No. A Church Without Walls is NOT affiliated with ECBC.
No. Frank is NOT employed by ECBC nor has he ever received any compensation from them. He is employed at CompUSA.
No. A Church Without Walls is NOT one of the seven churches that was to become of the sale of the Evans property. We are completely autonomous.
No. The ruling authority of A Church Without Walls is not ECBC or anyone associated with them. The ruling authority of ACWW is Jesus. The servants under that marvelous Leader is Frank and Tammy Strausser, Frank and Pam Peterson, Steve and Samantha Jones, Jose' Sarono, Sharon Dyers, and Maxine McDowell (who is moving to Tennessee in September).
No. ACWW was not started under the direction of ECBC. It was started under the unction of the Holy Spirit and people who saw the Cloud by Day and Fire by Night and wanted to follow that movement of God! And we love every minute of everything we see God doing!
I hope this clears up any misunderstandings of who A Church Without Walls really is, and the people who come to worship and receive from God through our church. This is our church family. Frank Peterson recently wrote the following in order to better define A Church Without Walls. I think he did a fabulous job! This expresses the hearts of the people who serve in A Church Without Walls as well as the hearts of the people who come to receive ministry.
A Church Without Walls is a group of sinners saved by grace through the Blood of Jesus Christ. They love the Lord Jesus with all that they have and all they know how to, but have often had seasons in their lives where they have built walls which prevented them from loving the Lord like they should. These walls were built one brick at a time and are still being built. They built them with bricks called sin, bricks called hurts, bricks called broken relationships, addiction, fears, depression, low self worth, and so many other bricks that are unique to each wall. They are also called to ministry: A Church Without Walls.
Soul Winning, Healing, and Prophecy are not our main goals. That is God's job - to save the lost, heal the sick, and speak through us. Our job is to love the people and each other where they are at in their lives. By building relationships, we can start to help tear down the walls, brick by brick, that they, and we ourselves, have built. By doing that, we all become closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. By loving people enough, their walls can come down. Then, they can receive God's salvation, healing, and prophecy. Those are the fruits that are birthed out of a ministry of love. A by-product of seeing people through the eyes of Jesus. And as we are able to minister to people, they can be taught to do the same, not just by teaching them, but also through our actions.
It's a LOVE REVOLUTION baby!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
This is cool....
Tonight Frank and I went to Walmart for a few groceries and a man approached him in front of the cold cuts section and asked him if he was a preacher. Frank was like, "Yes I am," and was wondering how this guy thought that. Then he said, "Do you preach on the streets in down-town Augusta?" So they got to talking. This man is the water fountain man. He comes every few weeks to check the chemical levels in the big water fountain. Then he told Frank that he had been lookin' out for a spot for us to meet if it should ever rain. Pretty neat...considering we have never solicited for help! He said he looks around when he's down there working for areas that have a big enough awning to hold our church services and made several suggestions. Those places are all in areas that are too far for our people to walk, but still, how sweet of this man to be thinking ahead like that! Such a God thing! So he said he was going to continue to talk to people he knew at businesses down there. God is so awesome!
August 26, another SONny Sunday!
Is this really happening? Is God really moving mightily on the streets of Augusta? YES He is! Wow! I'm still in awe of His faithfulness, even though I shouldn't be, it is after all, His character to draw people to His AMAZING GRACE!
We had a big crowd, just like last Sunday, with many of the same people, and a whole buncha new people. I have just so fallen in love with down-town Augusta. As Jose' (found out that's how you really spell our worship leaders name -Hosea is the incorrect spelling but it would take me a week to find all of his incorrectly spelled references, so from hence-forth, I will spell his name correctly....unless I forget) was playing the praise music, we had a soft breeze blow in. We were supposed to have scattered showers, and it seems like God scattered them somewhere else. :) We set up for breakfast and began our fellowshipping with the people who started to come to A Church Without Walls.
Remember "D" who got evicted and we prayed for him last Sunday night? Well, as you would expect, God totally came through for him and he's no longer evicted! Yay God!
And remember Danny, drunk out of his mind until God moved with power within him? Well he came today too! And he seemed coherent and even remembered me and Frank. How cool is that?
"Lucifer" came again. I'm going to start referring to him as "L" from now on because as we have gotten to know him, "Lucifer" just doesn't seem to fit him at all. We actually do know his real name, but I don't want to give it and be exploitive. :) So if you want to know his real name, you'll have to come down-town on Sundays at 9 a.m. and meet him!
Frank preached on "Are You Free?" It was a deliverance type message. He talked about how sometimes we have given Satan a place in our lives through our choices to fall into sin. He gave an illustration of how when we sin, Satan sees that as a landing strip all lit up and he comes in and lands in our territory, then he takes hold of us and before you know it, we have addictions, or eating disorders, or sickness, or fears, or bad thoughts, etc....
After his message he asked if anyone wanted prayer for things they struggle with, whether it's drugs, alcohol, sex, porn, a spirit of poverty, and a bunch more. Before we knew it, we had a fella come straight up to us and said he really wanted to be set free from drug addiction. I was blown away as he certainly did not look like a man who had a drug addiction. He was very clean and well dressed. He shared with us that he had been "clean" for 15 years, but he had recently allowed some friends to do drugs in front of him, and the smells that permeated his nose rekindled that desire for them again. Just hanging around friends that were doing the drugs was all that was needed to light up that landing strip and the devil just zoomed in like a Bowing 747 and landed right there, gaining a foothold that ultimately resulted in a strong hold.
He also revealed that he had known better, but the pull was just too strong, and he was really mad at himself for falling into that snare. So Frank Peterson, Samantha, and I were praying for him and boy I'll tell ya what....Peterson just went at the devil like a pro. I kept looking over at Pam (his wife), who was sitting across the way with their children and I was like, wow, Pam should totally come over and see her husband charge hell with a super soaker. Then, out of the blue, Peterson starts speaking life into "J" and before we knew it, Peterson was prophesying over him. He was telling him that God had a plan for him and that he sees God using him to minister to others on the street, others just like himself that had been trapped by drugs, and he sees God using "J" to lead people to Christ and get clean. Amazing.
Meanwhile, one of the little ladies came up to the microphone and wanted to testify. She is a sweet little black lady, and if you know anything about sweet little black ladies, they DRESS UP for church, even if it is on park benches. So here she is all decked out in a pretty yellow dress, a yellow hat, yellow shoes, pantyhose, the whole nine yards, and she tells our church that last week she came forward for prayer over her heart trouble. I think Samantha was part of praying for her, and probably Peterson. Maybe even Steve, but we were so overwhelmed with praying for people it's hard for me to remember. Anyway, she went to the doctors this week for her testing on her heart and they said her heart was absolutely fine, she had been totally healed of her heart problems! Isn't God AMAZING! He's still healing people! Whoooo-hooooo!
Then the young man that had come at the end last week had come for the service today. He also got up and testified that God had healed his feet and that he was still walking in that healing! He was able to work all week at his job completely pain free! Whoooo-hoooo!
Then a lady came up, a new lady, and she asked for prayer for healing and for reconciliation with her family. Her husband kicked her out and she was on the streets living under the bridge, but one of our "members" had taken her in for the weekend. (Actually, it was "D" who took her in) She was absolutely receptive and excited about what we prayed for her for, and she left there expecting God to do something!
And this was amazing too, at the end of the service I was talking to that lady about getting her a larger print Bible than the ones we have available, and my sister, Jenny, came up to me and said, "You need to come over here and talk to this lady." So I said, "Just a sec," then Jenny slides a 20 dollar bill into my hand and says, "When you get done come over here and see this lady, this is from her." So I finished up with "G" and went over and spoke to her. She said she drives by here every Sunday on her way to church and was encouraged to see God moving and developing a church service for that area of town, and that she wanted to bless us. I thanked her for that generous gift and then she said she had to go to her church. She was so beautiful though that I kinda wonder if she wasn't an angel! LOL!
So speaking of Bibles, we had a box of them sitting by the food table and we have some that are kind of paper backish, not very good quality, that we let people borrow for the church service if they want to follow along, and then return when they are done using them. And then we have some "good" Bibles available for anyone that wants to take one home. So the "good" Bibles with the nice covers were sitting in the box when some of the people started to come up and look at them. They were so hungry for the Word that there was a line! And you will never guess who was over there helping the people pick out Bibles.....yep......"L"!! He sure was! We had them all still in shrink wrap so he was showing them how to look on the back to find out how big (or small) the print was going to be on the inside.
You should have seen how excited these people were to be able to get a brand new Bible with a nice cover, like it was a very valuable thing to them. Samantha and I were just beside ourselves watching the whole thing. Then we talked to several of them who have "aged" eye sight (happens to the best of us) and can't read small print. So I went looking for larger print Bibles Monday. I can't wait to give them to the people who are expecting 'em. God is so cool! I'm so excited!!
We had an awesome service though, praying for people, ministering to their needs. It was exciting. We were also able to go to the store and buy some personal hygiene items, some undergarments, etc for someone who (desperately) needed them.
It was a good Lord's Day.
(Hopefully Sam has pictures to give me to post....my camera was out of batteries, and she's a camera pro, so her pics will be better! LOL)
We had a big crowd, just like last Sunday, with many of the same people, and a whole buncha new people. I have just so fallen in love with down-town Augusta. As Jose' (found out that's how you really spell our worship leaders name -Hosea is the incorrect spelling but it would take me a week to find all of his incorrectly spelled references, so from hence-forth, I will spell his name correctly....unless I forget) was playing the praise music, we had a soft breeze blow in. We were supposed to have scattered showers, and it seems like God scattered them somewhere else. :) We set up for breakfast and began our fellowshipping with the people who started to come to A Church Without Walls.
Remember "D" who got evicted and we prayed for him last Sunday night? Well, as you would expect, God totally came through for him and he's no longer evicted! Yay God!
And remember Danny, drunk out of his mind until God moved with power within him? Well he came today too! And he seemed coherent and even remembered me and Frank. How cool is that?
"Lucifer" came again. I'm going to start referring to him as "L" from now on because as we have gotten to know him, "Lucifer" just doesn't seem to fit him at all. We actually do know his real name, but I don't want to give it and be exploitive. :) So if you want to know his real name, you'll have to come down-town on Sundays at 9 a.m. and meet him!
Frank preached on "Are You Free?" It was a deliverance type message. He talked about how sometimes we have given Satan a place in our lives through our choices to fall into sin. He gave an illustration of how when we sin, Satan sees that as a landing strip all lit up and he comes in and lands in our territory, then he takes hold of us and before you know it, we have addictions, or eating disorders, or sickness, or fears, or bad thoughts, etc....
After his message he asked if anyone wanted prayer for things they struggle with, whether it's drugs, alcohol, sex, porn, a spirit of poverty, and a bunch more. Before we knew it, we had a fella come straight up to us and said he really wanted to be set free from drug addiction. I was blown away as he certainly did not look like a man who had a drug addiction. He was very clean and well dressed. He shared with us that he had been "clean" for 15 years, but he had recently allowed some friends to do drugs in front of him, and the smells that permeated his nose rekindled that desire for them again. Just hanging around friends that were doing the drugs was all that was needed to light up that landing strip and the devil just zoomed in like a Bowing 747 and landed right there, gaining a foothold that ultimately resulted in a strong hold.
He also revealed that he had known better, but the pull was just too strong, and he was really mad at himself for falling into that snare. So Frank Peterson, Samantha, and I were praying for him and boy I'll tell ya what....Peterson just went at the devil like a pro. I kept looking over at Pam (his wife), who was sitting across the way with their children and I was like, wow, Pam should totally come over and see her husband charge hell with a super soaker. Then, out of the blue, Peterson starts speaking life into "J" and before we knew it, Peterson was prophesying over him. He was telling him that God had a plan for him and that he sees God using him to minister to others on the street, others just like himself that had been trapped by drugs, and he sees God using "J" to lead people to Christ and get clean. Amazing.
Meanwhile, one of the little ladies came up to the microphone and wanted to testify. She is a sweet little black lady, and if you know anything about sweet little black ladies, they DRESS UP for church, even if it is on park benches. So here she is all decked out in a pretty yellow dress, a yellow hat, yellow shoes, pantyhose, the whole nine yards, and she tells our church that last week she came forward for prayer over her heart trouble. I think Samantha was part of praying for her, and probably Peterson. Maybe even Steve, but we were so overwhelmed with praying for people it's hard for me to remember. Anyway, she went to the doctors this week for her testing on her heart and they said her heart was absolutely fine, she had been totally healed of her heart problems! Isn't God AMAZING! He's still healing people! Whoooo-hooooo!
Then the young man that had come at the end last week had come for the service today. He also got up and testified that God had healed his feet and that he was still walking in that healing! He was able to work all week at his job completely pain free! Whoooo-hoooo!
Then a lady came up, a new lady, and she asked for prayer for healing and for reconciliation with her family. Her husband kicked her out and she was on the streets living under the bridge, but one of our "members" had taken her in for the weekend. (Actually, it was "D" who took her in) She was absolutely receptive and excited about what we prayed for her for, and she left there expecting God to do something!
And this was amazing too, at the end of the service I was talking to that lady about getting her a larger print Bible than the ones we have available, and my sister, Jenny, came up to me and said, "You need to come over here and talk to this lady." So I said, "Just a sec," then Jenny slides a 20 dollar bill into my hand and says, "When you get done come over here and see this lady, this is from her." So I finished up with "G" and went over and spoke to her. She said she drives by here every Sunday on her way to church and was encouraged to see God moving and developing a church service for that area of town, and that she wanted to bless us. I thanked her for that generous gift and then she said she had to go to her church. She was so beautiful though that I kinda wonder if she wasn't an angel! LOL!
So speaking of Bibles, we had a box of them sitting by the food table and we have some that are kind of paper backish, not very good quality, that we let people borrow for the church service if they want to follow along, and then return when they are done using them. And then we have some "good" Bibles available for anyone that wants to take one home. So the "good" Bibles with the nice covers were sitting in the box when some of the people started to come up and look at them. They were so hungry for the Word that there was a line! And you will never guess who was over there helping the people pick out Bibles.....yep......"L"!! He sure was! We had them all still in shrink wrap so he was showing them how to look on the back to find out how big (or small) the print was going to be on the inside.
You should have seen how excited these people were to be able to get a brand new Bible with a nice cover, like it was a very valuable thing to them. Samantha and I were just beside ourselves watching the whole thing. Then we talked to several of them who have "aged" eye sight (happens to the best of us) and can't read small print. So I went looking for larger print Bibles Monday. I can't wait to give them to the people who are expecting 'em. God is so cool! I'm so excited!!
We had an awesome service though, praying for people, ministering to their needs. It was exciting. We were also able to go to the store and buy some personal hygiene items, some undergarments, etc for someone who (desperately) needed them.
It was a good Lord's Day.
(Hopefully Sam has pictures to give me to post....my camera was out of batteries, and she's a camera pro, so her pics will be better! LOL)
Friday, August 24, 2007
OK, raise your hand if you want to see a miracle!
Are you raising your hand?
Your AVAILABILITY will allow you to be used by God. It's true. Try this next Sunday in church:
Go up to someone, it can be a visitor or it can be a long time member. Strike up a conversation with them. Just general chit-chat. But this time, instead of saying, "I'm so glad you came, see ya next week".....say, "Is there anything I can pray with you about?"
Watch what happens. You will enable God to work a miracle through you! The Power of God will flow right through you as you take that person's hand and pray for them, whether it's for healing, finances, addictions, marriage struggles, or anything else. Try it. You'll see. Then send me an email and tell me what happens. I'm expecting a miracle to be worked through YOU!
Your AVAILABILITY will allow you to be used by God. It's true. Try this next Sunday in church:
Go up to someone, it can be a visitor or it can be a long time member. Strike up a conversation with them. Just general chit-chat. But this time, instead of saying, "I'm so glad you came, see ya next week".....say, "Is there anything I can pray with you about?"
Watch what happens. You will enable God to work a miracle through you! The Power of God will flow right through you as you take that person's hand and pray for them, whether it's for healing, finances, addictions, marriage struggles, or anything else. Try it. You'll see. Then send me an email and tell me what happens. I'm expecting a miracle to be worked through YOU!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Taking it to the Streets
We had been invited to go with a church in North Augusta out to the streets for street ministry this past Sunday night. This church had a guest come from Greenwood, South Carolina named Shawn Patrick Williams. If you are interested in reading an outstanding guide on how to use the Word of God as the weapon it was designed to be used for, read his book "Warring With the Word." In this empowering book, he gives his incredible testimony that is filled with powerful teachings from the Word of God, and is a book that Frank and I reference quite a bit when we are looking for specific scriptures for specific situations. You'll totally love this book. http://www.warriornations.org/ His testimony alone is worth the time investment to read this 123 page book. But to have this topical reference at your fingertips is invaluable! Once we got down town, our group went into the area right in front of where A Church Without Walls meets. It's a totally different atmosphere at night.
Once we went into the alley-way of the apartment building that a good bit of our church "members" live, we encountered a man sitting on the bench. He was drunk. Actually, he was beyond drunk. I don't know, is there even a state beyond drunk, I mean this old man was plastered. Totally tanked. Bless his heart. And the absolute dirtiest man we have ever encountered. So we ended up ministering to him with prayer and gave him some food and water. I felt the Lord impress on my heart that we needed to move on, but that God would later give us another opportunity with this man. I figured we'd see him at some point, maybe even next Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, we had two other groups that went out in different directions. Kenny, the Associate Pastor of the church we were with, took a group down near 6th street, and Shawn took a group in a direction towards one of the few bars that were opened on Sunday. Later when we met up together with the group at the end of the night, Shawn told us that 3 people gave their hearts to Jesus! Isn't that just totally awesome! The amazing thing was that this night was ordained as a Divine Appointment by God and the date for street ministry was given to Shawn some time back by the Lord. He shared with us how God told him to come down to Augusta on THIS night, August 19th, and how he ended up meeting with a drunk chick and her boyfriend outside a bar. As he began to talk to her they both realized that she was from HIS hometown. I think Greenwood is about an hour and a half drive from Augusta.
So here she is, on this night, the same night a man of God from her hometown is here. As they continued their conversation, he discovers that her pastor, the same pastor she had been to church and sat under that same morning, was a pastor friend of Shawn's. In fact, he's a pastor that Shawn has ministered with in conferences and appears to be pretty close to. Anyway, he was able to really connect with her, set her to thinking of the straight and narrow path again, AND lead her boyfriend to Christ! Divine Appointments really happen.... Totally AWESOME!
Well, after we had left the drunk man on the bench, we went to talk with a group of people who were congregating in the alley-way. We invited them to Sunday morning services for next week and talked with them a bit. Our group had Frank and I, Melony (Kenny's wife), Miranda (Kenny's teenaged daughter), another youth from their church named John, and a man named Jim who has a heart for evangelism. So we kind of spread out amongst the group. I'm not sure what Melony talked about with the people she encountered...but I'm sure it's awesome, as she is an awesome woman of God. (I will post it if she emails me later....and BTW, Melony, I thought the picture of you was so fun, so I put it up, if you hate it, I'll take it off....hee hee).
Frank, Jim, and I ended up talking to a man for a few minutes and prayed with him about a job and some shelter for the night. He was already a born again believer. So Jim said to the man, Victor, that, "Since you are already a Christian, take this tract and give it away to some one else." I thought that was an excellent idea. I never thought to do that, so Frank and I both thought that that was a pretty cool technique...a way to encourage another believer to get out there and represent Christ.
Some "soul winners" have often expressed that they get discouraged when they only meet saved people, since their only focus for the night is reaching the lost. However, I firmly believe that God sends brothers and sisters in Christ across one another's paths for the purpose of encouragement and edification. So if you are out there in your personal ministry, don't be dismayed at not having a lost person come your way. Reach out to the believers too. We are called to support and encourage the body of Christ just as much as we are to reach the lost. This does not need to only happen at church pot-lucks. You just get out there and love them to life!
After we spoke with that man, one of our "members" came out of the building very down-trodden. He had just been evicted from his apartment. I believe that God had us there as a Divine Appointment for "D". We were able to minister to him in prayer and in love, and able to encourage him to continue to believe God for his needs to be met. "D" struggles with alcohol, and instead of having the opportunity to go down to the bar to drink his problems away, he was met by Spirit-filled believers who were able to minister to him and help him see passed his problem and go straight to the One Who could help him. "D" was a different man when we left, his countenance was changed, and his faith had increased for God to work this out for him. God is so good!
After that, we passed by the drunk man, Danny, again. The Lord told me to keep going, so we continued quite a few blocks til we found a man sitting on a park bench reading a newspaper. We engaged him in conversation and discovered he was homeless, though I have to admit I was a bit surprised. He was very clean and appeared to be very intelligent. Anyway, in the course of conversation with him he told us he was raised Catholic. And while he was impressed with the help he was given from the Baptist missions down-town, he had been told repeatedly that all Catholics go to hell. We told him that not all Baptists believe that, and apologized on behalf of the people who had wounded him in that way. I think it really helps that Melony's church across the river is Baptist, and that as everyone well knows, Frank and I have a strong Baptist background. I think this lended credibility to our apology to him for the hurt and confusion that a few people operating under a religious spirit rooted in the enemy had thrust upon him.
Then he said he was fed a constant spiritual diet of doctrines that he didn't agree with, so he began a search for the truth. Of course he doesn't realize that this is what he is doing, he said he was just interested in learning about different religions, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. He also told us that he now believed that there were many religions and all of them were right, including evolutionary theory. What a messed up mind this man had!
As we engaged in conversation, we were able to share the gospel with him, however, he had heard it time and time again, but it was not penetrating into his heart. He was completely shut off from believing truth because of a wounded spirit. Yet he was completely comfortable in our dialog. I discerned a spirit of confusion that came from the enemy and asked him if Melony and I could pray for him. He was absolutely open to that, so we bound and cast that defeated devil from him and then asked God to reveal Himself to this man this week as the ONE true creator, the living God Who created him.
When we finished praying for him, I felt a small breakthrough in the spirit...he was now speaking more about things in the Bible and less about things from other religions. Some clarity had come to his mind....I could just see it happening. This was super cool and he was now even looking forward to how the One True God was going to reveal Himself to him this week, even so much as expressing senerios that might happen through God's hand this week. And He will show Himself. He's a good God and He is after this man's heart. I told him that he had a seed of truth implanted inside of him from when he was a little boy in Catholic church, the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He died for his sins and was the Truth he was seeking. That incorruptible seed that is deep inside his heart had taken root, and now God was going to allow it to spring up inside of him and reveal to Him Who He is. I can't wait to find out what Jesus does this week for him!
After that, we went back down to where A Church Without Walls meets and met up with the rest of the group and then rejoiced in the salvations that came through our mission on the streets. As everyone began to leave, guess who came staggering across the street? Yep, Danny, the beyond drunk guy.
He was so inebriated he couldn't even lift his foot up properly to step out of the street onto the curb. I ran over and reached out and grabbed his very nasty, dirty arm and helped him over to a bench. Then for the next 45 minutes I sat and listened to this man tell me everything that was on his heart. He told me he was a drunk, but he loved the Lord. He said he just can't help it that he is a drunk. But all the Christians come out and tell him that he's a drunk and he's not living for God and preacher's come out and they chastise him for being an alcoholic. He said he was always getting beaten down by churchy people. Well, this was going to be a different night for Danny.
So for the next 45 minutes, we listened to Danny talk about his hurts and his pain and his childhood and his family and all the things that happened in his life. He talked to me about good times and bad times, prosperous times and lean times. I asked him how he ended up here in Augusta since he grew up in another state. He said he came here about 8 years ago for a cancer operation at one of our fine hospitals, and that's how he ended up here. At this place. I hear this story a lot. People come here for medical treatment and then don't have the money to make it back home and end up at the Rescue Mission or on the streets.
During the course of our conversation, I asked Danny if I could pray with him. He told me I could pray with him any time I wanted. He just seemed so grandfatherly at that moment - very tender, totally receiving the love of God. I was honored to be a part of that. So I asked Danny if he wanted to not be "a drunk" anymore. He shared with me that he really did, but he was just what he was. So I asked him if I could pray for the spirit of addiction to be loosed from him. He agreed that he wanted that. So we came boldly before the Throne of Grace and prayed and then we went into warfare mode.
Ultimately I ended up commanding his body to sober up, and for the enemy to leave him alone. When we were finished praying, Danny was sobbing and sobbing. And snotting and snotting. OMG, why does ministry have to be so messy? EWE! I have serious issues with snot. Serious. So as he was sucking gobs of snot back into his head, and I was trying not to lose my dinner, he told me he had recently been stabbed. So I looked him over and found a wound on his arm. He had indeed been stabbed with something. It didn't require stitches and looked to be a day or two old. So we took a couple of cold bottles of water and he let me clean him up the best I could. My gosh he was so dirty.
By then, Frank was finished talking to the guy who had come over to speak with him, so Frank prayed for Danny too. After a bit, Danny got up and walked toward where ever it is he lays his head at night. But this time, he was NOT staggering. He was walking upright and straight! Whoooo-hoooo!~ That's the Power of God!
Then as we were leaving, a man asked Frank if he wanted to buy drugs. I'm glad he didn't ask me cause I would have been totally offended, I mean really, a princess does not buy drugs. The drug of choice for us princesses is chocolate. Puh-lease.
So Frank started ministering to him and found out he was heavy into witch craft at some point in time. He was also stoned beyond belief and wicked scary. He was sharing some of his "experiences" with witch craft, even claiming to have raised someone from the dead briefly enough for her to come out of the casket and claw him with her long fingernails, and also said he was "translated" just like Philip in the Bible. You know what, I don't doubt either account. That witchcraft and the power of Satan is all very real. But we have way more Power of God living inside of us and we have power over ALL the power of the enemy. So anyway, Frank ended up talking to him and he said he was trying to live for Jesus but he had so much guilt and shame over his previous involvement in the voodoo stuff, and seriously wrong doctrine now that he was saved. What in the world? Good grief! He did ask for a Bible so we went to the van and got him a nice one. And Frank prayed for him. Maybe we'll see him again.
So...that was our night out on the streets of Augusta. And we loved every minute of it!
What's going to happen when one person who lives there gets so changed and radical for God that they turn around and influence one more person that gets so changed and radical for God? Then you have two people challenging the strong-holds down there. And those two people will multiply and multiply and multiply until we have an entire army of Christian Soldiers doing the stuff! You go God! Whooo -hoooo!
Phew....is this post REALLY this long?
Good for you for reading all the way to the end. Give yourself a high-five!
God is MOVING on the streets!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Wow! Is this really happening? God is totally moving on the streets! People are just showing up and we don't even advertise! God is drawing people to us so they can know Him. How cool is that?!?
When we got there this morning, there was already a crowd of people waiting for us to set up! Can you even believe that? So we set up quickly, Hosea was playing, and then we started serving breakfast. We had a breakfast casserole, baked French toast, McDs sausage biscuits, and donuts. Yum. And we made sure we brought plenty of extra water and soda to fill up the cooler once it was empty. And it empties fast! Then we had our anointed praise and worship music, and it was so good to see those sweet people down there lifting up holy hands to the Lord in their worship.
And would you believe that God did it again for us with the temperatures? We even had a nice cool breeze flowing in from time to time. Isn't He SO good?!
Then we had our message. Frank preached on the Dunamis Power of God. It was very good. Then he started to give an invitation towards the end for prayer for healing and before he could even finish getting the words out, people just started to flood forward! It was overwhelming! Our prayer team handled it like pros though. I have to brag on them for just a minute, even though I know they don't want me to. Frank and Pam Peterson and Steve and Samantha Jones and Sharon Dyers are A Church Without Walls ministry team and they totally rock! I get goose bumps just thinking about how God has just catapulted them into ministry and intercessory. It's just been amazing and I am so very thankful to God for allowing us to serve with them. The Peterson's and Jones' also serve as our accountability team, they keep us grounded and sane! hahahah. We can't get away with nothing with them. LOL!
Well, as you can imagine, I have tons of stories. I don't know which one to start with. And I know I can't remember them all. We were totally amazed that we had over 40 people stay for the entire service, then ministered to a few others who passed by after the official service was over, so about 45 people in all. We even had to bring out extra chairs! We use the park benches, but they filled up and we had two metal chairs in the van (we need to get more) and the Peterson's brought out some of those folding umbrella chairs. It was so incredibly awesome to have THAT many people come to hear the Word!
One couple who came by at the end had a man that asked for prayer for his drinking. Frank prayed with him and talked with him a bit. He told Frank he didn't like to come to churches where all the people came just to get fed. He felt like they were just taking advantage of the church and that makes him not want to come. Does that even make sense to you? I guess in his mind it's better to not come at all rather than to come and sit beside people who are getting both their physical and spiritual needs met. Satan is so good at blinding God's people. So Frank told him that we needed to look at it from Jesus' perspective, that Jesus doesn't see people as greedy people coming to eat, He sees them as sheep without a Shepherd and He wants them to come and be a part of His flock, regardless of their needs, and that when people do come just for the food, we have the faith to believe that the words they hear in the preaching of God's Word will not return void. Then he asked him if he could pray for him and he said he would like Frank to pray for him about drinking. He revealed that he had a generational curse of drinking and Frank was able to bind that strongman and cast him out. Then he tackled a religious spirit that caused him to be judgmental. While he was praying for him, he asked Frank if he could sit down because his feet hurt. He said that the job he has requires him to work standing up and his feet are just very weary and in a lot of pain. So naturally, Frank asked him if he could pray for healing of his feet. As he did, God just supernaturally downloaded some prophetic words concerning this man's feet and gave him that "beautiful are the feet who carry the gospel" verse. Then this man said he couldn't believe it but his feet had instantly stopped hurting. Then he got up and started jumping around and commenting over and over again that his feet felt great! Is God not the most awesomest?? WOW! (Yeah, I'm fully aware awesomest is not an official word. But it totally fits here.
There was another young man in his early twenties that Sharon asked Frank to talk to. He ministered with him for quite a long time and this young man shared with Frank that he was struggling with a drug addiction. Frank had a great time telling the devil and the spirit of addiction to get off this kid. Then Monday night this kid came to Sharon's Monday night Bible study and received further ministry. God is working in this guy. He's going to be totally set free of this stronghold - I just know it!
Oh, oh, and "Lucifer" came again! He sure did! And he stayed for the whole service and hung around for over an hour after church was over. And since we are looking at buildings, specifically to house our big plans for Thanksgiving, we walked over to peek into a few windows of some store fronts that are for rent and "Lucifer" rode up to us on his bicycle. Then Peterson asked him if he thought if we got a building if our people would come. "Lucy" said, "Oh, yeah, in fact there are 130 apartments in that building over there. " Like he is thinking INCREASE here....pretty cool for a self proclaimed "devout heathen!" LOL! Oh, AND, he let me shake his hand. That's HUGE! LOL!
Oh my stars, there were so many people we prayed for and ministered to. There was an elderly man that came with his father, that was cool. They were so sweet. I think just about everyone (except Lucy) came up for prayer. Oh, and remember that lady that came last week, the one we think might have gotten saved, she came, and she came all dressed up with make up and everything....and in modest attire. LOL! And she told me that she had been looking forward to coming to church here all week! How 'bout that?!! Awesome God!!
Hunger - not just physical hunger, but hungry for things of God.....hungry for a touch from Him.....hungry to discover His realness
The heartbeat of our ministry
Sharon and Tammy
Steve ministering to a man who is hurting and confused
Call for prayer....miracles in the making
This man in the black baseball cap is one of my favorite people. God is after this man's heart! :)
The other of Sam and Frank is a picture of Samantha giving a testimony of God bringing one of her employees children out of crisis. His 2 year old daughter had drowned and had no life signs, was revived and expexcted to die shortly afterwards or live with extreme brain damage. She had already done what the medical community calls "curling" in her hands, which is an indication of brain injury and impending death. Sam brought all of her people from the restaurant together to tell them what had happened to Phil's daughter, and she asked them if they were praying people, then please pray for them. One employee piped in that they should pray right now. Sam told everyone if they didn't want to pray, didn't believe in God or would be offended that they could leave. EVERYONE stayed, even the self professed athiests! And we can see a bigger picture here in that these people all stayed for the prayer, and were witness to a miracle! By the following day, that 2 year old baby was completely fine, off the ventilator, talking, playing, running around. It was a total miracle! God still raises the dead!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Sunday, August 12
Wow! God is so awesome!
We had 25 people show up! Whoo hooo! We had some "regulars"
come....which is so cool that we have regulars....I mean this is such a God thing, and we had a buncha newbies. Our musician, Hosea, called in sick. When we realized he wasn't coming, we made a big deal to our new church family that we needed to pray for him. They all seemed genuinely concerned and missed him terribly (as did all of us). I was kinda worried the people wouldn't stay cause we didn't have music, but we played a little on a CD player, and it took awhile, but finally some of the people got into it. And "Lucifer" showed up today and stayed for the entire service....even the preaching! Pretty amazing for a self proclaimed "devout heathen." And we stayed more than an hour afterwards just fellowshipping with the people.
We had a new guy named Willie who came that collects aluminum cans for a living. I make it a point now to bring a bag full of cans each Sunday that we have collected from our soda addiction at the Strausser house, so Willie was the lucky recipient of the cans this week. After we fed him and gave him the cans, he sat down and got comfortable, pulled out his own Bible from his duffel bag and totally got into the teaching! Later Frank talked with him and Willie said he had a desire to preach at the Marina. So
Frank told him he should just go for it. He seemed surprised that someone
would believe in him and encourage him to just do it. Wouldn't that be so cool? A homeless man reaching out to other people on the Marina preaching the Word and minister to people? And earlier when Frank went to shake his hand, he said he didn't want to shake Frank's hand cause he had dirty hands. (Willie had dirty hands, not Frank) Frank said he didn't care about dirty hands, and then Willie shook his hand. You could tell he just felt accepted and loved....dirt and all. Yay God!!
We did have one probable salvation. She was a first timer and showed up about a third of the way in the service. She told me she didn't know we had this down here. She sat and listened and was really absorbed in the presentation of the Gospel. I wondered if she was a prostitute, another man had later made a comment that led me to believe she might have been. She was pretty messed up looking, but we loved on her anyway. Thank God for germX!! She seemed sort of shy around us, but I could tell God's love was piercing the darkness within her.
When Frank asked if you weren't saved to look up at him,
she looked up, but she didn't come forward. He did lead the group in a
prayer and she seemed like she might have repeated it to herself kinda under
her breath. If she comes next week we'll talk to her. I think she was embarrassed to come forward. That's ok. We can be pretty patient. We were bombarded with all the people wanting to come give us a hug or tell us about their weeks or pray for them for this and that so she left before we got a chance to to talk to her one on one.
God is so good!!
We are thinking about trying to rent a conference room or something for
Thanksgiving Day at one of the down town hotels. I'd love to have a
congregational Thanksgiving dinner with them all, just like a big ole family
dinner or something. You know, make it real special. Paige was asking what we were going to do when the weather gets cold because she still wants us to be her church, but she wants us to get a building for the cold months because she gets sick easily. So if you think of us, pray that God would lead us to the right area and that everything will fall into place for the winter months. It will be here before we know it. I know it will all work out, because He's just that kind of God and He's been putting this whole thing together all along...Wow!
Oh, oh, oh.....cool......as anyone from Augusta knows, we have been experiencing record heat this month....my face melts when I go outside. The temps have been above a hundred for about two weeks in a row. I was wondering how we were going to be able to handle 95 degrees at 9 a.m on Sunday and I was praying and asking God to just give us a cool day. Well the forecast
certainly wasn't calling for cool temps today, but would you believe that it was only 77 degrees this morning? Awesome! And we had a nice breeze for the time we were outside, the clouds were also covering the bright sun. And the gnats weren't as bad as usual. God gave us a special gift in that whole temp thing this morning. Thank You God for that relief in temps! You totally rock!
Chinese, anyone?
Well, what started as a meeting of some old friends at a Starbucks on Wrightsboro Road, ended in four hungry chicks at a Chinese restaurant. The funny thing about God is that it's never really about going out to eat. It's always about a Divine Appointment.
I met up with an old friend that was visiting from Texas named Sherri, who had come for a three week visit with another old friend named Melony. As I sat with these two godly women, sipping on what amounts to a $5 chocolate milk with ice, I was listening to them relay stories of recent "God Encounters." This subject naturally has me enthralled, but the really cool thing is that another lady in the store sitting nearby had over heard Melony proclaiming the goodness of God, and the next thing we know, we have asked her to pull up a chair and join the conversation. Her name is Seleste...with an "S". What a sweet woman! And just to show you that God doesn't do anything by accident, it turns out that Seleste just so happens to have been strongly desiring to get involved in some sort of street ministry or a ministry of working with the poor. How fun! So the four of us sat there for the next 5 hours discussing the unbelievable power of God. Finally, we moved our power talk to a restaurant up the street.
Now I love Chinese food. And this was a buffet, so even better. As we sat eating our very late night dinner, we continued talking about our beautiful Saviour and the good things about Him. Probably about 11, Seleste had to go home to be with her children and the restaurant was getting ready to close. So Melony, Sherri, and I resumed our conversation in the parking lot, and eventually in Melony's van. And a night full of Kingdom conversation and good fellowship culminated in a healing/deliverance service right there in the parking lot! The three of us sat in the van praying, praising, singing, and fellowshipping with our sweet Jesus. As we all confessed strongholds to each other that the enemy had in our lives, we felt the cleansing power of His love just pour over us while we were praying and ministering to each other in the spirit of love.
Well as we are enjoying the Power of the Holy Spirit consuming us, Sherri mentions that she needs healing for a goiter that is very apparent on her neck. So we start praying for healing on that thyroid and as we are praying and commanding her body to line up with God's Word and be healed, right there before our very eyes, that lump on her neck began to shrink and shrink and shrink. Both Melony and I sat there with our mouths wide open! I don't know why I always get so amazed when God does something like that, but I do, it is us just amazing, nearly unbelievable! So we eventually had to tell Sherri we were going to stop praying because pretty soon she was going to have a pencil neck...LOL! What an awesome night! God's healing power reaches EVERYWHERE! Go lay hands on the sick...they shall recover!!!
By the way....Seleste ended up coming to A Church Without Walls the very next Sunday to be a part of God's work. Is that just not the coolest thing?
I met up with an old friend that was visiting from Texas named Sherri, who had come for a three week visit with another old friend named Melony. As I sat with these two godly women, sipping on what amounts to a $5 chocolate milk with ice, I was listening to them relay stories of recent "God Encounters." This subject naturally has me enthralled, but the really cool thing is that another lady in the store sitting nearby had over heard Melony proclaiming the goodness of God, and the next thing we know, we have asked her to pull up a chair and join the conversation. Her name is Seleste...with an "S". What a sweet woman! And just to show you that God doesn't do anything by accident, it turns out that Seleste just so happens to have been strongly desiring to get involved in some sort of street ministry or a ministry of working with the poor. How fun! So the four of us sat there for the next 5 hours discussing the unbelievable power of God. Finally, we moved our power talk to a restaurant up the street.
Now I love Chinese food. And this was a buffet, so even better. As we sat eating our very late night dinner, we continued talking about our beautiful Saviour and the good things about Him. Probably about 11, Seleste had to go home to be with her children and the restaurant was getting ready to close. So Melony, Sherri, and I resumed our conversation in the parking lot, and eventually in Melony's van. And a night full of Kingdom conversation and good fellowship culminated in a healing/deliverance service right there in the parking lot! The three of us sat in the van praying, praising, singing, and fellowshipping with our sweet Jesus. As we all confessed strongholds to each other that the enemy had in our lives, we felt the cleansing power of His love just pour over us while we were praying and ministering to each other in the spirit of love.
Well as we are enjoying the Power of the Holy Spirit consuming us, Sherri mentions that she needs healing for a goiter that is very apparent on her neck. So we start praying for healing on that thyroid and as we are praying and commanding her body to line up with God's Word and be healed, right there before our very eyes, that lump on her neck began to shrink and shrink and shrink. Both Melony and I sat there with our mouths wide open! I don't know why I always get so amazed when God does something like that, but I do, it is us just amazing, nearly unbelievable! So we eventually had to tell Sherri we were going to stop praying because pretty soon she was going to have a pencil neck...LOL! What an awesome night! God's healing power reaches EVERYWHERE! Go lay hands on the sick...they shall recover!!!
By the way....Seleste ended up coming to A Church Without Walls the very next Sunday to be a part of God's work. Is that just not the coolest thing?
Friday, August 10, 2007
From the Archives of 2006 - A story of Faith and Healing, and ministry along the way
I'll tell ya, I have countless stories I could share with you, and every now and then I find 5 minutes where I can sit down and go through my files and pull up an older story. This one is from last year starting in July 2006 and involves a time when I had some medical testing done, as well as some faith testing, and how God brought me through some fearful times, as well as lead me to continue the "as you go"ministry of reaching out to people I meet along the way. I'm going to just copy and paste the emails I had sent to my best friends (the Dolls) concerning this particular story. I hope it encourages you to see that God is STILL the Great Physician and is still a Mighty, Mighty healer. Sorry it's so long, but hey, it's me writing here....LOL!
July 18, 2006
Hey ya'll! I have a doctor's appointment that I'd like you to keep me in prayer over at 1pm. I have been having some leg and back pain for a week or so, and my right leg hurts a lot, kind of like when you have sciatic nerve pain in pregnancy. A few days ago I was moaning and groaning about my lower back and leg hurting and I went to kind of rub my back when I got out of bed and noticed a lump resting deep on the bone. It's about the size of a walnut. The lump itself doesn't hurt, but it does make me think that its location is the cause of the leg pain. So I'm going to get it checked out. It's probably a ganglion cyst, although I don't think they normally show up on pelvic joints.......but I'm not normal. So we shall see.
July 19, 2006
July 18, 2006
Hey ya'll! I have a doctor's appointment that I'd like you to keep me in prayer over at 1pm. I have been having some leg and back pain for a week or so, and my right leg hurts a lot, kind of like when you have sciatic nerve pain in pregnancy. A few days ago I was moaning and groaning about my lower back and leg hurting and I went to kind of rub my back when I got out of bed and noticed a lump resting deep on the bone. It's about the size of a walnut. The lump itself doesn't hurt, but it does make me think that its location is the cause of the leg pain. So I'm going to get it checked out. It's probably a ganglion cyst, although I don't think they normally show up on pelvic joints.......but I'm not normal. So we shall see.
July 19, 2006
Hey ya'll! Man it is hot today.
I had to see a new doctor today because our doctor (of 13 years) has moved to another clinic and our insurance doesn't have her name on the card yet. So this gal is about my age, which makes me realize that I could be a doctor by now. Oh well.
The bottom line is.....she doesn't know what it is so I get to have an ultrasound on the 28th. And a mamogram. Yay.
Time to turn my cups into saucers.
After I moon her (the lump is near my bum) and she examines me, she asks me to bend this way and that to see if it hurts, and to bend and touch my toes, which I can't do. So she asks me what is it that is keeping me from touching my toes, is it painful, is it uncomfortable, and I tell her, "No, it's my belly." :)
She does use the word "tumor" while she's "guessing" what the problem is. She is a rough doctor, her exam has actually left a few bruises on my chest. I did not like her at all. Not exactly getting an A+ in bedside manner class. Anyway, as you can imagine, I'm feeling a little less than comforted at the possibilities of illnesses and diseases that have started running through my mind.
Meanwhile, the reason I need a mamogram is because I also have some very swollen lymph nodes on the same side as the lump in my back. The lymph nodes are mostly under my arm but do extend into the breast tissue just a bit, and they are quite painful. I didn't really think much of it, but decided to mention it to her while she was already battering my body. So as she was pushing on my nodes hard enough to feel my scapula, she said I definitely needed to be further checked out.
She does use the word "tumor" while she's "guessing" what the problem is. She is a rough doctor, her exam has actually left a few bruises on my chest. I did not like her at all. Not exactly getting an A+ in bedside manner class. Anyway, as you can imagine, I'm feeling a little less than comforted at the possibilities of illnesses and diseases that have started running through my mind.
Meanwhile, the reason I need a mamogram is because I also have some very swollen lymph nodes on the same side as the lump in my back. The lymph nodes are mostly under my arm but do extend into the breast tissue just a bit, and they are quite painful. I didn't really think much of it, but decided to mention it to her while she was already battering my body. So as she was pushing on my nodes hard enough to feel my scapula, she said I definitely needed to be further checked out.
So after the appointment and gingerly dressing myself as to not further injure the hematomas caused by her abuse, I scooted off to the hospital gift shop where my old boss from 20ish years ago works. I usually stop in to see her, and another girl, Alice, who worked for me about 18 years ago. I love her. She's a lady that is about 10 years older than me, so she's uh, ahem, 39 
, and she's a strong Christian to boot. Anyway, while I'm visiting with her there is a young lady, 18 years old, named Cierra, with a 6 month old baby in there talking with Alice. Alice tells me that Cierra's baby was born with heart trouble, only has function of one kidney, etc. And she was just released from the hospital this week from rota virus. But now she looks really, really good, and has come through all of that really well.
So then Cierra says she's really having a hard time right now and Alice says, "Don't say that, speak life into your day, girl!" So she tries to explain, "I'm having surgery next week on my breasts, they think I have cancer. I'm going up to my appointment right now to have a biopsy to see what kind of surgery they want to do, either a lumpectomy or a mastectomy....both breasts. My grandmother, aunt and mother all have had breast cancer and I have 3 hard knots on this side and one on this side."
I coulda just died. EIGHTEEN years old! How unfair. Frank and I have been doing this study recently and it challenges you to take a risk with people and pray for them. I'm not so very good at risk taking but I decided to die to my flesh (so hard to do.....I have a LOT of flesh, and proved it today on the scales) and I said, "C'mon Alice, Let's take care of this." So Alice said she couldn't right now cause she was on the clock and could get in trouble for praying right now. So she took the baby and I took Cierra toward the back part of the store and just prayed healing over her. When I opened my eyes, she was crying. Bless her heart. She was very receptive. Actually, I ended up praying for her one more time before she left.
, and she's a strong Christian to boot. Anyway, while I'm visiting with her there is a young lady, 18 years old, named Cierra, with a 6 month old baby in there talking with Alice. Alice tells me that Cierra's baby was born with heart trouble, only has function of one kidney, etc. And she was just released from the hospital this week from rota virus. But now she looks really, really good, and has come through all of that really well.So then Cierra says she's really having a hard time right now and Alice says, "Don't say that, speak life into your day, girl!" So she tries to explain, "I'm having surgery next week on my breasts, they think I have cancer. I'm going up to my appointment right now to have a biopsy to see what kind of surgery they want to do, either a lumpectomy or a mastectomy....both breasts. My grandmother, aunt and mother all have had breast cancer and I have 3 hard knots on this side and one on this side."
I coulda just died. EIGHTEEN years old! How unfair. Frank and I have been doing this study recently and it challenges you to take a risk with people and pray for them. I'm not so very good at risk taking but I decided to die to my flesh (so hard to do.....I have a LOT of flesh, and proved it today on the scales) and I said, "C'mon Alice, Let's take care of this." So Alice said she couldn't right now cause she was on the clock and could get in trouble for praying right now. So she took the baby and I took Cierra toward the back part of the store and just prayed healing over her. When I opened my eyes, she was crying. Bless her heart. She was very receptive. Actually, I ended up praying for her one more time before she left.
What's really interesting to me is that I have been praying healing over this lump thing in my back and Frank has prayed over me, anointed me in oil, and my sister prayed over me, and nothing has changed, and last night I felt like there was a bigger plan here. I really feel like no matter what this lump in my back turns out to be, it is merely the enemy picking on me, and I do feel equipped to take authority over him and tell him to take a hike. So while I was there today I just knew that God was going to order my steps and all day I JUST KNEW I was supposed to pray for someone. So I'm hoping to hear a good report from Cierra. And I'd love it if you would pray for her as well.
Do you know how HARD it is NOT to touch that lump? UGH! And to not whine about it? But I will tell ya, that after reading that a couple times yesterday, last night I slept better than I have in a few weeks. I didn't have hardly any leg discomfort and pain during the night. In fact, it was more just an ache from laying on that side than it was from pain. So that's a serious deal. Now, during the day has been a little different, but I did spend two hours at the grocery store, and just being overweight is what I am going to attribute this lower back ache to, but the good part is that my leg is not hurting at all! So I will keep reminding myself that God is healing me, and I'm going to believe God for this to go away! And I will not fear! I will not fear! I WILL NOT FEAR!
July 27, 2006
Hey Ya'll. I had a doc appt for one of the boys this morning so I popped in at the little gift shop and talked to Alice. Cierra was scheduled for surgery this week, they just needed to decided which kind to do, she said a lumpectomy or a mastectomy.... Anyway, Alice said Cierra came in Monday or Tuesday for an appt for her daughter and told her the doctors said they were not going to do the surgery because they didn't see the need for it!! They said the problem in her breasts was not as bad as they thought (no cancer!) and they would just let things be. Isn't that so amazing??!?!!? Yay God! He's still in the healing business! This girl totally experienced a miraculous healing from God!!!!!
July 29, 2006
July 26, 2006
My appt for the testing is the 28th.... starting at 1. They are letting me do the back thing before I have my mammies grammied, so I don't have to lay on 'em after I've been through the torture chamber.
I'll have to share this declaration I made yesterday, only because I need accountability, (and support). And I'll take another risk at trusting ya'll with my deepest darkest fears. When that doctor mentioned the word "tumor", naturally, because I'm Tammy, the first thing that went through my mind was Arnold Swartzen-however-you-spell-his-name in Kindergarten Cop saying, "It's not a tooo-ma". But I really got a little bit fearful, thinking that this thing is growing into my sciatic region and all that. It's amazing how our minds can really invoke so much fear. And like Annie, I went to nursing school, so I know too much -- well, enough to be scary. LOL!
So after I prayed with Cierra and left the hospital, I was thinking how I was believing for that girl - or on behalf of that girl, what *I* needed to have faith enough to believe for myself. And then I was thinkin' how scared that girl is, and how she is trying to grasp on to something to help her feel OK, and how young she was, and I thought, "Oh no, I should have prayed for her about her fear. I should have rebuked the spirit of fear from her. I'm so stupid." And God just spoke to me in my heart and said,"No, you prayed exactly what I wanted you to pray." Which is good He said that cause the devil was actually sitting in the passenger seat beating me up for being so inadequate. Don't ya just love univited guests?
And I kinda thought, yah, but she was so frightened that she coulda used a little extra prayer in the fear department. And God spoke to me again, and He said, "Nope. I am able to meet Ceirra where she is at.....even in the midst of her fear." So I stuck my toungue out at the devil. Then God said ever so clearly in my spirit, "But I will not put up with the spirit of fear from you." Grrrr. I know what He means though. That is one of my many, many weaknesses, and I realized that He was waiting for a purpose. And He has taught me very recently about that exact thing. So He must figure I know better. (pouting going on here)
And I kinda thought, yah, but she was so frightened that she coulda used a little extra prayer in the fear department. And God spoke to me again, and He said, "Nope. I am able to meet Ceirra where she is at.....even in the midst of her fear." So I stuck my toungue out at the devil. Then God said ever so clearly in my spirit, "But I will not put up with the spirit of fear from you." Grrrr. I know what He means though. That is one of my many, many weaknesses, and I realized that He was waiting for a purpose. And He has taught me very recently about that exact thing. So He must figure I know better. (pouting going on here)
None-the-less, yesterday was kind of a....I don't know, a really, weird day of weird thoughts and all that about it. My dad had Luekemia, and cancer runs on my moms side of the family so it's perfectly NATURAL to be concerned about it, except God has been asking me to believe in the SUPERNATURAL recently, in things of His world, and not of things of this world. Kinda sucks. So after a lot of wrestling going on in the space between my ears, I finally sat down and made a declaration, printed it out and am working on following through on it. And I wasn't going to bore you with my crazy insane stuff, but I really need you guys. And if you all have loved me this far, then I know I can trust you with really personal struggles. (crap, now I'm crying) So, here goes:
Lord, You said in Your Word that You would heal me. And I believe you, with every fiber of my being. I KNOW You can not lie, and I KNOW You WILL heal me, and I will claim this promise daily. The spirit of unbelief creeps in because my body is not lining up with Your Word, therefore, I decree that from today until the day of my sonogram, I WILL NOT touch my back in the area that the lump was found. Each time I touch it, the enemy tells me that You won't heal me, and I have to struggle with him for a few minutes. This is making me tired, so today I have decided to no longer come in agreement with what the enemy says. My body is lining up with what he says, and I will no longer listen to it! Today and until my test on the 28th, I will not touch that area, but instead will believe BY FAITH that You are working. I noticed that today I had no pain in my back and leg from this lump. I rejoice in that and claim victory in Christ Jesus who provided healing for me with His stripes. If I touch that spot and feel a lump, the devil will likely try to convince me that I do have pain, or that I just forgot about it, or that I will have pain, or that the pain doesn't matter, it only matters that the lump is still there. I will not have a conversation with the one who has come to steal, kill and destroy. I will not listen to him. I will not! I will not! I WILL NOT! I will only have communion with the One Who loves me and gave Himself for me, the One Who came so that I might have LIFE, and to have it more abundantly, the One Who knows the plans He has for me, to do good and not harm me. Praise Your Name! I accept Your healing in my body and I WILL NOT listen to what the enemy is telling me through my body!
PS....God, You know I am believing You for something bigger, so I don't appreciate the devil picking on me and sidetracking me, so I say to You today, that I believe for ALL things promised by You! In my weakness You give me strength.....You ARE my strength!
July 27, 2006
Hey Ya'll. I had a doc appt for one of the boys this morning so I popped in at the little gift shop and talked to Alice. Cierra was scheduled for surgery this week, they just needed to decided which kind to do, she said a lumpectomy or a mastectomy.... Anyway, Alice said Cierra came in Monday or Tuesday for an appt for her daughter and told her the doctors said they were not going to do the surgery because they didn't see the need for it!! They said the problem in her breasts was not as bad as they thought (no cancer!) and they would just let things be. Isn't that so amazing??!?!!? Yay God! He's still in the healing business! This girl totally experienced a miraculous healing from God!!!!!
July 29, 2006
Hey ya'll! Sorry I didn't to post yesterday. I really wanted to. It was a long and emotional day and by the time I get the kids home, bathed and in bed, Frank was working on a video edit for a church project on the computer and I fell asleep so I didn't get a chance to post. Then today was Angel Food and I just got home. I'm about to drop!
It was truly a disappointing day yesterday, but God was with me all through it. I was just SO sure that lump was going to be gone by the time I got there, and it wasn't. So while she was doing the sonogram on it, I kept praying for God to just make it disappear miraculously, ya know, right in front of the sonographer. Well, He didn't. Then she said she wanted the Radiologist to come in an look at the pictures and at the actual sonogram in real time and to palpate the lump for himself. He had very cold hands, btw. He said it was likely a lipoma, which is a fatty tumor, but he said he was going to recommend to my doctor to have an MRI just to be sure. He also said that these things are always benign and if this is a lipoma, that would be good news. He said it would be a candidate for surgery only if it was bothering me or causing pain, which as it sits on that sacro-illiac region, it does cause pain. BUT, since I didn't play with it all week, the pain was fairly non-existent. But after she was done prodding me, I was pretty uncomfortable and in a little pain down the leg. He said lipomas can have degrees, so it depended on what degree it was as to whether we would want to pursue surgery as an option as well. So all in all, not a great report, but not a bad report ether, since he's not certain 100%. So we keep praying. And believing.
I was truly bummed about it and and disappointed, but I had that mamogram to do so I headed downstairs for that exhilarating experience. Everyone down there was really nice and the actual Breast Health clinic looked like an upscale spa instead of a clinic in the midst of a medical college. Very impressive. Anyway, this is where it gets scarey. I wasn't even worried about this, since I was having breast pain on one side and it was just, in my mind, routine. But after the torture chamber, she told me she didn't want me to freak out but they will likely call me back to do it again because my lymph nodes were enlarged. I knew they were, or suspected, anyway, I just was so concentrated on the lump I didn't give it much thought. Lymph nodes can get swollen for many reason. She said my breasts looked good (well, aside from being deflated, droopy, and pathetic) but the lymph nodes were concerning. So as you can well imagine, since I'm not fighting an infection, as far as I can tell, it's pretty scarey. She said I could expect to get some blood drawn and all that as well. So that's that. And that's when the tears started to flow. But it's OK. I'm still walking in faith and believing God for a good report when I see the doctor on the 3rd. I don't have time for the devil to pick on me right now. Darn it. And I will not fear, I will not fear, I will not fear! (I'm going to keep confessing this until I believe it! LOL)
So today my mom told the ladies that help with Angel Food, and they all prayed for me/with me. I did explain to them that I needed them to just come into agreement with me in prayer about this, but I didn't believe, nor wanted to hear, that God is doing this to me to build character, or teach me a lesson, or prove He is God or whatever, and that I don't believe that scripture teaches this. I believe based on the Word that this is an outright attack from the adversary, as the Bible says he comes to kill, steal and destroy.
August 23, 2006
I have only a quick second before I have to run off to get Frank from work. We are down to one vehicle and it's not even ours! It's my mother in laws.....thank God she is still letting us borrow it....but runnin' here and there is SOOOOO exhausting! Who knew sitting and driving could be so draining??
I have only a quick second before I have to run off to get Frank from work. We are down to one vehicle and it's not even ours! It's my mother in laws.....thank God she is still letting us borrow it....but runnin' here and there is SOOOOO exhausting! Who knew sitting and driving could be so draining??
Anyway I got to see my regular doctor at her new practice and it was a much, much nicer visit. She wants an MRI on the lump in the back, so I have to wait til they call me with the appointment for that. She has no diagnosis, just wants to wait on the tests... As far as the lymph nodes - she diagnosed me with something I can not even pretend to try to pronounce, and knew what it was right away and was able to palpate the nodes with a very gentle touch. Basically it needs (or needed in the first place) to be treated with a strong antibiotic. It is swollen and she said this usually can cause absesses in the lymph tissue, breast tissue including the ducts and etc, and the area close to the sternum (cleavageish area) and no wonder I have pain. Yes, I'm TRYING not to be bitter at the other doctor for letting me suffer this long. The infection is in the lymph nodes themselves and probably in the breast tissue at this point. Easy enough to fix with antibiotics and warm compresses. Meanwhile, she said this thing can come and go and usually comes when you are eating a diet high in fat. SOOOOOOOO, no more Atkins type stuff for me. I gotta go low fat - no flavor. Can't wait.
And that's that. And let me tell you, she was soooo gentle and wonderful. And sad that I saw Dr Psycho Pants.
Ok.....on the road again!!!
September 23
September 23
Hi Ya'll! Sorry I didn't get a chance to email yesterday. I got home after 8 and was pooped. And today was Angel Food. Phew!
I have nothing to report though. They wouldn't tell me anything. boo hoo. He was just the tech and said the radiologist wasn't available. Have you ever done that MRI before? It has made the top ten things I never want to experience again. I didn't know they were going to give me an injection of radioactive stuff, or whatever it was and they ended up stickin me three times! OWE!. Well, that's par for the course, I have tiny veins. That's pretty much the only tiny thing I have.
Anyway, that's that. I have my appointment with my doctor on Monday afternoon, so hopefully it will be all good news!
September 25, 2006
Good News!!
September 25, 2006
Good News!!
Whoo-Hoo!
Nothing to worry about!
Just a benign pain in the toushy. If I want to have it removed, I can, but if not, it's ok.
So yay God! It will stay put for now. Motrin works well enough on the pain as does lounging around on the couch wearing fuzzy slippers and eating bon bons.
I was in the office with my doctor for an hour. Found out my passing out episode is something to do with a vaso vegal nerve thing. My sister has that. It's treatable and not a big deal....unless you don't like laying on the bathroom floor.
Anyway, the past couple of months has been a sincere testing of my faith and I am just about spent! The enemy has exhausted me, but I will rest in the Lord and wait on Him and be renewed like the eagles! Whooo hooo~~~ But it does make me think that most of this trial, while it was certainly a time of growing for me, was more for Cierra.....that one Divine Appointment. I just found out that she and her husband are very newly pregnant with their second child. A new life....one that would not have been possible had God not supernaturally reached down and healed her like He did. Yay God! You are the Giver of all life!!!
Anyway, the past couple of months has been a sincere testing of my faith and I am just about spent! The enemy has exhausted me, but I will rest in the Lord and wait on Him and be renewed like the eagles! Whooo hooo~~~ But it does make me think that most of this trial, while it was certainly a time of growing for me, was more for Cierra.....that one Divine Appointment. I just found out that she and her husband are very newly pregnant with their second child. A new life....one that would not have been possible had God not supernaturally reached down and healed her like He did. Yay God! You are the Giver of all life!!!
After my doctor's appointment I ended up seeing an old friend and the whole time was spent with her talking to me about her spiritual life. It was so awesome how God worked today. I have known this lady for 14 years and we have never had a converstation about God. She's always been really funny about that subject with us, like she was trying not to bring up God ever or whatnot, to be politically correct and such. She just really opened up and cried a little and we talked about her relationship with God and she ended up giving me a HUG and thanking me for encouraging her! How cool is that? God works in cool ways.
Then I left and the devil just beat me up all the way to the book store about how stupid I sounded and how I didn't give her enough talk about Jesus and all that. You know how he can be. I kept wanting to ask her if I could pray with her but I just never got that open door. So of course the devil beat me up with the fact that I could have opened the door myself and all that. And I was all bummed and feeling low and stuff. Does anybody else ever go through this mind game? Spirit of condemnation? What a pain in the butt.
So I get to the bookstore and get them to look for the books I need and a girl comes out to help me and she's got like this big ole nose ring and this scratchy voice and is just all around frightening. HAHA. I mean like goth looking. So I follow her to the books and notice she is limping. She gets my books and I ask her why she is limping. She tells me she was in a car accident 9 months ago and had her knee crushed, was in a coma for 3 weeks, had her aorta severed and her vocal cords nearly destroyed. So I'm like, wow, you survived that? And she tells me the doctors said she was a medical miracle. And of course you know what I'm thinking. So I tell her that God has His hands on her and we get to talking and find out she used to be a singer at church a long time ago, but isn't in church now or has she been for a long time. So I ask her if I can pray for her (see how I got the devil back? LOL!) So she says yes, and I put my hand on her shoulder and pray for her and totally feel the Holy Spirit's presence (WOW!) and then when I open my eyes she grabs my hand and she's crying and tells me that it meant a lot to her and asks me my name and all that. It was a good time in the Lord. I know He was speaking to her.... too cool.
Which brings me back to my original thought.....all of this lump thing and scary lymph node stuff....how much of it was for my benefit? How much of it was for me to be in God's path all along to meet up with His Divine Appointments? How humbled I am that He chose to use me like that, to bring me through frightening possibilities and still put people in my path to show His love to. I love our Great Big Healing Wonderful Powerful GOD!!!
Which brings me back to my original thought.....all of this lump thing and scary lymph node stuff....how much of it was for my benefit? How much of it was for me to be in God's path all along to meet up with His Divine Appointments? How humbled I am that He chose to use me like that, to bring me through frightening possibilities and still put people in my path to show His love to. I love our Great Big Healing Wonderful Powerful GOD!!!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Sunny Sunday
This is Sam and Paige. Paige is one of our regulars. She is always the first one to arrive to church each Sunday morning. She told me that she had been reading the pretty purple Bible we gave her. She is just the sweetest thing. I loved her pink hair bow and shiny shoes!
The man in the blue came two weeks ago, then was arrested and put in jail last week and spent 8 days in there. He was arrested for being homeless. Every now and then, the city will come through and arrest all the homeless people they can get their hands on. This clean-sweep usually proceeds a big event that brings tourists. I imagine this time it was the river races. Well, he came back this week and this time he brought a friend, the man in the purple. He really enjoyed Frank's preaching. When we told him we will only be down on SUNNY Sundays, he said if it rained, we need to put a sign up to tell him where we are meeting....in other words....he wants to keep coming no matter where we meet....and we should not let a little rain keep us from coming down. He was totally eating the Word today!One of the men today said that when he stays at one of our local homeless shelters, he is forced to go to church. That's how it works there, they make 'em go to their church services. I think that's a good idea, and we have seen fruit from those efforts in the countless homeless men who are well versed in the scriptures. However, this man, he is no doubt lost. But he did say today that what he liked about coming to our church was that he wasn't forced to come, he could come if he wanted to. And he said, "I wanted to." Kinda a big deal here for a man who wouldn't ordinarily enter a church somewhere. Bless his heart, he even apologized for being dirty.
This morning we had about 20 people for church service. Even "Lucifer" showed up again. I think that's super cool. God is after this man's heart. We fed McDs sausage biscuits and donuts to lots of hungry folks and prayed for a lot of hurting people. I just love how God loves on people through his people. I'm so proud of our team and their ability to express the LOVE of God to the poor. This is God's heart.
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