The summer before a young man’s senior year in high school typically includes having fun with friends, watching a little football, spending time at the lake on a hot summer’s day, or catching up with the endless supply of summer movies. But for Colten the summer of 2007 would be one that was far from typical.

Colten is like many other young men across the country. He enjoys an active social life filled with friends, work, and horseback riding. He and his family regularly attend their local church, and on Wednesdays he can be found in the middle of the crowd laughing, sharing, and enjoying life with other students.
Like most young men, Colten has his fair share of struggles that face many Christians in today’s humanistic and secular society. This is the canvas on which Colten’s life was painted in the summer of 2007, though the final painting was far from finished.

An Awakening
In June, Colten participated in a short-term mission trip to help rebuild homes for people in the poverty-stricken regions of Appalachia. As our youth group teamed up with youth groups from other areas of the country, Colten quickly made new friends, established stronger ties with members from his own youth group, and experienced what every youth pastor prays will take place to the students under their charge: A spiritual awakening.

I will never forget that hot Tennessee night when I saw this young man whom I have pastored for the better part of three years break down and fully submit his life to God. Prior to that night, I wouldn’t have said Colten was difficult in any way; nor did I see evidence that he was struggling with his faith. But that night I saw Colten’s life transformed as only the power of God is able to do.

The week that followed our June mission trip revealed that the transformed Colten was not only growing in his newfound love for Christ, but he was also spreading his joy with boldness to his family and friends. Our church wanted the students to reveal what God had done on the mission trip the following Sunday, and Colten was ecstatic to share his testimony. Those of us that knew what Colten had experienced were already blessed and encouraged at how God had transformed his life, but that testimony was about to become even more amazing.

The Fall
It was Saturday night before the students were going to share their camp experiences with the church, and I was spending some quality time with my family. I received a phone call from a teenager in our group, telling me that Colten had fallen head first onto a concrete floor from high in his garage rafters, and that his fall was life threatening.

I found out later that Colten had been throwing a ball around with a new friend that he had become close to during the mission trip, and in the process it had gotten stuck in the rafters. Climbing up into the rafters wasn’t a problem for a healthy 17 year-old, but Colten soon found out that getting down was the real trick.

Apparently, this was a garage that was under construction, and the rafters had not yet been secured. As he grabbed one of the top beams to begin to swing down from the ceiling, the rafter he was holding onto came loose. His momentum brought him crashing to the ground, where he landed directly on the top of his head.

Racing for Time
The friend, who heard a loud thud, ran over and found Colten unconscious and unresponsive. His first instinct was to call for an ambulance, but his friend had ridden with Colten to this location and didn’t know the address to the house. He then went for Colten’s cell phone so he could contact Colten’s parents. Colten’s phone, which was always set to require a password, was miraculously unlocked when he pulled it out of Colten’s pocket. (After the call ended it relocked).

Colten’s friend was able to get a hold of his parents, which was another miracle, as they were attending a loud outdoor event that wouldn’t permit either of them to hear the phone ring. Colten’s mother, however, picked up her purse at the exact time of the call and noticed that her phone was lit up.

The EMTs who were called to Colten’s emergency loaded him up in the ambulance quickly—but instead of bringing him to the nearest hospital, they felt that, for some reason, they should take him 20 miles away to Vanderbilt University Hospital. Their intuition was right on, as we were told later that the hospital nearest to him was not equipped to deal with his injuries. The surgeons at Vanderbilt said that if he had been taken to another hospital first, he would have died.

As the hours passed and I sat with his family, the reports of his fall, his medical condition, and the doctor’s initial findings grew increasingly grim. He was still unconscious, and his condition was worsening.

The massive head trauma he sustained caused his brain to swell to the point where there was only one option: A large portion of his skull needed to be removed or the pressure caused by the swelling would mean certain death. The medical diagnosis was clear, and it put the seriousness of his case into perspective. We were told that the next 15 hours were critical.

Faith in Prayer
Just before I got the phone call, I’d have described my prayer life as satisfied and content. For the next 15 hours, my prayer life became pressing and urgent. Our students began to pray and fast, keeping watch by his side around the clock. Colten did, indeed, survive those first 15 hours, had only begun. And the miracle of life, though gratefully received also presented some sobering realities.

With the extensive injuries he had sustained, the medical prognosis included long-term damage to his brain, paralysis, and difficulty with his speech, memory, and learning. As each prediction was made, Colten’s parents, our church, and our youth group pulled together and confidently proclaimed a full and complete recovery. The doctors would just look at us and shake their heads.

Day after day, news would come from doctors and specialists dealing with Colten’s case. For the most part, news was grim and with so little hope coming from the doctors, it became vital for Colten’s well being that we turn to the only source of hope and stand in the gap.

Expecting a Miracle
Hope was not lost, even when all the negative news was received—not for us. Days passed, and at times we saw very little change. From time to time, I would receive minor updates indicating some hope of positive change, but nothing substantial.

In the meantime, as the football scores continued to roll in, life moved on for almost everybody—except Colten. As he lay in his hospital bed, still unconscious, we continued to believe in the miraculous: Family, friends, and even strangers all joined with the same prayer and hope for Colten. Personally, I was not going to be satisfied until Colten came walking through the front door of our youth room.

Another Awakening
The window of his recovery was indeed miraculous. It was supernatural. It was God at work!

Within a few weeks (not a few months as predicted) Colten’s mind and body sprang back from completely comatose to fully alert. He began walking, eating, and responding to his family and friends. Then, although we were warned that he might not ever speak again, Colten not only began speaking, but also laughing and teasing with all of us who visited him.

The fears and hopelessness that seemed to try and bear down on us began melting away under the power of God’s healing touch. The nurses and doctors even began to change and openly called Colten their “Miracle Boy.”

Within a month, Colten was allowed to go home, and two weeks after that he showed up at church to receive a standing ovation from all in attendance.

The Miracle Continues
That piece of skull the doctors had removed earlier needed to be re-attached. The doctors originally projected that it could happen as early as six months after the accident since he was healing so rapidly, but God wasn’t finished working miracles. Colten’s final surgery took place only three months after the accident, after which he did, indeed, walk through the front door of our youth room again.
Colten is once again like the Colten we knew before the accident, though he’s even stronger. The testimony built into his life has confirmed God’s power and grace, and his story helps remind me why I do what I do.

I am honored to chronicle a small portion of Colten’ story with my peers who love God and young people, and it is my prayer that Colten’s life encourages you to continue doing what you do. God is at work among our students, and we have the privilege of being invited to come alongside that work … expecting—and receiving—a miracle.

So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them.
—Matthew 4:24