Tomorrow morning is a significant day for my family and me.

One year ago, I was blessed with a successful colon cancer surgery. Tomorrow, I return to the operating room for my 49th surgery.

As I begin my 71st journey around the sun, my heart is overflowing with gratitude. God has sustained my life through disability, countless challenges, and more surgeries than I ever imagined. More importantly, He has given me new life in Christ. Every day I wake up is a gift of His grace.

When I look back over these seventy-one years, I realize that the greatest blessings of my life are the very things I was once told I would never have.

I was told I was too frail.

I was told I probably wouldn’t live to be twenty-one.

I was told my diaphragm was too weak.

I was told I wasn’t a leader.

I was told God wouldn’t call me.

I was even told I could never marry or have a family.

Yet God had other plans.

My beautiful wife, Rebekah, our precious family, and the privilege of serving the Body of Christ as pastors have become living testimonies that God’s promises are greater than human predictions.

I often think back to when I was seventeen years old at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

After one of my appointments, my physician—a man I deeply respected who had performed a life-saving surgery on me when I was thirteen—sat down beside me with sadness in his eyes.

“Dennis,” he gently said, “you can never get married.”

He carefully explained why. From a medical perspective, everything he said made perfect sense.

With a heavy heart, I walked through the tunnel to the parking garage, climbed into my little green Volkswagen Beetle, laid my head on the steering wheel, and wept. I don’t know how long I cried.

As I drove home to Macon, something began to change inside me.

Faith began to rise.

When I arrived home, I went straight to our church sanctuary. Alone at the altar, I poured out my heart to God.

Then something happened that has stayed with me for over fifty years.

In my imagination, I saw a faceless blonde-haired young woman and a little boy dancing into my future. Deep within my spirit, I heard two simple words:

“Trust me!”

Everything changed.

I stood up from that altar with a confidence I had never known before. My health hadn’t changed. My circumstances hadn’t changed. But my faith had.

Sometimes reason can be wrong.

God’s purpose is greater than our limitations.

His promises are stronger than our fears.

That gift of faith carried me through the decades that followed.

Last week, on July 27, I celebrated my 71st birthday.

Next week, Rebekah and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.

Think about that for a moment.

The very thing I was told would never happen has now lasted for fifty beautiful years.

God has been faithful.

Has life been easy? Not at all.

There have been struggles, disappointments, surgeries, and seasons of uncertainty.

But through every season, God has remained faithful, and His grace has always been enough.

So today I want to encourage two groups of people.

To the students and young adults: Never give up on the dream God places in your heart. Listen for that still, small voice as you pray and worship. Don’t let fear, circumstances, or someone else’s opinion define your future. Number your days well. Live with faith. Live with purpose. Live with courage. Dream God-sized dreams, and then walk toward them one faithful step at a time.

“O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you!” (Psalm 71:5–6, NLT)

And to my fellow seniors: Don’t stop dreaming simply because you’ve grown older. We may have gray hair, but we still have purpose. We carry decades of wisdom, experience, and God’s faithfulness. Our assignment isn’t over until God says it is. Continue to love. Continue to serve. Continue to mentor. Continue to encourage. Continue to dream.

“Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with you, O God?” (Psalm 71:18–19, NLT)

I don’t think of myself as old. I’m certainly gray, but I still have dreams, and I’m still working toward them.

Rebekah and I are excited about this next season of life. We want to enjoy our family, invest in others, share what God has taught us, walk through every door He opens, and continue doing all things in love for His glory.

Tomorrow I would appreciate your prayers as I undergo surgery once again. Please pray for a successful procedure and a speedy recovery.

And know this: I will be praying for you as well.

May your own journey around the sun be filled with God’s grace in Christ, deep and loving relationships, unwavering faith, and fruit that will last for eternity.

To God be all the glory.

Grace and Peace!