God is Good (Part 1) - John & Donna Bishop

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God is Good (Part 1) - John & Donna Bishop
God is Good (Part 2) - John & Donna Bishop
God is Good (Part 3) - John & Donna Bishop

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Forgetting What Lies Behind

Guest: John and Donna Bishop

From the series: God is So Good

Bob: There are moments that come along unexpectedly – moments where the foundation of our life or our marriage is rattled. John and Donna Bishop experienced one of those moments 15 years ago.

Donna: Everything was just great, we were just having a great time serving the Lord. Our boys and our families and then, all of a sudden, that night he got sick, and the pain in the back of his head just got severe, and he said, "You're going to have to take me to the hospital," and so I took him to the hospital and …

John: When I woke up from meningitis, I did not know her. I really didn't know anything. I had a very unusual case of amnesia that I didn't just forget names and people, I forgot everything.

Bob: This is FamilyLife Today for Monday, August 4th. Our host is the president of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. What happens to a marriage when, all of a sudden, all the memories, all of the past, is gone. Stay tuned.

And welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us on the Monday edition. This is going to be a powerful week for our listeners.

Dennis: It is. In fact, Bob, you and I both talked about this interview that our listeners are about to hear. It's a top five broadcast – you and I have been doing interviews for – well, coming up on 16 years – that's a few people. I'm kind of looking across at you, and I'm kind of going, "That's a long time."

Bob: You're an old-looking guy.

Dennis: We're kind of getting to be codgers in here. But, I'm going to tell you, pull up a chair, get you a cup of coffee or a Coke or a glass of water. This week you are going to hear an incredible compelling story of the goodness of God and the love of God. This is another one of those love stories, Bob, that Hollywood just knows very little about. This is a love story right from the pages of Scripture.

Bob: Yes, you're going to meet John and Donna Bishop today. They were married back in 1974. John is a pastor and an evangelist. They live in Rosebud, Arkansas, which is in north central Arkansas.

Dennis: It's just near Hopewell, which is a suburb of Heber Springs.

Bob: Oh, now folks have got it perfectly in mind. They know exactly where that …

Dennis: They know exactly where that is.

Bob: John and Donna have three sons, and, as you are about to find out, their story is a remarkable one.

John: All I remember is from 1995 to this day. I remember nothing before that, so everything about my life that happened beforehand is what I've been told. And my wife, her name, Donna, but I called her "my Donna." When I woke up from meningitis, I did not know her. I didn't know me, my name, I didn't know – I really didn't know anything. I had a very unusual case of amnesia that I didn't just forget names and people, I forgot everything. I didn't know how to eat, I'd forgotten how to chew food, and I had to eat baby food, and I don't blame babies being grouchy, if you had to eat that long.

Dennis: So, okay, I'm going to stop you right there.

John: Okay.

Dennis: Since Donna does know what was taking place in your life up to 1995, I'm going to turn to her. Describe your lives in the 1990s, Donna. What was John doing and what were you up to?

Donna: Okay. We were pastoring a church there in Heber Springs, and we had a good church. We enjoyed everything was going great. We had three sons, and they were growing up. We also worked on our youth camp there, lived on the campgrounds and started the youth camp, and were just – I would say it was a perfect life. You know, everything was just great, we were just having a great time serving the Lord, our boys, and our families, and then, all of a sudden that night he got sick, and the pain in the back of his head just got severe, and he said, "You're going to have to take me to the hospital." So I took him to the hospital and …

Bob: So it came on in an instant like that. One night?

Donna: No, he had been a little sick, just having headaches and so forth, and then it just started getting severe that night, and we just took him to the hospital.

Bob: Were you scared?

Donna: In a way, you know, because the pain just kept getting worse, you know, so – but, you know, you always think, "Oh, we can take him to the hospital and they'll be fine," you know, "be home tomorrow."

Dennis: Right.

Donna: But he was there about five days, six days, and he got to feeling better and, of course, once men start feeling better, they want to get out of that hospital, and so he got out of the hospital and came home, and it was almost one month to the day, he got out of the hospital is really when I believe the damage was done, or that's when something happened that he was sitting in his rocking chair, had his devotions over in a rocking chair, and he just kept sitting there and sitting there, and I thought, "Okay," you know, "let's get on with things," and he just kept sitting there. And so I went over and shook him, and he couldn't wake up, he couldn't – he was just kind of staring off.

And I said, "John, what's the matter John?" And I was talking to him, and he just couldn't answer me, and then, of course, we took him back to the doctor, and it was just from there on it's been slow go.

Bob: Now, the diagnosis was aseptic meningitis?

Donna: Yes, sir.

Bob: And this response, a month after the initial diagnosis, this is not what usually happens to people who have meningitis, is it?

Donna: No, sir. You know, I don't know, I'm not a doctor, but I don't know if we didn't give him the medicine long enough or exactly what it is, but I know the Lord has a reason for it, and so – bec...