Dalton Lovell sees God open doors after life-threatening medical emergency

Dalton Lovell, a Master of Divinity student from Crockett, Texas, took a break from his studies when he joined the restaurant industry for some years, but a medical emergency in April redirected his focus back on his calling to ministry.

Raised in a single-parent home, Lovell said his mother would read children’s Bible stories to him, but they never had a church home and lived more as “cultural Christians” as opposed to committed disciples. But while attending a Vacation Bible School as a child, Lovell said he recognized his need for a Savior.

“I knew that God was real and that I was a sinner and I needed a Savior, and that Jesus was that Savior,” Lovell said.

In junior high, he started attending a Methodist church, saying it was a conservative option in the small town of East Texas. During his senior year, Lovell began to have a desire to serve in ministry, but in the smaller churches he was acquainted with, he thought the only way would be as a pastor or in music ministry.

He took part in a church careers program at a junior college and then transferred to Texas Wesleyan University where he studied music. There he met Becca, also a music student, and they were married just a few months after he graduated in 2014. Through their relationship, he began attending a Baptist church where her grandfather was the pastor.

“I really felt at home in the Baptist denomination,” Lovell said. “So, I’ve been a Baptist ever since and have really felt like it aligns with my belief really well.”

But still, Lovell was not following what he believed was God’s call to ministry. He was a student at another seminary for a year and a half, but when they learned they were expecting their daughter, he dropped out. Instead, he and his wife began serving at their church, and when the youth ministry position opened, Lovell spoke to the pastor about it.

“’I can definitely see that you’re called to ministry. Why don’t you go and get equipped?’” Lovell said his pastor advised him.

After meeting with Chris Shirley, dean of the Terry School of Educational Ministries, Lovell came to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2020 in the MACE program. But other opportunities led him to run a coffee catering company and then join a friend in a Fort Worth restaurant called Smash Toast, causing him to pause his studies.

But the pull to ministry was still heavy in his mind.

“I know that I have gifts and abilities that God wants to use, and I know that working in the restaurant is not a bad thing,” Lovell said, adding he had opportunities to interact with the world in that position. “It’s a good thing, but it’s not a God thing for me.”

In early 2026, Lovell applied at Southwestern and attended the Preview Day on April 10. On the following Tuesday, April 14, Lovell went into cardiac arrest.

Lovell was at the restaurant completing some final tasks while his wife and daughter were attending their self-defense classes on the same street. Despite having work still to do, Lovell said he had a strong desire to instead join his family. That decision was the first of many, seemingly random occurrences that Lovell said was God at work to save his life.

Lovell said he had started to feel a little dizzy while watching his wife’s class. One of the instructors noticed and called Becca over while others also came to help, including a retired police chief who had also been an emergency medical technician who helped lay Lovell on the floor.

“He felt my heart stop beating, and immediately started chest compressions,” Lovell said, saying he and others continued chest compressions for 26 minutes, during which nine of those minutes his heart was not beating. Lovell said others at the gym had surrounded his wife and were praying, while his daughter was in another room where she could not see what was happening.

 “I was gone,” Lovell said. “And somehow my heart started beating again, and I was breathing. Definitely the Lord.”

A nurse was also present at the gym and was able to call ahead to the cardiologist and others at the emergency room.

“They knew exactly what to do and were prepared for me,” Lovell said. “It’s so cool to see how God lined so many things up. I could have been at work or in the car.”

Lovell said he woke up in the hospital two days later, with no idea as to what had happened. It was not until Friday night, having heard the story and received visits from his family and church members, that it hit him how close to death he had been.

“I just broke down and cried,” Lovell said, adding he was grateful his daughter would not grow up without a father, as he had. “‘Yeah, okay, Lord, I know You have a plan for me, otherwise I would have come to see You if I was done.’”

The following Tuesday, Lovell had surgery to have a pacemaker put in as a caution against another event. While in recovery, he received an email from Southwestern saying his application was accepted and then Timothy Rhoades, associate director of admissions and a member of Lovell’s church, called to check on him and help him register for classes.

After receiving the all-clear from doctors, who did not find any blockage in his heart or any ill-effects from the event, Lovell began to adjust to life at home after his surgery. He said initially he feared for what his way of life would look like. But while it was difficult at first, even returning to the hospital because of blood clots and fluid in his chest, he said his recovery was speedy and “miraculous.”

“I’m so thankful that I am not in a wheelchair with oxygen like I was when I first came home from the hospital, because I thought that was going to be my life,” Lovell said, explaining it was a wake-up call for him to be more intentional with his physical health so he can be available for ministry.

But his family also faced decisions financially as they reconsidered their work situation. They decided that Lovell would not return to his job at the restaurant and ended up spending the entire summer without employment.

Their gym provided a financial gift that they had collected for any member who faced an emergency, but Lovell said they still did not know how they would support themselves in the future.

Still, they moved forward with returning to Southwestern in faith, including moving to campus.

“I really feel like the Lord just kind of picked me up and pivoted me,” Lovell said. “’Coffee, restaurant, good stuff—I don’t want you to do that anymore. Not for your health and not for the plan I have for you.’”

Lovell said he was named a recipient of the Mercy Scholarship which he called an amazing gift that covers much of his seminary expenses. And just as classes were about to start, he was offered a part-time position in the Office of Admissions as an enrollment specialist.

“God made a way,” Lovell said, adding his wife was also able to find employment that further provides for their family.

Living on campus has also helped with his health, as Lovell walks to work and around the campus, avoiding the stress of driving and getting to enjoy lunch at home.

“So many things over the last four months have just been, okay, God has literally opened all the doors for me to be here and to take class and to pay for it and work and to live here,” Lovell reflected on his journey to returning to Southwestern. “So, I’m like, ‘Okay, Lord, I’m surrendered to Your will, and I hear You loud and clear. I know that I’m supposed to be here and get my degree and be in ministry.’ … It’s been such a cool journey and I know God has a purpose for me.”

While his medical emergency in April was a difficult time for his family, Lovell said it also turned into an opportunity to point others to Christ, such as unbelievers who were present at the gym and saw them praying. He and Becca were also interviewed by a local television news station and used that as chance to share about God’s goodness and sovereignty.

“It’s just so crazy how God turns what is bad and scary into something good, in a way for the Gospel to be heard,” Lovell said.