6 Aug, 2010

Whatever It Takes

Dog chews off Michigan man's toe, saves his life

DETROIT (Reuters) – A Michigan man credited his dog with saving his life by chewing off his diseased big toe as he lay passed out in a drunken stupor.

Jerry Douthett, 48, woke up on a Saturday night in late July in his Rockford, Michigan home to find his Jack Russell Terrier, Kiko, had gnawed off his right big toe.

"The dog always lays with me on the bed," said Douthett. "That night, I woke up and looked down at my foot, and it was wet. When I looked it was blood, and there was the dog looking at me with a blood mustache."

Douthett's wife, Rosee, rushed him to a hospital where doctors found he was suffering from Type 2 diabetes. His toe was badly infected and surgeons amputated the remainder of the digit.

Douthett's wife, a registered nurse, had been urging him for weeks to have his infected toe examined by a doctor.

On the night Kiko ate his toe, Douthett said he had been out with his wife and drank about "six or seven beers" and a pair of giant margaritas "big enough to put goldfish in."

"I was self-medicating at this point," he said. "The moral of the story is that the dog saved my life, because otherwise I never would have gone in to see a doctor."

The couple said they were amazed that Kiko appeared to know Douthett had an infection that needed treatment.

"He kind of chewed off the infected part and stopped at the good bone," said Rosee. "We joked that we shouldn't have had to pay the co-pay because he did half the job by chewing off half of the toe."

Story found at http://news.yahoo.com.
Photo found at http://images.google.com.

Mark 2:1-10 (ESV)

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

 1And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 6Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7"Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the paralytic— 11"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home." 12And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
What does today's God's Story Scripture teach us about saving a life?

Talk about taking a risk.  The four friends in today's scene from God's Story knew that they had to get the friend to Jesus, no matter the cost.  First they sacrificed their time to take their paralyzed friend to Jesus.  When they arrived, however, they couldn't even get into the house.  Their solution?  Go in through the roof!  Sounds pretty risky to me.  But in their eyes it was well worth it for the sake of their friend.  What about you?  What are you willing to risk to get your friends in front of Jesus to meet their need for emotional, mental, physical, or spiritual healing?
How can I connect today's God's Story scripture to my life?
  • Thank Him for the ways that you have been healed by Him in your life.
  • Ask God to direct you to others who might be in need of meeting Him.
  • Ask God to give you the boldness to do whatever it takes for the sake of your friends who still need to meet Jesus.
How can I connect Today's Story, My Story, and God's Story to Others?
  • Do you know someone who is stuck in a dangerous situation? A bad relationship? A bad habit? A sinful lifestyle?  It takes some boldness to intervene in their life, but it just might be what they need.  
  • Does that situation seem too dangerous for you to be the one to intervene?  Talk to an adult that you trust about your firend's situation and get their advice and guidance on how to move forward.  
  • Spend some time this weekend writing down the names of any friends who are in serious need of emotional, mental, physical, or spiritual healing.
  • Take your friends to Jesus by praying for them, by name, throughout the weekend.
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The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

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