In the middle of July, I returned to Dallas (my home town) and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet many of the approximately 75 people who attended my presentation, “Overcoming the Trials of a Lifetime.” I continue to be amazed at two things : (1) how warm and friendly are the people in the Lone Star State and (2)  how people can live right through 7 digit temperatures in that dagnabbed Texas summer.

I will be returning to Dallas again this fall, upon the invitation of Believers Chapel, where attended as a teenager.

Arrangements are being made for the book tour to continue. I’ll keep you posted.

Here is an excerpt from my new book titled, Overcoming the Trials of a Lifetime, subtitled, Finding Meaning and Joy in the Midst of Afflictions, Illness and Hardships (My book is available for purchase at Amazon and a number of other retailers.)

I was diagnosed with what they call Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease. In 2000 and when I was only 38.  Now I am 58.

That was rough. When you lay a twenty-, thirty-, or forty-year decline estimate on someone who’s already seventy or eighty, many of the issues with Parkinson’s would occur after average life expectancy. When you’re thirty-eight, you get to ride through all those times.

Parkinson’s is incurable, progressive, and degenerative. It just gets worse. There are no Parkinson’s survivors. It never lets go of you. It never goes away. I didn’t have a lot of options for coping with the situation. I wasn’t counting it as joy nearly two decades ago when I was diagnosed.

I was shocked. I had plans. I had goals. I had career objectives. I was doing well in my career. Everything I had worked so hard for was in the palm of my hand. My life was going great. I had all kinds of things lined up. My life was in order. Suddenly, I was told that in ten years, I’d be in a nursing home. I didn’t have time for this! I had things to do.

I asked myself (not God), Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? My children were toddlers, and I thought, Will I ever dance at my daughter’s wedding?

First came denial. There must be a mistake. What else could cause these same symptoms? Maybe there were more doors I could choose. Could it really be that Parkinson’s was my best outcome?

Second, came anger. I complained, “Why me? It is so unfair. I don’t deserve this.” I was filled with anger. I paid my taxes. I hadn’t hurt anyone. I wasn’t out robbing banks or selling drugs. Why would God single me out for punishment?

Third, there came an emotional response reacting to my feeling that my getting Parkinson’s was unjust.  But this time my request was less that I would be spared, but more that people more unworthy should be diagnosed with Parkinson’s.  I thought, Why don’t you punish that person? I don’t like him very much, and he probably deserves it.  I named the names! You can understand what was going through my mind and how I would think that way, right? There are so many evil people in the world God could let get Parkinson’s. God, go turn your anger to those people.

“Overcoming the Trials of a Lifetime –finding meaning and joy in the midst of afflictions, illness, and hardship“.

About the Author

Randy Broberg is a lay pastor at Maranatha Chapel in San Diego, California. He is also a professor at the Maranatha Bible College and a leader of his church’s men’s ministry. Randy has practiced intellectual property law for 23 years and was a partner of several large law firms and served as a firmwide department chair.

Randy was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease in 1999 at the age of 38. During the first ten years after diagnosis, Randy continued practicing law and began teaching at his local church. He ended his law practice in 2010.

Randy continues to preach and teach at Maranatha, but he devotes his primary attention to life-coaching young men ages 22 to 40.

Randy has degrees in both classical studies and European history from Stanford University and a Juris Doctor of Law degree from the University of Virginia. He also attended the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece and the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies in Rome, Italy.

For 30 years Randy has been married to his wife, Justine. They have two sons and a daughter.

About the Book.

Randy’s Explanation for Why He Wrote the Book: “About a year ago, a good friend who had just been diagnosed with incurable leukemia asked me what my “coping strategy” was. I was shocked to realize that after 19 years with Parkinson’s Disease, I wasn’t really sure what my coping strategy was. I think I mumbled something like, “leave a legacy” and “take one day at a time.” There’s nothing wrong with those two ideas, but I felt I should have had a better answer.  My intent in writing Overcoming the Trials of a Lifetime was to encourage those suffering from chronic pain and illness and to help them cope.  In the quest for a better coping strategy, I began a study of the Bible to see if it could help me cope. I found the answers I was looking for in both the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and the New Testament: Joy and happiness do not come from your circumstances, they come from God through your spirit.”

Overcoming the Trials of a Lifetime is a book that can help anyone suffering from an affliction, illness or trial and their spouses, family, and friends. Many people who are not currently experiencing hardships but know people who are can share a blessing from this book.

The book includes also the narrative of my early zeal for God which I set aside during college and did not have again until 17 years later when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. It is a story of a prodigal son, who returned home only after his spiritual life was turned upside down.

Topics addressed in the book include: why we suffer, how God works everything for our good, how many ways God heals, coping with Parkinson’s, the power of prayer, when life seems unfair, experiencing God’s power in our lives, dealing with doubts, how and why we should thank God for everything, even the hardships we go through. and many others.

Overcoming the Trials of a Lifetime is a book that can help anyone suffering from an affliction, illness or trial and their spouses, family, and friends. Many people who are not currently experiencing hardships but know people who are can share a blessing from this book.

Here’s a link to B&N page with my book:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/overcoming-the-trials-of-a-lifetime-randall-k-broberg/1131610370?ean=9781973660583

Just click this link and it will take you to the page on Amazon.com where you can buy it either in hardback or paperback version.

Overcoming the Trials of a Lifetime: Finding Meaning and Joy in the Midst of Afflictions, Illness, and Hardships

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/197366058X/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_LIE4CbPGG4FQ5

shhhh, click the link to see a sneak peek at my book’s front and back cover on the eve of it going to the printer:

9781973660583_paplow (1)

The author of this book has had Parkinson’s Disease for twenty years, but this book is intended to bring God’s message of help and hope to anyone facing: Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, ALS, Huntington’s Disease or dementia, chronic pain and illness, terminal and potentially terminal illness, complete or partial paralysis, as well as any parents of any child with any of the foregoing or whose child has Downs syndrome or is autistic or mentally or physically handicapped.  In addition to patients and parents, anyone who is a friend, family member or caregiver for any of the foregoing.will also benefit.

The book also is written from the perspective of a young man who nearly lost his faith like a prodigal son but who finally came back to the faith after 18 years away. Parents whose sons or daughters who have fallen away from the faith, will be encouraged by reading this transparent account and it might give them hope.

I believe the official launch and release is only a few weeks away.

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My best guess is my book will be available at end of next month (May).

Withered Leg and Childlike Faith
When one of my sons was younger, he was in Awana, a great children’s discipleship program. I helped him with his weekly exercises, and one week his assignment was to pray for someone in his house, a grandparent, and a parent. So he picked our dog, his grandfather, and me.
Here’s what he prayed:
“Dear God, I hope our dog will get his eyes better, so he can see again and not be blind. God, I hope Grandpa’s polio leg will get better and be normal again. [His grandpa had polio in the 1940s.] Dear God, I hope Daddy’s left ear will work again, and he won’t be deaf in it anymore.” I had mumps at age seven and lost the hearing in my left ear.
I listened to my son’s prayer, and when he prayed, it was clear his God could do anything—absolutely anything; not even the sky was the limit. Beyond imagination is what his God could do, and so I thought, Wait a minute—I need to talk to him. He hasn’t been around the block like I have. He isn’t praying for stuff that might happen. I don’t want him to be disappointed.
Although his God could do anything, my God was in a box that I constructed, based on what I thought God could do. I thought God could do whatever was inside the box, but whatever was outside the box was beyond God’s reach.
Speaking of how to manage expectations, here’s a scene from my two boys’ younger days: Alex was about ten years old, and Spencer was about eight. I was late in driving us to church, and to compound the problem, I was teaching that morning and just couldn’t be late. I drove as aggressively as I could, but I had to stop at seemingly every red light.
I began praying out loud, something like this: “Dear heavenly Father, I am your servant, and I thank you for the many blessings you have granted us. But forgive me, Lord God, if I ask for one more blessing. Can you please give me some green lights? Not all the time, just when I’m trying to get to church and especially when I am teaching. Please, Lord, give me green lights.”
Unexpectedly, Spencer offered a theological problem-solving method. He said, “Dad, just ask for red lights, and God will give you green lights. That’s how it works.”
Could reverse psychology work on God? Not a chance.
Then Alex said in soft deadpan, “Why don’t you just adjust your alarm clock, so you get up earlier?” Always the practical one.
By the way, on the rest of the way to church, I got a mix of reds, greens, and yellows.

Creepy Tunnel Syndrome
Hezekiah’s Tunnel is an ancient waterway connecting a valley spring outside of the walls of Jerusalem to the Pool of Siloam inside the walls.
Back in 1981, Hezekiah’s Tunnel in Jerusalem was very primitive, and it was not the tourist site it is now. There was one security guard sitting on a folding chair and reading an Arabic language newspaper. At first, I thought I saw movement from the guard, but he just sat there on a folding chair next to the tunnel entrance. In 1981, things in that area seemed more tranquil than they do now.
Nowadays, I would have prepared by getting dressed like I was going fly-fishing in Wyoming, with those rubber pants that go from your toes to your armpits. But this is now, and that was then. Being foolhardy like every twenty-year-old, I was ready, wearing shorts and sandals. We also had no protection against critters.
The guard warned us that we needed flashlights, which Todd and I didn’t have. Our solution was to go into the church in the nearby garden of Gethsemane and steal a couple of votive candles—the little ones with the paper around the top so the wax doesn’t burn your hand.
As we ventured into the tunnel, the water was only ankle deep at first, but the tunnel was not level, and the water level fluctuated, reaching a high level at just above our knees. (Today, I wonder what creatures were in that water.)
When there was a slight draft, our candles went out, leaving us in the pitch-black and knee-deep in dirty water. Naturally, we pressed forward in the dark, reasoning that we had come too far to turn back. What idiots. We accomplished this by putting one hand on each side of the tunnel and then just creeping forward, inch by inch.
Eventually, we saw a light at the end of the tunnel, went toward the light, and came out of the tunnel, soaking wet, in the middle of the Pool of Siloam. A group of French tourists was next to the pool with their guide, who was carrying her “Follow Me” umbrella. We just walked past them, as they were all rendered speechless.
Although it seemed like hours, we had been in the tunnel no more than fifteen minutes. One day I’ll share this story as an illustration of the wisdom of being prepared. But for now, it is the best example I have to show the importance of having the teachings of the Bible at the ready, as they are the lamp unto our feet.