Part 4 – Thanksgiving

I wouldn’t be writing these words today if God hadn’t raised me from the dead—twice—on the operating table at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in 2018. During open‑heart surgery I “coded,” died, two separate times. Yet God guided the skilled surgeons’ hands and brought me back. I thank God, and I thank those surgeons He worked through.

Scripture says in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” I’ve learned that knowledge not acted upon is worthless. We know we must maintain our bodies, our vehicles, our homes, our marriages, and—above all—our relationship with God if we want them to last. Knowing isn’t enough. Acting is what keeps us alive.

I am thankful that God spared me from a rare hereditary brain disease that claimed the lives of many of my relatives. At the time, only seven families in the entire United States were known to have it. I thank God for protecting me from that fate.

I’ve seen His hand in the outdoors as well. One night while raccoon hunting, I was walking through knee‑deep water in a flooded slough when I suddenly stepped off the edge and went completely under—rifle and all. Terrifying. I clawed my way back up, tried again, and stepped off into deep water a second time. Then a third. My waders were full, my strength was gone, and my hunting partner didn’t answer my calls. I fired three distress shots after checking the barrel for mud—still no response. Exhaustion set in, and I feared I might die.

Then I called upon the Lord for help. The Bible tells us that “whosoever calls on the Lord will be saved.” Just minutes later, God sent a car down that mostly deserted road, and its headlights showed me the direction to safety. Once again, He saved me.

Another time, my wife and I were fishing after dark on Kentucky Lake when the wind rose suddenly and the water lifted its head like the Sea of Galilee. Waves tossed our boat like a tin cup, and I feared it might capsize. Terrifying. I called on God, and He took the wheel—steadying us, guiding us, and bringing us safely to shore.

I have lived through moments when death was close enough to touch. And in each one, God reached down and pulled me back. For that, I give thanks—not just on Thanksgiving, but every day He allows me to draw breath.