God: Between the Yogurt and the Potato Salad

Its Saturday again.  The previous four Saturday's I've had divine encounters while grocery shopping at Walmart.  Would I have another one today?

I again stopped to encourage the fund raisers from Victory Outreach, took my grocery list and a treasure map, and entered the store.  One of the leaders from Victory Outreach joined me for a few minutes as I started shopping.  During those few minutes at the entrance, I did get to pray for back healing in a Vietnam Vet (he was wearing the hat).  He wasn't on my treasure map but as a fellow vet we had something in common which made starting a conversation more natural.

We approached a family who had one of the clues on map but they were not interested.  The young man who had joined me had to go back to his fund raiser and I continued my shopping.

As I picked up the items on my shopping list, I glanced at others shopping, looking for the clues Holy Spirit had given me on my Treasure Map.  It was while walking between the yogurt section and the deli, where I was going to pick up some potato salad, that I saw him.  He was wearing a purple striped shirt, had long gray hair, and a wrist brace; three clues from my map.

Oh oh, now it was time to cross the chicken line.  His name was Pat.  And for the five minutes we were together, heaven came to earth.  Pat was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis in this wrist and was in a lot of pain.  As I laid my hand on his wrist he told me about the heat he was feeling.  He took off the wrist brace and all the pain was gone.  Another quick prayer and he had full mobility of the wrist as well.

Next was his back.  He had two screws that had loosened in his L5 vertebrae from a previous back surgery and had to have another surgery to repair the first.  I laid my hand on his lower back and he felt the heat again but this time he said that something was moving in his back.  It was like something was shifting around.  He twisted his back from side to side and couldn't feel any pain.  Jesus had just touched this man and I am amazed that He did it through me!

A God encounter for Pat and myself.

Believers, what are we waiting for?   He's already done His part 2000 years ago.  God is waiting on us to do what He commanded us:  As you go, release the kingdom of God.

The Milk Miracle

I left the wedding reception of Ashley and Matt, being held at Columbia Foursquare Church, and stopped off at Walmart on my way home. I needed to pick up a gallon of milk.

There they were again: Volunteers from Victory Outreach Church doing another fund raiser. I again stopped over to donate some money for their cause. I still had a treasure map in my pocket from Friday’s treasure hunt at Howard Amon Park. One of the young men at the fund raiser had a black/white hat (one of my clues). It turned out he had a pretty bad headache coming on so I offered to pray for him. He took off his hat and I touch his head and said, “Headache, go!” As fast as I could say the words the pain was gone! Oh Yeah!

 

I kind of messed up the video, but this is what I got.

By the time I was finished I had prayed for 3 different guys and got to talk with the guy that I had prayed for the Saturday before. His back is still healed and he can now sleep on a bed. Thank you Papa God.

The leader of this group asked me to pray for a friend that was suffering from seizures. Instead, I had him put out his hands, and I prayed over his hands. I laid my hands on his hands and told him to go to his friend, lay hands on his sick friend and command the seizures to leave, in the name of Jesus. I tried to encourage him, that as a believer, he could lay hands on his sick friend for healing. Then I went to buy some milk.

I had my milk in my cart and the leader of the group found me inside Walmart and wanted to talk about what I had said. He said that he had told his group almost the exact words that I had used. He had told them about the power of God being released through the laying on of hands. He thought that had to be more than a coincidence and must be Holy Spirit talking through me.

He also shared that when I had laid my hands on his hands, he felt something like power (tingling) go into his hand and travel up his arm.

WOW! Who would have guessed that buying a gallon of milk would turn into another God encounter?  We just have to be available for Holy Spirit to use at any time and He will.

There Is No Junior Holy Spirit.

I took Colby and Lindsey out treasure hunting at Howard Amon Park in Richland. These two young people were ready for a Holy Spirit adventure.  We prayed for a total of 6 people and had an awesome time. The most dramatic encounter we had was with a couple playing with their kids next to the river. We had a clue of red hair on our treasure map and the mom had long, red hair.

We walked down to them and I approached the husband, explained what we were doing, and asked if they needed healing prayer or prayer for any of the other clues on our maps. He said his wife suffered from back pain. I showed him a video on my phone of a guy’s back getting healed at Walmart.

Then he called his wife over and I showed her the same video. She agreed to let us pray for her back. We also had clues of “short leg” and “blue eyes”. She also had one leg shorter than the other, and she had blue eyes.

I had her sit down on the grassy edge and I checked the length of her legs. The right leg was about ¾” shorter than the left. I commanded the leg to grow and for the back pain to leave. The leg came right out until it was even with the left. What the heck. I had the right leg grow some more and it came out another ¼” until it was longer than the left. Then I had the right leg go back until both legs were even and I had her check her back and she said she couldn’t feel the pain.

I made sure her husband and my other treasure hunters watched the whole encounter. Colby even snapped a picture with his cell phone. I then told the husband, “You have just saw a miracle with your own eyes.” I told them both about Jesus and planted seeds of the gospel.

They then asked for prayer to have more kids. They had children but after 10 years of trying they couldn’t have any more. We prayed they would have so many kids they would have to say to God, “Enough, that’s enough.”

My two young treasure hunters got to release the kingdom of God and His love on God’s treasure, people, and had a really fun time doing it. There is no junior Holy Spirit.

Hamburger Meat Healing

I hadn’t seen my brother and his family for two years. They were stopping by from Montana on their way to Oregon. A BBQ was in order but I had no hamburger meat. It was off to the Kennewick Walmart for BBQ supplies.

At the entrance two young men were manning a fundraising booth for a local Christian charity. I stopped to drop some cash into the collection bucket and to encourage them.

I had a nudge from Holy Spirit. “Do either of you have pain right now? I think it’s back pain”, I asked. One of the two had about level 6 back pain. His back so messed up he could not even sleep in a bed, but had to sleep on the floor to manage the pain.

One quick command, “Back pain, be healed in Jesus name!”, and he was good. It only took about 15 seconds.

 

Healed while I was going to buy some hamburger meat.

Followers of Christ should always be ready to release the kingdom of God wherever we go, even shopping for BBQ supplies at Walmart.

Our African Adventure - Part 6 - “I knew I was in trouble…”

Thursday was an off day during our mission trip to Kimbo, Nairobi, Kenya. Only a few more days and our group of 14 from Columbia Foursquare Church would start our long plane ride home. I was not looking forward to being stuck in those small airline seats for the flight home.

Our bus went all around Nairobi taking us to tourist sites like the elephant orphanage, Giraffe Park, shopping, and other fun places. A couple of times our bus hit some rough places in the road and those of us in the back of the bus took a pretty good jolt.

Odd, when I got out of bed Friday morning it felt like I had bruised my tailbone. It must have been the bus ride from the day before, or so I thought. The soreness did not get any better all that day.

When I got up Saturday morning I knew I was in trouble. I was in a lot of pain and it felt like I had two tailbones as I now had a hard lump that wasn't there the day before. I could not sit down without awful pain. My brother-in-law, Roger, would have to take a look to see what was going on.  I didn't want to traumatize him too bad but I was desperate to find out what was happening to me. He took a look and said, "Oh, I gotta get a picture of this. It looks like you've been bitten by a spider." I had an open wound where I had been bitten and a large lump beneath the skin. Oh no! How was I going to get on the airplane the next day. I could not sit without terrible pain and the spider’s venom was invading my body.

Tip: When in Africa, always shake out your clothes before you put them on, and do not leave your luggage lying on the floor of your room, unzipped. Little crawling things can get into your clothing!!

I had seen many healing miracles during the week but now the need was very personal. I had no access to a doctor, fear was coming against my mind, and I knew I was in trouble. I turned to the only one who could help: God. I also started taking some antibiotics that I brought for traveler’s diarrhea and applied some bug bite lotion and medicine others on the team had brought with them.
Thank God for believers that believe God still heals today. I had members of our CFC team lay hands on me and pray for my healing and I also contacted my wife to have the intercessors at home start praying for me as well. In the back of my mind I knew I had to get on the planes and sit for 20 plus hours. Help God!

All day Saturday as our team taught and ministered to others, I felt no change in my body. The pain and the lump were there all day. I would have to leave the next day no matter what.

I awoke Sunday morning to find the pain almost completely gone and the lump had shrunk by 90% overnight. I had Roger take another look at the wound. He took a look and exclaimed, "It's a miracle!" The bite wound was gone! I now had new pink skin where the day before was a nasty, festering bite wound. My God showed up again and this time it was for me. Thank You, thank You, thank You, Papa God. You are awesome!

The plane ride home was longer than scheduled due to weather delays so I sat even longer than expected. Although there was a slight tenderness due to what was left of the lump, I did fine. The following day the remaining lump due to the venom was also completely gone. God's healing miracle for me was complete!

I've got the best Dad in the whole world!