The 11:38 Podcast: Episode 1 Talking life, death, cancer, friendship and ministry with John Drage

John in 1994

This is my first episode and I'm glad to bring you one of my mentors and good friends, John Drage. Follow his cancer and life journey at www.johndrage.com I've known John since the summer of 1994, and we've seen and done some great things together! I recently got a chance to sit with John in one of our favorite places the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park Colorado. We caught up on life, ministry, his recent cancer diagnosis, family, and his love for God and the church. I'm honored to bring you our brief talk! I know I'm going to have to get him on the podcast again.

The 11:38 Podcast is a project I have to tell the stories of people I know who are doing great things in life, ministry, family, and business. These are people I know who I believe as Hebrews 11:38 says, "the world was not worthy of them." So I hope this podcast encourages you in your faith and life. My Dad always told me, "go forward in the name of Jesus." I hope you enjoy listening and you do the same!

They Say Hope is the Last Thing to Go

My mother told me those words when she found out she had Stage 4 liver cancer. I thought it was the dumbest thing I’d heard in the long time. First of all, who are they? And…and I thought hearing was the last thing to go. That’s what DOCTORS say. I thought those two thoughts but told my mom, “That’s good Mom. Hold onto hope.” I learned over the course of the next two months that my mom was right!

She knew better than me…her son who is a pastor.

You see nobody hopes for something they already have in full. We hope for something we don’t yet possess. This is true for every Christian. The other thing about hope is that it will never put us to shame. Romans 5:5 tells us that. The old NIV Bible says, “does not disappoint” us. I told my Mom, you won’t open your eyes that side of the grave and wake up and say, “It’s not as good as I thought it would be!” That will never and has never happened for any Christian!! So in those last moments for every Christian, including my Mom, we go from death to life. We go from hoping to possessing in full. We go from sort of knowing to full knowledge. We go from hope to full assurance. And you living for God now…in the here and now… in the end will not cause you to wonder if you wasted your life. You won’t be put to shame as if you’ve been tricked. You will possess all the Lord has in store for all of us…and I for one… plan to have hope be the last thing to go from my life! Thanks Mom for teaching me that lesson with cancer in your liver. I look forward to seeing her again!