(For those of you who still need proof that God is real).

“David, are those vultures?” My brother was closing his truck door as I walked up to him asking and pointing to the yard of the adorable little home I had just rented in Lebanon, Tennessee. “They are Buzzards. Same thing” There on the ground walked at least ten of the ugly, scary looking birds of prey walking around on the grass. “They won’t bother you,” he explained further. “What about those”, I asked as I pointed his attention to at least another eight to ten of the “buzzards” perched on the top of the roof.

After selling my home in South Dakota in December 2013, I moved to Tennessee to continue my ministry and finish earning my Master of Divinity in Pastoral Ministries from Liberty University. My brother David and his wife Debbie invited me to stay with them until I found a new place to call my home. David and I looked around Nashville and surrounding area for about one month before I found my little dream rental in Lebanon. To say I was shocked at the reception I received when David and I pulled into the driveway was an understatement. Immediately I had a feeling of doom and it was not because I was afraid of the vultures. I grew up a tomboy so I knew I could scare the trespassers away with a good ole West Virginia yell (where I grew up). The feeling was like a warning that all was not well. I told David of my feelings and he replied like most brothers would: “Oh Sis. You will be fine.” So like any good American sister, I believed him.

That night I went to bed early with only one small blanket on my bed. This particular night the weather was calling for a colder then normal one. Now coming from South Dakota I really did not think too much about it. That changed when I woke up at 4 AM in the morning freezing and wondering why I did not bring another blanket from my brother’s home. All of my furnishings were on the way across the country from South Dakota and all I had in my little home was the bedroom set I purchased in Lebanon and no extra blanket

I opened my eyes and wondered why I was awake. I then realized how cold I was. The next thought I had was why I was feeling so ill. I moved my head slowly back and forth and determined I must be coming down with the flu and I had too much to do in the next few days to be getting sick. The dizziness I was experiencing was alarming so I thought I should get up, get a drink of water, check on my dog, and hopefully be able to return to my bed and sleep. The first thing I did was walk to the carbon monoxide detector, just in case. Nope, all well there. I turned the heat up, put my coat on and walked outside to let my dog out. The crisp, cold air seemed to make me feel a little better. Shortly I called my dog Shawna and we went back inside.

The back door opened into the kitchen which contained a built-in L shaped bench with seats that opened up into storage areas. When I walked into the kitchen the feeling of intense dizziness and exhaustion swept over me. All I wanted to do, at that point, was to lie down on the wooden benches and go back to sleep. The fact that I did not remove my heavy winter coat, nor walk ten feet to return to my comfortable bed did not set off any type of alarm in my mind. I needed to lie down and I needed to go back to sleep. I stretched out on the longest of the benches, turned on my side, rested my head on my arm and shut my eyes.

I closed my eyes and wondered if the intensifying dizziness would let me sleep. Suddenly, I heard a voice from over my right shoulder and this is what I heard: “Won’t it be sad when David finds you here today…..dead.” The voice was loud and clear. So much so that it took a few seconds but finally my brain asked “What”? What”? Then, slowly as if my brain analyzed each of the words I heard, the thickness of my brain finally let the words sink into my consciousness. My brain began to speed up as I sat upright on the bench. I asked myself again: “Who was that? What did He say?” I say He because I knew it definitely was a male voice. Finally, thru the fog, I realized that something was not right. I knew I had to get to the phone and call 911. I do not remember if I called 911 but soon I was speaking with a lady on the phone. She directed me to leave the house immediately and go outside; the ambulance, fire department, and inspector were on the way. Once outside I questioned why I was out there in the cold waiting. Did I really hear what I thought I had? I felt so ill it was difficult to stand so I eventually opened my car door and waited until the three vehicles arrived.

Standing out front of my home, after the EMTs suggested all was well with my oxygen levels and breathing, I stood with four huge firemen. They had responded to the call. I remember thinking how embarrassed I was because nothing was wrong and I had called these guys out for no reason. Then, the gas inspector walked out the front door. “Do you know how lucky you are?” Why, I answered. Did you find something? “Yes”, he replied. “There is carbon monoxide and gas coming out of every vent in that house.” “You are very lucky to be alive.” “You are lucky you woke up.” Even though I still felt very ill, I raised my hands up to the heavens and thanked God for saving my life. I said to the inspector and the four firemen standing by me, “That is not luck. I am alive because God woke me up.” “It was not my time to go and He saved me.” “Thank you God.”

The furnace repair man replaced the unit the same day, He said the unit was extremely old and was not processing any of the gas that came through the system. He was amazed that I survived. He told me of a family the previous year whose furnace had the same problem. “They did not wake up and they did not survive.” Again I shared with this young repair man of how God saved my life and it was not luck. We talked for some time and it was then I felt that one day this experience would help others. My thoughts returned to the young people in a South Dakota detention center where God allowed me to preach and teach His Word. Every service I emphasized faith in Christ, His love for these wonderful young people, and not to ever give up. God is with you always and I totally believed that as I preached. But now, after this day, I came through this near death episode with a new realization, a stronger consuming faith of exactly how God is with us every step we take in this world. You see, a week prior to the night the gas and carbon monoxide almost took my life, God sent me a dream of warning. In the dream, my Mother Cora, who had passed away eight months before I moved to Tennessee, said to me with extreme urgency in her voice: “Do not go into that room!” “Do not go into that room!” I remember in the dream telling her not to worry, feeling somewhat agitated because she repeated the warning over and over. I eventually told her not to worry, I would be OK. I truly believe God did send the dream as a warning, the buzzards were a warning, but I did not heed His steps to prevent what was to come. But even though, I believe in my heart, the enemy tried to take my life, he did not succeed because God is in control and has the final say so over everything.

It amazes me to this day how a person can really believe there is no God and that Jesus Christ is not real. God did send Jesus to be born here on earth, live as a man in order to experience pain and suffering like we do here on earth. He died on a Roman cross, took the keys of hell from Satan, rose again and is now in Heaven with His Father. Why? God did all this to break the curse of death and hell which came about because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Satan won a victory that day but he did not win the war. God allowed His precious Son to suffer all because God loves us so much. What is not to believe about that. Do we as parents do all we can to love, protect, and teach our children because we love them so. If we do all this as mere humans on this little piece of a great big universe; would it be so inconceivable to believe that the Creator of the universe, the Creator of all life on earth would do every thing for His children.

I would venture we do not always see every mishap and danger he saves us from. Think of some of the 911 survivors who changed their routines on that terrible day or who were delayed because of an out of the ordinary reason. God does intervene. He does do miracles. If it is not our time to go, He will intervene and bring about circumstances so we can survive. Yes, there is still death on this earth and we cry out and ask why many times in our lives. We do not yet have all the answers but, we as believers, will one day soon be amazed at what all Christ shares with us when we meet Him face to face. Can you believe that? If not, I beg of you ask God to forgive you, and pray He opens your heart and eyes to the Truth. Open up the pages of God’s love story to you, His Holy Bible. He used people just like you and me in order to teach us we all sin, make mistakes, and He washes every sinful record from His memory. Just ask. Please.

For years I preached it. Now this West Virginia, South Dakota, and now Tennessee girl KNOWS for a fact that God does exist. Totally beyond a reasonable doubt. Sometimes the “Still, Small Voice” screams out for us to listen and obey. Listen. Obey. I pray you do. God is coming back soon. He told us He would never leave us and He does not. He told us He loves us and He does. He told us He would protect us and He does. He told us He would return to this earth for us and He will. Our time here on this terrible, evil, sin filled planet without Him is short. Listen! He is coming. Wake us, please! God is real! God Bless you.

Love you, Deborah.