You are looking at that title and probably thinking, “Okay, I know it has been stressful for Bill lately (after all he has told us that) but what in the world is that?  Could that be a number on the sign he is holding across his chest?  That obviously is not a date on a calendar.”  So…what is it?????

I am glad you asked that.  I decided since I am not preaching this Sunday (all you folks from OVCF hold your applause) to add another post.  I hope this will inspire you to read something.  About a week or so ago the wife of a man from the church I pastor stopped in the office to drop off a couple of books I had loaned her to read.  She also dropped off a book that had been given to her to read by a friend.  Her husband, Duane (a cycling buddy), who is not a reader, read the book in three days.  She left it with me to read and I will have to say I was blown away by it!!

Now…let me tell you about the numbers in the title.  The “9” stands for 9 seconds.  That is how long it took to change a young man’s life forever.  The second number is 16 hours, 42 minutes, 46 seconds.  That is how long it took to make history. The book is called Unthinkable and is about a man named Scott Rigsby.  It is the true story of how Scott became the first double amputee to complete the world-famous Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon.  In an accident that probably took 9 seconds, Scott went from athletic, graduated, hard-working soon-to-be college student to a single amputee who struggled to even live.  Later realizing the other foot/leg was never going to heal, he made the decision to have it amputated as well.  Both of Scott’s legs were amputated just below the knee.  And although Scott grew up in the church, his life was anything (before and after) but an example of a dedicated Christ-follower.  You may even get a tad judgmental (if you are like that) about his philandering ways and his use of alcohol, drugs and sex to salve the ache inside him.  Even after his “true conversion” Scott struggled with no boundaries in his life.  His bitterness caused him to overlook God’s goodness, and is so often the case, to lose sight of God’s grace and forgiveness.  To put it bluntly: he just didn’t care.  He had his own agenda.  Ultimately, he knew God needed to be in His life in more of a “control” position than being what I would call a “hanger-on.”   Some parts laughing. Some parts gut-wrenching.  Some parts “disgusting.”  Some parts crying this book takes you through a gamut of emotions.  Somewhere along the line Scott begins to think “marathons.”  He talks about the struggles he had with his equipment, his doubts, his lack of money (sponsors), his lack of care/concern for his body, but eventually he lays out a story of hope and healing for those who have lost either limbs or even the desire to live.   I was deeply moved by the book and found I had to put it down when I didn’t want to. I am sorry if this sounds like a book review.  I had no intention of it being that.  I wanted to highlight the lost hope Scott had and how he found a purpose in Christ and ultimately in marathons.  He now is a public speaker and now a rep for World Vision.

Do you know someone who has lost hope?  Do you know an amputee who needs to hear it from “their perspective?”  Do you know someone who wants to “cash it all in?”  Do you know someone who wants to quit?  Do you just want to read something that is not “too heavy” but still has a message?  Buy this book for yourself. Read it, then pass it on.  You will be glad you did.  I don’t know how to ask for your participation in this but if you would like to make a comment then please feel free to do so.

One last thought before I go: this quote is one that Scott holds as “his saying.”   I have heard it before but after reading his story, it holds an even greater meaning:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

One last thing.  Today is my day off so if you make a comment I will eventually get to it.  Please be patient.  😛