Dorsey Ross – Overcomer

May 8, 2021
by Rodney Olsen
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His parents were told they should abandon him. They didn’t listen and Dorsey Ross has been ignoring every limitation ever since.

Dorsey Ross was born with a severe congenital disability. Now, in his mid-40s, Dorsey has proved the doctors wrong, but life still has been full of challenges.

Dorsey was born on January 16th, 1977, with a congenital disability known as Apert Syndrome. When Dorsey was born, his forehead was pushed outward, his nose and mouth were pushed inward, and his fingers and toes were fused, meaning he had no individual movement of them. Doctor’s gave Dorsey’s parents no hope for his survival and advised them to put him into an institution. His parents both knew and trusted in God, and they believed that God would do great things in Dorsey’s life. Throughout his life, Dorsey has had to overcome a lot of obstacles, and trials, being bullied, called names like monster and freak, and undergone multiple operations.

Teachers told Dorsey he would not make it in college, and with all odds against him, he entered Queens Borough Community College. After four years there, and after attaining an associate degree, he entered the University of Valley Forge. After years of hard work and perseverance, he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Youth Ministry. His life saying is, “can’t is not in my vocabulary” because, for most of his life, he has never used the word can’t. He believes that with God, all things are possible and that he can do all things through Christ who gives him strength. It’s with God’s help he is overcoming life’s obstacles.

He’s been told that so many of the milestones that most of us take for granted would be impossible for him. He’s refused to listen.

Dorsey was my guest on my podcast, Bleeding Daylight, this week. You can hear his incredible story wherever you find podcasts or by using the audio player below.



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John Simmons – Invisible Addiction

April 26, 2021
by Rodney Olsen
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John Simmons battled an invisible addiction that plunged him into debt and deep depression. He was living a life that was totally out of control and the very thing that was pushing him closer and closer to destruction was the thing he thought would solve the issues he was facing.

It was a downward spiral that almost cost him his life.

Things are very different now. These days, John is bringing hope into the lives of others through his ministry, Testimony House.

John is the guest on my podcast, Bleeding Daylight, this week. You can hear his story wherever you listen to podcasts or use the media player below.



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Lori Morrison – The Unlovely Truth

April 19, 2021
by Rodney Olsen
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In recent years, we’ve seen a growing interest in what many refer to as true crime. There are blogs, books, podcasts, television shows, and more dedicated to delving into the details of real crimes, and in many cases seeking resolution for previously unsolved crime.

In this week’s episode of my podcast, Bleeding Daylight, Lori Morrison takes us deep into the world of true crime.

Lori is a paralegal and a licensed private investigator. Her podcast, The Unlovely Truth, is dedicated to exploring the intersection of faith and true crime.

You can hear from Lori by listening to Bleeding Daylight wherever you find podcasts, or just click play on the audio player below.



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Yvonne Rempel – A Damascus Experience

April 12, 2021
by Rodney Olsen
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Yvonne Rempel faced trauma from the day she was born. Her childhood left her with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

At 17 I was kicked out of the house, and I went on a very destructive path because I didn’t have options. I had no structure. I didn’t know who I was, other than raising my brothers and sisters, other than trying to please my mother.

Following a difficult upbringing, she experienced a life transformation in her early 20s.

She’s come a long way since then and now helps others break free from their past to become the person they were meant to be.

Yvonne is this week’s guest on my podcast, Bleeding Daylight. You can hear her story on Bleeding daylight wherever you find podcasts or use the audio player below.



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Abandoned

April 2, 2021
by Rodney Olsen
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We’ve all been let down. People close to us have hurt us. We’ve been disappointed by those we thought we could depend upon.

Have you ever come to a moment of great need and found yourself alone? Have you had to face trials on your own while those who have previously pledged their friendship and loyalty have scattered?

That’s the kind of thing we remember on Good Friday. Imagine facing the following scenario on your own.

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. – Mark 15:15-20

The most amazing thing in all of this is that amidst the torture, the pain, the horror of a barbaric death, Jesus was thinking of others. He even prayed for forgiveness for those who had caused his pain. I don’t know about you but I tend to get angry when someone causes me pain or discomfort. I can forgive them later, but at the time I can get pretty annoyed. Jesus was still in the middle of being tortured to death while he was offering forgiveness. Makes the ‘injustices’ I suffer seem fairly inconsequential.

Incredibly, he even promised forgiveness to a common criminal who was suffering the same fate that he was. There were two criminals being slaughtered alongside Jesus. One hurled insults. One asked to be remembered by Jesus. The one who asked to be remembered could see beyond the grave. He could see that death was not the end. He talked about Christ entering his kingdom. Jesus promised him a direct trip to paradise.

A lot of pictures that depict the life of Jesus show him as an otherworldly kind of figure, detached from the worries of our day to day lives. It’s good to remind ourselves that he knew what it was like to suffer pain and betrayal of the worst possible kind.

Even if you’re the kind of person who really can’t identify with Jesus, it may help you to remember that he can certainly identify with us and everything we’re facing.

The greatest news is that the betrayal and suffering of Good Friday was not the end. Sunday was coming; a day that would change our world forever.



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