Kingdom Concerns In Medical Practice -- Dr. David Thorrez

Help from the Great PhysicianBefore I go to work, my goal is to always pray and connect with the Lord before I even leave home. In daily prayer, I should remember my co-workers and their needs, my patients and their physical, emotional and spiritual needs including their need for a compassionate ear and excellent care.

Sometimes I’ve had to ask the Lord to help me love a particular patient or parent. Like “Jerry”, a teen, who I had a hard time relating to because of several negative parts of his personality and how they rubbed me the wrong way. After praying for the grace to love him, I found myself genuinely glad to be his doctor and wanting to do everything I could to help him.

There was a time in the last few years when I realized that I was not thinking of my patients as I should. I began to beg the Lord every day to change my heart to be more like His in how I thought of my patients and to give me His love for each one. The Lord started to show me, without my trying to do anything on my own, that this child or that teen was like Him in certain aspects, and I could treat that patient as one of my “favorite” patients.

Many of the people that I come in contact with – for me this is especially the parents of my patients – are not only stressed but hurting. Bruised reeds. I have to be very careful not to injure them any more but to be like Jesus: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench.” Is 42:3 and Mt 12:20.

Environment Where I work is important. It is better to be in a place with at least one other Christian to relate to.

Having a Bible or 2 in the waiting room as well as in patients’ rooms sets a tone along with Christian magazines and literature alongside secular magazines. Bulletin boards can notify readers about Bible studies and special events like “Hosanna”.

The Christian approach to sexuality must be reflected in the choice of handouts offered and books recommended for parents and teens. Focus on the Family has many “perfect” resources for both teens and parents. www.focusonthefamily.com

Benefiting from Kingdom partners Coworkers are critical for all of us. If you want to start praying with some of the people you work with but don’t know how to start, go to Hospital Christian Fellowship www.hcfusa.com . They have been around for 70 yrs and they can give you lots of seasoned wisdom on getting started with prayer, Bible studies and fellowship whether you are a clerk, janitor or nursing supervisor.

It is very easy for all of us to be critical of co-workers who “don’t know” what you think they should know or don’t act the way that someone with their responsibilities should respond. Don’t criticize but first you have to talk to the person involved yourself.

Encouragement is one of the chief things that we are called to do. Is 61:1-8 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted. . . . to comfort all who mourn. . . to give them oil of gladness in place of mourning, a glorious mantle instead of a listless spirit. See also Luke 4: 16-18

Role models have been very important to be. I’ve been privileged to & inspired by working with Drs. Dan Heffernan, Win Fox, Ellen Gryniewicz, Phil Fleming, Chas. Leland, Deb Boyer & Dan and Lisa Benz.

I’ve learned a lot as well from nurses I’ve worked with: Becky Giszczak, Kathleen McCarren. Having been visibly surrounded by “so great a cloud of witnesses”, I know I have been in a privileged spot to see God working.

Acting in Jesus’ place Jesus never turned anyone away! How can I say ‘No, you don’t have insurance and I won’t see you’?

God has called us to be in special place in the lives of people who have needs. We are to be His vicars – His deputies, acting in His place and called to follow the Spirit’s leading in our touch on the image of God in each person.

Sources for more information WWW.cmda.org.com (Christian Medical Dental Assoc) see their section on Prescribe a Resource a list of resources for patients struggling with various issues.

Create in me a clean heart -- by Mary Denise Curran

Through the Word of God Community, we have experienced a people, chosen by God.  We are blessed beyond measure to have friends who know the Lord and seek to follow Him all of the days of their lives.   Through the spirit of friendship, “koinonia” … (a word I heard for the first time in a Word of God teaching given by Peter Williamson), I have glimpsed the hind’s feet on high places and been touched by the Presence of God.  I pray that every member of the Community past and present be touched by the Fire that has blazed through the heart and soul of the Community to Vince and me. It’s eternal, Life-giving Life-sustaining.   When we arrived in Michigan in 1997, fourteen years ago, we had no idea of what the Lord had in store for us. That’s a story for another day.  Seven glorious years later of living and learning how to flourish and thrive and to live Life in the Spirit, we returned home.   While living in your midst, we learned that we needed to be pruned, stripped, changed, healed, die to ourselves and trust God.  We also learned that we  needed to be revived, brought back to life and cared for by God Himself so that we could learn how to do things God’s Way. We needed to learn to turn to God in all things we needed to learn to be humble before our God if we hoped to receive the miracles that God desires for us.  Psalm 51 describes so well what God desires for each of us and how to receive what God desires to give us.  Our sacrifice is a broken spirit…a broken humbled heart. God hears us when we come before Him, take responsibility for what we have done or failed to do and throw ourselves on God’s Mercy. As I read, I realized that each line has come to life for us as we have learned to live Life in the Spirit. “Create in me a clean heart” are the words of the Curran family crest.  I include most of Psalm 51 because of the Power that flows through them. God desires to restore His Life within us …no matter how we have sinned. TRUE LOVE, the nature and essence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit loves us back to life…if we open ourselves and let them in.      

                                                Psalm 51      Verses 1-19

A psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.

For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight

That you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn.  True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.

Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my inmost being teach me wisdom. Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash me, make me whiter than snow.

Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt.

A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.

Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit.

Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit. I will teach the wicked your ways, that sinners may return to you.

Rescue me from death, God, my saving God, that my tongue may praise your healing power.

Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise.

For you do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering you would not accept.

My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.

 GLORY to God!

Mary Denise

Once A Hippie, Now Just Happy!

By Pat O. I WANT TO SHARE PARTS OF MY STORY WITH YOU BY RELATING IT TO A VERY FAMILIAR SCRIPTURE PASSAGE OFTEN REFERRED TO HAS THE “LORD’S PRAYER” WHICH OF COURSE IS MORE CORRECTLY TITLED THE “DISCIPLE’S PRAYER” GIVEN TO US BY THE LORD.

I want to share parts of my story with you by relating it to the very familiar Scripture passage often reffered to as ‘the Lord’s Prayer’, which, of course, is more correctly called ‘the disciples’ prayer’ – one given to us by the Lord Jesus.

To do this I will either have to go through the Lord’s Prayer out of order, or share some of my life experiences out of order… and seeing as how you probably don’t know the chronology of my walk with Jesus, it may be less confusing to you if I leave the Lord’s prayer in order… and share my experiences out of order…

MT 6:9 "This, then, is how you should pray: " `Our Father in heaven,

What image comes to mind when I say the word FATHER? Doesn’t our experience of “father” greatly influence how we see God the Father? I was fortunate… to have a father who was always “for me”…. But as happens to all earthly fathers, he died in 1980 about a year and a half after I married and eight months before the birth of my first son, John. I was deeply involved at the time to a committed group of good Christians at the time and found lots of support…. However I began to really miss him more about 1987 when my family had grown and we had discovered John had Asperger’s Syndrome (making normal family life impossible), at the same time my wife was paralyzed with chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic depression, and the wonderful Christian group I had invested 15 years of love and service to was going through a divorce… (two main leaders were both sure they knew which way Jesus wanted the group to go… and it was not the same way…so they parted company). This, of course, left all of us in the group forced into the painful position of either following one or the other or neither…

It was in the context of all this internal and external turmoil that I found myself at a prayer service feeling completely overwhelmed with no one to turn to for comfort. We were singing the song “Lord I lift your name on high”… and I was crying out for help to the Father… the load in my life was just too great… I knew I couldn’t make it by myself…. And as I poured out my heart… God’s fatherly presence seemed to approach me from behind; I felt a firm, but gentle touch on my right shoulder and heard these words in my heart… “I know how hard your load is right now. Do not be afraid, it will be OK because I will be there for you as you press on each day.” The dread and heaviness I’d just been groaning under vanished. I was once again confident about my ability to face the future.

hallowed be your name, The Pine Lawn angel… The year was 1965. My mother had been gone 2 years. My father had just remarried Gertrude. I was a lost, grieving, confused, angry 15 year old. It seems Gertrude’s mother had died which to me only meant the pleasant surprise of a day off the pain of school to go to a funeral in NYC and a burial out on the Island at a huge cemetery called Pine Lawn. Our limo was first to the graveyard, so to kill some time I headed to the plotting house where I was told I’d find a restroom.

As I started down the few stone steps in front of the house, I noticed a lengthy inscription on the building’s wall in gold letters. Glancing at the first few words “One Solitary Life- He was born in an obscure village. He worked in a carpenter shop until he was thirty. He then became an itinerant preacher….”

About this time I lost interest and started down the steps again only to be riveted in place by a brilliant light just to the left of the inscription and a voice of command coming from somewhere within “Keep reading.” So I read a few more sentences now having to squint to see the letters because of the degree of brilliance at the left of the message. My rational mind attempted to explain away the strange phenomenon. I thought, “this brilliance is just the sun coming out from a cloud.” I turned around to verify my deduction. There was the sun shining brightly in the clear, cloudless sky. The command hadn’t stopped, “Keep reading”. I turned back to the more brightly shining wall and finished the message which ended,

“…and all the kings that ever reigned have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that One Solitary Life.”

At the final word the light was gone and I was released to wonderingly stumble into the restroom, sit down and ask myself, “What was that all about?”

Not until years later did I figure out that God so loved Pat O’Connell that he sent an angel to make sure I didn’t miss some important basic truths about the coming of Jesus. Today I carry in my wallet the complete message I encountered on that wall just in case the topic of angels seems to fit into a conversation.

MT 6:10 your kingdom come, … Promise Keepers …Indianapolis IN. 1993 Very wounded by the “divorce” our group was experiencing, and thus skeptical of all “Kingdom activity” as well as being still tinged with a bit of carnal charismatic pride, I set off to Indiana to find out if this upstart group called Promise Keepers was perhaps a move of God. To it’s credit the leader Coach Bill McCartney, before leaving for Colorado, had at one point been involved in a charismatic Men’s breakfast sponsored by our community. But I wasn’t really too sure about whether this men’s movement was really of God or of man. I would take some real convincing.

The first few sessions were OK. Good teaching, heartfelt recounting of personal conversions and a healthy call to men to turn from the world’s agendas for their lives. I was moved by the host of male voices (40,000) singing great church hymns like “Holy, Holy, Holy”. But God used another song sung with great conviction by these 40,000 voices to convince me that this was truly an expression of His Kingdom. The song, “This little light of mine” sung by this room full of grown men in response to a call to make a difference in our daily environments, I felt could only be the result of the presence and working of his Holy Spirit.

your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The battle of the “wills” in Rochester, NY Spring 1971. Still angry, lost, confused and getting very tired of living in this condition. Having finished 3 years at the U of Mich. I was even tired of the girl-chasing game. It seemed that I always ended up looking in vain for an impossible combo deal. A girl my age who could be both girlfriend & mother to me. The result was always the same. Short lived unfulfilling relationships.

Then I met Susan. She was attractive to me for totally different reasons. She talked as if she had a connection with God who she referenced in making daily decisions. My initial curiosity quickly gave way to a desperate “I must have this” as I began hungering after the imagined security of being in relationship with God. My thinking was simple. I must convince Susan to stay in relationship with me long enough for me to discover the secret of how to talk meaningfully to God. I began with a relationship “test”. Would she agree to a motorcycle ride from college in Ann Arbor, MI to Chappaqua, NY (my hometown)? Yes, she would! But on the way something went terribly wrong and it dawned on me in Rochester, NY that she was not going to stay around after landing in Chappaqua, but would continue on her personal journey without me. Devastated, not by the loss of a potential boy/ girl relationship, but by the conviction that I may never find another person who could lead me to God, I gave up all desire to live.

Imaging for a minute if you REALLY believed that the only reason you are alive and breathing is because you continue to want to live. If you truly believed this which, due to my study of psychology and my estimation of the power of the mind, I REALLY did, it follows that death would result from a firm decision to abandoned your desire to live.

Despite this belief system, as I contemplated life without getting to know God vs. death, I chose death. Accordingly I shut my eyes and relinquished my will to live. Instantly a bottomless dark pit opened to my right, and I was struck with the thought, “Give up you life and you’ll sink into this pit of oblivion. Are you sure you want to do this?” Not being one to go back on a firm decision, I stubbornly held to my resolve and began to sink slowly into the pit. At about 4 feet down, still clinging tenaciously to my decision not to go on living, I stopped sinking. Someone or some force was in that pit under me refusing to let me sink. What did this mean? Well, if I didn’t want me to live, and I was still living, if must be that someone with a will stronger than mine did. AND If that someone (it was beginning to seem to me that this might just be God) wanted me alive against my will, he must have a reason for my existence. Was I disappointed? Not at all, I was overwhelmed with gratefulness that comes from knowing I was known and wanted, as tears of release and joy followed for the rest of the night. MT 6:11 Give us today our daily bread. -- The Texas angel story

Have you ever been convinced that your limited finances just aren’t going to be sufficient to meet a financial stress? Far from home, in the summer of 1993 on a cross-country family pop-up camping adventure with six in the Ford van, my eyes roamed the barren northwestern tip of Texas in vain for a Taco Bell, or a McDonald’s. Buying the van and the pop-up had cost more than anticipated, so our plan was to camp, stay with friends, and live on car snacks and a daily fast food restaurant stop. But as 2:00 p.m. approached and six stomachs growled louder, I finally veered under a Texas Steakhouse sign and apprehensively parked the rig, praying we’d find something like a kid’s meal on the menu. No such luck, and even ordering conservatively I could feel the total cost mounting beyond the cost of several Burger King meals. I tried hard to conceal from my family the level of anxiety I felt. The meal winding down, I approached the register bracing for “sticker shock” and was greeted by a waitress wearing a curious smile. “Oh, sir, there is no charge for your family’s meal. That gentleman who just left paid your bill.” MT 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Back to the saga of our group’s divorce. Between the years of 1988 and 1994 those of us who hadn’t physically left were pretty much just “going through the motions” of our Christian lives… Why? Because of disillusionment and self-deception. Most of us had joined the group as young idealistic Christians, sure of our leaders’ love for God and for our well-being. We were by and large simply convinced that we had a formula that couldn’t fail to produce holy, content, mature Christian living. We had all made a public commitment to put God, and His ways first in our lives. We expected our leaders to study Scripture and teach us how to apply it to our daily lives. We were ready to let our lives be distinct from those around us and accept any ridicule that may come of it. We were all empowered by the thought that God could use us to be an example of how disciples of Jesus could live today in peaceful loving relationships with each other and worship together despite our different denominational affiliations…. And for 20 years or so He was pleased to let us do just that… And then we began to think too highly of ourselves and we began substituting relying on Jesus with relying on a set of godly principles.

I and many in our community had fallen far short of this passage in Philippians. PHP 2:1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Lord, forgive us, for we have sinned. Lord, forgive me, for I have sinned!! I, who claimed to know the Way to live the most pleasing Christian life, have been sitting in judgment on my brothers and sisters… On YOUR Sons and Daughters!!!! OH GOD CAN YOU FORGIVE ME???? - - And then I heard, as if for the first time the voice of Jesus answer, “Yes, I forgive you.” Oh the sweet freedom of knowing I was forgiven!!! MT 6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ' -- Jesus shows his power over my fear of death and the god of Pot. A new believer’s life is filled with paradoxes as they learn to trust God’s word and not the habitual responses developed over time. One moment he may be praising God for all he’s worth, the next a harsh word from an acquaintance elicits a disgusted, profane retort. At once he may be talking with a female friend about the wonderful thing Jesus just did and be lusting after her body in his heart.

Such was I in the winter of 1973. Driving a co-worker home from our work at a restaurant late one night, I suddenly stopped to avoid hitting a human body lying on a main Ann Arbor street. It appeared that a van stopped at my right may have just struck this pedestrian. Being asked to go call an ambulance, we sped off to do so. After the call and both still feeling shaky my coworker went about lighting a joint and handing it to me. Knowing I shouldn’t probably be accepting his offer, I accepted anyway to avoid not looking cool or making him feel awkward. Bad move. At the first evidence of the drug’s influence, the somewhat uneasy feeling from seeing the dead looking body on the ground exploded into a suffocating, fear-filled, overwhelmingly oppressive experience. I barely got the words “Gotta go!” out of my mouth as I ran for the door foolishly thinking a dash from the house into my get-away car would distance me from the experience of spiritual oppression I’d opened myself to. I tried to drive to no avail. Still suffocating from the awful weight of this oppressive spirit which is perhaps best labeled fear of death or death itself, I pulled over unable to keep driving. From somewhere deep within I remembered being told that the name of Jesus was given to believers to thwart the work of the devil. So in a pitiful, feeble voice I croaked, “Jesus”. Instantly the degree of oppression lifted slightly and seemed hover roof-level getting ready to attack again. But that small retreat was all the encouragement I needed. In a loud, somewhat frantic, turning to victorious voice I kept repeating “In the name of Jesus, get out of here!” Soon I was free to drive home in the Joy of the Lord.

Upon reaching home Jesus showed me my unresolved anger at God for allowing my Mom to die 12 years earlier was the cause for my being so susceptible to this satanic attack. Getting out of the car and onto my knees I finally accepted God’s sovereignty over the issue of Mother’s early, unexpected death. I went to sleep ready to face death unafraid knowing in my spirit that death turns out to be the doorway to real, eternal life.

A Nurse's story, Hearing the Music of Heaven

By Ann B. The reason I am writing is to confirm the authenticity of Betty's experience [hearing of heavenly music at a prayer meeting], though you don’t need my confirmation.  But my heart is rejoicing, so I will tell you of it!

One night, almost twenty years ago, I was pool nurse assigned to a hospital ward I had not worked on before.  They gave me a patient who was in the process of dying, a process that had taken a long time.  Her belongings indicated she was a Christian but no one visited her.  She was barely conscious but slightly aware of my presence.  I asked God to allow her to die on my shift so she would have a prayer companion and did my best to make her comfortable.  Out at the desk, the joke was I was the one who would be "stuck" going to the morgue, a not very pleasant task.  I made loud joking comments that I didn't want to go down to the basement morgue in a strange hospital, etc., even as I inwardly begged God to let this woman, an elderly black woman named Mary, to die with a Christian near her.  My other patients were not difficult so she was my main concern.

By the grace of God, my midnight relief nurse came early, and I gave her report very early and then we both went in and cared for the dying woman.  I had called her family and they had just arrived.  She died. Her family wept with both of us there.  Because I had already given report, the night nurse said she would take the body to the morgue if I would just ready it.  This was an honor. This left me with the two young nurse aids who had cared for this woman for months. I could talk to them and even console them. They were grieving.  We talked about heaven and saints, and God's love and good death.

As I walked out of that hospital, I felt I was floating in God's presence.  I spent a long time praying in the car before I went home.  I was singing in tongues and the experience was entirely different.  I was singing alto!  I am an alto but have never had the knack to sing harmony to the soprano melody. I could that night and I am going to be able in heaven. I heard a melody and I knew to sing a harmony and it was beautiful.  I felt that the beautiful starry night had opened up to heaven and somehow I almost heard the music my sister, who was before Jesus, was hearing. Though I cannot, twenty years later, describe the interludes and choral arrangement as Betty T. does now, I know I could then. She has heard that same music! It was clear music, music that if I had enough musical knowledge I could write down. Though Betty may regret not sharing at the meeting, I thank her for doing her job of listening to that music because that was far more important! The Language of God upon her overwhelmed her.

I hope you can follow what I am going to say, Phil. It is a little loose but I think it is important.  There is a reason God lets us sing together, and sing in tongues! Music is the language of heaven.  Music relates to the mathematics of sound vibration.   We are a science and math family and we like to say math is God's language.  We like the t-shirt that says, "Then God spoke and said, "E=mc2". The forces of creation are mathematical.  Mathematics describes and determines not just chemical and physical reaction, but even growth of plants and cells.

Steve and Joanna [husband & daughter] build wind chimes tuned to famous music chords (like Moonlight Sonata) by figuring out the mathematics of music and metal vibration. Math takes the left brain tools of hard metal and drill press and saw and combines it with the right brain impulse of wanting to hear the chords of a favorite song gently sound on the night breeze.  It is math, Steve and Joanna’s shared language and the language of God, which pulls together engineering and manufacturing of items.  In the same way, music often pulls together the art of a film or stage, which is sound and light.  Excellent writing or speaking has a musical quality.  Color, the vibration of light, follows strict mathematical and almost musical rules and is an essential part of the visual arts.  When we are singing in tongues, God is literally working creativity within us.  When we meditate on Him and see His visions, He is speaking that language to us that makes clarity between impulse and tool.

The Holy Spirit is within all creativity and all the forces of creation.  Some of us are all impulse and desire and need to connect with the tools God wants us to have.  Some of us are all tools and skill but need passion and focus. Many of us are stuck doing things just to do them; using the same tools over and over in the same old way. We need to consider His way. God is training and disciplining others to do His will properly; molding them in His image. Some follow their own passions and own interests and almost seem to declare their own will holy. Yet it is the foolish and the little ones in the eyes of the world that often hear His Voice and know His will. The Holy Spirit wants to do something NEW.  He wants us to do HIS WILL. He wants our attentiveness. What a grace to sing in tongues. What a grace to listen to Him.

I heard the music of heaven because I had the practical skills to help a woman die.  By the grace of God, I had the opportunity to attend to her and be with what He was doing with her. This touched me so deeply that I will never forget it. I have not had many opportunities in nursing since, and I might not work in that capacity again.  If God caused me to learn nursing just to ready me for the day that I might hear that music again, it was worth all the work! Steve and Joanna created a wind chime with their knowledge of metal and music. A foolish silly thing to do perhaps but it clinks in the backyard.  It touched my daughter so much that I think it may define her career as an engineer.  May God use that career to His glory.

We must attend to what God is doing that we may learn to do His will.  The kingdom of heaven is all around us. It is as real as the chimes hanging in my yard, or a body that needs washing and wrapping for the morgue, or the colors of a spring flower. Who knows but today we will have an experience thrust on us that calls us to attention on God, what He wills, what He does.  When I called a nursing agency for a chance to earn a little money, I did not expect to hear heaven!  When Joanna started to work on a wind chime, she did not know God was pulling together a passion for music and math into a career as an engineer. Betty did not know as she prayed in tongues at what must be her two thousandth prayer meeting, that she would hear the harmonies of heaven.  He is calling, He is new, and He is eternal.  Our whole purpose is to Know, Love and Serve Him in this life and be happy with Him in the Next.  We must pay attention!  Like the eyes of a servant upon the Hand of Her Mistress, so focus on Our Lord and His Gestures of Love.

Ann B.

Classical Musician -- Jesus Has Done It ALL

By George A. For all intents and purposes my upbringing was secular. I participated in the local Episcopal Church. I was even an acolyte for eight years. But despite the trappings of Christianity I couldn’t really see much of Jesus.

My childhood was extremely lonely. I entered school with a vocabulary that was large and an interest in sports that was tiny. I was outcast and tormented. I entertained fantasies of carrying a machine gun to grade school and mowing people down. It was that bad. During this period I heard Malcolm X say, “We love people who love us, but we HATE those who hate us!” This made much more sense to me than the Sermon on the Mount.

I did find some solace in music. If I didn’t find close friends there, I at least had some companionship in the ensembles. I became very interested in the operas of Richard Wagner. His huge 4-opera cycle, “The Ring of the Niebelung” became a parable about humanity itself. Without going into a detailed synopsis (the operas total about 14 hours of stage time), I will say that a war starts in the first opera and is not concluded until the end of the fourth—at which point the world ends! The world Wagner created had no God, no final authority who stood above it all and could stop the conflict before all was lost. Instead, all the combatants are destroyed. This makes room for a new world order based on Love. I had suffered enough at the hands of my contemporaries to be at least as cynical about mankind as Wagner seemed to be.

Then I went away to college. Shortly after I arrived I was contacted by a member of Campus Crusade for Christ. I was asked to be part of a survey. The man also showed me the Four Spiritual Laws leaflet. It was there that I heard for the first time that Jesus had a personal interest in me. I tearfully accepted Him at that point.

Still, I had doubts and frustrations. Anyone can see the ground beneath his feet. It can be felt as well. But with the Lord I seemed to be dealing with an intangible or something just out of reach. This sent me on a search that took me into at least one church that nauseated me. WASN’T THERE SOMETHING I COULD LATCH ONTO? SOMETHING THAT NO ONE COULD EVER REFUTE?

During this time I became acquainted with a neighbor in my dormitory who was active in a group that met on Thursday nights. Most of them were “speaking in tongues.” I did not object to this phenomenon. I just could not see that there was anything special about it. My neighbor then began to use the lowest tactic of all: He PRAYED that I would come to a Word of God prayer meeting. Eventually I did. But I was not taken to the “Explanation Room.” Thus I was puzzled when I heard “singing in the Spirit.” (It wasn’t in the songbooks.) And when I heard my first prophecy, I all but panicked— “He’s here! He’s in the P.A. system!” Yet by the end of the meeting I was moved to tears—tears of Joy.

Two weeks later I was back, and once again I cried. But something happened. I stopped crying. An overwhelming sense of Peace had blanketed me. This was not the mere absence of conflict. There was something positive, something Loving about. When I signed up for the Life In The Spirit Seminar that night, it was as though someone was graciously asking me to come. I soon realized that this was the SOMETHING I had been seeking for 1-1/2 years. My life has not been the same since. It has not been a life without pain and problems, but it has been a life lived with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I would recommend being baptized in the Spirit to all Christians.

P.S. In recent years the Lord has healed most of the damage done by my grade-school classmates. I still have no desire to see most of them, but the rage is gone. The Sequel/Conclusion

In 1995 at Easter-time I directed three ensembles. One of these appeared at the Community Easter celebration. We did a simple hymn that was well received. Yet, to me, the performance was a disappointment. I wanted to perform a more impressive (and much more difficult) piece by William Billings: “The Lord is Risen Indeed”. As it happened, there were too many problems. (e.g., I knew I was in trouble when one of my singers asked, ”What is this squiggly thing here?” Note: The “squiggly thing” was a quarter-note rest.) You may recall that I wrote about my frustrations in a letter that was printed in the Community newsletter. With the benefit of 8 years of hindsight I can now offer at least a partial explanation why the Lord allowed that performance to turn out the way it did.

In the last 2-3 years something finally sank into my soul as never before: THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO BE DONE. JESUS HAS DONE IT ALL. I have lived most of my life as if I were in a race with a moving finish line. It was always one step ahead of me. Another was of expressing it would be:

I am not acceptable (or lovable) unless __________________________ is accomplished. I have filled that blank with all sorts of things. Weightlifting, skydiving, tough clarinet solos just to name a few. Without realizing it I had taken that same approach to the music group. Our Lord, in His Wisdom and Love, restrained my effort.

Once again: THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO BE DONE. JESUS HAS DONE IT ALL. And I cannot thank Him enough.

George A.

Teenager: He Is Real!

By Mark G. I was born into a Word of God family. My parents took me to church, to prayer meetings, sent me to Christian schools and even gave me and my brother a Life in the Spirit Seminar when I was 9. But all this stuff didn’t really make a whole lot of sense to me. I didn’t understand why we went to all these things or why all these people like my parents got so excited at these prayer meetings. I knew it was about God, but I didn’t get it. I just didn’t see what the big deal was.

When I was 10 my brother and some of his friends started holding a kids’ version of The Word of God prayer meetings during the adult sessions. I wanted to see if I could make sense of what was going on, so I went. These little simple prayer meetings were my first experience of real understanding of God. Things began to click in my mind about who God was and what it meant to be a Christian.

In 1995, when I was 12, I went to Pine Hills Boys’ Camp for the first time. I had heard a lot about how cool the prayer meetings were and how God came and all. It all sounded very strange and far-out to me. I was really surprised by the military style of the camp, and even more surprised by the prayer meetings. In them I could see people getting affected directly by God. I can’t remember how much I personally experienced, but at least I saw the reality of God.

I think it was that autumn that my family first visited the Toronto Airport Vineyard. I remember seeing all that was going on and thinking, “This is really weird.” People were doing and saying all sorts of crazy things. I remember getting prayed over, getting “slain” in the Spirit and then getting “holy laughter.” That was my first tangible experience of God’s presence. I felt so loved. But I still didn’t “get it.”

The next spring I was preparing for Confirmation in my church. My grandfather, Bobbie Joe Cavnar, came up to visit my family and he prayed over me. I had gone through the Life in the Spirit Seminar, but the gift of tongues really had not worked for me yet. So my grandad prayed over me and taught me some simple things and the Holy Spirit showed up and I started speaking in tongues! That was pretty cool, but the teachings I was receiving at Confirmation class still weren’t fully comprehensible to me.

At our pre-Confirmation retreat I remember praying over one of my friends with Father Ed. I was holding out my hand to pray, but Father Ed took my hand and placed it on my friend. That single action spoke to me about how real the power of the Holy Spirit is. So I got confirmed, which was cool, but I needed something more. I got the Life of St. Francis by St. Bonaventure and began reading it along with the New Testament. I also received a little wooden cross, which I began wearing around my neck everyday and did so for the next four years.

Then I went to Pine Hills 1996. I was ready for it this time. I didn’t let the military stuff bug me too much. I wanted to go to the prayer meeting to see if God was there. At the prayer meeting Peter Herbeck spoke excitedly about giving your heart to Jesus. I remember him holding his hands like a cup and lifting them up to Jesus. That night some people were praying over him and I knew that this was the time. I either had to give my whole life to Jesus or there was no point in believing in God or going to church. I had to give everything to Him. So I cupped my hands and lifted them up, with my heart as an offering to Jesus. I remember the person praying for me whispering in my ear, “Jesus has seen and accepted your offering.” That was the greatest turning point in my life. God was no longer a thing I “didn’t get.” He was real. He was alive and he knew me and wanted me to know Him.

He is still my only Lord.

Mark G.

Healing Neck Growth -- Keith Dwyer

In March of 2009 I noticed a small growth on my neck. Initially, I thought it was a pimple and that it would go away. When it grew and began looking ugly, my wife encouraged me to have my doctor look at it. He said that it appeared to be a keratoacanthoma growth. In most cases, keratoacanthoma grows rapidly, is benign and disappears within 6 months, usually leaving a scar. He said that it some cases, however, this type of growth is cancerous (squamous cell carcinoma) and should be quickly dealt with. He ordered a biopsy to be taken a few weeks later. I subsequently saw my chiropractor for something unrelated and she advised against the biopsy in favor of a homeopathic treatment of oil of oregano (a natural antiseptic) applied directly to the growth. Well, I was a bit torn about what to do, but prayerfully cancelled the biopsy appointment.  I had to cover the growth with a band-aid so others wouldn’t have to look at it. My wife was still concerned about cancer, so I was happy to hear that Tom Naemi was coming to our prayer meeting to pray with people for healing. I received prayer and felt the presence of the Lord immediately. As Tom prayed he said, “You don’t have cancer.” He continued to pray and said something to the effect that this growth would be gone within a week. I felt a lot better about the situation and continued with my treatment. The growth appeared to be shriveling up and within four days it dropped off. There appears to be no scar. I believe that I am healed. Praise the Lord!

Carol Kean -- Newsletter Testimony, June 2006

“What eye has not see and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him”                       1 Cor 2:9

When Phil asked if I would write something for the newsletter about what the Lord has been doing in my life I said “Sure, I’d be glad to.” Every time I tried to begin I was stopped dead in my tracks. I can’t do this! It hit me this weekend that what was wrong is that it is not my story at all. The story belongs to God and the faith community.

This is a love story between an individual and a people of faith. God has revealed himself intimately and powerfully through the gracious mediation of individuals, through The Word of God community, Renewal Ministries and Christ the King Parish - and I am blown away!

Can I pray with you? Have you ever thought about the fact that an offer to pray with someone might just change their whole life? Last Fall I joyfully returned to fulltime status as a student at Sacred Heart Major Seminary after a long siege of serious illness. After the first week one of my classes was moved to a newly renovated classroom equipped for videotaping.  The chemicals given off by the carpeting and the adhesive were inflaming my lungs and I struggled to breathe.

Dr. Peter Williamson, my professor for Johannine literature, asked if I would like to pray for healing. As Peter prayed over me, all of the things that had been burdening my heart were lifted off in one great act of mercy and forgiveness. Part of the prayer was about how much Jesus loves me and wants to heal me. I couldn’t quite grasp it. “Maybe everyone else, but not me. I am not a saint but a sinner.” The spiritual healing was so amazing that at the time I was not aware of anything else.

Going back in my journal I wrote:

I walked out of the seminary with a marvelous sense of lightness and literally the breath of God. I have not struggled to breathe this afternoon. I am drawn deeper into relationship with Christ and the unfolding mystery of what God has designed for my life. I am humbled in the face of God’s revelation.

I couldn’t wait for the next class period to come so that I could report back the good news of the healing miracle! “The most amazing thing has happened! I can breathe - but the chemicals in the room are still making my lungs burn.” Peter again offered to pray for healing and immediately the burning in my lungs ceased and has not returned. In the next journal entry I wrote:

I am filled with such peace and joy, awash in the quenching water of life. This sacred space, this holy ground is food for the journey. I revel in the delight of the Lord and know beyond any doubt that I am being led - where and to what I do not know but what God begins he always blesses.

I have never experienced such powerful prayer. I am healing at many levels and I am reduced to silence in the face of awe.

I am home About a month later during prayer for healing I was baptized in the Spirit and my life took a radical turn in the Lord. I asked Peter what kind of a faith community sustained the kind of faith and power of healing that he possessed. He told me about Christ the King parish and The Word of God community.

When I attended the first Mass at Christ the King my only response afterward was “I am home.” Here was a faith community whose worship was in harmony with their living faith.

Welcome to the family The next great event was an invitation to come to a Word of God prayer meeting. So many expectations of who God is and how God is had already been transformed and here came another one! I remember how amazing it was to be welcomed into the community with such incredible warmth and love, sight unseen, just because I am a daughter of the Lord! Marsha looked out for me as a sister (and she still does).

The whole community is a reflection of the Father’s love for his bride and the worship and praise slowly began to transform my life. The faith of the community is so confident and joyful in the Lord that the intimate relationship that began with the first healing prayer took on a new shape with an outward movement. In those early weeks all I seemed to be able to say was “I had no idea! I really had no idea!” The Bridegroom’s love for his bride is astonishing!

Letting God be God What God began in September he has deepened without letting up. God continues to reveal himself and manifest his glory without any merit on my part. The formerly shy and quiet woman of old, through God’s outpouring of love, will now sit beside a perfect stranger waiting for an oil change or a passenger on an airplane and start talking about Jesus.

What I have discovered through the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit is that lives are transformed before our very eyes when we let God be God. Recently on a trip to Colorado I prayed with my Aunt that the Holy Spirit would lift a heavy burden from her and give her wisdom and peace. The answer was immediate and profound. While in Colorado I received a call from a friend of my mother’s that a long time acquaintance suffered a mishap during surgery and that they were on the way to the hospital to take him off life support. When I hung up the phone I immediately prayed to the Lord who knows all and can heal all that if it be God’s will “Lord you can turn this situation all around. Show your glory Lord!” Two days later she called back to say that when they got to the hospital, her father sat up and asked what everyone was doing there! 

In the powerful words of Nathan Mitchell:

If you hope to become part of God’s reign, you must let yourself be overtaken, knocked breathless, by a Presence, a Reality you can neither invent nor control. In a word, you have to open your life to the holy violence of conversion - a tumultuous experience that is liable to leave you feeling drenched and exhausted, as though the seas had seized, swallowed and spat you back alive on the shore. Newborn and salted, you sense that nothing looks the same, nothing can ever be the same.

(The Kingdom of Justice Modern Liturgy Oct. 1991): 8)

Giving is the key The living water that Jesus promised continues to gush up to eternal life. Through The Word of God community I have learned that the only way to keep from drowning in the gushing water of grace is to keep giving it away. The faster you give, the faster it comes. I have learned is that when we ask God for more (more grace, more courage, more abundance, more intimacy, etc.) that God’s “more” is far more than we can even imagine. Just when I think that I should not come before the Lord pleading for his intercession one more time, he surprises me with himself.

And this is why, my brothers and sisters, I had trouble even beginning to write to you and share my experiences. When I realized that it is all about God and you, about how you have reflected God to me and the might and power of your presence in my life, THEN my eyes were opened and my heart was able to pour itself forward in praise and honor of the one who loves us beyond his own life. And all that I can offer you is thanks, simply and humbly - thanks. Praise be to God on high!”

“I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, ...

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.

O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,

restored me to life from among those who gone down to the Pit.

...You have turned my mourning into dancing;

you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.” 

                  Psalm 30

Grace abounds! The Spirit of God has blown into my life with such a mighty force that I need the community, which knows that it is all about God, and nothing about us. It is so crystal clear that it is God being God in God’s way. And how marvelous to have an avenue for genuine, unadulterated, unabashed praise of God! Thank you for your continued welcoming and encouragement.

God is calling me forth in powerful ways and I try to remember that he wants me to simply stand before him in faith and trust and confidence. It takes a community to raise each of us to holiness. I thank God for you in my life and the life I have been given through you in the Lord.     

I can breathe!

By Carol K. Have you ever thought about the fact that an offer to pray with someone might just change their whole life? Last Fall I joyfully returned to fulltime status as a student at Sacred Heart Major Seminary after a long siege of serious illness. After the first week one of my classes was moved to a newly renovated classroom equipped for videotaping.  The chemicals given off by the carpeting and the adhesive were inflaming my lungs and I struggled to breathe. Dr. Peter Williamson, my professor for Johannine literature, asked if I would like to pray for healing.

As Peter prayed over me, all of the things that had been burdening my heart were lifted off in one great act of mercy and forgiveness. Part of the prayer was about how much Jesus loves me and wants to heal me. I couldn’t quite grasp it. “Maybe everyone else, but not me. I am not a saint but a sinner.” The spiritual healing was so amazing that at the time I was not aware of anything else. Going back in my journal I wrote:

I walked out of the seminary with a marvelous sense of lightness and literally the breath of God. I have not struggled to breathe this afternoon. I am drawn deeper into relationship with Christ and the unfolding mystery of what God has designed for my life. I am humbled in the face of God’s revelation.

I couldn’t wait for the next class period to come so that I could report back the good news of the healing miracle! “The most amazing thing has happened! I can breathe - but the chemicals in the room are still making my lungs burn.” Peter again offered to pray for healing and immediately the burning in my lungs ceased and has not returned. In the next journal entry I wrote:

I am filled with such peace and joy, awash in the quenching water of life. This sacred space, this holy ground is food for the journey. I revel in the delight of the Lord and know beyond any doubt that I am being led - where and to what I do not know but what God begins he always blesses.

I have never experienced such powerful prayer. I am healing at many levels and I am reduced to silence in the face of awe.

About a month later during prayer for healing I was baptized in the Spirit and my life took a radical turn in the Lord. I asked Peter what kind of a faith community sustained the kind of faith and power of healing that he possessed. He told me about Christ the King parish and The Word of God Community. When I attended the first Mass at Christ the King my response afterward was “I am home.” Here was a faith community whose worship was in harmony with their living faith.

The next great event was an invitation to come to a Word of God prayer meeting. So many expectations of who God is and how God is had already been transformed and here came another one! I remember how amazing it was to be welcomed into the community with such incredible warmth and love, sight unseen, just because I am a daughter of the Lord! Marsha looked out for me as a sister (and she still does).

The whole community is a reflection of the Father’s love for his bride and the worship and praise slowly began to transform my life. The faith of the community is so confident and joyful in the Lord that the intimate relationship that began with the first healing prayer took on a new shape with an outward movement. In those early weeks all I seemed to be able to say was “I had no idea! I really had no idea!” The Bridegroom’s love for his bride is astonishing!

What God began in September he has deepened without letting up. God continues to reveal himself and manifest his glory without any merit on my part. The formerly shy and quiet woman of old, through God’s outpouring of love, will now sit beside a perfect stranger waiting for an oil change or a passenger on an airplane and start talking about Jesus. What I have discovered through the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit is that lives are transformed before our very eyes when we let God be God.

Recently on a trip to Colorado I prayed with my Aunt that the Holy Spirit would lift a heavy burden from her and give her wisdom and peace. The answer was immediate and profound. While in Colorado I received a call from a friend of my mother’s that a long time acquaintance suffered a mishap during surgery and that they were on the way to the hospital to take him off life support. When I hung up the phone I immediately prayed to the Lord who knows all and can heal all that if it be God’s will “Lord you can turn this situation all around. Show your glory Lord!” Two days later she called back to say that when they got to the hospital, her father sat up and asked what everyone was doing there!

The living water that Jesus promised continues to gush up to eternal life. Through the Word of God community I have learned that the only way to keep from drowning in the gushing water of grace is to keep giving it away. The faster you give, the faster it comes. I have learned is that when we ask God for more (more grace, more courage, more abundance, more intimacy, etc.) that God’s “more” is far more than we can even imagine. Just when I think that I should not come before the Lord pleading for his intercession one more time, he surprises me with himself. And this is why, my brothers and sisters, I had trouble even beginning to write to you and share my experiences. When I realized that it is all about God and you, about how you have reflected God to me and the might and power of your presence in my life, THEN my eyes were opened and my heart was able to pour itself forward in praise and honor of the one who loves us beyond his own life. And all that I can offer you is thanks, simply and humbly - thanks. Praise be to God on high!”

“I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, ...

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.

O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,

restored me to life from among those who gone down to the Pit.

...You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.”                     Psalm 30

Grace abounds! The Spirit of God has blown into my life with such a mighty force that I need the community, which knows that it is all about God, and nothing about us. It is so crystal clear that it is God being God in God’s way. And how marvelous to have an avenue for genuine, unadulterated, unabashed praise of God! Thank you for your continued welcoming and encouragement. God is calling me forth in powerful ways and I try to remember that he wants me to simply stand before him in faith and trust and confidence. It takes a community to raise each of us to holiness. I thank God for you in my life and the life I have been given through you in the Lord.

Carol K.

Finally Opening to Jesus

By Betty B. The telephone rang late one evening. It was our neighbor saying that they had found a house and were putting their house up for sale. They wanted us to know before the "For Sale" sign went up. I felt awful but what could I say. I thanked her for letting us know. The neighborhood was changing. Over the past year or so, one by one the "For Sale" signs had gone up and our neighbors had sold their homes and moved out. With each family leaving, I felt worse and worse. The last call left me feeling bereft and devastated. These were my friends and I knew that we wouldn't have much contact anymore.

The next day, I realized that I was feeling abandoned, without a friend in the world. My self-esteem was zilch and I considered suicide but knew that it was not an option. I yearned for God. But God seemed far away. I knew I had to do something. So I did the only thing I could think of to do. Aloud, alone in our living room, I said, "Okay God. I'm giving my life to you" and called around until I found some volunteer work to do.  Over the next several years I volunteered for Child and Family Services and later for the Homemaker Service which was actually a part of Child and Family Services. Over a number of years I tried to do what I thought God wanted me to do. I also became more active in our church.

Finally, my work with the Homemaker Service came to an end. Soon my church asked me to be on the Hunger Task Force that was being organized to educate our congregation to the realities of hunger in the world and to find ways to help alleviate it. My worldview at that time was "Yes, we need to help feed the world's hungry people, but only after we feed ours first." I went to the first meeting where I expressed these thoughts. One evening, between the first and second meeting, I suddenly was seeing, as through a porthole, a rice field with people in conical hats working in it and I knew with my whole being that I was seeing the world through God's eyes and that everyone was entitled to their fair share. My worldview had changed 180 degrees. I wanted to change the world, starting with my family. I wanted to feed them rice and beans, but of course they rebelled.

Then I had the worst month of my entire life, or so it seemed. I was not one to see the pastor about my troubles, but I kept having to go talk with him.  One day he asked me how come I was so involved in the world. I knew he was right but at the same time, I suddenly realized that that when I had given my life to God, it was just my outside-the-home life.  My home life was in chaos. At that point, I gave God my home life as well, and everything changed. Suddenly, the Bible, which hadn't made sense to me, suddenly opened up and became the most fascinating book in the world. I spent hours reading it and praying. I soon began to hear God loud and clear and I knew that my life had changed forever.

Still, I spent several years seeking people who knew "my language," as I thought of it. I met some wonderful spirit-filled people and enjoyed their friendship. Then I discovered some young people in my church that spoke "my language." They were part of the The Word of God community, and some wonderful friendships and relationships developed with these young people and their friends. One day we were invited to a dinner put on by The Word of God. It resulted in our becoming part of the community.

One Sunday, several years after becoming part of the community, we were at a prayer meeting at Pioneer High School. The group was singing a rousing chorus of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Suddenly I found myself crying out to God that I didn't want to be left behind. I was hearing God tell me that my salvation was in danger. I didn't know why. I asked around but nobody seemed to know either. I thought that maybe I should learn more about Jesus.  I tried reading the Gospels with this in mind but nothing happened.

Several months went by. Then my husband and I went to a denominational conference at Messiah College in Grantham, PA.  At one of the seminars, the pastor was telling how he was an illegitimate child, and I found myself sobbing and I couldn't seem to stop. Finally, a couple of people put their hands on me and I knew they were praying and I was finally able to stop sobbing. It was a very embarrassing experience. I talked with the pastor afterwards but he wasn't able to help.

Later, that summer, the Methodists were having their Aldersgate Conference in Kalamazoo, MI. The Rev. Francis McNutt (a former Catholic priest who had a healing ministry) and his wife were to be there and I wanted to hear them. So my daughter and I made arrangements to go on Saturday. We both enjoyed the conference but nothing spectacular happened. That evening, on the way home, I suddenly realized that the Lord was telling me that I was like an illegitimate child. I still didn't know why but decided I had better talk with our pastor. On the following Monday, I went in to see our pastor and told him my story. He listened carefully and then said that John 1:12-13 had come to mind—"But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." RSV

I finally knew that God was saying that I had never received Christ, though I knew I was filled with the Holy Spirit, and heard God speak, sometimes loud and clear. My pastor did not offer to pray with me. I went home knowing that if l was to receive Jesus, He would have to do it Himself because I didn't know how.

That afternoon, the sun was shining so warm and bright, I walked into my living room and suddenly realized that Jesus was coming up my walk. I couldn't see Him but I knew He was there. He came to the door and knocked and I opened the door and invited Him in. That is the story of how I finally received Christ into my heart.