In a World Where Nobody is a Believer...

I'm fascinated to read about the conversion testimony of well-known lieral political commentator Kristen Powers. From Denny Burk:

Last April, Kirsten Powers went on Focus on the Family to talk about her watershed column shaming the media into covering the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell. In that interview, she also shares her own story about coming to faith in Christ through the ministry of Tim Keller’s church in New York City. It turns out that Eric Metaxas also had a role in her conversion, and she is surprisingly candid about the whole thing.

I think the entire interview is fascinating, but the part where she shares her testimony begins at 17:20. You can download it here.

Here’s an excerpt:

Really, I mean it was just sort of like God…invading my life. It was very unwelcome. I didn’t like it… I started having a lot of different experiences where I just felt…God doing a lot of things in my life. It’s kind of hard to describe, but I did just have this moment of the scales falling off my eyes, and just saying, ‘this is totally true, I don’t even have any doubt’…

I don’t really feel like I had any courage…when I became a Christian, I just gave in… It wasn’t courageous; I didn’t have any choice. I kept trying to not believe and I… just couldn’t avoid it. If I could have avoided it, I would have. There is nothing convenient about it in my life, in the world I live in. It’s not like living in the South or living somewhere where everybody is a Christian. I live in a world where nobody is a believer.

download (size: 19 MB )

Read more at Gospel Light

Duck Commander Gospel

Christian testimony of Phil Robertson founder of Duck Commander and one of the stars of TV's Duck Dynasty

You Might Be a Christ Follower If....

....If you live your faith out in daily life. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy talks about his faith:

...“Here’s what I feel like. Rather than going and sitting in a service for an hour every Sunday and that being extent of my faith, it’s more important that I live it out,” Foxworthy said. “I lead a Bible study with homeless guys on Tuesday mornings…I have done it for years.”

The entertainer then went into detail about this unique public service activity, describing the small group as having started with only 15 male participants. Over the years, the Bible study has grown to more than 100 homeless men who are attempting to better their lives.

“If they agree to go through treatment and do well, [the organization running the study] puts them up for a year, takes them through counseling and helps them reunite with their families,” Foxworthy explained.

While he believes wholeheartedly in getting involved in service projects, he also goes to church regularly and relies upon the Bible for guidance in his everyday life. Foxworthy enthusiastically described the importance of the holy book.

“It’s kind of the anchor of the whole thing. It’s kind of what guides me in how to deal with my career, my money,” he explained. “Nothing in life prepared me to have money…I didn’t come from it. Nothing in life prepared me to be quasi-famous...”

Always thought he was a brother. Much more at the link.

Gabby's Testimony

The Christian testimony of Olympic gymnast and  double Gold Medalist Gabby Douglas can be found here and also here.

Bristol Palin Talking Grace & Forgiveness

It is no secret that I was and am a fan of Sarah Palin, former Governor of Alaska. Now I am becoming a fan of her daughter Bristol also.

You may only know Bristol Palin from all the coverage of her very public unplanned pregnancy and conflicted relationship with the father of her child. Or you may know her from her time on the reality TV show Dancing with the Stars. But now, she is a blogger! Miss Palin has a blog at the Patheos site. One of her earliest posts was called How I Got Over My Very Public Mistakes. She says:

Most of the comments were wonderful and supportive. (I’ve addressed some of the not-so-nice comments here.)  But there’s one constant criticism I didn’t talk about:  some of you insist on calling me a hypocrite. After all, I became a mother before I walked down the aisle – how can I talk about waiting until marriage for sex?

I find it strange that the culture rightfully applauds former drug addicts who warn children of the dangers of drug use. They are happy to listen to former alcoholics talk about how they finally are living a clean life. But when it comes to me talking about waiting until marriage for sex, it’s almost like people want me to slink away in shame… unable to show my face in public again because of my past mistakes.

I want this blog to be a place where we can all be honest, so let me start. I’ve struggled with feelings of guilt and shame. I know (judging from my inbox) many of you have too.

She then quotes from Christian Counselor Ed Welch:

It feels so right – so spiritual – to live with regrets. It means you feel bad for the wrong things you have done or think you have done, and that sounds like a good thing. If you forget those wrongs, you are acting like they were no big deal.
…
We live with regrets because we think we should. We think it’s the right thing to do—that it is our duty before God. But…

The Kingdom of Heaven is regret-free. The truth is that the triune God liberates us from past regrets. His will is being done. Bank on it. Neither your human limitations nor your sins hinder the good plans of your sovereign Father.

Let’s go one important step further. It is God’s will that you jettison past regrets.

In a more recent post she talked about the message of Easter that "it’s not about what you’ve done, it’s about what’s been done for you." She embedded a video of the song You Are More by Christian band Tenth Avenue North which contains those words, and which I featured on my blog last year.

Way to go, Bristol. I look forward to reading more of your stuff.

How to Benefit from the Bible: Step Five

Now to conclude this series How to Benefit from the Bible quoting from Straight Up, here's Step Five: Share It!

"When you’ve learned something from God’s Word, you have to share it with somebody else. Take time to relay something about your study to your spouse or your roommate or to a friend at school. Maybe you could share with a co-worker or someone at your church. Hebrews 10:24 says that we are supposed to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” That is what happens when you share what you are getting out of God’s Word. People who hear me preach and see my enthusiasm think, Man, that guy really loves to preach. But I don’t. I hardly care about preaching at all—at least not as an end in itself. What fires me up is hearing about the difference that God’s Word makes in people’s lives. If I got up each Sunday and preached knowing nobody would apply it, I wouldn’t even show. That’s the truth. The reason we share God’s Word is not for ourselves; it’s for others. Then, as a by-product, we get the incredible blessing of seeing Almighty God use it."

Holy Spirit Baptism Better Than Sex?!

Our congregation has a communion and baptism service on the first Sunday night of each month. Prior to the service, there is always a prayer time with those to be baptized for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit,

Last Sunday we baptized a resident of the drug and alcohol home of which I am a board member. Monday he went to see the director of the ministry and told her what his experience was like. She said:

"_______ came to my office yesterday to share his back room experience with the Holy Spirit. He said it was amazing and awesome and couldn't describe it. Then he went on to say it was better than any “high” he ever got from drugs of any kind (same thing many of our guys have said before). But the kicker was this. He said it was even better than “SEX”!!!!"

Never heard the filling with the Holy Spirit described like that before!

Another Healing Testimony

Here's the latest report from our church plant in California - a healing testimony from my good friend Chris Self. Chris is assisting Duke Lancaster in planting Southbay Vineyard Church in San Diego. That's him and Jan, his lovely wife, in the picture. Here is Chris's praise report.

On the afternoon of October 28 I suddenly began to feel really disoriented and very sick. Shortly after arriving home I began passing a lot of blood. I mean A LOT OF BLOOD!! We called the paramedics who rushed me to the hospital, amazed I was still conscious because of the amount of blood I lost.

A colonoscopy revealed that I had an enlarged prostate on my left side. We were told that it wasn't common to have just one side enlarged and that "when that happens - the chances are better than 90% that the patient is dealing with a cancerous condition". Needless to say, that really frightened us. Someone had tossed the "C" word at us.

On top of that, it wasn't the cause of the bleeding...we still didn't know why I bled so much. I passed blood more than 30 times over the next two days. One of my nurses even said "you shouldn't have lived through that much blood loss".

Well, we got a diagnosis of Diverticulitis for the bleeding issue. Diverticulitis is fairly common and treatable with a change in eating habits and exercise routine.

But we had some time to wait for the results of my PSA test to come back and confirm the cancer. Well during that few weeks, we did what we always do---begged for prayer from you guys.

We got the results back last Thursday and I'll end this by saying that God doesn't place as much value on percentages as we do!!! The doctor said that not only did my test fall well withing "normal" range - he couldn't even find any swelling in my prostate at all!! I asked him what the chances of that were. He said a prostate just doesn't decide to swell up and then swell back down again without some medication at least. Then he asked me if I was a praying man. Of course, I told him I absolutely was.

Interestingly enough, if I had not bled the way I did - I would have never stumbled on to this issue with my prostate. The doctor's conclusion about the bleeding was "maybe that was God getting you to me so he could heal your prostate".

Cool perspective huh?

Amen, Brother - Really cool.

Testimony from "Miracle Boy"

Last month I wrote about a young man in our church who was healed of throat cancer. Last night at our baptism and communion service he spoke to the congregation for the first time since his healing. I want to emphasize that this is not one of those "I know someone who knows someone whose sister heard about" stories. I heard all of this first hand last night from the man it happened to.

A few months ago Dustin was diagnosed with cancer of the throat. He had a growing tumor that eventually closed his esophagus to the point where he could not swallow food or water. The presence of the tumor was confirmed by multiple x-rays and MRI scans. He was put on a feeding tube for nourishment. The treatment plan designed by his doctors included chemo-therapy to be followed by drastic surgery to remove the tumor along with his esophagus and larynx. The doctor planned to build a new esophagus out of tissue from his stomach. Needless to say, Dustin would never speak again.

Our church began praying for Dustin with great intensity. His situation and need were featured on our e-mail prayer chain for many weeks. He was in our second morning service the Sunday (August 24) before his scheduled surgery and received hands-on ministry and prayer for healing.

No specialists were available locally to do this procedure. Dustin went to a facility in a neighboring state for what he expected to be a totally life altering event. Well, it was, but not in the way he thought!

The specialist did final scans which showed the large tumor present in his throat. Nothing had changed. After he was put under anesthesia, Dustin's doctors decided to do one final check before cutting. A camera was inserted in his throat. The doctor could see nothing but some scar tissue. The tumor was gone! Further scans could find no trace of the tumor.

When Dustin woke up he could not feel any scars and thought "oh no, I've woken up before the surgery!" Then his father told him, "son, it's gone!" Dustin ate a steak dinner that night!

Our pastor asked Dustin: "When we prayed for you to be healed, did you believe it would happen?" He answered "Not really, but I believe now!"

I have tried to be restrained in my language and tone in writing this. However, I do not know any other words to describe this than miraculous. Dustin has referred to himself as "Miracle Boy."

I am glad for all the testimonies of healing in our church. Back in July I wrote about a women facing a liver transplant who was healed and told that her liver is now more healthy than that of her doctor. We have seen four people healed of Hepatitis C. But more important, and more miraculous, than those healing stories are the testimonies of those who have found salvation - we have baptized adults every month for about two years (plus a few children of members). We have baptized married couples who have found the Lord together. We also rejoice in the stories of those who have experienced renewal- feeling the presence and love of God for the first time. We rejoice in the marriages saved, the families restored, the lonely ones placed in a church family.

God is good, and it is good to be in a place and among a people where His activity is expected and seen.

He Gives and Takes Away

One of my favorite theologians is Sam Storms. From a post at Already Not Yet I learned that Sam went through a scare this month when his 23 year old daughter miraculously survived a horrible traffic accident. She's fine. However, the incident apparently had a strong spiritual impact on Sam the following Sunday.

You may wonder, then, why Sunday would have been a difficult day for me. I was filled with such indescribable gratitude for what God had done. My heart was flooded with joy and delight as I reflected on how close she had come to death and how wonderful it was that she emerged without serious harm.

The tears of thanksgiving and profound appreciation and worship flowed freely and unashamedly. My hands were lifted high in adoration and praise ....

Suddenly, my hands began to tremble ever so slightly. The tears dried up. Without warning, giving me no chance to prepare my heart, this horrifying thought raced through my mind: “Would I be lifting my hands in love and adoration of the Lord if Joey had died last Wednesday? Or would my raised and open hand be a clenched and defiant fist? .....

I was spiritually paralyzed. A shiver of raw fear ran down my spine. No words can adequately explain the emotional terror that gripped my soul. Was I the sort of person who would only worship and honor and love God so long as he saved my daughter’s life? Was I the sort who would happily and profusely speak of the mercy of divine providence only if it shined on me favorably?

If Joey had not survived the wreck, or if she had been severely injured or paralyzed, would I have declared God to be beautiful, or would I have seen him as ugly and uncaring and indifferent? Was my faith the sort that flourished only in fair weather, or would it withstand the storm of tragedy and loss of the worst imaginable kind?

I couldn’t answer my own questions. I froze in fear. Would I have cursed God instead of extolling him had my precious little girl died?

What a question! How would I react in a similar situation? I don't know. I hope I could sing a song of trust to God even in a time of great pain and sorrow. Sam continued:

I wish I could tell you that I reassured myself by saying, “Hey, Sam, don’t worry. Of course you’d still love God. The pain would be unbearable, but your faith would withstand the test. You’re strong. After all, you’re a Calvinist. Your whole life and ministry are built on the stability and strength of divine sovereignty.”

I wish I could tell you that’s what passed through my mind. But it didn’t. Maybe I would still have praised him. I certainly hope so. Oh, God, please let it be so! But I felt vulnerable in that moment in a way I never have before. I felt weak and frail and terrified that my faith was only as good as were the circumstances of my life.

I have many times glibly and proudly quoted the words of Job: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). It’s always been easy, because the Lord has not as yet “taken away” anything of great value to me. He came close, but he gave her back. If he hadn’t, could I have honestly and sincerely said, “Blessed be the name of the Lord”? I don’t know. That’s what scares me.

Scares me too, Sam. Scares me too.

Healing Testimony

I keep forgetting to write about this - so I'd better do it before I forget.

Last Sunday (July 6) we heard a testimony from a lady in our church about a dramatic healing. Las year she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and Stage 4 Cirrhosis of the Liver. That combination, I've been told, is not normally survivable long term. She was on a waiting list for a liver transplant. Our church prayed for her many times, with some intercessors praying constantly. Well, she recently had an examination by a liver specialist and was told that her liver was perfectly normal! The doctor said to her "your liver is in better shape than mine."

Hallelujah - And praise be to the Lord!

Pastor's Lakeland Testimony and Comments

My pastor, Bruce Wimberley, visited Lakeland Florida this past Wednesday and Thursday to experience the Renewal meetings. Also with him was another member of our church named Jeff. Summarized below are some of Bruce's comments as presented to our church congregation last Sunday.

The hallmark of the meetings and the renewal in general is not healing (although they certainly occur) but the presence of God. Attendees are hungry and thirsty for God, and the Lord is responding to that fervor with His presence.

During the meeting Bruce and Jeff prayed for a man seated near them who had a sore and partially imoveable shoulder. After prayer, the man began freely moving his shoulder and reported no pain.

The leaders of the renewal are training people to go out on the streets to evangelize and to pray for sick and hurting people. This is different from both Toronto and Brownsville- and a welcome change.

The leaders are actively trying to verify testimonies of healings. The first night they were there a phoned in testimony of someone being raised from the dead was publicly reported from the platform. The next night this report was publicly retracted after fact-checkers reported that it was not true. In fact, they discovered that someone who was opposed to the revival had called in a fake report in and effort to discredit the revival as phony. This action by the leaders demonstrates integrity that is (sorrowfully) frequently lacking in leaders of large movements like this.

The leaders of the meetings know that there are and will be tares among the wheat, that some people seeking attention will fake things, and that everything that happens cannot be attributed to the Holy Spirit. They are making efforts to discern and guide the meetings with integrity.

Bruce does not agree with some of the stylistic actions and/or ministry model of Todd Bentley, but nevertheless believes God is at work in these meetings due to the hunger of those attending.

See my previous post here.

Lakeland Testimony

The testimony below comes from a friend of mine who attended the Lakeland Renewal meetings last week. I am quoting her words (with permission) from an e-mail circulating on our church's prayer chain. the only thing I have changed is to remove the names of the author and her family.

------------------
"The Lakeland, FL Healing Revival continues to be broadcasted live every night on GODTV to millions of people all over the earth. As a result revival is breaking out in countries and cities everywhere. Thousands are being saved, healed and now there are 19 reported raisings from the dead!!! GOD IS AWESOME AND WORTHY OF PRAISE. {We} went this past weekend with my sister and her husband and my friend. I can not begin to describe the personal experience of being in a tent of 8,000 people praising and worshiping God. God truly inhabits the praises of His people. We watched as people came to the stage testifying of how God touched them right there in the service. The miracles were astounding!!!

One of the nights, {We} got to pray with a women seated behind us. Her name was Marci. Marci was in a wheelchair and wearing a brace that was supporting her spinal column because the cancerous tumors weren't responding to treatment. Not only did she have the tumor on her spine but one was growing on her stomach. I actually felt the tumor and it WAS about the size of a grapefruit. As we begin to pray she described feeling a warmth and tingling going all over her body. Within a few minutes the tumors were completely GONE!!!!! Marci took off her brace and stood to the floor A FREE WOMAN. We cried - we hugged and we celebrated HIS goodness together.

This is what I have longed for all my life. HIS word is TRUE. HE IS ALIVE and I am compelled to SHOW the world the good news of JESUS CHRIST. My passion and hunger for Him continues to grow.. .."

------------
Let me emphasize again, that the above is not one of those "know someone, who knows someone, whose third cousin said they heard about" kind of stories. These are the words of a faithful Christian lady I know, whose family I know, who attends our church and with whom I spoke this past Sunday. I heard her give this testimony in her own words.

May God receive all the glory for what he has done.

Yeah, God!

At church this morning we had a testimony from a recovering drug addict who had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C. She had been prayed with and over for healing many times by our prayer teams. Today she waved before us written documentation from a doctor that she no longer had any sign of the disease.

Hallelujah! Yeah God!