Healing

In the past couple of months our church has witnessed the miracle of physical healing in the lives of a couple of our members.This past week as I was preparing to preach I was confronted once again with Jesus instruction to his disciples to anoint and heal the sick in Mark 6. While working through that passage I received this testimony of God's healing grace in the life of a young lady I have never met, as told by her husband who I only knew casually for a brief time several years ago. I was very moved by the way God has worked in their lives and I know you will be to. They have asked to remain anonymous and so I have edited the original story to respect their wishes. I'm sure you will be blessed as you read.

Nancy's Story ...
After attending a friend’s funeral, my wife Nancy and I took a couple days at the family cabin to think and pray about life. I remember asking the Lord that if there was anything he wanted to teach us or to do in our lives, that we wanted Him to do it. Two hours later, while driving home a guy ran a stop sign and our lives were changed forever.

The accident wasn't that bad, but I could see there was something wrong with Nancy from the moment of impact. She was shaking and couldn't seem to coordinate herself. We went to the hospital and they gave her some pain killers and told me to take care of her. The fire department had used the “jaws of life” to bend our fender out from the tires so that the car could be driven home, and so away we went.

In the next couple weeks, I watched as her nervous system shut down. It became evident that something happened that was preventing her body from receiving certain messages, while at the same time she was receiving pain sensations from absolutely everything. The doctors put her on a cocktail of Demerol, methadone and other drugs that took away the girl I'd married and left me with a fragile and broken shell of who she used to be. Through the next few months, her mobility decreased to the point where we had to purchase a scooter. She could hobble around the house but she could not get around anywhere else. The final word from the specialist was that she would not be getting better. This was to be her life, and the sooner we got used to it, the better off we would be.

August 20, 2008 – the anniversary of the accident - came and went. Three full years of believing in a God who was able to heal but was choosing not to. At the same time our insurance company was stonewalling. We were spending hundreds of dollars a month out of our own pockets on naturopathic care, which was the only thing that was helping. I had been working my 40-50 hour week at my job, then picking up another 20 or so hours of side work just to keep our finances on track.

On the morning of August 23rd I came to my breaking point. I was trying to rebuild our home after a flood had left us with black mold. I wound up taking 7 months off work to renovate our home because we couldn't afford to pay anyone to do the work that was required. The day before, I received an entire truckload of windows for the house and didn't have a clue how to install them. All the guys who had promised to help me cancelled out and I was left to do it myself.

As Nancy and I visited that morning, she noticed that I was carrying a larger than normal chip on my shoulder. When she asked me why, it all came out. I told her I was sick of it all and I was tired of a God who is able to heal but won't. I ranted and raved and made a fairly large ass of myself. And then the girl who had every right to be upset told me that she refused to be upset at the Lord, but that His ways are perfect and even in this miserable situation she had seen me change from being self centered to being there for her. God was working and that she was confident that this was his will. Our friends who had told us that we had sin in our lives and insufficient faith were wrong. God allows suffering to bring about character we wouldn't otherwise develop. Over the next several hours we prayed through all kinds of stuff... and that's when we heard it...

Nancy looked at me and started to say something, and I told her, "I know, I heard Him too." We both heard a voice that said, "I am here to heal you today". I put my hands on my wife and started to pray because that's what was on my heart to do. As I prayed I could feel her being straightened back up and I could feel a heat and a vibration. When we were done praying, nothing seemed different. A few minutes later, Nancy hobbled to the bathroom and that's where she heard a voice say, "get up and walk." For 3 years, when she tried to lift her legs, they would only come up an inch or two, but when she attempted to lift her right leg, it came all the way up to her chest. She tried the left leg and the same thing happened. She called to me and I went and saw what the Lord had done.

 
For the first time in 3 years she was able to grab our sons, pick them up and hug them.That week we started dance lessons because she had always wanted to dance, and I figured, if you're able to dance, then I'm there. I can't even tell you all the things I have learned through the experience of those three years. We both agree that if we were given the opportunity to go back in time we would choose to go through it all again. What God did in us was worth the difficulties along the way.

In Honor of Father's Day

Well that day on the calendar has come and gone that is reserved for dear ole dad. Each year I dutifully look for some appropriate expression of my thoughts, but I always feel a little misrepresented by the store bought cards. Some are too sentimental, some try too hard to be manly while others attempt humor that just never seems to be truly funny. And so I sign my name to the best compromise I can find and hope that my dad knows that I'm thinking of him even if the words are a little goofy or sappy.

I think my problem with finding the perfect card is that none of them accurately represent my dad. He's never been a very sentimental guy although I know his feelings run very deep. I wouldn't describe him as macho although he has never shied away from hard work. When it comes to getting a job done he is the first one in and the last one out. He is not a humorist but he does enjoy a funny store or a clever joke and when he finds one worth telling he will do so with aplomb.


Those things in which Dad found significance are probably the things that have shaped my adult life the most. He loved God. He worked hard. He served others. He was faithful to his commitments. Each one of those simple statements could be developed more fully but I'll refrain for now.

A year ago I had the privilege of taking Dad with me to Poland. It was a trip of a life time for him and he participated fully. Whether it was the long flight, unfamiliar food, the interaction with students at Graceland Ministries, the visit to Wawel castle, the 700 steps at the salt mines in Wieliczka and the sobering day at Auschwitz, he took it all in stride.

Probably the memory of that trip that will live longest with me was when one morning at our group devotional time Dad lead out in prayer. It was a prayer like I had often heard him pray when I was a kid, but not for quite some time as an adult. It wasn't that it was profoundly worded or well organized - it was my earthly father speaking to our heaven father about the things that concerned him. His family, scattered all over the continent, ministries and missionaries that he has followed for years, friends who were sick or facing difficulty and so on. Somehow his words were like anchors or a foundation that connected me strongly to the past and the heritage of faith that has become mine.

As my dad reaches his mid seventies he shows very few signs of slowing down. His life is still filled with ministry and purpose just as it always has been. On the phone a few weeks ago dad asked, "So when ya goin' back to Poland?" I know the unasked question was "Do ya think I could go along?" Absolutely - anytime.

Thanks Dad, for your life, your love and your faith.

Planting and Harvesting

Sunday evening, after a very full day, I potted a couple of tomato and pepper plants for our patio. It's not really a garden, but hopefully it will give us a little taste of freshness sometime latter this summer. Monday morning I looked out the patio window at my pots with their 6 inch plants and jokingly reported to Ruth that we still didn't have any tomatoes as if I had expected they would appear over night.

That's not how growth and maturity happens, is it? It will take many weeks for my plants to grow to maturity, for the blossoms to appear and then for the fruit to form and ripen. So it is in our spiritual life. We have to plan and prepare for growth. The planting that is happening in my life right now will bear fruit weeks and month from now as the seed germinates and the resulting growth is cultivated and nurtured. The fruit that is maturing in my life right now is the result of seed that was planted sometime in the past.

As partners with God in the sowing of seed in peoples lives, we need to be looking for the fertile soil - the place to sow that God has prepared. Where is that in your life? What is it that God has specifically called you to do at this time? Where will you sow your seed? Where will you participate in the harvest?

If you have read this far why not hit the comment button and leave your thoughts. Let's work together for the harvest.

What is the Measure of Your Love Quotient?

We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. So the question is, “How are you doing? Do you love God today with your complete being?“

We want to say, “Yes”, but we recognize that in our spiritual development we are still woefully shy of perfection. One of our LifeGroups wrestled with this recently and I have had discussions with a few of the group members. Here are a few of my thoughts coming out of that discussion.

Sanctification is the process by which God changes us to become more life Jesus and less like the world. In the process of sanctification God presents us with challenges to change and grow spiritually. As we accept those challenges and allow him to work his character into our lives we are changed. He increases our capacity to respond in loving obedience every time he adjusts our character to become more like his.

A real life example can be drawn from our missionary friends – Jay Bowyer and Colette Ladan. Both were career oriented ladies, each having success in their respective companies. They were involved in a small group in their home church that was studying this very concept. As a group they were of responding to the challenges that God brings to their lives to grow in their Christ-likeness. The members of the group decided together that they would be obedient to God and spent two weeks of their vacation time working with a camp in the country of Poland. While the two week mission was a significant step in obedience it was really the first step of many that saw Jay & Colette resign from their corporate positions and move to Poland to begin to pursue that to which they believe God has called them.

That’s usually how God works in our lives, leading us step-by-step, challenge-to-challenge, as he works his nature into our lives. God is leading us toward holiness and away from sin. Consider someone who is convicted by God of their own self-centered attitude. Their response to God’s challenge may be a very small first step in doing something for others – a simple cup of cold-water action. But that action awakens in them something significant and soon they are serving like they have never served before. Pretty soon their service has become habitual and the godly character of sacrifice has replaced the sin of selfishness.

These are examples of what I mean by the increased capacity that God gives to us so that we can love him more completely. With all the capacity we have we should be able to say I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. As we honestly respond to God’s growth challenges that come into our lives we will discover that next week or next month I will be able to say with greater understanding and a greater depth of experience that I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.

I'd like you to meet Mike Breen

We are on a journey. All of life is a journey, of course, but as a church and more specifically a leadership team, we have been on a journey for the past 9 months or so. Through a fairly circuitous route, God has lead us to learn from and be mentored by 3 Dimensional Ministries (3dm).



This organization, lead by writer, teacher, pastor Mike Breen has a great deal to teach us about what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ. The tools they are supplying us with are fantastic and the coaching is excellent. I would like you to get a sense of what God is teaching us by reading Mike's blog. Start here and read up through the posts of the past several weeks and see if God does not stir a longing in your heart.

Don't forget to post your thoughts.

Getting creative about a Sabbath rest

This past Sunday I spoke about God's design for creation to have rest and restoration through a regular pattern of Sabbath rest. A member of our church who heard that message sent me an email and asked, "In order to make a living and support my family, I'm required to work every other Sunday and there's really nothing I could do to change it. How does today's sermon apply to someone in a situation like mine." That is a great question and has implications for many in our congregation so I thought it appropriate to answer it here.

One of the big points of the passage we studied on Sunday (Mark 2:23-3:6) was that the principle of the Sabbath is more important than a legalistic approach to Sabbath keeping. I suggest you find another chunk of uninterrupted time that you can spend with God on the weeks when Sunday mornings are not available to you. Download the Sunday sermon from the website and allow God to speak to you just as he would if you had been able to gather with us.

I also spoke about using the Sabbath rest to sure up our covenant relationships, namely our relationship with God, our spouse, our children, and our church family. On the weeks when Sunday is not available to spend refreshing those relationships find another time. If you have another day off in the week, make that your Sabbath day. It is really more about finding the time and then reorienting what you do with that time. Be intentional by thinking about which of your relationships is getting your attention during your time away from work.

And finally, find time to be with other church friends where you can have deep, meaningful interaction. This could be with members of your LifeGroup or ministry team. Just make sure you are being open about how you are growing spiritually and listen to others to prompt that same openness in them.

To listen to the above referenced message of 05/08/11

Two things that amaze me ...

I continue to be amazed by two things - first, that God provides for his people through the systematic teaching of his word and second, the casual and sometimes willful way that we neglect His provision.

Planning a preaching schedule and listening to God for what he has for his people is an exciting journey. Despite our best efforts, it is impossible to see what may be coming in people's lives. Yet week after week the topics and scripture texts that are chosen weeks and months in advance become exactly what God will use to speak to someone's life. That is both exhilarating and sobering.

The disappointment for me is when those to whom we minister take such a casual approach to their attendance in Sunday worship. It thrills me when in my preparation I see the needs of individuals being addressed by the text. How gracious of God to lead me to a text that will address specific need in someone's life. I wonder if He is as disappointed as I that they missed what could have effected their growth and spiritual development.

Saturday Morning at Panera

My Saturday mornings at Panera Bread have almost become a habit. After I drop Ruth off at work I make my way next door, order a coffee and find my regular table. I open my laptop, check my email and then spend some time tweaking my sermon for Sunday. (Let's be honest - sometimes it is actually finishing my sermon - thankfully it has never been starting my sermon.)

I find that the buzz of humanity around me is a great background as I think about presenting my message to real people with real lives. I'm sure every person who presents regularly - teachers, preachers, motivational speakers - all ask this question from time to time; Do my words make any difference in the real world where our people live?

As I sit here this morning, I'm over-hearing a group of guys sharing together in an accountability group. They are talking about their failures to regular have a devotional life, one dad is struggling with help his son to learn to save money, another talking about his job difficulties.

A few tables away a ladies study group is winding up and the ladies are involved in friendly chit-chat. Apparently they are all from different churches but once attended the same church - one where a friend of mine is on staff. There's a story there I'm sure, but I don't really care to know.

Around the room are friends quietly talking over coffee and a bagel, others (like me) are lost in their laptops and some even hold a real honest-to-goodness book as they sip their beverage. Saturday mornings at Panera are just a cross section of this community - not that different from the folks who I will stand in from of tomorrow morning.

As much as I would love to keep spilling my thoughts I really need to get back to my conclusion of 1 John. There will be a bunch of real people hoping that I have found a way to bring a practical application of truth to their lives, or at least that's what I think they're expecting.