Poolside Miracle: Self-Evident Stories of Salvation

(Post-dated in relation to services at Hope Fellowship on Sunday March, 15 2009.)

Poolside Miracle

Talk about your moving messages. I understand that as we get closer to Easter and celebration of the Resurrection of Christ that sermons can take and breathe life into the spiritually lame, myself included. And here is proof...


How hard is it to answer questions for yourself in church? In my opinion it was awful. No one could see me, no one knew, but for some reason I was scared of my answers. But I would like to share them with you...

Q:How big is my God? A:There is no limit in size nor shape.
Q:What is my handicap? A:Spiritually Lame...My Past...Myself...
Q:What is God telling me? A:MOVE mountains.

Nothing to be scared of, right? That's what I tried to tell myself. But in self-reflection our greatest fears and weaknesses can paralyze us emotionally and spiritually. We have to rise above it, and shoulder our burdens, every step a learning process for something greater.


On Wednesday, March 18, 2009, I was one of the two closing servers at work that evening. Now I understand we get a late "pop" recently from church crowds but nothing planned me for what was coming...

It was thirty minutes before we closed the restaurant and an elderly, but spry, gentleman came in with an aged beauty at his arm. They seemed close, as if they were family, and warmly greeted me before I could even say a word. You see I love tables that tend to "break the ice" first, like they are meeting me halfway. They know what I am there for, but instead of immediately asking for services, they acknowledge that I am a person as well. I quickly put myself in motion based upon their wishes, requests, and promptings. But also I took the time the learn more about them, as I was thoroughly intrigued by their personality. The gent claimed he was an astonishing eighty years old and the beauty with him that evening was his sister. (At this point I have to swear to you that this man, in no way shape or form, looked anything of the sort and I would not place his age a microsecond beyond sixty-five. This is where things really start to get interesting.) He told me that he had cancer, but cancer DOES NOT have him. He told me he just got done with another round of Chemo and his skin and hair had never been better. We made a couple jokes about my "migration" and that Chemo might do me some good. I got their order from the kitchen and delivered it to them. As they were enjoying their meal, I could not help myself from talking with him more. He told me that at church he gets countless sick and lame people at services and they ask him why is he not sick like the rest...why in the face of a life threatening illness is he not hopeless or helpless? His only reply was that he chose not to be that way. To embrace life and God and know that no matter what, he was going to be all right. Even in death, if we are with God, are we not o.k?

I immediately quoted what I remembered from the poolside miracle; he finished up what I had missed. I saw a tear in his eye, and knew from then on he had all ready "picked up his mat and walked". He is trudging along on a path that few are truly strong enough with the Lord to unquestionably go... I believe that this man has all ready conquered death and nothing about living nor dying scares him. I hope his bright example can be a light for others to follow and be healed by the grace and for the glory.


~Amen