Heroism

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Margaret

Yesterday I shared the story of our friend Adam Dominik coming into some well deserved notoriety for his expert handling of a Lake Michigan emergency. Thanks to him and a cross country skier, a man and his dog were saved from certain death.

Our family lived next door to Adam’s family for 20 years, and all of us were fast friends during that time. As a little boy he was darling, with a mop of curly auburn hair and a quiet disposition, wisely cautious and keenly observant. We always knew he would amount to something special.

For example, how many neighborhood boys would willingly cut the grass for us, volunteer to shovel our snow, and always ask if there was any way he could help?

He was a tribute to his parents, who raised him with integrity and helped him develop character traits that would serve him the rest of his life.

As a youth he met Jesus Christ and surrendered his life to him. His valiant rescue a week ago, against all odds, wasn’t just a fluke, because God saw to it he was fully prepared for that chaotic scene. That night, while being interviewed he said, “I believe in God, and I believe he guided my steps here tonight…” The Sun Times mentioned his “devout Christianity,” and though Ad is reserved by nature, he didn’t hesitate to let the world know of his relationship with the Lord.

Although reporters did a good job with the story, they missed crediting the string of unusual circumstances to God. I believe he was the One who personally pulled together the pieces of that unlikely rescue, starting with Ad’s character development that caused him to attempt what seemed impossible. And here’s what else God did:

He caused Adam to go jogging in that area for the very first time that night.
He timed Ad’s departure from his apartment so he would run past the crisis area at the crucial moment.
Though there were only 2 people nearby, he opened their ears to hear the man’s cries.
Weeks earlier he made sure a hunk of strong rope was tied to a sign near the icy accident so it would be quickly available to Ad.
He measured the rope ahead of time to be sure it was long enough to do the job.
He prompted Ad to practice his Figure 8 knot that very morning, so it was fresh in his mind.
He heard and answered Ad’s quick prayer for the supernatural strength to pull up the large, wet dog and a 200 pound man while standing on iced-over concrete.

The story had a happy ending with both the man and his dog surviving, and it was no coincidence that it all happened on the man’s 40^th birthday. I just hope he, too, recognizes that God was there.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.” (Isaiah 43:1-2)

Heroes are made by God.

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Margaret

Jack and I walked to the beach today, or I should say we tried. With all the snow and subsequent plowing, the path down to the shore had become completely impassable, unless of course I wanted to trudge through neck-high drifts with snow-filled boots. Even Jack couldn’t navigate the depth, struggling first to get into it, then to get out.

Lake Michigan was frozen white as far as I could see, and it’ll be months before that icy water becomes swimmable. No one would jump into frozen water like that with the possible exception of the Polar Bear Club. Certainly even they wouldn’t venture where their feet couldn’t touch bottom, since hypothermia can be quick and deadly. Yet last week in Chicago, a man found himself thrashing in deep, ice-filled Lake Michigan water with little hope of survival.

It all started with a routine dog-walking event, the man and his 3 standard poodles. One of them, off a leash, ran around a 10 foot sea-wall at the Monroe Street Harbor, ending up on the ice. Immediately he broke through and was unable to get out, so his owner jumped in after him.

Quickly realizing he’d miscalculated, the man screamed for help, and the other two dogs began barking atop the sea-wall. A lone cross country skier heard the distant commotion and immediately dialed 911. The man and his dog were weakening fast, though, and both seemed doomed.

Enter God…. who brought along our former next door neighbor.

Adam Dominik, physically fit as an experienced climber, was jogging in that remote place near the empty harbor for the very first time. He heard the man’s cries and ran over to find a face peeking out of the broken ice and a dog tangled up with him.

Adam knew the man couldn’t last much longer but stayed calm. He noticed a yellow nylon rope stuck to a nearby sign, just the right length and strength to be of help. That morning he’d been practicing knots used in climbing and had mastered something called the Figure 8, strong enough to pull a man and his wet clothes from the water.

Adam said, “At first I threw the rope over him but the dog was kind of pulling on him with his weight, pushing him under the water. He kept saying, ‘Save the dog first!’ I kept saying, ‘No, we’re going to save your life first and then the dog; your life is more important,’ but he insisted on pulling up the dog first.”

Then at a crucial moment, when Adam had the dog out and the man half way up the sea-wall, the 911 team arrived to finish the rescue. (View the 1 minute NBC news video below.)

Jogger-Rescues-Man-Dog-From-Montrose-Harbor-243596711

So, how was God involved? Tomorrow we’ll find out.

“Deliver me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from the deep waters. Let not the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up.” (Psalm 69:14-15)

Family Relationships

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Margaret

A while ago a good friend from the Chicago suburbs drove the 110 miles between us to spend the day with me. Maria and I used to pray together weekly before our family moved to Michigan, and we know each other well. After all those years of praying over family members, we know each others families pretty well, too.

When Maria came, she brought a unique gift: a wall hanging representing the importance of family. Somehow she researched all the birth dates of my children and grandchildren, and then hand-made a beautiful work of art that included every name and the day they were born.

I hung this masterpiece near our dining table where it has frequently been scrutinized and also has stimulated many a conversation. And just two weeks ago I had the joy of hooking a brand new circle onto the January line with baby Isaac’s name and date on it.

Only God knows which row(s) will be lengthened by how many additional circles in our family’s future. Maybe he’ll decide to hang circles from our “blank” birthday months (March, November, December). But it’s possible Maria’s display is complete just the way it is. None of us can predict.

When I look at this work of art, I’m impacted by the importance of those circles. Except for Jack the dog (who’s there too), each paper disk represents a human soul that will live throughout eternity. And each one of them has to decide what they want to live for and what, if anything, is worth dying for. Each name has to settle on whether or not they believe in God and then determine which of the many gods available for worship these days is the real One.

But just like those small circles are separated from one another, each individual is seen and known separately by God. He has special plans for every name on the wall and a desire to shower each one with blessings. He has also prepared a few difficult challenges for each name.

God chose that particular group of people to be in the Nyman family, and he wants all of us to relate to one another lovingly. Though we don’t always do that, he wants us to work at getting along, looking out for each other, and sharing what we have with whomever is in need. God wants the Nyman family (and every other earthly family) to be models of his spiritual family in these same ways. Earthly families are to be a mini-version of the Great Family of God, relating to one another with sacrificial attitudes and tough, unshakeable love.

Of course no family can act that way all the time, but we can do it some of the time, and when we do, our relationships will strengthen and our joys abound. That goes for earthly families like the one on my wall, and for God’s much bigger family, too.