Thank You!
Faith Baptist of Zephyrhills
Oct.9th, 2021
Hi Church!
There are times when words just do not seem inadequate to express your innermost thoughts and feelings. While I would consider myself a generally thankful person (the key to mental and spiritual health), there are no gauges big enough to measure the gratitude in my heart for being alive today and in good health. This is no “ordinary” day or email after a near death experience. I know God chose, for reasons he knows, to keep me on this earth.
So foremost God deserves the credit for my being alive. He has the ultimate say in the all so fragile thing that we call life. Every now and then we are freshly reminded that tomorrow is not a guarantee. Next, I thank Maddison Tillack, Summer’s friend, for calling 911. And I am really thankful that she called 911 rather than taking me to the hospital. Advent Health in Zephyrhills does not have a trauma surgeon and it would have a loss of precious time for me to be taken there. God knew.
Next I am thankful to the EMT’s who got to me in just minutes, worked on me with great care and stabilized me. Truthfully, I was bleeding so badly that I could not tell where all of the blood was coming from. I will forever remember what a 16 gauge needle looks like and feels like going into my hand. I hate needles. But after I learned that they were preparing me for a blood transfusion, I understood. I will also forever remember my first “high”. Having never used drugs and rarely even taken a tylenol in my life, I will never forget the helpless feeling of losing so much of my “senors” and feeling present but in another world. I wondered, is this what dying feels like? At the time I did not understand what was happening to me. But they knew I needed a powerful drug to slow my heart rate and the bleeding.
A big thank you to the very special people who work at the trauma unit at Lakeland Regional Hospital. It takes special people to deal with bad injuries. I met my surgeon soon after getting there and then was assured by nurses and staff that she was the best one to have. And they told me that she would take care of me. And while I was soon put to sleep, she did an amazing job cleaning my wound and sewing me back together. She saw first hand and told Jennifer just how close I came to dying. Again, a big thank you goes to the other nurses and staff that cared for me in pre and post surgery. It just makes me so thankful for the people who have given their lives to help save others.
Lastly, I am so thankful for my wife, Jennifer, who has and continues to take such care of me. She had to take 3 days off from work to help me in every imaginable way. It is hard for me to say how thankful I am for her love, patience and kindness. She is a special person, and I am blessed to have her.
Church, life is such a gift. I hope that you continue to thank God for the time and opportunities that he gives you here on this earth. I am glad that I can continue the work that God has called me to here at Faith. More than ever, I believe that God is with us. He is the God who can bring water from a rock, calm the waves and bring the dead back to life. So whatever you are facing today, please know that God is with you and for you.
See you tomorrow!
In His Hand,
Pastor Mike