Aaron and I had bought an old two-story, 2600 square foot house that had been vacant for a couple of years and started renovating it. It was in sorry condition. In many years of neglect, the yard had become a mess. We hired someone to help us design what would look nice, then we started in. We landscaped. Expensive!
Then we started inside. The kitchen was original, I think. We gutted it and got a new kitchen. Then we pulled up the carpets and refinished the oak floors and just went room by room and redid the whole house, plumbing, electrical, everything.
Through the course of this Dane was born. We had been there almost five years, had almost finished the whole house, when God woke me up one morning and told me to sell the house. Wow, no God, please, it has taken us almost five years to get the house the way we want it. But, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was He speaking to me. I woke up Aaron and told him. He said the same thing about taking five years and all most done, etc. Then he said, "We only have two or three small things to do, let's finish and put it on the market." We did.
We started praying about where God would have us move. I was in real-estate at the time and immediately started looking. We looked in Independence, Lees Summit, Blue Springs, really everywhere. We started making offers.
The second family through our home bought it. We negotiated that we would be able to stay in the house for a month after it closed. We were feverishly looking. And making offers, good offers, not low-dollar. But each one, for one reason or another, never came close to being signed.
My dad wanted us to move to the lake by them, but Aaron and I were city people and didn't want to live that far out of town. But, dad kept insisting that we come look at a lot down the street from him. So one Sunday we drove out and after lunch went to look at the lot. It was not at all what we wanted. Then he insisted that we go talk with Mrs. Wren (her family owned the lake). We called her, she was so sweet and asked us to come over.
Oh my! We drove up into her drive. She had a three-story New England Colonial. We had just sold our two-story New England Colonial. We talked about her house and the house we had just sold. Hers had the same floor plan, just bigger. We really hit it off well. She brought out huge maps of the lake and put them out on her twelve-foot dinning room table. She showed us a couple of lots that she would sell us. Aaron and I knew nothing of the lake except right where Mom and Dad lived. Mrs. Wren had one lot just four doors down from them. I knew right where it was. It was solid forest, you could not even step off the road. She said that at our expense we would have to make sure there was enough square footage to meet city codes and that there was enough fall to attach on to the sewer. But, she would sell it to us for $3,000. What a deal. I knew a surveyor and a plumber. And it had plenty of square footage and just enough fall.
We began frantically looking for a floor plan. I worked with several builders and had huge piles of house plan books. We looked through them many times trying to find one that we liked. None of them seemed right. Then one morning, I had awakened and was sitting in bed praying. As I finished, I reached down to the floor and picked up one of the books that we had been through many times. I flopped it open, there was the perfect floor plan! I called Aaron and told him that I had found a floor plan. He didn't ask anything about it, just said, "Call and order the plans."
We moved just the necessities into a very small two-bedroom apartment and everything else into storage. We started building almost immediately. I had never contracted a house before, but God knew how. He went before us each step of the way.
Val brought out his big 944 and a skid loader. He taught me how to run both of them and the two of us cleared the lot and dug the basement.
The framers said they would knock off money if we would keep the house cleaned out, so each evening Dane (just turned two) and I would go clean and sweep out the mess the builders had made that day. Dane would pick up all the nails and I would pick up the wood scraps. Then we would sweep. We had a good time doing it. We got him a little hammer and taught him to hammer the nails into Styrofoam.
When the finish carpenter said that he needed the fireplace insert, I got in the car and headed to the fireplace store in Lee's Summit. I pulled into the parking lot, sat there and prayed, "Please show me, Lord. I don't know anything about fireplaces." I walked through the store and came around to the door. I had not heard God speak, so I asked him again. Then I started walking again. As I walked, one seemed to stand out. I asked the price. It was just what we had specked for it. I paid for it had it delivered.
A year after we moved in, my dad came running down the street. He asked what kind of fireplace we had, I told him. "Wow," he said, "How did you know what kind to get? I have just been reading and that was the most perfect fireplace you could have gotten for your home." Hey! God is so good.
On a Friday, the framers said that they only had a half day left, so they would finish up on Monday. That Friday Aaron came home to say that Jeff had just quit at the office. That sent Aaron into a spin. Jeff was his partner and they had three hired. We talked and prayed all weekend. Sunday evening we decided that Monday morning he would give everyone there two months notice, at the end of two months we would move the office to our basement, cutting all overhead and just work from there. So, Monday morning when the framers came to finished, I told them that now we were going to frame out the basement. It would have costs considerable more to have called them back after they had packed up all their tools, not to mention the sheetrockers and everyone else. Perfect timing, God.
I had wanted wood floors, but after pricing them (way out of our budget), had budgeted for carpet and linoleum. As we were nearing that part of the building phase, an old friend called and said that he had started installing wood floors and would like to give me a bid on our home. I laughed and told him that it was way too much. He insisted on coming over and did give us a bid. It was for what I had budgeted for carpet for both floors. Wow again. So we decided we could put in wood floors on the main floor, and live on plywood upstairs for a couple of years until we could save enough to put carpet upstairs. It took more like five years before we could afford flooring upstairs, but, by then I had figured out that I was allergic to duct mites and the worst thing for that is carpeting. What a blessing that we didn't have carpet throughout the house. Our only carpeting is in Dane's room and the guest room. Again, God is so good.
It took me a few months to figure out why God had had us sell the house in town and move. God knew that our house payment in town was $768 a month, our taxes and insurance were high. God knew that Jeff would quit, leaving Aaron holding the lease on the building, all the debt they had incurred setting up business and the continual overhead with the rent and salaries. When we moved the office to the basement of our new home, our house payment was $350 a month with much less in insurance and taxes, no office rent, salaries or overhead. We did have $10,000 in debt to pay, but that was do-able living with such low overhead. Way to go God!
I know there were soooo many more testimonies about the move, but I don't recall them at this moment. I should have written them down at that time.
God is so good. He was there each step of the way. And he will be there for you.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A Brief Meeting - Adriane Howe
This is from a dream I had in July of 2010. I believe with all my heart that God allowed this vision to occur. There is no doubt in this testimony, God is so good, and he blesses us in so many ways. This is just one of my blessings God has granted me; I hope that it will be a blessing for those who read it as well.
As I went to sleep that night my heart was so troubled, in fact my heart and soul had been troubled since a conversation had occurred between Shane’s sister Abbey and I back in May. Feelings were, and still are, very raw after Shane’s death. Many unanswered questions and speculations, accusations and anger lingered. I had always been close to Abbey and was very distraught over the conversation we had. I stated my side and left it at that because I loved her and didn’t want to cause her any more pain. But I was troubled over the whole thing.
On this night in July I went to bed very troubled and fell asleep quickly, which rarely happens for me. In my dream a man, a large man with dark features came to me and said that Shane was waiting for me, that he had something very important to tell me but we had to go quickly. The next thing I know we are standing in a trolley car style diner. Of course I thought to myself, "HELLO Shane is dead why would he be meeting me in this diner?" The large man told me not to ask questions because they didn’t matter, what matters was that Shane would be there waiting for me. I sat at a table near the kitchen while the man disappeared into the kitchen.
I looked around to observe where I was, a normal enough diner for being late at night, people eating, laughing and joking. Seemed to be a place many came after a night out on the town and a few too many drinks. I felt a little out of place. I wouldn’t say scared, but on guard.
Then when I looked back to my table he was there. Shane was sitting right in front of me with a smile so big, so loving, almost as if he was shining with happiness. He was wearing an army green t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. He looked amazing, like every sorrow I had once seen in his eyes was gone. I was immediately moved to tears. I asked Shane if it was ok if I hugged him, Shane looked over and the man that brought me nodded. I wrapped my arms around him so hard I felt I’d break my own arms off. I cried, Shane just laughed and told me it was ok, he was ok.
I told him how sorry I was how everything ended and that I never thought it would end like that. He said he knew and he said he was sorry for putting me through all of that. He said he had learned so much since making it to heaven. That heaven wasn’t all white robes and golden gates that in fact it was pretty normal, just pure and beautiful and nothing but love. A place where souls could learn the truth and be forgiven for the mistakes they made in life. He said the colors were so amazing and beautiful, not like the colors we are use to.
I asked him if he could forgive me for marrying so soon after he died, he laughed and said, “Well, he’s a good man, but did that really work out how you had planned?” I laughed too because nothing seems to ever work out exactly how you think. He also said something to me concerning a part of my future. (I feel lead not discuss this part so I won’t be sharing that portion of my testimony at this time.)
He told me how proud he was that I was raising Braden with the truth. and he told me Braden would be ok. He said that he sees Braden all the time and he watches us when he has the time, because he works in heaven. Everyone has a job to do. I told him that I was really upset about his sister that I feared she was drifting into the black that had once taken him away from me and there was nothing I could do to bring her back. He looked at me with such peace and reassurance and told me not to let that trouble me any longer, that Abbey would be fine, it would take awhile, but in the end she would be fine. She would see the truth.
Then, in true Shane fashion, he asked me if I wanted to see him do a trick. Of course I laughed and said yes. He picked up a mountain dew pop bottle and balanced it on the tip of his finger and then walked it two tables down and back. To me this seemed like nothing and I just laughed at him for being silly. That’s when I realized that nobody else in the diner could actually see Shane except me so the bottle had “floated” back and forth. All the drunken party goers thought that was a cool trick and kept asking the waitress how she did it. She just smiled and said that strange stuff like that happened all the time at the diner.
Shane hugged me again and said it was time for him to go. He told me that all things happen for a reason and we never really know until we get to heaven why they happen the way they do, he had no regrets. He kissed the top of my head told me he loved me and was gone.
I immediately woke covered in sweat with tears streaming down my face and my troubled heart felt more at peace than it ever had. I thank God for allowing me to speak with Shane for that brief moment; it has made such a difference in my life.
*A few weeks after this dream my mom had mentioned to Susan (Mauck) my dream, Susan called me and asked me to tell her my experience. When I was done relaying the dream Susan took a deep breath and through tears she told me that the Holy Spirit had confirmed my testimony was a vision and that she felt that the large man in my dream was one of the Three Nephites guiding and protecting me. I was overwhelmed to hear her say this, and quickly in my head questioned why I of all people would be so fortunate to be blessed with the honor of being in the presence of one of the Three Nephites. I have found a simple answer, it was God’s will and even though I do not always understand or feel worthy of such blessings, I am grateful that God granted me such an amazing blessing.
**Shane was right about Abbey as well. In November 2010 Abbey emailed me a short and to the point email. She said she was going to a group counseling session for survivors of suicide and felt like she needed to tell me. She came and spent Christmas at my house with my family and sat down with me that night and we shared many things. I was able to comfort her at that moment in a way that only God could have managed to arrange. She is in contact with me all the time now. Her spirit has changed and I no longer see or sense the darkness that once threatened to pull her away. God is so gracious and he truly does have a hand in every part of our lives, both the darkest times and the most joyous times.
As I went to sleep that night my heart was so troubled, in fact my heart and soul had been troubled since a conversation had occurred between Shane’s sister Abbey and I back in May. Feelings were, and still are, very raw after Shane’s death. Many unanswered questions and speculations, accusations and anger lingered. I had always been close to Abbey and was very distraught over the conversation we had. I stated my side and left it at that because I loved her and didn’t want to cause her any more pain. But I was troubled over the whole thing.
On this night in July I went to bed very troubled and fell asleep quickly, which rarely happens for me. In my dream a man, a large man with dark features came to me and said that Shane was waiting for me, that he had something very important to tell me but we had to go quickly. The next thing I know we are standing in a trolley car style diner. Of course I thought to myself, "HELLO Shane is dead why would he be meeting me in this diner?" The large man told me not to ask questions because they didn’t matter, what matters was that Shane would be there waiting for me. I sat at a table near the kitchen while the man disappeared into the kitchen.
I looked around to observe where I was, a normal enough diner for being late at night, people eating, laughing and joking. Seemed to be a place many came after a night out on the town and a few too many drinks. I felt a little out of place. I wouldn’t say scared, but on guard.
Then when I looked back to my table he was there. Shane was sitting right in front of me with a smile so big, so loving, almost as if he was shining with happiness. He was wearing an army green t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. He looked amazing, like every sorrow I had once seen in his eyes was gone. I was immediately moved to tears. I asked Shane if it was ok if I hugged him, Shane looked over and the man that brought me nodded. I wrapped my arms around him so hard I felt I’d break my own arms off. I cried, Shane just laughed and told me it was ok, he was ok.
I told him how sorry I was how everything ended and that I never thought it would end like that. He said he knew and he said he was sorry for putting me through all of that. He said he had learned so much since making it to heaven. That heaven wasn’t all white robes and golden gates that in fact it was pretty normal, just pure and beautiful and nothing but love. A place where souls could learn the truth and be forgiven for the mistakes they made in life. He said the colors were so amazing and beautiful, not like the colors we are use to.
I asked him if he could forgive me for marrying so soon after he died, he laughed and said, “Well, he’s a good man, but did that really work out how you had planned?” I laughed too because nothing seems to ever work out exactly how you think. He also said something to me concerning a part of my future. (I feel lead not discuss this part so I won’t be sharing that portion of my testimony at this time.)
He told me how proud he was that I was raising Braden with the truth. and he told me Braden would be ok. He said that he sees Braden all the time and he watches us when he has the time, because he works in heaven. Everyone has a job to do. I told him that I was really upset about his sister that I feared she was drifting into the black that had once taken him away from me and there was nothing I could do to bring her back. He looked at me with such peace and reassurance and told me not to let that trouble me any longer, that Abbey would be fine, it would take awhile, but in the end she would be fine. She would see the truth.
Then, in true Shane fashion, he asked me if I wanted to see him do a trick. Of course I laughed and said yes. He picked up a mountain dew pop bottle and balanced it on the tip of his finger and then walked it two tables down and back. To me this seemed like nothing and I just laughed at him for being silly. That’s when I realized that nobody else in the diner could actually see Shane except me so the bottle had “floated” back and forth. All the drunken party goers thought that was a cool trick and kept asking the waitress how she did it. She just smiled and said that strange stuff like that happened all the time at the diner.
Shane hugged me again and said it was time for him to go. He told me that all things happen for a reason and we never really know until we get to heaven why they happen the way they do, he had no regrets. He kissed the top of my head told me he loved me and was gone.
I immediately woke covered in sweat with tears streaming down my face and my troubled heart felt more at peace than it ever had. I thank God for allowing me to speak with Shane for that brief moment; it has made such a difference in my life.
*A few weeks after this dream my mom had mentioned to Susan (Mauck) my dream, Susan called me and asked me to tell her my experience. When I was done relaying the dream Susan took a deep breath and through tears she told me that the Holy Spirit had confirmed my testimony was a vision and that she felt that the large man in my dream was one of the Three Nephites guiding and protecting me. I was overwhelmed to hear her say this, and quickly in my head questioned why I of all people would be so fortunate to be blessed with the honor of being in the presence of one of the Three Nephites. I have found a simple answer, it was God’s will and even though I do not always understand or feel worthy of such blessings, I am grateful that God granted me such an amazing blessing.
**Shane was right about Abbey as well. In November 2010 Abbey emailed me a short and to the point email. She said she was going to a group counseling session for survivors of suicide and felt like she needed to tell me. She came and spent Christmas at my house with my family and sat down with me that night and we shared many things. I was able to comfort her at that moment in a way that only God could have managed to arrange. She is in contact with me all the time now. Her spirit has changed and I no longer see or sense the darkness that once threatened to pull her away. God is so gracious and he truly does have a hand in every part of our lives, both the darkest times and the most joyous times.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
I'm Coming to Take You Home - by Beulah Marshall
Many years ago, I was pregnant and insisting the baby was dead. The droctors did nothing about it. After months of this I told Joe that I was naming our baby 'Jody'.
"That's good." he said. "Jody works for either boy or girl."
"This is a girl," I said. And the tests came back and I was right.
Years later, I still grieved for her loss and now Joe was dying of cancer. When I came into the room, tears were streaming down his face.
"Are you in pain?" I asked.
"I heard her voice," he said. "She said, 'Hi Daddy, I'm Jody and I'm coming to take you home.'"
From that time til death, he waited for her coming and told everyone about his experience.
"That's good." he said. "Jody works for either boy or girl."
"This is a girl," I said. And the tests came back and I was right.
Years later, I still grieved for her loss and now Joe was dying of cancer. When I came into the room, tears were streaming down his face.
"Are you in pain?" I asked.
"I heard her voice," he said. "She said, 'Hi Daddy, I'm Jody and I'm coming to take you home.'"
From that time til death, he waited for her coming and told everyone about his experience.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
God's Protection - by David Argotsinger
“I foresaw the Lord always before my face; for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved; Therefore, did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope; Because thou wilt not leave my soul in prison, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.”
These words were attributed to King David by Peter in Acts, chapter 2 verses 25-28. He said these words concerning Christ. My life hasn’t even approached the magnitude of King David’s life. I’m not even king in my own home. Not that I should be. But when David says, “Thou hast made known to me the ways of life”, I marvel at how similar his life is to any one of us with respect to our relationship to God.
My God is a God of miracles. Daily examples occur if we would only open our eyes to them. My life has been full. The miracles have been a constant thread throughout my life, most of which have gone unnoticed or unappreciated. One event that did get noticed and appreciated occurred a few years ago while I was still working for Unilever in the Wishbone Salad Dressing Department.
It was a pleasant day in April 2000. School was winding down for the year and my wife had just graduated from University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg and was doing some substitute teaching at Blue Springs South High School. I had taken it upon myself to do an audit of the mixing of a certain variety of salad dressing. (We would conduct periodic audits in the mixroom looking for ways to improve the process.) Unfortunately, on this occasion, all the mixing was taking place in the middle of the night, to be packaged the following morning.
I was in the plant by midnight and the audit was completed by the beginning of the first shift. Since I was on an improvement committee scheduled to meet that morning, I stayed around for it. It was one of the few meetings I actually stayed awake for before or since.
Following the meeting, I headed for home. I had no indications that I was going to have any trouble. I felt alert, but was anxious to get home. I remember approaching Robert’s Nursery on 40 Highway, but the next thing I remember I was bouncing around in my Red Dodge Dakota. Apparently, I had fallen asleep. The truck had gone straight ahead while the highway had curved sharply to the left.
I woke up just in time to try to regain control of my truck, but there was absolutely no controlling it. I tried pulling it back to the road to no avail. I hit a concrete culvert ripping off the left rear wheel and at the same time narrowly missing a grove of trees. Another 20 yards, the truck left rear hit a tree turning the truck sideways. Its momentum caused it to rip through a wooden fence, rolling over and landing gracefully on its wheels (or what was left of them) a few feet from a young family’s swing set.
About 20 minutes later, my wife received a call from the Blue Springs Police Department telling her that her husband was in an accident and that he was alright. She went to the high school office and someone said, ”It must be a day for accidents, because the PE teacher’s neighbor called and said there was a pickup in their back yard and their fence was down.
Throughout all this the airbags did not deploy, but my rescuers were unable to get me out without using the Jaws of Life to rip off the driver’s side door. By the time all that was over, there wasn’t a square inch of that truck that didn’t have some sort of damage to it. I had a little pain in my side that made it difficult to move and a small cut on my hand from all the broken glass, but I was otherwise unhurt. The most discomfort was being strapped to a hard, straight board and being bounced around all the way to the hospital in Independence.
Shortly afterward, I discovered I had a mild condition of hypothyroidism which I believe contributed to my dropping off to sleep without any warning. God has intervened in my life more times than I can count and more times than I have realized at the time. While the truck was leaving the road and bumping into things and rolling over, I felt assured that I was going to be alright and that God would take care of me this time.
Throughout scripture, miracles were associated with preaching the Kingdom of God to those who would listen. Each one of us can learn from our daily experiences and can learn more of what God has in store for us when Zion becomes a reality. In the beginning paragraph, I quoted from Acts which, in turn, was a quote from Psalm 16. David begins this psalm by saying, “Preserve me, O God; for in thee do I put my trust.” He concludes this Psalm by saying, “Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” To all those who read this, may you trust in the Lord and experience firsthand the joys and pleasures that God has in store for you both in this life and the next.
These words were attributed to King David by Peter in Acts, chapter 2 verses 25-28. He said these words concerning Christ. My life hasn’t even approached the magnitude of King David’s life. I’m not even king in my own home. Not that I should be. But when David says, “Thou hast made known to me the ways of life”, I marvel at how similar his life is to any one of us with respect to our relationship to God.
My God is a God of miracles. Daily examples occur if we would only open our eyes to them. My life has been full. The miracles have been a constant thread throughout my life, most of which have gone unnoticed or unappreciated. One event that did get noticed and appreciated occurred a few years ago while I was still working for Unilever in the Wishbone Salad Dressing Department.
It was a pleasant day in April 2000. School was winding down for the year and my wife had just graduated from University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg and was doing some substitute teaching at Blue Springs South High School. I had taken it upon myself to do an audit of the mixing of a certain variety of salad dressing. (We would conduct periodic audits in the mixroom looking for ways to improve the process.) Unfortunately, on this occasion, all the mixing was taking place in the middle of the night, to be packaged the following morning.
I was in the plant by midnight and the audit was completed by the beginning of the first shift. Since I was on an improvement committee scheduled to meet that morning, I stayed around for it. It was one of the few meetings I actually stayed awake for before or since.
Following the meeting, I headed for home. I had no indications that I was going to have any trouble. I felt alert, but was anxious to get home. I remember approaching Robert’s Nursery on 40 Highway, but the next thing I remember I was bouncing around in my Red Dodge Dakota. Apparently, I had fallen asleep. The truck had gone straight ahead while the highway had curved sharply to the left.
I woke up just in time to try to regain control of my truck, but there was absolutely no controlling it. I tried pulling it back to the road to no avail. I hit a concrete culvert ripping off the left rear wheel and at the same time narrowly missing a grove of trees. Another 20 yards, the truck left rear hit a tree turning the truck sideways. Its momentum caused it to rip through a wooden fence, rolling over and landing gracefully on its wheels (or what was left of them) a few feet from a young family’s swing set.
About 20 minutes later, my wife received a call from the Blue Springs Police Department telling her that her husband was in an accident and that he was alright. She went to the high school office and someone said, ”It must be a day for accidents, because the PE teacher’s neighbor called and said there was a pickup in their back yard and their fence was down.
Throughout all this the airbags did not deploy, but my rescuers were unable to get me out without using the Jaws of Life to rip off the driver’s side door. By the time all that was over, there wasn’t a square inch of that truck that didn’t have some sort of damage to it. I had a little pain in my side that made it difficult to move and a small cut on my hand from all the broken glass, but I was otherwise unhurt. The most discomfort was being strapped to a hard, straight board and being bounced around all the way to the hospital in Independence.
Shortly afterward, I discovered I had a mild condition of hypothyroidism which I believe contributed to my dropping off to sleep without any warning. God has intervened in my life more times than I can count and more times than I have realized at the time. While the truck was leaving the road and bumping into things and rolling over, I felt assured that I was going to be alright and that God would take care of me this time.
Throughout scripture, miracles were associated with preaching the Kingdom of God to those who would listen. Each one of us can learn from our daily experiences and can learn more of what God has in store for us when Zion becomes a reality. In the beginning paragraph, I quoted from Acts which, in turn, was a quote from Psalm 16. David begins this psalm by saying, “Preserve me, O God; for in thee do I put my trust.” He concludes this Psalm by saying, “Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” To all those who read this, may you trust in the Lord and experience firsthand the joys and pleasures that God has in store for you both in this life and the next.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Testimony Tuesday - Blessing Through Administration
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Testimony Tuesday - God Keeps us Safe
I'm sorry this is overdue, but here's a testimony from Mike Perry about how god kept him and his family safe.
It was the first real slick day of winter, and it was time for me to head to work. As I was walking to the car I noticed I had a low tire – real low, but not flat. But hey, no big deal; QuikTrip is right around the corner, so I’d just stop in, air the tire up, and be on my way. Out of my cul-de-sac, up Salem drive, and onto 24 highway I go.
I hit my right turn signal, turned the wheel to the right, down shifted, and pressed the brake all while belting out my favorite Casting Crowns tune (I do know how to multi-task after all).
The problem came in when the car, contrary to my wishes and all common sense, turned left instead of right. In slow motion, as graceful as a swan and terrifying as a mean pit bull, my car started to spin—90 degrees, 180 degrees, 360 degrees, and finally 540 degrees. As I was spinning I was thinking thoughts like, “Oh, this isn’t good,” and “God, this isn’t a good day for this,” “I hope I don’t hit anybody with kids in their car,” and “Please don’t let this happen.” He didn’t.
The car stopped on the opposite side of the highway, both right tires inches from the curb having crossed four driving lanes and one turning lane. I’d hit nothing and no one and I was facing the opposite direction I had originally been heading.
When I decided I was still alive and in control of all body functions, I looked around and was completely overwhelmed with the blessing that had been handed me. There were no cars on the highway, and 24 highway stays pretty busy. It was as though the highway had been deserted just for me. Did God keep the traffic light red down the hill perhaps?
I drove to work that day praising God not only for protecting me, but also for showing me even more evidence of His love for me and my family. He does answer prayers even when you don’t say them right!
It was the first real slick day of winter, and it was time for me to head to work. As I was walking to the car I noticed I had a low tire – real low, but not flat. But hey, no big deal; QuikTrip is right around the corner, so I’d just stop in, air the tire up, and be on my way. Out of my cul-de-sac, up Salem drive, and onto 24 highway I go.
I hit my right turn signal, turned the wheel to the right, down shifted, and pressed the brake all while belting out my favorite Casting Crowns tune (I do know how to multi-task after all).
The problem came in when the car, contrary to my wishes and all common sense, turned left instead of right. In slow motion, as graceful as a swan and terrifying as a mean pit bull, my car started to spin—90 degrees, 180 degrees, 360 degrees, and finally 540 degrees. As I was spinning I was thinking thoughts like, “Oh, this isn’t good,” and “God, this isn’t a good day for this,” “I hope I don’t hit anybody with kids in their car,” and “Please don’t let this happen.” He didn’t.
The car stopped on the opposite side of the highway, both right tires inches from the curb having crossed four driving lanes and one turning lane. I’d hit nothing and no one and I was facing the opposite direction I had originally been heading.
When I decided I was still alive and in control of all body functions, I looked around and was completely overwhelmed with the blessing that had been handed me. There were no cars on the highway, and 24 highway stays pretty busy. It was as though the highway had been deserted just for me. Did God keep the traffic light red down the hill perhaps?
I drove to work that day praising God not only for protecting me, but also for showing me even more evidence of His love for me and my family. He does answer prayers even when you don’t say them right!
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