God is still in the healing business. Jim is healed of Colon Cancer.
| THE DAY MY FATHER DIED. April 8 1996
It seemed like any other day. I was on my lunch break from my job and running a few errands when God told me to turn on the radio. As I obeyed I heard that Rush Limbaughs' Grandfather had passed away. Knowing all too well how God works I figured out that God wanted me to pray for the Limbaugh family and I did. Then I heard on the news that George W. Jenkins
the man who founded Publix supermarkets had died on Monday the 8th also. I wondered about my fathers salvation most of my life. Then one day we went fishing. By this time in his life he had had many strokes and was confined to a wheelchair. I sort of told him "dad you know all the things I have done in my life and big bands I've played with. But dad none of that compares or is as important as accepting Jesus in my life. What do you think of that?" For years dad did not want to talk about that subject even in the days after my uncle Dencil had been killed on dads tractor right in front of Dad and my nephew Tony. That is a story for another day. Dad answered and said your right son. So I hard closed him. I said so you belive Jesus is your savior and Lord? He said yes. Back to that day. It was no surprise when knowing that these 3 men were known as Christians as I saw a vision of 3 pathways leading to the gates of Heaven. On these 3 paths walking into Heaven together was my dad, Mr Limbaugh, and Mr. Jenkins. Oh did I tell you that I did not know yet that my father had passed. Well about 15 minutes later I got back to my job and got a message from my sister. I called and she told me that dad had passed. I told her yes I know. When I told her the story she was amazed. I am still amazed to this day that God loves me enough to allow me to not just know in my heart that Dad got saved but to give me a vision of him entering the Heavenly gates. What a good God we serve.
THE DAY MY MOTHER DIED.
The day Mom died. Don't just think that God would do such a miracle for me with dad and not do the same for me with my mom. This is a bit different, although once again my sister was the one who had to make the call to me. I was sitting down to lunch at about 11:30 and as I prayed over my food I asked God. Please don't take my mom until she is saved. I often pray for my family but this was different. at that moment my mother was getting ready to have a massive heart failure. My sister described the whole incident when she called me at about 6 that evening. Mom was rushed to the hospital at 11:30 by 12:30 she was gone. How many of you know that God answers prayers. Well I do and that is what gave me the hope for my moms salvation. What an odd prayer to say at lunch time. But I believe that my spirit man knew what was going on and had me pray just so I would know God had answered my prayer. Then the best thing happened. He assured me that my prayer was timed perfectly.
More later about when God told me that I had cancer even before the results were in. He also made many promised that he kept during that time.
More later.
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All stories will be placed here as I finish writing them.
CAR WRECKS
66 T-BIRD
In the early 1970s I found a 1966 Ford Thunderbird for sale at a gas station. It was bright white with a Baby metallic blue interior. It had the swing away steering wheel and I believe it had the swing and turn drivers seat. The car had been newly painted and the gas station owner had done some work on it. The owner was not able to pay for the repairs so he gave the title to the service station owner who in turn sold it to me. The car had a 390 engine and would purr at the stoplight and scream off the line. It seemed that it was always standing at attention ready in an instant to follow your every desire for speed.
Needless to say 66 was a very good year for Ford cars they all were great lookers. I LOVED MY T-BIRD. One night I was playing a concert with Vassar Clements and we were on the show with Earl Scruggs and his sons. My room mate Jody Maphis was playing drums with them at the time. So...... we drove home to Nashville on Earls Bus and I must say I got drunk. We got in at about 2 AM and because I did not drink that often they put Jody (who was drunker than I was) behind the drivers seat of my T-Bird. A few minutes later I looked up to see that we were going 70 MPH and we were at a t intersecion with no time to stop before we went into the guardrail. Just as we got to the intersection I saw it. A big blue wood panel sided Ford Full size stationwagon. We collided and both kept going in our original direction through the guard rail and into the field. I lost my glasses and could see nothing. I am blind as a bat without them. I checked on Jody He said he was alright and would check on the other folks. Then I ran up the street to a house for help.
Needless to say I lost the car that I loved the most of any car I have ever had. I almost lost my life and could have killed some innocent people while I was at it. This was one of Gods lessons to me. He protected us all through it and we walked away with barely a scratch. But I lost my car.
THE 56 Volkswagen Beetle.
While I was in college at Westchester University in Westchester Pa I had a friend who later went on to play with The Buddy Rich orchestra and swithced out with players from the Glenn Miller orchestra. (The Rich band was high stress high energy and lots of fun The Miller band he once told me was where the guys went when they needed a rest.
Any way one night I was following Him home so he could drop off his parents car. It was about 10 at night and we were zooming up and down the Pennsylvania hills when we decided to go down as fast as we could into a valley that ended up being full of fog. My friend hit the brakes when he hit the fog and I also hit my brakes but a little to hard. The back end of the beetle started to come around and before I knew it I was sliding on my side. (my side down on the pavement) spinning and bouncing down the road. At some point I hit a big granite road marker on the side of the road square in the front and it spun me around and down about a 20 foot embankment when I stopped rolling both doors were open and I was hanging upside down. The doors put an end to the rolling. I smelled gas so I tried to make my escape as quickly as possible. At that time cars did not come with seat belts you had to install your own and the tv theme you would hear every night was buckle up for safety buckle up. I took it seriously and we had an old airplaine seat belt installed ( just a lapbelt) in the old 56. I was injured slightly. My friend turned around picked me up and we found an old country doctor to sew me up. I had cut my left index finger and had a shallow gash down the top of my head. The sad thing about this was that I loved this car also.
My dad and I had overhauled it and I had put a rolled and pleated naugahyde interior in it. I did the seats, sidepanels, and ceiling. I thought we could salvage it and so my dad and I went to the junk yard to look at it. When my father saw the car by the look on his face I thought he was going to throw up. There was not enough left of the car to recognize what it was let alone salvage.
He just said lets go son. Somehow he knew he did not have to scold me or give me the riot act. He knew that I knew that I came close to and should have been killed. At the very least broken every bone in my body. But I walked away from it with a scar on my finger and forehead. Through the years these scars have reminded me of Gods' faithfulness. Also it is a reminder of His great mercy towards me.
Next time I'VE BEEN ROBBED!!!! And I lived to tell about it.
AND
The CANCER TESTIMONY. I said Lord please tell me that the results tommorrow will tell me that I do not have Cancer. His reply was I can not tell you that, but I can tell you that I will take you over it. And the strangest thing of all He told me to do whatever the doctors tell me to do.
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