Holiday Vignettes

On December 25th, I transported an 83 year old woman who complained of back pain for three weeks. She told me that years ago her heart had stopped for three minutes. She was clinically dead. I asked what she remembered of it. She told me she went to heaven and met a man standing in a brilliant white light. She didn't know for certain who he was, but he told her it wasn't her time yet - she had to go back.

I prayed with a man who had fallen down a flight of stairs, suffering multiple fractures of his thoracic spine. He faced possible surgery and a long rehab. He wasn't terribly optimistic that my prayers would help, but he was grateful that I asked.

On December 26th, I transported a young woman from Alberta, Canada. She was in Arizona vising her in-laws for the holidays when she developed abdominal pain. She suffers from Crohn's disease. She was admitted to the emergency room and diagnosed with a small bowel obstruction. We transported her to a larger hospital for possible surgery.

During the transport I told her about the dreams my wife has been having about starting up her own business. Then I shared some of my dreams. I chose the dream about praying for people with birth defects and told her my first patient the next shift was a girl with Down syndrome and I got to pray with her. Suddenly she began to cry.

When I asked why she was crying, she said she was touched that I would pray with stranger like that. She told me she is a Christian. I prayed with her to be healed during the transport. It was a long trip so I shared a few testimonies with her and taught her the basics of healing, which would come in handy since she works as a pediatric nurse.

Later that day I prayed with a woman who had a blood clot in her femoral artery. We transported her to a larger hospital for surgery. Her only daughter and three grandchildren were murdered a few weeks earlier. She was a wreck. I prayed with her for healing of her emotions and for the blood clot to dissolve. She was grateful that I asked.

On December 27th, I prayed with an 81 year old hospital volunteer that I met in the men's room. He's was raised a Jew but as an adult, he became an atheist. He gets around in an electric scooter due to years of severe back pain. He shared with me the only religious experience he ever had. A few years ago he visited the wailing wall in Jerusalem. His intent was to stand at the wall and say 'thanks' to the God he didn't believe in. It was his way of acknowledging God in the event that he was wrong.

As he stood there, for some reason he found himself leaning against the wall with his head. He didn't do this intentionally, some force pulled him against the wall. He was unable to move away from the wall for 30 minutes. While he was there his inner thoughts became loud, reverberating in his head. He came away from this experience thinking that perhaps there was a 'force' that was good. But he didn't say it was God and he couldn't believe that it opposed evil, because if it did, it was clearly losing the battle. I prayed with him for healing of his back pain and asked God's presence to touch him. He said he immediately felt a peace come over him.

On the 28th, I prayed with a nurse who had back pain. She was skeptical that anything would happen but she allowed me to pray with her anyways. I left her with a card to this website.

These are a few of the people I prayed with over the holiday. None of them felt tingling, heat, a reduction in pain or any immediate signs of healing when I prayed with them. I can't say that any of them were actually healed, but I believe they might have been.

I know from following up with people weeks later that some will notice they were healed 20 to 30 minutes after I prayed with them. Some notice it the next day. Healing doesn't always manifest immediately. When you pray with people, don't be discouraged if they feel nothing at the time. It doesn't mean they won't feel better in a little while.

Whenever possible, follow up with people a few days later and ask if they've noticed any changes. You'll probably find that some of them were in fact healed. If they weren't, consider praying with them again.

All of these people were grateful that I asked if I could pray with them - whether they were healed or not. Compassion and mercy can be demonstrated in the simple act of perceiving someone's need and asking if you might try to relieve their suffering. This is how we reveal the heart of Jesus to the world.

Dr. Nemeh on Skepticism

Dr. Issam Nemeh, who has seen thousands of people healed by the power of God answers questions about skepicism toward divine healing.

Amber Nesbitt: A Christmas Miracle

Amber Nesbitt suffered traumatic brain injury from a car accident a few days before Christmas. Shortly after her admission, doctors informed her family that she had virtually no chance of recovery. But God had a different plan.

A Second Chance at Healing

Amy (not her real name) was in our new employee orientation class. When we told the group what we did, she said she was a detail technician. I didn't even know we had detail techs. Her job is to clean up after me. When we cover the ambulance in mud, she washes it. When we leave fast food garbage on the floor, she cleans it up. My mother doesn't work here, but Amy does and I'm glad we have people like her.

We both worked on the west side of Phoenix in Glendale. On October 17th 2011, early in the morning as she made her way out to the wash bay, I noticed that she was limping and asked what was wrong. She showed me her painful, swollen knee, wrapped in a support device. I asked if could pray with her to be healed. With some fear about what I planned to do, she agreed. I prayed over her knee three times but she felt nothing.

On the same day that I prayed with her, I prayed with a different co-worker, who had a partially torn Achilles tendon and back pain. He was healed, but she wasn't. That story can be found here.

That day and for a few days following, I asked God why one person was healed and the other wasn't. Here's what I heard:

The man with the Achilles tendon injury was healed because he gladly received his healing without fear or worry. Amy was afraid I would hurt her and that fear prevented her from being healed. It wasn't that God could not heal her. It wasn't that He didn't want her healed. It was because she could not receive healing in a state of fear.

I was disappointed. I really wanted her to be healed. I've seen her a few times since then and she still walks with a limp.

On December 2 2011, I worked an overtime shift in Mesa. Amy saw me loading my gear in the ambulance. She came over and asked why she wasn't healed.

I told her I talked to God about it and thought it was because she was afraid of being hurt. I asked her to explain why she thought I was going to hurt her. It turns out, her father asked her the same question, "Do you want to be healed?" When she said yes, he hit her hard on her injured knee. So when I asked her the same question, she was afraid I would do the same thing.

I told her I had no reason to hurt her and let her know that the offer was still open. If she wanted to be healed God would heal her. She said she wanted to be healed.

We sat on the couch in the day room. She showed me her swollen knee, wrapped in a black elastic bandage for support. I asked God to bring his presence upon her then asked what she felt.

"I feel really relaxed and at peace."

I commanded the swelling, inflammation and pain to leave and commanded the ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves, cartilage and bones to be healed. She felt heat, which increased each time I prayed over her knee.

While her knee was being healed I taught her about the battle over healing. I warned her that the symptoms might return, told her to stand in faith and believe she was healed and to command the symptoms to leave if they returned the same way I did to make them leave. She seemed to understand.

I saw Amy yesterday. It's been three weeks since she was healed. I asked how her knee felt. She said it felt great. I asked if she was serious. With a smile, she looked at me and said, "Yeah - it feels great!"

When Amy wasn’t healed, the easiest way to explain the lack of healing would be to assume that God didn’t want her to be healed. The fact that she was healed at a later date demonstrates that it wasn't a problem with God. It was a problem with man. Unfortunately, we often blame God when healing doesn’t happen. But that should be the last explanation we consider.

The most likely explanation for failed healing is our own lack of faith. The next thing to consider is that some obstacle may present in the life of the one we’re praying with that needs to be removed. Sometimes it’s a spirit of sickness, sometimes it’s an attitude toward us or God that needs to change. In this case, it was fear. Once the fear was removed she was healed.

Healing is meant to draw people into a loving relationship with Jesus. Fear and love don't work well together. We are representatives of God and His kingdom. If someone fears that we're going to hurt them, that fear can become generalized. They may fear that Jesus will hurt them or that Christians in general are out to hurt people. Our best approach in dealing with fear is to assure them they have no reason to be afraid of us or God by demonstrating His love and compassion toward them.

Perfect love casts out all fear.

11/11/11 Testimony

This is a rather amazing testimony, but it's not really about healing. It's more about God putting the right person in the right place at the right time.

Thanks Sharon!

Don’t Forsake Regular Church Attendance

This was a Facebook note written by a friend, André van der Merwe. The original note, with comments can be found here .

Yes, I'm writing again. My new book (will keep you posted on the progress) will be called: "I Love JESUS, But I've Stopped Attending Church." Here is one of the chapters. Enjoy!!

DON'T FORSAKE REGULAR CHURCH ATTENDANCE

Nope, actually that’s not what it says, so let’s quickly disarm this bomb. Hebrews 10:25 has to be one of the most abused and warped scriptures in the entire Bible.

"…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb 10:25 MKJV)

We will look at two different interpretations here, the traditional interpretation and the proper interpretation, which takes into account the verses around this verse as well as references to other scriptures in the Bible. As we will see, even the traditional interpretation doesn’t refer to the spectator affair that secular church meetings have evolved into.

The Traditional Interpretation

This verse has been used for centuries to warn believers against the danger of abstaining from attending regular church meetings. It’s not surprising to see why though, since nearly every commentary available on the internet interprets this verse in the sense that it is referring to regular church or worship meeting attendance. Here are some examples:

The Berkely Version of the New Testament says: "... not neglecting our own church meeting."

J.B. Phillips writes in The New Testament in Modern English: "And let us not hold aloof from
our church meetings."

The Living Bible states: "Let us not neglect our church meetings..."

The Ryrie Study Bible writes: “The term "assembling" describes "the gathering of Christians
for worship and edification," and "the Day" describes "the day... of Christ's coming.”

Clarke continues to warn against deserting regular Church attendance, for whatever reason:

"For fear of persecution, it seems as if some had deserted these meetings... They had given up these strengthening and instructive means, and the others were in danger of following their example... Those who relinquish Christian communion are in a backsliding state; those who backslide are in danger of apostasy..."

The main problem with this interpretation is that is completely neglects the part of the verse that says “…exhorting one another…”

In 1 Corinthians 14 we have a wonderful picture of what a first century church meeting looked like. Everybody contributed, bringing prophesy, tongues, songs and teachings to the meeting. In fact, so eager were the people to share what God has shown to each of them that Paul had to lay down some guidelines for them to be able to continue doing it in an edifying manner.

How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. (1 Cor 14:26 KJVA)

The meetings normally brimmed over with excitement, joy, fascinating dialogues, diverse tongues and interpretations thereof, various teachings and the gifts of the Spirit flowing all over the place! It was spontaneous, unpredictable and somewhat offensive to newcomers and outsiders, but the believers themselves knew exactly what they were doing: They were allowing God to be Himself in their midst! It would have been an idea far removed from their minds to have only one single person stand up for an hour and deliver a prepared sermon, let alone pay him for doing it!

So even when interpreting this verse in the traditional manner, as thought it was referring to an actual church meeting, the conventional argument does not hold water.

…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb 10:25 MKJV)

The first clue ought to be that this verse doesn’t start with a capital letter, which means that it has to be read in conjunction with the preceding verses to be able to understand the context, especially if we remember that the original manuscripts didn’t have any verse numbers in them. Let’s take a brief look at the whole chapter.

Hebrews 10 - The Victory of the Cross!

Hebrews 10 is one of the most captivating chapters in the entire Bible. It is a crystal clear depiction of the believer’s absolute, unfaltering right standing with God, based on what Jesus accomplished at the cross. It exemplifies the undisputable superiority of the New Covenant over the Old Covenant Law: a system which was upheld by the ritual slaughtering and blood sprinkling of animals. These sacrifices only managed to postpone the punishment of sins for another year - it never actually cleansed the people from their sins (v. 1-4).

It also debunks the popular “Confess your sins to be forgiven” doctrines by blatantly stating that once forgiven, a believer would have no more consciousness of sin (v. 2).

From verse 10 onwards it portrays how the once for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ has cleansed all who believe in Him from their sins forever and describes the new and better way of approaching God under the New Covenant, namely with boldness and full assurance of faith, confident that the sacrifice of Christ accomplished everything that God intended it to - to deal a deathblow to sin and present unto Himself a blameless, completely sanctified bride. This confidence comes from faith in what Christ has done, and not from ourselves.

Later down in the chapter (v. 26-29) the writer of Hebrews outlines the folly of trying to return to the weak and beggarly elements of the Old Covenant temple and offering system for salvation:

26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He who despised Moses' Law died without mercy on the word of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy of punishment, the one who has trampled the Son of God, and who has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Heb 10:26-29 MKJV)

There were Hebrews (Jews) who lived strictly according to the Old Testament law system. Even when they heard the truth about the gospel, they didn’t want to believe it, because verse 26 says they “…received the knowledge of the truth…” and of course simply knowing about something doesn’t mean that we actually believe in it. Faith ≠ knowledge.

So the writer of Hebrews admonishes them by saying that if after hearing the truth of the gospel, they still decide to trample God’s New Covenant underfoot and choose to count the blood of bulls and goats as superior to the blood of Jesus, then there remains for them no further sacrifice for their sins. They are rejecting the only thing that can save them and are choosing to willfully commit the sin of unbelief in Christ!

Now in this context, let’s take a look at the verses surrounding our key verse:

The Proper Interpretation:

19 Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies having been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (for He is faithful who promised), 24 and let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb 10:19-25 MKJV emphasis added)

Now in the midst of all this talk about the New Covenant, about having full assurance of our salvation and of not turning back to the Old Testament Law for our salvation, why would the writer throw in a line about church attendance? It simply doesn’t make sense. Let’s tackle these verses one by one…

From verse 19 the writer starts building up to a mighty crescendo, repeatedly emphasizing how we are now to have boldness, full assurance of faith and are to maintain utter confidence in God’s faithfulness to have cleansed us completely from all sin. God who promised us eternal life is faithful to fulfill His promise and grant us an everlasting inheritance. This is the profession faith that we should be holding fast onto (v. 23)

Since we receive the Holy Spirit at salvation, it is His responsibility to manifest His fruit through us and it becomes our privilege to be co-laborers with Christ and walk in the good works that God had prepared in advance for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:10). It is therefore natural for us to encourage each other to walk in the fullness of the Spirit, not necessarily by telling each other what to do, but by being living, breathing examples of the manifested life of Christ ourselves (v. 24). Actions speak louder than words. And now our key verse:

…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb 10:25 MKJV)

The Greek word for “assembling” (episunagōgē) is only found in two verses in the entire Bible. A closer look at the other scripture that utilizes this word reveals that the context actually doesn’t refer to a church meeting at all:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. (2 Thes 2:1-2 ESV, emphasis added)

Paul here encouraged the believers that because of the wonderful prospect of being gathered together (episunagōgē) unto Christ, they are not to be alarmed or frightened, which by implication means that they are to have boldness and full assurance of faith. This is exactly what the writer of Hebrews wrote. Note the similarities:

…our being gathered together to him… the day of the Lord… (2 Thes 2:1-2)

…the assembling of ourselves together... as you see the Day approaching. (Heb 10:25)

So the evidence seems to be pointing to the fact that Hebrews 10:25 could actually be a magnificent verse about the second coming (like the 2 Thessalonians verse), rather than referring to meeting together in a church building. The reality is however that most people have been so biased by what they’ve been told about this verse, that even in the face of clear evidence they would still doubtLet’s take a look at the three different parts that make up the word epi-sun-agōgē (pronounced in English as “ep-ee-soon-ag-o-gay”).

Epi
G1909: A primary preposition properly meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution [with the genitive case], that is, over, upon, etc.

In Greek the prefix epi is often added to words to emphasize them profoundly. Essentially it means the same as “super”, “ultimate” or “hyper”. Paul the apostle used it for example to describe how he would have been exceedingly sorrowful if his brother and fellow worker, Epaphroditus, had died.

For indeed he was sick, coming near death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon [epi] sorrow. (Phil 2:27 MKJV, annotation added)

It is also used in a word that describes Christ’s appearing, epiphaneia, which happens at the end of the age:

…that you keep the commandment without spot and without blame until the appearing [epiphaneia] of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Tim 6:14 MKJV, annotation added)

Our Greek word episunagōgē therefore means “ultimate-sun-agōgē“ or “final-sun-agōgē“ - now we need to find out what the last two parts mean.

Sun
G4962: A primary preposition denoting union; with or together (but much closer than G3326 or G3844), that is, by association, companionship, process, resemblance, possession, instrumentality, addition, etc.: - beside, with. In compounds it has similar applications, including completeness.

So now we have “ultimate-union-agōgē“ or “final-union-agōgē“ - let’s tackle the last part…

Agōgē
Reduplicated from G71; a bringing up, that is, mode of living: - manner of life.

So it appears that the meaning of agōgē can be found by looking at its root word, agō

Agō
G71: A primary verb; properly to lead; by implication to bring, drive, (reflexively) go, (specifically) pass (time), or (figuratively) induce: - be, bring (forth), carry, (let) go, keep, lead away, be open.
Having said all that, it’s clear that episunagōgē can be translated as follows:

Ultimate/Final-Union-Leading/Carrying (away)

Can it therefore be any clearer that Hebrews 10:25 it is not a warning against forsaking regular church meetings, but in fact a reference to our glorious final union and being carried away unto Christ Jesus?

The context becomes even clearer when we then read from verse 26 onwards how those who neglect to receive salvation and by implication are unable to have full assurance of faith, trample God’s grace underfoot and have no more sacrifice remaining for sin.

So with Hebrews 10:25 unarmed, in other words having removed the confusion surrounding this verse, not neglecting the fact that it is still good for believers to meet together, let’s have an open mind for exposing some of the other manmade traditions and practices that are found in today’s secular churches.

Link to original note:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/andré-van-der-merwe/dont-forsake-regular-church-attendance/10150248154351725

Holy Spirit Breaks Out at Football Game

Jason Chin took the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit to a football game and 40 people got to know God a little better.

If you are a Christian, you can do this too.

Emergency Room Set Up

We sat outside the ER waiting. We work a day shift, so we don't have a station. We sit in our ambulance in parking lots and on street corners. After hours of waiting, we finally got a call, so we grabbed the gurney and went inside.

As we approached the nurse's station, a respiratory therapist held out his thumb to the ER doc.

"Hey doc, can you have a look at my thumb? It hurts like crazy."

I felt like I was walking onto a stage. The director had rehearsed the script with the actors. And now it was time for the medic to say his lines. Another set up.

God, why do you do this to me?

I walked over and listened to the doc...."Well, it doesn't look broken. What did you do to it?

"Nothing...it just started hurting."

"Well, there's nothing I can do", he mumbled as he walked away.

I walked over to the RT

"So you don't know why it hurts?"

"No, I didn't do anything. It just started hurting."

I checked it out....no deformity, no signs of trauma. "How bad is the pain?"

"About a seven."

"Do you want to be healed?"

"What are you gonna do, some kinda...."(he makes the sign of the cross and sarcastically rolls his eyes)

I smiled....."Well....something like that."

The nurse sitting at the desk piped up..."I wanna see this!"

I invited her to watch. When she could see what I was about do , I asked if he wanted to be healed. He said, "Yeah - go for it."

I placed my index finger on the part of his thumb that was in pain and commanded the pain to leave, in the name of Jesus then asked how he felt.

"A little better." (Now he was smiling)

I told the pain to leave a second time (in Jesus' name) then told the tendons, ligaments, nerves and bones to be healed. I often use this approach when I'm not sure what the exact problem is. "Move it around, how does it feel?"

He was smiling from ear to ear now, amazed at what God was doing. 'Well...that's weird. It feels pretty good.

"Is there any pain at all?"

"Just a little."

I told the pain to leave one more time and had him check it out.

"Well, now there's no pain at all. But my other thumb hurts."

Thinking that maybe a spirit was moving around causing the pain to move, I asked, "Are you serious?"

He began to laugh, "Nope...just messing with you...It feels great."

We both began laughing. (I just love these set ups, by the way) Putting my hand on his shoulder I said, God's pretty cool huh? I gave him a card to the website.

"If you have any questions, you can get a hold of me here. I need to go get my patient."

We talked with the nurse, got report and loaded our patient. He was a Fedex driver who passed out while driving on the freeway. He crossed three lanes of traffic and hit the barrier between East and West bound traffic. The truck eventually came to a stop. No one else was involved or hurt. He suffered glass cuts and a subdural hematoma, but was otherwise fine. We transferred him to a larger hospital for a neuro consult.

On the way, we talked. I told him what had just happened with the respiratory therapist. The Fedex driver felt like God had already given him a miracle by keeping others from being injured in the accident. But he let me pray with him to have the hematoma and the headache healed.

Some days God orchestrates our lives down to the most intricate detail and exact second. Maybe that's what it means when it says "the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord". I don't feel particularly righteous. I just feel blessed to be a part of a divinely written play where the Holy Spirit is the director and Jesus is the real star.

A Discussion About Faith For Healing

This is a discussion on faith for healing the sick. In summary - faith that heals the sick consistently is not generalized, but specific. It isn't merely believing that God heals the sick, but rather it's a confident expectation that the person you are praying with is going to be healed of the condition they have. The issue we struggle with most is not faith, but doubt. Our doubts tend to be about the question of whether God will actually heal the person we are praying with. When doubt about the specific person and condition we're praying about is replaced with confidence, we will see people healed consistently.

Todd White - Words of Knowledge & Timing

Todd White teaches on words of knowledge and how to wait on the Lord for the right time.

The Guitar Player

Tom (not his real name) was a guitar player. Whether or not he'll play again remains to be seen. I found him in the emergency room screaming in pain. My new friend is a guitar picker by night and works a manufacturing job by day. He was helping to move a large sheet of Plexiglas several inches thick, weighing close to 500 pounds, when it crashed to the ground on top of his fingers.

The report I got from the nurse said the index and middle fingers on his right hand were completely crushed. I think the term she used was 'filleted'. They wrapped his hand, started IV antibiotics, gave him some Dilaudid and called us. He was being transferred to a trauma center for surgery to repair what was left of his picking fingers. Pain control was the only thing on his mind.

"Well, at least it's not my fretting hand," he joked. I told him he could learn to use the other fingers to hold the pick. He agreed, but then he said, "Hey...I'm 30 years old, maybe my best playing days are behind me." I said I was 20 years older than him and I was just beginning. And besides, if he didn't get healed of something, this would just be another depressing, forgettable story.

I reviewed his medical information and asked what medications he took. He gave me the names of three blood pressure pills then added, "...and I take Vicodin and Soma."

Vicodin is a narcotic pain reliever and Soma is a muscle relaxer. This combination is frequently used to treat chronic back pain. And as you know, chronic pain is something I have a lot of faith to see healed. This information was almost as good as a word of knowledge. So I asked what he took them for.

"I have back pain all the time."

It was the answer I was looking for. I wasn't glad that he had back pain. I was glad he had something I had a lot of faith to see healed. Smashed fingers are something I've never seen healed yet, but I've seen a lot of back injuries healed. I knew if we could get that healed, we had a shot at getting his fingers healed.

With people who have multiple problems, consider starting with the one you have the most experience with. I often ask if people have a headache and if they say yes, I command it to leave, doing this repeatedly until it's gone. Obtaining victory over one thing demonstrates to you and them that God is willing to heal them. After one thing is healed, move to the next and then the next, getting one thing healed at a time starting with the one you have the most faith for.

Tom told me he has back pain all the time, due to bulging L5 and L4 discs. He knew surgery was needed, but he's been putting it off. As I talked with him, I decided to try a slightly different approach. I usually command back pain to leave, but this time I was curious to know if he could be healed just by God's presence and a testimony.

I invited the Holy Spirit to bring His presence near and talked with Tom about people I've seen healed in the past. I placed my hand on his hip then shared the dream about the man with severe crushing injuries who was healed by the presence of God, without me praying for him. He said that would be cool. I asked how his back felt now.

"Now you're creeping me out....I can't feel any pain in my back." I asked him to move around a little to make sure. There was no pain.

So I asked how bad the pain was in his hand. It was still severe. I placed my hand so that I was barely touching the gauze bandages and commanded the spirit of pain to leave and for the blood vessels, nerves, bones, tendons and muscles to be healed and asked how he felt.

"There was a really bad, burning pain going all the way through my hand, but now it's gone. "

I smiled and prayed again and asked how bad the pain was. He said it was much less and he felt like he could sleep. I said, "That's cool, because I don't have anything else I need to ask you. I believe that when the surgeon takes these bandages off, your fingers are going to be as good as new. Why don't you sleep for the rest of the trip?"

Tom was in excruciating pain when we picked him up, anxious about never playing guitar again, wondering when he'd have to go under the knife for back surgery and the rehab afterward. Twenty minutes later he was ready for a nap, resting in the peaceful presence of God.

I have the coolest job in the world.

The Chaplain and The Medic

Early in the morning, a middle aged man walks a deserted hospital corridor. Another man sees him and smiles, noting that his arm is in a sling.

Walking over, he stretches out his hand. "I see I might be too late."

They shake hands awkwardly as the one with the sling is unable to extend his right hand, and his left hand is carrying a small pile of books. The sling is a result having surgery to repair his shoulder.

The procedure didn't go well. Already plagued with low back pain from bulging discs and chronic knee pain from mountain biking, the less than successful surgery had the potential to force some unwanted changes on him.

"I was going to ask if I could pray with you, but if you already had surgery, maybe you don't need to be healed. I've been praying with a lot of my patients and a lot of them are healed."

The chaplain said, "Really? Well, God must have given you a gift."

The medic smiled and explained that it's not really a gift. "Although there is a gift of healing mentioned in the bible, healing miracles are available to every disciple of Jesus. He gave His disciples authority and power to heal. I've just learned how to operate in it, but anyone can do it."

The medic and the chaplain discussed healing and the medic shared a lot of testimonies. In the end, they both wanted the same thing. The medic wanted someone to pray with and the chaplain wanted to be healed. Neither one knew what the other was looking for.

"If you don't mind, would you pray for my knee?"

"I'd love to."

A fire department crew walk quickly through the hallway with a patient on a gurney. A young woman with them looks at the medic, smiles and says, "I know what you're doing."

The medic looks at the chaplain. "That's my partner."

He invites the presence of God to come and feels the atmosphere change then placing his hand on the chaplain's knee he commands the spirit of pain to leave. Next he commands cartilage, ligaments, bone, nerves, tendons, blood vessels and muscles to be healed. "All things brand new, because God doesn't recycle, He makes all things new."

The chaplain said he didn't really feel any different. He bent down but there was still pain and no real change. The medic told him sometimes the healing can take 10 or 15 minutes, sometimes an hour or two and sometimes even a day or two. He repeated the process two more times.

With a smile, the chaplain said, "I'm feeling something happening in there now. Would you mind praying for my back?"

Placing his hand on the chaplain's lower back he repeated the same process as with the knee. After the third time, the chaplain reported a lot of heat in his back.

"That's the power of God healing you."

The chaplain told the medic that the surgery on his shoulder didn't go well. "The doc said it's bone on bone. I'm eventually going to need another surgery to replace the joint."

"Why don't we have God replace it right now?" Placing his hand on the injured shoulder, the medic said, "I command the spirit of pain to leave and for the bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, nerves, blood vessels and all the structures of the shoulder to be healed in Jesus name." How does it feel?"

"It's getting warm."

The medic repeated the process two more times and asked what was happening now.

"I feel a lot of heat now."

They talked some more. The medic gave the chaplain some cards to the website and told him to drop by and check out the testimonies and teaching on healing.

The chaplain said, "You know, if you took this far enough, you might put the hospital out of business."

The medic chuckled and mumbled to himself as he walked away....."Put the hospital out of business....that's a good one."

Charles, it was a real pleasure meeting you. Let us know how you're feeling?