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“We all need more light today. We need more positivity. We need family and faith, hope and strength — that’s what these stories are all about.”
Those are the words of SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt, co-founders of the “Godwinks” brands based in Massachusetts, who shared the following story with Fox News Digital.
The couple believes the Lord works in mysterious ways.
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“Godwink is the new word of the language,” Rushnell told Fox News Digital. “It’s an event that seems like a coincidence — but you know it comes from a divine origin.”
Read on to see just what he means.
A tune brought them together
A favorite song took center stage for two men and their wives — resulting in lives saved and a true blessing to celebrate at this time of year and always.
Pastor Tim Jones, at left, was a “one-in-20,000” match for Don Herbert, who needed a kidney to stay alive. The two men would not have met if it weren’t for a song they both loved. (Tim Jones/Don Herbert)
Pastor Tim Jones, just a few years ago, had begun leading his new church in Kanappolis, North Carolina. On a crisp Saturday morning a few weeks before the holidays, he held a get-acquainted open house.
He set up a “Meet the Pastor” table near the front door as loudspeakers played his favorite song, “Sow Mercy,” by the Indiana-based Gaither Vocal Band.
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The catchy tune caught the ear of a stranger sitting in his car as he waited for his wife. “Sow Mercy” was Don Herbert’s favorite song, too. Drawn by the familiar melody, he got out of his car and made his way to the pastor’s table.
The men struck up a conversation, instantly bonding over a mutual love for gospel music. Their chat was brief, simple and sweet.
As they said their goodbyes, they were unaware that this divinely aligned connection was only the beginning of a string of Godwinks to unfold.
Jones and Herbert met at a church event in North Carolina, where they bonded over a gospel song. (Tim Jones/Don Herbert)
Two weeks later, Herbert received devastating news from his doctors at Duke University Hospital.
Without a kidney transplant, he would die very soon. His family members and close friends were quickly tested — but every single one failed to qualify.
Herbert’s wife, Belinda, poured out her heart on Facebook, pleading for a donor to save her husband’s life.
Pastor Jones happened to be on his computer when the post popped up mysteriously.
The likelihood of his being a donor was extremely low.
Not immediately recognizing the name, he still felt motivated to step up in faith and kindness. He made a call and was promptly scheduled for a test, though the nurse on the phone told him the likelihood of his being a donor was extremely low.
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The first Godwink was immediate: His blood was a perfect match. The two men, by that time, began piecing a plan together and met with their wives about it.
The men went through weeks of intense medical evaluations, not sure what would come of it.
Finally, the transplant team delivered the news.
The “Godwinks” team of SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt are pictured here. The pair have been bringing stories of God’s divine works to millions of Americans for years — including this kidney transplant story. (Gail Daman Photography)
Jones was a “one-in-20,000” perfect match for Herbert.
The pastor would donate a kidney to a man who came into his life because of a song written for the Gaithers by Reba Rambo and Dony McGuire.
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By the time surgery day arrived, the two men, plus their wives, Sherry and Belinda, were becoming close friends. Doctors told them that Jones’ procedure would probably take two hours; Herbert’s transplant surgery would then follow.
It sounded simple enough.
God’s plan was different
The spouses waited anxiously as the first surgery began.
Two hours turned into five — then stretched to seven. The wives prayed as they paced and worried.
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When doctors were finally ready to wheel Herbert into the transplant surgery, they paused long enough to explain to the wives what was going on. During the pastor’s operation, doctors discovered something hidden behind his kidney.
A dangerous aneurysm in a renal artery, like a ticking bomb, had been ready to rupture at any moment. If it had burst — during surgery or afterward — the likely outcome would have been fatal.
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But because Jones had responded to the heartfelt appeal on social media by Herbert’s wife — and felt an inexplicable urge to provide kindness to a man he didn’t know — God led the surgeons to the aneurysm that was about to threaten the pastor’s own life.
Jones and Herbert are shown above. During the pastor’s donor surgery, doctors discovered a dangerous aneurysm that was close to rupturing. (Tim Jones/Don Herbert)
The doctor summed up the magnitude of the moment with quiet awe: “Tim, you saved Don’s life — but in the process, you saved your own.”
That year, when Christmas arrived, the men had both recovered and remained awestruck by the extraordinary Godwinks in their lives, beginning with a favorite song.
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Even so, they discovered there was one last Godwink hidden in the Rambo-McGuire lyrics of “Sow Mercy”: “If you’ve ever reached out to help a friend, the hand you help may lift you up again. Sow Mercy.”
When people offer kindness to someone else in need, God’s bountiful grace will bless them with Godwinks they never expected.
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This story was published in SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt’s bestselling book, “The Godwink Effect,” and is used by permission. The pair’s latest book is “Godwinks For Moms – True Stories.”