Confessions of a Junk Food Junkie

I have a problem.

For the last three or four years, I’ve kept a 10 pound bag of chocolate chips in my pantry. We've made good use of them, though it was only by the grace of God that none of us developed diabetes. Part of my morning ritual was to grab a handful of chips from the bag, savoring their sweetness on my way to the coffee maker. On occasion, they would get a smear of peanut butter first. Potato chips, pretzels and Doritos occupied a place of special honor, residing in the penthouse on the top floor of the pantry. The view was breathtaking, if not a bit salty.

Nearly all the hospitals in Phoenix provide a room for paramedics and EMT’s to do their reports, watch TV and have a snack between calls. The snacks vary depending on the hospital, but chips, cookies, pastries and muffins are the usual fare. Break room refrigerators are stocked with soda, Gatorade and water.

Some of the hospitals provide free meals for us. We can visit the café between calls and pig out until the cows come home. I rarely miss an opportunity to have biscuits and gravy with a side of sausage. And some chocolate covered pretzels for the road.

This is a glimpse into the kind of lifestyle that I’ve enjoyed for the last 30 years. Last weekend this lifestyle has come to an abrupt end.

I’ve been aware of my less than ideal eating habits for years. Aware – but living in a sort of happy rebellion against the truth. I had a support group of friends who joked with me about how we’d prefer death over a bland, tasteless diet of tofu and sprouts. We’re been proud of our preference for junk food. I’ve know all along that it was all just a front. I’ve been rationalizing a deadly diet and ignoring the warning signs that a change was needed. One definition of rationalization is trying to convince your mind that something is right when your heart knows its wrong.

One of the major obstacles I had to overcome before I could seriously consider making a change in my eating habits was correcting my perception of what a healthy diet looks like. In the last few weeks, I’ve come to realize that healthy diet isn’t much different than the one I already have. Change can be frightening. But the changes I need to make aren't as severe as I once thought. (And a healthy diet still has room for a little chocolate)

My diet includes some foods that are actually healthy, like peppers, onions, carrots, pineapple, nuts, beef, olive oil and butter. In future messages I’ll discuss the controversy surrounding foods like beef and butter, which have been called unhealthy but actually provide nutrients we need.

A healthy diet includes more of the healthy things I’m already eating, while reducing or eliminating the unhealthy ones.

Another consideration (for me) is how my health affects the security my wife has in our marriage. My wife is pretty crazy about having me around. She’s come to depend on me a lot. She leans on me for emotional support in hard times and I do a lot of things around the house that she values highly. We spend a lot of time discussing life and sharing our dreams for the future. One of her greatest fears is losing me to a serious illness or premature death.

I have a number of brothers, uncles and a father who have all recently died from cancer. My wife doesn’t want me to be the next victim.

Personally, I think of heaven often and wonder what it will be like when I go there to stay. Having seen glimpses of it and having heard testimonies of the incredible things that happen there, I know it’s an amazing place. I’d be lying if I said I had no desire to go there. But I have things to accomplish before I move to my mansion in eternity. One of the main things on my list is to outlive my wife.

So my task is to take care of this tent to the best of my ability as long as I reside in it. And I haven’t been doing a good job of that. So I’ve been given time to repent; time to change my thinking and actions concerning the foods I eat. God has given me a few dreams about a healthier life. I’m inviting you to come along on yet another journey of discovery. Don’t worry. I won’t become one of those pushy know-it alls, who insists that everyone eat only the things they eat. I’ll share with you what I learn and let you decide if it’s something you’re interested in doing. If not, we’ll still be friends.

'till next time.

I wrote the draft of this message a week before posting it. In the first week of my new lifestyle of eating I've lost 10 pounds.

David Hogan - Muslim Woman Healed & Delivered

I'm at a loss for words to introduce this speaker and his message. David Hogan shares a testimony at Bethel Church.

Fasten your seat belt and hang on.

A New Direction

Suzanne worked at one of the pediatric hospitals in Phoenix. While at work she experienced a sudden onset of pain in her left arm. She was taken to the Emergency Room and quickly assessed. She developed numbness on the left side of her face with loss of muscle tone. The pain in her left arm gradually turned to numbness. An IV was started and she was given aspirin. We were called to transport her to a hospital that treated adult stroke patients. Her symptoms were classic for patients in the early stages of an evolving CVA.

I introduced my partner and I as we got her packaged for the transfer. As we disconnected their equipment and attached ours, I gathered her history, which was significant only for occasional anxiety and depression.

En route, I jotted down as much as I could recall about her present illness and made contact with the receiving hospital. They were expecting us and had the stroke team on stand-by.

"Can I share a bit of advice with you?" I asked.

"Sure."

"Have you heard about the new cardiology?"

She had no idea what I was talking about.

"Years ago, a few cardiologists began studying heart disease from a different perspective. What they found is amazing. They realized that the model of heart disease and stroke they'd been telling us about for years is wrong. All these years they've been telling us that heart disease and stroke are primarily a problem of high cholesterol. But they found that the real cause isn't cholesterol. It's chronic inflammation."

She was surprised to hear this. And I was surprised when I first heard about it two years ago. And if you're surprised, I have some eye opening news to share with you in future messages.

I've reached an uncomfortable place in my earthly journey. I've been a junk-food junkie my entire life and I've been very happy with it. But God has been speaking to me lately about making some big changes in my eating habits. My days as a cookie chomping, brownie gulping medic are numbered.

One of the features I'll be adding to this website is an occasional discussion on health and nutrition. Don't ask for details. I haven't got them. This is something new for me and I have a lot of learning to do.

I gave Suzanne a quick lesson on how inflammation works in our bodies, creating an environment that makes us targets for stroke, heart disease and diabetes. I recommended Doctor Stephen Sinatra's book "Reverse Heart Disease Now" as a place for her to start her education.

We arrived and transferred Suzanne to the waiting stroke team. She asked if she could pee. They said no. They had tight time restraints to work with in getting her to CT and beginning the treatment and told her she'd have to hold it. (Whatever happened to professional courtesy? She's a nurse for Pete's sake.)

I got her signature and headed for an open area at the nurse's station. I took a deep breath before finishing my report.

As I wrote, the busy bees of the ER gracefully raced up and down the hallways, moving the sick and injured from room to room in caffeine induced states of semi- euphoria.

Such is life under the red lights.

Cancer Healed

These two men testify of being healed of cancer.

We love you Peter and Tiffanie and we're praying for healing.

Blog of The Year Finalist

I’m pleased (and a little surprised) to announce that the this blog has been selected as a finalist for the 2012 EMS blog of the year contest.

You might be asking yourself, “Why should I care?”

Let me explain:

The purpose of this blog (at least from my perspective) is to spread the message that God is madly in love with mankind and His desire is to see us healed and set free of oppression and sickness. That message is for everyone, but this blog has a target audience or two.

Although many of my readers work outside of healthcare, the target audience I hope to reach is anyone working in the fire service, EMS or the broader field of healthcare.

A few years ago God gave me His vision for changing the world of medicine. It involves the incorporation of healing prayer as one of the primary means of treating illness and injury. Today, prayer is not one of the first options most of us consider when faced with a disease or injury. Sadly, its one of the last, even among believers.

The aim of this blog is to demonstrate that prayer coupled with faith can indeed move any mountain we face and that the rightful place of prayer is at the forefront of our arsenal of weapons against disease and injury.

This message needs to reach more people. Such messages are spread by word of mouth through people like you. We spread the message by telling our friends, posting links on our Facebook pages, Tweeting and using other social networks, and by inviting others to share the message with their friends.

The contest is a means to gain greater exposure in the world. If this blog were to be selected as the winner of the contest, it would be highlighted by several prominent publications and recruit more readers. As a result, more people would see the miraculous works of God and the teaching about healing that is presented on this website.

I said this in my last message, but it bears repeating; my participation in the contest isn’t really about me. Very few of my readers know who I am. The competition isn’t about money. I don’t have ads on this page and you may have noticed I removed the “donate” button. (It seemed pointless, since I hadn’t received any donations). This website is a labor of love. There is no other motivation I need to keep publishing this blog.

My participation in the contest is an extension of my desire to see the works of God openly displayed for all to see so that He would receive honor and glory from those who visit this site. If you share this desire, please consider getting the word out to others.

What next?

For the week of March 14- 21, readers can vote for their favorite blog. After the votes are counted the winners will be announced. There will be two voter's choice awards - one for Fire and one for EMS. This blog is in the EMS category. A third award will be awarded by a panel of judges.

The competition is steep. Some of the other blogs in the final round have 10 times more readers. But with God, all things are possible.

Now its time to get out the votes.

To vote, you must visit one of the host pages which are listed below:

To vote at the Fire Critic website go here

To vote at EMS1 go here

To vote on Facebook, go to the EMS1 page (click like) and cast your vote.

Please consider posting this story or a link to one of these pages on your social network sites. If you’d like to use Twitter, here is a hashlink for the contest: #EMSBlog12

Thanks so much for sharing this dream with me.

Praying Medic

Water of Life

I was never was a big water-drinker before I moved to Phoenix. But my first summer here taught me a quick lesson about the harsh life in the arid desert.

Drink or die.

The scorching heat of the southwest makes dehydration a constant threat. Most hospitals stock refrigerators with bottles of water for fire and EMS crews. Some of my co-workers bring gallon jugs of water to work. You might think it would be impossible to drink too much water living in the desert. And if you did, you’d be mistaken.

We arrived on scene in a nice neighborhood in Mesa. The curious neighbors stared as we pulled the gurney to the front door, which was ajar. They were expecting us.

The caregiver met me with a stack of papers and explained that our patient had been drinking too much and according to their protocol, needed to be seen in the emergency room.

It’s not hard to find someone who tips a few too many beers, but this wasn’t the case with our patient. He’d been drinking too much water. In fact, the home we were at was a group home for people with a disorder called polydipsia; an obsession with drinking to much water.

I’d only met one such patient, previous to this call. A few years ago, we had a frequent flyer who went from hospital to hospital being treated for her dangerous water obsession.

Dangerous?

Yup.

Polydipsia can be a life threatening problem. An obsession with drinking too much water causes the body to eliminate water continuously. The mechanism for eliminating water involves eliminating sodium, because “water follows sodium”. As more water is eliminated, the body’s supply of sodium becomes depleted, resulting in hyponatremia.

Hyponatremia is a serious electrolye imbalance that if untreated, can lead to death. It’s for this reason that patients with polydypsia must have their water intake carefully monitored.

The group home has a set of guidelines in place that allow them to weigh clients several times a day. If a client is found to have gained weight suddenly, it’s assumed they’ve been drinking too much water and they’re required to be evaluated at a hospital. Our patient stepped outside for a cigarette and paid a quick visit to the convenience store on the corner where he promptly downed a couple of 32 ounce bottles of water. When he returned, the caretaker weighed him and found that he’d gained 6% of his morning body weight.

He was busted.

We got him loaded and headed toward the hospital. There wasn’t much for me to do except write my report and monitor his vitals. He wanted someone to talk to so I listened as I wrote my report.

His thoughts were a bit random at first, but eventually he stumbled on the idea that God might be mad at him for something. I took advantage of the opening and shared a few of my thoughts.

“I don’t think God is as mad as a lot of people think. He understands our problems.”

He replied, “Yeah, He knows us pretty well, doesn’t he? He sees our struggles. Maybe He isn’t mad at us….. Jesus knows. He’s been in our shoes.”

“Jesus is our friend”, I replied.

With a profound peace in his voice he said, “Yeah…..Jesus understands”.

I was impressed with his understanding of the nature of Jesus. He may not be seminary trained, but his theology wasn’t bad. He is thirsty, but the physical thirst he has only suggests a deeper thirst....

If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink...he who believes in Me, from his innermost being will flow springs and rivers of living water.

We arrived at the hospital and checked in at the desk. He was promptly put in a wheelchair and rolled into the waiting room, where dozens of other theologians pondered the nature of God and the meaning of life.

I hope they understand that God isn’t mad at them for being a little messed up. That’s just part of life. And if that’s all it took for God to be mad, we’d all be in trouble. Thankfully, God is in a pretty good mood.

And He likes us more than we realize.

NASA Scientist Investigates Healing Prayer

One of the strongest objections to supernatural healing is the lack of scientific evidence to support the claims that power is released during prayer. The critics argue that if such power is real, we should be able to detect and measure it.

Dr Issam Nemeh, an anesthesiologist and long time healer has teamed up with a NASA research scientist to see if the power of prayer can be measured objectively. Their findings may not be conclusive, but they do open the discussion of healing and prayer to scientific exploration.

The first video introduces the NASA scientist, who explains his proposed method of testing. The second video shows the testing process.

The Nurse Feels His Presence

It's been a busy couple of weeks on the ambulance. So busy that we've been held past the end of our shift an hour or two almost every day.

Our first encounter came on a transport of a patient going from a nursing home to a hospital for an abdominal CT scan. This was the second day in a row we transported him for the same procedure. The previous day, we brought him to radiology only to learn that his insurance company had not yet authorized the test. So we took him back after waiting for an hour. Today, the insurance approval went through.

While waiting in line for an open scanner room, a nurse came by and asked if we'd been helped. I told her we had and noticed an immobilizer on her wrist. I asked if she wanted to be healed.

With a puzzled look on her face, she asked what I meant. I told her I pray with people and God heals them. She seemed to understand but I could tell she was nervous having a paramedic ask if she wanted to be healed in a busy hospital corridor. I took her aside to an alcove out of the main flow of traffic and said, "If you want to be healed, it will only take a minute." She agreed to let me pray with her.

I asked the Holy Spirit to bring His presence and immediately I felt lightness and joy come over me and I began to sway gently back and forth. (I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this part of the job)

I commanded ligaments, tendons, bones, nerves and muscles to be healed then asked, "What do you feel?"

"Tingling....and it feels better."

I repeated the process and asked how she felt.

She smiled...."The pain is completely gone!"

I asked if she was serious. She was. Her wrist was completely healed. I told her that's how God is - He heals us because He loves us. She had to go back to work.

The next transport was to a nursing home. After dropping off our patient, I gave report. My partner took the gurney outside to clean it. After giving report, I stepped into a hallway and realized I was lost. I walked to the end of the hallway and checked in both directions looking for something familiar.

Just another hallway that I didn't recognize and no obvious clues pointing to the way out.

I decided to go to the nurses station at the other end of the hallway. But I didn't want look like an idiot.

How do you ask for directions to the front door and not look foolish?

I found a nurse who didn't seem too busy and asked if she'd point me in the direction of the front door. She politely gave me the route. And I asked how she injured her wrist.

She looked at the immobilizer and said, "I don't know. I've had a CAT scan, and MRI and all kinds of tests and they can't determine what's wrong with it. It's swollen and hurts like crazy.

"Would you like to be healed?"

"I'd love that", she said with a grin. "I was at a healing meeting last night. I do Reiki healing."

I wondered to myself ..."if you were at a healing meeting last night, why weren't you healed?"

I thought about asking, but I kept it to myself.

"Do you want to be healed?"

"Yes."

"Are you certain?"

"Absolutely."

I asked the Holy spirit to bring His presence and a few seconds later I was swaying back and forth and commanding her to be healed in the mighty name of Jesus. We were both enjoying the glory when another nurse came by and looked at us strangely.

"We're just having a special moment", she said.

I laughed inside and thought, "it's just as special for me as it is for you".

I asked how she felt.

She looked at her wrist and moved it around. "It feels good."

I said, "Take off the brace, I guarantee you it's healed."

Releasing the Velcro straps she pulled off the brace and tested her range of motion. "Wow....that's amazing. It doesn't hurt at all. There's still a bit of swelling , but it doesn't hurt at all."

"That's how God is. He doesn't do anything half way. The swelling will go down. Just wait a little while and you'll see. Do yourself a favor - get rid of the brace and don't put it back on. You're healed, for good. If the pain comes back, just tell it to leave in the name of Jesus."

It's been a busy few weeks on the Mobile Intensive Prayer Unit. God's been healing and setting people free and I just love working alongside of Him.

Thanks for coming along on the ride.

2012 Fire & EMS Blog of the Year

As part of the blogging community, I'm connected to a network of other bloggers who honor writers with an annual award. The award is the Fire & EMS blog of the year.

Anyone can nominate a blog for blog of the year. But before we go any further, let me explain why I'm mentioning this award.

I don't really care if this blog wins an award or or not. I'm already honored beyond my wildest dreams because I have such faithful friends like you who show up and read what I write and learn with me week after week. That's enough honor for me.

But this blog is about getting a message in the hands of certain people. They need to hear about the reality of God's power to heal and set people free from pain and suffering and in the process, draw them closer to God, Himself. That audience is rather large. But this blog has a small following.

The blogs that are selected to go to the final round for voting, will receive greater attention. More attention means a wider audience of readers and a greater potential to get the message out to people who need to hear it.

My desire is to see more people encouraged, trained and equipped to do the things you read about on this site. If you want to help get the word out, you might consider nominating this blog for that reason.

Of course, that's just my perspective; you're entitled to have your own.

Here is the information about the contest:

Hosted by EMS1, FireRescue1 and FireCritic.com, and sponsored by the American Military University, this contest has the goal of finding the best bloggers in the EMS and fire industries.

This is the third year of the contest. This year, we have streamlined the process and made it easier to understand.

The contest has two stages:
Stage 1 – Open Nominations (March 1 – March 10)

Stage 2 – Vote for the Finalists (March 14 – March 21)

The judges will select ten finalists for each category (Fire & EMS) Everyone will then get to vote via poll from these ten (in each category) for their favorite Fire blog and their favorite EMS blog. The voting will be for the “Reader’s Choice” winner for each category. Both of the bloggers will win a pair of ATAC Duty Boots.

To nominate a blog go HERE

Thanks for your support - PM

Raise The Dead - Training

Dead Raising Team Training

Three Locations and Times:

March 30 - April 1 - Tri-Cities, Washington.

April 13 - 14 - Tacoma, Washington

April 20 - 21 - Elmira, New York

Tyler Johnson and the Dead Raising Teams have been doing just that. Not only are people healed and delivered but to date, eight people have been raised from the dead right here in North America.

Delving into the reality of resurrection power, this training is for those that desire to walk in the miraculous, especially pertaining to raising the dead.

We realize this is uncommon for most, thus the training starts with more basic teaching and builds from there.

Those that go through this training will have the option to be apart of the first DRT in this region.

Register early, these trainings fill up quickly! Register at:

Click Here for the link to register

http://www.oneglance.org/One_Glance_Ministries/DRT_Trainings.html

All Things Aussie

Rochelle is a native of New Zealand, who in the US on a work visa. She was seen at the Mayo Clinic for the worst headache of her life. We were called to transport her to Mayo Hospital ER.

The "worst headache of your life" is a textbook clue that a patient may have a subarachnoid hemorrhage. A head CT will confirm or deny the existence of a ruptured blood vessel.

After taking report, we loaded Rochelle in the ambulance and got a baseline set of vitals, an EKG and checked her blood glucose. My attempt to establish an IV was a miserable failure. We rolled toward Mayo and I got to know her a little better.

I asked the usual questions and learned that she had partially torn both Achilles tendons. The injuries have prevented her from participating in some of her favorite activities.

Now it was time to ask if she wanted to be healed or I could chicken out and just transport her.

Rochelle travels a lot in her job, so we talked about the places she'd been since coming to the states. She'd seen more places than most people who've lived here their whole life. I told her that I'd just received an invitation to go to Brisbane, Australia to teach. She thought I would love it and encouraged me to go. Then I told her why I was asked to come there.

A few weeks ago I had a dream just before waking. (These are often the most important dreams. God gives them to us before waking to help us remember them) In the dream, I was being sent overseas as a representative to establish trade with a small group of people. When I woke, I checked my e-mail and found a message from a man who lives in Brisbane. He invited me to come there and teach him and a small group of friends about healing.

When Rochelle heard me mention healing, she asked what kind of healing I do. I explained then asked if she wanted me to give it a shot. With a hopeful smile she said, "I'd love it!"

We started with her Achilles tendons. I prayed over them a few times, but she felt nothing. I told her no worries and asked about her headache. The pain was 8/10, which was still the worst she'd ever had since she rarely has headaches.

I asked the Holy Spirit to bring His presence upon her and commanded the headache to leave then asked how she felt. The pain was less and she felt at peace, so I continued commanding the pain to leave and blood vessels to be healed. After a few minutes, her pain was much less and she was very relaxed.

She told me she was a spiritual person and asked what church I attend. This question has aways caused problems for me, but I'm getting more comfortable with it. I told her I work every Sunday, so the ambulance and Facebook are my church and God has used both in some amazing ways.

It was a long transport so we talked about the things I would experience if I were to visit Australia - including the lovely tropical east coast beaches and a local delicacy - the famous kangaroo burger.

"They're delicious and really good for you with almost no fat."

Part of me had trouble envisioning myself eating a cute little kangaroo, all bouncy and cuddly and sweet. I mean, they're kangaroos - not cows.

We arrived at Mayo and transferred Rochelle. I gave report to the nurse and a card to my new friend and told her to send me an e-mail to let us know how things turned out.

In the event that she did have a subarachniod hemorrhage, (and it wasn't healed) the diagram below explains one of the approaches to surgical repair.

Pay close attention and take notes. There will be a quiz next week.

(Click on the image for a larger view)