I was driving home from an overnight trip to Youngstown, Ohio two years ago.
Numerous little “glitches” caused me to be heading home later than normal. For one thing, I was driving my sister-in-law’s car. Would you believe I got a flat tire?
Two wonderful policemen helped me fix it on the side of the highway. I even gave a short reading to one of them, and noticed he became misty-eyed as I brought through a recently departed loved one!
The police officers warned me that my tire wouldn’t be good enough to make it back to Medina, so encouraged me to have it repaired. Fortunately I found a tire shop with a Chinese restaurant next door, so I had a late lunch while they replaced it.
As it happened, my bank account was getting dangerously low, so my next task was to find a place to deposit the check I had earned on my trip to Youngstown while speaking for the Great Conjunction group. (I was afraid something could “bounce” since I had needed to buy an unexpected tire for my sister- in- law’s car!)
Normally, I wouldn’t have been diligently looking for a branch of my bank on the way home, but due to this situation, I needed to deposit the check before it closed at 4 PM. It was nearly 3 already!
As the day’s events unfolded, I look back at these little “problematic situations”
to see just how perfectly God was working to have me in the right place at the right time. The truth is, I’ve learned to not resist when “things go wrong.” It seems, I am being “set up” to be a miracle in someone else’s life, or they are being set up to be a miracle in mine!
Driving west on Route 76, I talked into my cell phone and asked for nearby branches of my particular bank.
Time after time, as I neared exits to various towns, my bank had no branch there, or it was “too far off the beaten track” to bother with. I kept driving towards home.
Finally, I was nearing the outskirts of Akron. I asked Siri again to find my bank, and lo and behold, there was a branch only a mile or two to the left. I took an exit I’d never used, and headed for a bank I’d never seen before.
Within minutes of popping my check into the drive through ATM, I was heading back to the highway to complete my journey.
I returned on the same road I’d come in on, but now something was terribly wrong!
A horrendous car wreck had just happened. A small sedan had rammed head on into a very large pickup truck. It was so recent, the police were just beginning to interview the driver of the truck. No one had even opened the door of the sedan.
As I had been trained in First Aid, and admonished to “never leave the scene of an accident” if help has not arrived, I quickly pulled off the road and ran back to the smashed vehicle.
Inside was a young blond woman who was cut open into her belly. I looked down and was horrified to see that she was a full-term pregnancy and the baby was pushing out of her body under her heart area.
Only a week before, I had been flipping TV channels late at night and came across a PBS special featuring Dr. Amen training folks in CPR. Even though I’d learned it years earlier, this was a strong review. I watched the procedure, and then decided to change the channel.
For some reason, the channel would not change! Dr. Amen was thorough and repeated the instructions again and again. Despite repeated efforts, I could not change the channel, nor could I even turn off the TV! This was really weird! I ended up watching the CPR demonstration multiple times and was freshly ready to CPR on the spot.
Fortunately, this training kicked in seconds after I evaluated the woman’s condition. I grabbed her by the shoulders and began to shake her a bit to see if she was breathing. I instantly noticed, “oh my God, she is not!” Her lips were turning blue. Her eyes were rolled back in her head. Her neck was creepily floppy.
Taking note of her general appearance, I thought, “There is no way this woman has AIDS!” and so I immediately administered mouth to mouth resuscitation, using absolutely nothing for protection.
Dr. Amen’s video had shown how one could do both CPR and mouth- to- mouth at the same time. I began pressing on her chest at the same time (to the beat of the Bee Gee’s song: Staying Alive), and timed it properly with her breathing.
I was surprised no one was helping me. I hollered out to the crowd, “can someone
help do the CPR while I do the mouth to mouth?” No one stepped forward, not even the police.
I kept going, frantically, yet doggedly. Finally, I could hear an ambulance siren in the distance.
At last! Help is on the way!
I was horrified to observe that when the ambulance people arrived, they had me step
back and then did nothing. They didn’t put oxygen on her, they didn’t do CPR, and they didn’t do mouth-to- mouth. They just stepped back.
I said, “Look, she needs oxygen! ”
One of the staff stepped forward, touched his fingers to her neck, and said, “She has a pulse.” And then stepped back again.
I wanted to resume my activities, but felt like I would get in trouble by the EMT
staff and the police if I did.
The poor woman was finally transferred into the ambulance and rushed to Akron General Hospital, at least 10 miles away! I learned it has the best ER in the area.
I was in shock and got back into the car, and tried to think of what to do. It suddenly occurred to me to call Keith Davis, my dearest friend, who is particularly great at prayer!
I called and told her the situation. Knowing she is a mother, I knew she’d relate deeply to the pregnancy, the baby, and the young woman. With her tender strength and confidence, Keith led us in an urgent pray for the healing and protection of these two precious souls.
There was blood on the blanket I’d grabbed when I first ran to the car and it was beside me on the seat. I was crying, praying, and driving home. It was time to release the whole situation to God.
I told Keith I felt the mother would live but that the baby would die. In my view, there was such a massive injury, it seemed very unlikely the child would make it, particularly lacking oxygen for so long!
I was amazed to find nothing about this accident on the news that night. The next morning, I recovered some information on the internet. I called the hospital, and confirmed that both mother and baby were still alive!
I decided to go to the hospital and see if I would be allowed to visit, administer Reiki, comfort the family, do something! (As a minister, we are often allowed into the ER, for example), but it was not to be. Her family was not on site, and the hospital staff would not allow me to visit. I did learn l that the mother was struggling and the baby was responding to care.
The news reported a day or two later, that the young mother had passed into Spirit, while the baby survived. I chose to write a letter and took it to the hospital to give to the little girl’s family, so that when she was old enough, she’d know the “back story” of her birth. All of my attempts to contact the family were blocked.
Needing to bring closure for myself, however, I created a memorial on our land for this young mother in our woods. I also took care of myself, by seeking counseling and support from many people, particularly Keith Davis, and eventually my life went back to “normal”.
There is no question in my mind, that I was used that day to be “God’s Glory”. (LS)
2. Be God’s Glory
I was driving home from an overnight trip to Youngstown, Ohio two years ago.
Numerous little “glitches” caused me to be heading home later than normal. For one thing, I was driving my sister-in-law’s car. Would you believe I got a flat tire?
Two wonderful policemen helped me fix it on the side of the highway. I even gave a short reading to one of them, and noticed he became misty-eyed as I brought through a recently departed loved one!
The police officers warned me that my tire wouldn’t be good enough to make it back to Medina, so encouraged me to have it repaired. Fortunately I found a tire shop with a Chinese restaurant next door, so I had a late lunch while they replaced it.
As it happened, my bank account was getting dangerously low, so my next task was to find a place to deposit the check I had earned on my trip to Youngstown while speaking for the Great Conjunction group. (I was afraid something could “bounce” since I had needed to buy an unexpected tire for my sister- in- law’s car!)
Normally, I wouldn’t have been diligently looking for a branch of my bank on the way home, but due to this situation, I needed to deposit the check before it closed at 4 PM. It was nearly 3 already!
As the day’s events unfolded, I look back at these little “problematic situations”
to see just how perfectly God was working to have me in the right place at the right time. The truth is, I’ve learned to not resist when “things go wrong.” It seems, I am being “set up” to be a miracle in someone else’s life, or they are being set up to be a miracle in mine!
Driving west on Route 76, I talked into my cell phone and asked for nearby branches of my particular bank.
Time after time, as I neared exits to various towns, my bank had no branch there, or it was “too far off the beaten track” to bother with. I kept driving towards home.
Finally, I was nearing the outskirts of Akron. I asked Siri again to find my bank, and lo and behold, there was a branch only a mile or two to the left. I took an exit I’d never used, and headed for a bank I’d never seen before.
Within minutes of popping my check into the drive through ATM, I was heading back to the highway to complete my journey.
I returned on the same road I’d come in on, but now something was terribly wrong!
A horrendous car wreck had just happened. A small sedan had rammed head on into a very large pickup truck. It was so recent, the police were just beginning to interview the driver of the truck. No one had even opened the door of the sedan.
As I had been trained in First Aid, and admonished to “never leave the scene of an accident” if help has not arrived, I quickly pulled off the road and ran back to the smashed vehicle.
Inside was a young blond woman who was cut open into her belly. I looked down and was horrified to see that she was a full-term pregnancy and the baby was pushing out of her body under her heart area.
Only a week before, I had been flipping TV channels late at night and came across a PBS special featuring Dr. Amen training folks in CPR. Even though I’d learned it years earlier, this was a strong review. I watched the procedure, and then decided to change the channel.
For some reason, the channel would not change! Dr. Amen was thorough and repeated the instructions again and again. Despite repeated efforts, I could not change the channel, nor could I even turn off the TV! This was really weird! I ended up watching the CPR demonstration multiple times and was freshly ready to CPR on the spot.
Fortunately, this training kicked in seconds after I evaluated the woman’s condition. I grabbed her by the shoulders and began to shake her a bit to see if she was breathing. I instantly noticed, “oh my God, she is not!” Her lips were turning blue. Her eyes were rolled back in her head. Her neck was creepily floppy.
Taking note of her general appearance, I thought, “There is no way this woman has AIDS!” and so I immediately administered mouth to mouth resuscitation, using absolutely nothing for protection.
Dr. Amen’s video had shown how one could do both CPR and mouth- to- mouth at the same time. I began pressing on her chest at the same time (to the beat of the Bee Gee’s song: Staying Alive), and timed it properly with her breathing.
I was surprised no one was helping me. I hollered out to the crowd, “can someone
help do the CPR while I do the mouth to mouth?” No one stepped forward, not even the police.
I kept going, frantically, yet doggedly. Finally, I could hear an ambulance siren in the distance.
At last! Help is on the way!
I was horrified to observe that when the ambulance people arrived, they had me step
back and then did nothing. They didn’t put oxygen on her, they didn’t do CPR, and they didn’t do mouth-to- mouth. They just stepped back.
I said, “Look, she needs oxygen! ”
One of the staff stepped forward, touched his fingers to her neck, and said, “She has a pulse.” And then stepped back again.
I wanted to resume my activities, but felt like I would get in trouble by the EMT
staff and the police if I did.
The poor woman was finally transferred into the ambulance and rushed to Akron General Hospital, at least 10 miles away! I learned it has the best ER in the area.
I was in shock and got back into the car, and tried to think of what to do. It suddenly occurred to me to call Keith Davis, my dearest friend, who is particularly great at prayer!
I called and told her the situation. Knowing she is a mother, I knew she’d relate deeply to the pregnancy, the baby, and the young woman. With her tender strength and confidence, Keith led us in an urgent pray for the healing and protection of these two precious souls.
There was blood on the blanket I’d grabbed when I first ran to the car and it was beside me on the seat. I was crying, praying, and driving home. It was time to release the whole situation to God.
I told Keith I felt the mother would live but that the baby would die. In my view, there was such a massive injury, it seemed very unlikely the child would make it, particularly lacking oxygen for so long!
I was amazed to find nothing about this accident on the news that night. The next morning, I recovered some information on the internet. I called the hospital, and confirmed that both mother and baby were still alive!
I decided to go to the hospital and see if I would be allowed to visit, administer Reiki, comfort the family, do something! (As a minister, we are often allowed into the ER, for example), but it was not to be. Her family was not on site, and the hospital staff would not allow me to visit. I did learn l that the mother was struggling and the baby was responding to care.
The news reported a day or two later, that the young mother had passed into Spirit, while the baby survived. I chose to write a letter and took it to the hospital to give to the little girl’s family, so that when she was old enough, she’d know the “back story” of her birth. All of my attempts to contact the family were blocked.
Needing to bring closure for myself, however, I created a memorial on our land for this young mother in our woods. I also took care of myself, by seeking counseling and support from many people, particularly Keith Davis, and eventually my life went back to “normal”.
There is no question in my mind, that I was used that day to be “God’s Glory”. (LS)