Healing Ministry Flows Through Relationships

I've been asked, "Exactly how do you walk up to a complete stranger in a store and heal them?"

Every person we'll ever do anything with is a stranger to us at one time. Everything we do from the time we meet them is either building or destroying a relationship. If we intend to heal a stranger, at minimum we should probably learn their name. Personally I think we ought to go much further, but it's a start.

You could stand on a sidewalk with a loudspeaker announcing your desire to heal people and command them to be healed from ten feet away. You might even heal some people. I don't know if it would qualify as effective ministry.

It's difficult to receive ministry from a stranger. Most of us want to know something about the one representing God before we give them our time and our ear. When a stranger speaks at a church they're introduced by someone who knows them and their expertise or credentials are presented. It's part of our culture.

A few years ago I met a man whose writing inspired me. I liked the stuff he wrote so much that I began bugging him by e-mail. He was very gracious; patiently answering some of my questions and encouraging me to find the rest of the answers on my own.

One day I wrote something that provoked him. I received an unexpected reply that has provoked me ever since.

This was his reply:

"Some time ago, I had this image of a network of islands in a vast sea, connected by a variety of bridges. The islands are people, and the bridges are the relationships. Some of the islands have many bridges, some just a few, and a few islands have no bridges at all. And the bridges are of all varieties. There are some rickety footbridges, some rope bridges or narrow wooden bridges. Some are just a fallen log. Others are well-made stone bridges, and there are a few modern steel or concrete bridges.


“No man is an island,” or so John Donne says. Nobody is completely self-sufficient. I may produce quite a lot of what I need on my island, but there are some things that I’ll need from others. Besides, if I get by with only what I can make myself, then I subject myself to a very primitive lifestyle: no cars, no cell-phones, no laptops or toilet paper: none of these can be produced without heavy industry.

If I want coffee, I can trade some of the things I make on my island (let’s imagine I’m a carpenter) with someone else for their coffee, but only if I have a bridge. But not just any bridge. I need to have a bridge that I can carry my wood furniture over: the rope bridge won’t do. In fact, the fallen log is out, and many of the narrow wooden bridges. The guy with the coffee can make use of most of the bridges, but my work requires a bigger bridge. The stonemason on the next island over needs really strong bridges.

I heard Rick Joyner say one time that when God sends him somewhere to minister, he’s always interested to see how they receive him. If they recognize him as a pastor or ministry leader, then there’s a certain amount of ministry he can bring. If they receive him as an author and a teacher, then there’s more he can bring. If they can accept him as a prophet, still more, and if they welcome him as an apostle, then he can bring the entire arsenal for them.

Rick is looking to see what kind of bridge exists between himself and the people he’s ministering to. If it’s a smaller bridge, built with less trust or less understanding of the things of God, then he’s able to bring less ministry over the bridge, perhaps just the ministry of a pastor. After a number of visits, perhaps the bridge is strong enough to support apostolic ministry.

If I don’t have any relationship with you at all, then it will be very difficult for me to minister to you, to strengthen you, encourage you, to equip you for the assignments that God has given you. Likewise, it’s nearly impossible for me to receive any strength or encouragement from you. There are people I know professionally; most of them don’t have a bridge with me that would support a prophetic word or a revelation from scripture.

When I speak with a group of people, the first thing on my agenda is to build relationship with them. I only have a few minutes with them, maybe an hour, so we have to work fast; I do that work with jokes, stories, illustrations. Fortunately, I have a teaching gift from God and the Holy Spirit loves to inhabit them: He makes the job much easier and faster, but it still takes time, and if I hope to carry something of value to them, I must have a bridge to do it!

Even Jesus saved his heavy revelation for the Last Supper, after Judas had left to collect his 30 pieces of silver. Only there among his eleven most trusted friends did he share his most significant secrets. Those were the only relationships that were able to bear it.

For a more scriptural example, let’s look at 1 Corinthians 3: It’s my opinion that this is essentially what Paul is saying: “Your end of the bridge isn’t substantial enough for this ministry.” They were acting like “mere men” which prevented him from teaching them weightier subjects. Same with Hebrews 5. The seven sons of Sceva may be an example of the bridge of relationship breaking because they tried to carry too much weight over it, but Stephen certainly is such an example.

Recently, I needed to bring a very strong word of correction to a brother in Christ. I actually had the word two years earlier, but the word was heavy enough that our relationship couldn’t support it. We built a relationship over those years, and eventually he invited me to speak into his life on that subject, and when I did, our relationship supported the weight of the word: he made the needed changes in his life (it took a few years), and we’re still friends. Now we both speak into each others’ lives.

Now the question is whether you and I have enough of a relationship to support this much meat? It’s not really a lot of weight, but then, we don’t have a lot of experience relating to each other either. "
[End of e-mail]

I thought about his words for a long time.

I thought about people in the church who can't receive correction from leaders, because they've never established a relationship strong enough to support a word of correction. They go from one church to another.

I thought about the sidewalk evangelist who brazenly walks through town condemning people to hell, without every stopping to ask their name or demonstrate one act of compassion.

I think about street healers who go around healing injured people just to gather testimonies to share with anyone who will listen....and leave without anything else being said.

I came to this conclusion:

Ministry Flows Through Relationships

We must learn how to develop bridges of relationship with people if we hope to ministering healing (or anything else) to them. Even if it's a small bridge, they must have a reason to trust us. Healing may just be the beginning of their life in the kingdom. After healing or deliverance they'll need to be discipled. Who does that? It might be us if we have the relationship to support it. We need an approach to ministry that's relational. What kind of model do I use?

I look at Jesus when I think about how we should minister. He healed people in a variety of ways. Sometimes the sick came to him. He didn't need to establish who he was in those cases. The sick knew he had the power to heal. All he did was release the healing to them. But we're discussing a different type of ministry here. One in which the person we want to minister to knows nothing about us. In those cases we need to do something to give them a reason to let us into their world.

My favorite encounter is where Jesus met the woman at the well of Samaria in John 4. Here's a brief overview of their encounter:

• Jesus departs from Judea and heads toward Galilee, passing through Samaria. (verses 3-4)
• He meets a woman at the well and asks for a drink (verse 7)
• She is offended at his request (verse 9)
• They discuss the nature of water. (verses 10-15)
• Jesus gives her a prophetic word about her current boyfriend and previous husbands (verses 17-18)
• She recognizes him as a prophet (verse 19)
• They discuss religious practices (verses 20-24)
• She brings up the subject of the Messiah (verse 24)
• He reveals that he is the Messiah (verse 25)

Jesus took a perfect stranger and in a few minutes of conversation (with the help of some divine revelation) convinced her he was the Messiah. We don't need to convince anyone we're the Messiah, our task is much easier. We need to convince them that we care enough about them to have God bless them with his healing power.

My suggestion is simple. Take a few minutes to get to know the person you want to heal. If they have an obvious injury ask how it happened. Ask about the weather or their children. Ask them about anything you might have in common with them. If you see sadness ask what it's about. If you sense fear ask that they're afraid of. Listen to what they say and respond (out of compassion) if it seems appropriate.

Take time to establish a bridge of trust before attempting to minister to someone. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Original Post: "Ministry Flows Through Relationships":

Todd White In New York - Part 2

Learn from Todd White as he demonstrates the power and love of God on the streets of New York.

Grocery Store Healing

I went with my daughter to the grocery store. I'm not deliberately trying to influence her in the direction of healing. It just sorta....happens.

Leaving the store, I noticed a middle-aged woman limping toward the parking lot.

I almost heard the Holy Spirit say, " Go get her."

I approached, gave her my best smile and asked why she was limping.

She shot me a grin and asked why it was any of my business.

I presented my credentials:

I'm a paramedic. I work in Tacoma. I'm not crazy and I'm not a stalker. I just like to see people blessed by the healing power of God. You can ask my lovely daughter....honest, lady!

We talked for about ten minutes. She asked every question under the sun. I gave every decent answer I could think of. She grilled my daughter again about me.

I said, "look, why don't we walk to your car and talk about it on the way. (We were creating a scene in the entrance to the store)

She limped pathetically toward her car. She let me push the shopping cart.

As she walked I could see it was her knee. She couldn't bend it. I asked what was wrong. She had a torn meniscus in her left knee and needed surgery which she couldn't afford. She was terrified about what would happen if she couldn't work because of the injury.

I said, "May I please try to get your knee healed? What will it hurt if I just try?"

She reluctantly agreed.

I placed my hand on her knee and commanded the pain to leave in the name of Jesus. I commanded the spirit of pain to leave and never come back.

I asked how she felt. She said it was a little better. I commanded it to be healed one more time and asked how it felt. All the pain was gone.

She looked at me and said, "Are you for real?"

I said, "Jesus is more real that you know and he's the one who healed you. He loves you and he has a great plan for your future." I asked if she had any other conditions I could pray for. She let me pray for back pain and high blood pressure. I gave her a card to the website and we talked for a while about the goodness of God. She gave me a hug and we left her with with a huge smile on her face.

My daughter was grinning from ear to ear as we walked to the car. I love showing her how our Father loves His kids.

Jesus is the reason for the season. Have a wonderful Christmas.

Cerebral Palsy Progressive Healing

This is the testimony of a man whose son is in the process of being healed of cerebral palsy. This is a good example of how a progressive healing occurs. It may take days, weeks, months or even years. The key is to be persistent and never give up.

The Waiting List

What can you do when surgery to repair a structural problem in your spine fails?

Here's one solution:

On recent call, we took an elderly man home from the hospital. He had terminal metastatic cancer of the spine that had spread to multiple organs. When we got to his home we were met by his family. His daughter wanted to help us lift him into bed but couldn’t. She had a severe back injury. My partner and I moved him over with ease then I asked his daughter about her back injury.

She sustained a crushed vertebrae in a car accident years ago. Typically, the damaged bone is repaired surgically with bone grafts. Metal plates or rods are attached to stabilize it further. Unfortunately, many patients suffer severe pain after the procedure. This was one of those cases.

She has severe pain every day. She's on the waiting list for a vertebral implant; a device that replaces the damaged bone. It's used with a bone graft to fuse the vertebrae together.


I asked if she wanted to be healed. She asked what I had planned and if it would hurt. She wasn't very trusting, but I decided to have fun with her.
I told her I wanted to show her instead of tell her.
She asked what I was going to do.
I asked her to trust me.
She wanted to know if it would hurt. I promised not to hurt her and asked if I could place my hand on her back.
She gave in.
I placed my hand on the middle of her back and commanded it to be healed in Jesus name.
With a huge smile that soon turned to laughter she said, “I just love my holy ghost friends.”
I asked if she felt anything.
“Just the presence of God.”
I spoke to the spirit of pain and commanded it to leave, then commanded her spine to be healed and asked how she felt.
Twisting back and forth at the waist she said, “I can’t feel any pain.” She bent down and touched her toes and informed me that all the pain was gone.
She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a big hug and thanked me.
She's bound to have an MRI soon. I wonder what they'll find.
She asked if I’d pray for her dad who we brought from the hospital. I didn’t get a chance to pray with him in the ambulance because I was driving. We knelt down beside his bed and prayed for healing. I gave her some infomation about how to keep the pain in her back from returning and gave her a card to the website.
She thanked us and we left.
I can't describe in words how wonderful it is to be used as an instrument in the hands of God. Nearly everywhere I go there are people who need the great physician's healing touch. Some are on the waiting list, hoping for man's best invention as a remedy for their pain.
Jesus is so much better at healing than we are.

Cecil's Story

I received permission from Cecil to tell this story. It's with gratitude to my former patient and new friend that I'm reporting on the recent events of his life.

To say that Cecil Leadinghorse was an alcoholic is an understatement. By the data collected through the state department of social services and local hospitals, Cecil was the most troublesome alcoholic in the state of Washington.

Prior to 2008, nearly every paramedic, firefighter and emergency room nurse in two counties knew Cecil on a first name basis. His alcoholic antics were the stuff of legends. It was common for him to be transported 3 or 4 times a day. Units were routinely dispatched for "Cecil sightings". Some crews would see him staggering down the street and transport him without being dispatched to get him into emergency room early in the shift so they wouldn't have to pick him up at 3 in the morning.

EMT and Paramedic instructors took special time in their classes to teach crews how to properly transport Cecil. According to the state, his healthcare bill at the expense of taxpayers exceeded 10 million dollars by the mid 1990's.

In an effort to reign in the expense of treating homeless alcoholics in Tacoma, the two largest hospitals developed a jointly funded project called the "Sobering Center". Staffed by one employee, it has 5 rooms designated as safe places for drunks to be transported to instead of a hospital. The rooms have a mattress on the floor and bathroom facilities. Guests are watched for several hours, then released to the community. This project was developed largely to address the problems caused by Cecil's drinking.

If ever an alcoholic had earned the status as a legend, it was Cecil.

While transporting him from a hospital to detox two years ago, I had a God encounter of sorts. I asked God to give me some words that would forever change Cecil's life. I felt that God's sullied reputation in Tacoma could somehow be redeemed if He could get Cecil to quit drinking.

During the transport, God gave me a few things to say. When we arrived at Detox, I asked Cecil if I could share them. He said, 'sure'.

I said that people had been calling him a worthless drunk all his life and he never believed anything different. I told him that every word spoken about him being a useless drunk was a lie and he needed to stop listening to the lies. I told him God didn't make him a useless drunk. I told him that he would one day be a sober man of integrity that others would respect. I told him that people would look to him as an example of how to get free of alcohol. I basically prophesied non-stop for about ten minutes that Cecil would have a new future. He sat in stunned silence and said, 'thanks'.

A little more than 6 months later, (in March of 2009) I saw Cecil in the emergency room. He was there for a minor injury. And he was sober.

It was my turn to be stunned.

I went to the desk and asked the nurses about it. Four different nurses confirmed that he'd been clean and sober for almost 6 months.

Four months later, (July of 2009) I was talking with a Tacoma cop. I mentioned that I'd heard Cecil was clean and sober. He said, "yup, that's a fact. We see him every day at 11:45 walking down 9th street to the Urban Grace church to his AA meetings. He looks like a different man."

For over a year, I've wanted to find Cecil and ask what happened to him. In October of 2010, I spent one day following up on a few patients I transported and prayed with. While driving down Tacoma Avenue, I saw Cecil. I parked the car and got out. I talked with him for about 30 minutes. He gave me permission to tell his story and take his picture.

This is his story:

He told me of the time he lay dying while pounding on the door of the sobering center. He was desperately trying to be let in before they opened. After crashing from being drunk, he began vomiting blood. He thought it would stop, but the blood kept coming.

He tried to get the attention of the caretaker by pounding on the door, but she ignored him.

Filled with fear, he begged her again to open the door. When she did, she saw the blood and called for an ambulance. The crew took him to the closest hospital. He was rushed to the operating room they repaired his ruptured esophagus.

After coming out of the hospital it was time for a wake up call.

He thought about quitting his love affair with alcohol many times. After 23 failed attempts to get sober, he entered a treatment program. He was allowed to live in an apartment above detox.

One day he went to Tim’s convenience store to get beer. They wouldn’t sell it to him so he cursed them out and left. He went across the street and bought a six pack but as he came out of the store, the police saw him and took it away. He cursed them out.

He looked around for his drinking friends but found none. He hopped a bus to the south end of town and tried to buy beer at 38th street, but they wouldn’t sell to him either. He cursed them out and left, a bitter man.

Lonely, empty and sober, he caught the bus back to Fawcett street. He had a stash of two bottles hidden in the bushes. He pulled them out and with determination in his mind never to drink again, he dumped them on the ground. He went back to his apartment and fell asleep.

Cecil remained in treatment, went to his group meetings and hasn’t had a drink in more than 2 years. His life of addiction is finally over.

He has buss passes to get around town but he doesn’t use them much. While driving through town I see him hobbling down the sidewalk with his walker from time to time. He loves to walk.

He can be seen every day going to the Urban Grace church where his AA group meets.

He even has a car – a mid ‘90’s Pontiac that he paid cash for. But he doesn’t use it much. He prefers to walk.

Cecil knows he’s a role model of sorts. He won’t tell alcoholics “Just do what I did.” He believes we’re all different and what worked for him, may not work for them. But he knows he was one of the worst alcoholics ever and he knows that if he was able to do it, anyone can.

I can't say that Cecil has an intimate relationship with God at this point in his journey. He's still sorting things out after a lifetime of abuse, addiction and confusion. I believe he's closer than he was a few years ago.

Some changes take more time than others.

And it is a journey. We take one step at a time.

A Spirit of Power on The Ward

This story was submitted by Michael C. King

Work started off “normal”. I was a Patient Safety Attendant (we call them “sitters”) for a suicide- attempt patient. These are generally easy work assignments since the patient is often a walkie-talkie who is waiting for a bed to open up on the psych ward. This particular patient was barely a legal adult, and an absolute brat to boot. However, her roommate was in her sixties, there on alcohol detox, and God had really been active in her life. The morning got off to a fantastic start when this roommate, I’ll call her “Pam,” woke up.

“I had an odd dream last night,” Pam commented. Having done a small amount of dream interpretation myself, I asked her to tell me her dream, not telling her I had every intention of interpreting it. I don’t remember now what the dream was, but I nailed the interpretation, and it was something God was trying to let her know about herself and a Christian drug-rehab program she was about to enter.

The dream interpretation opened up some God-conversation, and I discovered that Pam was a believer although fairly young in her faith. Somehow we got onto the subject of her arthritis, which she had in her left thumb, both knees, and a few other places. Feeling a little unsure myself, I started with one spot, the thumb. I commanded healing into the thumb and rebuked arthritis. It left.

Immediately.

No pain, no problems, full range of motion (ROM).

I moved on to pray for her knee, same result. No pain; instant healing. I was feeling a bit bolder, knowing that God was healing her right then, so I just commanded all other arthritis to go. Her spine got hot, and she felt the pain in her coccyx go, pain which I knew nothing about since she hadn’t told me.

Breakfast came a bit after that, and we were talking. Pam had orders for a prophylactic anti-emetic (anti-nausea) due to persistent stomach problems, but only received it a few minutes before breakfast arrived, and she didn’t give it enough time to work. She started feeling pretty nauseous, so I offered to pray for her again. She was more than happy to get prayer since she had such wonderful results the first time. It had been years since she could hold a fork and knife normally to eat. I took her hand and prayed for her stomach. It immediately got a warm feeling and all the nausea left.

While this was happening, I got a word of knowledge about God healing some emotional stuff. I didn’t know what exactly, but I knew it was related to her son. I told her this, and she started crying.

What I didn’t know prior to that point was that her nausea at mealtime had started when her son was growing up, and mealtimes were always a very stressful time for them. Since they always fought then, she would get emotionally upset, her stomach physically upset, and she wouldn’t want to eat.

Fast- forward many years later; her body had taken so much emotional pain surrounding mealtimes that her stomach automatically reacted when she ate. Well, God healed that too!!

The rest of the day was up and down--at the time she was there for alcohol detox and not only experiencing withdrawals, but stuck in a room with the brattiest SA-patient ever whose family and friends who mostly just acted like they were at a party.

In her defense, it WAS pretty miserable to be separated by ONLY a curtain, and we didn’t have any more open beds until a room got cleaned from another patient who died late that morning. To top it off, we ended up getting more admits. So, no room-change for her. However, God had given me such favor with her that I was the only staff member able to talk Pam down from her agitation-bordering-on-hysteria and help her through her rough spots that afternoon.

It was a blessing to be able to work with her, minister healing and all around love on her when she was in a tight spot, and it all began with an unsuspecting woman waking up in a hospital bed and sharing a dream.

The Bell Ringer

A woman in a wheelchair sat ringing her bell.

A blur of humanity passed before her eyes.

A handful of coins plinked in her bucket.

The bell rang again.

At the end of my work day I breezed through the store and quickly found a roasted chicken and a bag of coffee.

The woman who ground my coffee asked, "Are you ready for Christmas?" I told her I still had shopping to do.

I made small talk with the woman at the check out counter. People came and went in a hurry. But the lady ringing the bell was on my mind.

Peter and John went to the temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”
Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the temple with them.
All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. (Acts 3:1-9)

Two thousand years later, I was standing before a crippled woman sitting at the gate asking for money.

I took her hand and asked her name, then asked why she was in the wheelchair. She smiled and told me about the problems with her hip. She had an injury that couldn't be repaired surgically and it was too painful for her to stand so she accepted the wheelchair as her fate.

More people came and went from the store. Children dropped their coins in her bucket.

She rang the bell and smiled.

I told her about the woman I'd seen healed of a back injury earlier in the day. I asked if she wanted to be the next one healed.

She smiled and said yes.

I placed my hand on her hip and commanded pain to leave. Then I commanded the ligaments, muscles and tendons to be healed. She felt tingling in her hip. I prayed a second time then a third.

I asked how she felt.

"I can't feel any pain."

"Why don't you stand up and see how it feels?"

She got up from the wheelchair and shifted her weight from side to side, trying to make the pain come back, but it wouldn't return. She was healed. With a smile of gratitude she hugged me.

I spent some time telling her what to expect in the coming days. I encouraged her not to use the wheelchair again and warned her that the pain might return. "Rebuke the pain and command it to leave. Don't take it back." I shared with her about the nature of spiritual warfare and that the enemy may try to convince her she wasn't healed. "Stand on your healing and never stop believing you are healed."

I gave her a card to this website and encouraged her to contact me if she had any questions in the future. I gave her a big hug.

And dropped the largest bill I had in her kettle.

She smiled and rang her bell.

Have a happy and joyous Christmas.

The MIPU

Autism Healed

This is the testimony from a couple who saw their autistic child healed over a period of four years.

Not Just Another Day

At almost 100 miles per hour, the front of the ambulance began to shake a little. Fortunately, our exit was in sight. Hurriedly making our way through a maze of corridors like lab rats in search of cheese, we arrived at the labor & delivery suite. I didn't knock; time was short. As the doctor checked our patient's cervix one more time, I shook her hand, introduced myself and told her, "We only have one rule - no babies in the ambulance." She smiled and nodded, shaking my hand. "I don't plan to have this one today."

Tracy (not her real name) was as kind and pleasant as any patient I've known. She smiled often, despite the circumstances. But not out of denial or ignorance. She was genuinely happy and blessed by the hand of God and she knew it.

This was her 5th pregnancy. Tracy began having having labor contractions a 2 am and her husband drove her to the nearest hospital. It was 13 weeks before her due date. If her child were to be born today, his chance for survival and a normal life would be slim. She'd already had one child who died from complications after being born at 27 weeks. She didn't want history to repeat.

We were called to transport her to a hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit. In the event that her child was born today, he would need specialized care not available at her local hospital. We switched the IV's to the transport pumps, lifted her to our gurney and whisked her out the door.

Once inside the ambulance I briefed her on what to expect during the ride. I told her that many of my patients do better than expected. She was curious so I shared a few stories about how the presence of God follows me around and how He sometimes makes people better without much interaction on my part.

She said she experienced the presence of God following her, too. She felt His presence as soon as we closed the door of the ambulance. We talked for a while about the things we've seen God do. I shared some healing stories and felt led to pray a blessing over her unborn child. I declared that he would live and not die and that he would live to be old and blessed with good health. I asked if she'd chosen a name for him. She said his name was, Nayim, which is Arabic for ‘Blessing”.

As we made our way to our destination, we came to a dangerous intersection. With the lights and siren on, my partner carefully went around some vehicles that had stopped in the intersection. One car didn't stop until it slammed into the back of a taxi. Dragging it's front bumper down the road, it eventually came to a stop a few hundred feet from the accident scene.

With a sigh of impatience, my partner left to check for injuries. I was happy to be stuck taking care of Tracy. In a few minutes, the engine arrived. We gave the Lieutenant our report and continued on our way. There were no serious injuries.

We arrived at the destination hospital. Tracy didn't have a single contraction the entire time she was with us. When we dropped her off in the labor and delivery suite, I had a conversation with her nurse about healing. Her husband has a back injury and is thinking about surgery. I gave her and the patient cards to the website and told them to contact me if there was anything I could do for them. this was just one call out of many in a very busy day.

On another call, I prayed with a little old lady who was assaulted by her son because she was listening to worship music in her house and she told him Jesus loved him. He beat her up her and hit her head on the corner of a coffee table. She had a laceration to the back of her head. As we dropped her off in the emergency room, I said a quick prayer of healing and blessing over her. She was all smiles and thanked me.

We went on another call that tried my patience a little. We transported a man with Lou Gehrig's disease to a doctor's appointment. He's on a ventilator, which makes everything a little more complicated. I'm always aware of how much oxygen we have in our tanks. Ventilators run on compressed oxygen. If we run out of oxygen, the vent doesn't work. When the vent doesn't work, I get to breathe for the patient after that. On this particular call the appointments were running an hour behind schedule. To make a long story even longer, we had him on our vent for almost 4 hours. It was the call that didn't want to end.

As we waited, I quietly prayed for him to be healed. His wife was kind enough to buy me a mocha at the coffee stand in the clinic. He wasn't healed. At least not that I could tell. He happens to be in a room just down the hall from my friend Scott who also has Lou Gehrig's. I've been praying for Scott too. To be honest, I was weary of well doing by the end of the day.

It's been a hectic month on the MIPU. I'm praying for many people and seeing a lot of them blessed and healed. I'm also getting opportunities to teach others about healing which is just as important.

Wishing you a peaceful and joyous holiday season,

Praying Medic

James Cooper's Testimoy

This is one of the most unbelievable personal testimonies I've ever heard. Youtube granted an exception to the time limit on videos to allow this testimony to be published in it's entirety.

According to James:
The first time I died they brought me back with paddles. I lived with a crushed back, hips and neck from a car crash for 10 years. I survived more than 20 suicide attempts dying more than once. I gave my life to Jesus on a weekend pass from the hospital I was living in. The rest has been instant miracle after instant miracle. Jesus is AWESOME and we are very thankful. We serve God now with every moment of our lives, what else could matter?

LOVE!

Bone Cancer Miracle

This the testimony of a woman healed of bone cancer at one of John Mellor's meetings. The healing was confirmed through her doctor with a bone scan.

Metal Rods in Hip - Creative Miracle

This is the testimony of a woman healed of injuries to her pelvis and leg which were surgically repaired with metal rods. After being healed she is now able to move and run in ways that should be physically impossible.

Multiple Sclerosis Healed

This video was shot in Brazil during a Global Awakening evangelistic outreach. The man in the wheelchair suffered from multiple sclerosis. Rand Clark and a group of friends and family prayed with this man for hours. After 90 minutes he moved his finger. The healing progressed until he was able to walk.

Miracle Bubbles

Are you afraid of approaching strangers to ask if they'd like to be healed?

Don't like laying hands on people you don't know?

You might try this.

Cath Lab Transport

I transport many patients from small hospitals to larger ones for special procedures. The most common is a coronary angiogram. Many small hospitals don't have cardiac surgeons or the equipment needed to treat some cardiac patients. In the case of severe heart disease, patients undergo special testing to determine the condition of the arteries of the heart. This procedure is known as a coronary angiogram. The video explains this procedure.

The patient who was healed in this story was being transferred for this procedure.

As we loaded her on the gurney I noticed the gold cross dangling from a chain around her neck. When looking for signs that someone is open to prayer, use whatever clues are available. It also provided an entry point for the topic I wanted to discuss with her - divine healing.

I liked her cross and asked her to tell me about it. She said it reminded her of God's faithfulness in all the trials she'd been through.

The door was now open.

From this point on, the conversation was warm and friendly as we shared about prayer and the faithfulness of God. She told me about her friends and family who had been lifting her up in prayer. I told her about the people I've seen healed in the ambulance. It was a divine set-up if ever one existed. She gladly allowed me to pray for her healing.

I placed my hand on her left shoulder.

She said, "Oh, do you want to start with my bad shoulder?"

I laughed and asked if it was a torn rotator cuff.

"No, I have bursitis. It hurts all the time."

I commanded the shoulder to be healed, then asked how it felt.

"Well, it feels wonderful. It doesn't hurt at all."

I'm still having some difficulty believing people when they say this. After years of seeing no results, I'm a little skeptical when a patient is healed in just a few seconds. But it's becoming more common.

Since the healing power of God had already been manifested, I asked if we might go for something bigger. My new friend was going to the cath lab because the left ventricle of her heart wasn't working. She was admitted for breathing problems. An echocardiogram revealed that only 10% of the blood in the left ventricle was leaving on each contraction. Normal is around 60%. She's lived with diabetes for years. We went for complete healing.

I prayed as the Lord revealed different parts of her body that needed healing. I told her that once she was healed, she may experience a recurrence of symptoms and taught her how to keep her healing. I also did some quick training on how to heal others. She was open and excited to learn anything I could share with her.

I gave her a card for the website and told her to contact me with a report. We hugged and I introduced her to the cath lab team. I really hope she sends word on her progress. I promise to share her testimony if we receive it.

Power of Attorney With Pete Cabrera Jr.

Pete Cabrera is teaching on and demonstrating the power of God

Power of Attorney

FREE ADMISSION

December the 11th in Great Bend, Kansas

Doors open at 8:15am

(grab some coffee, we will start at 9am and go until 12 noon)

Every one is welcome.

He will be speaking on laying hands on the sick in Jesus name.

If you are sick or know someone who is sick please come.

Thank you and God bless you.

LOCATION:

2100 Broadway Ave.

Great Bend, Kansas

About two hours away from Wichita

(The old Roosevelt building)

View Larger Map

Cancer of the Mouth Healed

This is the testimony of a woman healed of mouth cancer at one of John Mellor's meetings. She was unable to eat for weeks. The pain and discouragement she suffered caused her to consider suicide, but when a friend suggested she come to a meeting, God met her there and healed her disease.

God's Mercy and Healing Power

This is an excerpt from John Wimber's book Power Healing.

"Lord, I asked, are most people afraid to pray for the sick because their understanding of your nature, who you are and how you work inhibits them?" Again, I sensed him saying, "Yes - most people are hesitant, even fearful, to pray for others healing because they misunderstand my compassion and mercy. They know about me, but they do not always know me."

It really works, I thought as I went on my way toward home, and God used me as a vehicle of his healing mercy. Then I was jolted out of my jubilant mood by an incredible vision.

Suddenly in my minds eye there appeared to be a cloud bank superimposed across the sky. But I had never seen a cloud bank like this one, so I pulled my car over to the side of the road to take a closer look. Then I realized it was not a cloud bank, it was a honeycomb with honey dripping out on to people below. The people were in a variety of postures. Some were reverent; they were weeping and holding their hands out to catch the honey and taste it, even inviting others to take some of their honey. Others acted irritated, wiping the honey off themselves, complaining about the mess. I was awestruck. Not knowing what to think, I prayed, "Lord, what is it?"

He said, It's my mercy, John. For some people it's a blessing, but for others it's a hindrance. There is plenty for everyone. Don't ever beg me for healing again. The problem isn't on my end, John. It's down there. (For readers who have never had a vision or supernaturally heard God in this fashion, I did not physically hear God speak. I experienced more of an impression, a spiritual sense of God speaking to me. Time proved that what I thought I had heard was true.)
That was a moving and profound experience; certainly it revolutionized my life more than any other experience I had since becoming a Christian. I have never looked at healing the same way since that day.

What made this experience so powerful was that it confirmed my newfound conviction, rooted in Scripture, that God's abundant grace included diving healing, if only we would believe him for it. I learned this lesson from the story in Mark 9:14-32 of Christ healing a man's son who was possessed by a spirit and as a consequence was mute. After the disciples had failed to heal the boy, the father approached Jesus asking if he could help. Jesus wasted no time in identifying the reason for the disciples failure: unbelief.

After explaining to Jesus that his son had been possessed by a spirit since childhood, the man asked, "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us" (v.22). Jesus said, "If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes" (v.23). The key to experiencing Gods healing mercy was belief, belief in the God who heals. "I do believe, the father said. Help me overcome my unbelief! (v.24). With this confession what Jesus called faith as small as a mustard seed in Matthew 17:20 he cast a deaf and mute spirit out of the boy, and the boy was instantly healed.

What God showed me through scriptures like Mark 9, my first healing, and the honeycomb vision was that he is much greater than I ever imagined him to be, and with only the smallest act of faith I could experience his compassion and mercy. I also realized that God's mercy is constantly falling on us, because everything that he does is related to what he is: the Father of compassion (mercies, oiktirmon) and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles. (2 Cor. 1:3; Exod. 34:6, Neh. 9:17). Psalm 145:9 says, "The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made". Titus 3:5 says the Lord saves us because of his mercy.

But too often I did not see God in the fullness of his mercy and grace.

I trusted him to lead me, but I did not trust him to provide for me; I had faith to receive forgiveness of sins and salvation, but I had no faith for divine healing. I never realized God's mercy was as readily and abundantly available to me as the honey was available to all under the honeycomb.

Through the honeycomb vision I also understood that my first healing was only the beginning of my experiencing God's mercy if I would only choose to believe and to receive it. In the vision, some people rejoiced, freely received, and freely gave away. The more they gave away, the more they received. There is plenty for everyone, The Lord said. Don't ever beg me for healing again.

But others, full of unbelief and skepticism, could not receive the grace, blessings, and gifts of God. They could not see that Gods mercy and healing are greater than their understanding of how he works. The problem isn't on my end, the Lord said. It's down there. It is we not God who place limitations and unbelief on Gods compassion and mercy. We are invited to cooperate with his Spirit by entering into a divine partnership, a partnership in which he brings direction and provides for healing.

Autism Healing Testimony

This is a testimony I received from Sharon Murrone Reese about the progressive healing of her son, Ryan from autism.

I have a blessing I'd like to share with you. :)

My son Ryan was diagnosed with autism at a young age. Ryan is 21 years old now, so this was before most anybody had ever heard if autism. Ryan is my only child and also the 1st grandchild, so he didn't have family, friends or peers his age to help him like some others did. God had impressed on me to begin to pray and believe for Ryan's complete restoration and healing.

At the time we were attending a Methodist church and had never heard of such things. Who knew that God could heal today? That healing stuff was just stories in the bible right? Does God heal today? What does restoration mean? Wierd! But the impression was so strong, it became very important to me. Besides, when you see your child suffering, you will do and try anything to help, am I right? So I began to pray... I prayed for years and couldn't see any change. I thought God would just snap His fingers and it would be done, it didn't happen that way. Although God does heal that way, that's not the way it happened for us.

Sometimes, when we are in the middle of a battle it's hard to step back, see the whole picture and realize what's really happening. There was a time I almost gave up praying... as I pondered this, God sent a lady into the christian bookstore where I worked. She walked straight up to me and shouted "Don't you ever give up on praying and believing for someone! More things are wrought by prayer than this world knows of!" then she walked straight out the door. I had never seen her before or since. (Gee, think that was an angel or what?) Needless to say this freaked me out, but it also did something in my heart, and a resolve came that I would NEVER give up on prayer.

During this time, Ryan was constantly being tested for this or that, always going to doctor's, this specialist, that mental health, or let's try this new thing that is supposed to help, let's try these drugs, maybe it's his diet, or allergies... To add to the problems, Ryan's dad was very abusive and we were divorced when Ryan was 7. During high school it was so bad (he had been suicidal since 5th grade) that his psychiatrist actually went to school with him 3 days a week, every week for almost a year.

I cannot express the grief and suffering this caused the whole family. Since Ryan never had any real friends, his counselor suggested I start inviting kids to the house. So we began having a monthly, overnight video game playing, pizza eating bash. It started with only 1 friend, and grew to 5 boys whom I now consider to be my boys to pray for. The school district would not provide any services for Ryan because his diagnosis kept changing.

The boys told me many of the teachers abuse to Ryan that I didn't even know about, and Ryan was unable to tell me. We had some great teachers and some not so great. One teacher made him sit inside a washing machine box, a whole box, the lid on it and everything. She cut a door that she would close after Ryan was inside. She put his desk inside and made him sit there all day long, everyday during 2nd grade. He was made to eat lunch in his box and not allowed to go to recess, he had to sit in the box.

Ryan's acting out to this injustice was to glue all the teacher's scissors together so they wouldn't open! LOL I didn't know about this till Ryan was in 10th grade! I'm glad I didn't know, because at the time, I would have killed someone! Every year something would happen and we would be sent for more testing. Every time this happened, his diagnosis would change. Stepping back and looking at it now, I see the hand of God.

The reason we had to keep going for more testing, the reason the diagnosis kept changing, was because God was doing a progressing healing. Every diagnosis was a step away from autism, or a lesser degree of autism. Seven years ago, results were PDDNOS (pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified) which in plain English means: they didn't know what was going on and didn't have a label to put on him! GLORY TO GOD! Then it changed to "communication disorder + anxiety". When Ryan was a senior in high school, his "shrink" told us that there was nothing more they can do for Ryan, that it was rare for someone with the problems Ryan had been diagnosed with to "graduate" from mental health. But he did, we had a ceremony and everything! Glory to God!!!!

It is amazing to me that God took a child that at age 6-7 was still in diapers, non communicative, and would sit in the corner by himself, slobber and not interact, to someone who is a beautiful living testimony of what God can do if we only believe. GOD IS SOOOOOO GOOD TO US!

Today Ryan is off all medication, living a normal life, and has his drivers license, which we never even believed was possible! He loves his job at McDonald's and insists on paying his own way through college. He wants to study electronic communications, media, computer programming, ya know computer geek stuff. Who would have ever thought? God did. Even when I didn't, God did!

Ryan has his own apartment, car, and is a tight wad with his money. Except for the African girl he adopted through Compassion International. ...well, and computer stuff. LOL It's exciting to see the common thread of communication that has been running throughout his life. Ryan wrote, illustrated, and bound a book all on his own at the age of 4. Currently he's making video games, he says it grieves him to see his friends minds taken over by things that expose them to witchcraft, demons etc. so he is making alternatives that will be just as cool but with the Holy Spirit as your guide and not a demon. GLORY!

Ryan talks like everyone else does now, but he still struggles with expressing his feelings. We know this is only temporary! God will complete the work He started! Sometimes Ryan communicates through music. He says music speaks to him or for him. I understand this, because music speaks to me too. Sometimes when he struggles he will find a song for me to listen to so we can know how he feels. :)

Last week, I suggested Ryan read the testimonies on Praying Medic's web page. He is very encouraged and excited about what God is doing with common people. Ryan decided he would make a mini-video set to christian music for Praying Medic of what Ryan interprets goes on in the life of someone who will believe for healing for others. It'll be posted on Youtube. If you don't have Praying Medic as a friend on Facebook I encourage you to check him out. PM has a web page filled with testimonies and miracles to encourage and uplift! As Ryan was making the video he told me about a "glitch" that happened. He was taking video from a game and spicing it with other scenes. This part in particular had an ambulance and medic. He sent the medic to pick up a casualty. When the medic got to the person, they suddenly stood up and was a living person! LOL God is so cool! The video is not ready yet, but when it is, I will share it.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Autism is diagnosed 1 in 165 children today. Please feel free to share our story with others who may need some encouragement. My prayer is that you are encouraged, uplifted, and excited at what GOD CAN DO! ....it's all for HIS GLORY!

Broken Neck and Deafness Healed

This is the testimony of a man healed of a deafness and a fractured neck at one of John Mellor's meetings. He said that he lived with chronic pain and inability to move his head and he walked with crutches for 40 years. He was also healed of deafness.

Motives For Healing - Compassion or Compulsion?

I have a confession to make:

I've had to check my own motives for healing the sick and I've had to do it often.

When I began healing, it was at the prompting of God. He kept after me until I finally got it right. I'm glad He was more persistent than I was. As time marched on, I stepped out to heal people more often, because it was finally working. People actually got healed - well, sometimes.

There came a day when I began to feel a bit guilty because no one had been healed, and I was making my way to bed. I began to wonder if I was becoming lazy. Two days went by and I failed to lay hands on a single person. I began to wonder if God was disappointed with me. After a week of kicking back on my "no healing vacation" I wondered if I still had it. My guilty conscience got the best of me and I went back to praying over people in the stores again. And they were still being healed.

I decided to kick it into high gear for a while and started looking for people to heal literally everywhere I went. My wife began to get a little irritated. She could no longer have a normal conversation with me at a restaurant because I was always looking for someone to heal. It became a kind of obsession. I was turning into a healing machine. ...with no "off" switch.

I had a talk with Jessie Campbell one night about my situation. She told me she'd been through a lot worse than I had. We talked a long time about healing and the motives we have for doing it. I came away from that discussion with a clearer perspective on things.

If you're new to healing, you'd do well to heed what you're about to hear. If you're an old hand, maybe you have something to add.

I've developed friendships with nearly every kind of person who operates in healing. Big names and nobodies; DHT's, Sozo's and all the other flavors to. I listen and read a lot about what's happening in healing. It fascinates me.

And some of what I see concerns me.

Some of us are doers by nature. We love to keep busy by doing things to help others out. (I'm one of those types) Healing lends itself well to this type of personality. But healing, like any form of ministry is supposed to be done out of compassion, not compulsion. The gospels often note that Jesus healed the multitudes because he saw them and had compassion on them, not because he had to heal 50 people a day to earn favor with His Father.

Jesus was a man who lived a balanced life. He was passionate, but He operated in great diversity. He was just as adept at healing and casting out demons as he was at teaching children. He preached in the synagogue one day and the next he couldn't be found, having retired to the solitude of the mountains. He was just as comfortable in a fishing boat as with the nobles or the prostitutes. He share the mysteries of the kingdom with thousands if they'd listen, but was just as thrilled to share only with Peter James and John. He was and is a man for all occasions who meets the needs of all. Healing is neither the exclusive, nor the primary need of most people. The needs of the world are many - healing is only one of them.

I love healing. It gives me a thrill to see the power of God fix what the enemy has broken. The church has been locked up in her tower long enough. I'm glad to see us hitting the streets and doing the things Jesus did. We ought to be healing the sick. But doing healing every day, all day long will eventually put you in a straight -jacket. There is more to life and ministry than just healing. You don't need to look very far to find people whose lives have been ruined by the cruel taskmaster of compulsive healing.

I've been guilty of healing people from a guilty conscience. Maybe you have too. If you have, there's hope. Please understand me. Healing is a good thing. Jesus commanded us to do it and everyone I've ever seen healed was grateful I took the time to minister to them. But like every good thing, if wrongly prioritized, it becomes perverted and may become an idol. It may even be bad for your mental health.

There is an explosion of healing taking place in the body of Christ today. Training is readily available to anyone. Many people will offer to train and lead you on the path to a successful healing ministry. You may be invited to join groups for study and ministry time. You will make many new friends in the healing community. You'll hear amazing testimonies about the healing power of God. But you'll also see great division over how it's to be done. And you will eventually find those who will place enormous pressure on you heal people every waking hour instead of being a worthless, disobedient servant. Their Jesus has a yoke that's hard and burden that's heavy.

Any one can heal the sick because they want to see the power of God. Brush aside the rhetoric and all you have is sorcery. Any one can heal because they desire to obey the commands of Jesus; this one is no more than a legalist trying to be justified by works.

Don't be swayed by clever arguments or impressive testimonies from those you meet. Don't be taken by those who would place a yoke of bondage on you. Go out and heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons and preach the kingdom. But do it for only one reason. Your motive for healing should be an overwhelming love and compassion for those in need. There is no other legitimate motive.

Boy Healed of Brain Cancer

This is the testimony of a boy healed of brain cancer at the Bay of Holy Spirit revival in Mobile Alabama.

Wrap Your Theology Around This

A word of explanation:

This is a demonstration by my friend Pete Cabrera. What he is demonstrating is the power of God available to any believer in a way that can be plainly seen. We aren't suggesting this is a model for Christian ministry. Christian ministry isn't about making legs grow longer or shorter to amuse or impress people. Please understand - this is merely a tool for teaching. We're training people to go on the streets and heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out demons. Many don't believe they can do it. This video was made to show them what can be done by the power of God.

Xtranormal Doctor's Office

What would it look like if a doctor used divine healing in his medical practice?

You're about to find out.

IHOP Cancer Healing Testimony

This is the testimony of a woman healed of ovarian cancer at the International House of Prayer, (IHOP) in Kansas City, Missouri. She had multiple tumors throughout her abdomen that were resistant to chemotherapy. Since traditional medical treatment wasn't helping, she moved to Kansas City to attend IHOP and received her healing during one of their services.

Bladder and Liver Cancer Healed

This is the testimony of a man healed of bladder and liver cancer at a healing meeting with Jon Mellor in Australia. John's website ca be found here: http://www.johnmellor.org/

Ovarian Cancer Miracle

This is the testimony of a woman who was healed of stage 4 ovarian cancer. But her miracle didn't stop there. Her doctors said she would never have a child, but a few months later she delivered a healthy baby boy.

Parkinson's Disease Healed

I posted an interview with Lee McDougal and his healing of Parkinson's last year. This is a second interview with him.

During the 1970's, Lee McDougal was involved in the Nashville music industry through studio production and as a musician performing with many Nashville recording artist and on The Grand Ole Opry.

Then Lee met Jesus in a real way.

After meeting the Lord, he served in ministry for 30 years. After serving as a pastor, youth pastor and worship leader he felt the call to go to the mission field. He has traveled and ministered in 38 different countries. As a result of a serious automobile accident he suffered for many years from physical complications and the progression of Parkinson's disease, eventually living his life from a wheelchair.

While attending a conference with Bill Johnson and Randy Clark he had supernatural encounter with the power of the Holy Spirit where he felt a surge of heat go through his body. He was completely healed. Shortly after being healed, a ministry of signs, wonders, and miracles was birthed. Today the ministry of Lee McDougal is marked with many instant miracles.

Lee's website can be found at Healed Guy

How To Raise The Dead

Surprise "Supressa" Sithole was called at the age of 15 to preach the gospel. In 1997, God connected him with Heidi and Rolland Baker of IRIS Ministries. He shares a dramatic story of the first time God used Him to raise the dead. To view his website go here.

The Intruder

It's Halloween.

BOO!

Questions?

Go here: http://gonowchurch.org/

Andrea's Healing

October is breast cancer awareness month. While I'm grateful for advances in medical treatment, I believe we should be aware of God's power to heal cancer. This is the testimony of a woman named Andrea, who was healed of breast cancer at Bethel Church. She was not completely healed through prayer. The tumor was made much smaller from stage 3 to stage zero, which and required minor surgery to remove. She never had chemotherapy or radiation. Her oncologist confessed that her God was greater than any medicine he knew of.

New Hope For Mary

The nurse motioned for me to leave the patient's room. I followed him into the hallway. He wanted to give report away from Mary and her family.

She was admitted to the ER a few hours ago for a severe headache. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Her head CT showed a new frontal lobe mass which would likely be another tumor. She was being transferred to a larger hospital that had the capability of neurosurgery.

Along with a severe headache she had severe abdominal pain. They'd medicated her with Dilaudid so when we returned to the room, she was slow to answer questions. I did the introductions and explained the transfer process.

Having just transported a Muslim man with a GI bleed who was healed, (Go here for that story) I felt this was another opportunity to demonstrate God's power and love.

I told Mary that my plan was to have her feeling better during the 2.5 mile transfer.

She smiled."So what do you have... some kind of crystals or magic spell for me?"

I smiled. "No, I don't do the crystal or magic spell thing. Let's just say pain and sickness don't like me very much."

After we had her loaded, I told a few stories about people who'd been healed, including the Muslim man we'd just transported. She was interested in hearing more, but it was a short trip so I asked if she wanted to be healed. She said the headache was killing her and asked if I could make it go away.

I placed my hand on her forehead and commanded the pain to leave then asked how she felt.

"Better."

I did it again and asked how she felt.

"It's a lot better"

I did it a third time and asked how she felt.

"It's gone."

I asked if she was serious, or just saying that. She said, "No, I'm serious, it's completely gone."

I explained that God just healed her headache as a demonstration of his power and love for her. She asked if I could make her abdominal pain leave.

I repeated the process over her abdomen until all her pain was gone. I asked if I could pray that her cancer would also leave. She gladly said yes. I had her place her hand where the breast cancer was and I placed my hand on top of hers. I put my other hand on her forehead and commanded cancer to leave. When I was done I told her to close her eyes and rest until we got to our destination.

I noticed that her daughter, who was riding along, had streams of tears running down her cheeks. I love how the power of God moves the hearts of people.

We arrived and whisked her to the ICU, where we transferred her and I gave report. This time I told the nurse that her headache and abdominal pain were mysteriously gone.

Before leaving, I bent down and put my forehead on Mary's.

Then whispered in her ear, "God loves you."

Two days later I went the hospital to check up on Mary. I found her daughter and mother coming off the elevator. The surgery to remove the brain tumor, was a shorter procedure than expected and it went well. She was having an MRI when I stopped by so I didn't get to see her. Her family was grateful to have a stranger pray for her.

Healing A Muslim

I looked at the registration sheet in the transfer packet. His religious preference indicated ISL; a follower of Islam.

My heart sank.

I thought, "there's no way he'll let me pray for him."

They were still copying records, so it would be a while before we could transport him to another hospital for dialysis and possible surgery. I went to his room to introduce myself.

Crammed into a room slightly larger than a closet I found Maurice, a man in his thirties with some big problems. After passing large amounts of blood in his bowel movements for three days, he reluctantly came to the emergency room. He'd managed to flush most of his blood volume down the toilet.

A normal red blood cell count (RBC) is between 4.5 and 5.5. His was 1.6. His hemoglobin and hematocrit were critical. The ER doc ordered a transfusion of 6 units of whole blood for starters.

Maurice was diagnosed with high blood pressure at 15. At the age of 18 he suffered his first stroke and spent 2 weeks in a coma. At 21, he developed kidney failure and learned about dialysis. My new friend had more medical problems than most men twice his age.

I explained my part in the continuing drama of his life. We chatted as I thought about how we would get him out of the tiny room and keep the lifeline attached to his neck from pulling out. An external jugular vein was the only IV access they could find.

Maurice was curious. The moment we got in the ambulance the questions began.

"Are the lights on?"

I said, "yes, but only on the left side, because people don't appreciate bright lights in their eyes."

"Not the inside ones, I mean the ones on the outside. Are the red lights on?"

I smiled and asked if he thought we needed them. He said, "I don't know, what do you think?"

I explained that we don't use red lights much between hospitals because most of the patients are stable. We talked about the benefit and risk of running red lights and siren. But I shared the story with him about the woman we transported earlier in the day who was in premature labor. "We don't like delivering babies in the ambulance."

"What's the difference between an EMT and a paramedic?"

I explained.

"What's the difference between a paramedic and a nurse?"

More explanations.

I really liked Maurice. He was a pleasant man in spite of his medical problems and he laughed at much of what I said. He didn't fit the stereotype of Muslims that I'd built in my mind. He was strangely....very much like me.

In explaining the differences between paramedics, EMT's and nurses, I told him that I was a little different from most medics because I saw patients healed in my ambulance.

With a puzzled look he delivered his next question, "what do you mean healed?"

I told him a few stories about patients who had been healed. Now he was even more curious.

"Can you do anything about my headache?"

I asked how bad it was. He said it was very painful, about 8/10. I told him I'd command it to leave. I placed my hand on his head and commanded the pain to leave in the name of Jesus. Then I asked how he felt.

"A little better"

I put my hand on his head again and commanded the pain to leave then asked how he felt.

"A lot better."

I did it one more time and he said, "It's gone...completely gone." He was smiling from ear to ear.

I said, "Jesus just healed you."

He said, "I only have one problem with Jesus. He was a good man and all, but he wasn't God. The bible even says no man has seen God at any time. But Jesus was seen by the multitudes."

I opted out of the argument and went for more healing. I told him God healed his headache because He loved him. The healing was proof of it. I told him that God could give him new kidneys, and heal his GI bleed and blood pressure. He let me continue praying.

I placed my hands on his abdomen and commanded the bleeding to stop and for his kidneys to be healed.

In the middle of praying it occurred to me to share the story about the visitation Bonnie Jones had where she was in a warehouse in heaven filled with spare body parts. She was told that the organs could be put in people on earth who needed new ones. When I was done declaring healing over him, he told me about what happened when he was in a coma for two weeks after the stroke.

"I want to tell you about this experience. When I was comatose for two weeks, I had a very strange thing happen to me. I was in some kind of warehouse and someone was with me. I didn't see them. I don't know who it was, but I felt comforted when I was with them. The one who was with me kept saying I would be OK. They said everything would work out. They told me my journey was not done. I had an assignment that must be completed."

We talked about the experience. I suggested that it was a near death experience like many that I'd read about and that the one who was with him was the Spirit of God. He didn't argue. Nothing in his knowledge of Islam could explain the experience. I told him a little bit about the Holy Spirit in the short time we had.

We arrived at our destination and moved him to his ICU bed. I gave report to the nurse and left out the fact that his headache was healed.

I learned so much on this transport. My view of Muslims was destroyed. I'm working on a new one. I realized they might be the perfect people to demonstrate healing with. They believe in God and they like prayer. They just have different interpretations of them.

What Maurice needed was someone to love as Jesus loves and heal as Jesus heals. We tend to believe that people of others beliefs have never had true spiritual experiences or encounters with God. My new friend had a profound heavenly experience most of us will never have, this side of heaven. What he needed was someone he trusted to give him an interpretation of it.

Two days after transporting Maurice, I went to the ICU to check up on him. He gave me permission to tell his story, but we agreed to change his name. We talked for quite a while and laughed a lot. He allowed me to pray for healing of his kidneys again. When I asked what the doctors found on examining him for bleeding, he told me that they ordered all the usual tests - both endoscopy and abdominal scans and found no signs of bleeding. The only reasonable conclusion is that Jesus healed him.

Bay Of Holy Spirit Update 4

This is the fourth update on the continuing spiritual revival near Mobile, Alabama. The creative miracles of God from this outpouring are amazing. One woman who had her bladder destroyed by radiation therapy experienced a creative miracle and received a new bladder. Her physicians testified to the miracle. I hope you are blessed at the mighty work of God in this place.