STP 92 | Henry and James
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[00:01:07] Henry Dotson III: And it essentially said, So what do you do when you get that bad report from the doctor that you weren't expecting? How are you going to react? Are you going to react like everybody else does? Or are you going to, are you going to lean into your faith? So what are you going to do? So that's what kind of hit me at first. And
[00:01:33] Welcome to skilling therapy practice. In this episode, I'm joined. Joined by Henry B. Dotson. The third. He's an inspiration. speaker and Christian cancer coach who has transformed. Formed his personal battle with multiple myeloma into. To a powerful message of hope. He's got a great story. You're going to want. Listen to it.
[00:01:53] He was diagnosed in 2015 and he has a. Miraculous journey of healing [00:02:00] and resilience. That has inspired him to guide others facing similar struggles. And he's helping them turn their crisis into spiritual transformation. I hope you enjoy the show and get encouraged by Henry. Henry's amazing story.
[00:02:15]
[00:02:20] James Marland: Today I'm here with Henry B. Dotson III. He's an inspirational speaker, author, and a Christian cancer coach. And Henry Dotson is a passionate, inspirational speaker, author, and Christian cancer coach who has turned a personal battle with multiple myeloma into a mission to help others. He was diagnosed in 2015 and his faith and miraculous healing journey have become the cornerstone of a powerful message of hope.
[00:02:53] James Marland: Resilience and spiritual transformation. Uh, I've been talking with him for the last 30 [00:03:00] minutes and he really does offer a unique blend of personal experience, spiritual insight, and practical advice for, for people in the desperate times of facing cancer and other life challenges. And I was, um, I, I got introduced to him briefly at a, at a little marketing conference and, uh, And I was just inspired by what, what he said, and I wanted to bring him on the show.
[00:03:25] James Marland: So, Henry, thanks for joining us.
[00:03:28] Henry Dotson III: Sure. Sure. Glad to be here, James.
[00:03:33] James Marland: so the, the, the thing that inspired me a lot was the, the faith journey. You're going through a crisis and you are. are turning something bad, you know, nobody, I don't think anybody would say cancer is good, but you're turning a crisis in your life into something that helps you grow spiritually. And I'm [00:04:00] like, that just doesn't happen.
[00:04:02] James Marland: Like in a moment, like there has to be a story about how you got to where you are. So would you mind sharing a little bit about yourself and then And how you became this, uh, Christian cancer coach,
[00:04:17] Henry Dotson III: Okay. Well, I can be brief. Uh, if people really want to know the, the, the gory details, of course they could go and, and read the book. But, um, basically, um, in July of 2015, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is a form of bone cancer, but more specifically cancer that takes place in the bone marrow. And when I was diagnosed, 90 percent of my marrow was cancerous and my kidneys had failed and I was anemic and the doctors who the admitting oncologist said, uh, we're not sure how you even got here. Uh, I live in Southern [00:05:00] California and I went to Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Chicago. So we had to fly from LAX to O'Hare. And he said, I'm not sure how you even got here. You could have easily have died from any of the side effects of multiple myeloma before you got here. And we never would have given you a diagnosis. We never would have found out. We would have just said you died of those other causes. And so what started out as a six day evaluation to determine what I had turned into a 33 day stay that was totally unexpected, unplanned. And we had to figure out how we were going to navigate this cancer journey and we had no clue, but what I did have was I had my faith because,
[00:05:48] James Marland: even getting to the, the appointment in Chicago was a little miracle. Wasn't it? Cause we're,
[00:05:55] Henry Dotson III: yeah, I had no, the thing about multiple myeloma is that it doesn't necessarily [00:06:00] have any symptoms. Now, sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't. And in my case, it didn't have any symptoms. And the only reason why I got there was because, uh, well, I'm sure God navigated the circumstances of my life, but I started off because I had pulled muscles in my lower back and my, my family doctor through her examinations and testing, she's recognized that there was something else going on. And so she, uh, had a hunch and, um, again, through other, um, miraculous things that happened, I wound up at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Chicago. And so, yeah, it was, it was a series of things that when you look at it in retrospect, you realize that God was navigating the circumstances of not only my life, but the life of other people to speak into my life to make sure that I got where I needed to be and be taken care of. And so, uh, fast [00:07:00] forward to, uh, got diagnosed in July of 2015. By November of 2016, I was completely healed. Uh, there was no sign of cancer in my marrow down to parts per million. My kidneys were totally restored without any dialysis, and, um, my anemia was rectified with no other thing than just the cancer treatment.
[00:07:24] Henry Dotson III: So that's the short story in a very short nutshell. And that motivated me after I realized that I was going to survive. And that's what motivated me to determine, well, what am I supposed to do now? As a result of this. And I knew I needed to give my testimony, but I thought that was all I had to do. But through a series of again, people speaking into my life and hearing from God myself, I wound up realizing that what he was really calling me to do. Was to become a Christian [00:08:00] cancer coach and coach and mentor other Christians who are going through a cancer journey as to how to transform that cancer journey into a spiritual journey of faith where they would have spiritual transformation and actually grow in their faith and in their spirit.
[00:08:21] James Marland: this was over a period of, cause you, you, uh, you, you were telling me you, you had a Facebook group that was, people were praying for you, then you had, you had, you, you started sharing your story with other people,
[00:08:36] James Marland: And then, then you wrote a book, right? The, uh,
[00:08:41] Henry Dotson III: a book.
[00:08:41] James Marland: from Zion to a city of hope, a journey of faith.
[00:08:44] Henry Dotson III: Yes.
[00:08:45] James Marland: And, and at every point you were like, okay, I'm done, right?
[00:08:49] Henry Dotson III: Yeah. I'm done.
[00:08:51] James Marland: my, my story's over, you know, I've done what you told me to do. And at every point, There was like, well, I think I got a little bit more for you [00:09:00] to keep keep going on.
[00:09:02] Henry Dotson III: Right.
[00:09:03] James Marland: um? So I was how were you feeling during when you got that?
[00:09:12] James Marland: Initial diagnosis like how did faith play a part in? What you were doing and feeling and thinking during the diagnosis during that early stage
[00:09:24] Henry Dotson III: the early stage was when my family doctor said that she, when she gave her what I'll call a preliminary diagnosis because the real diagnosis didn't come until I saw an oncologist. But she said, she's the first one that mentions the word cancer. And when she said it, uh, I didn't panic, but it was like when you, I would, I would equate it to when you go in a, if you've ever been in a car accident, that's been bad.
[00:09:52] Henry Dotson III: And it seems like things are going in slow motion and you kind of, but they're not, but your brain can process things a lot [00:10:00] faster than what you realize. And to me, the first thing that came to my mind was, first of all, a sense of peace, which I would never have expected. And that peace came because I said, I'm sure glad that I have a God and friends that will help me get through this because of all he's done for me in the past in my life. So I didn't have a sense of worry or fret or fear or anxiety or anything. And then the second thing that came to my mind was a, an amalgamation of a lot of, of, of sermons that I'd heard from different pastors at different churches over the years. And it essentially said, So what do you do when you get that bad report from the doctor that you weren't expecting? How are you going to react? Are you going to react like everybody else does? Or are you going to, are you going to lean into your faith? So what are you going to do? So that's what kind of hit me at first. And I was surprised about that because [00:11:00] I hadn't really contemplated anything like that before. Other than Then the fact that I knew that things happen to people and you need to trust God to get you through them.
[00:11:10] Henry Dotson III: So that was my first reaction.
[00:11:13] James Marland: Wow, that's, uh, that that's an, um, inspiring because I, I think I would work if I got that sort of diagnosis and you don't really know, I would pray that I would act, you know, in a faith, uh, filled way. But also I think I might worry, like, who's going to take care of my wife? Who's going to take care of my kids?
[00:11:34] James Marland: What's going to happen to the business? Or how are we going to pay the bills when I'm gone? Like all those, like,
[00:11:41] Henry Dotson III: That's, that's true. And many people do. I mean, that's what people do, but, and I was, as I said, I was surprised at my reaction. I didn't, none of those thoughts came to my mind, but I do remember someone, uh, something that's been told to me many times over was, um, if you're going to work, [00:12:00] if you're going to pray, Then why worry? But if you're going to worry, then why pray? So you're going to do one or the other. And I chose, I know that worry has never made things better and I wasn't going to waste my time doing something that I knew didn't have any effect. I had no control over this stuff. So worrying about those things, wasn't going to make them change.
[00:12:24] James Marland: it's one of my favorite, uh, passages. And, uh, I think it's Matthew six where he says, you know, why, why do you worry about what you're going to eat or what you're going to wear or some other things? Like,
[00:12:37] James Marland: uh, God knows you need these things. So, um,
[00:12:41] Henry Dotson III: Yeah. And he also says there is part of that is why worry about tomorrow?
[00:12:47] Henry Dotson III: Uh, leave that for tomorrow. Uh, it's got its own things to worry about. You
[00:12:51] James Marland: Yeah. Tomorrow has its own.
[00:12:53] Henry Dotson III: Yeah. Focus on today. You don't need to add the extra worry. You've got enough to handle today, you
[00:12:58] Henry Dotson III: know? So yeah.
[00:12:59] Henry Dotson III: So [00:13:00] that was really kind of what I did.
[00:13:02] James Marland: I, I struggle with that a little bit. I like to worry a little bit even about little things. So, um,
[00:13:08] Henry Dotson III: Yeah. Well, I've learned that. First of all, you have no control over them. So the second thing is that worrying, so worrying doesn't really, it's energy that is, is more negative and it doesn't, it could make you feel worse. So I was more, let me do the things that I know are going to make a difference in a positive way.
[00:13:28] Henry Dotson III: So I try not to get too. overly anxious about many things because life is just full of it. And you've got to just stay focused on what's going to help you.
[00:13:42] James Marland: uh, so what were some of the, the challenges or fears you had to overcome with, uh, going out and sharing your story?
[00:13:51] Henry Dotson III: Well, uh, uh, I guess one way to say it is my, I have never really had a fear of speaking in [00:14:00] public and I really wasn't afraid. I think the thing, I guess really the main thing was I wasn't thinking about myself. I was thinking that I am doing this in obedience. To what God has called me to do. And he's called me to do this because he saved my life. And this is the least I could do is to go and tell people what he did. Uh, so I wasn't really worried about what people said. I wasn't worried about how they would react. I wasn't worried about anything. I just said, let me just go do what I'm supposed to do. And he'll handle the rest of this. I'm just going to try to do what he said to do and the chips will fall where they may. And, and I just want to make sure that, um, he's happy with what I'm trying to do.
[00:14:47] James Marland: So you were walking, um, in obedience and just depending on God to provide whatever he needed to do,
[00:14:56] James Marland: because,
[00:14:56] Henry Dotson III: yeah, because you know, you, you, you, people react [00:15:00] in all kinds of ways and you can't take it personally. Um, I, I heard a story about, um, a little, uh, thing. Someone said, well, let's just say that you are the best chocolate chip cookie maker. In the world and and your chocolate chip cookies are surpassed by none and you make a batch of your chocolate chip cookies and you go to a party and you got them on the tray and you're walking around. Would you like some chocolate chip cookie? You're telling everybody that you're going to come across people that say no, I don't want a chocolate chip cookie because they don't like chocolate chip cookies
[00:15:33] Henry Dotson III: now just because they don't like them doesn't mean that they aren't good. It's just not something that they, that, that they're interested in. So I wasn't really caring about the results of what I did. I just knew that my job was just to make the offer and it will turn out the way it's going to turn out. So yeah, I didn't really worry too much about those things. My biggest concern was. Okay. I'm going to step out in faith because [00:16:00] this takes time. And so all the other things that I was doing before. I pretty much, you know, put them behind and said, well, God's going to take care of us. because I'm doing what he said he wants me to do. And, and he has, he has taken care of us. My wife still works. She never lost her job. Actually, her job was, uh, on the line, not only hers, but her managers, because they decided that they were going to allow her to focus on me and the things that she needed to get done at work.
[00:16:28] Henry Dotson III: They weren't really getting done. And her manager was kind of covering for her. Those 33 days that I was in, um, And at Cancer Treatment Centers of America. So many things have happened where our needs were met. And I just said, well, I'm just going to do what you tell me to do.
[00:16:47] James Marland: So you started, you started speaking, and then you, you're like, okay, I'm done. But then you heard, you know, God's whispering, Hey, maybe you should write a book.
[00:16:58] James Marland: So how, how did [00:17:00] that come about? And can you talk about the book a little bit? Yeah.
[00:17:03] Henry Dotson III: Well, I, um, I didn't want to write a book. I said, because people were telling me as we shared the story,
[00:17:11] Henry Dotson III: People were saying, your story is just so incredible. You should really write a book because it would really help a lot of people. And I would be gracious and say, well, thank you very much, but I didn't really plan on doing it.
[00:17:20] Henry Dotson III: And I thought that was it. I just know I'm not, I'm not mine. I'm not writing a book. That's just not something I even ever imagined doing, but after enough people said, you should write a book. In my spirit, as I was praying one night, God was saying, well, I've been sending these people to tell you to write a book and you're not listening to what they're saying.
[00:17:40] Henry Dotson III: I'm telling, so I guess you need a more direct, direct the instructions here. I want you to write that book. So that's how I, it's okay. And I'll write the book, but I don't want to. And when I did, I said, okay, God, well, if you want me to write this book, then I wanted to say what you wanted to say. I'm going to. Try and do it the [00:18:00] way the scriptures were written. I want this to be inspired by you I want to get out of the way and whatever you say, right? And I don't care how long it takes or what I'm just going to do it your way So I just kind of backed off and
[00:18:12] Henry Dotson III: when I felt like there was something I should put down I put it down when I didn't have anything.
[00:18:16] Henry Dotson III: I didn't do anything And my wife, uh, provided her part because she put in all of her posts from her Facebook, the site. And I added my, my thoughts as to what was going on on my mind during the journey. And I added what happened before she created the Facebook page and what happened after, Um,
[00:18:35] Henry Dotson III: I was in remission because then we stopped making those posts.
[00:18:38] Henry Dotson III: And so I gave sort of an epilogue. As to, you know, what this is, what has happened since I've been through this journey. And so that's how I put the book together.
[00:18:47] James Marland: So, does the book include, like, the caregiver's side a little bit
[00:18:51] Henry Dotson III: She has, she was the caregiver. so so she not only posted what was happening to me from her perspective, [00:19:00] but she also said she found it. relieving for her because she could express what she was feeling and how it was difficult for her. And that's where she was able to get her release from.
[00:19:11] Henry Dotson III: And, and people started praying, not only for me, but they prayed for her too, because they knew what she was going through.
[00:19:16] Henry Dotson III: So they said, well, let's pray for you too. So yeah, it helped everyone around and the people that were responding. They also said they got something out of it because they have, you know, we've always heard about the power of prayer, and we've also heard about the power of corporate prayer, but many people, many Christians I found has said, yeah, I believe that, that there is power in prayer, and there's power in corporate prayer, but not mine, you know, as somebody else has had, but, but not me. And so,
[00:19:44] James Marland: That's so true!
[00:19:45] Henry Dotson III: yeah, it is. It was like, yeah, everybody else, but it's not me. So what I discovered was that this journey was not just about me and it wasn't just about my wife. What it was about was it was for those people who decided to walk [00:20:00] alongside us and follow that Facebook page and put down their comments about it. It was for them to see the power of their presence. prayers and the power of corporate prayers. So it wasn't just my testimony. It was theirs. I said, now you have a testimony to give. You can tell other people about the power of prayer and the power of corporate prayer because it is your prayers. You know, it's no longer this thing that everybody else does. This is what you did. So that was part of the revelation that I got when I wrote the book is that it wasn't just about me. It was about everybody who became involved in it and decided it. to be
[00:20:37] Henry Dotson III: part of that journey. And that's what my coaching is about. I coach not only the cancer patient, but I coach the, the caregiver.
[00:20:44] Henry Dotson III: And I also speak to the supporters as to how you can support someone who you know, as a Christian that is going through a cancer journey and wants to lean into their faith. So the care, the caregiver or the cancer or the supporter doesn't have [00:21:00] to be a Christian either. It's just knowing that the person who is going through it as a Christian, but what should you do? That would encourage and reinforce them in their faith as they try to go through it.
[00:21:11] James Marland: So, you're, you're describing something that I haven't really thought about. Normally, when you, you think about the, the person who gets cancer, you think about their individual journey. But you were just describing multiple journeys, your journey, your wife journey, the people who are looking and what they're going through.
[00:21:30] James Marland: And it sounds like, um, God has used your, your journey, but has impacted many people as they were going with you along, uh, along the way.
[00:21:43] Henry Dotson III: correct. And I, again, you don't realize that until retrospect, because for me, when I wrote the book, I thought, okay, I'm going to write down my, my cancer journey. But then when I realized that my wife had put down all this stuff, I had [00:22:00] never seen it until I started to write the book. So she was sharing all of this during those 33 days and beyond until I was in remission, and I was never looking at it.
[00:22:11] Henry Dotson III: So it was when I started writing the book that I realized, Hey, this is more about these other people than it is about what I, I mean, yeah, mine is there, but look at what, what she was going through and what they were experiencing and how they have grown through that. So it was a realization that came to me only by writing the book.
[00:22:29] James Marland: Wow. So you wrote the book and you're done, right? That's all that's going on.
[00:22:36] Henry Dotson III: I'm done. That's what I told myself. I'm done. But God said, no.
[00:22:41] Henry Dotson III: Yeah, but that's how I became a Christian cancer coach because he said, you now are qualified by your own experience. To help other Christians who are going through this who are not looking at it the way you did But that's the purpose for [00:23:00] going through any of these Crises and tests and trials that God puts us through and the word says that I mean in James 1 it says that we are Going to go through these trials and tribulations and count it all joy.
[00:23:12] Henry Dotson III: It doesn't say if It says when, so you know, it's coming, you know, but how you perceive it and how you understand what its purpose is, is
[00:23:23] Henry Dotson III: really the important thing. And So, that's where I said, I need to share this with people. So they, you know, a lot of times they ask the question when they're going through something difficult or especially a life threatening health situation.
[00:23:36] Henry Dotson III: They'll ask the question, why me? And I tell them, that's not the right question to ask. The right question to ask is why not me? Now, what makes me so special that I should be spared any pain and suffering in my life when that's what Christ did? He suffered. So why should I think I'm not going to suffer just because I'm a Christian?
[00:23:55] Henry Dotson III: As a matter of fact, he told him, you are going to suffer because of your faith. You're going to [00:24:00] suffer. And so to think that your Christianity or your faith is going to keep you from suffering is not supported anywhere in scripture. What it does say is that your faith will help you to get through your suffering. And that's really where that change in mindset has to happen. You have to stop worrying about your physical and your mental outcome. Because I say, and this is a quote from another, a theologian, he said, we are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. And this human experience is going to eventually go away, but what's going to remain is your spirit. And so you need to focus on what's happening to you spiritually as you go through this journey, as opposed to worrying about what's going to, what's happening to you physically or mentally. Because the reality is one day is going to be your last.
[00:24:55] Henry Dotson III: You are going to die. If it's not from cancer, it's going to be from something else. So to [00:25:00] focus on what's going to happen to me, that's a, that's a fool's errand, if you will focus on what's, how is it transforming me and drawing me closer to God and making me a stronger in my faith and grow in my spirit. And that's the hardest part that I have when I deal with, with people that I'm trying to coach is it almost, almost have to send out, I have to qualify my, my, my clients, because if they're not
[00:25:26] Henry Dotson III: thinking that way, then there's nothing I'm going to do to change that. But if I introduce that concept and they grasp onto it, then there's something I can do to help them.
[00:25:37] Henry Dotson III: And it sort of reminds me of the parable of the sower. You know, some of those seeds landed on, on the pathway, and so those seeds didn't grow and mature, and some of them, uh, fell onto the, the, uh, thorny ground where they got overtaken by the cares of the world, and others came into the, the, the soil that was on rocky soil
[00:25:59] Henry Dotson III: and [00:26:00] it didn't have deep roots.
[00:26:01] Henry Dotson III: So, everybody that hears what I have to say, it's not for every Christian, it's not for everybody. So I don't want to waste their time, I don't want to waste my time. So I always have to kind of pre qualify the people that I'm going to work with to see if they're really committed to spiritual transformation through their cancer journey. Because if they're not, then I can't help them.
[00:26:24] James Marland: You know, I, I find it interesting, uh, when, when you think of the crisis or physical ailment like cancer, you often think of, you know, your physical needs or your financial needs, your relational needs,
[00:26:38] Henry Dotson III: right,
[00:26:39] James Marland: but we forget the spiritual side, like a massive strength
[00:26:44] James Marland: that supports all of us. Or all of those things like it's just ignored
[00:26:50] James Marland: and we don't realize it's a uh a strength or a You know something that supports us.
[00:26:58] James Marland: Do you do you think [00:27:00] why do you think why do you think that is?
[00:27:02] Henry Dotson III: Well,
[00:27:03] James Marland: uh, we think of the spiritual side. Maybe one of our strongest strengths last You
[00:27:07] Henry Dotson III: well, because Because I think it is something that is, um, not tangible. I mean, it's not, we think about the things that we can see, touch, feel, smell, you know, that's really, we are relying on our being in these, these human bodies. That's how we interact with the world. And, and the spiritual thing is of the spirit, you know, and it says that our battle is not with flesh and blood, but it's with the spirits and principalities of the air, but it's easy to be caught up in what's happening here in, in the physical and mental realm, because that's where two thirds of our essence is.
[00:27:45] Henry Dotson III: But it's the part that goes away, but
[00:27:47] Henry Dotson III: you know, that's the part that you you're dealing with and that's why I say it takes, you have to actually transcend and that's really the secret to it is you have to transcend your, your, your [00:28:00] situation in order to be in touch with what's going on spiritually and everybody and that's why I know that that parable of the sower is When your faith is not that deep, then the trials and tribulations that come across you, those are the things that will bring you down.
[00:28:17] Henry Dotson III: And that's that, that when it lands on that
[00:28:19] Henry Dotson III: rocky soil and when you're, when it lands in the soil, well amongst the thorns, we get caught up in the cares of the world. You know, we get more worried about the things that are happening there than we do about the, about what's happening spiritually. So, you know, that's just the, that's just the human condition that we're in.
[00:28:39] Henry Dotson III: And that's why I believe that in the parable says that's why the few seeds that do fall on the good soil that they manifest 30, 60, 100 fold, because they got to make up for all the stuff that landed in places where it's not going to grow. So that's just part of human nature and it's part of spiritual maturity. I have [00:29:00] found that people who are the longer people have lived, the more they have learned that they can rely on their faith. So that if they get cancer at a later stage in life, there's a better chance that they know that, yeah, I've been through some tough things before. And if I stop and think about how my faith has pulled me through those things, then those have set me up to realize that he can pull me through this. And that's what happened
[00:29:22] Henry Dotson III: with me. As I look back on my life and my most traumatic experience that I had was going through a divorce. And it was not something that I initiated. And it taught me totally by surprise. And I knew that if God could bring me through that, that,
[00:29:39] Henry Dotson III: He could bring me through any other difficult thing.
[00:29:41] Henry Dotson III: So it was sort of a setup so that when I got to this point, I realized He'll get me through this just like He got me through all the other troubles and trials in my life. So
[00:29:52] Henry Dotson III: it's just part of the human condition and everybody's in a different place. and the scripture says some plant the seed, some water it, some, uh, [00:30:00] reap the harvest.
[00:30:00] Henry Dotson III: So you don't know where you are. Your job is simply to do your job and God will take care of the rest. So I don't worry about it. I just want to make sure I'm doing the right thing with the right people at the right time.
[00:30:13] James Marland: you're, um, you are still doing the work that God's given You, um, you know, christian cancer coach is in your title. So tell me about, tell me about how you help people with that and what, what, what's in the future for you for, for celebrating something a year from now,
[00:30:33] Henry Dotson III: Uh huh.
[00:30:34] James Marland: what, good thing are we celebrating is as you're looking to keep living out your mission.
[00:30:40] Henry Dotson III: Well, that
[00:30:40] Henry Dotson III: I have reached the people that he has called me to reach, that he has given me a, a message for a particular audience, just as he has prepared me, he's preparing the audience for, to hear those who are, who are the good soil that it's supposed to land on. [00:31:00] So I want to make sure that I continue to sow those seeds.
[00:31:03] Henry Dotson III: And I've also helped them when I say helping them, I've I mean, coaching, which is one on one training, it's not just giving them scriptures to read or things to think about. I've actually mapped out the spiritual journey that you go on. And I'm not sure if you're familiar with, uh, in literature, you're familiar with the hero's journey? well, well, your spiritual cancer journey follows a similar path.
[00:31:32] Henry Dotson III: And you also have a medical journey. And that medical journey represents the physical journey that you go on. And there's a correlation between what happens in your medical journey and what happens in your spiritual journey. So the, what I really do in my coaching and mentoring is I share that those two roadmaps, if you will. And how they overlap one another. And then through my three, it's a three month [00:32:00] program. I walk them through that spiritual journey. And part of it is first identifying where they are on that journey. Because I don't know if they've been recently diagnosed, or if they've been in active treatment, or if they're in remission, or if they're on the road to recovery, or even if this has been determined to be their terminal illness, then I call that their road to glory.
[00:32:22] Henry Dotson III: So, I need to find out where they are, or if they're in remission and they're fully recovered, then now, have they looked back on that? And realize that now you have to fulfill your purpose. So now you should be on the road to fulfillment. So I, once I figure out where they are on their cancer journey, from a medical perspective, I,
[00:32:44] Henry Dotson III: can tie that to a spiritual one.
[00:32:46] Henry Dotson III: And then I need to find out how much is their faith really part of what they do every day, because they can be, maybe they're new Christians. Or maybe they're just kind of growing in it, or they're very mature Christians. So, I [00:33:00] first have to figure out where they are to determine how I can help them.
[00:33:04] Henry Dotson III: Because you have to meet people where they're at. So, that's part of what I do. I do an assessment at the beginning. Six weeks in, I do another assessment to see how it's helping. And then at the end, we do a final assessment. And they've set spiritual goals and all sorts of things. It's very much like the coaching that you would do in life coaching. And so I'm trying to draw out of them what's already in them. I'm not trying to tell them what to do. I want to help them discover
[00:33:30] James Marland: No, nobody can do do do. Nobody can live your story for you.
[00:33:35] Henry Dotson III: Nobody can do the work, but You got to live it out yourself.
[00:33:37] Henry Dotson III: So that's what I
[00:33:38] Henry Dotson III: try to help
[00:33:38] James Marland: I do think when people see that they do have some agency, like, I can imagine cancer and some sort of physical serious condition takes a lot of like, well, I can't do anything because I'm sick or I can't. Like I, I, I, I have no control.
[00:33:56] James Marland: And, and to a point that's true. 'cause you don't have control over what's going [00:34:00] on with your body. Most meant much of the time. But you can control your reaction
[00:34:07] Henry Dotson III: Your attitude.
[00:34:08] James Marland: to it. Um,
[00:34:10] Henry Dotson III: And, and, and there's also that there's another aspect to it. And that is that there's an enemy out there
[00:34:17] Henry Dotson III: and he wants to take advantage of your fear and, and your worry. And he's seeking to use that to isolate you and to have you doubt God and ultimately to abandon your faith. So that's, you have to be watching out for that, that you're not just walking this alone.
[00:34:36] Henry Dotson III: You're in a spiritual battle as you go through all of this and you have to be aware of that. And that's why you have to have that, that shield of faith. Part of its job is to keep away the fiery darts of the enemy. So you need to make sure that you're keeping him at bay and not succumbing to what he wants you to do. And even when you, like, you're right, you can't do a lot sometimes. And your physical condition will cause you that you really can't do much at all. [00:35:00] But I can remember when I was at, in those 33 days, all I could do. And that was it. I was too weak to do anything. And so my mindset was, okay, if all I have is my voice, then I'm going to use that to, to, to serve God.
[00:35:18] Henry Dotson III: So what I did was whenever anybody came in the room, whether they were the doctor or nurse, a physical therapist, even the person who came to clear out my trash. I would engage them in a conversation and just talk about the, how are you doing? How long have you been working here? And what do you like about this place?
[00:35:34] Henry Dotson III: And all these sorts of kind of general things. And all, and it never failed that at some point they would talk about something that was on their mind that was worrying them. And when they said that I said, well, you know, it's interesting. I think that there's a reason why we're talking today. And that's because God wants me to tell you that he loves you. And that you should not give up and that he is never [00:36:00] failed you and he will be there with you. And I would end it with, um, I would ask you before you go, would you do something? Uh, can I pray for you? And they would readily, Oh yeah, give me a, you know, pray. I mean, you're talking about things that, you know, I really want prayer for.
[00:36:15] Henry Dotson III: I would pray for them. And then before they left, I would let, I leave them with this. Well, would you do a favor for me? And they would say, what was that? I say, well, would you pray for me? And I would get them to actually pray for me. And that was all that I could do. I could talk, I couldn't do anything else, but I could talk.
[00:36:32] Henry Dotson III: And so my mindset was, if this is going to be my last day, then I want to make sure I'm that day is spent on the battlefield, doing what I can to speak about the goodness of God so that I know that I've done all that I can with what little I have, because that's all he asks of us is just to give what you have to do what you can. And so even when you're sick, even when you're down and you can, if you can still talk, you can still do something, you [00:37:00] know, and that's what I did.
[00:37:02] James Marland: I don't, I don't know a better way to, uh, end this show or wrap it up. But how about you tell us where people can find you online? What's the name of your book again? Do you have a social media or anything like that? How can people engage with you? Um,
[00:37:16] Henry Dotson III: Yes. So, uh, if they want to contact me, the easiest way is if you send an email and my email address is simply Henry at, and then it's OJ as in journey, O J N E R N Y O R F as in faith dot life and that O. J. O. F. stands for our journeys of faith dot life. And if you want to go to the website, it's the same thing, www or HTTPS dot O.
[00:37:47] Henry Dotson III: J. O. F. Dot life. And, uh, that's the website. So there you will find things. Uh, and, and also, um, you can schedule an appointment. I, I have a, uh, Cal, [00:38:00] I use Calendly, but we can book a
[00:38:02] Henry Dotson III: discovery
[00:38:03] James Marland: in the show notes.
[00:38:04] Henry Dotson III: I'll give you, I'll give you all of that. So that's how they reach out to me. And, um, I, I try to just initiate and find out from people where they are and if what I do is a good fit for them. And that's how we started off.
[00:38:21] James Marland: you. Uh, thank you so much for being on the show. You have been a blessing to me and inspiration, um, helps me think about my own worry and how I am trusting God with what I'm doing right now. But also, I hope that people who hear this. know that there's somebody out there who, um, knows what they're going through and can help and guide them through some of their struggles.
[00:38:47] James Marland: So reach out to Henry and, uh, visit the links in the show notes. So, so Henry, thank you so much for being on the show.
[00:38:53] Henry Dotson III: Uh huh. You're welcome. And, uh, I wish you the best with all you're doing, because this is really great to help [00:39:00] people with their courses and things. And what I've learned is that I coach people who need, who want to be coached. But there are people who don't. And so, some of them though, do want information. And so what I will be doing in the future is more aligned with what you're doing is, I want to develop some, some courses then. If all you want to do is just learn, but you really aren't ready for that spiritual journey, then in the future I plan on, on providing some online courses that they can do just to learn about that.
[00:39:30] James Marland: When, when you produce them, let me know. We'll put them up. Uh, we'll do a blog or some sort of revisit with you when that comes through. Cause I think this, this, uh, the journey and what you're doing is very important for people to engage their spiritual side and let. Um, let, let get some strength from, from that resource.
[00:39:50] James Marland: Like we don't ignore the, the, the strength of the spirit. So,
[00:39:55] Henry Dotson III: yes, if you don't exercise it, it doesn't, if you don't exercise, it's like a muscle. If you don't [00:40:00] work it, it doesn't get strong on its own.
[00:40:04] James Marland: so, uh, this is James for the scaling therapy practice. It's now time to put your mission in motion.
