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Brandon & Rebecca Shatswell
Abe & Sierra Smith
Ben & Megan Ghormley |
STORY FROM A FRIENDhere's a story from one of my friends who is ministering in a predominantly muslim country. he recounts how the LORD answered one of his prayers. it really encouraged me. i pray that it encourages you too... ___ I have believed for a long time now that God heals people and wants to heal people. And yet, though I believed this in my head, I did not do much about it in my daily life. Not until the recent year or so. So let me begin this story by saying: I have prayed for a lot of people, and I hadn't until this story seen an instant, miraculous healing. Here's what happened: I was standing in the street and hanging out when a young man in his early 20s walked by, and I heard him say in his native language, "It still hurts really bad." I turned around and saw him limping severely. I looked at the guys with me and said, "Did you hear that?" We smiled at each other, and I knew what I wanted to do. I walked after the guy and said, "Excuse me, I'm sorry, I just heard you say there was a lot of pain in your leg, and I can see that you're limping badly. I'm a foreigner, and I'm here on vacation, but I'm also a believer in God and a disciple of Jesus. When the Messiah was on the earth, he healed everyone that was sick or had pain, and he told all his followers to do the same. I was wondering if I could pray to God in the name of Jesus for healing in your body. I believe God wants to heal you right now. Can I pray for you?" A little confused, he said he didn't quite understand. After I explained again what I wanted to do, he said, essentially, "Okay, why not? Go ahead and pray. We'll see what happens." I placed my hand on his shoulder, and I began to pray that God's love and power would touch the young man. After a few minutes, I stopped and asked him: "How do you feel? Did you feel anything?" The young man was staring at me. His moist eyes locked onto mine, and he asked in amazement: "What just happened?! What did you do?!" My heart began to pound. I told him, "Do something. Test your foot. Do something you couldn't do before. Walk!" He paced back and forth, shook his head, came back and looked at me and asked again: "What happened to me? All the pain is gone!!" I smiled, and then he smiled, and I explained to him: "The Kingdom of God has come near to you. God is a Father, and he loves you. His love and power touched you tonight in the name of Jesus, and He healed you. I didn't do it, God did it." We exchanged phone numbers, and then he walked off to be with his friends. When I watched him walk away, his gait was perfect: no limping, and no pain. Praise God!
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REMEMBERING GOD'S WORDS"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:6-9) Preparing for this week's Bible study, I ran across this scripture and thought, "Why was it necessary for the Israelites to do all these things to remember what God said?" And the thought came to me, "so that the words would be on their hearts." This ensured they would always hear, see, feel and speak the words God had spoken. And isn't it true the things we listen to, look at, touch and talk about are the things that fill our hearts? May we be ever more diligent to ensure God's words are not only in our memory but that they spill into our many conversations, guide our decisions, and fill our homes and environments until those around can confidently say "surely God is among them." Rebecca Shatswell
HE LOVES MEI've been reading a book by Wayne Jacobsen entitled He Loves Me: Learning to Live in the Father's Affection...(actually, some of you may have noticed that I've twittered several quotes). A friend of mine (Jody Hagen) recommended the book to me...and I'm recommending it to you. The book aims to help us know how much God loves us, with the end result being living life based on that knowledge. At one point, Jacobsen points out that we will respond to people with more compassion and selflessness when we are fully convinced of and validated by the Father's love for us. Since I tend to be pretty selfish, the chapter was pretty meaningful to me. I pray that the Father convinces us of His great love for us...and that our identity is fully wrapped up in Him so that we can more effectively represent Him to people that need Him so badly. Here's an excerpt of a story that was particularly powerful... "I am amazed at what love will call people to do, and they won't even think it a sacrifice. Recently, I met a woman from the Midwest who had been divorced when her ex-husband told her he was gay, that he had AIDS, and that he wanted to live with his partner. A few years later as the disease progressed, she felt compassion for her former husband and felt God wanted her to help care for him as the disease worsened. "She did just that. With her husband's permission she moved back in, not as wife but as nurse. And cared for him as the disease progressed. I can't imagine what it took for her to give of herself in this way. I don't think her obedience should become a standard for others, but she talked about it as one of the greatest experiences of her life. Before he died, her husband and his partner came to repentance and faith. What's more, after her former husband's death, she stayed on to take care of his former partner as he died. While she was doing that, other AIDS patients came to the door and asked for help. During the next decade she cared for more than sixty other patients and watched them all come to faith. Today she's converting an abandoned hospital to extend that care and travels the world helping people with AIDS and those who seek to care for them. "Love will take you further than law ever will, and what's more, you'll do it reflecting the very love you've received from Jesus." He Loves Me: Learning to Live in the Father's Affection OUR HOPE, by BEN GHORMLEYhere's a look at BEN GHORMLEY's new song...'OUR HOPE'... (Verse 1) (Pre-Chorus) (Chorus) (Verse 2) (Bridge) (Verse 3) (Chorus) GODLESS LIVINGAt the beginning of 2010, Pastor Rick said that this year for New Life Church would be a year of prayer. I'm so glad that we are pastored by a man who hears from the Holy Spirit and directs this body accordingly. Because of Rick's direction and the body's obedience, I have seen the LORD reveal Himself and answer prayers in amazing ways. Through prayer, the LORD has spoken to me over the past few weeks. He revealed to me that I had fallen into a cycle of godless living -- not godless in a sense of blatant sin, but godless in that I had forgotten Him in my everyday life. Although I never thought I would fall into a routine of life and details, that's what I had done. I was discouraged, had little faith, and rarely took the time to notice what the LORD was doing. Fortunately, the Father reminded me of this scripture: "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol (in the depths), behold, You are there." The LORD used this scripture to remind me that He sees me and remembers me...and likewise, He was asking me to see Him and remember Him. So that's what I've been trying to do...and that's what I'm speaking to you -- REMEMBER THE LORD. If you're blessed, may you remember the LORD and be thankful. If you're at a low point, may you remember the LORD and be healed. If you're trapped in the mundane, may you remember the LORD and be made new. If you've never known JESUS, I pray that you know Him for the first time. Whatever situation we are in...as a body...let's not forget about JESUS. Let's live as people of faith who know the Almighty GOD and believe in His goodness. Let's REMEMBER THE LORD. -Brandon Shatswell
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