Todd White teaches how to (and how not to) build relationships with strangers.
Aug 11, 2012
Aug 9, 2012
Covered By The Blood
As Shante slept soundly, an invisible voice whispered her name in the darkness.
"Shante...."
She awoke and scanned the room, looking for the one who called her name, but found no one. Looking a second time she realized her husband was missing.
Slipping on a robe, she made her way to the bathroom, located on the other end of the house. She opened the door.
Her husband lay naked in the bathtub. His arm bled profusely from a deep incision across his brachial artery. Both wrists were cut. His blood flowed freely, turning the bath into a crimson pool of death.
Shante knew what to do. This wasn't the first time. She called 911 and tried to wake him.
The men in uniform made quick work of getting him out of the tub and on the way to the hospital. After a unit of blood and 3 liters of saline in the ED, his pressure was still around 60/30. They had another problem. The hospital had no ICU beds open.
We arrived to transport him to the nearest hospital with an ICU bed. His nurse filled me in. They applied a pressure dressing to the open brachial artery and checked it before we arrived. It was still bleeding. His blood pressures had been horrible in spite of fluid resuscitation, although they'd only given him one unit of blood. He was a rare type and they had no more available.
He was restless and in pain. His physique was that of a bodybuilder. For a man pushing 60 years old, he looked like he was in good shape.
On the outside.
The inside was a different story.
I'm always saddened by suicide attempts, but some are worse than others. It's not unusual for a 17 year old girl to take a handful of pills after breaking up with her boyfriend. She's hurting. She wants attention and she knows how to get it. These gestures are pretty harmless and most people outgrow them.
But when you have grown children and grandchildren, you're supposed to have most of this stuff figured out. I can't think of anything sadder than a man who's been walking the earth for over 50 years who's still in bondage to his demons. Especially when he's a Christian.
Didn't Jesus came to free us from all of this? How is it that so many people come to the cross and receive salvation, but live the rest of their lives tormented by thoughts of ending their life?
I talked to his wife and asked if I might pray with him. She said he'd appreciate prayer then told me about how she found him in the bathtub. She was sound asleep at around 2:30, when a mysterious voice called her name in the night. There was no one around. We concluded it must have been an angel. I told her that God has been healing a lot of my patients and that He's been teaching me about healing mental illness. I didn't make any promises, but told her I'd do what I could to help him.
We loaded him in the ambulance. His son got in and sat next to me. I can't imagine what a 30 year old man would be thinking as he watched his father try to end his life.
"I have a question, sir...."
"What is it?"
"Can I pray with you?"
"Sure."
I prayed for peace to reign in his heart and commanded evil spirits to leave. "Holy Spirit, bring your presence to rest upon him and give him joy, unspeakable. Papa, show him your amazing love and mercy."
He finished the prayer with me..."In Jesus name."
We arrived and whisked him to the waiting ICU nurses and got him settled in. His wife was waiting in the room for us. I put my arm around her shoulder. She gave me a squeeze and said, "Thank you."
"Shante...."
She awoke and scanned the room, looking for the one who called her name, but found no one. Looking a second time she realized her husband was missing.
Slipping on a robe, she made her way to the bathroom, located on the other end of the house. She opened the door.
Her husband lay naked in the bathtub. His arm bled profusely from a deep incision across his brachial artery. Both wrists were cut. His blood flowed freely, turning the bath into a crimson pool of death.
Shante knew what to do. This wasn't the first time. She called 911 and tried to wake him.
The men in uniform made quick work of getting him out of the tub and on the way to the hospital. After a unit of blood and 3 liters of saline in the ED, his pressure was still around 60/30. They had another problem. The hospital had no ICU beds open.
We arrived to transport him to the nearest hospital with an ICU bed. His nurse filled me in. They applied a pressure dressing to the open brachial artery and checked it before we arrived. It was still bleeding. His blood pressures had been horrible in spite of fluid resuscitation, although they'd only given him one unit of blood. He was a rare type and they had no more available.
He was restless and in pain. His physique was that of a bodybuilder. For a man pushing 60 years old, he looked like he was in good shape.
On the outside.
The inside was a different story.
I'm always saddened by suicide attempts, but some are worse than others. It's not unusual for a 17 year old girl to take a handful of pills after breaking up with her boyfriend. She's hurting. She wants attention and she knows how to get it. These gestures are pretty harmless and most people outgrow them.
But when you have grown children and grandchildren, you're supposed to have most of this stuff figured out. I can't think of anything sadder than a man who's been walking the earth for over 50 years who's still in bondage to his demons. Especially when he's a Christian.
Didn't Jesus came to free us from all of this? How is it that so many people come to the cross and receive salvation, but live the rest of their lives tormented by thoughts of ending their life?
I talked to his wife and asked if I might pray with him. She said he'd appreciate prayer then told me about how she found him in the bathtub. She was sound asleep at around 2:30, when a mysterious voice called her name in the night. There was no one around. We concluded it must have been an angel. I told her that God has been healing a lot of my patients and that He's been teaching me about healing mental illness. I didn't make any promises, but told her I'd do what I could to help him.
We loaded him in the ambulance. His son got in and sat next to me. I can't imagine what a 30 year old man would be thinking as he watched his father try to end his life.
"I have a question, sir...."
"What is it?"
"Can I pray with you?"
"Sure."
I prayed for peace to reign in his heart and commanded evil spirits to leave. "Holy Spirit, bring your presence to rest upon him and give him joy, unspeakable. Papa, show him your amazing love and mercy."
He finished the prayer with me..."In Jesus name."
We arrived and whisked him to the waiting ICU nurses and got him settled in. His wife was waiting in the room for us. I put my arm around her shoulder. She gave me a squeeze and said, "Thank you."
Aug 7, 2012
Metal Bars Disappear
Randy Clark interviews a woman who testifies that two metal bars in her arm somehow disappeared during a healing service.
Aug 5, 2012
Prince of Peace
We arrived to transport Alfred. From his ER bed, he sent another text message. His wife gave him a hug and his nurse gave me report. He came in because he'd been having chest pain for 2 days, but according to the nurse, he hasn't had any since he arrived. His cardiac enzymes were slightly elevated so he was being transferred to a hospital with cardiology services.
His chief complaint now was a killer headache. I introduced my partner and asked a few questions.
"Hi Alfred....are you having any chest pain now?"
"No, just a real bad headache."
His wife interrupted. "Why don't you tell them about the chest pain?"
His wife ratted him out. He sent her a text about an hour ago sayng he was having chest pain. But he didn't tell the nurse. He was afraid. He wasn't sure what would happen if he told them he was having chest pain. In his mind, He was too young for a heart attack and too young to be facing the possibility of cardiac surgery.
I glanced at his face sheet and found the box for religious preference. He was a non-denominational Christian.
"This oughtta be good," I thought.
We got a set of vitals and got him loaded. After we were underway I took a seat next to him.
"Hey, Alfred, I have a question for you....would you like me to pray with you?"
He agreed. The smile on his face was priceless. My new friend has been under a lot of stress lately. Much more than he's used to. The chest pain only made things worse. Now he had his health to worry about. I asked how bad his headache was. He rated it at 8 out of 10.
I placed my hand gently on his shoulder and asked the Holy Spirit to bring His presence and touch him.
"Spirit of pain, I command you to leave. Holy Spirit, touch him with your power and remove all sickness and pain from him. I bless your work of healing and Lord, I thank you for your mercy."
I went on for a few minutes then asked what he felt.
"It's gone. It's all gone."
"Your headache?"
"Yeah."
"Are you lying to me?"
"No, I'm not lying. As soon as you put your hand on me and started praying, it left. It was like...two seconds later."
We both smiled and laughed and started talking about how amazing God is. Not only was his headache gone, but so was all of his anxiety and fear. All of it. Instantly.
He was the third person I prayed with this week who described an overwhelming sense of peace come over him when we prayed. The Prince of peace is making himself known.
We talked the rest of the way about healing, the kingdom, and the goodness of God. I taught him what I could about faith and healing and what to do if the symptoms returned. I gave him a card to the website and told him to leave a comment if he had time.
We dropped him off at the other hospital...a new man. When he left, he was a nervous wreck. When he arrived, he was smiling and laughing. His wife must have wondered what happened to him along the way.
Jesus happened to him.
His chief complaint now was a killer headache. I introduced my partner and asked a few questions.
"Hi Alfred....are you having any chest pain now?"
"No, just a real bad headache."
His wife interrupted. "Why don't you tell them about the chest pain?"
His wife ratted him out. He sent her a text about an hour ago sayng he was having chest pain. But he didn't tell the nurse. He was afraid. He wasn't sure what would happen if he told them he was having chest pain. In his mind, He was too young for a heart attack and too young to be facing the possibility of cardiac surgery.
I glanced at his face sheet and found the box for religious preference. He was a non-denominational Christian.
"This oughtta be good," I thought.
We got a set of vitals and got him loaded. After we were underway I took a seat next to him.
"Hey, Alfred, I have a question for you....would you like me to pray with you?"
He agreed. The smile on his face was priceless. My new friend has been under a lot of stress lately. Much more than he's used to. The chest pain only made things worse. Now he had his health to worry about. I asked how bad his headache was. He rated it at 8 out of 10.
I placed my hand gently on his shoulder and asked the Holy Spirit to bring His presence and touch him.
"Spirit of pain, I command you to leave. Holy Spirit, touch him with your power and remove all sickness and pain from him. I bless your work of healing and Lord, I thank you for your mercy."
I went on for a few minutes then asked what he felt.
"It's gone. It's all gone."
"Your headache?"
"Yeah."
"Are you lying to me?"
"No, I'm not lying. As soon as you put your hand on me and started praying, it left. It was like...two seconds later."
We both smiled and laughed and started talking about how amazing God is. Not only was his headache gone, but so was all of his anxiety and fear. All of it. Instantly.
He was the third person I prayed with this week who described an overwhelming sense of peace come over him when we prayed. The Prince of peace is making himself known.
We talked the rest of the way about healing, the kingdom, and the goodness of God. I taught him what I could about faith and healing and what to do if the symptoms returned. I gave him a card to the website and told him to leave a comment if he had time.
We dropped him off at the other hospital...a new man. When he left, he was a nervous wreck. When he arrived, he was smiling and laughing. His wife must have wondered what happened to him along the way.
Jesus happened to him.
Aug 3, 2012
Bill Johnson - God's Concealed Glory and Sovereign Healing
Bill Johnson discusses why God generally conceals His glory and on rare occasions, reveals it more fully. He also discusses the purpose of God's sovereign acts in the earth.
Aug 1, 2012
Dead Man Makes House Call to Doctors
In this news story, broadcast on WSMV, two physicians testify that they were visited by a man shortly after he died.
Jul 29, 2012
Jul 27, 2012
No More Shackles
This message is a bit longer than most of my stories. What God did today was too wonderful and full of intricate detail to be told in a shorter story, so grab a cup of coffee or tea and a box of tissues....
Timothy sat hunched over in a wheelchair at the entrance to the prison hospital. Wrapped in a white blanket, shivering, pale and emaciated, the long awaited day had finally arrived. He was going home.
The state prison in Florence sits like an old fortress atop a hill in the middle of the Sonoran desert. Outside the city limits are miles and miles of sand, saguaro, and sun-baked reptiles. Not a hospitable environment for a would-be escapee.
We arrived at the main prison gate. There was a newbie at the control panel opening and closing the gates. The guard yelled for him to open one gate and close another, but his orders went unheeded. The confusion would have served us well, if we had plans to break someone out. I was mildly amused when we were allowed inside without passing through the metal detector or being searched. I couldn't tell if there were angels present.
Our ambulance left deep tracks in the meticulously raked gravel driveway. Meticulous, because every day the inmates spend hours in the scorching sun, raking every driveway in the prison compound. We backed up to the hospital door, unloaded the gurney and went inside.
The information we had was sketchy. I asked a guard if he was being released early because he was sick.
"Heck, no!" She said with a laugh. "We don't let anyone out before their time is up. If they die here, they die here....and we have plenty of people die in here all the time."
I walked over and introduced myself. Timothy's cracked lips trembled with fear as he stared straight ahead. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Stuttering badly, he tried in vain to form words that made sense. The prison nurse put her arm around him and asked what was wrong. Stammering and stuttering, searching for the right words, he strung together a short phrase.
"I don't....want.... to be.... a burden...."
I took the nurse aside and asked for all the information she had. Timothy was in his early 30's, had HIV, a brain tumor and right sided weakness from a stroke, which left him unable to speak clearly. He had a Foley catheter and a PEG tube for feeding. He was being sent to an unknown destination for hospice care. His fear was that the one responsible for taking care of him, would be burdened by his extensive medical needs.
The nurse needed to know the name of the facility we were taking him to. We didn't have a name, just an address. We called dispatch, but they didn't have a name either. My partner Googled the address.
"It looks like a private residence. There's no business name and it's in a residential neighborhood."
Timothy spoke up and asked what the address was. We told him. After a long pause he smiled.
"That's....my.....sister's........house."
I was clear now that he was going to his sister's house and a hospice nurse would meet him there. That information helped. The likelihood of him actually being a burden to his family was somewhat lessened. Hospice nurses do an excellent job of preparing family members to provide care while they take care of the more technical issues. I put my hand on his shoulder and reassured him that he wouldn't be a burden to his family.
More tears.
We helped him up from the wheelchair and with measured, slow steps he positioned himself to sit on the gurney, his frail frame still draped with the white cotton blanket. The hospital building was well air-conditioned. I was getting cold after just a few minutes inside.
"You won't have to worry about being cold, Timothy. It's about 105 (40 C) outside. Even with the air conditioning on, it'll be 90 (32 C) degrees in the back of the ambo."
Another smile.
In staccato phrases he asked where his medications were. The nurses looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders. He said he had a bag of meds in his cell that were supposed to go with him, but no one knew where they were. They told him the prison's policy was to ship out any personal belongings left behind by inmates. He wasn't reassured.
His favorite nurse gave him one more hug before we loaded him up. More tears. She dried his eyes and gave him a few tissues for the road then we put him in the back of the ambo.
Leaving the prison was a strange ordeal. Since moving to Arizona, I've transported dozens of inmates. We always have two guards. And the inmates are always shackled.
Always.
But not today.
We stopped at the first gate and a guard climbed in, clutching a pile of papers. He sat next to me on the bench seat.
"This is so weird", the guard said. "There aren't any guards going along. No chase car. No shackles. We never see anyone leave in an ambulance without shackles and a guard."
He gave Timothy a check for $50 and had him sign for it. He explained what the rest of the papers were for and hopped out the back door. We approached the next gate. Another guard opened the back door. He took Timothy's yellow Department of Correction ID and gave him a new white one. Timothy looked at the picture on his new ID card with disgust, turned to me and said, "Can.....we....burn.....this?"
We both laughed.
He asked the guard about his bag of medications.
"We have 12 bags of medications inside, but none of them are yours. I don't know where yours are, but when they turn up, we'll ship them to you."
He wished Timothy good luck then closed the door. We pulled out of the compound onto the main road. My patient was a free man.
Well, sort of.
A few miles down the road, I asked if he had anything special he wanted to eat for his first meal. Words and phrases fell from his lips but nothing made sense. He couldn't say the name of his favorite restaurant.
"burger......burger...."
"Burger King?"
He shook his head.
"McDonald's?"
Wrong again.
"Wendy's?"
Nope.
I rattled off all the burger places I could think of, but missed each time.
"Cali....Cali....in and in...."
"In-N-Out?"
A big smile and a nod of agreement. I asked if he was going to order off the regular menu or the secret menu.
"Four by four", he said with a grin.
The thought of eating a good burger must have put him in a better frame of mind as he told me what was on the legendary "Four by Four". Four beef patties with cheese and all the fixin's. Unfortunately, the nurse clued me in to the fact that he frequently vomits after eating solid food.
I asked him what was the hardest part of being in prison. I assumed it might be the manual labor, the disgusting food, the oppressive heat or fear of what other inmates might do to you.
With a somber look, he started at his feet.
"Shackles".
Trying his best to form the right words, he explained the feelings that come from being shackled everywhere you go; in your cell, in the prison yard, on the bus, in the ambulance; even lying half-dead in a hospital ICU 50 miles from the prison, inmates are never free from the shackles.
"Well, you never have to wear shackles again. Today you're a free man."
"I'll Fly Away" was playing softly in the recesses of my mind. It was about that time when my partner received a call from dispatch telling him they found the missing medications. I broke the news to my new friend.
"It looks like we have to take you back. But this time, no shackles...they found your meds."
We retrieved the bag of pill bottles then headed out once more - our destination was 81 miles away. I told him I see a lot of people healed and asked if I could pray with him. He smiled and said yes. I laid my hand on his shoulder and asked Papa to bless him with peace, confidence, joy and health. I commanded disease to leave and asked the Holy Spirit to bring His presence.
I asked if he felt anything.
"I feel.....relief."
"Well, I suppose that's better than shackles."
I prayed one more time then turned my attention to charting. Timothy rested, gazing out the back window of the ambo. God only knows what must be going through his mind.
About thirty minutes went by. He slept a little but was awake again. Staring intently and fidgeting.
"What are you thinking about?"
With his eyes still looking out the back widow, he slowly explained that he was thinking about how he'd lived his life.
"I wanted.....to be....a good.....example."
More tears.
I can only imagine how this young man must have viewed his life. What kind of bitterness and disappointment was he feeling? What would it be like to wake up tomorrow morning, knowing you're a free man, trapped inside a life that went horribly wrong?
"Timothy....I was a terrible role model for most of my life. It was only a few years ago that things changed for the better. The doctors I know have a saying - "You learn to make good decisions, by making bad decisions." It's never too late to be a good example."
He smiled, nodded in agreement, wiped away the tears and rested his head, turning his gaze to the back window.
An hour later we approached his sister's house. With joy and excitement he told me in the best words he could find when we were going to turn and which stores we would see. His mother greeted us at the back door of the ambulance. Inside, a house full of relatives waited with excitement. I helped him to bed then went to the living room and gave report to the hospice nurse. His mother came from the bedroom.
"He wants to see you before you go."
I returned to his bedside. He held out his hand. I gently grasped it and we slowly shook hands as he tried to speak. Stammering and stuttering he told me thanks for being so nice to him. I bent down and hugged his frail body. With my head against his I said, "You're just awesome, you know that? God loves you and He has a great plan for your future. And if I don't see you in the future, I'll see you in the pasture. And remember....it's never too late to be a good example."
With tears in my eyes, I made my way to the kitchen, left a copy of my report with the nurse and headed for the door.
God's love and compassion just amaze me......
Timothy sat hunched over in a wheelchair at the entrance to the prison hospital. Wrapped in a white blanket, shivering, pale and emaciated, the long awaited day had finally arrived. He was going home.
The state prison in Florence sits like an old fortress atop a hill in the middle of the Sonoran desert. Outside the city limits are miles and miles of sand, saguaro, and sun-baked reptiles. Not a hospitable environment for a would-be escapee.
We arrived at the main prison gate. There was a newbie at the control panel opening and closing the gates. The guard yelled for him to open one gate and close another, but his orders went unheeded. The confusion would have served us well, if we had plans to break someone out. I was mildly amused when we were allowed inside without passing through the metal detector or being searched. I couldn't tell if there were angels present.
Our ambulance left deep tracks in the meticulously raked gravel driveway. Meticulous, because every day the inmates spend hours in the scorching sun, raking every driveway in the prison compound. We backed up to the hospital door, unloaded the gurney and went inside.
The information we had was sketchy. I asked a guard if he was being released early because he was sick.
"Heck, no!" She said with a laugh. "We don't let anyone out before their time is up. If they die here, they die here....and we have plenty of people die in here all the time."
I walked over and introduced myself. Timothy's cracked lips trembled with fear as he stared straight ahead. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Stuttering badly, he tried in vain to form words that made sense. The prison nurse put her arm around him and asked what was wrong. Stammering and stuttering, searching for the right words, he strung together a short phrase.
"I don't....want.... to be.... a burden...."
I took the nurse aside and asked for all the information she had. Timothy was in his early 30's, had HIV, a brain tumor and right sided weakness from a stroke, which left him unable to speak clearly. He had a Foley catheter and a PEG tube for feeding. He was being sent to an unknown destination for hospice care. His fear was that the one responsible for taking care of him, would be burdened by his extensive medical needs.
The nurse needed to know the name of the facility we were taking him to. We didn't have a name, just an address. We called dispatch, but they didn't have a name either. My partner Googled the address.
"It looks like a private residence. There's no business name and it's in a residential neighborhood."
Timothy spoke up and asked what the address was. We told him. After a long pause he smiled.
"That's....my.....sister's........house."
I was clear now that he was going to his sister's house and a hospice nurse would meet him there. That information helped. The likelihood of him actually being a burden to his family was somewhat lessened. Hospice nurses do an excellent job of preparing family members to provide care while they take care of the more technical issues. I put my hand on his shoulder and reassured him that he wouldn't be a burden to his family.
More tears.
We helped him up from the wheelchair and with measured, slow steps he positioned himself to sit on the gurney, his frail frame still draped with the white cotton blanket. The hospital building was well air-conditioned. I was getting cold after just a few minutes inside.
"You won't have to worry about being cold, Timothy. It's about 105 (40 C) outside. Even with the air conditioning on, it'll be 90 (32 C) degrees in the back of the ambo."
Another smile.
In staccato phrases he asked where his medications were. The nurses looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders. He said he had a bag of meds in his cell that were supposed to go with him, but no one knew where they were. They told him the prison's policy was to ship out any personal belongings left behind by inmates. He wasn't reassured.
His favorite nurse gave him one more hug before we loaded him up. More tears. She dried his eyes and gave him a few tissues for the road then we put him in the back of the ambo.
Leaving the prison was a strange ordeal. Since moving to Arizona, I've transported dozens of inmates. We always have two guards. And the inmates are always shackled.
Always.
But not today.
We stopped at the first gate and a guard climbed in, clutching a pile of papers. He sat next to me on the bench seat.
"This is so weird", the guard said. "There aren't any guards going along. No chase car. No shackles. We never see anyone leave in an ambulance without shackles and a guard."
He gave Timothy a check for $50 and had him sign for it. He explained what the rest of the papers were for and hopped out the back door. We approached the next gate. Another guard opened the back door. He took Timothy's yellow Department of Correction ID and gave him a new white one. Timothy looked at the picture on his new ID card with disgust, turned to me and said, "Can.....we....burn.....this?"
We both laughed.
He asked the guard about his bag of medications.
"We have 12 bags of medications inside, but none of them are yours. I don't know where yours are, but when they turn up, we'll ship them to you."
He wished Timothy good luck then closed the door. We pulled out of the compound onto the main road. My patient was a free man.
Well, sort of.
A few miles down the road, I asked if he had anything special he wanted to eat for his first meal. Words and phrases fell from his lips but nothing made sense. He couldn't say the name of his favorite restaurant.
"burger......burger...."
"Burger King?"
He shook his head.
"McDonald's?"
Wrong again.
"Wendy's?"
Nope.
I rattled off all the burger places I could think of, but missed each time.
"Cali....Cali....in and in...."
"In-N-Out?"
A big smile and a nod of agreement. I asked if he was going to order off the regular menu or the secret menu.
"Four by four", he said with a grin.
The thought of eating a good burger must have put him in a better frame of mind as he told me what was on the legendary "Four by Four". Four beef patties with cheese and all the fixin's. Unfortunately, the nurse clued me in to the fact that he frequently vomits after eating solid food.
I asked him what was the hardest part of being in prison. I assumed it might be the manual labor, the disgusting food, the oppressive heat or fear of what other inmates might do to you.
With a somber look, he started at his feet.
"Shackles".
Trying his best to form the right words, he explained the feelings that come from being shackled everywhere you go; in your cell, in the prison yard, on the bus, in the ambulance; even lying half-dead in a hospital ICU 50 miles from the prison, inmates are never free from the shackles.
"Well, you never have to wear shackles again. Today you're a free man."
"I'll Fly Away" was playing softly in the recesses of my mind. It was about that time when my partner received a call from dispatch telling him they found the missing medications. I broke the news to my new friend.
"It looks like we have to take you back. But this time, no shackles...they found your meds."
We retrieved the bag of pill bottles then headed out once more - our destination was 81 miles away. I told him I see a lot of people healed and asked if I could pray with him. He smiled and said yes. I laid my hand on his shoulder and asked Papa to bless him with peace, confidence, joy and health. I commanded disease to leave and asked the Holy Spirit to bring His presence.
I asked if he felt anything.
"I feel.....relief."
"Well, I suppose that's better than shackles."
I prayed one more time then turned my attention to charting. Timothy rested, gazing out the back window of the ambo. God only knows what must be going through his mind.
About thirty minutes went by. He slept a little but was awake again. Staring intently and fidgeting.
"What are you thinking about?"
With his eyes still looking out the back widow, he slowly explained that he was thinking about how he'd lived his life.
"I wanted.....to be....a good.....example."
More tears.
I can only imagine how this young man must have viewed his life. What kind of bitterness and disappointment was he feeling? What would it be like to wake up tomorrow morning, knowing you're a free man, trapped inside a life that went horribly wrong?
"Timothy....I was a terrible role model for most of my life. It was only a few years ago that things changed for the better. The doctors I know have a saying - "You learn to make good decisions, by making bad decisions." It's never too late to be a good example."
He smiled, nodded in agreement, wiped away the tears and rested his head, turning his gaze to the back window.
An hour later we approached his sister's house. With joy and excitement he told me in the best words he could find when we were going to turn and which stores we would see. His mother greeted us at the back door of the ambulance. Inside, a house full of relatives waited with excitement. I helped him to bed then went to the living room and gave report to the hospice nurse. His mother came from the bedroom.
"He wants to see you before you go."
I returned to his bedside. He held out his hand. I gently grasped it and we slowly shook hands as he tried to speak. Stammering and stuttering he told me thanks for being so nice to him. I bent down and hugged his frail body. With my head against his I said, "You're just awesome, you know that? God loves you and He has a great plan for your future. And if I don't see you in the future, I'll see you in the pasture. And remember....it's never too late to be a good example."
With tears in my eyes, I made my way to the kitchen, left a copy of my report with the nurse and headed for the door.
God's love and compassion just amaze me......
Jul 26, 2012
Severed Auditory Nerve Healed
This woman attended Global Awakening's School of Healing and Impartation. During the training, she was healed of deafness caused by a severed auditory nerve.
Jul 24, 2012
Metal Plate and Screws Disappear
This woman, named Jessica, testifies that she had a metal plate and 3 screws in her wrist disappear during worship.
Jul 22, 2012
On Dying Young
This message is likely to meet with disagreement from many of my friends. I would ask that you read the message all the way through and consider it thoughtfully and prayerfully before coming to a conclusion on the matter. I would be glad to discuss your thoughts in the comments section.
The body of Christ has held two opposing views on the forces at work when people die at a young age. Some believe that God has a purpose for "taking" people in their youth, and these reasons often remain a mystery. Most of my friends who have discovered the resurrection power of God would disagree. They believe that we're all entitled to a long, prosperous life. They hold the view that it is only at the hands of the enemy that anyone dies at a young age.
Twelve months ago, I would have agreed with my friends. When the sacred cow was finally barbecued that said God has reasons for people to die in their youth, we all rejoiced. In the circles I travel in, the new dominant view is that it is never God's will for anyone to die at a young age.
I've spent a lot of time reviewing near-death testimonies and reading accounts from people who have gone into the heavens. And my perspective on the issue has been changing. The subject we're discussing is emotionally charged and full of conflicting views. Patience is required to sort these things out, so bear with me as I shed a bit of light on the different issues involved.
The argument for a long physical life is made by those who see promises of longevity in scripture. I've searched the bible and haven't found an explicit guarantee of longevity anywhere in scripture. I believe it is God's desire for us to have a long life, which is to say that He always wants us to live in such a way that our years on the earth would be fruitful and many. But I believe that some of our own choices frustrate those plans.
If you believe in determinism, this idea will probably be objectionable to you, for determinism teaches that our own actions cannot thwart the plans of God if He has sovereignly ordained us to live a certain number of years. I personally reject determinism. I believe that our own choices must be accounted for in the grand scheme of things and we can either frustrate or cooperate with His plans by the choices we make.
I believe it is God's desire that everyone would have a long, abundant and blessed life. God is good and He has nothing but our best interest in mind in everything He does. It is actually this principle (our best interest) that I believe is at work when people die at a young age. Allow me to explain what I mean by this.
The human perspective on life tends to focus on things that happen in the dimension of time and space. The temporal things of this world are the things we think about most often and value the most highly. One of the things is our own physical life and our experiences in this world.
When someone dies at a young age, we tend to view it as a tragedy. We consider all the things the departed person might have done if they had lived longer. We're saddened by the fact that they won't accomplish the wonderful things the rest of us will. We mourn the love they'll never know, the victories they'll miss out on and all the things of this physical life that we feel everyone deserves to experience. We value the temporal experiences of this earth rather highly.
It is our temporal perspective that clouds our understanding of life and death and obscures our ability to see how they are viewed from heaven.
I've been reading the book The Spiritual World by Peter Tan. I've also been watching video interviews with Katt Kerr. Both have received extraordinary revelations about the spirit world. Their testimonies have caused me to re-evaluate many of my beliefs about life and death.
I began to question the idea of a guarantee of long life shortly after I began praying for the sick. I had prayed at the bedside of a number of terminal cancer patients, and in visions, I often saw clear indications that the person's time on earth was up. Jesus was taking them home and there was nothing I could do to change it. While my friends in the healing community insisted that we had an obligation to heal everyone, I began to see things from heaven's perspective.
I've watched many interviews with people who have had near - death experiences. In some cases, the Lord would show them the things they would endure if they returned to earth then asked if they wanted to remain in heaven or return to their physical body. If a person chose to remain in heaven, their testimony, for obvious reasons, would never be recorded. But many chose to return, in spite of the difficulties they would face. And that begs the question - what purpose does God have for allowing people to decide their own fate concerning their physical life and death?
Katt Kerr has been taken into heaven hundreds of times to witness different things and reveal them to us, back here on earth. She's attended the homecoming of many departed saints and made an interesting observation about them. When we step into eternity for good - all of heaven throws a party for us. The "death" of our physical body is celebrated with extreme joy and celebration by everyone in heaven. There is no mourning, no weeping or sadness like we have here on earth. In heaven, the death of our physical body means it's party time.
She said that we all get to watch our own memorial service on earth. Nearly everyone who watches their own sad, somber funeral makes the same comment. They wish their friends and relatives on earth were as joyous as the saints and angels were in heaven. Our physical death, from the perspective of heaven, is a reason to rejoice - not to mourn and cry, regardless of the age of the individual.
Peter Tan reports that there are things going on the realm of the spirit that most of us haven't considered. Tan describes millions of different planes, spheres, and dimensions of existence in the spiritual world, each of which serves a unique purpose in the greater plan of God. As we step out of our physical body into the spirit world, we're taken to one of the realms of eternity. If you are a Christian, you'd call it heaven. Though in fact, there are many realms of heaven, each one containing a different aspect of God's glory for us to to become familiar with.
In eternity, we spend time exploring and being transformed into the perfect image of Christ by all the different levels of God's glory that we're exposed to. And yes, there is time in eternity - though it's quite different from how we understand time in this dimension.
The plan of God for each of us is to be transformed (sanctified) into the perfect image of Christ. (See 1 Thess 4:3) That transformation happens in many ways throughout the entirety of our existence, both on earth and in eternity. God is always interested in our transformation into the image of His son. This is the overarching concern behind everything He allows to come into our lives.
Nothing ever supersedes this imperative.
There are many experiences here on earth,which provide opportunities for spiritual growth and transformation. Some are revelatory; others involve overcoming adversity or persecution, but all develop Christ-like character in our spirit-man.
There are other experiences that can cause us to regress backward in our spiritual development. In them, our spiritual light diminishes with each passing day. Some people may go through so many negative spiritual experiences after returning to earth, they end up worse off (spiritually) than if they had remained in eternity.
All the positive and negative experiences that affect our spiritual development are considered when God decides if an individual will remain in heaven or return to earth. Physical age is not one of the major factors considered.
When a person dies, regardless of their physical age, God examines all the possible outcomes of their continued life on earth and their transition into eternity. He evaluates their potential for spiritual growth in both settings. His decision to allow them to remain in eternity or return to earth is based on His knowledge of all these factors. In some cases, the results of living in eternity and on earth may be so similar that He will allow the individual to decide their own fate.
If the individual has a chance to grow spiritually by returning to earth, they're usually sent back. But if they have little chance for spiritual growth on earth - they usually remain in heaven, where they'll continue the process of transformation.
Over the course of my career, I've probably interviewed more than 100 people who have had near death experiences. Nearly all of them remember being told "it wasn't their time". Nearly all were explicitly told they had more to accomplish before their time on earth was over. I believe the "something more" is the development of greater Christ- like character in their life.
It's almost time to wrap this up, so I'll close with this final thought:
When a loved one experiences physical death - the biblical response is to pray for resurrection. (Matt 10:8) We pray for resurrection because we don't know if they're going to remain in eternity or return to earth. If they need to return, our prayers enforce God's will for them to return. In situations involving resurrection, it's wise to ask God for a specific revelation of His will so that we might pray in accordance with it.
I'll post a instructional message in the next few weeks on how and when to raise the dead.
'till then....
The body of Christ has held two opposing views on the forces at work when people die at a young age. Some believe that God has a purpose for "taking" people in their youth, and these reasons often remain a mystery. Most of my friends who have discovered the resurrection power of God would disagree. They believe that we're all entitled to a long, prosperous life. They hold the view that it is only at the hands of the enemy that anyone dies at a young age.
Twelve months ago, I would have agreed with my friends. When the sacred cow was finally barbecued that said God has reasons for people to die in their youth, we all rejoiced. In the circles I travel in, the new dominant view is that it is never God's will for anyone to die at a young age.
I've spent a lot of time reviewing near-death testimonies and reading accounts from people who have gone into the heavens. And my perspective on the issue has been changing. The subject we're discussing is emotionally charged and full of conflicting views. Patience is required to sort these things out, so bear with me as I shed a bit of light on the different issues involved.
The argument for a long physical life is made by those who see promises of longevity in scripture. I've searched the bible and haven't found an explicit guarantee of longevity anywhere in scripture. I believe it is God's desire for us to have a long life, which is to say that He always wants us to live in such a way that our years on the earth would be fruitful and many. But I believe that some of our own choices frustrate those plans.
If you believe in determinism, this idea will probably be objectionable to you, for determinism teaches that our own actions cannot thwart the plans of God if He has sovereignly ordained us to live a certain number of years. I personally reject determinism. I believe that our own choices must be accounted for in the grand scheme of things and we can either frustrate or cooperate with His plans by the choices we make.
I believe it is God's desire that everyone would have a long, abundant and blessed life. God is good and He has nothing but our best interest in mind in everything He does. It is actually this principle (our best interest) that I believe is at work when people die at a young age. Allow me to explain what I mean by this.
The human perspective on life tends to focus on things that happen in the dimension of time and space. The temporal things of this world are the things we think about most often and value the most highly. One of the things is our own physical life and our experiences in this world.
When someone dies at a young age, we tend to view it as a tragedy. We consider all the things the departed person might have done if they had lived longer. We're saddened by the fact that they won't accomplish the wonderful things the rest of us will. We mourn the love they'll never know, the victories they'll miss out on and all the things of this physical life that we feel everyone deserves to experience. We value the temporal experiences of this earth rather highly.
It is our temporal perspective that clouds our understanding of life and death and obscures our ability to see how they are viewed from heaven.
I've been reading the book The Spiritual World by Peter Tan. I've also been watching video interviews with Katt Kerr. Both have received extraordinary revelations about the spirit world. Their testimonies have caused me to re-evaluate many of my beliefs about life and death.
I began to question the idea of a guarantee of long life shortly after I began praying for the sick. I had prayed at the bedside of a number of terminal cancer patients, and in visions, I often saw clear indications that the person's time on earth was up. Jesus was taking them home and there was nothing I could do to change it. While my friends in the healing community insisted that we had an obligation to heal everyone, I began to see things from heaven's perspective.
I've watched many interviews with people who have had near - death experiences. In some cases, the Lord would show them the things they would endure if they returned to earth then asked if they wanted to remain in heaven or return to their physical body. If a person chose to remain in heaven, their testimony, for obvious reasons, would never be recorded. But many chose to return, in spite of the difficulties they would face. And that begs the question - what purpose does God have for allowing people to decide their own fate concerning their physical life and death?
Katt Kerr has been taken into heaven hundreds of times to witness different things and reveal them to us, back here on earth. She's attended the homecoming of many departed saints and made an interesting observation about them. When we step into eternity for good - all of heaven throws a party for us. The "death" of our physical body is celebrated with extreme joy and celebration by everyone in heaven. There is no mourning, no weeping or sadness like we have here on earth. In heaven, the death of our physical body means it's party time.
She said that we all get to watch our own memorial service on earth. Nearly everyone who watches their own sad, somber funeral makes the same comment. They wish their friends and relatives on earth were as joyous as the saints and angels were in heaven. Our physical death, from the perspective of heaven, is a reason to rejoice - not to mourn and cry, regardless of the age of the individual.
Peter Tan reports that there are things going on the realm of the spirit that most of us haven't considered. Tan describes millions of different planes, spheres, and dimensions of existence in the spiritual world, each of which serves a unique purpose in the greater plan of God. As we step out of our physical body into the spirit world, we're taken to one of the realms of eternity. If you are a Christian, you'd call it heaven. Though in fact, there are many realms of heaven, each one containing a different aspect of God's glory for us to to become familiar with.
In eternity, we spend time exploring and being transformed into the perfect image of Christ by all the different levels of God's glory that we're exposed to. And yes, there is time in eternity - though it's quite different from how we understand time in this dimension.
The plan of God for each of us is to be transformed (sanctified) into the perfect image of Christ. (See 1 Thess 4:3) That transformation happens in many ways throughout the entirety of our existence, both on earth and in eternity. God is always interested in our transformation into the image of His son. This is the overarching concern behind everything He allows to come into our lives.
Nothing ever supersedes this imperative.
There are many experiences here on earth,which provide opportunities for spiritual growth and transformation. Some are revelatory; others involve overcoming adversity or persecution, but all develop Christ-like character in our spirit-man.
There are other experiences that can cause us to regress backward in our spiritual development. In them, our spiritual light diminishes with each passing day. Some people may go through so many negative spiritual experiences after returning to earth, they end up worse off (spiritually) than if they had remained in eternity.
All the positive and negative experiences that affect our spiritual development are considered when God decides if an individual will remain in heaven or return to earth. Physical age is not one of the major factors considered.
When a person dies, regardless of their physical age, God examines all the possible outcomes of their continued life on earth and their transition into eternity. He evaluates their potential for spiritual growth in both settings. His decision to allow them to remain in eternity or return to earth is based on His knowledge of all these factors. In some cases, the results of living in eternity and on earth may be so similar that He will allow the individual to decide their own fate.
If the individual has a chance to grow spiritually by returning to earth, they're usually sent back. But if they have little chance for spiritual growth on earth - they usually remain in heaven, where they'll continue the process of transformation.
Over the course of my career, I've probably interviewed more than 100 people who have had near death experiences. Nearly all of them remember being told "it wasn't their time". Nearly all were explicitly told they had more to accomplish before their time on earth was over. I believe the "something more" is the development of greater Christ- like character in their life.
It's almost time to wrap this up, so I'll close with this final thought:
When a loved one experiences physical death - the biblical response is to pray for resurrection. (Matt 10:8) We pray for resurrection because we don't know if they're going to remain in eternity or return to earth. If they need to return, our prayers enforce God's will for them to return. In situations involving resurrection, it's wise to ask God for a specific revelation of His will so that we might pray in accordance with it.
I'll post a instructional message in the next few weeks on how and when to raise the dead.
'till then....
Jul 21, 2012
Power and Love Training
Host Location:
Wellspring Church
Berlin, CT 06037
Date: August 15-18, 2012
Full School (all 4 days) Regular Rate Registration: July 19 to August 10, 2012 -- $80.00
Full School (all 4 days) At the Door Registration: $100.00
Per Session Rate: For those who can only attend part of the school, the rate will be:
$20 per morning session
$20 per afternoon session
$40 per day:
There is no advanced registration for individual sessions. These will be
available at the door only, space permitting.
Student Discount: Full time students can register at $15.00 off each full school rate above or $5.00 off the per session rate. You will need to show your Student ID when you arrive on Wed morning or you will be charged $15 at the door.
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