God Wasn’t Done With Me: Six Years After Facing the Unthinkable

Hanging on somehow in 2019. RIP to my brother Jeff who passed 3 years later.

Me and Louie today.

Six years ago, I was being rolled into an operating room with a very real expectation that I would wake up without my right arm. My doctors weren’t dramatic or guessing. The cancer had returned, it was aggressive, and it was sitting close enough to vital structures that if it had spread any further, it might not have taken just my arm. It could have taken my life.

That was the weight of the moment. Heavy. Unavoidable. Real.

And yet, in the middle of all that fear and uncertainty, God was not done with me.

Somehow, through a series of medical decisions that still surprise my surgeons, through countless prayers, through the strength of a wife who refused to give up, and through a God whose plans are far bigger than mine, I walked out of that hospital with both arms still attached. They were scarred, damaged, and forever changed, but they were still mine. And I was still here.

To call that a miracle feels too small for what God did.

It was nothing short of divine mercy.

During that season, I prayed a simple prayer. Not a negotiation, not an attempt to barter with God, but an honest surrender. I told Him that if He brought me through it, then whatever time I had left would be lived for His glory and His kingdom. I haven’t lived that out perfectly. Not even close. But most days, I do everything I can to stay true to that promise.

I’m here today because thousands of people prayed. Because God showed kindness to me that I can’t explain. And because my wife, Bobbie, fought with a determination that held me up when I didn’t have the strength to hold myself together. She stood in the gap for me, prayed over me, and carried faith for both of us when mine wavered.

I don’t pretend to understand why God heals some and not others. None of us can fully comprehend the way He works. But I do know this. As long as I’m on this side of eternity, I want my life to matter. I want to love people well. I want to choose kindness over pride. I want to get back up when I fall. And I want to keep sharing Jesus every chance I get.

I have a long list of things to be grateful for, but nothing compares to knowing that one day I’ll stand in the presence of Jesus. That hope keeps me steady.

If you don’t know Jesus and you want to talk, message me. I’d love to share what He’s done in my life.

If you need prayer, ask me. It would be an honor to pray for you.

If you’re part of my circle, thank you.

If you prayed for me then or pray for me now, thank you.

God is good even when the story doesn’t make sense. And today, I’m grateful to still be here to tell mine.

(Photos included from 2019 and today.)