More physicians today believe that medicine alone cannot deal with some of today’s worst illnesses, according to a statement issued by an organization composed of medical professionals who believe in divine healing.

Dr. Sean Thomas George, a consultant physician from West Australia, told his amazing story at an Australian Conference on “Spirituality and Medicine.” George told the crowd that after returning with his intern from a clinic session on the south coast of Australia, he felt minor chest pains and he was “unusually hot.” He decided to stop the car and as he got out, still feeling the discomfort, he called his wife, also a doctor, to let her know what was happening. She suggested that he drive straight home.

George said he felt “divinely directed” to enter a clinic, where he used an electro-cardiogram to diagnose a heart attack and to receive a few drugs they had on hand.  The pain continued to get worse, and 11 minutes later his heart completely stopped beating! Not only did he have a heart attack but he was in cardiac arrest. For the next 60 minutes a team of doctors and nurses used more than 4,000 chest compressions and gave him 13 electrical shocks.

His heart and lungs did not respond. After one hour and 10 minutes, George was pronounced dead. Ten minutes later, his wife arrived and was told to go in and say her last words.

His wife, also a medical doctor, understood the seriousness of the situation and as a believer in Jesus Christ as Her Savior, she decided to humbly ask God to intervene. She held Dr. George’s hand and prayed “Lord Jesus, he is only 39, and I am only 38 and we have a 10-year-old boy. I need a miracle.” As soon as she said this it was as though someone had breathed life into Dr. George again and his heartbeat came back. George had come back from the dead.

Four hours later, George was flown to Royal Perth Hospital where doctors carried out an emergency procedure to clear a severely blocked artery on the right side of the heart. The attending physician thought George would not survive, and even if he did, he would be completely brain dead on a ventilator. In ICU, George had kidney and liver failure and went into a deep coma.

Against all odds, he opened his eyes three days later, was discharged after two weeks, and returned to full-time work following three months of steady recovery!

Perhaps today you find yourself in a difficult situation and you are in need of help? I want you to know that a prayer as simple as Mrs. George’s prayer could be the key to your miracle today!

Have you ever felt surrounded by chaos? Most people don’t realize that opposition, problems and chaos are often the seed bed for creativity! Why? Creativity flourishes when need arises and solutions are required.

Living in Russia in the early 90’s, I recall walking down the street and picking up a short piece of wire thinking, ‘this is useful.’ I suddenly realized that someone else’s trash had become my potential solution. Lack had forced me to be constantly on the lookout for solutions! That little piece of wire actually solved a plumbing problem we had!

What is a problem? It’s simply the difference between present and future. It is the gap between what you have and what you want.  Renowned psychiatrist Theodore Rubin said, “The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”

Face your problems head-on and employ these simple principles of problem-solving in order to cultivate the dream that is in your heart:

First, GET THE FACTS! Ask yourself the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY questions. What is the problem? Where and when did it begin? Why? How can I find out more? And who cares about this situation?

Second, BE OPEN TO NEW IDEAS! Remove the following phrase from your vocabulary: “we don’t do it that way in our family, community or in our culture!” Reprogram yourself:  Get someone else’s perspective. Get God’s perspective. Do some simple research. It is likely that someone has solved your problem before!

Third, EMPLOY PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES!  Utilize the P.D.C.A Method – Plan: Identify and analyze the problem. “D,”Do: Develop and test a potential solution. “C,”Check: Measure how effective and how to improve your test solution. “A”, Act: Implement the improved solution.

Fourth, THINK! The importance of using your God-given brain cannot be overemphasized. Regardless of your situation, God has empowered you to THINK! Divinely Inspired Ideas for Life and it’s not just a catchy slogan. It is a principle I live by! …And you CAN TOO!

Fifth, BE PROACTIVE! Don’t spend your time REACTING to problems! Reaction is the easiest emotional response! Power to prevail in life comes when we channel our emotions into true problem-solving. Harness your emotions! A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.  Seek God’s wisdom! “If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask Him, and He will gladly tell you, for He is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask Him.

Scripture: James 1:5 TLB.

How do we find true pleasure? In abundant possessions? From external factors? Or could there be something deeper that guides us to a true sense of pleasure in life? The ancient Proverb says, Happy is the person who finds wisdom and understanding. For its gain and profit is better than from silver or fine gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies: and nothing you can desire can compare. Long life is in her right hand; and in her left hand, riches and honor.

What is wisdom? It is the ability to see the end of a thing from the beginning. Wisdom provides answers. It does not simply provoke questions!  Wisdom is the ability to be a problem solver and not simply be one who is overcome by problems.

Scripture: Proverbs 3:13-16 (paraphrased)

In Jim Stovall’s famous book, “The Ultimate Gift” we read the story of a man striving to make his billions, who at the end of his life, leaves a broken, miserable family that has become accustomed to living on HIS wealth. His only son who possessed a work-hard–help-others attitude, died in a tragic accident. The “Ultimate Gift” was left to THAT son’s son, who was wasting away on his grandfather’s monthly stipend.

What could this ultimate gift be?  All of the family expected it to be money and lots of it!  But the grandson was given an OPPORTUNITY for a journey where he would discover hard work, purpose, friendship, giving and even stewardship!

Receipt of his inheritance would be based upon his ability to rise above the challenge his grandfather had set for him in a series of tests! This young man discovered the ultimate gift was not in HAVING but in GIVING life, working diligently, using his talents and rising to the challenge at hand! Research shows that individuals who know and exercise their character strengths live happier, more successful lives – they have stronger relationships, more engagement at work, and greater life balance.

How do you perceive adversity? The great sayings of leaders such as Martin Luther King, “I have a dream,” Ronald Reagan, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” or Nelson Mandela, “Quitting is leading too,” were not born in a time of comfort and tranquility but were shaped in adversity!

Perhaps you are like the famed baseball player Jim Abbott. Though born with only one hand, he became a Michigan Hall-of-Famer, an Olympic athlete, and one of the rare major league baseball pitchers to record a no-hitter.

From his earliest years, he wanted to be an athlete. For hours he labored, perfecting a process of clasping his mitt under one arm, throwing a baseball against a wall, instantly grasping his mitt again with his one good hand to catch the return, quickly switching the mitt, retrieving the ball and repeating the process. He practiced for hours moving closer and closer to the wall, becoming so proficient that within a few feet of the wall, he could switch the glove and the ball almost simultaneously. With an indomitable spirit, Jim handled the naysayers with eloquence and overcame his disability with simple well-practiced solutions, inspiring thousands of young people with disabilities to pursue their dreams.

Is pleasure the key to your happiness? As a child, one of my favorite experiences each fall was to go shopping for clothes! It was a special event. I grew up in a town of 1,100 people, so we had to drive to the city, spend the day shopping, and then we would eat at a restaurant! WOW!  And we did this every school year! It is one of the special yearly memories from my childhood.

Why? I was different as a child and choosing clothes made me feel special.  These clothes provided a confidence to parade about when everyone made fun of me for being so tall and lanky! I clearly recall each year as we headed out, Mother would say to me, “Leslie, as a child I only had one dress for school and church. Your father and I want you to have more than we did as children.”

Yet, more than shopping adventures and new clothes, my family gave me the meaning of life through a solid spiritual foundation – with a clear belief in God. They instilled in me a good education, a strong work ethic, and the importance of integrity. They guided my life with values by which I still live today!

I believe that without that spiritual foundation in my life, I would have been adrift in search of pleasure and happiness. Why? My generation, was (and still is) all about fast cars, big houses, high salaries, media toys and the right family! They are thrill seekers and money masters!

Just recently my husband spent a few hours with Jim Stovall, a Global Entrepreneur, film producer and author of over 20 books. I am sure you would never consider that Mr. Stovall was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease at 17 and was blind by the age of 29.

Jim invented “S.A.P,” a special technology that allows the blind to enjoy major film releases. You see, Jim was an avid movie buff. Losing his sight meant he could no longer enjoy his classic collection. One day he determined that someone should solve this problem, and he created his Emmy Award-winning Narrative TV Network that serves over 13 million blind people each year.

Zig Ziglar, world class motivational speaker of 40 years says, “Happiness is a by-product of who you are and what you do. And yes, you CAN set it as a specific goal.”

Today we continue with the last 4 steps to begin initiating your creative process:

The fourth step, wait for it! What do we wait for? Clarity!  The moment when the light suddenly comes on, the darkness disappears and your mind clearly pictures the idea you’ve been searching for. It often occurs when you least expect it…like while you’re sitting in a beautiful garden listening to the birds.

Fifth, test it! Give your idea a try! Confirm it. Your brilliant solution must now be verified. Are you open to evaluation and criticism? Can you sincerely assess possible shortcomings and faults?  Honest assessment is a vital part of the creative process!

Remember, Creativity requires courage! Sir Ken Robinson author of Creative Schools says, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.”

Sixth, get up again! As an inventor, Thomas Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts to invent the incandescent light bulb! Edison’s teachers had said he was “too stupid to learn anything.” When asked about his repeated lightbulb failures, he simply said that he had discovered 1000 ways not to build a lightbulb!  Edison’s 1000 attempts were not failure but DISCOVERY!  Learn to celebrate your failures and embrace discovery!

Seventh, remember, you are in it to win it! Now that you’ve refined your idea:  it’s time to plan it; grow it; and build it. This is where the real work begins. Like a long distance runner, you are now launching a journey that will require training, resource, and energy. Keep looking forward! Some of the greatest creativity ever displayed by humanity is a result of thousands of hours of laborious experimentation.

How do we initiate the creative process? Does it require hours of educational training?  For years, my husband has been committed to some type of daily writing.  In the early years of our marriage he wrote 6 pages a day on the topic that he was studying. As technology progressed he moved into writing a daily blog. Now he writes books by writing at least one well thought out page each day. His structure for writing is much clearer and his goals are simplified, but he continues to place a constant demand upon his creativity.

So how do you begin?

First, see it!  Define the problem you need to solve or the project you want to create. Look at it from different perspectives. In other words, keep reframing the idea, researching for insights from different viewpoints.

Second, go for a plunge! Dive deep into the materials you’ve gathered. Don’t just stick your toe in the edge of the water, immerse yourself. Allow the reality of what you expect to solve or create to consume your thoughts.

Third, think on these things! The point is to let the information steep like a tea bag in hot water. All the seedlings of information you have gathered can now sprout in the soil of your mind. How? Take a break! Go for a walk….ponder the information!