Ankle Healed!

In the Vineyard, we pray for healing after every service.
The pastors and others who are gifted in discerning what God is doing, often
give words of knowledge about what God wants to heal that morning. On June 3 of
this year, a word was given about healing ankle pain. I approached an older
gentleman responding to that word. I knelt at his feet as he sat. Laying
hands on his ankle, I prayed for the Holy Spirit to come and heal whatever was
wrong. Though I wasn’t sure, I thought maybe I could feel some movement.

The next week, he sought me out. “I haven’t had any pain all
week, except yesterday for a little while. Today has been pain-free!”

“Let’s pray again,” I said, so we sat and knelt together
again and asked for the Holy Spirit to finish the work. He is completely
healed. Later, he reported he’d been in pain for at least a year. Glory.

What a mystery! And what a relief for this man. Does it always happen? No. Am I grateful for this time? Yes! Does my faith rest on whether healing happens? No. But I am encouraged to keep praying, keep seeking, and keep knocking.

Thank you, Jesus, for manifesting your great compassion.

Many are being healed around the world. Check out this link to read more testimonies from
the non-denominational Healing Rooms:
Healing Testimonies 

Dignity for All

In 1968, in the Mexico City Olympics, Tommie Smith won the
200 meter gold. He was the first man in Olympic history to run it in
record-breaking time for the medal. He is still the only track and field
athlete to hold eleven world records simultaneously. I didn’t know that until I
read his autobiography. All I knew was what I’d seen on T.V. I was a teenager
in the Midwest, watching as he ascended the victory
platform with his bronze medal-winning teammate, John Carlos. During the
national anthem, they raised their black-gloved fists, creating an enduring
image of the quest for dignity for every person.

In his book, Silent
Gesture, Dr. Smith describes the prices he’s paid and continues to pay for
that single act. At the end of the book, in the acknowledgments, he writes:

“First and Foremost: to my Heavenly Father who chose me to be a
vessel in this season, thank you for giving me the opportunity, the strength,
and the knowledge to Stand Up for Peace, Love, and Equality for ALL.” (1)

The story goes in many directions: the costs of the gesture,
the social consequences, the history, the courage, the kind of man he was. He
says his head was down while his fist was raised because he was praying. He
feared for his life.

One act never tells the whole story. When a friend doesn’t
call, maybe they feel rejected. When we glance out the backyard window and see
one child tugging on the other’s toy, perhaps we need to hear more before we
jump to conclusions. If a person of a different ethnicity does something we
don’t understand, perhaps its time to listen, and learn.

Jesus on the cross was God’s nearly silent gesture. That
image, too, leads in many directions: the costs, the consequences, the history,
the courage, the nature of Jesus and of God. There’s always more to understand.

Jesus, thank you that there is always more. And thank you for those who have contended for dignity
for all and most especially, for your sacrifice, which confers dignity on all.

(1) pg. 259, Silent Gesture, Tommie Smith with David Steele, Temple University Press, 2007

“I Want”

My inner “whiner” wants to be heard this morning. “I want writing
to be easier.” “I want to eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s.”  “I want the weather to cool off.” Do you have an
inner “whiner”, too? Don’t we all want life to be easier than it is? As a
therapist, though, I was most concerned about the clients whose refrain was “It’s
easier to….”  It’s easier to avoid my
parents. It’s easier to eat. It’s easier to sleep. It’s easier to keep that
emotional closet closed. But the easy way is not God’s way.

God’s way is confession, confrontation, and doing what we
know to be right, even when we don’t feel like it. God’s way is truth in the
innermost parts. (Psalm 51:6) God’s way is struggling against spiritual attack.
(Ephesians 6) God’s way is obedience. (Romans 6:16)

Why is God’s way so hard? Only God knows. I have decided to
believe his way is worth what it costs. I trust that when we walk through
heaven’s gates, we will be glad for every time we chose God’s way over our own
way.

I sure do want 80 degrees, though. Hey, it’s not just for me—it’s
for my husband and everybody else who has to work outside in 95 degrees today. Maybe
altruistic whining is okay?

God, those of us suffering in the heat do need your mercy. We
also need your strength to walk in your way.