Do the decisions you make today affect your future? God gives most of us the chance to live to fight another day. What are you fighting for? Who are you fighting against? We all must realize that each day is really a battle, a spiritual battle against the forces of evil, darkness and ungodly behavior that fight for our attention and focus. See through this story and pictures how God can use events to win these battles, with the appropriate attitude and actions. Included in the back of this book are daily Bible Reading charts that enable you to read through the entire Old and New Testament in one year and help you also to win the battle for God, others and yourself.
LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY
Finding Purpose for God and Others Through Life-Changing EventsBy Paul J. VerheydenAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2010 Paul J. Verheyden
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4490-6853-0Contents
Chapter 1 - A Hole in my Head, Another Chance...........................1Chapter 2 - My Best Friend - Forever....................................4Chapter 3 - Life-Changing Past Events...................................8Chapter 4 - Brain Surgery to Save my Life...............................55Chapter 5 - Parkland ER, ICU - a Zoo....................................57Chapter 6 - Homecoming, God's Provision.................................64Chapter 7 - Back to Work - Back to the Hospital.........................68Chapter 8 - Another Seizure, Another Surgery............................74Chapter 9 - What is your purpose?.......................................80Chapter 10 - Have a Daily Walk with God.................................84Chapter 11 - God will act, but you must act first.......................88Chapter 12 - What's Your Story?.........................................90Chapter 13 - "I can do all things through Christ..".....................92Chapter 14 - Your Problems can have a Purpose...........................99Timeline 2009...........................................................104Surgery Procedures......................................................114Picture Gallery.........................................................125Bible Reading Charts....................................................213Favorite Songs..........................................................217
Chapter One
A Hole in my Head. Another Chance
9:28 a.m., January 1, 2009, the first day of a new year. Due to my loss of insurance from my job layoff, I entered the Parkland Hospital Emergency Room (ER) in Dallas, TX to receive a discount for a refill prescription medicine to reduce elevated blood sugar.
By 5:00 pm the next day, January 2, 2009, I had a hole in my head. Doctors inserted a tube into my skull to drain excess fluid into a bag. My reason for the ER visit was to get the medicine. The ER doctor asked me if I was having any problems. I complained of some headaches and slight memory loss in recent days. As a precaution, he ordered a CAT and MRI scan of my brain revealing a tumor blocking the flow of fluid and building up into the upper ventricles above the lobes of the brain, causing hydrocephalus, water on the brain, and undue pressure on the top of my head. This was the cause of the headaches, memory loss, and confusion. Just days before on my way home from work, I drove in circles around town until dark, as if in some sort of black hole probably lucky that I finally found my way home.
The dramatic film of the scan showed a white ball amidst the black film in the middle of my brain. It caused everyone who saw it to gasp and realize its significance. "Wow! Is that it?" most would say, after seeing the scan film. The doctor said, "I am going to give you a list of five items, and in a few minutes, I am going to ask you to repeat them."
Not only could I not remember them, I responded to other questions that my son later told me, "Dad, you were really out of it and confused!"
Dr. Christopher Madden, the neurosurgeon responsible for me, said, "We found a large tumor in the middle of your brain, and we are not letting you leave here until we get it out. You are probably lucky to be alive. I would give you only days to live any more with this condition. You could fall dead on the sidewalk any day. Many times we find this blockage in an autopsy, after the patient has died." These were sobering words to me as I realized the severity of my condition.
"Looks like you get to live to fight another day," said Chip Scott standing there with Dr. Madden. He was a resident neurosurgeon on staff there at Parkland, and later helped in my surgery. His words were so clear and inspirational to me and caused me to burn with motivation to share my story and experience with others.
"I am going to write a book about this experience and that will be the title," I said.
This story is about the opportunity to live another day, to fight for another day, to make decisions based on God's plan, not my plan, to live for others, not for myself. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12
In recent days, I was going places and doing things that any Christian father and husband would never do, testing the protective boundaries of God's grace. I was playing with fire. Now I was getting burned up in the process being certain that this hospital stay was a direct result of my disobedience. As I now read my Bible in Proverbs every morning, I am reminded of the truth that our actions do make a difference to God, and that we will reap what we sow. There is His forgiveness, but also consequence to our actions.
I had a choice to accept this result as an opportunity from God to get back on track living for Him, or complain about the whole thing and continue in my stubbornness and disobedience. I chose to trust God, be thankful for the opportunity to see His mercy and His provision for me and live daily the life that I should live.
I realized also that I could not do it without changing my daily walk with God, to be faithful to be His soldier, his Godly man for my wife, my children, and others. This experience was a wake-up call to me.
I decided to recommit my future to God, to my wife, to my children, and to others. I realized that I cannot take for granted the freedom that God has given me. I appreciated the grace and love He shows me every day, and particularly to show me His sovereignty over my life. But most of all, I realized that I need to tap into the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT to be able to fight the spiritual battles I face daily.
My decision was not just a one-time decision, but a daily decision. Even as my strength was building, and pain subsiding days after I came home the challenge still remains to focus on God and what He wants me to do. Every day has become more exciting, to see what God is doing and helping me with decisions that I need to make every day.
One of the purposes of this story is for everyone to understand that every physical event is linked with a spiritual event. They cannot be separated. What you see on the outside are direct results of the spiritual battles, victories or defeats on the inside. My experiences, though quite dramatic, are similar to the problems that you and everyone in this world face every day. We all go through life making many decisions throughout the day that not only affect us, but all of those around us. None of us live in a vacuum, though many of us think that our personal decisions can be made with no affect on others.
Another purpose of my story is to motivate you to be in God's Word every day. God gives us multiple chances to let Him take control. He uses events, sometimes life-changing events, to wake us up and help us to see His provision. When we are in His Word every day, these events allow us to respond not only in the way that God wants, but in a way that is most beneficial to us.
Chapter Two
My Best Friend - Forever Donna, my wife, said, "I know what you have been doing. I do not care. I love you!" She looked into my eyes and made sure that I knew she meant...
