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!