NRB Chronicles - Survive Alive Thrive

Radio show called King of research. How does God take your passion like you and others poster children everywhere you look that that God has given them a vision of communication and some wife shape or form. And now they've got a platform and will get a chance. I like that when I should have lived in the Wizard of Oz.

We get to hobnob with our fellow wizards will that we are currently resident so I have with this actually marked at, and Dr. Malan make their understand that there is a podcast or we are broadcasters we own a nonprofit ministry focused on helping people going through loss, find a new way to navigate the journey to hope and happiness in a written a book that was released a couple of weeks ago and is available Barnes & Noble Simon & Schuster audible Amazon etc. called survival live thrive so it's been my experience that second Corinthians chapter 1 seems always apply in the situation that God has comforted us in the comfort of which we are now having an opportunity to comfort others, and so I almost do not hesitate except for the beautiful smile. It's on both your face with the estimates question, but something tells me in order of Innotek on loss and grief that must've something tragic well unfortunately that's a big part of my story and Melendez shared her story and that in Canon the same way the he I go back as long as were talking biblical perspective to the very oldest book in the Bible, which is Joe and we know that suffering and in pain and loss is not unique or new to the human condition).

This is been around which by the way, I'm glad you brought that up. I learned yesterday. I'd love to study Hebrew.

That doesn't mean I'm a scholar anything. It just means I will study and what I did not know I was actually looking at the name Jezebel because I really thought they would be some cool letters of their soft get out like you could disappear bail at the end of it and you could hear there was about as I am in there so I was really excited about looking up Jezebel and what I found was guesses names right next to it. Joel chose Sherman and you know that Job in Hebrew means I do not and I never got this before but I forgot yesterday hated, gosh Emmett has a really unique configuration that only Job's name in Jezebel's name Raven, where they pay both start with analysis, which is the first letter made throughout alphabet morale is based in the and and and so here is this really fascinating configuration that Job's name would be hated and you know when you think about this. I was just thinking about this conversation between God and Satan like if you were saving you know and is like have you considered the skylight's got it together producing right. Have you considered my servant Job, not not that you're really my service that you like and so Satan like I hate this guy exactly and I've never thought about the significance of Job's name but you couldn't be more right now that I'm part of the interview know I love you I love I love the perspective and impact you think about our journey right our journey through life is in fact the whole of the battles between the principalities coming ultimately God has promised us that you'll never leave us or forsake us, and will be there no matter what the world throws in our inner path and yet at the same time, we do experience great suffering and brokenness in this journey and ultimately where is she and what role does he play when you're going through loss, suffering and brokenness is very specifically what I address in the book and what Melinda and I are doing in our ministry is the people perspective that he's there with you, no matter how high on the mountaintop, or no matter how low in the Valley. You may find yourself. He's there is probably still never leave us.

He doesn't promise we won't go through tough stuff we could've taken that on our self if we go back to original set in and way way back, but I mean ultimately we live in a world where this is part of our journey in effect, even the 23rd Psalm, which was the very first scripture that I memorized became a Christian and it became something I recited with my little boy when he was born every year or every night that I was home I would close the evening reciting it. It wasn't until going to great tough difficulties personally that I realized that first right after God is exhorting us with that with this almost is exhorting God. David is writing and he restores my soul and elitist me on the past of righteousness for his namesake in the dairy four. Is engaged in a locked valley of the shadow of death.

Ultimately, that the journey walking the path of righteousness for his namesake directly leads to the Valley of the shadow and this is our our journey.

It is biblical asthma Job right here is a guy that was walking rightly and actually had always hated how my goodness Harry ago and he said he stands by ghetto heat he thinks is best.

And he asked God why he needs like any of us is okay but he never crosses the line that is antagonists get across readily and is a well God is love you anymore, you walk away from movies like no that's not it. You know it, but I do want answers.

I need to know and that's the journey that will run to get in so what was the trench.

So in my case, I've got kind of hit list of experiences in my life and that I want to say first and living a joyful life. I'm sitting here today with my wife. We just celebrated our one year anniversary. Congratulations dearly blessed and grateful.

But my journey includes raising the son was diagnosed with learning disabilities at three years old and try to go through the challenge that I'm sure your listeners understand if you if you struggle with kids that are not in the typical paradigm is is will I teach special needs are church adults with special needs so from 1566, molded me John but very fond because those people you know is you know, they're very loving no filter in. But with learning disabilities like autism or Down syndrome or this kind of thing socially awkward at times and all sorts of different challenges, tried and so you do now all comes in so many flavors that you just refer to right our son was dyslexic and had another disability called dyspraxia which is effectively reading and writing and is smart located in many ways, which is like many folks on the autism artistic spectrum break that. However, couldn't do or communicate in ways that on the cortical typical kids. He was smart enough to know it and it was tough so that's part of the journey of my story is is reshaping your expectations for your kids.

Second bet was I got a phone call. Just before the big board meeting that I was having.

And it was from a paramedic in the back of an ambulance and my wife have been my wife Victoria at the time had been in a high-speed car accident. They were racing for an ambulance and they weren't sure she's better make it said you need to get to the hospital right away or nothing prepares you for that phone call and then I like pass kidney stones and doctors didn't like it took some tests and called me and set me down and said no easy way to say this, you have cancer.

We don't often kill you but we need to get after it right away. Another one of those moments, and ultimately the accident that my wife been in had left her with some significant neurological and other painful experiences that plunged her into depression and eventually needing doctors care. So I care took her and her mom going through emotional depression and other mental health issues that eventually Victoria succumbed to those challenges when off of her medications still advisedly and took her life.

In 2016 where my 18-year-old and I returned home to find that his mom and my wife of 20+ years of committed suicide. So it arrived. I've been on my knees and ultimate brokenness, and I've been at the on the top of the mountain having been gifted and sealed with cancer by God. So what would you do with the stuff right well in my case, I committed myself to serving him in leading grief groups and counseling others and encouraging others. Tough stuff and leaning on him and trusting him with it. It didn't seem like that was possible to have served. It's interesting thing as a cancer survivor myself have a lot in common.

Consider that for Job hour after you know actually got saved Job so I have a fondness for is that I came in that book. I was actually the church of Scientology talk, but where I live that out and my wife is a Christian than she was like yeah you got stuck no and I got talked and read the Bible and grateful got to Job and said to a Scientologist. You pretty much our God.

That's working her way out, but you get good luck with that.

There were generally well for it. Of so as I read the Bible.

I just kept getting madder and madder and madder at godlike know who you are you doing this post be 11 guide wire with stone and these people and so I get to Job and like you're doing this although this guy you know and so I'm right with Job all the way until when he gets the end God doesn't answer any of Job's question right. He's got questions for Joe Wright which was the questions Robbie okay Robbie, since you're so smart, you know, make it hail. I would love to want bring in the tide. This one's on your God pay and when you really think about it.

What happened was Job knew about God, but he didn't know God until the West through the crisis. What he got. Needing answers to the questions he thought he had a got answers to the real questions is who is God, and all I can actually know God and I can actually learn and talk and so through your experiences. I'm guessing and the pain you got a look what you know it actually predated yes I had was I was getting upfront and close and personal introduction of that relationship and there is a paradoxical dynamic when people are particularly struggling and you tend to reach out and embracing your your tethered flexion with God becomes so intensely personal and real that there's only so much of that pain experience that you can endure. And yet the loving embrace and presence of God in your life is something that is is truly supernaturally amazing and wonderful but it interestingly, when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015 I was given the number of choices. The results were double checked with Johns Hopkins.

I was living in Connecticut at the time and I went through and had significant but listen and you know presence of cancer tissue and they were concerned it might be metastasizing in a given me the chemo or radiation worker surgery options and a week later the day before I was supposed to give the doctor my decision. I was woken up at four in the morning and as I opened my eyes in the early April morning of Connecticut, a voice said to me you will be sealed and then I will review your commission, so that's not something that happens every day and I thought okay the stress is getting to the set up in bed and kick my legs over the side, give myself one of those rub my eyes. Things like okay but maybe it's a dream, and then again the voice said to me you will be sealed and that I will review mission so like bolt upright. Check the alarms picture windows are open to someone talking to me in the house and splash water on my face and ultimately I came to believe that this was a direct communication from God in some way that I can explain and he was telling me that if I commit my life to following him and trusting him which he revealed a little later in acts 20 verse 23 through all story that my life means nothing and the only thing that matters is to commit myself to testifying to the grace of God through Christ. So at the point where you're facing a cancer circumstance. For me I was like yes a deal right. I mean, you could heal me and I give my life to testifying.

No matter what and second, so off I went to work and I am 2 o'clock in the afternoon.

The doctor calls and I say I'm not take any treatment.

God is get healed and that didn't go over great with Dr. Cypriot Israelis like okay I know you're under a lot of stress, but seven months later after refusing treatment called me in to sign a waiver to release the hospital.

The practice of responsibility and, at which point in time I agreed to a second comprehensive biopsy process and couple days later he called on Saturdays. Doctor was doing. The bottom line was, there was no cancer and he couldn't explain it, and course I felt I could and it was moment for great celebration. So again, I've been on the mountain where God is showing me his sovereignty and his love.

When I least expect it, and I've been on my knees broken in ways that you can imagine where he was all I had to lean on. So that is the experience hurt some of the core experiences that have taken us to write this book and watch his ministry and I spent the last so I guess that's to reveal his commission part is at fault that I think is great as it is today.

I interviewed got a couple hundred people of the last four years of going to groan. Lawson broke one of them again in of Paul who lost the high school son to know. And he and I were getting together to talk about our initiatives. He was talking to high schoolers about the serious nature of the opioid technical crisis on and I was now leading grease groups in leading people through their loss experiences and try to better understand the journey and Paul said effectively, you know, we have platforms their reluctant platforms.

We have platforms and and I thought what a mature way to characterize as if I could've written this pathway as many of us if we were able to write our journey exactly the way I want this would clearly not have been my script, but it is in here we are. So now Billy Graham has a great quote that says it was written in one of his devotionals are called under the hills and he said the sufferer becomes the comforter in the service of the Lord and that was profound to be in the context of your we have a God in Christ with suffered for us, and modeled this for us and when we experience brokenness we now go to him for comfort right so for those of us that have been through this.

Why don't we reach out follow that model and try to provide comfort for people who are going through their stuff. That's what this is all about.

So absolutely wonderful in your podcast is called survival. Live drivers all is well. The podcast is wealth that the best way to do it is to go to survival. I thrive.org is our website. Nonprofit and there we have podcasts that are about living a joyful life without understanding Lawson about navigating the journey through the three stages of grief survival. I thrive so go to the website nonprofit by our book survival. I thrive or whatever you're inspired to do but it's free access on the on the nonprofit website for those tools and sites materials and podcasts love to get your feedback.

Invite everybody to please stop by and share your story that's that's no survive alive thrive with Mark Negley think I'm become lazy