I could see it in his eyes. As he shared his story with me, there was something in his eyes that made clear that what he was telling me was no ordinary event in his life. It was an event that had not only changed his entire outlook…it had changed his life.

He had been raised in the Catholic Church and after his marriage, he began attending the Lutheran Church where his wife was a member. Although it was different, he readily admitted that for him, going to church was just something he did. Maybe once in a while the sermon would be moving enough so that he would actually listen. But more often than not he found himself fading. There were even times when this body builder would cut out of church early to get a start on a good workout at the local gym.

He also had a great sense of humor. He was one of those guys that was easy to be around and liked to joke around. In fact, he even talked about how much he joked around at home with his wife. It was a good thing that she realized he wasn’t joking on the night when everything changed.

He went on to explain that it was the middle of the night when he found himself lying there awake. He wasn’t sure why, but he just couldn’t seem to sleep. Instead of fighting it, he then decided to get up and get a glass of water. He sat up and put his feet on the floor; but when he stood, he quickly collapsed.

There he was lying on the floor at the side of his bed - a bodybuilder who couldn’t muster up the strength to even crawl. He tried to call out to his wife, but the words wouldn’t come out either. Noticing that he was able to use one of his arms, he decided to pull the covers off of the bed. He mentioned how he knew his wife hated having the covers pulled off of her, so he was sure this would stir her. When she did awaken, it didn’t take long for her to realize that her husband - a middle-aged bodybuilder - was suffering from a stroke.

He went on to talk about how he could not see well at all, nor was he able to move around, but he could hear and understand everything that was going on. “That’s the funny thing about a stroke,” he said. “You can’t move or talk, but you can hear and understand everyone.”

He remembers hearing one of the EMT’s saying that they didn’t think he was going to make it. There he was, lying in the ambulance and coming face to face with the fact that he could be dying. At the hospital, he also remembers the doctor telling his wife that the next 24 hours would reveal how he would come out of this ordeal.

The next 24 hours brought about no change; nor did the next two days that followed. It was pretty clear that, because there was no improvement, the feeling was that he would remain in this condition with only the possibility of small improvements due to intense rehabilitation.

His wife did the only thing she could think of doing. Her church happened to be holding a prayer vigil for several days. During this time, they had asked members to submit prayer requests. The church would then have people scheduled in intervals so that prayer would be ongoing 24 hours a day. She decided to ask the church to pray for her husband; and those praying willingly did.

When he woke up the next morning, he quickly realized that he was able to see. Though no improvements were expected anymore at this time, he was also able to move around. When the doctor came in, he was even able to clearly answer the questions he was being asked. And though the doctor didn’t want him to rush into too many things, this man even stood to show the doctor that he was able to do it all.

As I listened to him tell his story, I realized what that look in his eye was all about. I was talking to a man who was still in amazement at what God had done for him in his life. It was also a look that made it clear that there wasn’t going to be anything to stop him from telling his story.

God had granted him a second chance…and he knew it. The brain scan revealed the damage, but the effects were suddenly minimal. Even those in charge of rehabilitation saw no need for him to continue by week’s end, and he was sent home.

He said that when he tells people his story - the story of how God gave him a second chance - he realizes that there will be some who doubt. But he still keeps telling it. He keeps telling it because he readily admits that his Christian life - his walk with Jesus - was not all that much to him before his stroke. And he even admits that he was most undeserving of having God touch him in such a miraculous way.

That’s when I realized what it was that I was seeing. I was getting just a taste of what it must have been like for the disciples when they began to fully comprehend that Christ had truly risen. When the Spirit came upon them at Pentecost, those men had a story to tell about how God in Christ Jesus had worked in their lives. Like everyone else, they were most undeserving, but God sought to tell His story through them.

That’s what was going on in this man that I had the opportunity to meet not too long ago. It really wasn’t his story at all…it was God’s. It was a testimony of how God continues to work in and through His children, and how the Holy Spirit still moves ordinary men like that of this former body-builder to share with others the name of the only One who has the power to change lives and hearts…the only One who has the power to truly save lives. This is God’s ongoing story - that not only does He grant each one of us another new year, but also a new life.

It is my prayer that in 2007 you tell His story - from crib to cross to grave to victorious resurrection and ascension. If all we have left is a story, let it always be His!

God’s blessings in this New Year!