I was 10 minutes late to work this morning . . .

. . . because of this amazing interview:

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First, watch the video and then come back and let's talk about how amazing it is!








Did ya watch it? Can you believe it???
What amazing faith does that man have! He waited on the Lord, heard His voice, and went out and found the girl who was LOST in the swamp for FOUR DAYS! Not only was that man's faith strong enough to believe God would lead him to Nadia, his faith held out despite the odds -- even though dozens of professionals had been searching for four, going on five days; even though there were doubts she was even still alive; even though it took him 2 hours of searching before he heard her response to his calls. His faith didn't waiver and God used him to show the world that His sheep hear His voice and that miracles still happen today!

Hearing this story reminds me of I Corinthians 1:18 & 28:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God . . . . God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

What's more foolish to our society today than someone claiming that God told him where to go? And what's more weak than one man on his own accomplishing what dozens and dozens of others were incapable of?

All things really are possible through Christ.

Jehovah Rophe

22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"
25 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."
~Exodus 15:22-26

My whole life I've always known this: God heals. There is no doubt in my mind that He has the power to heal anything, at anytime. This is a faith and assurance that was instilled in me as a small child. I vividly remember my parents faithfully praying when anyone of us got sick. We rarely went to doctors; we just prayed. Not one of us in my family doesn't have a story of supernatural healing. I am so thankful to my parents for revealing that truth to me at such a young age, and I pray that I never lose it.

Yet it's still so amazing to hear stories such as this. It's amazing to hear how God is moving and miraculously healing today. Some may question and doubt, but I know that all things are possible through Him. (In case you haven't heard, He grew my leg last year!) And here's another story of God's healing at King's Arms. I actually know this guy, Joe -- he always comes for visitors' night at the Nightshelter and on more than one occasion we've run into him in town and he's treated us to coffee. He will be one of the first to attest that he has encountered Jehovah Rophe, and knows God is his healer.

I pray that all will have this revelation and know that God can heal all physical, mental, emotional and spiritual diseases, and encounter God like Joe and many others have!

Let's Get Started

Well, not really.
I just can't remember if I've posted this video before. I love it. The song and the skit. I watched it/heard the song zillions of times last fall, so it instantly takes me back those few months.

Let it grow, let it grow, let it grow . . .

So, my whole life my left leg has been a good inch shorter than my right leg (hmm...can you see where this post is headed?). I actually don't remember when I realized this fact. It was well into my teenage years, AT LEAST. Heck, my own mom didn't even know until I pointed it out to her two months ago as she was hemming some trousers for me. Within the past 4 or 5 years I've heard people tell tales of having one leg shorter than the other and them praying and it growing. I would always think, "Oh, that's great for them!" But I never thought about praying it for myself.

Let's fast forward to Sunday night. They asked for people to stand up who needed an impossible healing -- healing for something doctors have said there's not hope of healing. The thought crossed my mind - should I stand up? - but I thought better of it since I still wasn't experiencing any pain or discomfort from my oddity.

Now let's fast forward to Monday night/Tuesday morning. I was finishing my third and final night shift and I noticed a slight ache in my left leg - the shorter leg. Strange, I thought. I have a method of popping my femur - weird, I know, but it does make it feel better if there's some pressure on it. So I tried it, but the pain didn't go away. I suffered through the night and then stumbled home at 9:15 a.m. to sleep for a few hours before attempting to readjust to regular working hours. The pain was constant, but not unbearable, for the rest of the day. Wed morning I was as good as new . . . so I thought.

Every Wednesday a.m. we have Team Training. One week it's with just the Nightshelter team at the house, the next week at the offices in town with both the NS and hostel teams all together. I love Team Training. We had a guest speaker who gave a wonderful talk about Abraham's faith and how to remain faithful and believe in God's promises, even when you mess up like Abe did; but that's irrelevant to this post. At the end the speaker spent some time praying and prophesying over us. When he prayed over me he said I needed to know it was ok to pray for myself; I shouldn't discount myself. He said it's wonderful that I love to pray for and minister to others, but I needed to also take time out to pray into my own life. It was a good word, but I quickly ran off to do a cover shift at the hostel and it went out of my mind.

My friend Zoe prayed for me when we were covering at the hostel. A simple prayer for healing. She also prayed for my leg to grow. It didn't. By that evening my leg was killing me. I couldn't move or walk around much. I had friends over for dinner so it was nice just chillin' with them; it took my mind off the pain. I got some more prayer for the pain to go. It didn't. And for my leg to grow. It didn't.

But Thursday morning I woke up and felt back to normal! Praise God, the pain was gone . . . until I went into work that afternoon and had to make a trip to the shop. After the 15 min walk I was nearly in tears and limping like an old man. But I sucked it up, completed my shopping and walked back to the shelter where I continued to get the house ready for the evening (it didn't help that I was the only one officially on shift until 5:30). By 6:15 two other team members plus two volunteers were with me praying for the evening and the guys coming in at 7. I told them about the pain in my leg, so they prayed for healing. It didn't happen. They prayed for it to grow. My leg didn't so much as tingle. So I suffered through the rest of the night (but it was an awesome night 'cause I got to chat and pray with two of the residents!). I had hoped one of the residents would be bold enough to ask to pray for me and see something miraculous happen! Yeah, that didn't happen either.

So let's fast forward to tonight - Friday night. Around 9 Justyna and I were sitting outside enjoying a cuppa and chit-chatting. She had laughed at me earlier when she saw me limping around. So sitting out there I mentioned how I thought God was going to make me ask for prayer for my leg on Sunday, esp since the sermon will be about extraordinary healings. She asked if I didn't want to, and I said something along the lines of, Yeah, I guess I do. Full of faith, I am! Then she asked about the pain and if it hurt for real. Um, YEAH! Then she asked if I had prayed for myself. I just started laughing. 'Cause right when she asked that, I remembered the word that was spoken over me on Wednesday morning. Of course I hadn't prayed for myself! The thought hadn't even crossed my mind! So I told her why I was laughing and that made her laugh.

The thing about Justyna is we always have a great laugh when we're together. And it's rare we ever stop laughing long enough to have serious conversations (well, that's a bit of an exaggeration). So when she asked if we should "try out what the bible says" and pray for healing for my leg, I wasn't too sure she was serious. Esp since she was laughing as she said it. But abt 10 min later we stopped laughing long enough for me to show her the difference in lengths of my femurs. Even outside, in the dark, by the firelight, it was quite noticable. So she prayed a simple prayer for healing and for my leg to grow. Then I prayed a simple prayer for healing and for my leg to grow. We were fighting laughter the whole time, just 'cause that's the way we roll. But obviously God took us serious because when we opened our eyes and inspected my legs THEY WERE THE SAME LENGTH! Seriously! MY FLIPPIN' LEG GREW!

I kept walking and jumping around to see if the pain had gone, but it hadn't. But that didn't matter: MY LEG GREW!!!! I almost couldn't believe it -- it's still boggling my mind as I write this post! So I called a friend to come over, even though it was 10 p.m., so he could have a look 'cause he's one that had seen it before and had prayed for it. He definitely noticed the change. WHAT THE HECK?!

So the moral(s) of the story: God is a God of miracles! And when He tells you to pray for yourself, PRAY FOR YOURSELF!

Oh, and fyi, my leg still hurts. But I don't mind the pain now. It's just growing pains!

This one's for you, a.

It's called Desert Song from Hillsong.  

This is the story behind the making of the video:

No Hobbits Here

Since arriving in Bedford exactly three weeks ago, I've been hearing about the upcoming conference "Touching the Father's Heart" by Peter Jackson. No not the LOTR Peter Jackson; the Canadian pastor Peter Jackson who teaches about the Father Heart of God. Yeah, I hadn't heard of him either.

Well, at the last minute, as usual, I decided to buy a ticket. I'm working Fri and Sat evenings, so at first I didn't think I could go. But seeing as how it started on a Thurs I could go to that and seeing as how there are morning and afternoon sessions could go to those as well and just work the hours I miss later in the week.

Anywho, tonight was the first day of the conference and it was very powerful. Reminiscent of World Mandate worship time, just on a way smaller scale. And of course no James Mark. I had to get used to the more intimate setting, the three member band, and the fully lit room. But once I stopped worrying about man, I was able to focus on God and truly engage with him.

I'd say tonight was a rather charasmatic experience. Not necessarily nothing I've not experienced before, but definitely different. But there was just a powerful moment of lying on the ground before the altar, as a symbol of surrender to God. People responded in different ways -- some laughing, some shouting, some weeping, some just being still before the Lord. Only God knows everyone's heart, so who am I to say whether something that's different from what I've experienced is wrong? I personally left a nice puddle of snot and tears in my wake . . .

All in all, it was a good evening and definitely refreshing. I'm going to the morning and afternoon sessions tomorrow and the morning session Saturday. I'm excited about receiving a deeper revelation of how much my Daddy loves me, because then I'll have the confidence to do anything and to love without reservations.

Remembering His Promise

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favour
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion --
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
insead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of the spirit of despair.
They will be called OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of His splendour.

~ISAIAH 61:1-3

Yours

I thought this appropriate, considering where I'm moving next month and I've been wanting to take a trip to Africa for a while now.



I heard this for the first time on the radio this morning and I definitely had tears in my eyes. And it was neat 'cause KSBJ had a version that said, "Houston" instead of "Nashville." Also, I noticed he added in another verse at the end talking about how he's experienced the shadow of the valley of death that's caused him to question his faith. I would have cried even more had I known it was Stephen Curtis Chapman singing . . .

" . . . provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of BEAUTY instead of ashes, the oil of GLADNESS instead of mourning, and a garment of PRAISE instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called OAKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, a planting of the LORD for the display of his SPLENDOR."

Isaiah 61:3

Speaking of the Father Heart of God . . .

In My Arms

OK, so I don't have a baby, and even if I did I doubt it will have blue eyes or curly hair. HOWEVER, I love this song and just had to share it with ya:

Good Friday

Good Friday

by George Herbert

O my chief good,
How shall I measure out thy blood?
How shall I count what thee befell,
And each grief tell?

Shall I thy woes
Number according to thy foes?
Or, since one star show'd thy first breath,
Shall all thy death?

Or shall each leaf,
Which falls in Autumn, score a grief?
Or cannot leaves, but fruit be sign
Of the true vine?

Then let each hour
Of my whole life one grief devour:
That thy distress through all may run,
And be my sun.

Or rather let
My several sins their sorrows get;
That as each beast his cure doth know,
Each sin may so.

Since blood is fittest, Lord to write
Thy sorrows in, and bloody fight;
My heart hath store, write there, where in
One box doth lie both ink and sin:

That when sin spies so many foes,
Thy whips, thy nails, thy wounds, thy woes
All come to lodge there, sin may say,
'No room for me', and fly away.

Sin being gone, oh fill the place,
And keep possession with thy grace;
Lest sin take courage and return,
And all the writings blot or burn.


*********************************************

In this new season, I have no lofty words to share; no wisdom to impart.
My heart grieves for it's sad state: Apathy. Indecision. Restlessness. Selfishness.
Over the past 40 days I've done very little to reflect, to intercede, to cultivate.
The small sacrifice I have made seems meager and inadequate.
What can come from such an act? From sacrifice with no great follow through?
My finite mind thinks, "Very little."
But my spirit must look beyond and trust.
Trust that those prayers prayed in secret were heard.
Trust that the grace I've always experienced does not run dry.
Trust that this is the Year of Restoration.
For me, for my family, for my friends.

Incoherent thoughts that must escape

First, literature:

I love Anne of Green Gables. I forgot how much. I haven't seen it in well over a decade, so I was quite delighted when I went up to Waco and Bird and Brandi recently received it from Netflix. We started it Sat night and then I played the rest of it Sun after church. Even the kids seemed to get into it. I brought one of the books w/ me to work; not that I have ANY time to read. Just sit and day dream. Everyone rants and raves about Mr. Darcy while poor Gilbert Blythe is lost in the depths of literary memory. He's such a good guy, too!

Second, random:

Driving home last night I heard the author of Get Married on KSBJ. She was explaining how women, specifically, need to become proactive in their quest for marriage when they reach the "marrying age." Not to sit and wait for it to happen as we've done for years, but pray and seek out mentors to confide your desire in. To even look to older women/couples to make potential matches. Yeah, I'm not too sure how I feel about all that yet. It sounds a bit . . . desperate? But then again, I'm less than 3 years away from 30 and according to this lady my expiration date has been stamped and will soon draw near!

Finally, God speaks:

Powerful moment in church yesterday. During the sermon over Philippians 3 a man cried out and people started asking for a doctor. He had a seizure which triggered a heart problem. Everyone immediately started praying. Then the worship leader went up and led us in worship. I wept because I know I would want the same for my father. What better place for that to happen than a church where 1,000+ prayers will immediately go up on one's behalf and where the body of Christ will worship for you?

Then, I wept because just two nights before someone I know was sick in prison. Shaking with fever, lying on a concrete floor with only a thin blanket for warmth. Even the tinniest of medication was withheld. Some may say he got what he deserved for breaking the law and deceiving the people who love him. Some may say he deserves worse. But somehow, I don't think that's what Jesus would have said, or what He would have us say.

He who is forgiven much, loves much . . .

Then, I was angry. The people that should have been praying and worshiping on this prisoner's behalf were few and far between. When his sins were confessed there weren't 1,000+ there to pray and worship on his behalf. There weren't 100.

Then, I was assured.

The prayers of a righteous man avail much . . .

One is enough. And one is all you need in the darkest hours of life.

Unsatisfied

Last night I pulled out John Piper's Hunger for God from my bookshelf. It's been awhile since I've read it so I just thumbed through and scanned the passages I had underlined. One line is still burned in my mind:

GOD IS MOST GLORIFIED IN YOU WHEN YOU ARE MOST SATISFIED IN HIM.

Mercy, Lord! Forgive me for seeking satisfaction from other people, from the world and from STUFF. Thank You that Your mercies are new every morning! Thank You that I can seek satisfaction in You today, despite not turning to You yesterday.

That's a perfect label for how I've felt lately: unsatisfied. The contentedness that I so prided myself in having just a few months ago has seemed to have slipped away. I'm unsatisfied at work. I'm unsatisfied in my relationships. I'm unsatisfied with my inner self. I'm unsatisfied with what I have. Even that with which I have been blessed, I've taken for granted and become apathetic. Mercy, Lord!



Lamentations 3:21-26

21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

Yes

This is about the song, not the video. So just close your eyes and listen . . .

Um. Wow.

30 hours into my weekend and that's all I can say.

Wow.

Debs and I are having a blast together and it's cool showing her around Waco and filling her in on Antioch.

World Mandate has been phenomenal so far, and Debs has patiently endured being dragged all around the building in search of people and being forced to stay for the final (and late - look of the time, for goodness sake!) bits of wild worship. Sorry, Debs!

It's been 8 years since I've attended my first WM. Unbelievable. I see so many familiar faces I forget I'm not in college anymore. Then I see the current college students and can't help but wonder at how young they've suddenly all become. But it's amazing to worship alongside them. And it's even more amazing to get prayed over and not have a million overwhelming issues brought up. I'm not saying I'm perfect, just more whole than I was 8 years ago. What a great thing!

The themes for the weekend, both corporate and personal, have been fire and the fatherless. Not necessarily the two together, though. And I would further explain but I'm thinking sleep is very much needed at the moment. So you'll just have to stay tuned . . .

It's sounds so simple . . .

From the mouth of babes . . .

How can you believe in someone you can't see?

Terry asked this question many times while I worked in The Nightshelter. He's mischievous, to say the least. And a charmer. He's the class-clown; the kid who always misbehaves in class but the teacher can't seem to punish because he flashes his dimples and dances his way out of trouble faster than you can say, "Terry, shut up and sit down!"
Even though Terry went to church every week, he claimed it was only because he wanted free doughnuts and coffee. He and his buddies mostly did just stand at the back of the room and scoff at everyone. He thought we Christians were weird and always tried to ruffle our feathers. I'll admit that even though I've been a Christian for most of my life and was fortunate enough to grow up in a Christian home, it was hard to answer some of his questions. It still is.
Perhaps one of my most memorable moments at the Nightshelter was halfway through my time there. I was starting a grilling 11 hour night shift and the middle lounge was full of residents. There were about five different conversations going on about the same subject: Is there a God, and if so, how can you believe and do what He says? I told Terry I know God exists because I've experienced Him. Of course Terry rolled his eyes and tried to discount my experience. So I tried a different approach: "I know God exists because if He didn't my brother would be crippled in a wheelchair, if not dead." Terry was unconvinced and explained that my brother was just lucky.
Even though Fiona, my co-worker, was involved in a conversation across the room, she jumped in and told Terry he couldn't say that because he hadn't even heard my testimony yet. Terry then turned to me and said, "Okay then, go on." I was stunned that he was willing to listen, so I quickly spoke up, lest he change his mind. A few seconds into my story, I was shocked to realize that the whole room was quiet and everyone was attentively listening to me.
I explained how my oldest brother, David, got very ill when he was nine. My parents took him to a doctor and eventually to a specialist because the docs believed he had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. My mom took him to the appointment, and while he was being examined she sat in the waiting room that was full of parents and their sick children. She saw the kids at different stages of the disease, from relatively healthy-looking to those with shriveled-up arms and legs sitting in a wheelchair. Knowing that is what her son might face frightened her, so she moved to a different area and started praying. As she prayed, she randomly opened up her bible and immediately began reading a passage on healing. She prayed some more, turned to another part of the bible, and again her eyes fell on a passage about healing. She randomly flipped through her bible at least half a dozen more times and each time she read a story of healing. She knew in her heart that God was telling her He wanted to heal my brother. So when the doctor called her into the room and confirmed that David did have rheumatoid arthritis, she chose to believe what God spoke and not receive the doctor's words.
Mom and Dad continued to take David in for treatment, but they also gathered friends and family around to continuously pray. Days of prayer turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. At some point, my parents did stop taking David to the doctor and chose to keep praying and walk out in faith. It was a long, grueling process, but when they all ran into David's doctor at the store nearly a year later, the doc was baffled when he saw my brother and claimed it was nothing short of a miracle; he exclaimed that David should have long been in a wheelchair.
When I finished my story, the guys were nearly speechless. So was I. I mean, what can you say when someone is diagnosed with a sickness and then later miraculously healed?
I share this story because I've recently been asked again about my faith - why and how can I believe in someone I can't see, especially when life sucks sometimes. I am blessed because faith comes easily for me and it has been rooted in me since I was a child. I can never stray far without being reminded of God's goodness. So in those dark moments, in those times I can't hear or feel or taste or see that God is there, I look behind me, at the path I've just traveled down; and I choose to believe that the past will carry me to the future, that the past is only a foretaste of what is to come.