The Man with Half a Brain is Home
By Steve Henry
Burke County
At 10:10 a.m., July 18th, 2019 “The man with half a brain” entered into the presence of his Savior. Jesus got that hug and kiss that Doug had been waiting to give Him for years. He is happy and whole now. He has always been happy but now he is happy without any limitations.
Two weeks before his homegoing I received a call one night at about 9:30. Doug’s doctor told us we should probably come as soon as possible because they didn’t think he would live through the night. When I saw him I thought their assessment was correct. He was cold to the touch and unresponsive, but just as in many other cases God was not done with Doug. I stayed with him for the next three days, not knowing whether we would have him much longer. He started coming around and during the time I was with him he had a manic episode that lasted for fifteen hours. He was talking completely out of his head and most of what he said was unintelligible, however amid these seemingly endless rantings he would say with a clear and understandable voice, ”the table, tastes great,” “the table, tastes great,” “the table, tastes great.” Over and over again, he must have said it fifty times over the course of this very disturbing episode that we witnessed.
It finally dawned on me a few days later what was actually going on. I believe I was witness to his physical brain’s last gasps but in the midst of that, I could hear the mind of Christ coming through loud and clear. Doug had not eaten physically in a couple of weeks but I believe the Lord of Glory, his Savior was allowing him to see the table He had prepared for him and it was already tasting great. Doug knew how to put the devil in his place and I believe every time he spoke that phrase he was saying to his enemies “this tastes great, wouldn’t you love to have some?”
The word “prepares” means to put in order.
Our Shepherd is constantly putting things in order in our lives (both inwardly and outwardly) to prepare us for the abundance He has in store for us, and as Doug expressed, “it tastes great”. He wants us to enjoy the abundance now. He is truly working all things together for our good because we love Him, and we are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Our responsibility is to make room in our thinking to receive from Him the abundance He has in store for us.
God says “Let all things be done decently and in order”(1st Corinthians 14:40). Satan brings disorder and chaos. He will do all he can to keep us trapped in our old way of thinking.
God says “I am preparing (putting in order) a table before my children— “in your face” Satan.
Think about family reunions, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. As imperfect as our relationships might be, most of the time we still have a great time at these family gatherings.
The one thing these have in common is a table spread with an abundance of food.
In Psalm 23, one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written, God mentions Himself twelve times. He mentions us seventeen times. It seems to me He really does want us to understand how abundantly He wants to bless us.
Doug was enjoying that table of abundance before he died, and so should we. He also enjoyed the life-changing power of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, therefore, I SHALL NOT WANT.” Doug’s personal testimony was, “I am safe, it is well with my soul, and He takes care of me.” What else do we need?
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have shared these stories about my brother over the past several months; I hope they have been a blessing to all who have read them. I want to leave you with this question, one that I have asked myself on many occasions, “If God can use this man, with all his “limitations” to communicate these eternal truths do I really have a legitimate excuse for not allowing Him to use me?”
Doug’s story will continue because it is not really Doug’s story at all but the story of God’s grace through what many would consider a very unlikely servant—“The Man With Half a Brain.”
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Steve Henry has been a lifelong resident of Burke County. God blessed him with an incredible lady that he has been married to for 43 years. He has also blessed Steve with two wonderful children and two beautiful granddaughters.
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