Pierce County Deputies Shot

I am saddened to report that two more police officers in our area were shot overnight. Please pray for their speedy recovery and for the safety of all our our brothers and sisters in law enforcement.

Charlie Brown's True Meaning of Christmas

(You may want to watch the video first)

Sometimes I feel like Charlie Brown at Christmas time. He was bewildered at the emptiness in a Christmas drowning in commercialism. But he was encouraged by a friend who reminded him of what it's all about. Linus illuminated the meaning of Christmas with a passage from scripture. Our unlikely hero, strengthened in his conviction, pressed on with his vision. With the voice of Linus echoing in his mind, he took pity on a sickly tree. He saw something in this tree others could not. He was determined to lift it up to a place of honor. His friends looked down on him for believing in this foolish plan, calling him a blockhead. In the end, they rallied around him and the tree and gave praise to God.

Men and women like Charlie Brown, who see the unseen possibilities and follow their dreams will always be seen as fools. Like the men from the east who followed the star that brought them to Bethlehem; I'm sure their friends also thought them to be fools. I was reading in the 3rd chapter of Mark this morning, where Jesus appointed the 12 apostles. A few verses later, his family said he was out of his mind. (Mark 3:21) Translation...Jesus, you're a blockhead.

So is anyone who follows the road we are on.

We tell them we hear the voice of God; a voice they've never heard.

We tell them God wants to do miracles; something they've never seen.

We tell them an angel delivered a message; they roll their eyes and laugh.

We see strength and virtue in the drunkard.

We see holiness and beauty in the prostitute.

We see wisdom and grace in the addict.

We see what they cannot see.

Fools!

What blessed fools are we who take strength in what God has declared.

This is not a celebration of foolishness. True fools bring shame to themselves. Christmas is a time of celebration for those who believe in the impossible and marvel at the miraculous. Everything about Christmas from the appearance of angels to the virgin birth speaks of the supernatural, the unlikely, and the impossible.

In the medical profession, we need to change how we see things. It's easy to hop on the bandwagon and ridicule the homeless, drunken, addicted and mentally wounded people we care for. Just do what everyone else does.

In this season, and every day of the year, like Charlie Brown, we should choose to see the miraculous. We must close our eyes to what we see in the present and believe in what God can do in the future. Like the pitiful tree, we must believe there is something honorable and virtuous God placed inside every person.

God came to a manger. He took on the form of man. He came to rescue us from our sickness, suffering and sin. He had a vision for mankind that was greater than we could have imagined. Let's partner with Him in this plan of redemption. He's in the business of taking lives that are wrecked and ruined and making them into something beautiful.

Kansas City Healing Revival

A little over a month ago, the Holy Spirit began a new work in Kansas City, Missouri, at the International House of Prayer (IHOP). It has brought a great work of healing and deliverance, especially among teenagers and young adults. This video explains some of the experiences they've seen so far.

Breast Cancer Healed

This is the testimony of a woman healed of metastatic breast cancer through prayer. If God heals one, He can heal all. If healing is on your Christmas list this year, ask for it.

Memo to Dave

When the headache grows more intense...

Relax.

You'll be home soon. Where your wife waits with a cheerful smile. Even after her long day of work.

And the presence of God never leaves.

The Holy Spirit has taken up residence here as He once did at the house of Obed- Edom (2 Sam 6:12) .

God blessed everything he did and every one who came there.

And as you drive home, know that your healing awaits you.

The Lord of heaven and earth who healed you before will heal your headache - again.

And your shoulder pain.

And your back pain.

And your fears.

And your sadness.

I am Jehova Rapha - The Lord who heals you, that is my name.

I can do nothing else.

ER Stand Up - Brian Regan

We've been digging some deep wells lately. I thought it might be time for a look at the lighter side of things. If laughter is the best medicine, this just might cure you. We'll be going to some serious subject soon. Enjoy a little laughter now.

Traumatic Injuries Healed -Testimony

This woman was injured in a car accident. God spoke to her in the middle of the night about forgiving the driver who hit her. She made the decision to forgive and was healed during worship service. What interests me is the confession that she had not truly forgiven the other driver. There seem to be cases in which anger or bitterness prevents us from being healed. In future posts we'll look at this subject as well as healing during worship.

Lakewood Police Memorial

This has been a trying time for all of us. As we drove around from hospital to hospital yesterday we saw the procession from Lakewood to the Tacoma Dome. News helicopters were a constant reminder of what our brothers and sisters were doing today. It was a day to honor our fallen friends. Let's always remember the men and women in uniform; military, police, fire and EMS who have died in the line of duty. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Lakewood Shooting

I'm on duty this morning in Lakewood, Washington. It's been a difficult day and I'm only a few hours into the shift. Sundays are usually calm. We wash the rigs, have breakfast, and find a place that has a TV to catch some of the football action. We might run a few calls, but it's usually a laid back pace on Sunday. But not this Sunday.

A few minutes after I arrived, the acting supervisor greeted me with his prediction - "Dave, it's gonna be a crazy day." While doing rig check, I noticed there was a lot of traffic on the fire radios. We took a call with engine 2 for seizures, but got cancelled my a medic unit already on scene. A few minutes later, we were on our way for an emergency cath lab transfer. Our patient was on a couple of drips with a 90% occlusion of the right coronary atrery. We loaded him and headed for the rig. As we went by the ER waiting room, I glanced at the TV and saw the headline..."Four police officers shot and killed in Lakewood". A sick feeling came over me. Then I thought - "What the hell is going on around here?" It was only days ago when a Seattle police officer was shot in his police cruiser. Now this.

Before I could process the shooting, we had to take care of our patient. As we approached our destination, I asked if I could pray with him. It was hard to get the words out but I awkwardly blurted out something and he said 'sure', so I prayed with him. We gowned up and headed for the cath lab and transferred him to the procedure table. After we got the gear put away, we headed for the ER break room, we joined the folks gathered around the TV. As we watched the scene unfold we talked about what would make someone want to target a group of cops at a coffee shop. It's hard to understand the workings of a criminal mind.

I wondered if there might be a group of men with the same agenda; men who believe they can somehow eliminate the police in our area. The man arrested in the Seattle shooting seems to have had this plan in mind. That's a frightening thought. How are police (and public servants in general) supposed to guard against such plans?

I moved to the Puget Sound area in 1995. I worked in several big cities prior, including Nashville and Milwaukee. I've had a lot of contact with law enforcement during my career. Police and fire departments are all a little different. The differences flow out of what kind of attitudes and behaviors the Chief officers tolerate and encourage. I have to say this about the police in Pierce county and the cities of Lakewood and Tacoma; I've never witnessed a single case of excessive use of force by any of the cops I've met. They have great attitudes and are a pleasure to work with. I'm amazed at the crap they have to put up with and their level of professionalism and self-control.

If you've been around for a while, you've probably seen a few episodes of "Cops". Many of them were filmed in Lakewood, Parkland and Spanaway. I don't know if any of the officers who died were on the show. No names have been released yet. But the show gives examples of the kind of lawlessness these officers were trying to protect us from. Today, four of them paid the ultimate price to keep us safe. I've often think about the things that put me in danger me at work. There aren't many. I shiver at the thought of what it must be like working as a cop. Never knowing if the next traffic stop will be someone with gun who knows how to use it. I could never do it, but I'm grateful for men and women who do.

I hope the shooter is found. I'd ask you'll join me in prayer for the friends and families of the fallen officers and pray for the safety of  their co-workers. I found an encouraging message this morning. My Google homepage has a daily bible verse below the news and weather forecast. Here's the verse for today: "Be sure of this, the wicked will not go unpunished, but the righteous will go free." (Prov. 11:21)

One final thought...it's ironic that such wickedness comes on the eve of another great move of God. As we gather in mourning for our fallen brothers, God is about to bring an outpouring to this very same place. It's almost here. Truly we can say, "where sin abounds, grace abounds much more".

Fasting

When someone asks me if they should fast, I usually say, "It depends". Whether or not you should fast depends on what you want to accomplish. Since most who ask are merely interested in healing, my answer is often, 'no'. It isn't necessary to fast before you can heal the sick.

Jesus gave his disciples authority over all the power of the enemy and this authority encompasses healing and was not dependent on fasting. Having said this, the next question is whether or not fasting has any benefit to the believer. I believe it does, and there may be a benefit to those who operate in healing, but first let’s examine some misconceptions about fasting.

Fasting has developed a bad reputation in some circles. Many people who operate successfully in healing are strongly opposed to it. Others believe it’s essential to spend time fasting before the sick can be healed. Beliefs about fasting have been taken to extremes in both directions. Personally, I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The biblical narrative on fasting isn’t crystal clear, which accounts for some of the disagreement. You could support almost any view using the right verses.

Some teach that fasting was part of the old covenant and as such, it has no application today, because we live under a new covenant. Their objection is that fasting, because it is done as a ritual in order to keep the law, can become a form of legalism. In this assertion, they are correct. If we believe that fasting or any of our acts will impress God we are mistaken. (See Rom. 3:28) Keeping rules and performing rituals will never make us righteousness. Fasting that is done to maintain or earn a righteous standing with God is useless. But this isn’t the only reason for fasting and God is always interested in the motives behind our actions.

Fasting could be seen not as an attempt to keep the law, but as a spiritual principle used to accomplish certain things. There are principles taught in the scriptures that are eternal, spiritual principles, which bear fruit to those who desire their benefits; and I believe fasting is one of them. Moses, Elijah and Jesus all spent long times of fasting. They heard God’s voice more clearly than anyone of their day and collectively, they worked countless miracles. Jesus performed no miracles until after he spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness. (Matt. 4:2)

Fasting can be done for health benefits but for the believer interested in healing, one advantage of fasting is that it helps put to death the flesh. The ‘flesh’ is a biblical term for our bodily desires. Our spirit and our flesh are constantly at war with each other. (Gal. 5:17) When we’re hungry, we eat, which feeds the body and keeps our flesh happy and in control of things. When we fast, the goal is to decrease the dominion and power of our bodily desires (the flesh) over the life and power of our spirit man. When we do this – our spirit man becomes stronger and more dominant. A stronger spirit is more aware of God’s presence and that creates greater faith and confidence in what He wants to accomplish through us.

The western world seems to be wedded to a lifestyle of eating. How do we deal with the problem of meals at work? Some of us eat at the nearest café, some carry containers of food to work and many of us forage on whatever we can find in break rooms. I’m as guilty as anyone. The hospitals where I work put out free chips, sandwiches and cookies in their EMS rooms. Some provide free meals for us in their cafeterias. Our skylines are littered with fast food joints screaming for attention. For some of us, eating is no longer a means to provide fuel for our body. It’s become an obsession, a ritual, and an expensive lifestyle.

We need an awareness of our lifestyle if we ever hope to make changes to it. The apostle Paul said we shouldn’t be conformed to the world’s ways, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Rom. 12:2) If we are to grow and develop a lifestyle of healing, we must consider our present way of living and admit two things; few of us actually hear God as often or as clearly as we’d like to. And few of us consistently see the kind of victory over the enemy that we’d like to.

In the Sermon on the Mount, recorded in Matthew chapter 6, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. Immediately following this, he taught them how to fast:

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Mat. 6:16-18)

Jesus taught his disciples how to fast in this passage, but according to the disciples of John the Baptist, they didn’t make a habit of fasting. (See Matt. 9:14) The disciples were able to heal the sick and cast out demons without fasting; that is, until they failed to heal the boy with seizures. When they asked why they failed, Jesus said it was because of unbelief. He then said their unbelief (or lack of confidence) resulted from their failure to spend time in prayer and fasting. (Matt. 17:21) The implication of His comment is that if the disciples had obeyed his teaching and spent time in prayer and fasting, they would have had the faith needed to cast the demon out.

From this, I would conclude that fasting is neither essential, nor useless. Fasting should be seen as optional for the believer interested in healing. It wasn’t required for the disciples to heal the sick and cast out most of the demons they encountered. Likewise, most of the healing and deliverance we’ll do can be done without fasting. But there are certain adversaries that require greater faith to conquer. That level of faith comes only through prayer and fasting. If healing a few people once in a while is your goal, it probably isn’t necessary to fast. But if you plan to do warfare against demons on a regular basis, it may afford you an advantage.

Jesus didn’t create a long list of rules about fasting. He kept it simple; when you fast, don’t make a public show of it and don’t be a hypocrite. Fasting isn’t about looking spiritual or impressing anyone. It’s between you and the Father. He left the specifics up to them.

Looking at scripture, it’s apparent that fasting was done a couple of different ways. Some people seemed to fast once or twice for a long period - typically forty days. Moses, Elijah and Jesus fasted this way. (See Ex. 34:28, 1 Kings 19:8 and Luke 4:1-2) Daniel fasted for 21 days before receiving a vision of future events from the angel Michael. (Dan. 10:3) But not everyone followed this example. Some made a habit to fast on a regular basis, and seemed to fast for shorter periods of time. The apostle Paul, the disciples of John the Baptist, Cornelius and Anna, the woman who served at the temple all fasted routinely and for shorter periods of time. (See Matt 9:14, 2 Cor. 11:27, Acts 10:30 and Luke 2:37)

Many instances of fasting are recorded in the Old Testament. They generally had to do with the death of a beloved person, times of prayer and intercession for approaching military conflicts and for divine guidance in personal and public affairs. Fewer are recorded in the New Testament, but fasting was done when decisions were made concerning the appointing of elders (Acts 14:23) and when the disciples were instructed by the Holy Spirit to send out Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journey (Acts 13:2).

Now I’d like to share my personal experiences. I’ve had about as many failures as I’ve had victories in this area. But with every fall, I learned something about myself and about God, and I haven’t regretted any of it. Fasting is a very personal thing. Your experiences will be different from mine. The value in this discussion is to share the positive things I’ve experienced to give you hope that you’ll see some of them, too. My assignments, gifts and calling are different from yours. What you get out of fasting will depend on what God has called you to do.

I first tried fasting years ago during a difficult time of my life. I felt like I needed to hear God’s voice during a time of testing and trials. My first fast was for 1 day. It didn’t seem that difficult. Since then, I’ve talked with others who felt they were going to die just trying to go 1 day without eating. Everyone is different. I may have had an advantage; I’d been working 24 hour shifts as a paramedic for about 20 years. I’ve often been so busy running calls while on duty that I didn’t have time to eat. My mind may have received some prior training that helped me with the discipline of fasting.

My second fast was for 3 days. That was a lot more difficult, but I made it, drinking only water. The hardest part was ignoring my stomach, which grumbled continually. At the end of the third day, I did feel slightly less earth-bound, and I began to sense God’s voice a little more clearly. A week or so after this, I fasted for 6 days, eating no food; only water and some juice. As I progressed further into the time of fasting, God’s voice became easier to discern and the tug and pull of the cares of the world grew faint. After 3 days, the sensation of hunger left. Resisting the urge to eat on days 4, 5 and 6 was easy. I spent some time alone on day 6, asking things of God and listening for answers. When I was satisfied I had all the information I needed, I began eating again. Most people agree that hunger seems to dissipate after 3 days.

I didn’t fast again for a couple of years. I hadn’t felt a need for it, but God did. He tried in different ways to alert me to the need for fasting, but I was unaware of it. He finally got my attention and I began once again, gradually working my way up to longer periods of fasting. That’s one of the points I’d like to suggest. Begin with a reachable goal and after you succeed – go a little longer the next time. I found that doubling the length of time was a reasonable goal for me. I began at 3 days, then 6 then 12. The longest I’ve fasted so far is 19 days.

I prefer to fast without eating any type of solid food and I generally just drink water. That's just my personal preference. I have a friend who did a 21- day vegetable fast, similar to the one the prophet Daniel did. He had great results and began having visions and powerful dreams during and after the time of fasting. My wife prefers to make a vegetable broth when she fasts. Some people skip one meal a day on a certain day of the week and others fast the entire day. If you work long hours, you might want to fast at work and eat at home. If you feel weak or dizzy while fasting, check your blood sugar. If you have diabetes, liver problems or other health issues consult your doctor before fasting.

I'd like to suggest a few things about listening to God. Be very aware of what He is saying during this time, and be obedient to whatever He asks of you. Drawing closer to God should always be the focus of fasting. Several times while I was fasting, God gave me instructions and I tried to dismiss it as the enemy talking to me.

After feeling like I should take a few mineral supplements to prevent leg cramps, God told me to stop taking them. I didn’t listen. So he gave me a dream about buying mango, pineapple and orange juice at a store. The worship leader, Paul Baloche was working behind the counter. This told me the dream was a dream from God. I stopped taking the supplements and bought juice the next day and never had leg cramps. I’ve also had God tell me to stop fasting before the time I had chosen to stop. Naturally, I rebuked the evil spirit, and continued on my holy quest. Eventually God spoke loudly enough to convince me I was just being disobedient.

Matt Sorger has some good advice on fasting; “Don’t forget to pray – otherwise it’s just a diet.” I was guilty of ignoring God completely while fasting for 5 days. I was busy doing other things. During that fast I never spent more than a few minutes at a time thinking about God or seeking His instruction. It was a waste of time, except that I learned to pursue God more diligently the next time.

God can tell you when it’s time to fast, so ask Him. In March of 2009, He gave me a dream about fasting, which I’ll share. In the dream, I was preparing for a trip. I created a special pillow I made with memory foam. I added another pillow inside the pillowcase. I was telling some friends about it. I also had a water bottle with a removable panel that had two parts to it. Another guy had the same bottle. In the dream, we were washing them. I was explaining to him how to clean the bottle thoroughly. Finally, I was in front of a mirror and I noticed I had really flat abs – no spare tire at all, and I was very tan.”

There were four things in this dream that spoke of fasting. One was the water bottle, because I carry one with me when I’m fasting. The pillow also does because God increases revelation through dreams when I fast. Flat abs speaks of fasting because I lose 1 to 2 pounds a day while fasting and going on a trip symbolizes the spiritual journey we take. The memory foam pillow was the way God prompted me to remember the things I would experience, including journaling my dreams.

Weight loss is inevitable when you fast. How much you’ll lose depends on your metabolism, activity and method of fasting. I’ll warn you – the weight you lose during fasting is even easier to put back on afterward, unless you make it a routine or alter your lifestyle following the time of fasting.

If you’re single, fasting can be done independently as often as you choose, with little regard for the needs of others. But I’m a family man and fasting creates issues for families that should be discussed beforehand. If your family has a routine of eating meals together – having one person who doesn’t eat can be a problem. Discuss it with your family and come to an understanding before you start. Having your spouse join you in fasting may be a good option.

I’ll close with this final story. The time that I fasted for 19 days was an incredible experience. After 12 days, I began to hear God’s voice very clearly. After 18 days I heard Him constantly. All day long, wherever I went God was speaking to me as clearly as anyone else. I didn’t hear an audible voice, but it was a clearly discernable inner voice. I had the most amazing dreams and I began to have visions every time I closed my eyes. He gave me a private bible study from a couple of different chapters. The first one was in Genesis. He spoke to me about how before the fall, He and Adam had a relationship like I was experiencing during the time I fasted. He told me that this was how our relationship was intended to be from the beginning. He went on to explain that it was my choice to enter into this experience, and I could go as deep in it as I wanted to. There were many other things He told me that morning as well. I’d like to encourage you to consider spending some time fasting. You’ll grow in the spirit of wisdom and power, and the secret things of God will become yours

Sometimes It’s Obvious

We were on our way to an interfacility call when traffic slowed to a stop. I just love people who pass you on the shoulder of the freeway just to get one car-length ahead of you. A couple of state troopers passed us with their lights on. The fire radio told us an engine and ladder were headed our way. We hailed dispatch and told them we would be delayed on the call as we approached the MVA. Being the closest unit, they sent us priority. The cat in the Camry, forcing his way through traffic wasn’t happy when we came up behind him. My partner resisted the urge to take him into the wall.

The black sedan was crushed, kissing the concrete wall on the bridge. Walking through the debris field I stepped around the tire lying on the road, which had been ripped off. I approached the car and asked the driver how she was. “I f***ing hurt all over!” Nice opening line…very classy. I introduced myself and asked her name. We extricated her and got her moving toward the hospital. On the way she continued cursing and making excuses for hitting the wall.

Our second patient was a middle-aged man who’d been having near-syncopal episodes for a couple weeks. He became dizzy and sweaty. When he got up he almost passed out. His heart rate was 36; his systolic pressure was around 100. No mystery here, he needed a trip to the cath lab. He told us one of the episodes happened while he was in church.

If you had to guess which patient I prayed for – who would you pick?

Patients can reveal things that are like an invitation to prayer. I look at bookshelves in people’s homes for bibles and spiritual reading materials. Many times you can tell the spiritual climate of a home by what is displayed on their walls. If a patient mentions going to church – there’s a good chance they’ll be receptive to prayer. During our transport of the man with bradycardia, I asked if I could pray with him. He was glad I asked and thanked me afterward. I was encouraged by the clue he gave about attending church.

What other clues are there that a patient may be open to prayer? Clothing and jewelry sometimes contain clues. During inter-facility transports you might look at the face sheet from the hospital. The Catholic hospitals in our area usually indicate a religious preference somewhere. It may help you make the decision. But don’t rely on it too much. I’ve had many patients allow me to pray with them – but they had NRP (no religious preference) on their face sheet.

Looking for clues can be helpful  – especially when you’re new to praying with patients. Don’t forget that God can give you all the information you need. It’s a good use of time and resources to spend a few minutes asking God what He has planned. He’ll never steer you wrong.

Praying & Partners

One problem we face when we decide to pray for our patients is the comfort level of our co-workers with prayer. In this post I'd like to address pre-hospital EMS partners, but the concept applies to other partnerships as well. What we do and how we are perceived can affect how people see our partner. The person we spend 24 hours with has a right to expect certain things from us. I cringe when I have to work with a partner who is immature. They inevitably say or do something that makes us both look stupid. There’s a lot of ‘guilt by association’ in EMS. We need to be respectful of work partnerships.

There are a couple of things you can do to make the road a little smoother. One is to have an open discussion with your partner about your desire to pray for patients. But do your homework first. Anticipate the objections they might bring up and have good answers to their questions. Be considerate of your partner’s feelings and give them time to think about it. Don’t be pushy.

Know why you want to pray for patients. Is your motive more about evangelism than healing? This won't go over well with some people. Prayer leads people to think about religion. Mixing religion and work makes people uncomfortable. I try to keep the focus on healing and not religion. I keep my speech as secular as possible. That takes some deliberate thinking and avoiding words common to our religious language of 'Christianese'.

Give some thought to how you might approach patients to ask them about prayer. Consider the fact that some will say no, and how you’ll handle this. Consider the flow of patient care – some calls are too fast-paced to allow a lot of time for prayer. You don't want to delay treatment for prayer - that's negligence. Think about when might be the best time to ask patients about it.

If you work for an employer that has a lot of turnover, you might have the opportunity to change partners. Recruiting someone you know who is open to prayer can be helpful, but it didn’t work for me. I had a couple of partners who were cool with me praying for patients. Then we had a couple of system re-bids and I lost them. I tried to recruit a ‘prayer-friendly’ partner both times, to no avail. In the end, God’s plan prevailed and he hooked me up with the perfect partner. But it didn’t happen until I had already decided to pray for my patients. That’s worth thinking about.

Once you make the decision to pray for your patients, expect things to change. You’ll get a lot of positive feedback – your partner might like it, even if they aren’t sold on prayer at first. People will eventually be healed. Your partner might be thrilled at this. It might happen the first time you pray, it might take a week or a few months. In many cases, you won’t know what the result is. If people find out you’re praying for patients, and it goes well, other believers may follow your lead. It might even become a normal thing where you work.

I’d encourage you to step out in faith. God wants to heal your patients. Work out a reasonable agreement with your partner and watch what God does.