Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a story for you men.
And it’s the story of Jeff Brown and his buddy, Keith. Jeff and Keith met years ago when they both played basketball for Pensacola Christian College. With both of them measuring in well over six feet, these two were a formidable duo on the basketball court. For four years while at school, athletics really drew these two guys close together. But as is often the case, after college graduation, Jeff and Keith went their separate ways. Jeff married and moved to Florida, while Keith married and moved to Maine.
Many years went by until not long ago, Jeff heard from a friend that their old college buddy, Keith, had been diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. In no time at all, Keith had wasted away, was confined to a wheelchair, could barely breathe, and was using a feeding tube. When Jeff heard this, he also felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit, whispering, “Go see your friend; he needs you.” Jeff felt a little awkward at first; I mean, they hadn’t been in contact for years. But the calling was unmistakable, and so Jeff took action. First, he contacted me at Joni and Friends and asked if I would send Keith and his wife Beth one of my books; Jeff knew that they had become overwhelmed by the demands of his disability. They were discouraged and close to despair. Keith even contemplated having his feeding tube pulled out. Well, I wasted no time in sending Keith my book called “A Place of Healing” which focuses a lot on how to face suffering. Just what did that book mean to Keith? Well, Beth started reading it to him. And bless their hearts, it changed their perspective on his illness and his outlook on life. They became convinced that God really had a purpose for it all and they wanted their lives to be a blessing while Keith was still alive. Proof of that, is that Keith decided not to have his feeding tube pulled out. You can imagine what that did for his wife; how it encouraged her, much she appreciated her husband’s change of attitude about his ALS!
After Keith and Beth read “A Place of Healing,” Jeff flew from Florida to Maine to spend a couple of days with his old friend—in fact, he called a few of their other college buddies, and together they all had a blast. They all put on Superman t-shirts; Jeff even brought one for Keith. Of course, this really inspired the ‘athlete’ inside of Keith and before you knew it, they were zooming through the house, pushing Keith’s wheelchair faster than a speeding bullet. They lifted their friend up in their arms out of his wheelchair and flew him over his wheelchair, able to leap tall staircases in a single bound. They had so much fun that day. Oh my goodness, Jeff even made a video of the visit—he had it in his mind to try out for American Ninja Warrior anyway, so he made a try-out tape that day highlighting not only his own feats of athleticism, but his friend Keith’s, as well. It’s a really heartwarming snapshot of the crazy lengths a couple of college buddies will go to in order to minister to their disabled friend. If you want to see it, and men, you would love this video; I’ve posted it on my radio page today at joniandfriends.org.
To give you an update, Keith passed away earlier this year, but it’s amazing how God used a Christian book about suffering and a visit from an old college friend to soften Keith’s heart to the purposes of God in his life. Beth, bless her heart, is doing better, although she misses her husband dearly. And Jeff Brown? Well, his old college buddy is still inspiring him on, in fact, the last I heard, he was heading out to see the finals of American Ninja Warrior. And hey, don’t forget to watch their Superman video today at joniandfriends.org.
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