Update from David ~ Sept 11, 2010

9/11

Today I send love to all my many friends in USA and across the world. To you in the States particularly, I weep with you as you remember the tragic events of 9/11 2001. I have watched several programmes this week on TV and reliving the horrors of that day are horrific for me here in UK/Ireland. How much more for you!

And yet we know that God is sovereign! Nothing takes Him by surprise - not even 9/11. He does not promise a life free from trouble. The Bible does not teach us that if we trust God we will be free from sickness, pain of tragedy. But He does promise this to all who trust Christ:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:35-37).

Today is my personal 9/11. Within months of the attacks on USA, I fell ill with a devastating illness that ended my public ministry and almost ended my life. In a few more months I was told the only hope for me was a heart transplant. A couple of months later, on 9/11 2002, I was given experimental medication that might "buy me more time." Six months to a year was the suggested time before a transplant. Here I am 9/11 2020, still on the medication, still avoiding transplant and still with a "reasonable" degree of health. Of course I believe the medicines help; of course I believe God has answered the prayers of a host of friends like you; but most of all I trust a sovereign God who has had a sovereign plan and purpose for me over these years and has graciously granted me years I could never have expected.

These years have not been without frustration; I am just like you and must daily trust God when the way is dark and the future bleak. I have spent years longing to be back in public Pastoral ministry and yet God has had a different purpose for my life. That purpose has included many of you. So these years have also been years of great blessing. God has given me a host of friends to love and with whom I have laughed and prayed and wept and grieved.

Thank you for touching my life in such wonderful ways. Thank you for allowing me to enter into your joys and sorrows. Thank you for encouraging me. Thank you for listening to me when I "preached" and for understanding that my only desire is to honour Christ and exalt Him. You have given me the most wonderful honour of ministering to you and supporting you in the few small ways I can. How I wish I could have done more. You are all very special to me and I pray God blesses you and those you love.

9/11 is also special to me because it is my birthday and this is a special birthday - a big birthday. Here in UK /Ireland retirement age is 65 and today I have reached that milestone. Yes I am officially old! Officially retired! A pensioner! A senior citizen! I have to keep telling myself that because I don’t feel it. I still feel young and dread being thought of as old. My teenage grandson gave me a card today saying "65? You're too young to be that old!" I want to stay young always!

If God will grant me health and more days, I will continue to serve Him through 2hearts. I am too old to change, too young to give up, and too blessed to walk away, too many special friends that I just cannot leave. My health is as good as can be expected with a failed heart and with medication side effects. I get tired and weak but most days I spend on the computer talking to the world about Jesus. Thank you for praying. If God grants me more 9/11s, I’ll use them to serve Him and encourage you.

Thank you for walking this road with me. You make the journey seem brighter, you carry the load part of the way for me, you sing to me when the darkness falls. But please slow down - just occasionally - and wait for an old man! He’ll catch up with you as often as he can.

With much love

David

Update from David ~ June 1, 2008

Today I am very tired but ecstatic. It’s a long story but I will try to summarise it.

Six years ago, after being diagnosed with sever heart failure and told I needed a transplant, I searched the internet for information and advice. That led to the Lord giving me a ministry to all who face the trauma of heart illness and the beginnings of 2hearts.

I am deeply humbled to discover that a Google search for “heart transplant” places my little site at 24th place out of 1.25 million links. And if a search is made for “prayer for heart transplant,” then the site is ranked Number 1. Praise the Lord. But I am not seeking glory for myself or congratulations on the site. All I want to do is support “broken hearts” and to introduce them to the One who “heals the broken-hearted.”

But also six years ago I searched Google, wondering if there was another Pastor who had faced what I was facing. Over the years I met several but the first was James Westgate from California. In July 2000, Jim had received a new heart. He and his wife Nancy were really encouraging and Jim allowed me to post his story and testimony on 2hearts. Jim’s older brother Ron had earlier had a transplant and in 2006 Jim’s twin brother Chuck has also had a new heart. Their remarkable story in on this site and also on http://www.stanfordhospital.com

Then just two weeks ago Jim told me he and Nancy and his brother Ron and wife Mary, were coming to UK and Ireland for a touring vacation. They would be in Dublin for a short period. That was the point nearest to us on their trip and immediately we tried to plan a meeting. I have been seriously restricted in travel for all these years but we made a determined effort to travel there. Friends drove us there and back last night (Saturday) and we had around three hours together over a meal. What a very, very special meeting God allowed us to have. We discovered we have so much in common; God knit our hearts together from the very first moment we met.

Jim encouraged me so much in the 2hearts ministry, telling me he has shared the web site with hundreds of heart patients and families. It was exciting to meet Ron and discover he was involved in the early “trials” of the drug that has made such a difference to my life.

Now you see why I am ecstatic. It was a wonderful adventure and enormous privilege – a very special day.

Thank you for all your love and prayers over the years. Perhaps God will allow me greater health or a new heart and I may even have the privilege of meeting some of you. God bless you all and may you find encouragement today too.

Psalm 27:13,14.
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Update from David ~ January 2008

Jan 28th 2008

Thank you for all your love and prayers during the past weeks. The sickness and infection is gone but then I hurt my back and moved with great difficulty for a week. So I have barely been out of the door since Christmas eve! Roll on February! I am beginning to feel better though. God is gracious.

Many times this month I felt really low and struggled spiritually to cope with all that was going on in our lives. We have been leaning upon God for so long for a number of situations and I was getting impatient and discouraged. Then in my scripture reading I had come to Psalm 119. Verse 25 stood out. "I lie in the dust; revive me by your word." God spoke to me in the dust.

"You are a child of the dust. You come from dust and will return to dust." The more I thought of that, the more my heart was moved with worship and wonder. God gave life to the dust of the ground to make me live. These amazingly complex bodies of our ours were initially created from dust! I lay in the dust, filled with wonder at what God can do with dust.

And though I am dust and will return to dust, I am much more than dust for God breathed into us and we became living souls. One day even the dust that was my body will be gathered together at the coming of the Lord and my body will be raised a new glorious body. No more dust! What a glorious hope for all who believe on Jesus!

But even believers with this hope know the choking, miserable experience of lying in the dust sometimes. As I lay in the dust and pondered how God might revive me by His word, it seems I saw handprints beside me. I was not the first to lie here.

I saw where Joseph lay in the dust of shattered dreams and wrong accusations. I saw where King David lay in the dust of moral failure and that dust was muddied by the tears of repentance. I saw where Elijah lay in the dust of utter weariness and deep depression. I saw the tormented handprints of Job who lay in the dust of bereavement, pain and unjust accusation. I saw the prints of the Prodigal in Luke 15 as he beat the dusty ground in shame and saw the footprints where he rose to confess his sin and return to God and to home.

And in all of the prints, I saw that God was able to revive and restore those who love Him.

Bless God for His Word. Are you lying in the dust of life's trials? Take out the Word of God and read it. Ask Him to "revive you by His Word". Jesus said, " I have come that they might have life - abundant life" - even in the dust.

With love to you all and prayers for you all that you might find HIS footprints in the dust where you lie.

always your friend

David

 

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