In 2007, Scott & I began our web-site entitled deathvalleypromises.org to encourage countless people in the hope and security of having a relationship with Christ. God made a way for Scott, who could barely speak, to share His testimony and witness of Jesus Christ; right from our bedroom to around the world. Despite the terminal diagnosis, his cheerful heart became a medicine for him. He was compelled with mission for living as he dispensed this prescription through this work.
Typing with his foot, Scott painstakingly drafted his messages and I helped co-author and finesse his manuscripts. We uploaded both journal and devotional posts to this site. He wanted to share the ways God encouraged him daily and these efforts gave him meaning and purpose. While his body progressively weakened, Scott’s ambition to share the Gospel was energized by renewal of his mind with God’s Word and the Spirit’s quickening. From his own desperation and dependence on his Savior, he wrote and encouraged many and bore fruit in suffering as he gained perspective on the value God had for his own life.
Without our own strategizing, we realized how God had led the way to enter into a promise given Scott months after the diagnosis. A personal promise for him to minister the Hope of Christ to thousands and thousands of people! The Holy Spirit had guided Scott’s final years to leave a legacy that exalts Christ in the midst of adversity.
My husband, a great man of faith, believed God was looking to be glorified in desolate places. He ministered through the internet platform for several years and our website became a way for him to share God’s love and keeping power with the world. Christ is The Message for multitudes without hope, His Comfort is refreshment for those in the barrenness of their life’s situations. I pray the Holy Spirit will continue to use this website to encourage the faint-hearted.
The following testament is to share the experience of God’s Faithfulness throughout my husband’s life and death struggle with ALS disease, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’ s disease. It’s a journey God took our family through for 16 years, but more specifically how He brought us through as a couple united in Faith.
I gave my life to Christ at 21 yrs, and was married at 23 yrs to an man of faith, Scott Brodie. He and I met while we both worked at a health club. Two years after we were married, my husband started his own small business of mobile upholstery. By the time I was 31yrs, we were a family of six. Both of us were teaching Bible studies, attending Bible College and fully involved in Ministry Leadership. In addition to children’s school and sports activities, our family-life revolved around our Church community. We were a happy, active young family.
Four years later, in 1997, my husband and I learned of the most devastating news to affect us. Scott was given the terminal diagnosis of A.L.S.; a slow nerve degenerative disease which causes the nerves throughout the body to stop signaling the muscles, causing them to atrophy so they can’t be used. The progression causes people to lose the ability to use their hands, walk, swallow, speak and continues until the person eventually loses their ability to respirate or die of lung infection. We were in disbelief how this could have even happened to us! Apart from a slight complaint of a weakness in Scott’s ability to press a pen while writing, he now learns this disease is going to quickly take his life in 2-5 years and there is no cure or way to stop it.
Upon hearing the shocking news of Scott’s diagnosis, we were so thankful to know Who to turn to. God numbers our days is the only One who really knew what was going on with Scott’s health. My husband asked the Doctor what treatments there were for this health condition and he answered there were none. Scott then asked him what alternative therapies might prove helpful, again the neurologist had no suggestions and seemed to discourage any attempt for us to take any action nor did he give us any hope. We were frustrated listening to this professional who’s manner was cold and clinical. From our view, the Doctor did not relate any compassion delivering this life defying diagnosis. Scott ardently blurted out that God could heal him, in belief of God’s miracle working power doing the impossible when men say there is no way. Then the Doc visibly moved his chair and body direction away from Scott to talk to me to impress the gravity of the situation.
From that point on, Scott and I had very different roles which God entrusted each of us to carry out in approach to this ominous medical condition. Initially, I was gripped with feelings of fear and insecurity within in my mind; giving me an anxiousness in my spirit. Scott was immediately thrust into total reliance and utter dependence upon God. His battle was not only a fight in his mind and spirit but was beginning and projecting to be extremely physically reducing. I praise God that He trusted Scott with a particular gift of faith to confront every limitation he would face in the succeeding years.
Together from God’s Word, we knew through prayer we could enter the Throne Room of Heaven and this is where we received grace and confidence to remain hopeful. By having an assurance that God is for us and loves us as His cherished children, we were able to trust that He would not cause meaningless suffering. Everything He permitted had a purpose, and still does. Specifically, that God will confound the logic and reasoning’s of this world through vessels of faith and display it for His Glory.
God took our family through many mountains and valleys. In the valleys we experienced natural insufficiencies, fears, demonic opposition and dry, wildernesses places, but God was always there. In mountaintop experiences, we watched how God answered specific prayers by making a way, no matter our need and opened new doors of faith to us. We sensed the nearness of His Presence surrounding and equipping us.
Throughout the succeeding years, we set out on countless alternative treatment protocols. I instrumentally helped all therapies and we tried many hopeful alternatives; homeopathic, nutritional, invasive; even disputed treatments. We were optimistic that God might work through any of them or instead, He could supernaturally bestow a miraculous gift of healing.
In all our undertakings and research, we considered whether our treatment endeavors and monitoring could be used as a case study for other sufferers with this disease. We hoped that even if as a test subject, Scott might help to find a cure or beneficial treatment for ALS. I documented each avenue we took and retained copious records of Scott’s medical management.
The two-to-five year life expectancy markers past and it appeared God may have a different course for Scott; seemingly he was “holding his own”. However, eight years into his diagnosis, his speech, swallowing and facial muscles were being so affected that he was not able to eat enough calories to sustain his already decreased weight. He went from an original weight at ALS onset of 195 lbs and declined to 120 lbs. In 2005, Scott underwent surgery to get a feeding tube; this became his source of nutrition for the next 7 years.
As the years continued to progress, Scott’s nerve and muscles slowly weakened. By this time we were less able to socialize and were more confined to our house. The Holy Spirit was our constant companion, enlarging our capacities and increasing our endurance to adapt to the continual losses of Scott’s disabilities. He became more and more dependent on me for his physical care. I was effectively his hands, feet, and his voice facilitating the majority of his ambitions. God gave me an inner strength to live out Scott’s daily life, as well as my own. I was his 24 hour soul-mate, help-mate and care-giver. We both relied on the Truth of the Scripture, that our Hope is found in Christ. He would not give us more that we could handle but was the way of escape through the supply of the Spirit and God did supply practically, emotionally, and spiritually! Our part was to acknowledge the way He was providing with grateful hearts. Scott and I were growing in understanding that sometimes God allows a cup of suffering in our lives for us to share in the sufferings of His Son (Col 1:24). Christ’s sufferings do remain on this earth and have great purpose for the Church. He can use them as a way to transform our hearts and minds into Christ likeness.
Constant accusations and projections from the adversary into Scott’s mind were never completely silenced although they did lose their dominating influence. The Word of God became the Refuge he confessed and believed. We held to the promise in 2 Corinthians 4:15 that if all things are for our sakes, then we can trust that God will use everything we go through for our benefit; even if we can’t see or understand it now.
There were many sleepless nights, life threatening infections and encroaching losses in Scott’s lung capacity. He continued to have the will to live out God’s purpose for his isolated assignment. Throughout the day, through online sermons, internet studies, devotions, fellowship and conversations with others; Scott came to comprehend a significance and application for his life through Scripture. The metaphor of Christ as the Bread of Life, became a vivid depiction to me as I witnessed my tube fed husband truly satisfied and nourished spiritually; Scott was feasting at God’s Banquet table!
As Scott’s breathing became gradually more labored, we were made aware of his options for having a tracheotomy to improve his respirations and were advised to consider the serious consequences that could result as well. Here is what we were told: 1) The surgery itself could be life threatening, 2) and if he survived the surgery, it still would not stop the progression of the illness 3) Scott would be vent dependent and no longer able to attempt to speak or smell and 4) it would create a financial burden, requiring 24 hour care registered nursing care. For a year we vacillated as we weighed out this decision, we prayed for God’s guidance and confirming peace to evidence to us whether Scott should undergo this life changing surgery.
In March of 2009, Scott contracted a viral infection and fever and was taken by ambulance to the local hospital. As he was there recovering; the question of the tracheotomy came up again. Scott let the doctor know he would have an answer for him in two days, we set our hearts again to keenly listen to the Holy Spirit. By Friday we had a settled peace and I, myself, had a simple unction that seemed to hit me on the head “he can’t breathe, get him some air”. We finally had the release and the permission we had been waiting for, we scheduled the surgery for the following Wednesday.
Recovery from surgery meant additional time for both of us in the hospital and also several weeks together in a Nursing Home, I didn’t dare leave him alone. Myself, my daughters and another care-giver were all instructed for the settings on the ventilator, accompanying machines, supplies, prescriptions and care protocol.
The following months were unimaginably difficult and there were many adjustments to our entire family’s lifestyle. In time, Scott recovered from surgery and his acute infection. Color came back to his face and his skin no longer looked sallow from lack of oxygen. His energy improved because of the ventilation and he could finally sleep better. We were thrilled as he was able to get off life support for increasing amounts of time and eventually only need the ventilator breathing support at night.
The life sustaining measures of Scott’s feeding tube and tracheostomy helped to extend his life until he passed away three and a half years later in November, 2012. Those last years were very intense but especially precious to our family. The fellowship we shared was sweeter and each day was lived as if it might be Scott’s last. We gave everything we had, and then God gave us even more of His Grace for our endurance; just as He has promised in His Word to supply.
Scott’s main reason for living was to please the Father; knowing he would one day stand before Him and give an account of his life. His aim was to have no regrets when that Day came before the Holy Presence of God. As best as he understood the Will of God, Scott wanted a clear conscience. He pressed toward the High Calling of Christ with everything within him and determined not to limit God’s power to do the impossible in or through his life. I also ran this race, and neither of us gave up. Personally, have no regret or misgivings for believing God had more available, if we could only believe. This had given us all the reason in the world not to hold back. God multiplied Scott’s allotted years and instead of giving him only the 2-5 years the neurologist had grant, The Lord multiplied it and prolonged his life 16 years. Significant benefits were made possible from the added amount of time. Scott purposely advanced the Kingdom of God, as heaven will one day reveal.
To those who suffer through varied, harrowing circumstances; hold tightly to God’s Word and keep your eyes steadfast on the Hope of Christ. His Holy Spirit will perfect you and develop His Character within you. Throw yourselves on His Grace and live a life of Faith pleasing to God.
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” Romans 5:3-4
In recognition of the first anniversary of my husband’s passing; I lay before you my heartfelt thoughts and admiration of the character of my better half, Scott Brodie, and the gracious God he served. The Lord has used the last year to comfort me in the finality of losing my spouse who now lives beyond the veil. Scott’s gallant race to the finish in natural life has helped me to keep perspective on my grief. Feelings of having been denied have evolved to an ever increasing appreciation of the freedoms he must now enjoy in heaven.
Initially, the overwhelming sense of loss was his physical presence, especially in view of the ways our lives were so interwoven. Life, as I formerly had known it, ceased to exist and my everyday reality was drastically changed. His absence affected every part of my being. Thirty years of inseparability didn’t ensure me another day or retrieve Scott’s soul back from the grave; I could do nothing but accept God’s decided Will. I’m sobered considering the fleetingness of time and brevity of life. Surely we need to redeem each day for our generation while we still have breath.
I’m mindful of Scott throughout my day and dismiss feelings of leaving him behind. I resist hesitations of the “great unknown” in my future and wrestle with a slight sense that moving on betrays the plans Scott and I had made together. In the coming days, I have determined all the more to allow peace to rule my heart and protect and confirm my steps. The Comfort of God will give me assurance of His guiding hand.
I empathize with all who have lost a loved one, especially those who have experienced the death of a spouse. We grieve two losses; one of our soul mate and one of our marriages. The unwilling separation by death ends the godly union of marriage; divorcing lives from one another. My precious husband was the center of my world in so many ways; it’s foreign for me to live without his companionship. I am consoled with the thought that although Scott is no longer accessible in the land of the living he is partaking of an immortal, heavenly estate. Not a day goes by when I don’t think of him, miss our conversations and accept his absence. The memory of him continually abides in my heart and mind. My consolation and firm belief is in my faith that the Word of God is true and I will one day see him again. I rejoice in the spiritual hope of the splendor of heaven; a Hope that will not disappoint.
Despite new and persistent battles we had faced in Scott’s 16 year health crisis; I witnessed the Holy Spirit quicken his human spirit with renewed energy for each day’s challenges. Throughout the difficulties, when his natural capacity was tapped, he kept himself from feelings of bitterness and pity. He determined not to try to figure out life by his own reasoning and decided against accusing thoughts, projections and condemnations competing to discourage him. When exhausted from the all-day struggle of mind and body; Scott clung to the promise of sleeping peacefully (Ps 4:8). Notwithstanding constant interruptions, he rested in God’s faithfulness to equip him and looked forward to fresh mercies in the morning.
As the Lou Gehrig’s disease progressed, the Holy Spirit developed Scott into a gentle soul. Without the use of his voice and with little ability to breathe, he still found ways to express love and concern for others. The demands of critical health became increasingly difficult both physically and emotionally. What Scott lacked in his own willpower he went to God for enablement. He resolved not to battle against his own limitations but trust in Christ’s supply. Irrespective of Scott’s physical dependence he grew in selflessness and patience. He daily bore a cross of suffering and vulnerability and defeated many enemies by the power of Christ Jesus. I imagine angels desired to observe this marvel of faith in action.
Years went by and Scott’s nerve loss and muscle function continued to decline. This caused a type of progressive paralysis that robbed all aspects of his independence. In his great need, he came to a fuller recognition that God was searching his heart to apprehend his inner man (Prov 20:27). Scott’s outward man didn’t impress God anyway and often became an interference in the pursuit of Christ’s call. By prayer for others and in identification with his Savior, Scott shared in sufferings that remain for the sake of the Church (Col 1:24) anticipating God’s purposes would (and will) be revealed.
In the last years of his life, the intensive demands of physical care required concerted efforts day and night for me, our children, and the help of a few devoted caregivers. Scott had always wanted to give, and was greatly humbled to be the one constantly needing to receive. He appreciated all of our efforts and wished he wasn’t a burden. We never considered him a burden and saw how much he gave. There was nothing I would not do for him and still cherished the man I committed my life to in sickness and in health. Even now, I highly esteem the godly leadership and precious contributions he demonstrated.
Despite the adversity, the Holy Spirit continued to enlarge both our capacities. Scott began to recognize his value in the plan of God and he grew in purpose. I assisted behind the scenes to help him fulfill his ministry of encouragement. In no small measure, the impartation working in Scott was profoundly worked into my family and me. With the passing of their dad, our children face a distinct loss of their own yet have received a great heritage of faith in the Lord. I am confident our posterity will preserve Scott’s legacy and the testimony of his utter dependence upon the provisions of God.
Scott had received newness of life, late in his teenage years, through the belief of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. Born to new life, his soul had been crucified with Christ in identification with the Son. Grasping the exchange of realities from natural to supernatural is paramount to rising above our challenges and overcoming evil. By of our invitation, God makes His home in us and we become the Temple of God. Our flesh no longer has jurisdiction to dominate us, God has legal reign! We choose to allow the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives and multiply the witness of Christ’s love to the world.
Battle of our Soul
Scott had always trusted and sought the Lord for a healing miracle. I believe Jesus was well pleased in his faith. If the Father’s sovereign will was for his visible, miraculous healing in this life; He would not have been limited by doubt or unbelief in Scott’s expectancy. In fact, many miracles were carried out to deliver Scott from an earlier death. God prolonged his life eight times the prognosis neurologists gave him in 1997. I’m persuaded that Scott was entrusted with a specialized assignment; one that might cause many others to become offended and confused. The Father knew he could take this godly man through fires of affliction and he would come through as gold. Disease did not prevail against Scott by slowly taking his life but instead, by divine design, Scott amplified Jesus in the earth. God healed him entirely; giving him everlasting life and the promise of a resurrected body at Christ’s Second Coming. Friends, the enemy has been defeated, no longer having dominion over a believer, we are to have already reckoned ourselves dead to our flesh. The battle that reconciled us to the Father has already been won and the grave has no victory. By the Blood of Jesus Christ, the Firstfruit of the Resurrection overcame death and the grave. Hallelujah!
By accepting Christ’s substitutionary death, Scott had already been spiritually resurrected from sin & death at the point of his salvation. Beyond his natural ability, through prayer and seeking God, he accessed the joy of the Lord for his inner strength. Scott’s spirit, soul and body had to align with the Will of God for his life and be daily sustained by His Grace. Scott sincerely wanted to be able to stand before his Maker with a pure heart and no regrets. He yearned to hear the Father say “well done, thou faithful servant”.
There is something for us to examine in one’s knowing their impending death that shakes them out of the slumber of the world. Even as a devote follower of Christ, upon hearing of his terminal prognosis, Scott desperately aspired to please God, no matter the cost. We should all be so alert knowing our days are short. I remember those early years and know our journey took us through a perilous and desolate wilderness of heart. Time and again, we were supernaturally equipped for our challenges by His mercy and grace. God’s Word tells us He does not refuse a broken and contrite heart and hears their plea (Ps 34:18). In turn, we have opportunity to delight the Father’s heart by our acknowledgment and praise of His work in our lives. Scott had a lot of time to contemplate the Life of Christ that enabled him. He would want you to fight the fight of faith with everything within you, believing God for His Promises.
“The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant” Psalm 25:14
An example of faith
The Apostle Paul wittingly boasted in his infirmities to the Corinthian believers seeing they boasted in their flesh. (2 Cor 11:18, 30). Later the Lord told him “… my grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” therefore Paul was able to state “… I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (chap.12:9-10). We see in Paul’s example, although he was commissioned by God, he suffered many adversities. Consider the follow passage:
“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.So then death is working in us, but life in you.
…Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal”. 2 Cor 4:8-12; 16-18
My boast
In our private lives, I was a recipient and eyewitness to a particular outworking of inner strength and ability. By observing Scott’s personal fortitude and abundant life, my perception of reality has been altered in ways I cannot deny. I have come out from a wilderness leaning on my beloved Christ. I am passionately assured of God’s faithfulness regardless of how circumstances appear, and boast of the Lord’s delivering power through the Cross of Christ. Jesus will do more than you could ask or imagine when you commit your whole heart to Him. Believe for yourself, fellow traveler, God is the source of all life and an ever present help in the time of your need.
Posted by Scott-Glennis on Saturday, December 29, 2012
“And let us not grow weary while doing good,
for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
(Galatians 6:9)
You’ve heard the expression “choose your battles” we have to consciously do that but sometimes our battles choose us, sometimes God has us enter into them. Some of life’s conflicts become a death defying fight of faith.
When God calls us into a season of difficulty, the trues which we had been learning of the character of God and His Word are to be appropriated to our circumstance. This applied knowledge will become powerfully alive as we trust and depend upon the Lord. So often we find that we really don’t believe the Bible as sincerely as we thought. We find ourselves doubting our beliefs and whether God can handle our troubles. This trying of our faith is valuable to God, it is more “precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1Peter 1:7).
Quarried nuggets of promise in The Book become very dear to us; as we cling to them in faith for outworking in our own life. During our times of trial the Spirit of Christ can raise wellsprings of living water from the implanted Word within our soul. We are refreshed and assured as we call to mind God’s faithfulness. By resourcing ourselves from our earlier victories and answered prayer we have a greater capacity to develop a steadfast spirit by resisting the devil and his accusations against the goodness of God. The Apostle Paul instructs us in 2 Corinthians 1:4 that the comfort we received through our hardships may in turn comfort and encourage another in the midst of their challenge; thereby we become refreshment to others.
Just when we think we’ve got things figured out, God allows Satan to sift us as Jesus told Peter in Luke 22:32. Even this sifting is so that after we have gone through our trial we can “strengthen the brethren”. We will be able to strengthen others because we ourselves have become stronger in our inner man and stronger in the faith of God. The former doctrines we thought we had believed are tested and challenged and our minds become renewed to the mind of Christ. By patiently waiting and trusting God, we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us His way through our difficulty. Be confident that the Lord does this refining work within us to help us know Him intimately by changing us into His character and likeness. This transformation is the mystery of the Gospel “Christ in you, the hope of Glory” (Col 1:27).
Our path may not appear to be the way we imagined our loving God would lead us, it seldom does. Our greatest example is Jesus who lived a humble life, he wasn’t the Messiah and King the religious Jews anticipated; they were said to have missed the time of their visitation (Lk 19:44). The Cross led to Christ’s triumphant victory; tearing down the middle wall of partition that separated us from the Father. God’s justice was satisfied through the shed blood of His Son who made the atoning sacrifice for the fall of mankind. Jesus Christ purchased peace with God for those who will believe in Him. The battle has been won; the devil is after our faith to rest in His provision. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to keep and protect you when you face adversity.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and thepeace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7)
Although Scott fought a long standing battle against the slow progression of Lou Gehrig’s disease, he passed away unexpectedly returning home from a haircut. He was revived and given 6 more precious days with us before he went on to Paradise. I am confident that each of these days fulfilled both earthly and heavenly purposes, completing the number of days God had allotted to him.
Despite being diagnosed with this terminal illness in 1997, with which the medical field has no cure, Scott always held on to hope. Rather, it was his invitation to go deeper and farther in his relationship with God. Scott looked to his Savior, Jesus the man of sorrows, who was acquainted with grief sent to redeem the world. Scott always had his eye on the purposes and call of God to allow him to walk his own path of bodily humiliation. The Holy Spirit quickened him with strength and determination in his inner man. Scott held to the belief that all things were for his sake although his understanding could not comprehend why. He held to and applied the promises in the Word of God as his ongoing prescription and The Great Physician gave him medicine for his soul. As the apostle Paul wrote “he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be a partaker of his hope.” Those that knew Scott knew that he was a partaker of hope in Christ’s salvation for his circumstance and was a sharer of the Good News of eternal life.
Scott was not beyond discouragement from the limitations and dependence imposed upon him through illness. He clung to God’s Word to deliver him from the projections that constantly tried to assail his mind day & night. He sought examples in the Word of God that exhibited total dependence upon the mercy of God. He often identified with the heart of the Psalmists, especially those of King David who encouraged himself in the Lord and said in Ps 56:3-4.
“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word),
In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
Two weeks before he died, Scott had been having low energy and suffered a fall. Although he wasn’t injured, his mind warred against him. He considered the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Elijah had run from Jezebel in fear into the wilderness and sat under a juniper tree. He asked God that he might die, saying “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers”. At this time after Scott’s fall, in anguish of heart, Scott asked the Lord “Isn’t it enough?” It would have to be the Lord that took Scott’s life because again and again he determined that he would not resign to death, it would be to him as if quitting his race. Scott wanted to go the distance and finish well by allowing God’s to fulfill His purposes for his life.
The scriptures tell us that Elijah was fed by an angel and went in the strength of that food forty days and nights to Mt. Horeb.He stayed in a cave; then the word of the Lord came to him, and asked “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Scott identified with this cave of despair; he allowed the voice of the Lord to ask him what was he doing there. Why was he tempted in hopelessness? Scott knew this was not the place for his soul to receive abundant life from the Spirit. He applied this word to himself and his circumstance, allowing the Lord to challenge him and impart strength to his heart.
Scott had shared his recent fall with his friends on Facebook, who had been alerted to pray for him. He posted in the following days:
“When you commit yourself to the promises of God he will never put you to shame!” Oct 19th
One of the last posts he made just days before he died was….
“I desire to have uninterrupted intimacy with Jesus Christ that will carry me to the end of this life and take me all the way through eternity!” Oct 26th
Little did we know his desire was to be fulfilled shortly after this posting.
Scott’s greatest anchor throughout his illness was his encounter with the Lord months after diagnosis. In the communion he had with Jesus, he believed he would serve God in Arizona and that he was commissioned to give thousands and thousands of people hope. Scott’s vision was an anchor for him and it fueled him to go farther, to keep apprehending Christ. Scott had sensed something supernatural that was a mainstay for him; he went to Arizona a thousand times in his spirit not yet comprehending what it all meant. It was as if he was given a time release capsule that supplied an ample dosage to bolster his faith and energize his ministry for years. Scott’s desert land became a wellspring of hope for others. He feasted from the table God prepared for him and his soul was satisfied.
I will miss Scott’s Godly leadership and companionship. We were bone of each others bone and flesh of each others flesh; two who had become One.
All my Love, Glennis
Posted in Journal | | 0 Comments | Comments Off on Glennis’ Memorial Remembrances
Scott Brodie (53 years) Richard “Scott” Brodie peacefully passed into eternity Nov 5th, 2012. Scott died of a respiratory arrest as a result of his 16-year battle with ALS disease. Born Feb 19th, 1959 in Iron Mountain, MI, the son of John and Mary Ellen Brodie, Scott was raised in Wisconsinand traveled to the Tacoma area in 1983, where he met his wife Glennis. The couple spent 28 years of married life together and were residents of Puyallup, WA. He is survived by his four children, Justin, Jessica, Ashley, and Kylee, and two grandchildren, Korbyn and Brodie. Memorial services will be held Saturday, Nov 17th, 10:00 am, at PuyallupFoursquareChurch, 601 9th Avenue SE, Puyallup, WA 98372.
To honor Scott’s love for the Word of God, donations may be made to the Scott Brodie “Hope Scholarship” at Tacoma Bible College, 106 S 28th St., Tacoma WA 98402, or online: www.tacomabiblecollege.org. Published in News Tribune (Tacoma) on November 11, 2012
Posted in News & Articles | | 0 Comments | Comments Off on A Life Well Lived
“… Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Cor. 4:16, NIV).
Saddled with Lou Gehrig’s disease, Scott Brodie is far removed from his days playing basketball, football, and softball. Long gone are health-club racquetball, working out, and coaching the church men’s and women’s softball teams.
Today, he cannot fend for himself at all; he is incapable of independently eating, dressing, or bathing. Nor can he use his arms, but he can type with his toes and communicate a form of sign language with his feet. Even blinking is difficult, requiring the help of his wife, Glennis, who also serves as interpreter, since his voice is reduced to sounds unintelligible to anyone else.
Such are the ravages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which came to prominence when it killed New York Yankees great Lou Gehrig in 1941, a tragedy immortalized in the 1942 Gary Cooper movie, The Pride of the Yankees. Occurring in two of every 100,000 people, ALS is a degenerative disease that affects the brain’s ability to initiate and control muscle movement. No longer able to receive nourishment, muscles atrophy, eventually leading to death, according to the ALS Association. There is no cure.
Though Brodie received the standard life expectancy of two to five years, he is now in his 16th year with ALS. That puts him among about 10 percent who survive more than 10 years. Just 5 percent make it to year 20.
Yet, as Brodie helplessly watches his body waste away, he is beholding another phenomenon: His increasing reliance upon God and His Word has enlivened his spirit, taking him to greater spiritual heights.
“I’m a guy whose voice cannot be heard, whose body is supported by a brace, having no ability to take care of myself, living in a world that champions and celebrates strength, perfection, and achievement,” he says. “Daily, the Holy Spirit reminds me that through my weakness God’s strength is perfected and my imperfections have the ability to put His glory and His grace on display.”
Born in Iron Mountain, Michigan, and raised in several Wisconsin towns, Brodie attended the University of Wisconsin and moved to San Diego in 1982, later working in a gym health bar selling organic food products. In 1983, he moved to Tacoma, Washington, to start a new health bar in a gym, and it was there that he met Glennis. Both physically active, they frequently exercised together and fell in love, marrying in 1984.
Leaving the health bar business, Brodie worked a variety of jobs until 1985, when he began learning mobile vinyl repair and auto pinstriping. He then got the idea to launch his own mobile upholstery company specializing in health clubs and restaurants. Brodie Upholstery began in 1986 and is still going today, based in Puyallup, Washington, with son Justin running field operations and Glennis managing the office.
Brodie obtained a bachelor’s degree in theological studies in 1997 from Maryland Bible College & Seminary in Baltimore, which was affiliated with Greater Grace World Outreach. He taught Biblical studies in Tacoma at Greater Grace Bible College, where Glennis earned her degree in Biblical studies in 2003. Both remained active in ministry with Greater Grace, now known as Living Grace Ministries.
They attended Greater Grace Church in Tacoma from 1988 to 2008, until Brodie’s health made it impossible to attend, so they now listen to daily messages online and host Bible studies in their home and an occasional speaker.
With an active family of four children, full church involvement, and a growing business, life was good for the Brodies. Then in late 1995, Scott noticed twitching in his right index finger. Eventually, he became unable to press hard enough when writing invoices at work to create duplicates. He detected a loss of strength in his right arm, reducing his velocity when throwing a softball or football. Also, his aim when shooting baskets was off.
Figuring he needed more strength training, he increased his exercise at the gym. Instead, he slowly worsened. The problem expanded to his left hand and left arm, then neck to chest.
Brodie learned from his doctor it could be anything from a pinched nerve to ALS. Because his condition continued deteriorating, Brodie thought the worst, leading him to research ALS. That fall, a neurologist confirmed his fears after just two tests and a physical exam. Brodie, now 53, was 37 at the time.
He refused to believe the neurologist, who delivered the diagnosis with clinical callousness, he says, simply stating the hard facts about ALS, offering no hope. When Brodie said God could heal him, the doctor accused him of “living in denial.” Yet, the diagnosis devastated him, leaving him and Glennis crying and praying together in the parking lot.
“As we left the office, a dark cloud hovered over our heads,” Brodie says. “I could envision Satan standing above me as I clung to the sides of a dark pit. He was gleefully laughing at me in my despair, saying in a mocking tone, ‘Where is your God now, Mr. Faith?’”
They decided to meet with their pastor, who wept with them and had the congregation intercede that night and countless times since. He gave them a verse, Romans 4:18, which has become Brodie’s lifeline: “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.”
“I’ve held onto that one truth since that day,” he says. “When questions came, I just kept holding onto hope. God has encouraged me to never lose my hope, to never lose faith in Him. He promises us ‘those that wait upon the Lord shall mount up with wings as eagles.’”
Several other neurologists confirmed ALS, he says, all with the same clinical coldness, leaving him without hope that any doctor could help. So he turned to faith messages and God’s Word to remain encouraged. Satan continued waging an intense battle in his mind, with lingering projections of death and depression.
The biggest hope-builder of all occurred in March 1998 during a visit to Arizona, when Jesus appeared to Brodie one night in either a vision or dream. He told Brodie his healing had already begun and asked three separate times where he would like to serve Him, and he answered Phoenix. Greatly encouraged, Brodie then sought alternative treatments for the next seven years in the United States, Canada, and during three trips to Mexico, spending thousands of dollars on a wide variety of therapies. After all, he had God’s promise he would be serving Him in Phoenix.
While he and Glennis had faith and hope, at the same time they felt they couldn’t simply sit at home and do nothing. Perhaps God’s answer would come through people, they thought, so they had to seek alternative treatments since conventional medicine offered no hope. Each alternative built hope, but each failure became a hard hit. Yet they remained encouraged and hopeful, believing God for healing. Instead, Brodie’s condition worsened.
He became so weak by 2005, he had difficulty breathing, talking, and could barely eat without choking. Realizing he needed intervention to save his life, he followed Glennis’ urging and got a feeding tube, bi-pap machine to help get air into his lungs, a custom neck brace, and a wheelchair.
The following year, the healing Brodie began to see was spiritual, not physical, as God revealed that He could never fulfill His promise of physical healing if Brodie continued relying upon his human effort to seek a cure. Instead, all he had to do was choose to live and God would take care of the rest, healing him on this earth.
“I had to learn that trust was the avenue God would use to reveal His love for me,” he says. “Healing has never been an issue with God; He has assured me numerous times that my healing has already begun and will physically manifest in His time, not mine, where He will get all the glory. I no longer need to be occupied with healing; I need to be occupied with my Savior. The daily struggles remain, but as I grow in my love toward Christ, I rejoice that He allows me to go through them with Him.”
And more trials he would surely endure, including a tracheostomy in April 2009 so he could use a ventilator, and a severe lung infection in June that led to choking because of an obstruction. Glennis had to clash with medical authorities in the emergency room to obtain the necessary antibiotics for her husband.
Today, Brodie continues to use a ventilator, back brace, and wheelchair, though he can do some walking. Unable to eat or drink, he receives puréed food and vitamins through a feeding tube. Every couple hours he needs help to blink because his eyes are dry and unable to shut completely. His lungs function at just 20 percent capacity, so a lung infection becomes critical since he has such low breathing capability.
The Brodies’ children are Justin, 29; Jessica, 27; Ashley, 24; and Kylee, 21. Jessica has given them two grandchildren: Korbyn, born December 2008, and Brodie, born July 2011. Ashley and Kylee still live at home in Puyallup and help with care, running errands, and maintaining the house. Jessica comes over four days a week to help with care and work in the family business. One of Brodie’s brothers, Boo, 50, lives in Tacoma and also helps Justin in the business. Brodie has two other caregivers to help Glennis with household chores.
Glennis says that although the kids have lived with the uncertainty of their father’s condition, they have not allowed it to weigh them down and have pursued their futures with an enhanced view of the world, more alert to others with limitations.
“I’m really, really very proud of them, and I’m proud of Scott for every day that he commits his heart and he commits his day,” she says. “Because he doesn’t quit, I don’t quit.”
Satan hasn’t quit either, however, telling Scott he’s a burden, without dignity, and dependent on everyone. He tells him he will never receive his promise, that he’s done enough, and has even said, “God told me to tell you it’s your time—time to die.”
Some friends have departed because they either did not know how to talk to Brodie or had too much difficulty communicating and relating. Yet the Brodies remain undeterred in their focus upon God, who encourages them to keep pressing on. “None of this seems to bother us anymore,” Glennis says. “We just have to know we are in the will of God, pursuing Him wholeheartedly. We’re hanging onto the God of all hope.”
As Brodie continues to wait for deliverance from an impossible situation in the natural, he draws upon a host of relevant Bible passages, as well as the lives of Abraham, Daniel, Joseph, Nehemiah, and Hezekiah, who all faced waiting and adversity before receiving their answers. The Brodies know that God is accomplishing something special as they wait.
Video of Scott’s daughter Ashley Brodie lovingly taking care of her father
“God has His timetable,” Glennis says. “He’s making all things beautiful in His time, and He’s refining us in this process. We’re drawing nearer to Him. He uses even our waiting to help us develop our relationship with Him.”
Brodie says he is tempted to view his weakness as a liability that should be removed but realizes it may be his greatest asset because God is using it both to refine him and increase his dependence upon Him.
“It’s not the weakness we may have that is significant; it is what it can potentially produce in our soul that is of value,” he says. “I like to consider my back brace as God’s golden treasure, my feeding tube as God’s silver cup, and my tracheostomy as His diamond. They each represent a time of difficulty, a season of seeking and God’s provision. Each scar, whether visible or not, can become an ornament of His grace.”
Chuck Goldberg has a degree in journalism and a Master of Divinity in Christian education. A former newspaper reporter and magazine managing editor, he is now an ordained minister and freelance writer-editor. He and his wife Dolly have three children and live in Layton, Utah.
While he and Glennis had faith and hope, at the same time they felt they couldn’t simply sit at home and do nothing. Perhaps God’s answer would come through people, they thought, so they had to seek alternative treatments since conventional medicine offered no hope. Each alternative built hope, but each failure became a hard hit. Yet they remained encouraged and hopeful, believing God for healing. Instead, Brodie’s condition worsened.
