Thank you, Lord, for Bill Douglas
My brother, friend, and hero in the faith Bill Douglas had the greatest gain of his existence last night - the Lord took him home. Only a few weeks ago Bill and I sat in his room and talked about the passage where Paul says, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Bill looked forward to being with the Lord like few I've known. His faith inspires me. Read this poem Bill wrote about his battle with cancer and see if his faith doesn't inspire you too. And one more thing before I hand this post over to Bill...he'd want me to ask you if you knew the Lord. If not, would you contact me? I'd love to share with you how God can be your joy and strength and salvation. You can do so by clicking on "Contact Us" above.
The Ride
By Bill Douglas, January 25, 2008
I guess it all got started,
In the summer of 2005,
But I didn’t know it ‘til two years later.
I’m blessed to be alive.
This “something” that got started is cancer,
And I’ve got it in my lung.
It spread to my backbone and lymph nodes.
Heaven’s knows where it’ll go before it’s done.
I got a lot of advice on how to treat it.
Some said eat flax seed and other stuff,
But after prayer, I cast a lot,
To find conventional treatment is enough.
Some encouraged me to fight it,
Others said it wasn’t there,
But like a rank bronc, I decided to ride it;
Not to win, not to lose, but to grow through trial and prayer.
I rode it through the tests and scans,
And treatment on the radiation machine.
During chemo it almost threw me.
It was wicked, sickening and mean.
I rode it from Washington to Arizona,
Through the wind and ice and snow.
Encouraged in Jesus through the prayers of the saints,
He was with me wherever I’d go.
We’d ride across the desert toward Telegraph Pass,
My lungs breathed deeper as we’d go.
The cancer was yielding and getting rode down,
And I was starting to grow.
God only knows what His plan holds for me,
As we continue on this ride,
But I’ve got a deep seat and rejoicing in Him,
Because Jesus rides by my side.
When I reach the end of life’s trail,
Whether still in the saddle or thrown,
To God be the glory for that victorious ride,
When Jesus calls me home.
This story of Bill reminds me of another man who was given a rocky trail of hardhsip and suffering. His name was Lee Hallock. He was a WWII vet, Green Beret.
The night before he passed, I was visiting this man that was impervious to my presence. It seemed there was no other thing but clamoring toward heaven. He was in a hospital bed, at home, equipped with a pull-up ring to help him sit up. He kept pulling on that ring and reaching past it toward the sky; until I started to pray. I was surely surprised when he pulled himself to a sitting position and grasped my neck and pulled my head toward his. He held our foreheads together for the entire prayer. After my friend Terry and I said amen, Lee returned to his reaching toward heaven until I sang his favorite song, "It is well, (with my soul)", when he repeated the hugging.
I shall never forget Lee. Like Bill, these two men who have loved Jesus with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, are a wonderful example of what it is to be a saint.