Trick Or Treat

I don't usually do Halloween stories. This year I made an exception.

October 31, 2011

04:o5 - Alarm goes off...hit snooze

04:10 - Alarm goes off....more snoozing

04:15 - Alarm goes off.... look at clock on the nightstand. 4:15.....how can it be 4:15? I always set the alarm for 3:20. Dang it!

04:16 - vaguely aware that I worked overtime on Saturday....the station was close so I set the alarms 45 minutes later...should have checked last night...too late now...trudging to closet...aware that I'm wet with perspiration. ...no time to shower

04:17 - In uniform

04:18 - No time to make coffee....grab laptop on the way out the door

04:19 - Start car...open sunroof...and windows

04:20 - Lift off

04:56 - Approaching station...Circle K is on the right.....no time for coffee...ugggh

04:58 - Arrive at station

04:59 - Clock in

05:15 - Frantically looking for lost key to drug compartment

05:20 - Get replacement key

05:30 - En route to west side for posting

05:40 - Arrive Circle K

05:41 - Pouring coffee (extra creamer)

:)

05:42 - En route to post again

05:55 - Arrive post location (Dunkin' Donuts)

05:58 - Acquiring wi-fi for laptop

06:00 - Connected

06:15 - Sunrise is unusually beautiful this morning....lots of pink

07:17 - Responding to state prison for woman in active labor - 39 weeks along

07:38 - Maneuvering past vehicles blocking main gate....arrive on scene

07:42 - Arrive bedside....obtain vitals and history....almost full term,....contractions a few minutes apart

07:50 - Move patient to gurney

07:53 - Load patient, IV, EKG, O2, vitals

08:02 - Transporting

08:05 - Call report to hospital

08:08 - Contractions are more frequent and stronger. "Keep breathing through the contractions. You're doing great. We're almost at the hospital."

08:09 - Prison guard gives me a smile

08:15 - Arrive at hospital

08:16 - Security meets us at the door...takes us to waiting elevator

08:18 - Arrive at labor & delivery suite

08:20 - Patient moved to bed

08:21 - Give report to staff

08:23 - Leave labor suite.....walk to nurse's station...find open counter space to finish writing report

08:27 - Waaaaaaa!!!! Waaaaaaaa!!!!! Waaaaaaa!!!!!!

(It's a girl)

08:28 - My partner and I turn and look at each other....our mouths drop open as we stare at one another...speechless

08:29 - Holy $#@&.... That was close!!!

Why Does God Allow....?

Most of us have heard the questions:

"If God is good, then why does He allow....
Suffering?
War?
Murder?
Rape?
Corruption?
Earthquakes?
Flooding?

It seems that God could not be good if he permits these things to go on. How then do we expect the world to accept our claim that God is good in light of these atrocities all around us?

Some point to the fact that the bible says God is good. They need no more testimony than this. The bible says it. They believe it. Explanations aren't required.

I read a book titled "Intercessory Prayer" by Dutch Sheets a while back. The first chapter of the book radically changed the way I saw the operation of God in the world. I'll summarize the main point: After the creation of man, God gave Adam authority (dominion) over His creation. That dominion extended to all the affairs that happen on earth from that time forward, up to the present time and extending to the end of the world. In delegating responsibility to us to run the show down here He gave us a very important thing; free will.

God did not create a race of robots, programmed to follow His will perfectly. He created us with the capacity of choice and He always honors the choices we make. Free will is like the operating system of a computer. All the things we do and say result from the fact that God gave us unlimited capacity to choose between good and evil. God never interferes with the exercise of free will. The minute He stepped in and forced us to do anything, or stopped us from doing anything, we would become programmed beings devoid of free will. We would become like robots.

The mistake we can make is to assume that God approves of our choices in allowing them to be carried out. The fact that He permits our acts to be carried out is not because He approves of them, but because He values free will so highly. He refuses to interfere with our free will, in spite of the fact that it causes so much pain and suffering. Our free will was established in eternity and it will never be violated. The fact that we have free will has serious consequences.

Satan has agents who carry out his plan of evil. Demons, fallen angels and evil men all exercise free will in cooperating with Satan's plans. God also has agents to carry out His will in the earth and like Satan's cohorts, they are delegates, exercising their free will as ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven. God sends angels on assignment to find humans willing to cooperate with the heavenly mandate of establishing the kingdom. Neither Satan nor God interfere with the exercise of free will, They merely recruit those who are willing to be used.

How valuable is our part in bring God's will to pass?

The psychotic man with the plan to bomb an elementary school is free to carry out his plan. God will never take the bomb out of his hand. But God may send an angel to give another man a dream about the bomber and inspire him to pay the bomber a visit. On the day they meet, the bomber receives deliverance and healing through the second man's obedience to the gospel. The plan to bomb the school never becomes a reality. Did God interfere? No. He merely used an angel to inspire one man to exercise his free will to oppose the free will of the other.

Not long ago I had a dream in which I saw a family stranded on a country road in a blizzard. In the dream I knew God would not send help until someone prayed for them to be rescued. I began praying and petitioning God to send help. Suddenly, my wife woke me up and asked who needed help. She heard me praying out loud and knew something was up. I didn't know I was praying out loud. We knew God wanted them to be helped, so we both began praying. Some would find this an odd situation and ask, "Why didn't God just help them?" We know that God wanted them to be rescued. It was His will for them to be found, but because He has delegated authority to us to run the affairs down here, He needed someone to ask for His assistance, because he doesn't interfere unless we invite him. Our authority over the affairs of earth is that great and the necessity of prayer is that important.

Earlier this year, there was concern about a major earthquake hitting the west coast. A number of friends joined the called to speak peace to the earth and settle the fault, declaring gentle release of pressure with no devastation to buildings or life. The prophesied day of arrival for the quake came and went peacefully. I believe the prophecy was valid, but I also believe it's intent was to call us to intercede and change the outcome.

I've been trying to run my Facebook page more like the way God "runs" things down here on earth. He lets people do as they please and He doesn't generally interfere, unless asked. I'm trying to let people post what they want on my page, in spite of the fact that I don't agree or appreciate some of it. I try to let people comment as they see fit, with little editorializing, deleting or attempts to control content. Like God, I greatly value free will and I want to allow people the freedom to either obey or reject God's will, without forcing them to comply to my perception of it. Free will has a cost. But I think it's worth the price.

Watch one, Do one, Teach one

dis·ci·ple

[dih-sahy-puhl] verb, noun

1. a learner, pupil, disciple


There's an old saying in EMS;

"Watch one, do one, teach one."

The idea is that most of the tasks we do aren't complicated. After watching a demonstration, we should be able to do one. After doing one or two, we should be able to teach someone else to do it. That, in a nutshell, is how you make a disciple.

Today I transported a precious little girl, who was about a month old. Nothing serious. But on the way, I got to talking with her mom, who told me she'd been praying for a few things. One thing led to another and pretty soon we had a church meeting in the ambulance again.

She told me she was a nursing student and we talked about working in healthcare and how it open doors to people who need prayer. I told her some of my stories and the next thing you know she asked how I got people healed.

I had her put out her left arm so I could pretend I was healing her and demonstrate what I do. She said, "It's funny, I actually need healing in my left wrist." She had carpal tunnel syndrome and was having moderate pain at the time. I told her I would get her healed and explain as I went.

I told her about inviting the Holy Spirit to touch people. She seemed to get that pretty easily. I commanded pain and inflammation to leave and for ligaments, nerves, tendons, muscles and bones to be healed, then asked what she felt.

"It feels warm."

I asked if it still hurt. She flexed it and said it did. So I explained that it's okay to pray in the same way three or four times because some healing takes a bit longer. I prayed again and she continued feeling heat as the pain gradually subsided.

We talked about healing and some other problems she was going through and we prayed some more. I told her about this website and gave her a card.

With the enthusiasm she had and after witnessing her own healing, I wouldn't be surprised if she finds herself teaching others how to heal the sick.

Watch one.
Do one.
Teach one.
That's how we make disciples.

Sherry's Chat Healing Testimonies Part 3

The following testimony was shared with me on Facebook by my friend Sherry Evans

Sherry Evans January 15 at 9:51am
God is so creative! He doesn't heal in the same way every time. A woman came on chat asking for prayer for pain in multiple teeth. This is what happened.: "Thanks for praying for me last night Sherry! I had toothache pain all day, but while you prayed I experienced tingling on the right side of my mouth. I actually felt the sensation of receiving a shot of novacain. And then on the left side I felt pressure as if my tooth was actually being drilled on!! Today, I have absolutely no pain in my mouth at all!! Praise God!!" Praying for healing is NEVER boring!

I received a message to pray for someone who was in the hospital with appendicitis. Here are the messages I received about how God had touched her.:

"All praise and honor and glory to the Lord -- Bob reports at the exact time frame you prayed for his sister, Cindy GOT BETTER she has been moved to pediatrics, is on IV antibiotics to clean out the rest of the infection and will be GOING HOME to recover fully before going back for an ELECTIVE surgery instead of an emergency one! Don't ask me how..a blown appendix is a very serious matter! Tests show the mass has resolved and the infection is going away. Bob said his sister took a turn for the better at the exact time you prayed!"
"AMEN got the word today SHE WENT HOME THIS MORNING! HOME! That woman was totally doubled over since Father's Day, so much so she couldn't visit her dad locally on that day. After the hospital admission there seemed to be some confusion about was it appendix or gallbladder but it was clarified today. IT WAS APPENDICITIES. The infection was everywhere internally, and yes the entire mass had resolved so they found her a bed in pediatrics while keeping her on an IV antibiotics NO SURGERY and then KICKED HER OUT OF THERE AND SENT HER HOME is GOD AWESOME OR WHAT??????????????????????? AND yes, for sure the family said SUDDENLY at that hour (when Sherry prayed) she got better. HALLELUYAH! PRAISE THE LORD!"

Healing of neuropathy in a town square: "So Jesus sent you to me, huh?" This was the last thing the man yelled to me as I went to my car. "Yes, sir, He did", I yelled back. The Lord told me to go to a town square and wait. As I saw the man come across the street, I knew that was the person I was to pray for. I asked him if he had pain in his body and he said he had nerve pain from diabetes all through his body. I touched him quickly and asked him how it was. He just kept saying, "huh." He finally told me it was gone! I told him that the Lord loved him so much that He sent me to him. Then I asked him if he knew Jesus as His Lord and he said, "No", and I was able to lead him to the Lord. So precious!

Glory Cloud Appears At Bethel Church

It's been reported that a cloud of God's glory appeared last weekend at Bethel Church in Redding, California. The following is one account of what took place that night.

Hundreds of believers travelled to Redding, CA for this year's Open Heaven Conference at Bethel Church. The remaining congregation was engaged in a firetunnel (people lining up to pray for each other) during the very end of the last night session on October 14th, 2011, as suddenly a gold-sparkling glory cloud appeared on the right side of the stage. People also report to have found diamonds on the floor, which supernaturally appeared and grew in size as they were watching. Some claim to have been covered with gold dust on their shirts while worshipping God, or even have received gold covered teeth. For many this was the first supernatural encounter of this type.

Here's how my friend, who captured this spectacular event on camera, described the moment on his Facebook:

"Last night at the end of the Open Heaven's Conference we were doing a fire tunnel (simply praying for people) when gold dust appeared in the air in the front right part of the sanctuary. This was going on for 15 minutes or so when all of a sudden a cloud filled with gold dust appeared and began bellowing up out of no where like smoke then vanishing. Many people were covered in gold dust. This is legit. I have never seen anything like this. I recorded this with my iphone and am reminded that the veil has been torn between our world and the invisible realm. Heaven is invading earth. God is real, and he is demonstrating him self with signs, wonders and miracles all over the world!"

I know this might seem strange of even fake for those of you who haven't been there or don't know Bethel Church and it's humble, presence seeking leaders. That's why I want to clarify that by uploading this video I DO NOT expect ANYONE to believe what you are seeing is a real manifestation. The purpose of this video merely is to share this memory with those who have been there or others who discover meaning in it for their own spiritual lives.

My Partner Was a Door Gunner

Not all EMT's discover their calling straight out of high school. Some of us take a few detours. The guy I worked with today took some interesting ones.

My normal partner is gone for a while on another assignment. My temporary partner called out sick. So today I worked with a rover; a guy who doesn't have a regular partner or unit. For a rover, every day it's another partner (or two) a different ambo and a different side of town.

As twilight approached and I loaded the gear, six o'clock was drawing near and so was my partner. He'd been an aircraft mechanic for years and loved being around anything with wings or rotors. One of his former jobs was working on helicopters for the army. He also spent time on the trigger of an M-60 as a door gunner over Iraq.

We got in service and headed to our first post assignment. We both needed coffee. Arriving at the parking lot, we called dispatch and were assigned to a different location. Back on the road, we chatted about jobs, friends, good times, marriage ups and downs, kids, and the painful memories that come with the kind of work we do.

He told me that the last time he was deployed, his wife didn't object to him going overseas. He thought it was odd, but he didn't ask why. A few days after he hit the sandbox, she filed for divorce. He's been driving back and forth to court hearings in LA and he doesn't have a penny to his name right now.

After chatting with a buddy who deployed with him to Afghanistan (who's life was saved by his quick thinking) he decided to go to EMT school. This was his first job in EMS. He'd been with the firm for two months, just like me.

He had no idea he was going have an encounter with God in less than an hour.

We found a spot that would provide shade during the heat of the day and wi-fi access for my laptop. Bloggers need to stay connected to the mother ship and I had some serious writing planned for today, if time allowed.

We make our plans.

And God makes His.

A few minutes later we got a call to downtown Phoenix. Traffic was picking up and the freeway was a parking lot so we took surface roads. On the way, he told me about this pain in the middle of his back.

Stop me if you've heard this one before....

I asked how long he'd had it and how bad it was. I told him a few stories about healing before we arrived.

At the back of the rig, I said, "Do you want to be healed?"

He said "yes".

I asked if he was sure.

He said, "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Okay, why don't we get you healed before we go inside."

I placed my hand on the middle of his back, asked the Holy Spirit to bring His presence and power and commanded the pain to leave and for the muscles to be healed then asked what he felt.

"That's crazy. I feel tingling all over my back!"

"That's the power of God healing you." I repeated the process and asked what he felt.

"Wow. This is really crazy. It feels pretty good now."

I asked if there was any pain. He reported a little tightness, so I repeated the process one more time and asked what he felt.

He twisted as far as he could to the left then right, bent backward and forward trying to see if he could make the pain come back. "There isn't any pain at all! Man...this is crazy!"

We went inside and transported our patient, who had a hole in her heart. She was going from one hospital to another for surgery to close up the hole. She was nice, but rather large. At 348 pounds, we should have called for a bariatric gurney and another crew for lifting help. But my partner was up to the challenge, having just been healed by God.

He spent the rest of the morning twisting from side to side every time we stopped. Every time he checked, there still wasn't any pain and he exclaimed, "Man...this is crazy!"

We talked about God. I told him about Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The cool thing about divine healing is that it allows God to be the topic of conversation for as long as you want. But my partner had another problem that needed the attention of doctor Jesus.

After leaving the military he returned as a civilian and had close calls with a mortar explosion and an IED that gave him a few scars. He said he would have gone back in the military if he hadn't partially torn his Achilles's tendon, which made it hard for him to run. The VA wanted to do surgery to try to repair it, but he decided to live with it the way it was. I told him he would be healed before the end of our shift because God was in a good mood and He loves to heal people.

Just before the end of shift, we posted at a hospital. I told him to get out. It was time to be healed. We walked to the back of the ambulance and I had him to put his injured foot on the rear bumper. I asked if there was any pain. He said it didn't hurt unless he ran. I had him flex his foot as far as he could. "Okay, that hurts", he said.

I said, "Watch carefully, because one day you're going to be doing this for other people." I placed my hand near his heel and asked the Holy Spirit to bring his presence. I commanded the tendon to reattach to the heel bone and asked what he felt.

"This is crazy. I feel like it's swelling up. Like when your foot goes to sleep and then it kinda throbs...that's what it feels like."

"That's God healing you. Flex it again and tell me if it hurts". There was a little pain, so I repeated the process and asked what he felt.

"Wow. This is just crazy."

"Dude, that's the kingdom of God."

I gave him a card to the website and told him to e-mail me and let me know how the healing went with his foot. He said he'd go out for a run and get back to me. If he sends word, I'll let you know.

Updated on 11/1/11 - I ran into the EMT today at work and talked with him about how he felt. The back pain never returned. I asked about his Achilles tendon. He said he did some hiking on Camelback mountain after we prayed and he had no pain or problems with it. He's still amazed at the healing and telling his partners about the miracle.

Healing Prayer Initiative Targets Hospital Patients

This article was originally published here by Charisma News Online

Like clockwork, patients, family—and even medical staff—gather for healing prayer in the Penn State Hershey Medical Center chapel every Friday. And God is also showing up.

Abby Abildness, president of Hershey Aglow Lighthouse and founder of Healing Tree International, has led a team of prayer ministers in a weekly healing prayer service there for the past six years. Healing Tree International is a local non-profit organization that networks churches and leaders from around the world to bring positive change to the nations.

"Combining healing prayer with medical care can bring God's healing care to society around the world,” says Abildness, who received supernatural healing from endometrial cancer 32 years ago. Abildness took God at His Word that He is, indeed, the God who heals according to Exodus 15:26. Now, she’s taking that Word—and the power of prayer—to those in need.

Here’s how it works: The hospital makes an announcement over the PA system every Friday at 11:45 a.m. that a healing prayer service is taking place in the chapel. When patients, family members (and sometimes hospital staff) arrive, a team of prayer ministers is there to meet them. They simply ask for prayer for divine direction or wisdom in making the right healthcare choices. According to Abildness, lives are transformed and healings take place.

On the eve of the National Day of Prayer, a new book is heralding the power of healing prayer in medical care. "Healing Prayer and Medical Care" chronicles the true stories of miracle healings and transformation. Abildness hopes the book will inspire others to work with their local hospital or clinic to hold healing prayer services.

In her new book, Abildness shares a blueprint for establishing a healing prayer ministry in a hospital or medical setting. She reveals how the community of Christian believers and medical professionals can work hand-in-hand to achieve total healing, which is, as she calls it, “God's Original Healthcare Plan.” As she sees it, this pattern of healing is a continuation of the joint ministries of Dr. Luke and the apostle Paul in the Bible.

Healing Tree International, headquartered at the historical Londonderry Inn Bed and Breakfast, is located near Hershey, Pa. The Christian Broadcast Network, CBN, will be on site May 11-12 to conduct interviews and document the healing miracles at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center and the Londonderry Inn. In the spirit of the "Luke 10 Good Samaritan," who took the wounded to the inn for healing, the Londonderry Inn offers healing prayers weekly on Wednesday morning, and quarterly healing weeks for those who need concentrated intercession for medical recovery.

Marketplace Healing 101

We’ve been making a lot of trips to the hardware store since moving into our new home. This trip was a big one. We need a special light bulb for my daughter’s new lamp and a bolt and a couple of nuts for one of our beds. We hadn’t been in the store two minutes when I saw a woman approaching. She was riding in an electric cart for people with disabilities. I noticed she had an immobilizer on her left foot.

I walked up to her, asked her name and introduced myself. I told her that I noticed that she had an immobilizer and asked what happened. She said she had a severe sprain and was going to see her doctor after she was done at the hardware store. Her teenage son was with her.

I turned to him and asked if he knew about Jesus and his ministry. He said he did. I talked about how he went around Israel healing the sick, giving sight to the blind and casting out demons and told him that he gave his disciples the same authority. Then I asked if he’d ever seen a miracle. He said no. I told him that healing the sick is something any believer could do and I believed his mom’s foot would be healed.

I asked if I could pray over her foot and she agreed. I put my hand on her foot and had her son get in a position where he could see what I was doing. I asked the Holy Spirit to bring his power and presence and touch her then commanded the pain and inflammation to leave. I explained to her son everything I did as he looked on with interest.

After the first time I commanded pain to go, she felt heat in her foot. After the second time, it began to spread to her ankle and lower leg. After commanding it to leave a third time, she said the pain was pretty much gone. I asked if I could remove the immobilizer and have her stand up and check it out. She agreed, so I unfastened the Velcro straps and took the immobilizer off. She stood up and said she felt a little pressure on the sides of her foot, but the pain was gone.

I gave her some instruction on how to keep her healing, encouraged her son to consider learning more about healing, left them with a card for the website and told her to contact me if she had any questions or wanted to share her testimony.

Todd White says, "it’s a show and tell gospel". We give people information about God and his love for them and demonstrate it by displays of power. It’s not complicated.

One light bulb - $3.59

One bolt and two nuts - 32¢

Releasing the power of God and discipling his children - priceless

Street Miracles - Miami

This video was shot on the streets of Miami, Florida as a young man healed the sick and led people into the love of God.

Miracles Still Happen - John Snook

This the testimony of John Snook, who's story was originally published here on Facebook.

As most of you already know, last Thursday night I was admitted to Summereville Medical Center after two days of unsuccessfully battling an illness here at home -- Connie pushed me to go and I am so glad I finally listened to her -- After going through triage and the emergency room thing I was finally taken to a room and because of the hour, I promptly sent Connie home to look after our baby & family -- What happened next I would never have expected - PERIOD!



I don't know if it was a dream a vision, an out of body experience, I really do not know but I kind of woke up in a huge blue room, gorgeous with varying shades of blue everywhere -- To describe it all I can say is it was beautiful. In the middle of the room was a blue haze of some sort with a shape moving inside the haze, a shape I couldn't make out but seemed to be gliding rather than walking -- Anyway, at that point I thought I was dead and didn't know what to expect--So I asked the only relevent question at that time, "Am I Dead?" There was a moment of silence and then, I promise you, a littlesnicker of a laugh from within the haze and a voice, which I recognized, answered "No, that's not why you're here".

Then there was a pause and a complete calm engulfed me as the shape spoke again -- "John, you know who I am and I know you -- It seems you have made some mistakes in your life but that's okay, my memory isn't so good and I have forgotten all about them -- What I know right now is that you have chosen to be obediant and that's all I ever asked anyway -- John, I am giving to you a clean slate, a clean body and a new ministry -- Now, go out and do what I have asked!"

At that moment I shivered like I was freezing cold but when I opened my eyes I was still in good old room 201 at the hospital -- But something was different somehow, and then I realized -- NO PAIN -- For the first time since April 1, 2007 there was absolutely no pain in my body, nowhere, zero pain! I passed it off for s second and then throught back to my dream, vision or what have you -- And I realized, all the pain is gone, not just some of it -- Only God could do that -- I wanted to go back to that blue room and thank Him but an audible, calm and quiet voice from within the room said -- "Thank me by doing my will--Tell everybody that My Son is getting ready to return and when He does, I want ALL my children to come home."

I don't know what it was, but I do know that it was very real and even today, 4 days later there is still such an absence of pain that I feel like I am missing an old friend (LOL) -- Truly, God has given me that clean slate, and the clean body and I can't wait to share His love to the world --

Sorry, those of you looking for a spectacular story, to me, it doesn't get any better!

May God bless you all real good!

Brandon Lee on Authority For Healing

On a recent trip to Mexico, Brandon Lee took a few minutes to instruct a group on the basics of our authority to heal the sick. During the trip many people were healed. For more on Brandon and what happened on the trip, check out his blog post here.