to being found than I thought or knew.

On Wednesday, at noon, in the chapel, the book was reunited with its proud owner.
A new friendship was forged over soup and salad.
And the joy...the joy of having found that which was lost was celebrated!

Perhaps today you will have the chance to restore, return or reunite something or someone who was once lost but is now found.

It is indeed one of life's greatest joys.
Just ask Jesus...He knows better than any of us...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

So he (Jesus) told them this parable: ⁴ “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶ And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15. 3-7)

The Dead Room

I was having lunch the other day with my good friend Eddie. Somehow our conversation turned to the mission work that he and his wife Sheryl have been involved with in China.

Eddie was relating to me how long it took to get to the orphanage that they were visiting. In an almost "matter of fact" voice, Eddie said, "We go over to this orphanage and rescue babies from the dead room."

My mouth was full of food and Eddie was two or three sentences down the road before I could finally halt him in his tracks with, "Whoa, whoa, whoa...What did you say? The Dead Room? What is that?"

Eddie leaned back, paused, took his cloth napkin, wiped his mouth, placed his silverware down on his plate, took a deep breath and with sad eyes said, "David... this is how it works over there. The orphanages take care of the babies for one year and after one year the babies are placed in 'the dead room' where they are left unattended until they die."

The pregnant pause was palpable as I tried to wrap my mind around this seemingly typical practice of placing healthy, active, beautiful children in "The Dead Room."

My iWitness...

Have you ever been put in "The Dead Room?"

I cannot even begin to tell you how many people I have come across in my short lifetime who...
1. Have placed themselves in the dead room
2. Were tossed into the dead room by a teacher, parent, coach, friend or family member
3. Have lived in the dead room for years, not knowing that there was another way to live

This is Jesus at his best!
Rescuing people from "The Dead Room!"

Maybe the reason He is so passionate about this type of rescue mission is that he knows firsthand what it is like to be placed in the dead room.
He also knows first hand what it is like to have the stone rolled away from the dead room and breathe in new life all over again.

Are you in The Dead Room?
I know a way out.
Want to know how I know the way out?
You see... I've been in The Dead Room once before. I know all the nooks and crannies and guess what?...I can show you how to get out...forever! If you'll just grab my hand...I will gently place it in the hand of the One who is called "the Way and the Life" and you will never, ever have to go back to The Dead Room.
Do you know anyone in The Dead Room who has given up on life itself?
How about we throw ourselves headlong into a rescue mission...
Let's call it Operation "The Living Room"...

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life..." (John 14. 6)

The Application

 

It was a bitter cold day as we sought refuge in a Wendy's restaurant for some of their "chili", with cheese sprinkled on top, no onions please. Faith and I snuggled next to each other in the booth as we sat opposite Joshua who was dwarfed by the coats, scarves and gloves that were stacked next to him.

I looked out the window and was a bit startled to see a woman making her way across the vast parking lot wearing only a light jacket to protect her from the below zero temperature. Her hair was disheveled from the wind. She was probably in her early thirties but the "wind chill factor" of life made her look eligible for an AARP card. She came into the restaurant, proceeded to the front counter and then found a seat. She had no food. What she did have before her on the table gave her more than just a few puzzling looks. Both hands, which donned six rings for her ten fingers were firmly affixed to the tabletop. With pen in hand she looked exhausted yet ready to tackle her project for the day.

She leaned forward and began to fill out what everyone of us have filled out at one time or another...
"The Application."

My iWitness...

Has anyone ever had to fill out an application to be your friend?
Doesn't that sound ridiculous?
Yet, how many times have I done just that?
"Thank you for coming into my life, but I am going to need to have you fill out this application before I can accept you and employ you in my world."

What are your qualifications? What is your experience? Have you ever been fired or let go as a "friend" before? Please list at least 84 references? How many friends do you have on Facebook? What qualities will your bring to the friendship? How will my life be enhanced by your presence?
Once you have finished filling out the application please have it notarized!

As much as I am struck by what Jesus says, I am more often startled by what he "does not" say.

Jesus says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11. 28)

Listen to what Jesus does not say...

Come to me once you have your life straightened out.
Come to me after you have some more "spiritual" experiences.
Come to me when you have memorized the Beatitudes (They are found in Matthew 5).
Come to me when you look all beautiful and put together.
Come to me after you have successfully started a company from scratch and have just launched your IPO.
Come to me after you have passed your "background check."

Listen to what Jesus does say...
Come to me...
Just come on over and come on in.
You're hired!
You're on the team!
You're part of the family!
And oh, by the way... get rid of that application in your hand.
No application needed!

I think I will throw away those applications I carry around with me today.
How about you?

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Autocorrect

 

I was texting a friend of mine yesterday and the most unusual phenomena took place.
I noticed that while I was texting a ten word message, my big thumbs impeded my ability to text so much that I misspelled every word along the way.
The miracle of it all was that when I finished texting my message and looked at the screen...ALL the words were spelled correctly and the message made perfect sense!

My phone, like so many others has this wonderful feature called, "Autocorrect" which insures that my message comes through loud and clear with all the words spelled correctly.

How cool is that!

My iWitness...
I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have been approached over the last quarter of a century by someone who asks me to pray to God on their behalf.

I am always more than pleased and privileged to pray for someone. I usually follow up such a request with a statement, "Now... you can pray too you know."

Too many times to mention the response has been, "But I don't know what words to say? You're the preacher. You know what right words to say."

Here's the good news!

We have the Holy Spirit who takes our words and filters them through the  Holy Spirit "Autocorrect" feature and God hears the very deepest desires, hopes, aches, pains and pleas of our heart!

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. ²⁷ And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8. 26-27)

How cool is that!

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

ps - Go ahead and give it a try today!

Mighty to Save

I plopped myself down in Chapel next to a seminary student that had become a friend of mine over the last year. I will call him Pastor Elijah.
I had not seen him in months and I was so excited to sit with him and worship with him.

Pastor Elijah is from Africa.
He stands about 6 feet 3 inches tall.
His facial features are so dark that his eyes, his eye brows, his nose, his dark glasses, his high cheek bones all meld into one until he smiles and then there is this mini explosion of "white" that covers the lower half of his face.
His African accent is sharp and I love listening to him talk.

The temperature was in the low twenties that day and I asked him how cold it got back in his home land. He laughed and said, "Maybe 40?"
His easy laugh is the type that relaxes every muscle in your body.

Our faces could not have been more the 24 inches away from each other and I said, "Pastor Elijah, remind again which country you hail from."
The words "South Sudan" that came so confidently from his lips stopped me dead in my tracks.
I responded with, "Wow... a lot is going on down there right now."
He said, "Yes David. In the first two days of fighting 2,000 people were killed. In those early days they came to my sister's home and killed five family members."
My mouth dropped open.
My eyes fixated on his eyes...
His lips spread wide and his explosive smile whispered to me, "Yes David... they go door to door looking for people and then they just kill them right there..."

The worship leader called us to worship.
We stood to sing...
No words escaped my mouth.
The only thing that escaped for the next ten minutes were the tears that leapt over the brim of my eyes and rolled and raced down my cheeks into my awaiting lap.

My iWitness...

I stood and could only read the words to the song.
My friend Pastor Elijah stood next to me with his smiling singing voice full of confidence and joy...
This is what he sang:

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Saviour
The hope of nations

[Chorus:]
Saviour he can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as you find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

[Chorus 2x]

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen king Jesus [2x]

The song is called "Mighty to Save."

Indeed our God is mighty to save!
May He save the people of South Sudan...
May He save us...
And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!

“Fear not, O Zion;
    let not your hands grow weak.
¹⁷ The Lord your God is in your midst,
    a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
    he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing." (Zephaniah 3. 16-17)