Jim and His Magnetic Smile Over the past two years I have had the opportunity to meet and get to know some wonderful folks through my work as a pro-staff member at midwestwhitetail.com and now my efforts here at Without Excuse Ministries. This past week presented another one of these opportunities as I met songwriter and musician Jim “Jimmy” Ryser. Jim spoke to several groups of Jr. High and high school students at Crawford County High School located just a short drive from my home. Jim’s overall message covered the dangers of addiction, especially to prescription medications. Over the years Jim has had the honor of sharing center stage with such groups like the Moody Blues, Henry Lee Summer, and Indiana’s very own John Mellencamp. Along the way Jim has also released several very successful solo albums. Jim was born in 1965 with a medical condition known as spina bifida. Wikipedia defines spina bifida as, "Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through the opening in the bones." In 1965 the doctors told Jim’s father that his newly born son would face a life of pain and suffering due to his condition. Their recommendation to Jim’s father was to simply not feed Jim for a few days and eventually he would die. Wow! You could have heard a pin drop as Jim made that statement. I simply thought it is a miracle that Jim is even here with us today. Jim described his father as a strong Irish Catholic who would not hear of his son being treated this way and simply said “if this is the life for Jim then we will move forward this way.” Jim had his first surgery when he was 9 days old and just had his 55th surgery a mere 8 weeks ago. Through the many surgeries that Jim had experienced, the pain associated with his medical condition, and the road life of a musician, Jim became addicted to prescription medication. Jim described addiction in the following manner “Addiction is a strange disease that tells you that you really don’t have it. It will take you and the things you love the most in life a little bit at a time”. One of Jim’s greatest dreams was to play center stage at Deer Creek in Indianapolis, IN. That dream finally came true shortly after he had signed a 7 million dollar recording contract. Jim said that during the performance all he could think about was “getting back to the bus and his “pills”. At this point addiction had stolen Jim’s love for music and performing. Shortly after this event Jim literally lost everything because of his addiction to prescription medications. Jim singing the song 'Home' By God's Grace, and people who were honest with Jim, such as John Mellencamp, on September 8th, 1999 Jim decided he wanted to stop this lifestyle. On September 11, 2010 Jim celebrated 11 years of sobriety! One of the closing statements Jim made really sums up his life of sobriety, “The best gift that has been given to me since I have been sober is that now I am useful.” After Jim became sober he returned to school and earned a master’s degree in counseling and human services. He is a faculty member at the Indiana School of Medicine and manages Indianapolis Methodist Hospital’s pain management clinic. Jim finished his time with the students by singing a song he wrote about his addiction and recovery called “Home”. After the event was over I sent Jim an email and asked him the following question, “What role did your faith play in your recovery and now your sobriety?” Jim spoke of his faithful grandmother who prayed for him on a daily basis before, during, and after his recovery. She also took the time to visit Jim while he was in the hospital. Jim ended the email with the following statement:“My sobriety and life, for that matter, is God's gift to me - all undeserved - but truly something to be held as sacred. My remaining sober is hopefully a gift back to God. I meant it in the song "Home" where I wrote - 'I hope that I can give to you, the selfless love that you have sown...' Being able to be a messenger is my attempt.” As I reflect over meeting Jim and his story of redemption, I believe some of the best days of his story are yet to come as he continues to make his faith in Jesus Christ a daily priority in his life. Jim has begun to write music again and is now providing much of the music that is being used at midwestwhitetail.com. Jim has had the opportunity to get involved in the music industry again, but graciously turned down the offer because he had 5 patients that were facing death because of their addiction. At that moment Jim chose to serve those 5 patients and cancel a trip to Nashville, TN in order to serve them in their recovery. John 15:13 KJV - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. I am glad to know Jim Ryser as “friend” and I appreciate the real and authentic way in which he shares his story of redemption and hope. If you would like to learn more about Jim’s role at Midwestwhitetail click here. If you are struggling with addiction you can look Jim up on facebook by searching for Jim Ryser. Click the audio file below to hear the song "Home" written by Jim as a song of hope and redemption.
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This past week I had the great opportunity to finally meet one my favorite hunting personalities at a wildgame dinner in Mt. Washington, Ky...David Blanton. I have always respected David for his on camera prescence in his various efforts with Realtree. The one thing that has always stood out to me the most is how he always gives credit to the Lord for the opportunities to travel and harvest wildgame around the country. You can tell that when he says "Thank you Lord" after a harvest it is not just lip service. Over this past year it has been a privelage to begin an email friendship with David. A few months ago I specifically asked David to join me in prayer over a close friend who I met through my ministry efforts creating the "Divine Moments" video devotionals for the 2009 whitetail season. David has been faithful in prayer for my friend and God has honored these efforts. If David says he is going to pray, then that is what he is going to do! It was an honor to pray with David before he spoke at the event. As David took center stage his love for Jesus was obvious to those in attendance. The transparency of this humble man was so refreshing! He openly shared both the victories and struggles he has endured throughout his Christian walk. As a believer for the past 16 years I was both challenged and convicted about priorities in my own life as David shared how God humbled him on an eight day moose hunt in Canada. Throughout his presentation there were times the audiance laughed and then moments you could have heard a pin drop as David shared various spiritual truths with tear filled eyes. In the eyes of the world David Blanton is a rock star in the realm of the hunting industry. I believe David would quickly tell you that without Jesus no amount of fame or fortune is worth it. How do I know he would say this....because David simply is living that truth out daily as he walks with Jesus. I watched David interact with those around him and the reality is he made each individual feel special. He took a genuine interest in those who came to speak with him. As I drove home that night following the wildgame dinner I thought about the words David had spoken to the group that night. I was challenged on many different levels in reference to my own walk with Jesus, because of the simple and clear presentation of the gospel that David had given. I can honestly say that David challenged me in thinking through priorities in my life. He also brought the very real need for each of us to share our faith in Jesus when we are given the opportunity and leave nothing unsaid. The greatest news about this event actually came two days after the event as I opened an email from David. The church had contacted David to let him know that forty individuals had indicated they had made first time committments to follow Chirst as Lord and Savior. Seventeen other individuals indicated that they had rededicated their lives to Christ that evening as a result of David's presentation. His humble response to this information was "Wow..it is amazing how God can use a sinner like me. I am thankful the Holy Spirit kicked me out of the way". In closing I believe I can humbly say I am a blessed individual for meeting and knowing David Blanton....The Real Deal who will share his faith in Jesus "Without Excuse"! In His Grace, paul Romans 1:20 In this podcast Paul will describe a recent "Gut Check from God" that occured in his life while studying Matthew 7:7-11 Paul uses a hunting strategy illustration to help communicate the biblical truth of persistence in prayer. In this devotional blog Paul discusses the importance of staying connected to the power of the Holy Spirit!
"Round and Round We Go" Did you know that Christopher Columbus did not discover the world was round. Join Pastor Paul for this 4 minute audio teaching on what the Bible has to say about the shape of the earth! |
Pastor PaulSince a young age Pastor Paul has had a love for the outdoors. After he became a Christian in October of 1994 God began to use the great outdoors to demonstrate to Pastor Paul the eternal truths of scripture. In this section he will share some of these thoughts via written or audio devotionals. Archives
June 2013
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