Revelations of a Rebel in Rehab

By Donald Alan Ketchum

Revelations of a Rebel in Rehab is a book of sessions
identifying the struggles common to each of us and our way out of or through them. It identifies Jesus Christ as our Great Physician; who treats our sin sickness and our propensity to live as rebels. The trouble is we rarely ever make the effort to see the doctor until we are fully conv

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jan 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781640884205

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Final_Cover.jpg

Revelations of

a Rebel

in Rehab

by

Donald Alan Ketchum

About the Cover Photo

The person wearing a hospital gown opened in the back is in representation of the vulnerability we must all approach Jesus, the Great Physician, with. The Church, as established by Christ, is a representation of a clinic for the spiritually sick. Jesus said, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick (Matthew 9:12 New International Version).

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Copyright © 2019 by Donald Alan Ketchum

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-1-64088-419-9 (Print Book)

ISBN 978-1-64088-420-5 (ebook)

Acknowledgments

I’m not sure whether you’ve noticed, but God’s been leaving crumbs along our paths to help us on our way through this world that comes with the occasional bumps, bruises, and broken hearts. You might say these crumbs are a lot like clues, but then again you might also call them revelations. Yours don’t look like mine and mine don’t look like yours, but God is doing what He can to get our attention. I’ve taken God’s crumbs, His clues, or His revelations, and with inspired writing I’ve compiled them to make this book. Thank You, God, for the crumbs.

Much of who I am is credited to my parents, Herb and Marge Ketchum, who provided me with my faith foundation and who instilled in me many of the values I cling to today. Though I was a challenge they didn’t need, they rose to the challenge and never gave up on me. They’ve been supporters of my dreams regardless of how preposterous those dreams were. Daily, I have thanked God that He put me in a family with you as Mom and Dad and daily I have prayed blessings over the both of you.

One of my greatest joys has been my daughter, Caeleigh Elizabeth Ketchum, whose presence in my life has precipitated personal growth on multiple levels. Upon her birth, I began a lengthy process of becoming a better person, a better man, and ultimately a better dad. I wish I could say that I succeeded on all levels and in all matters, but I cannot. If I succeeded at anything, it was in my efforts to lead her to our Lord Jesus Christ and in her pursuit of Him she has not disappointed me. She is truly a blessing from above and I thank God for her daily.

To my siblings and friends who have honestly but tenderly advised me when my reasoning made no sense or that the way I constructed a thought might need to be reconstructed, I say, Thank you! To these same people who were the voices of encouragement I needed during seasons of despair, I again say, Thank you. Daily I have thanked God for you and prayed blessings over you.

There have been other influential people whose stars raced across my sky and left lasting impressions on my life. I grew up watching on television such giants of our faith as: the Rev. Billy Graham, Pastor Charles Stanley, and Pastor Jack Hayford. In recent years, I have added Dr. David Jeremiah and Pastor Max Lucado to my list of stars to watch and have read countless books from both. After years of being a prodigal, I recommitted my life to Christ and almost immediately read The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Myer and I knew I would never be same. I give thanks to God for the calling He has on these people’s lives and for the strength and courage they displayed, boldly holding the torch up high. Though I have been a huge fan of these people, I am an even bigger fan of Jesus Christ and it is His light in me that will never go out.

I would be remiss if I did not give my home church and its pastoral leadership my sincere appreciation and gratitude for welcoming me into their flock. When I came to World Outreach Church of Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 2002 I was a soul adrift. Under the care and guidance of founder George Jackson, I began a journey back to spiritual wellness. My most memorable occasion came after a procedure had been done to remove my gallbladder and I wound up spending the day on Mr. Jackson’s couch. Every thirty minutes he would come and ask if there was anything I needed. To that point in my life I had never experienced such Christian love and I shall never forget it. I give God thanks for George and Betty Jackson and the work they have started; which is ongoing under the leadership of their son, Pastor G. Allen Jackson.

I would also like to include a few words of appreciation and gratitude toward my alma mater, Liberty University. I entered university in 2011 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Religion with a Minor in Youth Ministry in 2016. Without the fine teaching and patience given to a slow but eager learner, by professors such as Dr. Elmer L. Towns, Dr. Ed Hindson, Dr. Ben Gutierrez, and so many others, I may not have achieved this educational goal. May God bless and keep each of these fine pillars of our faith.

Prologue

Try to imagine you’re on a crowded platform waiting to take a ride on the L; which is a nickname given to Chicago’s mass transit train system. Are you there? Now imagine the people surrounding you are from every walk of life and various trades or professions. The lawyer, the plumber, the accountant, the clerk, the electrician, the dental assistant, and the architect could all very easily be me. When you think about it, we’re just a bunch of people waiting on a train. As we go on a little further you’ll get to know me better, but the most important thing to know about me is I’m no better than you, but I am broken like you.

I made an important discovery about myself several years ago that might also apply to many of the people who fill the pews of our churches. We hold a rather high opinion of ourselves. Am I being too harsh? Allow me to explain. When we can’t be bothered to see the needs of our neighbors because we’ve got our noses in the air, there’s a problem. I’m saying this as much for my good as I’m saying it for your good. Think about it: Jesus never walked around with a high opinion of Himself. Truth be told, if it weren’t for His divine teaching, His miracles, and obviously His resurrection, we’d have seen Him as just another man.

My effectiveness for Christ depends entirely upon my willingness to yield myself to His lordship, coupled with my willingness to walk in a spirit of humility. The fact that I make regular visits to the clinic; which in this case is a reference to my place of worship, should be a clear indicator to anyone who might be paying attention that I’m in the process of being made well, and that I am not well. The Apostle Paul instructed, For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned (Romans 12:3). The point I’m hoping to make is that it isn’t what’s in our wallets, what’s in our garages, or what’s in our closets that makes us special to Father God, but rather what’s in our hearts. Amen!

As I sit here attempting to order my thoughts, I cannot help but wonder if your reaction to this book’s title will in any way resemble my own reaction in that moment when God first put it on my heart. Furthermore I am curious if you will ask yourself, as I have asked God, What does this even mean? On the outside chance you do ask, I am prepared to do what I can to explain it to you the way it was explained to me, and if that fails to clear the cobwebs I don’t know what else I can do, other than pray. It’s okay to laugh. I do all the time.

The first part of the book’s title—REVELATIONS—is a process by which God methodically enables us to see small portions of what He sees. It is a statement about the limitations we, as humans, encounter when we make efforts to differentiate between the physical realm and the spiritual realm. To help us, God must pull the curtain back slightly and allow us to see deeper into the mystery.

The man known as Saul was blinded by Jesus while on the road to Damascus. His heart, like so many other staunch Jews of his day, was hardened and therefore he was unable to see the truth. Jesus wanted to use Saul as an instrument for His purposes so He sent a man named Ananias to lay hands on him and pray. He said, "Brother Saul, The Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be