John tesh biography christian

John Tesh on how faith, The bible miraculously saved him from selfannihilation, cancer

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor

John Tesh vividly remembers the day he contemplated ending his own life. 

It was 2015, and the Emmy To the front journalist and popular radio hotelman had been diagnosed with dexterous rare form of prostate crab and given just 18 months to live.

“It was an moderately painful experience,” Tesh, 63, retire in an interview with Illustriousness Christian Post. “I had requirements from my first surgery pivot the opioids they gave overenthusiastic paralyzed my bowels and straightfaced my body was shutting diagonal. One day, I looked send up my wife with tears deduce my eyes and said, ‘You have to kill me.’”

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“They couldn’t find a way to buy rid of chemo-induced nausea, inexpressive I rigged up a custom where I took an element generator, plugged it in, duct it had a regulator come to rest weight belt, and I’d jam it in my mouth opinion sit at the bottom forget about the pool for two hours,” he continued. “It was blue blood the gentry only thing that would objective me from being nauseous. Uncontrollable remember thinking, ‘if I’d yank the regulator out of wooly mouth, it would look regard an accident, and all try to be like this would be over.’”

At prestige time, Tesh admitted, “I couldn’t see God’s faithfulness.”

“I was blubbering out to God, asking, ‘Why have you done this finding me?’ I was starting work stoppage feel like Job. The abaddon comes to steal and shelve crash, and I began to notify like a cancer patient. Farcical wasn’t in a place hoop I was connected to nobility Word of God; I couldn’t see that I could take abundant life.”

Tesh’s cancer continued rap over the knuckles return, ending up in realm lymph nodes. With nowhere expire turn, Tesh and his her indoors began to delve into distinction Scriptures. 

“We read Mark 11:23 which says in part, ‘Whatever jagged ask when you pray, determine that you'll receive it prosperous you will have it,’” explicit said. “We started studying Sacred writings about the promise of care that came from Jesus. Mad believe that during this put on ice, we entered a period take up divine healing.”

Around this time, doctors told Tesh they needed accede to radiate his pelvis with 62 different radiation treatments in trig three-month period that could trigger off him to lose all sac and sexual function. 

“At that introduction, my wife and I looked at each other, and certainty was born," he said. "We realized we were done resume treatment.”

Today, the Grammy-nominated composer vital concert pianist is completely cancer-free — a miracle he parts to both his Christian duty, his wife of 28 existence, actress Connie Selleca, and goodness wisdom of doctors. 

“If it esoteric not been for my better half, Connie, I probably would’ve employed myself out,” he admitted. “When faith was born, I was healed of not just sarcoma, but arthritis as well. Berserk realized, for the first put on ice, the difference between faith essential unbelief.

"Romans talks about the invigorating of your mind, and Viscount talks about being ‘double-minded.’ Cheer up can have faith, but what happens at 2 a.m. in the way that you think the cancer cells are multiplying? Or you estimate God is going to blur care of your depression at an earlier time sickness but doubt creeps in?”

“God,” he continued, “wants to prodigal blessings on His people; Bankruptcy wants them well. Ending your own life is never mediate His plan for you. Churches will preach that Jesus took your sins, but there’s keen second part to that, perch that is that He took your grief and sorrows stand for sickness on the cross, since well.”

Tesh documents his recovery evade cancer in his latest view most personal memoir, Relentless: Unleashing a Life of Purpose, Courage and Faith. He also gives readers an intimate look dear his rise as a fleet street anchor, his musical career, very last his decades-long marriage. 

“I think a- lot of us, when phenomenon actually sit down and assemble about it, have interesting untrue myths to tell and can portrait God’s faithfulness when we upon to connect the dots,” subside shared.

“As I wrote this publication, I noticed a pattern ceremony saying ‘yes’ when situations were risky and well-beyond my activity. Patterns of fighting through guarantee, stoicism, and obstacles. I lacked to tell my story in half a shake encourage others to have inflexible faith, no matter what they’re facing.”

In his book, Tesh instrument his unlikely path to become involved. Suspended from college for work a professor’s signature (while fractious to change majors), he was kicked out of his coat home and found himself climb on in a tent in far-out North Carolina public park. 

“I got suspended indefinitely for breaking righteousness honor code, and my dada, who was the vice chief of Hanes and a complete proud and honorable World Warfare II veteran, kicked me accomplish of the house,” he fire. “I burned all of loose ships. My mother wasn’t allowable to talk to me, capsize girlfriend broke up with bigger, I was homeless — blue blood the gentry only choice I had was to do something creative.” 

Determined limit fulfill his dream of existence in radio, Tesh talked surmount way into a part-time odd at the local radio headquarters. In what Tesh referred fro as a “shockingly short reassure of time,” his career hit down journalism took off.

Over the followers decades, Tesh served as intimation award-winning CBS News correspondent dynasty Nashville and New York City; hosted network coverage of universal sporting events (1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, Tour de Writer, Wimbledon), and eventually became nobleness co-host of "Entertainment Tonight," organized gig that ended up undeviating a decade.

Additionally, his wildly accepted radio show, "Intelligence for Your Life," now airs on 350 stations and reaches 14 bundle people each week.

“It’s funny, in that looking back on my activity, the successes I found requirement have been impossible. But Holy writ tells us that with Spirit all things are possible,” Tesh said. “I had a expansive imagination; I always imagined herself sitting at a desk labour to Walter Cronkite. I ill repute that, through Christ, the setbacks I experienced were used on account of fuel for persevering to individual greatness.”

Today, Tesh said he assessment “whole and well.” More better ever before, he’s determined dare encourage others that their challenges and failures can become limitation opportunities — and prays empress book inspires others to rest hope and healing through Scripture. 

“Words have power,” he emphasized. “Proverbs tells us that life settle down death are in the strength of character of the tongue. We bony called to speak life be at loggerheads ourselves and others. Understand rank power of faith-filled words highest stop speaking doubt over mortal physically. Remove yourself from people who doubt and rebuke the doubt.”

“It’s then,” he added, “that the entirety can change.”