Never Settle
The Never Settle message was coined by Pastor Don Pittman on Easter Sunday 2006. That day proved to be a miracle because he had been told he would not live to see it. The phrase was inspired by his own life journey that included an extremely difficult battle with cancer. On April 21, 1999, Pastor Don was diagnosed with an incurable, life-threatening cancer of the bone marrow known as Multiple Myeloma. Despite a prognosis that was unsure if he would even leave the hospital alive, Pastor Don fought through a summer of chemotherapy and even underwent a bone marrow transplant in August of 1999. He decided early on that he would not give in to this disease or settle for anything less than God's very best in his life. He knew that God had called him for a grand purpose of starting a church for people that have never been interested in church and might not feel comfortable in a traditional church setting.
Only one year after undergoing a bone marrow transplant, Pastor Don used this inspirational story of overcoming in life to found Higher Calling Community Church in October of 2000. Many people found hope in the story of God's provision in Pastor Don's life and hundreds of peoples lives were changed forever. Even though so many people were finding hope in a seemingly hopeless situation, the battle was far from over. Pastor Don would relapse several times over the next five years. In 2002, the cancer settled in his femur bone eating away at his leg and leaving only fragments of bone. A steel rod was surgically implanted to reinforce his leg although the surgeon was not optimistic about him ever walking normally again. In only eight months, Pastor Don was walking normally with only a slight limp left as a reminder of God's faithfulness in his life. His remission was short-lived when he relapsed again at the end of 2003 and then underwent a second bone marrow transplant in February of 2004. This transplant proved to be even more difficult than the first and many complications had to be overcome but by the summer of 04 he went into a complete remission. Time and time again, to the amazement of his doctors, Pastor Don not only survived but thrived, through one relapse after another. In July of 2005, Pastor Don relapsed for the final time.
With no more chemotherapy, radiation, or clinical trials left to administer Pastor Don's body begin to deteriorate. With the cancer raging in his body, he was given only two weeks to live but once again he battled infections, pneumonia, blood clots in his lungs, and even uncontrollable bleeding. He continued to "never settle" by not giving up or giving in to the cancer but rather living every day to the fullest and pursuing his purpose and passion in life which was pastoring Higher Calling Church, the church he had founded years earlier. Pastor Don many times referred to life as being like a marathon. A long, hard race but one that we should run to win and then at the end, finish strong! He did just that. He lived his life with purpose, he never settled, and on August 3, 2006, he finished strong.
This type of determination is central to the Never Settle message. Far too often, we accept the status quo in our lives. We make excuses and we accept living in a band of mediocrity, aspiring merely to be normal, never daring to think our lives could be extraordinary. We settle for far less than what we are capable of achieving.
Pastor Don's Never Settle message has left a lasting legacy and has inspired hundreds to leave mediocrity behind and pursue their higher calling in life. One of his favorite verses in the Bible is found in I Corinthians 9:24-25
"Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step."
Run the race of life well and make a decision today to...
Never Give Up. Never Lose Heart. Never Settle!
