Pastor Steve and Cheryl Scheer on Their Son’s Miracle | COMPASS in the Storm Ep 9

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Transcribed from the episode audio. Names, places, scripture references and medical terms have been corrected, and caption noise has been removed. Speaker names are not marked, because the source captions marked only that the speaker changed and not who was talking. Paragraph breaks follow those speaker changes.

Well, I pulled him out. He was totally limp and blue.

His eyes were set. There was no breathing. There was nothing. There was no heart rate. If you tried to feel his pulse, there was nothing at all.

Imagine walking into your child’s bedroom to check on your precious sleeping baby and finding him lifeless, not breathing. The panic, the fear, crying out to God. That’s what happened to this precious couple years ago. But God did a miracle in the life of that infant boy. You won’t want to miss their miracle story. Stay tuned. Hi, I’m Lana Bach, your host on COMPASS in the Storm, where we feature the stories of people who overcame lifealtering storms with God’s grace, bringing hope and encouragement to others. My two guests today have many years of ministry experience and have worn multiple hats through the years. They bring rich experience in preaching, teaching, counseling, even music, and so much more. They were lead pastors at a Northern Michigan church for 41 years. And now they are associate pastors at the church I call home, Resurrection Life Church in Big Rapids, Michigan. And it’s very important to especially say they are the parents of Ross Scheer who is our lead pastor at Resurrection Life Church. Please welcome my guests and my friends, Pastor Steve and Cheryl Scheer. Thank you both for being with me today.

Well, we’re happy to be here.

I appreciate I know it takes time and you guys are busy. As you already know, both you probably already know, I’ve been looking forward to this podcast with you two for a long time. I wanted to air this episode in the month of May for Mother’s Day to especially honor you, Cheryl, as the mother of our lead pastor, Pastor Ross. And we’ll give a early shout out to Pastor Steve for a happy Father’s Day and thanking you both for the gift of your son to our church. And Pastor Ross is of course one of the topics of our discussion on the podcast today. A good discussion with his permission. Thank you, Pastor Ross, if you’re listening. I appreciate your permission. So, Pastor Steven Cheryl, your family is no stranger to tragedy. In fact, later in this podcast, I would like you to share a little about the Scheer family miracle from a number of years ago because I believe it also speaks strongly of how when we submit our lives to God that no one can stop his destiny for us. And as I mentioned, your son Ross is our lead pastor, married to beautiful Allison and five incredible children. But there’s a story behind Pastor Ross and his life that not many people know. I believe he’s only told this story once or twice in our church since he’s been pastoring there. I think it’s about 14 years now. but Pastor Steven Cheryl, would you please share the incredible experience that happened over 40 years ago when Pastor Ross was just a baby?

Yeah. He was only 9 months old.

Yes. Yeah. Very, very close to nine months. But we went to visit some of our friends who live probably lived 10 miles north of Gaylord where we were located.

Okay.

Just to have a nice dinner. And I had two kids at that time. Our oldest son Chris was like two and Ross was nine months. And so he was getting fussy. So I thought I’m going to lay Ross on a bed in a bedroom and I’m going to be that mom that, you know, puts the pillows around him, makes a little corral so that, you know, he’s not going to roll off the bed.

Yeah.

So I laid him down and I thought, gosh, he went to sleep pretty like really fast. He was just tired. I could tell he went to sleep. Well, so we were sitting out at the kitchen table, you know, having pizza or whatever, just visiting, and all of a sudden, I know it was the Holy Spirit. Like, I stood up and I said, “I have to check on Ross.” There was just this big impression. I It was the Holy Spirit. And I ran into that bedroom and I could not find him.

Of course, I’m panicking. And he I finally found him. He was had slid down between the wall and the mattress.

Well, I never thought that would happen. I mean, not in my wildest dreams. So, I pulled him out. He was totally limp and blue and just coldish

and I just was panicking. I yelled out, “He’s dead. He’s dead.”

No. I’m sitting with a family in the other end of the house, probably 50 feet away, and she had been gone for quite a while, and all of a sudden, she’s screaming, “He’s dead. He’s dead.” So, in my mind, the thinking of time from when she laid him down till when this happened was about 30 minutes. And so I go running to the back of the to the back of the house where she is

to the bedroom.

And she’s just pulling them out from behind the wall. Oh, what I saw was his eyes were set. There was no breathing. There was nothing. There was no heart rate. If you tried to feel his pulse, there was nothing at all.

So, I say I’m going to try CPR. Of course, I had no training at this point. I just want to interject. If you have a baby, learn baby CPR. How to do it on an infant.

Good advice.

Anyway, so I didn’t know what I was doing, but I thought it’s not going to hurt to try. Yeah.

So, I went ahead and, you know, his stomach was distended and it wasn’t working.

She was she was breathing in and distending his stomach too hard.

So, I’m be below him

trying to push his stomach back down.

Throw up is coming out of his mouth,

but there’s no life at all.

he was just limp, you know, just limp.

You must you must have been I mean, I can’t imagine the panic. I can’t even imagine. I just can’t. So, at that point, Pastor Steve, you’re in the bedroom with both of them.

So, now what?

Well, so imagine he’s laying on the bed, this little body, and Cheryl’s up by his head trying to do mouth to mouth and clearing the throw up out and trying to figure out what to do. And and so I’m at his feet. And so the only thing I knew to do, and we were pretty new to this, I mean, we’d only been in this a couple years. And I had learned from other people to pray specifically. And so that wasn’t my upbringing, but I’d learned that’s really what you should do. Pray like Jesus did

and the disciples did. So I began in the name of Jesus to command life to come back into him. So I guess you wouldn’t call it a prayer. You’d call it a command. But then but then at the same time I’ I’d pray Jesus I know he’s with you but you can’t have him.

We want him back. And

that’s understandable. Very understandable.

And so I just kept saying in the name of Jesus I speak life into this body.

Yes.

I command it to come back.

Of course our friends had in the meantime called 911.

Yes. Yes.

So the ambulance was on its way but it was coming from Gaylord

10 miles away. Right. And that’s how many miles away?

10.

10. So Wow. That’s 10. Wow. Yes. So that’s not that quick. Really?

Right.

So we figure in our mind as we’ve talked about it over the years, it was another 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes. What?

Oh yeah. Probably at least 20 minutes.

I just kept speaking life over him and commanding to come back. Well, when we heard the paramedics come in the door, the front door of the house 50 ft away, he took his first breath. All of a sudden, he went,

you know, and we went, “What?”

And he came in and they got us out of the room and I was watching from the doorway and they weren’t really doing much. They were taking vitals and everything and he began to convulse.

Oh wow. So, so I ran back in the room and laid hands on him and commanded his brain cells to be healed. You know, that’s what I thought to do. I mean, to me, he’s alive. I’m commanding his brain cells be healed that he wouldn’t be u mentally insufficient brain damage.

Right. Right.

And and they kicked me out of the room

and then they told me to get out

and they loaded him up and brushed him out there and then they say, “One of you can ride along.” So,

so Steve jumped in.

I jumped in and I’m in the passenger seat in front and I’m looking in the back and they were driving very fast. I remember looking at the speedometer.

It was 103 miles an hour.

Oh my word.

I could still see it. And but they weren’t doing anything. They were just holding them and it was limp. I found out later in that they had called him out DOA dead on arrival.

Oh my word. We were in a I was in a car behind, you know, with the couple that we had visited. And so at that at the stop lightss, there’s several through town. They had police at every stoplight holding traffic for that ambulance to go through.

And of course, I’m praying in the seat, and I’m not praying real loud, but I’m mumbling. I’m vocal.

Absolutely. And the driver thought I was hallucinating.

Like emotional breakdown.

They didn’t understand. They didn’t understand.

Now, now I will say right at that point, we both had it even though she was in a different car. There was this amazing I understand Philippians 4:7 cuz this amazing peace that passes

understanding

Yeah.

just surrounded me and surrounded you too. It was like there was just this comfort. It was weird like I have nothing to worry about that he’s in control now. Then when we got into the hospital, they took him in the emergency room and they wouldn’t let us in and they were running back and forth and doing stuff and I would try to talk to the doctor and

they said we think we should take him up to Petoskey, you know, if there’s any chance for him.

But but I mean at that point he really hadn’t come to or anything like that. I mean, is

heartbeat. I guess they could get what, like one beat a minute or two beats a minute, something like that, which

it was I believe it was five beats a minute, but that’s nothing. I mean, it’s barely

nothing. Yes. Absolutely.

The doctor said to us, if he survives, the ambulance is going to be taking him up really fast. So, you just need to get up there and it’s 45 minutes away to Petoskey. So, to beat the ambulance. So, we race up there in our little Nissan Sentra

fast as fast go, which isn’t real fast.

Oh, wow.

And we got up there and we’re sitting in the emergency room

waiting for the ambulance and they came through and he started crying and they were shocked.

Yeah.

They were happy.

Wow. So, it was a point. So, when he it was 45 minute. That’s a 45minute drive.

Yeah. Besides all the other time that had gone by just when he gets to the hospital he starts crying.

Yeah.

So he that from there he was able to recover then.

Yeah.

Yeah. We were

okay.

What we had to do for 3 days they had us one of us round the clock in the room.

Yeah. They said we’re going to keep him. We’re sure. They kept saying we’re sure he must have had a seizure or something like that. I said no

no he did not. He rolled down. He suffocated. I found him. But why?

Yes.

So in the third day when they were gonna dismiss him, the doctor took us into a room with him and said, “I’ll never go outside of the room.” He said, “Your son was dead.”

Wow.

He There’s no way he should be alive. This is a miracle.

Absolutely.

I just want you to know.

Wow.

And not too many doctors say that. AB

I know that. I understand that. Yes. Yes. What a testimony. Powerful. Powerful. Can

I mean you think about this. What would your lives have been like without Pastor Ross? And then you know and then well I think about what would our church be like without Pastor Ross. That is an amazing amazing story. So then you took him home but we know the Lord totally kept him whole and healed. and I mean now he’s the pastor of our church. I mean, I remember the pastor Ross’ first day as lead pastor at Res Life because it was the first Sunday that my late husband and I attended. And and now since that day, you look through the time, the church has grown to just shy of 2,000 people. You know, when these kind of testimonies come to light, you look at, okay, what was the devil trying to do? He was trying. And I really believe this. I believe the devil is just trying to take the life of Pastor Ross as a baby because I believe he saw the plans that God had for him and him and Allison and the pastoring the ministry and probably other things that are still in their future for him and Allison and for the church and he was determined to take him out. I can’t I’m sitting here picturing this story you’re telling had God not intervened and your prayers you know it just precious precious testimony. Thank you, Jesus.

I do want to mention this is kind of interesting with and talking about how one life affects another, but

I want to quickly mention this, although you guys probably already know this, but a number of years ago when I was fatally ill and the doctors didn’t expect me to live, it was Pastor Ross and another pastor from our church, Pastor Paul, who came to pray for me. My husband was still alive at the time. And that night, God began a miraculous healing in my body. I know exactly when it started. I’m forever thankful to the Lord for his healing touch. And I’m so very grateful for praying pastors who believe in divine healing.

you know, such as yourselves and Pastor Ross, Pastor Steven Cheryl, thank you for sharing that. But there might be someone who is listening or watching this podcast today who experienced the loss of a loved one that for whatever reason the Lord did not choose to heal. Maybe their son, daughter, wife, husband, and they’re feeling confused or maybe bitter, feeling like God let them down or they’re convinced that God just doesn’t love them. And then and I asked this next question because I know of people not necessarily from our church but people in my life who during their most difficult loss received comments from others like well you just need to have more faith. I know I had faith for my husband’s healing because I had experience God’s healing power in my body just four years earlier. And that is why I thought God would heal my husband. But as much as I trusted the Lord, he still chose to take my husband home. So my question for you is, what do you think was the factor or factors that gave life back to Ross? Was it the prayers? Was it your prayers of faith? Was it the prayers of somebody else? But sometimes people blame themselves, especially Christians who are told by somebody that their faith was not strong enough to bring healing to their loved one. How would you answer that?

Well, there certainly are as believers, as God’s children, that we’re supposed to live according to his word. We all know that.

Yes. Yes.

And and when we align ourselves with God’s word, that doesn’t mean we’re perfect, but we have a heart after God. And we were young people. You know, our marriage was growing, but it wasn’t great, you know, yet. It’s great now. I love you. But

good answer. Good answer.

You know, and you know, faith is a growth process.

Yes.

but you begin to pray and you begin to research, okay, how are you supposed to pray? How are you supposed to live your life? And all those things align you into the family of God and living God’s way. I think that’s an important thing.

But faith in and God loves his children just that’s why he’s the only God in the world that wants us to call him father

because he wants to father us.

Yes.

So as we allow him to father us then he helps us to grow at as children. So when I look at the faith issue, it’s not can you pray the most eloquent prayer

or is your life perfect because it’s not.

Right?

I don’t care who you are.

Right? If you think you’ve never sinned, I always say to men, if you think you’ve never sinned since being a Christian, just ask your wife. So, so, but anyways, I think the faith issue and is believing that God can.

Yeah. believing in him, believing in his word,

praying the way he tells us to pray because all we are is a conduit

between us and God to pray God’s way and then we trust God to do the rest.

Just think just think if we had never prayed

for Ross to be healed and spoken even I said crazy things that night. I mean, Jesus, you can’t have him. We want him back. Oh,

you know, in the name of Jesus, Father God, I pray to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That’s what we did.

Yes.

And and knowing that God was a healer.

and the Bible says, you know, to pray, that’s that’s one of his commands, pray. So that’s what we did. So in answer to all this, people that say you don’t have enough faith, we have so many stories of people that love the Lord, had tremendous faith, and God still took them home prematurely.

Yes.

But they love the Lord. I think that is really wrong theology.

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

Well, I just try to remember we pray. God calls us to pray. Not everybody is healed, but we have to trust that he sees the big picture.

Absolutely.

For some reason,

yes,

he needed to take that person.

Yes.

And you know what? Somehow he’s going to work something good out of it.

Absolutely.

I don’t want to preach a sermon, but let’s just take right out of the beginning of the Bible. Who was the most godly son? Was it Cain or Abel? It was Abel.

Yeah. And yet God allowed him to be killed at a young age.

Yes. Yes.

And I think it was an example to all of his children to come that life and death, God’s in control of. He’s the alpha and the omega. And besides, according to the word of God, heaven’s just a little better than earth.

Yeah. Just a little.

Absolutely. Good word of just words of wisdom. And and I give people this example because again I had when I was very ill and someone actually said to me that I needed I needed more faith. I said, “Well, you know, I look at Paul in the Bible and he asked God three times to heal him of whatever ailment it was.” And three times the Lord said, “Nope, not going to do it. My grace is sufficient for you.” So I love what you’re saying. Absolutely. Absolutely. And and actually, Pastor Ross was not the first miracle that you guys have ever seen. it’s not God performed a miracle in the Scheer family years ago. Pastor Steve, you said you sadly lost a brother in a tragic car accident, but at the same time, God performed another miracle in the Scheer family. So would you please take a minute and just share a little bit about what happened and the miracle God graced to the Scheer family years ago and how that affected your family from that day on.

Actually before I was born we lived in Grand Haven, Michigan and my dad was a church worker, a principal of a Christian school.

Okay. And one Sunday after church, he his aunt had traveled and come to visit them. And then his mom and dad were with them. And they had seven people in a car. I my oldest sister was born and my brother Tom and they went for a ride in the car and on Robins Road in Grand Haven.

Okay.

A young man with his and he had a gal his girlfriend in the car with him. broadsided my dad’s car.

Wow.

And right through a stop sign.

Right through a stop sign.

Wow.

And it killed my brother and my great aunt and my mom and dad were in the hospital for nine months.

my grandmother was in the hospital for a long time. and they told my mom and dad they could never have kids again.

Mom had 27 fractures in her pelvic area. Dad was paralyzed from the waist down.

So in those days they kept the women on one side of the hospital and the men on the other side of the hospital.

Okay. Okay.

And they were both in comas and my dad could hear the doctor speak over him while he’s in a coma. He should die. He’s so busted up. It would better if he died if his wife died too. And so dad and mom both without knowing this at the time, they both prayed that they would be restored

and that if they had any more kids, they’d dedicate them to the Lord.

So when they got out of the hospital, they were in body casts for oh my gosh, a long time, like

five more months, six more months, something like that.

Wow. And to make a long story short, mom had six more kids.

Talk about miracles.

And and some of those a set of twins was in that even.

Wow.

And they dedicated them all to the Lord for church work. So I had no choice but to be a pastor.

Absolutely amazing.

I tried not to be. I tried not to be, but it just happened. Well, then that falls right into what I was going to say is that these kind of miracle stories really give a perspective on how God accomplishes his sovereign will. those who love and serve God, just we just need to remember that God clears the path. But thank God, I am so thankful and I know you have a your family is loaded with people in ministry and all just beautiful testimonies. So, thank you for sharing that. And I want to ask you this. So, someone who might be listening right now, and I’m ass sure there probably is someone listening that’s struggling with how to process their feelings toward God. This is a God who heals some and yet takes others. Struggling, how does God make those decisions? Because often they’re saying, “Lord, why why did you take this person and leave this?” I mean, they’re trying to truly want to commit their broken heart to the Lord, but they just don’t know how or where to even start in their conversation with God. What advice would you both give to anyone listening who is struggling to understand that sovereignty of God? It’s very hard to understand.

It is.

You go. I just feel like somehow you need to just learn to trust.

Yeah.

Because

God knows the future.

Yeah.

Yes.

And we don’t.

And things don’t always go the way we want,

right?

But we just have to trust anyway.

You know, death is a result of sin.

And we still live on this side of heaven. and because of the fall of Adam and Eve that sin is in the world. And you know, sometimes our loved ones die, we all die because of sin,

but sometimes we make choices,

you know. Yeah. like people that climb mountains without a rope,

you know, they take their life kind of in their own hands and they can pray before and everything and there’s many many people that know times when God

spared them even if they fell 40 feet and stuff.

But I mean, sometimes we make bad choices.

Yes. sometimes we go on an icy morning and drive a car on icy roads

and God is there. And I’ve I could tell you stories when I survived an automobile accident and stuff. Many of us have who’ve lived many years. But sometimes that’s the reason.

Yeah. Yeah.

And and there’s sin in the world.

We have a free will. Yes.

Do Yes.

All those crazy things.

Yes. good words. good words of wisdom. And it really does honestly I believe that trusting God is just a common it’s got to be the main staple of our of our walk with the Lord and you know because the more we learn to trust and the more we can be at peace that everything’s going to work out for his good even the most devastating like I think Cheryl you’re saying there’s a bigger picture that God has that we can’t see. You know, one thing I was going to say too in John nine when the blind man, they said, “Who sinned that this man was born blind, him or his parents?” And Jesus responded, “Neither, but that the works of God would be displayed in him.” And I think about that, and it’s hard to understand this or even accept it, but could the perils of our life actually be God allowing it to display his glory? I mean, that’s it’s hard to accept that. But in the blind man, he had to live his whole life blind.

I think of Joni Eareckson Tada.

Yes.

Who had the, you know, accident, the diving accident. And look at the big ministry that she’s had. It has touched so many people.

Absolutely. That’s something that maybe any of the listeners who are watching or listening can keep in mind, too. And and because of the this whole experience of all the healings and the loss and healings that you guys have had, what would you say is the most important lesson that you’ve learned from your experiences of loss and healing?

Don’t be afraid to pray even in the worst circumstances.

There you go. and to pray specifically.

If you if you’re you come into a situation, which if we live as long as we have and you have,

we’re going to have a loved one on their deathbed.

Yes.

Okay. And and never be afraid to pray for the Lord to heal them

in Jesus name.

Yes.

when I’m with people on their deathbed, I usually I always ask them, do you want to live or you want to go to heaven?

How do you want me to pray? And I honor that. And people will say, “Well, what if they die?” I say, “Hallelujah.”

Yeah.

Praise God.

So, I’m just going to tell you right now, if I’m on my deathbed, let me go here. That is great insight. And I hope our listeners are taking notes because that’s so true. Pray. That is so absolutely true. And, you know, thank you, Pastor Steve, Cheryl. you know, your testimonies and your words of encouragement that you’re sharing today will certainly help strengthen the faith of someone who is struggling to understand that we can trust the God who promises to walk with us through the storm. Pastor Steven Cheryl, thank you so much. Is there anything else that you would like to share before we sign off? Yeah, I think it’s really important that as parents, as a husband, a wife, as people with children or as an individual, when we go to bed at night, we always pray for a protective covering

over our loved ones. And we cover the areas of physical healing of mental and emotional duress

for healing of that. We pray for spiritual covering and growth

and to keep all of us safe and protected. And we have seen God’s hand.

Yeah.

Do amazing things with that.

That’s really been something. So we’d encourage anybody who will listen to this, if you don’t do it, start praying for a covering. Lord, if you’d cover our family, our children with protection

in Jesus name. And if you have a unsaved loved one, I would pray for them by name that before they would die,

yes,

they would come to know you, Lord Jesus, as Lord and Savior.

Yes. Yes. Excellent word. Thank you both. And Pastor Steve, would you like to share a little bit with our listeners about your and Cheryl’s ministry at Res Life fourth quarter group or maybe the men’s lunch?

Sure. Well, when we when we came down here three years ago, I was willing to do anything. And and so however Ross can use me because most of the staff’s pretty young.

All of the staff except

and here’s the old

Pastor Paul. You know,

you’re right. They’re all young. Absolutely.

So, so we took on even though we don’t think we’re old, we took on what we call the fourth quarter in that it was the 60s and older, but then the kids the 50s wanted wanted to be part of it. So, we came up with the name fourth quarter because we’re still in the game.

Yes.

Yeah. and so we talk about life, we talk about the fun and the challenges of being older and we meet once a month and then I do a men’s lunch every Tuesday where it’s mostly retired

doctors, professors, workers, you know, people like that. And we do that. We also do the marriage counseling, most of it here at the church. We put together a biblical marriage program, a mediation based on the Bible and it’s very works very well.

And thank you. And so any listeners that you know are interested in the area if they go to the RLCBR which stands for Resurrection Life Church Big Rapids rlcbr.org and I will put that in the podcast. and the fourth quarter. us youngsters, we meet the third Thursday, right? but if but we meet at different places. have awesome time at your house for those wonderful bonfires. But if you go to rlcbr.org, it’ll share the men’s lunch and all the information that Pastor Steve just shared. And I must say, there’s never a dull moment at Res Life and there’s always a place for someone. We have a great time together. I want to thank you both again for sharing such special testimonies with our listeners and res life is blessed to have you both and I consider myself blessed to have you on this podcast pastor Steven Cheryl. God bless you, your family and your ministry at Res Life and I’ll be seeing you at church. I love and appreciate you both. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for joining me on COMPASS in the Storm today. Friend, if you are experiencing a difficult event in your life, and you just can’t understand why it’s happening, remember that we can only see through a very narrow lens. We want to know what’s coming, how it ends. But God, he sees from end to beginning. He has a 3D panoramic view of the entire bigger picture. Our minds can’t even comprehend that. God has a powerful plan for your life, friend. But beware, you also have an enemy that desires to destroy your soul. His name is Satan. He hates God and everything created by God, including you. His goal is to stop you from believing that God loves you and has a plan for your life. You can walk through the most difficult storm because the Lord promises to walk with you if you only ask. Isaiah 43:1-2 says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.” Friend, it’s not in the calm seas where we grow. It’s in the storms where we do our growing. When it requires total trust in God, that’s when we grow. A stormy season may not have hit your life yet, but when it does, I pray you will remember this podcast and the message we speak today that God has a plan for your life. Don’t let the difficult seasons discourage you. Instead, be encouraged because, as someone once told me, God makes great people by taking them through great trials to accomplish great things. Thank you for joining me today. I trust you received food for your soul. I look forward to you joining me on the next COMPASS in the Storm. Until then, friend, remember, stay the course.