A LIFE-ALTERING JOURNEY
Paul’s day began GREAT! He and his family had just returned from vacationing on the beautiful beaches in Destin, Florida, and they were still reveling in the glow of that time together. It was the news on a telephone call to his neurologist to check on the results of medical tests he had taken before they left on vacation when Paul’s world came crashing down.
This was the summer of 1998 and Paul was only thirty-seven years old. The neurologist told him he had ALS, or what most people know as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Paul was a doctor himself, and as an anesthesiologist and pain physician he knew what that diagnosis meant. Only a few hours later he found himself telling his wife that he had a fatal, incurable disease and would suffer immensely until his death. He knew that fewer than twenty percent of ALS patients live five years from the time they are diagnosed, and most who do are significantly paralyzed. Paul lived and suffered nine long years.
This is Paul Lanier’s story…
It was six years after his diagnosis when I first met Paul. For the next three years (2005-2008) we both attended a Wednesday night Bible Study at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, along with about two hundred other men.
Most Wednesday evenings Paul Lanier was there. By the time I met Paul his disease had progressed so far that he had to be carried into the auditorium in a reclining wheelchair to attend the Bible study. He had lost the ability to speak and could not move on his own, even to turn his head. His muscles were so paralyzed that breathing was very difficult. Despite all this, Paul came faithfully each Wednesday night!
Before his diagnosis Paul had been an avid hunter, private airplane pilot and weightlifter. His experience as an anesthesiologist and pain relief physician gave him the heart to write extensively about patient care and spirituality. According to personal testimonies, listed on the flyleaf of his book, A Change in The Flight Plan, Paul’s writings have been used in Bible study and prayer groups across the nation.
When writing his book Paul used the analogy of comparing life to the flight plan an airline pilot must file. A normal flight plan includes items like the time and point of origin, the destination, expected arrival time, the weather (rain, fog, wind, snow, ice, etc.), the airplane’s ID number, the altitude at which it will be flying, and other details about the flight.
In his book Paul describes all of us as airline pilots who have filed our own life’s flight plan of dreams and aspirations with the Chief Air Controller, The Lord God.
He compares an airline pilot’s instrument panel to what God is showing us in our lives. We must learn to trust our instrument panel (the Bible or the instruction manual) even when we cannot see, because we are in the clouds, in fog, or in other “bad weather times” of life. We need to trust the invisible God and not rely on what is visual. In the Bible the Apostle Paul said. “For we live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 NASB
While he was writing his book, Paul was almost totally paralyzed. To write the book was incredibly difficult. He could no longer do much of anything physically. To help get the book published, Paul relied on his good friend, David Turtletaub. David explains how the book was written.
“To write the book, Paul used a specialized camera and software known as Easy Keys. With a head mouse that tracks the writer’s eyes Paul was able to put words on the computer screen. This specially equipped computer emits a signal which reflects off the eyeglass frames that he wore for this purpose. This enabled him to control the cursor through slight movements of his head. Then using the alphabet on the screen, Paul clicked a single button mouse to type the letter of his choice.
“The software then presented Paul with a list of his ten most commonly used words which began with that letter. He would then select one of those ten words, or keep on typing, one letter at a time until the word was complete. Then it was on to the next word in a similar fashion. Once he completed his sentence, Paul had the computer “speak” what he typed.
Typing a single sentence typically took about a minute for Paul. To type a paragraph took anywhere from ten minutes to an hour depending on its length. Suffice it to say, each chapter took hours and hours to complete.”
Paul’s book provides a biblical and inspirational view of suffering from a middle-aged, dying man's perspective. In the book he wrote, “Challenges improve us and pain allows us to serve others and to know what they are experiencing. Pain helps us to focus on the permanent not the temporary. Despite my disease, I still have the joy of being [a] bold witness for Jesus Christ to others. God is using the platform of ALS to influence and change people that I could never have reached when I was healthy.”
If you are hurting or know someone who is, there is a a fountain of hope and empathy within the pages of Paul Lanier’s book. In one of GOD’S OTHER WAYS© the Lord touched Paul’s life in a most special way that blessed the lives of many others.
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I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NLT
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 NIV
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13 NIV
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If you liked this story and would like a copy of either of my books,
they are available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle format:
If you have a story or testimony that you think might bless others,
I invite you to send it by email to me (Kenneth Kersey) at godsotherways@me.com.
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