W. Lee Warren - Ive Seen the End of You: A Neurosurgeons Look at Faith, Doubt, and the Things We Think We Know

Praise for

Ive Seen the End of You

Dr. Lee Warren has a rarified vantage point, for he makes a living by entering the most secludedand most sacredpart of a person: the human brain. The patients in this book have stories worthy of a novel, and Dr. Warren does them justice, describing their medical crises in gripping prose while also facing the questions that emerge to test his faith.

P HILIP Y ANCEY , author of such books as Whats So Amazing About Grace? and The Jesus I Never Knew

Is this book worth your time? A few questions will help you decide: Do you appreciate fine writing? Are you willing to have your faith stirred? Would you like to eavesdrop on the thoughts of a brilliant surgeon? Could you benefit from some warm, vibrant, incisive contemplations about this difficult, untidy, wonderful thing called human life? If you answered yes to any or all of these, you are holding the right book. Enjoy it. I certainly did.

M AX L UCADO , pastor and best-selling inspirational author

In beautiful, haunting, powerful prose, Ive Seen the End of You will inspire you, make you cry, and ultimately help you see God and suffering in a new way.

D ANIEL G. A MEN , MD, physician, psychiatrist, best-selling author, and founder of Amen Clinics

With the death rate still at 100 percent, we all will face hard conversations and experiences with ones we love. The pain will always come. But having someone who can explain the painphysical, emotional, and spiritualfrom the inside is invaluable. Ive Seen the End of You gives us that kind of help. Its a difficult read at times because of Lees honest wrestling with the questions we face at these momentswhich is why we can trust him as a guide. He even helps us with the tough conversations with God because hes been there too. As a hospital chaplain who has conversations every day like the ones Lee describes, Im grateful for what this book teaches me and those of us who face death daily.

D R. J ON S WANSON , chaplain at Parkview Regional Medical Center, socialmediachaplain.com

As I lay nearly lifeless on a gurney in early April 2005 in Balad, Iraq, God used Dr. Warrens expertise, tenderness, encouragement, grace, and love to save my life. And now, in this book, Dr. Warrens words are not only encouraging but also thought provoking as he helps us all understand our individual purpose on this amazing journey of life. I urge you to read Ive Seen the End of You because your life will be forever changed.

S COTTY S MILEY , author of Hope Unseen and CEO of Bellator Asset Management

Dr. Lee Warrens book is so well written that it is hard to put down. It will challenge you and encourage you to live life to the fullest, never doubting that we have a great Creator who has a remarkable purpose for us all. A must-read!

T IFFANY S MILEY , president of Hope Unseen, founder of More Than Me, and advocate for veterans and caregivers

I VE S EEN THE E ND OF Y OU

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked ( ESV ) are taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, ESV Text Edition (2016), copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( KJV ) are taken from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked ( MSG ) are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers Inc. Scripture quotations marked ( NCV ) are taken from the New Century Version. Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (Voice) are taken from The Voice. Copyright 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Hardcover ISBN9780525653219

Ebook ISBN9780525653226

Copyright 2020 by W. Lee Warren, MD

Cover design by Kelly L. Howard

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by WaterBrook, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

W ATER B ROOK and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Warren, W. Lee, 1969author.

Title: Ive seen the end of you : a neurosurgeons look at faith, doubt, and the things we think we know / W. Lee Warren, MD.

Description: First Edition. | Colorado Springs : WaterBrook, 2020.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019010274 | ISBN 9780525653219 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780525653226 (electronic)

Subjects: LCSH: Christian life. | LifeReligious aspectsChristianity. | NeurosurgeonsReligious life.

Classification: LCC BV4501.3 .W37115 2020 | DDC 277.3/083092 [B]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019010274

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Dedicated to

Elmer, the first friend to become my patient

Mike, the first patient to become my friend

Mitch, for teaching me how to grieve and still laugh

Philip, for encouraging me to write this

Patty, for a life well lived

Lisa, for showing me the way forward,

no matter how dark the path sometimes is