Hey friend!
Well I have to say that it doesn’t surprise me that Dr. Laurie’s episode came in at #16 on the most-listened-to Heal Podcasts. I think people love the perspective that he can bring from nearly 30 years of medical practice, over 20 years of ministry experience, and now almost two decades of dealing with his own debilitating disease as a patient. Here at Heal we try to give you different perspectives of healing through each episode we record, and this one gives you a lot of bang for your buck (well, I mean, I know you don’t pay to listen to episodes, but we value the time it takes you to listen)!
Dr. Laurie thought life was nothing but blue skies when he was an emergency room radiologist, he had a beautiful wife and four small children, and he was starting his second career as a pastor with the Bridge Christian Church in Tucson, Arizona. But then out of nowhere, he was struck with a devastating disease of his autonomic nervous system. Thrust into being the patient, he had to scour the country to find help for his condition, and he still lives in extensive pain and limitation now, years later.
Even though his chronic illness caused him to retire professionally, Dr. Laurie is finding other ways to share his wisdom and journey, like by sharing his story with us and by writing a book! In Dr. Laurie’s book, When Skies Aren’t Blue, he takes you not through his miraculous journey from sickness to health, but his courageous journey from health to sickness. In the book, you’ll find the intriguing personal journey of Dr. Laurie combined with practical “prescriptions” at the end of the chapter to help you move from feeling stuck in your dark skies to taking steps towards the blue skies Christ can give you even amidst your most difficult trials.
In the episode, we talk about Dr. Laurie’s book, what it looks like for him when he has had parts of his physical pain healed miraculously while he has many aspects of it that remain with him to this day, and how the Bible can bring us freedom from our bitterness amidst pain and trials.
Not to mention we recorded this episode when I was foster dog-sitting a German shepherd pup, and Dr. Laurie and I got to geek out a bit on our love for dogs since he has two beautiful German Shepherds, as well. And just in case there are any dog lovers out there, here’s a picture of me with the sweetie we got to foster for three months:
Enjoy this standout episode!
Listen to learn more about:
· How a high-capacity man has found he is a better husband and father with a debilitating chronic illness than he was in his prime.
· What “prescriptions” Dr. Laurie gives to turn your dark skies to blue skies again, even amidst your illness or pain.
· How Dr. Laurie moved beyond letting the “old Andy” control the life that the “new Andy” could live with his limitations.
· What it looks like to live in victory each day, even when most of the time you wake up in so much pain it takes everything you have to get out of bed.
Listen now:
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Click here to listen on Amazon Music.
Favorite Quote from the episode:
“I am a much better husband now than even before I got sick. There’s time I have now. There’s empathy and understanding and things that I’ve been through. I’m a much better father now than even when I was healthy. Yeah, I can’t run around and do things with them [my kids], but you know what? I would go to their games if I could, if I was healthy I’d watch them and if I was really really healthy I’d even coach them. But I made a commitment once I let the old guy go, I made a commitment to the best of my ability that I am not going to let this disease affect their lives. I’m going to do everything I can to give them the dad that they need, understanding that Dad is limited, understanding that husband is limited. And it’s ended up turning out great. But yeah – the start was brutal.”
Links from our conversation:
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For freedom,
Tera