His Timing, not ours

Okay, so I usually don't have time to have two posts in 1 week, especially lately, but I got the following email from my brother Stephen and I wanted to share. As many of you know Stephen was in a terrible accident about a year and a half ago. The Lord continues to use this experience to teach us of his incredible timing and providence.


Here's the e-mail:
Brad just introduced me to a long time friend of his, Dennis Cagwin.  He and Dennis were eating lunch today and got to talking about auto accidents.  Dennis began telling Brad about an accident he witnessed where he was one of the first on the scene.  As he started telling the story, Brad realized the accident was mine.  It turns out, Dennis is one of the two whose names is on the police report.  He was behind me and saw everything transpire.  He said I was in the far left inside lane going around the curve.  Traffic was slowing down in the left and middle lane so I moved across those two lanes to the right hand lane.  However, a semitruck had stalled.  He said I had only about 15 feet to stop before I hit the truck.  He was in the middle lane and came to a stop right beside me.  He said a man got into my car before he did.  Dennis called 911.  He asked the man in the car if I was alive so he could tell 911.  That man got out of my car and left, and Dennis went and got in my back seat and talked to me until the fire truck arrived.  He said he just told me it was going to be okay and tried to keep me awake.  He said the firetruck got there in like 2.5 minutes.  He said they had me on the way to the hospital in 25 minutes.  He said he was impressed with how well the firemen worked.  He said one time a sawzaw battery went out and another was right there with one to replace it.  He said my seat was upright, and the back of the truck was right in my chest.  He said my face was just flat and my teeth were pushed back.  He said the only way he could tell I was alive was when they put the oxygen mask on my face he saw it fog up and then go away.  He said he texted his wife when he saw that to tell her "He is alive".  His truck was trapped in the traffic and so he sat in his car and watched the firemen cut me out.  He said he asked the firemen how he could find out if I was alright, and they told him there was no way to do so.  He told me he was so glad that I am alive.  He gave me his business card and said he wanted to go to lunch some time.  Brad said Dennis is a big Jesus guy and told him I was too, so he wanted us to meet.  He said they have been friends for 15 years or so.


Brad is Stephen's boss at HICORP.  On Wednesday we will celebrate Stephen's 30th birthday. Tonight we had a surprise birthday party for my brother. This morning my mom and I picked up the cake from a family friend and we told her the story about Stephen's e-mail. Her eyes filled with tears. She said she was just happy to be able to make Stephen's birthday cake. It made all of a little teary eyed. It reminded me of how good God is. I've been talking about new beginnings a lot lately on here. God gave Stephen a new outlook on life after his accident. He enjoys sharing his story and living for God's plans in his life.  I'm so happy that I get to celebrate this birthday with my brother. 

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God's Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears

Philippians 1:3-6 (The Message)