Being Thankful

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Welcome to Healing Begins. My name is Pastor Gail Krock,
and we're going to talk about Thanksgiving today. And I
have a special guest on the program, Pastor Larry Sanders.
Say hello, Larry, Hello, Larry. All right now, and now
he's being funny right off the bat. Where where are
you a pastor at?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
It's in Jackson, Michigan. It's called Jackson Baptist Church. It's
a little church on the hill on Dettman Street.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
So how long you've been there?

Speaker 2 (00:59):
I think six years now I'm going on perhaps, Now
where were you before that? Oh, let's see, about three
or four or five years in between churches. I had
not had a church, you know, in that span. So
I was doing several different things, one of which I
was a counselor for a drug and alcohol rehab for

(01:22):
six months. And I was a chaplain in a women's
prison down in Nipsilanti for six months. And then I
drove around the country in a van for a guy
for about a year, all over the country. You know,
it didn't make any money, but about baroke even doing
all that, but I had a great time, and you know,

(01:42):
I kept busy, but I didn't have a church since
back five years prior to this church, and then I've
been in ministry now full time since nineteen eighty one,
so without those five years. Except for those five years
been pastoring in one of two or three churches, So.

Speaker 1 (02:05):
That's a long time to be a ministry. I've been
in ministry since nineteen eighty nine, so you and I
are pretty close to the same age. It's so funny
as pastors, we wind up doing several things in life, don't.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yes, yes, you got to be got to be agile, yeah,
to be flexible, flexible.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
Yeah, So this is a great time to talk about Thanksgiving.
You like Thanksgiving?

Speaker 2 (02:27):
Wonderful time, wonderful time of the year.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yes, I love the turkey and the fixings and the
gravy and the mashed potatoes. You like all that.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
I like. I've kind of gone with the venison now lately.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
Oh venison.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, venis in backstraps and mashed potatoes.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
But now we're making everybody hungry. That's listening. But we
didn't call you on this program today to talk about
eating food, although I like to do that. I hear
in this season of your life you have a lot
to be thankful for.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
Right yes, perhaps more than ever. I have this gratitude
like never before, you know, flowing out of me, just
to be alive.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
That's right, Gail, So share with me what happened to you, What,
what did what did you go through recently? Just take
your time to talk about that a little bit.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
Well, on the twenty first of October. The medical term
for it is cerebrovascular accident due to thrombosis of basalar artery.
Like it was like my basalar artery had an occlusion.
Whatever that means with cerebral infarction.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
Well, I have a conclusion. I don't know what that means.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
But all that means from a from a just my
normal standpoint. Layman's standpoint is I had a stroke in
the back of my head. It was a blood clot
in the back of the you know, the the brain
stack of my head, mostly like in my neck area
back there somewhere I've had for about a decade, I guess,

(04:08):
or more narrowing of my arteries back there. They were
aware of it, the doctors had told me that, but
nothing that anyone can do about that except I was
on blood pressure and stating drugs and all that for
a long time now, So.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
What happened the day? Where are we at when you
had this stroke? What was that like?

Speaker 2 (04:30):
I got to the church about eleven o'clock in the
morning on the twenty first. I was going there to
help a fellow member, brother Eric, who was gonna I
was going to be his assistant, and he was going
to hang these window treatments or window films in the
windows for the holiday season. Yeah. Yeah. And they had

(04:52):
like a stained glass appearance with a cross in the
middle of them. They were real pretty.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
That sounds beautiful.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, And we had just got perched, and I was
looking forward to helping them because I really liked the
idea of having those up up there and letting the
sun shine through them. So I walked into church with
a brand new hot cup of coffee I just picked
up from Johnny's there.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Oh it sounds good Jack Coffee.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah yeah. And I walked in the front door. I
walked past the back four you there. It was not
very big church, but I saw a little table where
the ladies had put on their a pumpkin, a little
bit of a pumpkin there, and they had these little
little bitty things you would write a little pumpkin, you'd

(05:37):
write what you're thankful for on and put it in
this bigger pumpkin.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
Did you put something in that pumpkin?

Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah. They were going to have it like a get
together after church on the next day, and we were
going to read all these you know, you were supposed
to put your there. I stopped and I wrote about
eight or nine of them out. Really I couldn't quite
just put one. So I remember, I'm grateful for my wife, Beverly,
thankful for my children. I named all of them, you know,

(06:06):
I got four, named all three of my grandchildren. I said,
I'm thankful for coffee. As I was looking at my coffee,
I put I'm thankful for deer hunting, because I had
already been out deer hunting a couple of times bow hunting.
And then I think I put on there, I'm thankful
for Eric, who was right there. I could see him,

(06:26):
and I said, and I also could see our piano player.
Her name is Peggy. She's a sweet lady up in
her eighties, and what a what a precious help her
she's been. But I wrote on there, thankful for Peggy.
And I think that's about all I could remember. But
one thing I didn't put in there, not that I

(06:48):
know now I'm probably thankful for the most and that
was my health.

Speaker 1 (06:52):
Oh yeah, I didn't even think that. For granted, I
didn't think of that.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
Yeah, I didn't think of that one.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
And that can change in a second.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
It did, literally.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
So what happened to you where?

Speaker 2 (07:03):
What was you doing? Well? I took two steps or
three steps drinking the coffee walking down the aisle, down
the center aisle, and I hadn't eaten anything that day,
and I am a pre diabetic, and I also I'm
always constantly trying to listen to my body, you know

(07:23):
that at my age. So I started noticing it. I
was getting a little dizzy while I was walking down
the aisle, and that's happened in the past a few times.
But the room's starting to spin and I had to
kind of sit down. I had to sit down on
the front view and in my mind, I was having

(07:45):
what they call vertigo. Oh yeah, yeah, vertigo. And that's
what the urgent care had told me up here in Hastings.
The first time this ever happened to me, that I
had vertigo a little bit, but it always passed within
a minute or maybe five minutes the most. But with that,
if it doesn't stop, you get nauseous and it gets
worse and worse. But I didn't know that until that day.

(08:08):
It got worse and worse, and what I thought would
soon pass became all afternoon struggling for me. I was miserable,
but I still didn't think stroke. I still had no
thought it was a stroke. So everybody was trying to
help me. So little Peggy she ran back to her

(08:29):
apartment there and she got a blood pressure cuff and
she took my blood pressure, she checked my blood sugar.
Both were normal or you know, in a good range.
So the only thing that was a little bit odd.
I had broken out into a sweat, really big sweat,
and it was a rainy, chilly day, and that was unnormal,

(08:52):
not normal, and I started chilling, so they put sweaters
around me and trying to make me feel comfortable sitting there.
You can be comfortable in a pew hard.

Speaker 1 (09:02):
Yeah, exactly, unless it's padded.

Speaker 2 (09:04):
Yeah right, yeah. But I sat down there and then
I eventually laid down there trying to trying to get
this nausea out of you know, I started getting nauseous,
so they got me a garbage can, and I was
hugging that and I was not I hadn't eaten anything,
but I had a little bit of bial fluid that
I would dry heave, dry heaves, you know. Anyway, I

(09:27):
thought this would only last a bit, about, you know,
fifteen minutes at the most. Maybe it turned into hours
in another hour, and the next thing I know, I
had laid down, and I guess I must have slept
a little bit. And I tried to stand up and
walk at one point, and I couldn't walk. I started

(09:48):
staggering around like a drunk person. So I sat down
on the opposite pew, on the front pew, in front
of the pulpit, and Eric. I looked around finally, and
I could see he had already finished all the windows,
you know. So that's how long I had been in there.
And so anyway, everybody had left except for Eric, and

(10:10):
he was just about finished, maybe not quite, but almost.
And he said to me, I'm gonna go step out
get a bite to eat real quick, because it's right
in town. He said, I'll be right back if that
be all right. Well you be all right, he said,
and I said, oh yeah, I'll be all right. Out
I could talk. You see, at that time he said

(10:30):
I'll be fine. I still believed this was going to pass.
And I hadn't thought of that word stroke at all.
So even though somebody had told me to suggest that
you should go to the to the hospital, I knew no,
I'd be there all the rest of the day and
it would be you know, So that shows you I

(10:52):
hadn't thought that serious about this. So anyway, he left,
and no sooner than he left, Gail, I'm telling you,
that's when.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
This knew you were in trouble.

Speaker 2 (11:02):
I knew I was in trouble because something I can't
describe to you really just it just came over me,
like it settled all over my body. It like a
like a heated like a glow, a feeling of warmth.
But at the same time, at the same time, I'm
im obile my arm, my leg. Next thing was that

(11:23):
was my left side and on my right side, and
noticed my leg spasm in for a while but uncontrollably,
and then I started to slouch in the seat. I
couldn't I couldn't quite hold myself up to stay upright,

(11:44):
and I kept fighting that try to stay up right
because I knew, man, this is serious. I don't want
to I don't want to stop sitting up. So this
went on and on, and I thought to myself, this
is definitely a stroke, and Eric, you gotta get gotta

(12:06):
get back here quick, you know. And then I said,
then I remember having one other thought. I looked up
at this pulpit there and I said, well, Pastor Lary,
you always said you might die in a pulpit. Now
you're not going to die in the pulpit, but you're
making to die in front of the pulpit, you know,
right in front of it. I noticed that I was

(12:28):
slouching down to the right and my I was drooling
out of the side of my mouth, and I was
not being able to focus my eyesight. And then the
last thing that scared me, This really scared me. I
heard myself trying to breathe, and.

Speaker 1 (12:48):
It was like a terrible Oh, that's not good, you know.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
And when I heard that, I thought, Eric, you got
to get here now, man, because I'm about I almost
said to myself, this is it. I'm going to give
up here. But I was still sitting up when he
got there. Thank the Lord, he got there.

Speaker 1 (13:10):
He got time.

Speaker 2 (13:12):
Yes, and he took one look at me and he said,
I'm gonna call the I'm gonna call nine one one, okay.
And I all I could do was muster a thumbs up.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
At least you can do that.

Speaker 2 (13:26):
And I said thumbs up. And you know, I don't
know how long it took, but they got there and
they I was like dead weight, and they threw me
up on the gurney, and I know I must have
scared him, you know, But I got out of that
church by those help of those people, and they were
not worried about how if they hurt me or not.

Speaker 1 (13:48):
They were to the hospital.

Speaker 2 (13:50):
Yeah, it was. It was a matter of.

Speaker 1 (13:52):
Are you saying the analyst ride was soft?

Speaker 2 (13:55):
They pretty well just manhandled me in there. And as
soon as I got in there, they started ripping my
clothes or cutting my clothes off, and and one guy
had pressing on my carotid arteries, you know, and it
really hurt. But I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything.
And I remember laying there thinking, this is it, This

(14:16):
is it, that's all. But I wasn't. I wasn't panicked
in my soul, Gail was. My body was a little
bit resistant at all this pain that they were inflicting
to try to keep me alive, because to help you,
they got to hurt you. But another quick mini miracle
on this was Eric came running out there right as

(14:39):
they were ready to leave and slam the door, and
he had my phone in his hand and he said,
I'm locked out. Can you give me the colde? And
I couldn't talk, of course, but I I somehow with
my hand made a zero and a zero and I
won't tell you that digit, okay, and then another then

(15:02):
I then I gave him a signal five.

Speaker 1 (15:03):
I saw the phone code, but he he.

Speaker 2 (15:08):
Said, got it. I got I was able to get
that code to him in time, and that's what how
he contacted all my loved ones. Wow wow they were
they were all over the country and I was an
hour away from my wife at that point, but thank
god he got a hold of them. And anyway, that
began the whole episode.

Speaker 1 (15:29):
Because this was a serious stroke, wasn't it.

Speaker 2 (15:31):
It was very serious and I came very near death.
In fact, the doctors and the nurses were all amazed
that I did come back and that I was discharged
just two three days later. I think it was on Tuesday.
I went in on Saturday to the U of M.

(15:52):
They they transported me by another ambulance and I was
discharged on Tuesday, Tuesday after noon from you of him
with no restrictions.

Speaker 1 (16:03):
Wow, that's America, and that's for God's glory.

Speaker 2 (16:06):
Only God did this. There's no doubt in my mind.

Speaker 1 (16:10):
So you got to really be thankful on Thanksgiving.

Speaker 2 (16:13):
Right absolutely, for not only Thanksgiving, but for the rest
of my for the rest of my days. You know,
I am gonna praise God, I told my friend with
a little humor, I'll become a Baptis hostle. Oh, every
opportunity I get, I give give God praise and and
one of the things one reason I know it's a

(16:35):
miracle that this was God that did it. Only He
could do it. The doctors couldn't do it. The medicine
they all helped to save my life, the ambulance, everybody
helped me, the first responders and everybody. But it was
only God who brought me back. Because they had already
told my family, my wife and all my kids and
everyone family and friends that were there that don't expect

(16:59):
my this type of stroke. They said, you know, just
here's the three options. They gave him death, vegetative state,
or number three, you'll be convalescent care the rest of
your life.

Speaker 1 (17:19):
So they didn't know about the fourth option.

Speaker 2 (17:21):
They didn't mention the fourth option.

Speaker 1 (17:23):
You know, and that that that brings me to remember,
you know, in the Hebrew man or a shadrack mishak
and a betigo, or in the fiery furnace, there was
a fourth man in the fire. So there was a
fourth man in the fire with you.

Speaker 2 (17:37):
They didn't consider God is able, and he did this.
I guarantee you he did it. I want to tell
you this part real quick before I know I could
go on and on, but I don't know how much
time I have left it.

Speaker 1 (17:49):
Well, well we've got a few more men to slept.
But what is it you want to share?

Speaker 2 (17:53):
I want to share this this part. I was had
this horrible thing keeping me alive, keeping keep in me,
breathing ventilator. Yeah. And when they took that out and
I was able to talk, I had I looked up
and I couldn't really see. I could see people around,
but I couldn't move my head and I could only

(18:14):
really look up and see Angel. She was my nurse. Angel,
I like that, and she had a mask on and
all I could see was her eyes and I she
asked me some but I don't know what she asked me.
As soon as I could talk, she was holding onto
my hands, and I said, this is the Holy Spirit
in me that did this. And the Holy Spirit threw me,

(18:35):
said Angel, I was ready to be with Jesus. But
if you're not ready, you won't have time to get ready.
You need to be ready now. You need to get ready. Now.

Speaker 1 (18:53):
Well, will you give your chance to get ready on
this program?

Speaker 2 (18:57):
Well?

Speaker 1 (18:57):
You will? You give people a chance to pray with you.
A minute, you can lead him in a prayer on
the air about receiving Christ and getting ready. Can you
do that?

Speaker 2 (19:05):
Yeah? Go ahead. I want to just say what I
told Angel. I'm telling everyone who's listening that if you
could just realize, no matter who you are out there,
no matter who you are or what you've done, Jesus
is only He's the mere mention of his name away.
If you will just say Jesus, I believe in you,

(19:29):
he will save you. The Bible says, believe I'm the
Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. And to
do that means you put your faith in him, you
trust him. You're calling out and you know he's right there.
He was with me. I was ready to meet him.

(19:50):
But if you're not ready right now, if you were
to die, if you were to have a stroke, are
you ready to go to be with Jesus? Do you
know him? Have you believed in him? There's only two
groups of people out there. You're either a believer or
you're not. You're an unbeliever. You say, well, I don't
believe that. Pastor Larry, Well, let me tell you what

(20:12):
Jesus said, and I'm closing with this verse John three
thirty six said, he that believeth on the Son has
everlasting life. But he that believeth not the Son of
God shall not see life. But the wrath of God
abideth on him.

Speaker 1 (20:32):
Could you leave him in a prayer?

Speaker 2 (20:34):
Minuteary, what will you do with Jesus? Shall we pray? Lord?
Thank you, we praise you. We give you all the
glory for what you did. It's not just emotion now
that I'm talking, I'm talking from gratitude from my heart.
I've had that emotional experience, but it's not just that.

(20:55):
It's an experience that it's a spiritual one. And I
pray if there's a anyone in any any hour of
struggle out here listening, any struggle and they need help,
and they need someone to rescue them from sin and
turn their life around. Lord, would they just look up
right now, see that holy angels are watching over them,

(21:18):
protecting them up to now that they're they're here by
the grace of God. And may they turned to the
God who made them, created them Jesus and say, Jesus,
I believe you went to the cross, you died on
that cross, you shed your blood for me, you rose
again to give me eternal life. And I accept you.

(21:40):
I believe in you right now in your word, save
me a man. Amen.

Speaker 1 (21:46):
That's great, Pastor Larry. I'm really glad you gave people
a chance because one of the things you said is
that when that time comes, you don't have time. You
don't boom, it's there. Yep, you don't and it's all
over and you're an eternity.

Speaker 2 (22:01):
That's right.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
But now, if you're breathing and listening to us on
the radio or on podcasts, you have a chance to
get right with the Lord. So I want to pray
before I close off this program, Lord, I pray for
those during christ and Thanksgiving and even Christmas coming up
that are lonely, that don't have anyone. Lord, you said

(22:24):
in your word that you are a friend that sticks
closer than a brother, and that you want to be
our friend even when it seems like we don't have
any friends. So Lord, I just pray that you'll be
with these person listening today, and I asked that you
would be with them in the name of Jesus. Amen.
And I want to say this. Maybe you got plenty

(22:45):
of food on your table, but maybe your neighbor doesn't.
This would be a good time to share your food
with people that are hurting, with people that are in need.
Maybe you need to pick up the phone, call a
mom or a dad, our grandma you haven't talked in
a while, and don't wait to accept Christ. Today is

(23:07):
the day of salvation. All you got to say is, Lord,
come into my heart, be my savior, forgive me of
my sins, and Jesus will be there for you in
May you take the time this Thanksgiving to not only
accept Christ as your savior if you have it, but
to write down all the things you're thankful for. May

(23:30):
God richly blessed each one of you have a good morning.
One week after recording this program, Pastor Larry Saundras passed
away and went home to be with Jesus. So this

(23:52):
program is in loving memory of Pastor Larry Saunders, his
wife Beverly, and their children are prayers are with you.
Healing Begins is brought to you by Spiritual Care Consultants
located in Hastings, Michigan. At the Healing Center, we see
children and adults at no costs. We do virtual and

(24:12):
in person sessions. We invite you to learn more about
us by going to www dot Spiritualcareconsultants dot com. We
also value your feedback and would like to hear from you.
You can email me at Gail G. A.

Speaker 2 (24:28):
L E.

Speaker 1 (24:29):
At Spiritualcareconsultants dot com. We would like to invite you
and your family and friends to go and listen to
the past programs by going to Wood Radio dot com,
then click on podcast, then look for Healing Begins and
click on that. Thank you so much for being a

(24:49):
faithful supporter. May God bless you keep you, cause us
face to shine upon you and give you peace. Thank
you for listening,