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Sunday, July 22, 2007
Steve Dyar Was A Big Man With A Bigger Heart For God
I will be the first to admit that I don't always understand why God allows bad things to happen to good people, although I know that He promises to "work all things together for the good to those who love Him and are the called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28) I honestly believe that in my heart to be true even when it hits hard personally.
Such is the case with my friend and former minister of music Rev. Steve Dyar. I previoulsy told you about this big man with the bigger heart for God when he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in December 2006. Steve and his beautiful wife Susan had felt the calling to go into full-time music evangelism and were in the process of touring around to various churches.
Then it happened--CANCER!
When the cancer hit, everything was put on hold as they went through the emotional rollercoaster ride that experience brings. The radiation treatments lasted for several months up until a few weeks ago and yet Steve was still having trouble breathing and swallowing. This really tall guy was melting away to nothing when he surprised our church choir at Easter to sing a song in our musical program. It was a real miracle!
Little did we know, though, that would be the last time we would ever see Steve sing.
On Friday afternoon, my friend Steve Dyar went home to be with that God of wonders he sang so beautifully about for most of his life. It was described as a peaceful passing and he was not in any pain when it happened. I couldn't help but think of a song that Steve used to sing with our choir when he was the music pastor at our church when I heard he was gone.
It's that song "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe. With that booming baritone voice, I can hear him singing it now:
I can only imagine What it will be like When I walk By your side
I can only imagine What my eyes will see When your face Is before me I can only imagine
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all I can only imagine
I can only imagine When that day comes And I find myself Standing in the Son
I can only imagine When all I will do Is forever Forever worship You I can only imagine
I can only imagine When all I will do Is forever, forever worship you
Today Steve is at the beginning of forever worshipping that Jesus he loved and adored in his time here on Earth. He has a new body that is free of the pain of cancer he has endured these past few months and now is "standing in the Son." I rejoice in knowing that he is now home and will live eternally with Jesus walking those streets of gold in heaven.
I am so privileged to have been able to cross paths with this incredible man of God with a faith unlike anyone else I have ever known. This was a man after God's own heart and I am a better person today because of the example he was to me as a man. I will NEVER EVER forget what I gleaned from this big man with the bigger heart for God because he taught me more about servant leadership and Christ-like love than anyone else I've ever known.
To his wife Susan and their two handsome grown sons Stephen and Sterling, I want to express my heartfelt sympathy and love for you. That man you called husband and dad made a real difference in both my life and well as in the life of my wife Christine. We give God the glory and the honor for allowing us to know you and share a few years of our lives together.
Be sure to save a seat in heaven for us, Steve! We know we're gonna see you again someday and what a day that will be! We love you and will miss you greatly. Praise God from whom all blessings flow--and YOU were a blessing to me!
One of Steve's favorite praise songs was "Blessed Be The Name" by Matt Redman:
Blessed Be Your Name In the land that is plentiful Where Your streams of abundance flow Blessed be Your name
Blessed Be Your name When I'm found in the desert place Though I walk through the wilderness Blessed Be Your name
Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name When the sun's shining down on me When the world's 'all as it should be' Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name On the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in the offering Blessed be Your name
Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise When the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away You give and take away My heart will choose to say Lord, blessed be Your name
This song defined the life of an amazing man who chose to bless God to the very end. Even "when the darkness closed in" on him in 2007, still he boldly cried out "Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord!" I only hope to have that same kind of faith if I ever face a trial as great as Steve did.
With this, I say goodbye for now, Steve Dyar! I hope to become even half the man that you were in your life and I commit to live the rest of my life in such a way that brings praise, honor, and glory to the Lord God Almighty. Rest in peace for all of eternity, my friend. I'll see you one day when the good Lord decides it is time for me to come home, too.
Nothing proves the health benefits of livin' la vida low-carb better than real people sharing their own experiences following this amazing lifestyle change. That's exactly what I found in this Spokesman-Review Q&A health column featuring syndicated health columnists Joe and Teresa Graedon.
Interestingly, I've featured the Graedon's before at my blog when another one of their readers told them how the low-carb lifestyle not only helped control his weight and blood sugar, but completely eliminated his heartburn.
This latest letter featured someone who used to suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. He said the condition was so bad that it forced him to take Prilosec every single day.
"Even so, I had severe heartburn, and often food got lodged in my esophagus, even after it was surgically stretched," he wrote. "I had a few other minor health problems, and I was a bit overweight, so I was ready to make some changes in hope of improving my life."
So, on the advice of a friend, this person started livin' la vida low-carb with very little hope it would make a difference. Boy, was he surprised!
"After three days, I realized that I had no heartburn, so I discontinued the Prilosec without ill effects," he exclaimed. "I'd tried to quit the drug before, but the heartburn had gotten worse after stopping it."
Even better was the fact that the problems swallowing also improved enough that he didn't have to worry about choking anymore.
"After years of suffering, my life was normal once again," the proud reader stated. "It has now been a year, and I have lost 45 pounds. I'm still fine."
And you'll keep being fine, too, as long as you keep on livin' la vida low-carb. While this way of eating is generally thought of almost exclusively as a weight loss tool only, many people start eating this way for health reasons, not the least of which is improving severe cases of GERD like this man experienced.
While he recommends people try a "temporary low-carb diet," why wouldn't you want to keep on eating this way over the long-term to completely eradicate not just the GERD, but also dealing with obesity, the potential onset of diabetes and insulin resistance, and too many other benefits to mention here? I mean DUH!!!
The Graedon's concurred.
"Thanks for sharing your story," they wrote in response to this letter. "In one study, people on a carbohydrate-restricted diet had significantly less heartburn."
They are of course referring to this study published in the August 2006 issue of the medical journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences which incidentally featured someone I have interviewed previously at my blog--Duke University low-carb researcher Dr. Eric Westman.
Also, don't forget about this study regarding the impact of a high-carb diet on the development of esophageal cancer. You will recall the researchers in that study found that eating a carb-heavy diet leads to obesity which can then lead to a predisposition to the development of GERD, which then increases the chance of the onset of Barrett's esophagus which is the very last step before the full-blown development of lower-esophageal adenocarcinoma or cancer of the esophagus. Yikes!
If you suffer from heartburn, indigestion, or GERD, then why not start livin' la vida low-carb to relieve your pain? I can't understand why somebody would prefer to keep popping tons of Prilosec day after day when a simple and pleasurable change in diet will do the trick. All I have to say is WHATEVER!
The Graedon's have an excellent resource with natural ways to treat your stomach acid issues in a pamphlet they developed called the "Guide to Digestive Disorders" available for $2. Send them a check or money order for the pamphlet as well as a self-addressed No. 10 long envelope with 63 cents in stamps on it to the following address:
Or, if you want it quickly, you can also download it for $2 by clicking here. It's time to stop the burn and the nagging pain without the use of drugs. The suffering can be over in just a matter of days thanks to low-carb living!
Do you have a question for the Graedon's about treating your health ailment? Send it to them using this contact form and let them know Jimmy Moore from the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog sent you there. :D
Rev. Steve Dyar is a big man with a bigger heart who needs our prayers
There are very few people in the world that you meet who leave an indelible mark on your life. Sadly, most of us have such casual surface relationships with other people that we hardly let anyone get to know who we are much less share our own lives with others to learn about them. Sometimes, though, there are certain special people who enter our lives and we never forget the lasting impression they have made.
One such man in my life is Rev. Steve Dyar. My nickname for Steve is "big guy" because he's one of the few people in this world who actually makes me look small, even when I weighed over 400 pounds a few years back. His 6'7" height, broad shoulders, and gigantic muscular build give him such an empowering presence when he walks into a room that you can't help but notice him. He is a commanding figure, that's for sure!
But behind that burly stature is one of the kindest and most gentle men you will ever meet. He has genuine compassion, love, and respect for everyone he comes across regardless of who they are. The Christ-like qualities that Steve possesses have been on full display for so many to see in his role as Minister of Music in various local churches in the Upstate of South Carolina. He was so much more than a man who waved his arms and sang a few praise songs on Sunday mornings, though.
Steve was on staff at my local church a few years back during a difficult time when we were without a senior pastor, youth minister, and children's minister for an extended stretch of time. With God-given strength and constant messages of hope for the future, this man helped hold the congregation together at a time when most churches might have disbanded altogether. But time and time again, it was Steve who stood strong and played the role of pastor to so many in our church when we needed him the most. I don't think anyone at our church will ever forget the sacrifices he made on our behalf.
When I started livin' la vida low-carb in 2004, I remember Steve often chided me for choosing a diet that included so much meat and fat. You see, he is a strong advocate of The Hallelujah Diet by George Malkmus, a low-fat, vegetarian-styled diet rooted in Biblical foundations regarding health and nutrition. I usually agreed to disagree with Steve about his opinions on nutrition because I was doing what was right for me while he was doing what worked for him. As I lost 180 pounds in one year, he told me how impressed he was by the results I experienced even though he still didn't think I should be eating low-carb.
I even gave him an autographed copy of my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" book about a year ago so he could find out more about this way of eating that changed my life forever. Steve graciously accepted my gift and I encouraged him to read it to learn more about what low-carb is really all about rather than the things he had heard about in the vegetarian books he read.
Although Steve moved on with his ministry a little more than a year ago to focus on a gospel recording career to travel around to churches around the country, the influence he had on our church (which incidentally now has a senior pastor, youth pastor, and children's minister in place) will not soon be forgotten. So it is with great sadness to hear the grim health-related news right before Christmas that Steve has cancer in his esophagus which has already started to spread into his liver.
This man who has been there for so many people going through the uncertainty of cancer and other health problems over the years is now dealing with it himself. If you believe in the power of prayer, then I would ask you to please lift Steve Dyar up to the Lord to heal his body of this cancer in the power of Jesus' name. We expect a miracle to be performed and our hope is that this true man of God will once again be able to sing the praises of the One who gave him breath to breathe, a heart that beats, and a love for people that is such a rare commodity these days.
Please visit the Steve Dyar CaringBridge web site to learn a little more about this man who has made such a difference in my life and the lives of thousands more. He is having trouble eating right now because of the large tumor in his esophagus which doctors hope to be able to shrink with chemotherapy and radiation treatments which will commence within the next week.
When I saw Steve about a week after the diagnosis, he had already lost a noticable amount of weight and looked physically weak. But talking to him face-to-face reminded me why I admire and love him as much as I do. Despite the bleakness of his situation, his faith right now is as solid as a rock and the man knows his life is in the hands of God. He has resigned himself to the Lord's will and refuses to feel sorry for the situation he has found himself in. That's the kind of spiritual maturity most Christians only dream of having.
Our choir will be participating in a special New Year's Eve concert with national gospel recording artist Lordsong and others with the proceeds going to Steve to help offset some of his medical bills. Steve and his trio were supposed to sing at this event and he still wants to try to do it. Pray that God would lift the pain from his body even for a few moments so he can lift the name of Jesus as we ring in the new year.
Can you do me a favor? Although you probably don't know Steve Dyar personally, could you sign his guestbook to let him know you are praying for him at this time? Steve, along with his wife Susan and two sons Stephen and Sterling, have been encouraged by the outpouring of love and support from so many people as they are going through this difficult time. Even if your comment is as simple as "I'm praying for you," I KNOW it will mean a lot to the entire Dyar family. God bless you!
Nobody ever wants to go through something as devastating as cancer, but it is a sad reality these days. Until a cure can be found for this deadly disease, the only hope for survival is to rely on the Great Physician for healing. Write down the name Steve Dyar somewhere in your Bible, on a piece of paper, or something and pray without ceasing that God's will be done in his life. THANK YOU so much for supporting this man who has helped shape me into the man I am today.
So, Dr. Khiani, are you advocating people go on a low-carb diet?
Last week scientific researchers made the bombshell discovery that eating a high-carb diet can lead to kidney cancer. This week, we learn from this MedPage Today article even worse news regarding America's favorite comfort foods--consuming excessive carbohydrates can lead to the development of another kind of cancer, this time in the esophagus.
While avoiding declaring any explicit link between carbohydrates and esophageal cancer, Dr. Khiani confidently stated that eating a carb-heavy diet can and will lead to obesity which then leads to a predisposition to the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease (aka GERD). Continuing the downward spiral, GERD increases the chance of the onset of Barrett's esophagus which is the very last step before the full-blown development of lower-esophageal adenocarcinoma or cancer of the esophagus.
Using linear regression analysis from both sets of information, Dr. Khiani said there was a "significant relationship between the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma and per-capita consumption of carbohydrates in the American diet."
He noted that in 1973, the average daily carbohydrate consumption in America was 400 grams. Nearly three decades later, the average carbs consumed each day jumped to 500 grams. This additional 100 grams of carbohydrates consumed by Americans directly correlates with the six-fold jump in esophageal adenocarcinoma cases--just 2,500 in 1973 to an average of almost 15,000 through the year 2001 and still rising.
Dr. Khiani revealed the results of his study at the American College of Gastroenterology 2006 Annual Scientific Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada this week in a presentation entitled "Ecological association of rising incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma with dietary carbohydrate intake."
So, what high-carb foods are the biggest culprits according to the researchers? Cereal products, high fructose corn syrup, processed foods, and fast food staples such as hamburgers and French fries.
Unfortunately, Dr. Khiani and his researchers stopped short of pointing fingers at the root cause of the problem or offering suggestions about what to do with the information contained in his study.
You knew the question was going to come up and the video at the top of this blog post lets you hear directly from Dr. Khiani himself about whether this means people should go on a low-carb diet such as Atkins or not. Turn up the volume on your computer so you can hear what he has to say.
In a nutshell, Dr. Khiani believes his study does not promote "fad diets" such as "total carbohydrate avoidance" (like the zero-carb diet "The Bear" advocates) or even the more mainstream Atkins or low-carb diets that are out there advocating 20g daily for the first two weeks followed by up to 40-60g daily carbs for the weight loss phases and 50-100g daily carbs for weight and health management.
"We don't know at this point," Dr. Khiani explained. "Further research still needs to be done to determine whether there is a direct causal relationship" between carbs and esophageal cancer.
Why is it so painful for scientific researchers to acknowledge some positive news for livin' la vida low-carb? Don't you know if the study was about how fat or protein consumption led to cancer in the esophagus that the media would be coming out of the woodwork in promoting that study as cutting edge news that people should take to heart.
But there's been nary a word about this study and even the researcher himself is being kind of wishy-washy about the stunning conclusions it makes regarding eating a high-carb diet. I don't know about you, but it sure makes me glad I'm eating low-carb! :)
The final conclusion from the study confirms the truth about eating carbs.
"This ecological study provides evidence for the hypothesis that excess carbohydrate intake in the U.S. population may partially account for the increased trend of incidence rate of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus," the researchers said. "It is possible that obesity resulting from excess carbohydrate intake may be an intermediate link."
Ya think? People enjoying the healthy low-carb lifestyle have known eating excessive carbs can make you fat and now this study along with other research that continues to pour in shows it can be detrimental to your health as well. If Dr. Khiani won't say it, then I will.
GO ON A LOW-CARB PLAN ASAP! Do it not just to manage your weight if you are overweight or obese, but to ward off diseases such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and, yes, even cancer as we have seen in two different studies over the past week. It's a decision you will NEVER regret, I promise you!
Dr. Vijay S. Khiani, don't be afraid of what science is showing you about the health benefits of limiting carbohydrate intake. As a scientist and researcher, you can't argue with the facts nor should you try to excuse them in any way. They are what they are and should be embraced and supported until future research confirms it. Be proud of the work you are doing that is supporting what so many of us low-carb advocates already knew--eating too many carbs can make you sick and unhealthy!
7-20-07 UPDATE: Although this is an older post, I am happy to share some extra information provided by one of my readers today about Barrett's esophagus and the onset of cancer. Here's what this astute and knowledgeable reader wrote:
Hi Jimmy --
Thanks for the great site. I can tell that you're committed to contributing to the health and well being of all of us, so you'd probably want to hear if there were something you were disseminating that might bear modification or correction.
You say,
"You will recall the researchers in that study found that eating a carb-heavy diet leads to obesity which can then lead to a predisposition to the development of GERD, which then increases the chance of the onset of Barrett's esophagus which is the very last step before the full-blown development of lower-esophageal adenocarcinoma or cancer of the esophagus. Yikes!"
Actually, from what I understand (and I'm not a doctor, but this is what I've heard), in order for Barrett's to lead to cancer, I believe there must be dysplasia present, that Barrett's alone does not necessarily lead to cancer.
"At the present time, the clinical management of patients who have Barrett's esophagus is based almost solely on the histologic readings of their endoscopic surveillance biopsies. Patients who have readings of 'negative for dysplasia' are considered to be at low-risk for developing cancer."
On another page:
"People who have Barrett's esophagus have a 30 to 40 fold increased risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma as compared to the general population. Still, the overall cancer risk in patients who have Barrett's esophagus is low. The results of multiple studies of patients who are being followed by a doctor for their Barrett's esophagus indicate that most patients with Barrett's esophagus (90-95%) DO NOT develop cancer during long-term follow-up. In addition, autopsy studies have shown that most patients who have Barrett's esophagus live their lives without ever developing Barrett's associated cancer and die of other causes."
I wanted to send this to you because I have no axe to grind. I just wanted to share the information with you because I fear, knowing the power of the mind-body connection, that people who read that Barrett's "is the very last step" before "full-blown" cancer might them cause it in themselves...
Thanks for the great work you're doing!
THANK YOU again for sharing these illuminating comments!
