Since this blog is being read in about 30 countries, we are greeting one country every time a post is written. This week we say, “Bonjour,” to our brothers and sisters in France (and all other French-speaking countries): Blessings and healing from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him all the glory now and forever!
Bénédictions et la guérison de notre
Seigneur et Sauveur Jésus-Christ. Pour
lui, toute la gloire, maintenant et à jamais!
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| Suzanne (on left, a few Sundays ago) reading her Bible; very shy and very sick! Suzanne did not look up or speak. |
Sunday, November
23, 2014
“She’s very sick, you know, she could lose her leg!” He seemed to be agitated when he said this to
me.
I had never seen him before and I didn’t know who he was.
“What are you talking about, man?”
“She’s shy and doesn’t talk much, but you’ve got to know she needs
help!”
He took me by the arm and encouraged me to come and see a lady seated at
a picnic table at our end-of-the-month service and dinner. My ministers were out that day and I was the
only one preaching and cooking that afternoon, on the last Sunday of the month. I had been too busy to notice that someone
was hurting physically, and was in need.
“Suzanne,” he said, “tell him what’s happening to your leg.”
Suzanne did not look up or speak.
“She’s shy and won’t ask.”
“And you’re her manager?” I asked.
He turned back to Suzanne without answering my question, “Let him see
your leg, Suzanne.” Then he turned to me
and said, “It’s all red and swollen.
She’s got an infection. She went
to the doctor’s this morning, and he gave her a prescription for
antibiotics. But, she can’t afford it.”
I turned to Suzanne, “Is that true, Suzanne?” If I was going to help her, I needed more
answers.
“Yes” she softly answered. At the
urging of her friend, she raised her pant leg to her knee so I could see the
problem. Half her lower leg was bright
red and the whole leg was swollen. She
was weak and tired. The doctor had told
her she had a staph infection. She
showed me the doctor’s note and prescription.
It was typically not an expensive antibiotic.
“Do you drink, Suzanne?
“No.”
“If I give you the money for the prescription, you won’t buy alcohol or
drugs?
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“I can’t take you to the pharmacy for another hour or so.”
But the man jumped in and said, “I can take her now.”
I don’t usually give money to the homeless. “Will ten dollars cover the cost of the
prescription?”
“It’s only about six dollars,” she replied weakly.
I gave her a ten dollar bill, and then said, “Here’s the money, but I’m going
to pray for your healing right now. Is
that all right?”
“She nodded her head.”
I prayed a quick prayer, “Lord Jesus, heal Suzanne’s leg and also all
the infection in her whole body. We
trust in you, oh Lord, and give you all the Glory. In Jesus’s name. Amen.”
They left.
The next Sunday, I saw Suzanne again and asked her about her leg. This time she was perky, talkative and very
active. She was smiling and did not
appear to be “shy” at all. As I
approached her, she lifted the lower portion of her pants to show me the lower leg had all healed up. She was beaming
at me.
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| She lifted the lower portion of her pants to show me the lower leg all healed up! |
“So,” I said, “the antibiotics worked?”
“The prayer worked!” she answered.
“What do you mean?”
“It was all healed up the very next morning! I was completely well! One dose of antibiotics doesn’t work that
fast!” she happily testified. “However,
I did take them for the rest of the week,”
“Glory to God?” I asked.
“Glory to God!” she joyfully replied.
I never saw the “man” after that first time last week. Neither did Suzanne. In fact, she didn’t know who he was, either.
Bill, Paul and I walked into Jack’s camp to see him sitting in his
favorite, beat-up lawn chair under the shade of the oak trees. But something was wrong. Not only had all color drained from his face,
but he was shaking like a leaf on a tree in a wind storm. Whereas he normally greets us with a smile
and a handshake, he was now frozen to that chair.
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| Jack during better days, same spot! |
“Brother, are you all right? How
long has this been going on?” I asked, seriously
concerned for his health.
“If I can get up, I can’t walk ten feet I’m so weak,” he said in a shaky
voice. He was drinking a beer which told
me that the shakes were not from the lack of alcohol. “It started about two weeks ago and got worse
every day.”
We had come to see him because a few of the other caring homeless had
mentioned that Jack looked bad, and all believed that he was dying. I think that Jack believed that he was dying
also. After seeing him, I thought so
too!
He did not want to go to the hospital.
He was a believer in Jesus Christ; he was saved, and going to heaven. He did not fear death.
The Lord had told me a while back that Jack would see the beginning of
the great, long-awaited revival that was soon to be upon us, coming out of the
street. Based on that, I knew Jack was
not going to die here and now.
I called Bill and Paul over to Jack, and as we all laid hands on him, I
prayed for his healing. Bill started
smiling, feeling “full” of the Holy Spirit.
He felt the reality of the presence of the Lord healing Jack.
After I prayed, Jack was still in that chair, just as weak. I told him he must now eat, though he wasn’t
hungry. He had been throwing up
everything he had tried to eat. I thought
I would fix him what I eat when I really don’t feel good – homemade, whipped,
creamy mashed potatoes with butter, milk and salt. He agreed.
I immediately went home and fixed him a big pan of fresh mashed potatoes
and took them back to him at his camp within about an hour.
The next morning, I went to check on him and I see him walking back
from the store! He walks over to me and
greets me as if he had never been sick.
What?
He had eaten half of the pan of mashed potatoes the night before, and
the other half for breakfast the next day – and he was feeling fine. He kept them down and did not throw up. His color was back, he did not feel weak and
he was up and about. Jack typically
walks 20 miles a day looking for aluminum cans to sell for cash!
He did not share with me until a few weeks later that he HAD been healed
instantly. He could feel his complete
healing but was still weak from not having been able to keep any food down for
the past week or so. That’s why when
Jesus healed some people, he would say, “Give him something to eat.”
This was the second time that Jack had been healed by our prayer to our Lord
and Healer, Jesus Christ. Glory to God!
Then there is the story of the homeless man
devastated by the loss of his dog. But
by prayer, the Lord miraculously brought his dog back a week later (read post
dated Nov. 12, 2014). We gave all the
glory to God!
There is also the time the Lord answered my prayer for the rain to stop
for our end-of-the-month service and dinner.
The rain stopped EXACTLY when I got there, and started back again
exactly when we left (see post dated Sept. 29, 2014). God glorified Himself through that sign.
There are many more miraculous signs the Lord has given
us in the street to glorify His Holy Name. I hope to
write about many more of them until there finally are so many that I can’t keep
up writing about the wonderful Grace of God.
The signs seem to be increasing as time moves forward. Revival is at hand for those who can truly love
the “least of these” with the love of Jesus; and for those who are able to give ALL the glory to God from down deep in their soul for all that He does.
I feel the earth beginning to slightly shake
under my feet. I am beginning to see a
little dust stirring out of the tiny cracks in the street. An earthquake is coming; a Revival is being birthed.
Now, here we are today at the Bay Side Camp at our service and
dinner. All week long, the weather
report had forecast a storm with heavy downpours, thunder and lightning, hail
and winds of 20-30 miles per hour.
People had called me and said we would not be able to hold our meeting
at all. But, I thought, the homeless
will be hungry on that day, and they count on us for a church service and hot
food and family fellowship.
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| They count on us for hot food, fellowship and a church service! |
When I arrived at the pavilion at the camp, it was raining and windy,
with heavy clouds threatening above. The
homeless that were there came and quickly offloaded my truck in preparation for the meal. With Paul and his
brother-in-law, Marshal, looking on, I prayed loudly, “Lord Jesus, if it be
your will, let the rain stop,” and I began to give all glory and praise to His
Holy Name.
The rain immediately and completely stopped.
Wondering what had just happened, Paul said, “The rain stopped!” as he
looked at Marshal next to him (Marshal had driven from Jackson, Mississippi to
be here with us). A couple of homeless
men who noticed, also said the same thing out loud, but as if to themselves.
I then loudly prayed, raising my hand up, “Lord Jesus, let the sunshine
come. Let the Son shine on us.” And I began to worship the Lord and glorify
His Name again.
It suddenly got brighter! Not
“sunny,” but definitely brighter.
Paul, again, looks at me and at Marshal and says, “It just got sunny!”
I then turn to Paul and Marshal and ask them, “Can we pray for the wind
to stop, also? Are we allowed to do that?”
I then prayed aloud again, “Lord, let the wind stop during our service
so the Word may be given today. I know
you want your Word to be heard and received.
I believe that to be your will, oh Lord.” I then praised and thanked Him, again giving
Jesus Christ all the glory.
Nothing happened. The wind kept
on blowing.
All week long I had called everyone I knew to ask them to pray for our
service to be free from the coming rough weather. I had prayed every day leading to our
Sunday. I prayed Saturday night and
Sunday morning for an hour, petitioning the Lord for the rain and wind to halt
while we have our service. I could boldly
pray Sunday at the camp because I was already “prayed up” up to that
point. Also, I knew that many people I
had asked were praying this morning. I now rested in the Lord.
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| Jonathan came to play his guitar for our service! |
Many people were now arriving.
Jonathan came to play his guitar for our service. Heather brought some wonderful people from
her church who love the “least of these.”
We ended up with over 40 homeless men and women, plus the ministers and guests. This is the most we have had so far. It could be the pre-Christmas gift we
promised all the homeless if they attended the service!
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| When the service started, the air was still - no wind, not even a breeze; nothing but calm! |
I started preaching on “faith,” speaking about faith like a mustard
seed, when I suddenly realized that the wind had died completely. I raised my hands up and asked everyone, “Do you all
feel any wind?” A few raised their hands
up to test the air. It remained that way
until the service was over. It started raining again at the end of the service, but everyone was able to move around under the pavilion at that time.
The air was still – no wind, not even a breeze; nothing but calm! My heart was pounding as I continued with the
sermon, but inwardly I was praising and thanking my Lord Jesus Christ who was
making himself so very real to me today.
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| Heather brought some guests who were a big help! Debbie (far left, the grandma), then Katie (12 years old, the daughter), Amanda (the mama), Jared (14 years old, the son) and Chris (in stripped shirt, the daddy). Then Jonathan, playing the guitar. |
We gave each homeless who were present at the service a crucifix on a
neck cord (Bill, Paul and I had purchased these for the homeless). On each crucifix, I had Super-glued a mustard
seed at the feet of Jesus. I shared with
them that to get more faith they must read the word humbly – at the feet of
Jesus. They loved their crucifixes! I also encouraged them to tell others why
there was a mustard seed on their crucifix.
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| Every homeless person at the service received a free crucifix! |
We then had the most spaghetti we have ever cooked at an
end-of-the-month dinner. Thank God we
had so many amazing and loving volunteers, today. I wish I had had time to write all their names
down because I have a good “forgetter.”
But God knows who they are and hopefully I will get to know them
better as they return to serve the “least of these” in the future.
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| Pollyanna serving up the Parmesan cheese and chips to JJ! |
I wanted to fellowship and hug everyone.
But, before I knew it the spaghetti was all gone; every single meat ball
was plumped in a plate; the fresh-baked, French bread was gone; and we were
almost out of cheese. Paul had brought
the drinks and chips, which were passed out by a wonderful, loving (but tough)
young lady whose name is Pollyanna.
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| Serving up firsts, seconds and thirds! Chris (L) serving French bread and Paul (R) dishing out the spaghetti. |
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| Servants of the Lord loving on the children of God! Katie on far right, behind Amanda, her mom. |
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| Leila says, "The homemade fudge is maaaaarvelous, my dear!" Bernadette, who lives on a small bus with her husband, is on the left. |
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| Ahhhhhhh! Grandma Debbie and Katie (R) |
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| Jail birds; Stosh and Mari |
I will end this post with the latest jail birds of the week; Stosh and Mari! It was their turn to be in jail this week. They were arrested for open container (beer) in public. They spent a couple of days in jail until court day when the judge threw out the charges because the charging officer had filled out the report incorrectly. They were immediately released, after which they celebrated with – you guessed it – an open container of beer!
Good night, folks, and God bless y’all!
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| UNDER THE TABLE: Do that face again...you know...that face you do. WOW, man..that is "baaaaad! You look seriously constipated, dude! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha... |
"Dieu a choisi les choses folles du monde pour confondre les sages; Dieu a choisi les choses faibles du monde pour confondre les fortes; et Dieu a choisi les choses vile du monde et celles qu'on méprise, celles qui ne sont point, pour réduire au néant celles qui son, afin que nulle chair ne se glorifie devant Dieu." 1 Corinthiens 1:27-29
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