Nick--the Man Born Without Arms or Legs

Friday night our family was part of an overflow crowd in the balcony of a church that hosted a youth even featuring a speaker who had no arms or legs.

His name is Nick Vujicic (pronounced Voy-a-chick), and he was born in Australia to a family that was part of the Apostolic Christian Church, the same denomination of church that home school friends of ours attend.

In fact, my friend remembers seeing Baby Nick at age one year old, with his parents who were visiting a church in California. My friend, at a young age herself, felt sorry for him and his parents.

We learned Friday night from Nick himself, now age 37, that America would not allow his family to immigrate due to his physical issues, but as Nick grew up and became a popular public speaker, he himself applied to have his parents join him in America!

How the tables can turn when a person chooses to overcome disabilities instead of be overcome by them!

After enduring nearly a half hour of "worship" songs in a style that was well beyond our comfort zone, we were intrigued with the message of this amazing speaker.

"If God can use someone with no arms and no legs to be His hands and feet," Nick said, 

"what can God do with you?"

It's kind of a paradox, because those of us with arms and legs don't have the issue to overcome that he did, and so, had a Lucas been up on the platform that night, probably nobody would have come to hear us!

But the point was, all of us can overcome and find our niche in God's plan for us--

a plan of hope and joy.

Nick is even married now, and has four healthy little children. He's 37 and must have gotten married about seven years ago to a Japanese-American whom he affectionately calls a Jamerican!

*****

Then Sunday morning we heard a rich message about prayer from another speaker who has overcome great odds to be in the position he is in today.  Dan Durkee grew up in a godless, Harley motorcycle home, and hardly knew who his real father was. But someone invited him to Sunday School, and he would come on the church bus. 

At fourteen years old, he gave his heart to God and before long was attending Penn View Bible Institute where he sat in the same class I did!

Dan Durkee went on to become a pastor, then PR man for Penn View, and now he is the president of the Bible College he came to about 35 years ago. 

When his birth father called him recently to tell him that he had been diagnosed with cancer, Dan told him, "Dad, this cancer is a blessing! You aren't ready to die! You could have been in an accident or had a heart attack and died all of a sudden, but God allowed you to have cancer to give you time to get ready!"

And Dan Durkee had the privilege of praying later with his father and leading him to repentance and faith in Christ!

This was a wonderful answer to prayer!
Brother Dan asked us Penn View alumni and our families to pose with him for a picture after service.

Dan quoted Billy Graham who said, "There are many answers to prayer in heaven that have never been asked for."
What prayers do we need to be praying today whose answer is in heaven simply unasked for?