A popular evangelistic approach is the statement, "If you were to die today..." but that's more than theoretical to Dick Shields, a 75-year-old retired coal miner who has had "more brushes with death than most people have children". At age 18, Mr Shields was unconscious for a week after suffering a severe abdominal infection after his appendix ruptured. He was declared dead, but woke up while a nurse was scrubbing his body for his funeral. The startled nurse fainted!
Since then he has broken his neck three times; broken his back; had a triple bypass; a skin-eating fungus and a grapefruit size blockage in a blood vessel. He survived hazardous duty in World War II - including time spent searching for landmines with a knife. He once broke his neck by falling out of bed while recovering from a broken neck.
Mr Shields is still active, volunteering at his church's emergency food shelf in Juneau, Pennsylvania, and as he says: "I'd have to say I've been truly blessed". (You can't keep a good man down!)
Source: (EP NEWS)
For more information on Bible studies available, visit the Churchlink site on the World Wide Web at http://www.churchlink.com.au/churchlink. Enquiries to: [email protected]
[CHURCHLINK][UP] [HOME] [PROBE]
[VOICE FROM THE PAST] [
COMMUNIGRAM] [UNSUNG HEROES] [PHOTO NEWS]