Hi, I'm Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin.
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And I'm Arthur Nowlin.
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And welcome to "making it work."
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Our topic today still fighting.
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Arthur, what comes
to mind when you hear
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words like that still fighting?
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I'm in the
battle. I'm not giving up.
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I'm faced with some
difficulties but I am--
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I continue to move
forward no matter what.
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And I know you can
identify with that.
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Well, today on our program
and we're so happy to have him
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with us here on making
it work, John Trombley.
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And he's going to tell
you how he's still fighting.
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Welcome, John. Hey.
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How you're doing, John?
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Good. Good.
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Tell us your story.
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So I-- October 22 of 2010
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I was diagnosed
with multiple myeloma,
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which is a cancer
of the bone marrow.
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I guess I should
back up a little bit.
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I thought what I was
dealing with was sciatica,
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I've just
recently picked up jogging
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so I thought for sure
that I must have just messed up
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a muscle or something like that.
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So I worked at a
hospital at the time.
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So I asked one of the doctors
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if they could
shoot up the sciatica,
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so I could stretch it out
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'cause I had been struggling
with it for quite a while
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trying to stretch it out,
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trying to relieve the
pain that I was having.
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And the doctor said
yeah, we can do that
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but I'd rather do
an examination first
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so-- so she did.
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She did an
examination, she took x-rays
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and within a half hour
she-- I had been taken off work.
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My life just completely
changed, she said I don't--
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Within half hour.
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Within a half hour
she did already found
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one of the tumors
just in the x-ray.
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I had a-- I had a
tumor in my pelvic bone
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which is why I
was having the pain.
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It wasn't sciatica at all.
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And she even-- you know,
the Lord works in great ways
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and she says I think
you have multiple myeloma.
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She said right then in there
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so it was a
whirlwind after that.
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She wasn't a cancer
doctor, she was a leg, you know,
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knee, leg, feet doctor.
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So after that I had to do
the CAT scans and the MRI'S
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and all of that.
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And my official
date of October 22
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was I had multiple myeloma
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and again it is a
bone marrow cancer
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which your white blood cells
are made in your bone marrow.
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So my immune system is
pretty much short as well.
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So that's what multiple
myeloma is, it's to the end.
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As of right now,
it's an incurable cancer.
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Incurable.
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Yes, so but again I
have been blessed and it is--
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we call it stable
because it is incurable
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but it's stable right now.
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Are you taking or
receiving chemo or radiation?
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I am, I take
chemo in a pill form
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and I take it three weeks.
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I take it three weeks and
then I'm off for week basically.
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Okay.
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And that's accompanied
with the couple of other drugs.
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I have a steroid
that I take and a--
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and an infusion that I take
that goes together that this--
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the doctor at the hospital
that I worked at had created.
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Again, God put me
in the right place.
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I should not have--
I did not go to school
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to work at a hospital.
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I went to school
for communications.
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So-- so I shouldn't be
in the hospital environment
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when after
conversion I went to--
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I was blessed to get
this job at the hospital
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and it was on the job training,
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which is something
that's rare anymore.
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And so when I
went to the doctor,
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he there are-- I
think six to eight doctors
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that do this test study.
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Out of the six to
eight, two of 'em invented it.
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The doctor that I
have was one of the two
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that had invented
this-- this test study.
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So I believe God put me
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at this particular
hospital for a reason
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and I've been
blessed and also be blessed.
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You said, after
you've been converted.
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Okay, so have the conversion,
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so tell us a
little bit about that?
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So sure, I grew up I-- I
did not grew up in a church.
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And by high school I had
a-- I had somebody that was--
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one of the students had died.
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And I always kind
of contemplated God
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and tried to
figure it out everything
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and bottom-line was the--
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the thought of this person
being able to peek over a cloud
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at anytime and watch me
really, it really bugged me.
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It was disturbing
and I thought if that is,
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if that's Christianity,
if that's what happens
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afterwards I guess.
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If that's what
happens afterwards,
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I don't want any part of that.
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That just sounds so
silly to me basically.
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So I rejected God, I
rejected the whole thing
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and because it was
just too silly to me.
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Yes.
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So by high school I had
declared myself an atheist
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and lived the life that I led.
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Again I was in radio and
I was in some local bands
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and stuff like that.
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And the stuff that goes
along with that and so...
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I converted about 10 years ago
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and that story is
one of the other members
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that was in the
local scene had converted
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and I had gotten married.
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I had the full time job
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and as an
atheist that's it, right?
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And so I was-- I
was with my buddy,
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we were drinking
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and I was saying boy this is it.
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This is awful, you
know, if this is all life is.
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So he goes, well, if
you truly believe that
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you need to come to
this with me and it was the--
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the local church was
having a evangelistic series.
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Okay.
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And immediately I
jumped on the other side.
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I didn't want to
lose my drinking buddy,
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so I wanted to come
to the church with him,
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so I could find the flaw,
so we can find a loophole.
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So we can go back to living
the life that we were living.
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Well.
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And I've yet to
find it, so I stayed.
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You stayed.
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So the church you went to
was Seventh-day Adventist.
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It is
Seventh-day Adventist church
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and I had looked at
other churches before
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and there was
always that loophole.
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You know, and so--
so when I came here,
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I was just so
impressed with the truth.
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And you're a member
at the Oakwood Church.
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Yes.
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And you're from the Taylor
Park and where are you from?
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Flat Rock. Flat
Rock in Michigan.
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Now, so you went to college
and what about family support
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during when you
were diagnosed with--
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Tell us about your family?
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Yeah, my family
was terrific actually.
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My family
co-workers, I was so impressed
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with family
co-workers, church family.
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It was very humbling
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because I'm kind
of the type of person
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that I can do it on
my own type of thing
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and so it was very-- we
have such great support.
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My in-laws are so
supportive as far as, you know,
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helping with the kids
and you know my in laws,
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I mean, both have
medical problems themselves
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yet they're helping.
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I guess I keep saying October 22
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'cause the same
day I was diagnosed,
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my baby boy was
born the exact same day.
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Yeah.
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So we had him at 2 am,
I was diagnosed at 8 am.
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Really.
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And so it was just kind
of a whirlwind, you know,
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so now my poor wife has,
you know, she just had a baby,
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now she's and she might--
our family life before hand.
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My wife has a
scleroderma which is a disease
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that kind of
hardens the-- your innards
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and it can harden your
skin and stuff like that.
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Praise God, she has a
very, very mild case of it.
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Praise God. Yeah.
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I heard that that
could be very devastating.
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It is, it is and she was,
so she was always the sick one.
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I was always the healthy one.
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Yeah.
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And also it was-- it
flipped us up, you know,
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flipped the whole
thing upside down.
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Now all of a
sudden, I'm the sick one,
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now she has to take care off.
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She just had a baby and I mean,
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it was just
completely changed everything
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but again family
support was very good.
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Church support was very good
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and co-workers were outstanding
and you really do see.
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You know, when you can get
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the world is so
nasty, all right.
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But boy, you can
really see the God working
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in this nasty
world at the same time.
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Oh, yes, He can.
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In and out of church.
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You know, let me ask you
about your faith, you know,
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when we talked before
to our previous guest hope.
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You know, did you
ever question God?
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Did you say, why me?
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Did you ever blame
God? Were you angry at God?
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I was never angry at God.
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I praise God
that He was in my life
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because I wonder if what
old John would have done.
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I have no idea
what I would have done.
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You know, I would have tried
to drink it away basically is
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what I would have tried to do.
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So I praise that
God, He was there.
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Now, well, there are those
times where it's, you know,
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hey, I want to live a
little bit long you know.
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Again with this--
with this diagnoses
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it's a-- the doctors
giving you a good 15 years.
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Okay.
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Well, 15 years you
know, that puts me in my 50's,
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I want more than 15 years.
00:10:00.18\00:10:02.16
So I shouldn't have this.
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I guess nobody should have this
00:10:05.39\00:10:07.37
but when you get
diagnosed with this,
00:10:07.40\00:10:08.56
what you find out is that
you're supposed to be over 65
00:10:08.59\00:10:12.10
when you get multiple myeloma.
00:10:12.13\00:10:14.76
So for me to be 35 when
I got it, 36, 35 it was--
00:10:14.79\00:10:21.18
I think I'm their
favorite guinea pig
00:10:21.21\00:10:22.67
'cause now they get
to figure out, you know,
00:10:22.70\00:10:24.21
how far along this test will go.
00:10:24.24\00:10:27.95
So again, I just-- oh,
the question was I'm sorry.
00:10:27.98\00:10:34.31
So I'm glad that
God was in my life.
00:10:34.34\00:10:36.67
I never questioned God
in-- but I questioned the things
00:10:36.70\00:10:42.90
that again my
baby boy was just born.
00:10:42.93\00:10:45.01
I have a six year
old daughter as well.
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You start to contemplate
when am I okay with dying
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basically, right.
00:10:51.12\00:10:52.32
When she grad-- when they
graduate oh, wait a second,
00:10:52.35\00:10:54.43
now I want to
see who they marry.
00:10:54.46\00:10:56.00
Now, wait a second, I want
to see grandkids, you know what,
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what's now I want
to see them graduate.
00:10:58.62\00:10:59.81
You know, what I mean so.
00:10:59.84\00:11:00.88
So you start to contemplate like
00:11:00.91\00:11:02.21
when is it okay to go ahead
00:11:02.24\00:11:04.05
because I don't say
this cavalier in any way
00:11:04.08\00:11:08.88
I-- I'm comfortable again
because of my faith with--
00:11:08.91\00:11:15.06
we know it's going to
end this life here, right.
00:11:15.09\00:11:19.30
We know this is
going to end at some point.
00:11:19.33\00:11:21.51
I have just been
slapped in the face with it.
00:11:21.54\00:11:23.50
But we all know
that that's going to end,
00:11:23.53\00:11:25.98
so I guess again when
am I comfortable with it?
00:11:26.01\00:11:30.30
That, those, that's the struggle
00:11:30.33\00:11:31.63
I think of when am
I comfortable with.
00:11:31.66\00:11:33.77
One of the things
I was thinking about
00:11:33.80\00:11:35.94
when you say, when
is it going to happen?
00:11:35.97\00:11:38.99
You know, you said 15
years so is that's standard
00:11:39.02\00:11:44.14
when someone is diagnosed
with that particular disease?
00:11:44.17\00:11:47.70
That is 5 years ago,
00:11:47.73\00:11:50.44
they gave you 5
years basically--
00:11:50.47\00:11:52.13
Five years.
00:11:52.16\00:11:53.29
Yeah, but with
this particular study
00:11:53.32\00:11:55.09
he's getting the
results of 15 years.
00:11:55.12\00:11:58.43
But again the problem is well
most of his patients are 65,
00:11:58.46\00:12:02.50
15-20 years is a good
thing and usually you know
00:12:02.53\00:12:05.94
unfortunately they
pass on from something else.
00:12:05.97\00:12:09.22
So with me being
younger when I get it,
00:12:09.25\00:12:13.39
this is something new for them.
00:12:13.42\00:12:16.23
I mean, I'm not the only one,
they're getting younger people
00:12:16.26\00:12:18.84
more and more these
days but so we don't know yet
00:12:18.87\00:12:23.55
that's what the problem is--
00:12:23.58\00:12:25.21
they don't know
and we don't know yet.
00:12:25.24\00:12:27.22
Well, I guess, my
reason for asking that question
00:12:27.25\00:12:30.65
is basically when
we think about 15 years
00:12:30.68\00:12:34.24
or whatever the years maybe.
00:12:34.27\00:12:37.68
The more that they do research,
00:12:37.71\00:12:40.60
the more they are
involved with trying to find
00:12:40.63\00:12:43.34
some type of cure or
maybe even different you know,
00:12:43.37\00:12:46.73
we-- as you
continue to-- to move forward
00:12:46.76\00:12:50.54
in your fight against
this insidious disease.
00:12:50.57\00:12:54.45
You know, so--
00:12:54.48\00:12:55.78
Yeah, absolutely and you know,
00:12:55.81\00:12:57.88
they've harvested my
stem cells, so if it--
00:12:57.91\00:13:00.50
Okay.
00:13:00.53\00:13:01.56
Because it's guaranteed
to come back pretty much.
00:13:01.59\00:13:03.48
It's guaranteed to come back
00:13:03.51\00:13:04.55
so they've
harvested my stem cells
00:13:04.58\00:13:06.62
and when it does they
can-- shoot those in me
00:13:06.65\00:13:11.70
and then we can
start over basically.
00:13:11.73\00:13:13.66
So you are
right in 15, 20 years,
00:13:13.69\00:13:14.94
they may find a
cure, absolutely.
00:13:14.97\00:13:17.76
But I just have
to wait basically.
00:13:17.79\00:13:19.88
I have to wait so.
00:13:19.91\00:13:21.49
Okay, you know, so
what about your wife.
00:13:21.52\00:13:25.81
Let's go back to her.
00:13:25.84\00:13:27.07
You know she's been dealing
with some concerns of her own
00:13:27.10\00:13:31.32
and now she's reaching
out to you and nurturing you
00:13:31.35\00:13:35.62
and encouraging you.
00:13:35.65\00:13:36.91
How does that make you feel?
00:13:36.94\00:13:37.97
It's been this whole process,
if ever there is anything
00:13:38.00\00:13:43.66
that can humble you.
00:13:43.69\00:13:45.17
It is this
having to ask for help
00:13:45.20\00:13:48.39
and which is something
that I don't like to do.
00:13:48.42\00:13:51.91
I-- you know, I've grew up,
you take care of the business,
00:13:51.94\00:13:54.48
you keep your
business to yourself
00:13:54.51\00:13:56.84
and you can go on, you know.
00:13:56.87\00:13:59.08
This disease completely
turns that upside down.
00:13:59.11\00:14:02.63
You have to ask for help.
00:14:02.66\00:14:04.39
The biggest-- forgive me,
00:14:04.42\00:14:08.31
part of the disease
is losing your words,
00:14:08.34\00:14:11.30
so part of the treatment.
00:14:11.33\00:14:12.81
Oh, you are doing fine.
00:14:12.84\00:14:13.87
Thank you, sorry, I'm so--
00:14:13.90\00:14:15.49
Yes.
00:14:15.52\00:14:17.62
You wake up every morning
and you have to do is your body
00:14:17.65\00:14:21.56
going to let you move,
00:14:21.59\00:14:23.52
'cause the biggest
thing is fatigue basically.
00:14:23.55\00:14:26.28
And it's not
fatigue like oh, I'm sleepy.
00:14:26.31\00:14:28.35
It's fatigue, your body
just doesn't want to move.
00:14:28.38\00:14:30.97
So that's the hardest thing.
00:14:31.00\00:14:32.44
That's the biggest side
effect from the disease.
00:14:32.47\00:14:36.34
So you wake up every
morning and you can see
00:14:36.37\00:14:39.27
how the disease could totally
consume you with that, right.
00:14:39.30\00:14:41.93
Because, you know, at
first when you get diagnosed,
00:14:41.96\00:14:43.84
you get on the internet.
00:14:43.87\00:14:44.91
You try to figure it out.
00:14:44.94\00:14:46.16
You know, and then you
hear everybody is dying from it.
00:14:46.19\00:14:48.11
So you stop
looking at the internet
00:14:48.14\00:14:50.19
and then so anyway,
00:14:50.22\00:14:53.07
it can consume you with
that now going back to--
00:14:53.10\00:14:57.72
so I have, I'm at home now,
I can't work because of this.
00:14:57.75\00:15:01.05
I'm not able to
tell an employer,
00:15:01.08\00:15:04.13
I can be there full time
because there may be a day
00:15:04.16\00:15:06.80
where I can't get
out off bed basically.
00:15:06.83\00:15:09.55
And I can't keep
taking sick days so to speak.
00:15:09.58\00:15:12.80
So as of right now
I'm I-- I can be employed
00:15:12.83\00:15:16.12
so I'm at home with the kids
so that's completely different.
00:15:16.15\00:15:19.45
Which it might be
easier to be employed why not?
00:15:19.48\00:15:23.19
But so-- so that's
tough that's the struggle.
00:15:23.22\00:15:26.33
I mean to, you know,
to go and from being the--
00:15:26.36\00:15:30.72
I don't want to say burden
00:15:30.75\00:15:31.81
'cause my wife and
I both worked but to--
00:15:31.84\00:15:34.92
if you're doing
that to doing this.
00:15:34.95\00:15:36.81
You know what I mean
and it's just difficult,
00:15:36.84\00:15:38.69
it's very difficult now
and again my wife I mean,
00:15:38.72\00:15:41.22
she is the one that
really had to step up.
00:15:41.25\00:15:43.80
I mean, she-- again
always being considered
00:15:43.83\00:15:47.49
the one that will take care off.
00:15:47.52\00:15:49.52
Now she's the
one that's helping me
00:15:49.55\00:15:51.97
and I guess that's how
a marriage works, right.
00:15:52.00\00:15:55.96
Yes.
00:15:55.99\00:15:57.19
And again I praise God
00:15:57.22\00:15:58.97
that He put such a
wonderful wife for me.
00:15:59.00\00:16:02.31
I mean, He gave me
such a wonderful wife.
00:16:02.34\00:16:03.49
Did you all meet here at church?
00:16:03.52\00:16:04.81
We do not.
00:16:04.84\00:16:05.93
We met in high school
actually and dated forever
00:16:05.96\00:16:10.33
and we ended up getting married
before we came to the church.
00:16:10.36\00:16:15.30
Yes.
00:16:15.33\00:16:18.26
And so now, I started looking
00:16:18.29\00:16:20.36
and she grew up
in a Baptist family.
00:16:20.39\00:16:23.89
Okay.
00:16:23.92\00:16:26.71
And I basically had
her out of the church
00:16:26.74\00:16:28.99
by the time we got married.
00:16:29.02\00:16:30.76
You know she had
made those decisions
00:16:30.79\00:16:32.34
and so then I start-- I
do a complete-- you know,
00:16:32.37\00:16:36.96
180 on her and
start going to church
00:16:36.99\00:16:39.37
and I didn't ask
her to come at first
00:16:39.40\00:16:41.28
because I didn't
want her to feel like
00:16:41.31\00:16:42.43
I'm forcing it on her
or anything like that.
00:16:42.46\00:16:44.56
And I was still
checking it out too,
00:16:44.59\00:16:45.96
want to make sure
there was something
00:16:45.99\00:16:47.02
that I wanted to be involved in.
00:16:47.05\00:16:48.28
And so she started
coming to and again praise God
00:16:48.31\00:16:51.50
that she believed
the truth as well.
00:16:51.53\00:16:53.74
She saw it and so
yeah, it was, you know,
00:16:53.77\00:16:56.78
again I don't know what would
have happened if she didn't.
00:16:56.81\00:17:00.49
Now you, John,
you preached a sermon
00:17:00.52\00:17:02.47
or you told your testimony,
00:17:02.50\00:17:03.82
is that what about
you preached a sermon.
00:17:03.85\00:17:04.88
I preached a sermon, yes.
00:17:04.91\00:17:05.94
At the Oakwood
Seventh-day Adventist church
00:17:05.97\00:17:07.27
here in Taylor, Michigan.
00:17:07.30\00:17:08.91
And why-- why did you
accept that call to do that?
00:17:08.94\00:17:14.81
I-- I hope that
it's the Holy Spirit
00:17:14.84\00:17:18.36
using me for that.
00:17:18.39\00:17:19.94
You know, again I went
to school for communications
00:17:19.97\00:17:21.93
and always wanted to be a
rock star, all that stuff.
00:17:21.96\00:17:25.17
So I'm hoping that
with the conversion,
00:17:25.20\00:17:27.94
the Holy Spirit
is using me for that.
00:17:27.97\00:17:31.06
I'm usually an introvert,
so it's interesting that
00:17:31.09\00:17:34.21
I can go upfront
and do those things.
00:17:34.24\00:17:36.84
And why I was asked, you know,
00:17:36.87\00:17:39.57
I love what I've found you know,
00:17:39.60\00:17:42.68
when I talk to the
youth in the church
00:17:42.71\00:17:45.78
and they worry about
00:17:45.81\00:17:47.53
like what's going
on out in the world.
00:17:47.56\00:17:50.04
And they don't know how lucky,
how special what they have here
00:17:50.07\00:17:53.65
because it is a
special thing that we have
00:17:53.68\00:17:56.13
as Adventists and
so I love that truth
00:17:56.16\00:18:00.29
and I just want to
share it as anyway possible.
00:18:00.32\00:18:02.81
So preaching a Bible
studies whatever it needs to be,
00:18:02.84\00:18:06.33
I want to be able
to be used for that.
00:18:06.36\00:18:08.45
So I guess that's why I
was-- I took that calling.
00:18:08.48\00:18:11.24
And, you know the
Bible says many are called
00:18:11.27\00:18:13.48
but few are chosen because
they don't accept the call.
00:18:13.51\00:18:16.48
I remember my former
pastor said that, you know,
00:18:16.51\00:18:20.38
and you've got to be willing
if you really love the Lord,
00:18:20.41\00:18:23.02
are you willing
to accept his call.
00:18:23.05\00:18:26.21
And I believe that
you heard the voice of God
00:18:26.24\00:18:28.50
and then telling your story
00:18:28.53\00:18:30.28
and how it even
touched other people
00:18:30.31\00:18:32.65
such as Sandy Weaver
00:18:32.68\00:18:34.31
and all that
she has gone through
00:18:34.34\00:18:36.19
as we talked about
in another program.
00:18:36.22\00:18:38.24
Now, your
daughter, how old is she now?
00:18:38.27\00:18:40.29
She is six. Six.
00:18:40.32\00:18:42.37
She's active. She's energetic.
00:18:42.40\00:18:44.33
You know, and
the baby is how old?
00:18:44.36\00:18:46.35
He is 20 months.
00:18:46.38\00:18:47.95
Oh, my. Yes.
00:18:47.98\00:18:49.39
Oh, very, very, very busy.
00:18:49.42\00:18:51.22
Interesting. Yes. Yes.
00:18:51.25\00:18:52.39
In everything, yes.
00:18:52.42\00:18:53.84
You know, so there are days--
I mean you have to get out
00:18:53.87\00:18:56.24
'cause your wife is at work.
00:18:56.27\00:18:57.34
She's gone and attend to them,
play with them, read to them.
00:18:57.37\00:19:01.80
Yes, yes, yes.
00:19:01.83\00:19:03.01
You know, and but I
know it keeps you motivated.
00:19:03.04\00:19:05.41
It does absolutely.
00:19:05.44\00:19:06.47
It keeps you
motivated and again otherwise
00:19:06.50\00:19:09.40
what would I be doing?
00:19:09.43\00:19:10.52
I'd be sitting may be feeling
sorry for myself or whatever
00:19:10.55\00:19:12.87
but, you know,
the reason that I--
00:19:12.90\00:19:15.23
I preach and the kids as well.
00:19:15.26\00:19:18.99
What we learn in the
Bible is to take the focus off
00:19:19.02\00:19:21.09
of ourselves, right.
00:19:21.12\00:19:22.35
And we're supposed to
focus on other so here's--
00:19:22.38\00:19:24.99
here's what I have to
live for basically, my children
00:19:25.02\00:19:28.46
and to bring
others to the Lord, right.
00:19:28.49\00:19:31.20
So that is
ultimately why I can't give up.
00:19:31.23\00:19:34.49
I mean I do have
a mission, you know,
00:19:34.52\00:19:36.23
before when you
guys ask, you know,
00:19:36.26\00:19:37.93
what would I
have done beforehand
00:19:37.96\00:19:39.18
I wouldn't had a mission.
00:19:39.21\00:19:40.86
I didn't want kids,
00:19:40.89\00:19:42.03
when I was in
that of a lifestyle.
00:19:42.06\00:19:43.89
I didn't want kids. I
didn't care about marriage.
00:19:43.92\00:19:46.03
Why do I need permission from
the-- the big man in the sky?
00:19:46.06\00:19:50.33
'Cause again I'm
thinking-- I mean, you know,
00:19:50.36\00:19:52.21
I have to clear atheism.
00:19:52.24\00:19:53.39
So why do I need permission?
So I don't need to be married.
00:19:53.42\00:19:56.79
I don't want to have kids there.
00:19:56.82\00:19:58.26
You know, they're
too much of a hassle.
00:19:58.29\00:19:59.44
You know, what I mean.
00:19:59.47\00:20:00.52
It was all through conversion
that I had these things.
00:20:00.55\00:20:02.74
Again you can
see, you can look back
00:20:02.77\00:20:04.79
and you see God
working in your life.
00:20:04.82\00:20:06.57
And after conversion, so yeah,
00:20:06.60\00:20:09.42
so the kids keep me
motivated absolutely and--
00:20:09.45\00:20:12.66
Yes. And oh, it's been awesome.
00:20:12.69\00:20:14.76
You know, my boy was colic. Yes.
00:20:14.79\00:20:19.51
So there was three
months of him being colic.
00:20:19.54\00:20:21.51
I'm wiped out and, you
know, again it's my wife,
00:20:21.54\00:20:24.66
I just feel so
sorry for my wife.
00:20:24.69\00:20:26.29
And again my family was
awesome through the whole thing
00:20:26.32\00:20:29.56
but you know, so we
didn't get along very well
00:20:29.59\00:20:31.87
those first three to
four months, me and the boy.
00:20:31.90\00:20:34.66
And, but now it's
so-- it's different now,
00:20:34.69\00:20:39.08
its-- he really did help me--
00:20:39.11\00:20:41.56
What about the family?
Okay, 'cause here you are.
00:20:41.59\00:20:44.93
You made a transition
from not really caring
00:20:44.96\00:20:49.86
to know God intimately.
00:20:49.89\00:20:52.18
And then you read that
transition to know Him.
00:20:52.21\00:20:56.81
What about family members
and old friends as you know?
00:20:56.84\00:21:00.10
Yeah, that's very
interesting I still, you know,
00:21:00.13\00:21:03.66
old friends, I'm still
kind of reaching out to you
00:21:03.69\00:21:06.15
and stuff like that
and my family as well.
00:21:06.18\00:21:09.53
You know, my family,
it's very interesting they--
00:21:09.56\00:21:14.12
they look at me and I say again,
00:21:14.15\00:21:16.98
I say this very
humbly, they look at me with--
00:21:17.01\00:21:20.89
they don't want to...
00:21:20.92\00:21:25.32
become fully
converted but when there is
00:21:25.35\00:21:28.02
a religious question
or a question about God,
00:21:28.05\00:21:30.39
they do come to me.
00:21:30.42\00:21:31.89
And you know, my
sister is married into
00:21:31.92\00:21:34.97
other denomination
into Catholicism and stuff
00:21:35.00\00:21:37.58
and they don't
do that with them.
00:21:37.61\00:21:41.93
But they do-- they come
to me with those questions
00:21:41.96\00:21:45.12
and stuff like that.
00:21:45.15\00:21:46.49
So it's almost like I've become
00:21:46.52\00:21:47.55
the religious
leader of the family.
00:21:47.58\00:21:49.60
But you know, so I'm
still working with those.
00:21:49.63\00:21:53.44
So you take a lot of pride
00:21:53.47\00:21:56.57
and being able
to help your family
00:21:56.60\00:21:59.22
and also time, you
value every minute?
00:21:59.25\00:22:02.31
Absolutely. Absolutely.
00:22:02.34\00:22:03.85
Yeah, I mean, again
we have such, you know,
00:22:03.88\00:22:07.04
such a short time here and
I guess that's what really was
00:22:07.07\00:22:10.91
brought to my attention
with the disease, right.
00:22:10.94\00:22:13.23
I mean that's brought
to your attention, so yeah,
00:22:13.26\00:22:15.99
we have such a short time here
and what are we doing with it?
00:22:16.02\00:22:19.75
You know, we're
watching TV shows
00:22:19.78\00:22:21.79
and we're doing
all these other things
00:22:21.82\00:22:23.22
that are just
absolutely frivolous
00:22:23.25\00:22:24.95
and we don't
have a time for that.
00:22:24.98\00:22:27.95
So again you get those
down days, don't get me wrong.
00:22:27.98\00:22:31.69
I don't want to sit
here and give this idea
00:22:31.72\00:22:34.17
that I'm just out
there all the time but--
00:22:34.20\00:22:36.33
you get those down
days but ultimately
00:22:36.36\00:22:38.20
you don't have time for them.
00:22:38.23\00:22:39.63
So that's--
that's the goal I guess.
00:22:39.66\00:22:42.36
You know, I appreciate
the fact that we're able
00:22:42.39\00:22:45.28
in our Christian
counseling practice in Detroit.
00:22:45.31\00:22:47.97
We're able to
pray with our clients,
00:22:48.00\00:22:50.35
pray with our families
and couples, wherever we go.
00:22:50.38\00:22:53.20
We're also the
family life leaders
00:22:53.23\00:22:54.93
of the Lake Region Conference.
00:22:54.96\00:22:56.75
So we have over 125
churches in our district
00:22:56.78\00:23:01.03
and we're-- we're just blessed.
00:23:01.06\00:23:02.54
And we're elated to
serve and you are right.
00:23:02.57\00:23:06.17
I was driving today and
I saw a man with a sign,
00:23:06.20\00:23:09.70
I work for food.
00:23:09.73\00:23:11.30
And five, ten cars passing by,
it's not my place to judge 'em.
00:23:11.33\00:23:16.34
And I reached over
in my glove compartment
00:23:16.37\00:23:18.63
and I reached out a
dollar and I gave it to him
00:23:18.66\00:23:21.39
and he says thank you so much.
00:23:21.42\00:23:23.23
All God wants us to do is
to serve, when someone cries,
00:23:23.26\00:23:27.24
and I say God bless
you because the Bible says
00:23:27.27\00:23:29.93
angels come into skies
00:23:29.96\00:23:32.13
and we are to be
hospitable to all people.
00:23:32.16\00:23:35.36
And you are
right, we don't have time
00:23:35.39\00:23:37.41
to waste on frivolous things.
00:23:37.44\00:23:40.54
We need to be
working, ministering, writing,
00:23:40.57\00:23:44.29
you know, preparing our family--
00:23:44.32\00:23:45.87
Absolutely.
00:23:45.90\00:23:46.93
For the Lord you know, to come
because if not we-- you know,
00:23:46.96\00:23:51.00
all the people we could
have saved and witness to
00:23:51.03\00:23:54.44
God as opportunities
are coming our way, John.
00:23:54.47\00:23:57.03
Absolutely.
00:23:57.06\00:23:58.29
And we cannot
let them surpass us.
00:23:58.32\00:23:59.78
You know, you always
find some excuse, right.
00:23:59.81\00:24:02.16
I can remember saying
if I didn't work full time,
00:24:02.19\00:24:04.34
imagine how much more
work I could do for the Lord.
00:24:04.37\00:24:06.72
You know, and here I am
without that full time job now
00:24:06.75\00:24:10.29
and so I have to
put my-- you know,
00:24:10.32\00:24:13.04
the money where my
mouth is so to speak.
00:24:13.07\00:24:14.40
And so I've been doing a
lot of that volunteering,
00:24:14.43\00:24:16.81
I could do so much
more but again like you said
00:24:16.84\00:24:19.81
we just-- and
every, every second counts.
00:24:19.84\00:24:22.34
And I'm grateful for, you know,
00:24:22.37\00:24:23.97
3ABN Dare to Dream
and Quiet Moment Ministry
00:24:24.00\00:24:26.94
because, you know,
what, this is opportunity
00:24:26.97\00:24:28.66
for Arthur and I to
serve and work for the Lord.
00:24:28.69\00:24:31.14
Because we didn't have
to accept this call, John,
00:24:31.17\00:24:33.83
I mean, this is very demanding
00:24:33.86\00:24:36.18
and we have
extremely busy schedules.
00:24:36.21\00:24:38.63
But again Ray and Debbie Young,
00:24:38.66\00:24:42.66
Quiet Moment Ministry
saw something special in us
00:24:42.69\00:24:45.45
and referred us.
00:24:45.48\00:24:47.55
And when the call came I said,
00:24:47.58\00:24:50.29
oh, I have been praying--
are you ready for this?
00:24:50.32\00:24:53.40
30 years. Wow.
00:24:53.43\00:24:55.22
For this had come to pass.
00:24:55.25\00:24:56.76
If you are faithful to
God, He is faithful to you.
00:24:56.79\00:25:00.38
And He will bring it to pass.
He will bring it to fruition.
00:25:00.41\00:25:03.37
And I believe, John,
with everything I have in you,
00:25:03.40\00:25:05.37
I see it in your eyes
00:25:05.40\00:25:06.94
when you talk about
your wife and children.
00:25:06.97\00:25:09.21
God has healed you, not
you're going to be healed
00:25:09.24\00:25:12.14
but God has healed you.
00:25:12.17\00:25:13.85
One of the things
that I'm interested in,
00:25:13.88\00:25:15.48
if I-- I know in
you past lifestyle,
00:25:15.51\00:25:18.57
you even mentioned that
you wanted to be a rock star.
00:25:18.60\00:25:22.02
So apparently you
are musically inclined?
00:25:22.05\00:25:25.38
No.
00:25:25.41\00:25:27.49
That was just one of
your goals, you know,
00:25:27.52\00:25:31.14
one of the things
you thought about.
00:25:31.17\00:25:33.08
You know, and when you
were a coming up and growing up.
00:25:33.11\00:25:36.81
Do you sing?
00:25:36.84\00:25:37.91
I-- so the type of
band I was in, I was in a--
00:25:37.94\00:25:40.80
I guess you would call a
punk, hardcore type band.
00:25:40.83\00:25:45.26
So you don't have to-- you
don't have to sing real well.
00:25:45.29\00:25:48.75
I was the front man but you
don't have to sing real well
00:25:48.78\00:25:52.91
and I played for a while.
00:25:52.94\00:25:54.86
I played the base for a while
and but again I can't read,
00:25:54.89\00:25:57.89
I do not read music.
00:25:57.92\00:25:59.22
And so we made our own
songs and we went that so--
00:25:59.25\00:26:03.12
so when you say I'm musically
inclined, I sometimes say no.
00:26:03.15\00:26:05.79
Yeah.
00:26:05.82\00:26:06.85
But it wasn't something
that I could bring over
00:26:06.88\00:26:10.05
I guess basically.
00:26:10.08\00:26:11.11
All right.
00:26:11.14\00:26:12.48
But this-- the
things that you can remember
00:26:12.51\00:26:16.52
from that experience, you know,
00:26:16.55\00:26:19.15
and the things that
you've gone through.
00:26:19.18\00:26:22.32
I mean, it must be
really riveting for you
00:26:22.35\00:26:27.03
that here you are
dealing with this disease.
00:26:27.06\00:26:31.04
And your life is
changing before your eyes,
00:26:31.07\00:26:34.24
and God is there to
move you forward you know,
00:26:34.27\00:26:38.37
but how do you
really become so motivated?
00:26:38.40\00:26:43.00
I know God is involved
but what else motivates you?
00:26:43.03\00:26:45.90
You know, honestly I have
to give the praise to God.
00:26:45.93\00:26:51.16
I really do.
00:26:51.19\00:26:52.33
God is what motivates me.
00:26:52.36\00:26:53.92
Honestly, I mean, there
is nothing from this earth--
00:26:53.95\00:26:57.32
you know, again just
like my family and my children
00:26:57.35\00:26:59.89
and all that obviously too.
00:26:59.92\00:27:01.39
My children motivate
me, my wife motivates me
00:27:01.42\00:27:04.34
and but ultimately none
of that would motivate me,
00:27:04.37\00:27:07.13
if it wasn't for God.
00:27:07.16\00:27:08.20
It is God and God alone
that does truly motivate,
00:27:08.23\00:27:12.23
keep going and you know,
when I go for the treatments
00:27:12.26\00:27:14.92
at the hospital.
00:27:14.95\00:27:18.32
I was known as the one
with guy with his Bible.
00:27:18.35\00:27:20.37
You know, what I mean-- Right.
00:27:20.40\00:27:21.44
You know, that is
really what helped me.
00:27:21.47\00:27:24.64
I've seen the opposite,
the people that come in,
00:27:24.67\00:27:26.60
they don't have God.
00:27:26.63\00:27:27.90
They are miserable,
they are so miserable
00:27:27.93\00:27:30.05
and again I
don't say they're like
00:27:30.08\00:27:32.82
oh, well, you know
what I mean like, I want,
00:27:32.85\00:27:35.40
you know, you
want to help them too.
00:27:35.43\00:27:36.91
You want them to
know God because sometimes
00:27:36.94\00:27:39.57
you don't see Him come back.
00:27:39.60\00:27:40.88
And you just
wonder, if they just gave up
00:27:40.91\00:27:42.77
basically you know.
00:27:42.80\00:27:44.16
And that's why you
are still fighting.
00:27:44.19\00:27:45.76
Yeah.
00:27:45.79\00:27:46.85
Well, John, we're down
to our last few seconds
00:27:46.88\00:27:49.84
and all we can say is
that we are praying for you.
00:27:49.87\00:27:52.93
Hold on,
someone out there today,
00:27:52.96\00:27:55.08
maybe in the same situation.
00:27:55.11\00:27:56.88
Keep fighting, keep believing
and have hope and faith.
00:27:56.91\00:28:00.14
Thank you, John, so much for
coming on telling your story.
00:28:00.17\00:28:02.22
We really appreciate you.
00:28:02.25\00:28:03.42
We appreciate you and God
bless you and your family.
00:28:03.45\00:28:05.15
Yes.
00:28:05.18\00:28:06.24
I'm Dr. Kim
Logan-Nowlin. I'm Arthur Nowlin.
00:28:06.27\00:28:08.35
God bless.
00:28:08.38\00:28:09.59