I Bounced Like a Pinball Down the Freeway
Life has a way of surprising us. One moment everything feels steady, predictable, and safe… and then, without warning, a suddenly happens.
I wish I could say I’ve never experienced one, but our family has lived through more than a few.
One morning, Tammy and I attended a gathering of pastors to hear about a ministry strategy for Peru. The room was full of leaders, and as I listened to the vision being shared, I thought to myself, “This is a defining moment. God is moving.”
The very next afternoon, I headed back toward the Coachella Valley, driving a friend’s two-seater sports car. The sun was shining, the music was on, and I was cruising along the 91 freeway in Riverside, making great time. Everything felt good.
Then, traffic slowed ahead. I braked to a stop, glanced in the rearview mirror—and saw a car racing toward me. In a split second, it slammed into me at 40–50 mph, triggering a four-car pile-up.
I had done nothing wrong. I caused nothing. Yet suddenly—I was in an accident.
The Scriptures are full of these moments too.
Matthew tells us:
“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” — Matthew 8:23–27 (NKJV)
The disciples were seasoned fishermen. They knew storms. But this storm was different—it was beyond their skill, beyond their control.
That’s exactly how I felt.
When my car finally came to rest, I thought, “Eddie, you’re one lucky man.”
I left the accident and went straight to church to speak to our leaders. But afterward, several people came up and said, “Pastor, something seems off—you’re slurring your words.”
I hadn’t realized I was in shock. Whiplash and a concussion had set in. Over the next weeks, things only got worse. The dizziness was so severe I’d collapse to the floor, clutching my head until it passed. I bounced between ER visits and urgent care appointments, but answers were scarce.
I had preached through colds and flus before, but this storm was different. My body wasn’t just tired—my brain was bruised, my balance shattered.
And in those moments, I did the only thing I knew to do: I ran to God.
“God’s name is a place of protection—the righteous can run there and be safe.” — Proverbs 18:10 (MSG)
Whenever storms hit, advice comes quickly. Friends meant well, but I had hundreds of people telling me what to try, which doctor to see, or what natural remedy might help.
One even asked, “Are you going to rely on God, or are you going to go the way of doctors?”
But I learned this: it’s not either/or. It’s both/and.
“He who does not use every endeavor to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide.” — Proverbs 18:9 (AMPC)
So I chose to believe God for 100% healing while also pursuing 100% medical help. As James wrote:
“So then faith that doesn’t involve action is phony.” — James 2:17 (TPT)
Months passed. Nothing seemed to help. Then my lifelong friend Mark encouraged me to look into Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments. I tucked it away in prayer, asking God for direction.
That week, while reading, this verse leapt off the page:
“For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” — Job 33:4 (NLT)
The very next day, my primary doctor—without knowing what I’d read—looked at me and said, “Have you considered Hyperbaric Oxygen?”
In that moment, Genesis 2:7 came alive:
“He breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.” — Genesis 2:7 (GNT)
I knew it was God’s confirmation.
I began the treatments. Each time I entered the oxygen chamber, I declared Scripture:
• “For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4)
• “He breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.” (Genesis 2:7)
• “He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.” (Acts 17:25)
I prayed over my doctor too, claiming Deuteronomy 29:29:
“There are some things the Lord our God has kept secret, but there are some things he has let us know. These things belong to us and our children forever.”
If there was anything hidden about my condition, I asked God to reveal it.
And every session, I ended with Philippians 1:6:
“I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Slowly, healing came. The dizziness eased. My balance returned. My strength renewed. What was stolen began to be restored.
Looking back, I can say this with boldness: the same God who calmed the storm on the sea calmed the storm in my body.
Jeremiah 29:12 reminds us:
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
Friend, it is never too late to pray. No matter what storm you’re facing, God hears.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.” — 1 John 5:14–15 (NIV)
I walked away from that accident battered, but not broken. Shaken, but not destroyed. And by God’s grace, I made a wonderful recovery.
Because the same breath of God that formed Adam still brings life today. The storm may come suddenly—but the Savior comes suddenly too.