It has been a long time since I remember John Miller walking due to his injury in 2003. He has been in a wheelchair since his accident at a construction site. So many unanswered questions are still surrounding the event. How and what really happened? He is not sure. When he woke up he really did not remember much. This could be a good thing but questions still linger. I did not remarry John until 2009 so I have very little to add to the details. All we know is he fell 30 ft onto cement, broke his back in multiple places, and had rods placed in his back by the doctors. This was a dark and uncertain time for him. He was far from God.
As time went on he made the move to get the help he needed. He renewed his relationship with God and committed to follow Him daily. God was working.
We remarried in 2009 after a miracle reconciliation and much forgiveness only God can bring. We were blessed to put all our family back together again. That family included our children and grandchildren. We all had a new start. God was working.
We attended church at Calvary Chapel Melbourne in West Melbourne, Florida. We enjoyed services weekly and joined many Bible studies through the years. In 2013 John told me he felt God wanted him to start a support/ Bible study for those with chronic pain and disabilities. That seemed like a big project to me but I saw how important it was to John. We knew nothing about starting and leading such a group! We asked God to help us. We did major research on other groups and ministries. God sent people our way that were able to help us make a detailed plan and give us the encouragement we needed. God was working.
Finding His Purpose started in January 2014. We got everything approved by our church and yet the name was a problem. We held our ground on what the name should be and so glad we did. Finding His Purpose was the name we really believe God gave us for this group. John wanted people with pain, illness, and disability to know that they still had a purpose even after such trials. God has a purpose for all of us. Romans 8:28 was always the verse we came back to, so the name Finding His Purpose was just right. Finding His Purpose became the official group name and has been now for 10 years since that first meeting on January 23, 2014. God was working.
Through the years we have done many different Bible studies at Finding His Purpose. The studies we have enjoyed the most were by Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, and especially Joni Eareckson Tada. The last year we have been in a study, Finding Jesus In Every Book of The Bible, by O.S. Hawkins. It has been good getting back to basics and we wanted everyone to have a firm foundation to build on. Our new study The Gospel in Hard Times, by Joni Eareckson Tada will start soon. It is written specifically for those suffering with physical disabilities and shows us how to help others suffering. God is and was working.
In the year 2021 John was healed of the chronic pain he was experiencing for 18 years. It was so great for him to get off of all the pain medication. It was a new start for John with renewed strength. We thank God for such a blessing! God was working.
One of the highlights of the ten years was the event Finding His Purpose hosted in September 2022. We were so blessed to have Jen Bricker Bauer and Dominick Bauer share their amazing story. We couldn’t have done this large event except we had our group and wonderful church friends who stepped up to volunteer their time. It was such an inspiring night that we won’t forget. Many people went home encouaged and with new hope. God was working.
The year 2022 was a tough one, John was in the hospital multiple times and had three surgeries, appendectomy, vascular surgery and a heart valve replacement. I had unexpected surgery the end of 2022 also. We were reminded of how much we need to trust God in the hard times when we can’t see the end result. God was there and got us through it all and John is feeling great. God was working.
This last year, John has made progress in strengthening his muscles in his legs and started to work on standing for short periods of time. He is now up to 4 minutes. That might not sound like much but for someone who has not been able to stand since 2003, it is amazing. He will continue to trust God, use physical therapy and see where it goes. God is working.
As we look back on 10 years of Finding His Purpose, we thank God for all He has done in our lives and in the lives of our members. We pray God will continue to bless our group. We are hoping more people attend so they might also be encouraged and find the purpose God has for them. We thank all our members and look forward to more years to come, serving the Lord together. God is still working.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28
Happy 10th Anniversary to Finding His Purpose! To God be the glory.