As many of you know, Benjamin has had growing issues all of his life - even before birth. His first year of life he barely squeaked by meeting minimum requirements. Then he had one little growth spurt between 12 and 15 months growing two inches and two pounds tipping the scales at 32 inches and 19 lbs.
Ten months later, at his second birthday, Ben is still the same size. His growth and weight gain have completely stopped. We know he has some food allergies, suspect several more food intolerances, and there has been some speculation toward endocrine system issues. However, we don't have any real answers.
For about six weeks, I asked close friends and family to fast for Ben and on Sunday, October 3rd, I felt led to ask that Ben be administered to. I know that Ben was healed that Sunday morning, but it was not in the way any of us expected. We were expecting his growth issues to be resolved, but the Lord reached out and touched his brain instead.
Ben always marched to his own drum. He didn't always care about playing with other kids and was sometimes difficult to engage - he was very good at ignoring people.
After he was administered to, I noticed that Ben was much more interested in playing with kids, easier to engage, and more affectionate. Before he would shy away from people touching him, almost like their hugs hurt. Now he leans into hugs and back rubs and initiates many more.
I knew I saw a big difference in Ben, but couldn't really explain what I saw - especially because his social skills had never been evaluated as poor. I prayed the following Wednesday morning, thanking the Lord that He had healed my son, but also lamenting the fact that I couldn't put the exact healing into words. I was sad because I wanted to glorify the Lord, but didn't know what to say. I asked the Lord to show me how Ben was healed that I might share the testimony and He might be glorified.
That evening, Chuck and I went to a parenting class that started their subject talking about brain function and brain development. The speaker mentioned that three outward signs to healthy, ready-to-learn brains are: eye contact, touch and presence. In that moment, I realized these were the changes I'd seen.
Babies gaze and grin that their parents and Ben never did that. Even as a toddler, he didn't really look at me. He's looking at me (eye contact), smiling, saying "mama" so I'll look at him. And again, he's much more affectionate (touch) and easier to engage (presence). He's now present, ready to play and ready to learn.
I'm so thankful that God had mercy on us and touched my son in the way He saw fit. I know we still have questions to answer, but God is patiently leading us and we are thankful to be held in His safe hands.
It's humbling to see the God of the universe heal your child. I am very thankful for His grace and excited to see how He will continue to move in our lives. We are so blessed that our Lord loves us enough to walk with us. Glory to God.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The Return of Testimony Tuesday
I must apologize to our readers. I have been a negligent blogger. For the last several months, I've barely been keeping afloat with my day-to-day responsibilities. I didn't want my life to be simply surviving so I asked for administration. I asked that the Lord would bless me and help me to spend more time seeking His Kingdom and not feel so overwhelmedd by daily duties. The Lord has truly blessed me and here is my attempt to bring Testimony Tuesday back to the forefront.
Testimonies are always so encouraging. It's amazing to see God's hand move in our lives both in big and small ways. So, here is a testimony from Susan Mauck. I hope you enjoy it!
The Protection of Jesus
In the winter of 1979, I found myself alone with time on my hands. Jack had gone to Jefferson City to take the state veterinary boards, and was staying with his brother Bill for a couple of days. I went to visit my uncle who was then in the hospital because of a car accident; he needed to talk to my Dad about some things, so I called Dad and that’s when this testimony began. During those days Dad always railed against me being a Christian. I never brought it up, but it seemed as if he couldn’t stop himself. During this particular conversation, Dad began to tell me that my God was: Selfish, arrogant, a warmonger, hateful… the list of horrible negative words seemed endless. My heart was broken! I began to cry—somehow I managed to end this nightmare of a conversation—and wept uncontrollably. All I could think was how much I loved Jesus, and how badly I must be portraying Him. I either had to figure out what I was doing wrong or never speak of Him again.
I called an elder who I have a great deal of love and respect for, and he told me to come right over. When I arrived I poured out my woes to him and his wonderful wife. I then received an administration. Many of the words of this administration have been lost in my memory; however, the most important part remains indelibly etched in my brain. I was told that as the years go by I will have greater discernment over the enemy of all righteousness, and that I will be given greater power over Satan.
I could then see that the conversation with Dad didn’t have anything to do with anything I had said. It was Satan’s fight against me using the prejudices my Dad held for churches in general. Over the years I have had many significant encounters with the enemy. I could fill at least a booklet with my testimonies, but I want to share the latest extraordinary blessing God gave to me.
In August of 2009, Jackie, Ben, (daughter &10 month old grandson) and I were to take a trip to visit my Mom who has cancer. Now Mom and I have never had a good and stable relationship for two reasons. Mom has been jealous of my relationship with my Dad (they have been divorced for over 40 years, and Dad died in October of 2008, but it was still an issue). And, the unfortunate truth is that my mom also fights against Christianity in general, and therefore, me in particular. Many of our conversations have been dotted with barbs against
Dad and Christianity. My mother is a follower of many beliefs, and has a lot of different statues in her house. I often think of Paul writing in the 17th chapter of Acts about the people of Athens who had shrines and temples built to all kinds of gods. Paul then tells them about the “unknown” god. Our concern while visiting was our spiritual safety.
We arrived on a Thursday evening and immediately the barrage began. The first words Mom spoke to me were against Dad. During the course of the next hour dozens of negative things were said to me and at me. I couldn’t imagine how I could get through 2 more days of this. We went to our hotel and had prayer and discussed the situation. Ben got up at about 5:00 am for a bottle, and Jackie and Ben went back to sleep. I could not go back to sleep, so I began to read scriptures (don’t leave home without them) and pray. During my prayer I was given the words to pray, and could see what I was praying about as the words spilled forth. For my precious grandson Benjamin, I was to pray that an Angel with a flaming sword would stand over him continually. I was shown as I prayed that Jackie and I were to go to Mom’s in humility and the grace of Jesus Christ. And that the angels of God were to go before us in the strength and power of Christ and send the demons that reside there to the corners and to their statuary. It is important to understand that the demons had a right to their strongholds, but that Christ has all power, and that we as His children have the right to His mighty protection. We went to Mom’s and had two peaceful wonderful days. Much was accomplished in healing my relationship with Mom during our stay. We were given two days of joy and fellowship.
We left Saturday evening for Phoenix as our flight home was early on Sunday morning. My niece and her daughter were visiting Mom too, and they stayed for an extra day. Her report to me when she got back was that “all hell broke loose” on Sunday. Everyone who came over was loud and contentious. All of the people in the household were fighting. This went on for at least eight hours, during which time she went to her room and locked herself in.
I am so grateful to God for His tender care and protection over us. May we all continue to grow in Christ, and continue to see His mighty hand in our lives. Jesus is all powerful—He alone can save us.
Testimonies are always so encouraging. It's amazing to see God's hand move in our lives both in big and small ways. So, here is a testimony from Susan Mauck. I hope you enjoy it!
The Protection of Jesus
In the winter of 1979, I found myself alone with time on my hands. Jack had gone to Jefferson City to take the state veterinary boards, and was staying with his brother Bill for a couple of days. I went to visit my uncle who was then in the hospital because of a car accident; he needed to talk to my Dad about some things, so I called Dad and that’s when this testimony began. During those days Dad always railed against me being a Christian. I never brought it up, but it seemed as if he couldn’t stop himself. During this particular conversation, Dad began to tell me that my God was: Selfish, arrogant, a warmonger, hateful… the list of horrible negative words seemed endless. My heart was broken! I began to cry—somehow I managed to end this nightmare of a conversation—and wept uncontrollably. All I could think was how much I loved Jesus, and how badly I must be portraying Him. I either had to figure out what I was doing wrong or never speak of Him again.
I called an elder who I have a great deal of love and respect for, and he told me to come right over. When I arrived I poured out my woes to him and his wonderful wife. I then received an administration. Many of the words of this administration have been lost in my memory; however, the most important part remains indelibly etched in my brain. I was told that as the years go by I will have greater discernment over the enemy of all righteousness, and that I will be given greater power over Satan.
I could then see that the conversation with Dad didn’t have anything to do with anything I had said. It was Satan’s fight against me using the prejudices my Dad held for churches in general. Over the years I have had many significant encounters with the enemy. I could fill at least a booklet with my testimonies, but I want to share the latest extraordinary blessing God gave to me.
In August of 2009, Jackie, Ben, (daughter &10 month old grandson) and I were to take a trip to visit my Mom who has cancer. Now Mom and I have never had a good and stable relationship for two reasons. Mom has been jealous of my relationship with my Dad (they have been divorced for over 40 years, and Dad died in October of 2008, but it was still an issue). And, the unfortunate truth is that my mom also fights against Christianity in general, and therefore, me in particular. Many of our conversations have been dotted with barbs against
Dad and Christianity. My mother is a follower of many beliefs, and has a lot of different statues in her house. I often think of Paul writing in the 17th chapter of Acts about the people of Athens who had shrines and temples built to all kinds of gods. Paul then tells them about the “unknown” god. Our concern while visiting was our spiritual safety.
We arrived on a Thursday evening and immediately the barrage began. The first words Mom spoke to me were against Dad. During the course of the next hour dozens of negative things were said to me and at me. I couldn’t imagine how I could get through 2 more days of this. We went to our hotel and had prayer and discussed the situation. Ben got up at about 5:00 am for a bottle, and Jackie and Ben went back to sleep. I could not go back to sleep, so I began to read scriptures (don’t leave home without them) and pray. During my prayer I was given the words to pray, and could see what I was praying about as the words spilled forth. For my precious grandson Benjamin, I was to pray that an Angel with a flaming sword would stand over him continually. I was shown as I prayed that Jackie and I were to go to Mom’s in humility and the grace of Jesus Christ. And that the angels of God were to go before us in the strength and power of Christ and send the demons that reside there to the corners and to their statuary. It is important to understand that the demons had a right to their strongholds, but that Christ has all power, and that we as His children have the right to His mighty protection. We went to Mom’s and had two peaceful wonderful days. Much was accomplished in healing my relationship with Mom during our stay. We were given two days of joy and fellowship.
We left Saturday evening for Phoenix as our flight home was early on Sunday morning. My niece and her daughter were visiting Mom too, and they stayed for an extra day. Her report to me when she got back was that “all hell broke loose” on Sunday. Everyone who came over was loud and contentious. All of the people in the household were fighting. This went on for at least eight hours, during which time she went to her room and locked herself in.
I am so grateful to God for His tender care and protection over us. May we all continue to grow in Christ, and continue to see His mighty hand in our lives. Jesus is all powerful—He alone can save us.
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