The Lord Is My Shepherd: Pastor Bill’s Testimony

by Pastor Bill

“The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need” (Psalm 23:1)

Before my car accident in 1994 it seemed that countless clichés about God and church never took root. As I remember back the one about equipping intrigued me the most — it goes like this:

GOD DOESN’T CALL THE EQUIPPED — GOD EQUIPS THE CALLED

The light was red on top of a freeway bridge in the western suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. My mind was racing ahead to meeting my Uncle Len and Aunt Mary for dinner. We had not seen each other for more than 10 years. As the red light was glaring at me – smack. No skid, no screech — a car hit me from behind. A sharp pain pierced my neck and left me dazed. My left arm and leg were paralyzed. My speech was slurred as someone came to the driver’s side window and told me to just stay still – help was on the way.

When your arm won’t move and your leg won’t move and you are locked in your body it is a strange experience. Your mind moves your hand and it doesn’t move. Your mind moves your leg and it stays right where it is. The sensation is difficult to capture if you have not experienced it.

What seemed like a week later (10-15 minutes) paramedics arrived, lifted me out of the car, placed me on a board and hoisted me into an ambulance. We were off to the hospital.

Just a routine rear-end car accident. Probably happens hundreds of times a day in America. But for me it changed my life forever!

Once at the hospital it was determined that spinal damage had occurred in the collision and they administered a sedative to me. Now for the rest of the story!

The sedative wore off as a huge incapacitating headache gripped me. It had been hours since the sedative was administered and the result was a stopped heart. A code blue was called and they worked long and hard to resuscitate me. My time without oxygen to the brain did considerable damage to the short-term part of my brain. Functions like adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing were scrambled and a new experience in my life was detected — dyslexia.

A spinal fusion was next on the agenda and nine weeks of recovery. The scar healed, the vertebra grew together but the short-term memory loss, dyslexia and math all but failed me. Soon after it was clear the fusion kept me out of a wheelchair but failed to solve my problems. The surgery left me with pressure on the spine that created chronic pain.

My day job at the time was National Sales Manager in the Office Products Industry which required quick thinking, math and communications skills. My challenge was to hide my newly found deficiencies from everyone until they could be reclaimed. It was quite a struggle but it finally became apparent that without quick thinking, math and communication skills my performance suffered. Add powerful medicine necessary to control the pain and my position was terminated.

Just 37 days before my accident we had closed on the house of our dreams. It was a broken down historic mansion built in 1888 in St. Paul, Minnesota which Carol and I were going to restore.

When the income stops you lose everything like a home, cars and all your toys.

My original doctors were unable to diagnose my problems properly and months of misplaced treatment followed. Then God provided a wonderful Christian — Doctor John — who took charge and medically set me on the right course.

Years of drugs for depression followed with more drugs to mask the pain.

The Therapy Pool at Regions Hospital offered pain relief without drugs and a way for me to exercise. Three therapists — Marge, Athena and Mary worked with me day in and day out to rebuild my muscles and stamina.

These were long and difficult years for Carol and me. In the early 90’s we had become part of a home church to build marriages. It was this group of Art, Mary, Ray and Barb along with our close friends Bob and Chris that became our strength over the years to follow.

My depression had paralyzed my thoughts and actions. A Christian friend told me when in confusion read the 23rd Psalm every day and God will bring clarity. The idea was written in my Bible. But to this day I cannot remember who introduced this to me.

Every morning and every night was spent reading the 23rd Psalm. Only there was no recollection of reading it. Once again it was read. No memory of what was read came forward. Day after day, week after week, month after month was spent reading the 23rd Psalm. It seemed the more reading accomplished the less retained.

Several months of reading, lead to the bright idea to put a calendar in my Bible and mark down when the 23rd Psalm was read. Looking back — this began to organize my life. Soon after, while reading the first verse in the Psalm God spoke to me through the scripture:

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

Bingo – revelation – it sunk in – HE would bring me into a special relationship with HIM if my life was dedicated to trust in HIM as a sheep trusts the shepherd. That’s when my son Greg showed up at my door and handed me a computer. He was very clear, “You could operate one before your accident now start again.”

I placed it in the corner and ignored it.

Each morning and night the 23rd Psalm comforted me as I checked off my calendar. Weeks and months went by and then HE spoke again through the scripture:

I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED

HE was telling me HE would supply everything needed because of this special relationship. Several days later a wonderful Christian friend named Art asked me to lunch. He was genuinely concerned about me and my future. I told him about the computer Greg had left for me. He considered it a confirmation for me to start a Bible study on the internet.

I filed that next to the computer in the corner.

The next morning reading the 23rd Psalm created new vigor in anticipation of another revelation. When you’re hot you’re hot — every morning and every night my Bible was open to the 23rd Psalm. Marking it down on the calendar another month or two passed and — pop!

HE LETS ME REST IN GREEN MEADOWS

HE told me this was my time for rest. Satan had turned it into a nightmare because of worry over my accident, family, finances, the past and the future. HE said rest. Carol had been praying for me for four years to be willing to go to Lighthouse Ministries (a deliverance ministry) to see if this depression I was battling was a spirit that could be cast out. I finally said yes. We made an appointment. We met Dan the leader that night. Dan cast the spirit of depression out of me in the Name of The Lord Jesus Christ. And I was set free from depression and have not been depressed since. PTL! Dan taught me how to stay free through the word of God. This revelation changed my life. There was hope and HE would guide me to it. Rest followed.

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Fast forward to February 2007

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” Ecclesiastes  3:1 KJV

January 2006 – South Africa

Carol was given a book titled Is Jesus Enough? by our friends Leon and Lorna. She couldn’t put it down. Glen (the puppet guy) read it next and also finished it in one sitting. Carol said, “Bill, you need to meet the author.”

Glen called the author and left a message. Over the year he kept in touch with the author’s secretary, Marianne, and scheduled a visit for January 18, 2007.

We drove through the African countryside. The last three miles were a washboard dirt road — brutal for my neck — but we made it. At 1:00 PM, we arrived. The author was praying, preparing for the weekend. Pain caught up with me. I took pain meds. An hour later, we met the author.

During our conversation, the author asked why I’d come so far. I started to respond with, “Carol told me to,” but then the Holy Spirit took over. I said, “I was in a car accident in 1994, living in pain and short-term memory loss ever since. I want to be healed and pass that healing on.”

The author brought out anointing oil, prayed for my healing and for Jesus’ compassion — the kind that made Him weep for Lazarus (John 11:35). As he prayed, it began to rain — hard — for two hours. He confirmed, “The rain is a sign of your healing and ministry.” We toured the orphanage, ate pizza, and I drove the dirt road out — fast. Glen yelled, “Slow down!”

That day, January 18, 2007 at 2:00 PM, was my last pain pill. I’d been on Percocet, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, or Vicodin since 1994. No withdrawal. No pain.

Later, we watched the film Faith Like Potatoes, based on the author’s life — Angus Buchan. He’s from Greytown, South Africa. In the film, rain puts out a fire just like the day I was healed. Carol didn’t believe at first — she waited until I came home. After a week of watching me — no pills, no pain — she gave God the glory.

Isaiah 61:1

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (NKJV)

Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed” (NKJV)

Three verses later, Jesus says, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 10:19

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (NKJV)

Matthew 28:18-19

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen” (NKJV)

Carol and I accept this baton — and we invite you to join us. Pick up your own baton or partner with us as a Fire*Starter. Contact us at: Pastor Bill

Jesus is coming soon. Let Him find us giving HIM glory.

Ephesians 3:20-21

“Now to Him who is able to do all things more abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (NKJV)

© 2014 – Pastor Bill – ChristianCyberMinistries – All Rights Reserved