ELI AND GOD'S GRACE

ELI AND GOD'S GRACE
T. Wieland Allen
I never can remember the proper name for cousins, whether distant ones are second cousins or cousins once removed or whatever. So I just call all of them cousins.
Two year old Eli is the son of my great niece, so that would make him the second cousin of my children or maybe a cousin once removed. No, I think he's the second cousin once removed of my grandchildren. Whatever.
Eli is a handsome young boy, black hair, dark brown eyes, chestnut colored skin. He's a striking looking little guy with a big smile.
At a recent family Thanksgiving reunion the dessert table was overflowing with pies, cakes, cookies and candies of various kinds. Family members would come into our rented hospitality suite at the hotel to graze on the sweets regularly, helping themselves to whatever their taste buds demanded at that moment.
My sister and I were observing four small tykes as they played at the long banquet table in close proximity to the dessert table. Two five year old girls and a seven year old girl were having fun making creations out of the craft materials. Eli, the brother of the seven year old girl, was playing with stacking toys in the company of the little girls. He was lost in his own little world. We could almost see his brain imagining little boy thoughts as he quietly stacked various toys. Maybe he was thinking about the joy he will feel when his dad comes home from Iraq. Maybe he was reliving the events of the past as his dad fed him a bottle when he was a baby and changed his diapers and burped him and played with him. Eli had eloquently told me about those memories a few hours previous to playing with the stacking toys.
The three little girls were chattering away, oblivious to Eli and my sister and me. Not one of the girls even paused to listen to the other two chatter, chatter, chatter away.
Eli was lost in his memories or maybe his anticipation of events when his dad comes home from "killing the bad guys," which was his assessment of his dad's mission.
As my sister Mary and I stood observing the kids at play, suddenly Eli quietly got out of his chair, still lost in his thoughts, walked the few steps to the dessert table, and gently lifted the top off of some peppermint bark candy. He chose the right piece, then started toward his mouth with the candy. Suddenly he looked up from his mission and saw my sister Mary and me admiring him intently.
Guilt hit his mind like the insidious evil that it is. Eli had the guilty look on his face of, oh, no, I'm caught and I didn't ask permission.
The two year old guilt-ridden boy very gently put the piece of candy back in the container, slowly put the cover back on it. Then he looked again at us women as we watched his gentle moves.
I said, "Eli, you can have the piece of candy. It's okay." Mary uttered her permission.
Ever so slowly he reached back into the container and retrieved the same piece of candy.
Two year old boys don't move slowly very often, but Eli moved in slow motion on his little short legs which were clad in Oshkosh overalls. He walked at a snail's pace fifteen or twenty steps toward the door to the room. He had not consumed the candy, still holding it tightly in his little clinched fist. He suddenly slowly turned around facing us and mouthed these words which were hard to hear, "Thank you."
Then he turned and exited the room, walking in the direction of his Nana who was tending to his baby brother in the hall.
My sister and I wiped the tears from our eyes, remarking that the scene was the cutest, most endearing event we had observed in a long time.
Guilt had enveloped Eli so quickly as he was jolted back into reality from his little world of imagination, but when he got permission to partake of the candy his attitude quickly turned to gratitude, muttering the sweetest thank you I've ever heard.
The precious scene was a perfect reminder of the guilt that attacks everyone at times, making us feel less than the valued person that we are. When we turn to God and He gives us His approval and His loving attitude of grace, we are so grateful that we do the same thing that Eli did, we quietly thank God for His gifts of blessings.
We are praying for the speedy return of Eli's dad so that the supposed images of happy times in his mind will become reality. Every child deserves to have his parents in their lives adding joy and security to their foundations.
Heavenly Father, please send Eli's dad Geoff home safely, and send every other daddy and mom home who has been jerked out of the lives of their children by war. Give those parents the opportunity to observe Eli and other children in their most precious activities as well as giving the children the opportunities to build other cherished memories.
My sister Mary and I are so fortunate to have observed the gracious event. God must have arranged it.
Thank you, God, for Eli and his gentle soul and for warming our hearts as we observed the precious event. You are a good Father for sharing the event with us as Your heart of love was also warmed.

SAVED BY A PRAYER

Our visiting granddaughter Edan and our daughter Pam wanted to go to the local Haunted Castle for an evening of enjoyment at the young children's portion of what we used to call a fright house. Fortunately the owner has added a 10 and under portion to the normally very fearful other sections of the Haunted Castle. Grandson Jesse had already left to go to a friend's house to watch a football game. Gramps wanted to accompany the others to the Castle, as did our other sixteen year old granddaughter Lindsey. They all traipsed off to the Castle and I stayed home to clean up the kitchen after dinner.
After cleaning the kitchen I felt the urge to go sit in the rocker on the deck and enjoy the delightful Indian Summer evening. I saw the evidence of lighting in the distance which looked more like a July 4th sky with fireworks dancing all over the sky. I surmised that it was more evident close to the Castle where the others were enjoying the early Halloween festivities. Since it is my unusual habit to pray when alone, I began to pray in the Spirit, or in God's language as i usually call it. In the past I've found that those prayers have 100 % success rate.
After praying for a long time, I decided to turn on the TV to see what the weather local channels had to say about the weather. The skies were beginning to look ominous even though we had only had a few sprinkles of rain.
Immediately after I turned on the TV the phone rang and Pam said that they were were on their way home, but they had to wait in line of cars to exit the Castle grounds. I was glad to know they were okay and on their way home because the TV newscasters were alerting people to stay indoors because of the abundance of lighting in the area.
When the four adventurers walked in the door they looked like soaked dogs who had been out in the rain all night. Their hair was soaked, their clothes were drenched, their shoes were soggy and their adrenalin was high. Their tale was exciting. It seems like they had left the Castle in a light sprinkle of rain but they had to walk to the car in a roundabout way. Before they reached the car the skies opened up and rain began pouring out of the sky in a blinding stream with lighting striking and loud thunder immediately followed the lightning, a clear indication that the lighting was stinking right above or around the hurrying crowd who were exiting the Castle in a mad rush to their cars.
The girls were frightened. Five year old Edan was petrified of the power of the lightning right above their heads and the loudness of the thunder immediately following the lightning. She screamed and wanted her mom, Pam, to carry her the rest of the way to the car. Lindsey said she almost cried with fright. She grabbed Grampa and held on for dear life. Pam was carrying an open umbrella in one hand and carrying Edan with the other arm trying to run as fast as she could. Pam told me that she felt the lighting power in the umbrella when it struck. Edan told me that the lightning hit her and her mom, "Right here," motioning to her ribs areas. She felt something in that area of her body because she knows very little about lightning and thunder, being from the west coast area.
I know beyond a doubt that God saved my family and the others in the crowd from the damaging power of that lighting. Why else would I have the urge to sit on the deck and seeing the lighting flashes feel the urge to pray?
Saved again is all I can exclaim. God has saved us many times before and He certainly saved us again.
The storm added another frightening dimension to the Halloween festivities at the Haunted Castle, one that we could have done without. But God is in the business of saving us and He did it in a wonderful way again.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, again and again.

PROACTIVE

During Steve's healing of cancer, while the Prayer Posse was gathered together to pray for him a friend was praying in Wisconsin all day for God's perfect work to be done.
She said later that the image came to her mind (a vision) and the words came from God that this was like a teenager who had acne and used Proactive to cure it, which it did. Then two more little pimples came on his face and he panicked. All he needed to do was use the Proactive again.
She said that the word proactive means a lot in this instance.
I looked it up and it means interference between previous learning or recall or performance and later learning. Also means acting in anticipation of future changes.
So that word from God means that Steve is supposed to not speak words of negativity or defeat, but he is to speak words of healing and perfection. In other words, pro means before. And so proactive means celebrating the healing before it is manifested. The tumors will disappear when he is proactive, celebrating his healing before it is completely manifested.
Thank you, God, for those instructions to Steve.

DIANE, ISAIAH AND THE BURING COAL

Loyal friends are hard to come by. I am so fortunate to have many friends who stand by me in times of trouble and in times of joy,
During My husband's battle with a devastating disease, all of our friends and relatives have been praying for a powerful end result to the battle, knowing that God has the solution already in progress.
One day Diane, a true and loyal friend, sent us via email a picture of a hand holding a ball of fire. It was confirmation to us that God has the power to burn out the tumors and restore my husband's body to perfection. I printed out the picture and it printed out in the largest size possible, a visual representation of God's participation in the healing.
For two or three weeks a scripture had been coming to my mind. Only a portion of the scripture bombarded my mind regularly. I intended to look up the scripture so I could know what it meant, surmising that maybe there was more meaning to it than the phrase that played over and over again in my mind. The phrase was, "And His train filled the temple."
Okay, I kept wondering, what makes up the train on God's adornment and why is it important enough to come to my mind over and over?
I finally took time to look up the scripture and it was in Isaiah 6. The first verses tell about Isaiah's vision of God. It described His train on His robe filling the temple. As I read on in the chapter Isaiah described the seraphim angels. Then he said that one of the angels had in his hand a burning coal which he had taken from the altar. Then he touched Isaiah's lips with the burning coal and said that his guilt was taken away and his sins were forgiven.
Glory be to God. The image in the Bible book of Isaiah of the hand and the coal was identical to the image Diane had sent to us.
It is said that out of the mouths of two or three witnesses a thing is established. The picture sent by my friend and the scripture that was constantly impressed upon my mind by the Holy Spirit were identical. That made two witnesses with the same identical image, a hand with fire in it.
God is so wonderful. Talk about a loyal friend. He's our Father but He is also our Friend. I remember that when I became an adult my earthly mother and father became good friends. They were still parents but they were also friends. It's the same with God, He's the most loving and powerful Father available to men, but He's also the greatest Friend, one whose presence and communion are available every second of the day.
Now, isn't that a great gift from a Father and a friend, letting us know that God is actively involved in the healing and restoration of my husband.
Diane is a friend of mine and a friend of a Friend, too. She knows Him intimately, just like I do.
Coals of fire from God through the angels to burn out the disease, I love that image. Thank you, God, for that image through Isaiah, and thank you Diane for the same image. Two loyal friends, an earthly one and a Heavenly One, how could I be so lucky!

photo from anger de braburt

MINISTRY OF THE BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY

What gives you faith? What boosts your faith? We have found out that there are various ways for our faith to become boosted to a high level. With certain situations in life, we need jet fuel boosts of faith. With other situations we merely need lighter fluid boosts of faith.
During my husband's second battle with cancer, which had been treated and was temporarily in remission, at the appearance of new tumors on the CT scans we became in need of jet fuel boosts of faith. God provides them every time. We never suspected that a butterfly would be a vehicle that God sent to catapult us up to a higher level of faith.
I write three blogs and one is called Dear Ones, in which I write some encouraging messages from God every morning. One of the writings related to God telling us that we don't need to carry burdens, that He is the burden bearer for us. That writing spoke to me and to others in a mighty way, but when my friend Diane in Wisconsin added a wonderful picture to the writing on the blog it really became a visual lesson from God.
The picture is of a blue butterfly who has a huge rock attached to it by a long rope, and the butterfly is trying to pull the rock up a flight of stairs. That was a brilliant visual representation to me of the lesson in the writing.
I printed off the writing, along with the picture, to take to the Bible Study group that I've taught for over 25 years. One of the ladies was unable to attend the meeting that day, so the hostess sent her, via another lady, a piece of special pie that she had served that day. As an afterthought she sent the printout of the butterfly with the rock and the writing from God.
At the Bible study meeting the following week, the recipient of the pie and the printout told about the butterfly on the handout, that it was a Blue Morpho Butterfly, a special butterfly found only in another county. She told us that there is a legend that anyone who catches the Blue Morpho and then releases it, that the butterfly will take the person's deepest wishes to the Great Spirit who will grant the desire.
That story and legend piqued my interest, so later I researched the Blue Morpho butterfly on the internet. I learned in the information that there is a movie about that legend. The movie is based upon a book, a true story of a 10 year old boy who had inoperable brain cancer. He only had three to six months to live. The boy had a butterfly collection and wanted to have the rare Blue Morpho butterfly for his collection. The story is that somehow the boy's mother contacted a famous scientist and convinced him to take the boy to find a Blue Morpho butterfly.
The movie is about the search for the elusive butterfly, but a woman hears of the boy's desire and catches a Blue Morpho and gives it to the ailing boy. The boy released the Blue Morpho instead of adding it to his collection. The true story ends with the boy hearing the news from his doctors that the brain cancer has disappeared.
The word morpho means to change in form or sutstance.
That jet fuel faith booster spoke volumes to my husband and me. We know the power of God and we know the power of faith.
The miracle of our story is that Diane in Wisconsin added the picture of the Blue Morpho butterfly to my blog writing that related to letting God carry our burdens, then God used another friend and her generosity in sending the pie and the printout to another friend who eventually told us about the Blue Morpho butterfly and its importance relating to my husband's illness.
The true Blue Morpho Butterfly story was a powerful reminder to us of God's ability to heal, but the convoluted way that God got the testimony of the healing of the little boy to us was the real faith booster. It provided the jet fuel faith that we needed to give the burden to God and let him provide the avenue of healing for my husband.
I don't know how God does it, but he comes through every time with His comfort, His wisdom and His jet fuel faith boosters.
A bonus to the printout of the butterfly trying to pull the rock up the stairs is that the shadow of the wings of the butterfly on the wall in the picture form a perfect heart, signifying God's love for us.
Is that a personal love letter from God or not? I know it is, and God's signature is the heart shaped shadow on the wall.

photo from: Sherryl Frauenglass A Woman's True Voice

GOD'S SERVANTS

Dear One,

Begin to consider the serving professions and ministries in your world. They are diverse in their duties, but they exist to serve mankind, enhancing the lives of people There are cooks and chefs who prepare food for you. There are waitresses and waiters who serve food. There are firemen and policemen who protect you. There are counselors who help guide you into productive paths. There are child care workers who nourish your children. There are teachers who instruct you on how to succeed in life through education.
Then relate that to My ministering angels, sent to spiritually do the same things in their services for My children. If you will check My Instruction Book you will see that they are multi-functional. There are angels who deliver My messages to people. There are angels who work alongside My children in their professions. There are angels who protect you. There are angels of wisdom who enlighten you with the wisdom and knowledge of My Holy Spirit. There are angels who war against demonic spirits in the heavenly dimension, protecting you from devastating events. There are angels who minister comfort to you like they did to Jesus after He refused to participate in the temptations of the devil. I have multitudes of angels whom I have appointed to assist you in your earthly journey.
Ministering spirits minister to you as well as for you. A ministering spirit often brings messages to you from Me and from others, often called intuition.
Spirits of wisdom, knowledge and revelation are ministering spirits, sent from Me to enlighten you.
Spirits of grace and mercy and goodness are ministering spirits. There are ministering spirits of intelligence, of kindness, of purity, of gaiety, of humor, of discernment.
My Holy Spirit is the ultimate authority over all of My angels, My ministering spirits. His presence in your life authorizes My angels to perform for you and minister to you.
Stay in total unity with the Holy Spirit so that you will be conscious of the working of My angels, your servants.
A servant performs for, protects, maintains, supplies, repairs, installs, distributes goods for and upon a master. That's what My hosts of angels do for you. Those are their duties, and many more.
Appreciate the ministry of My Holy Spirit and His workers in your life. They are your greatest assets because they are gifts from Me.

Love, God
Hebrews 1:7; Hebrews 1:14; Hebrews 2:1-4; Matthew 4:11

DOMINION AND POWER

Dear One,
My Spirit yearns to gain ascendancy in the earth again.
Once a being has occupied a place of honor and respect, He yearns for that position again because He knows the benefits of having dominion over the negative principalities and powers of the air who are the instigation of all evil in the world.
When men gave authority in the earth to evil spirits, evil invaders, then My Spirit was relegated to an inferior position in the earth by men. After Jesus defeated the evil spirits in hell, He eventually sent My Spirit into the earth again to live inside of any person who requested His presence. Then My Spirit regained authoritative ascendancy in the earth again, taking His rightful position.
With My Holy Spirit's ascendancy comes the full permission to perform My assigned works in the lives of the people who give their wills over to Him. Then that person has also gained ascendancy in the earth again, with power that was previously unattainable. Because of My power within him, he has gained dominion over diseases, over addictions, over crippling emotions, over strife, over wars, over depression, over anger, over enmity and every evil work. In that person's life things become as I intended them to be, free from bondage to any demonic influences.
As you exercise your authority through using My powerful gifts, then My Holy Spirit has gained ascendancy and He is Lord in the earth again, just like He was when Jesus walked in your dimension. In that scenario, My angels go to and fro in the earth, doing as My Spirit commands to bring perfection to everything that concerns you.
My Holy Spirit delights in His appointed tasks. So do the angels who accompany Him, they love their professions.
Love, God
I Corinthians 6:17-19; I Corinthians 12: 7-11; II Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 1:17-23;

UNEQUAL EXCHANGE

I give God my problems,
He sends me His love.
I give Him my troubles,
He sends peace from above.

I give God my garbage,
He turns it into gold.
I give Him my failures,
He sends joy a hundred fold.

BLACK HAIR, BLACK JEANS, BLACK SHIRT AND BEAUTIFUL
T. Wieland Allen


There aren't many things that are edifying in the oncologist waiting room at a famous cancer hospital that my husband and I frequent every three months. My husband had a rare kind of cancer and we go the Houston treatment center every three months to receive the news that all is well as far as his remaining healthy.
Most of the people in the large waiting room have some visible sign that they are suffering from the devastating disease,. These people have the worst kind of cancer, which is called sarcoma.
Every one of the patients waits for his appointment with the oncologist, praying to hear good news about themselves, and their caregivers also await encouraging news relating to their loved ones. Many of the patients are missing one or more limbs, some on crutches, some in wheelchairs, some being carried by parents. All the patients have that same look of desperation, hoping that they will hear good news, but fearing that they will hear bad news.
Different languages are spoken by the patients and their families since this hospital is known worldwide as the king in the treatment of sarcomas. Even the kind that affected my husband is a rare kind, since only about 200 patients a year are diagnosed with it.
Different styles of dress are always represented also in the room. We usually see a Muslim woman in her customary dress with her hair covered. Sometimes we see women with black robes and black head gears plus facial coverings, with only their beautiful brown eyes peering out to observe others. We've seen men in long robes with rolled up scarves adorning their heads. We've seen Colombians, Greeks, Italians, Germans Palestinians, Japanese, Chinese and American, plus other nationalities in the waiting room.
God creates interesting scenarios for His children. We saw an encouraging one unroll this week.
Walking into the waiting room is an experience in itself because you will always see visible effects of the disease, starting with the missing limbs. Those effects are quickly evident
Upon entering the waiting room, while my husband registered with the nurse at the appointment desk my eyes landed on a beautiful woman who appeared to be about 40 years old. She had black hair and dark brown eyes. She had chosen a pair of black jeans to wear that day. She also was wearing a black T-shirt. I didn't immediately notice her physical condition until the nurse at the desk called the black haired woman who was dressed-in-black to come to have her vitals checked. That's when I noticed that she was missing an arm. She had brilliantly tucked the sleeve of her T-shirt into the arm hole and draped it around the stump of her arm so that it was neatly wrapped. She moved gracefully toward the desk, looking very beautiful in her black clothes which complimented her black hair and white skin.
I was still thinking about her beauty, even in the midst of her tragedy of losing her arm to the devastating disease, when she strolled back into the room, passing in front of us, and I got a look at the front of her black T-shirt. In big colorful jeweled letters it read, BELIEVE.
I immediately thought, Thank you, Heavenly Father, that you chose the clothes for that beautiful lady this morning. I wouldn't have made more of an impression if it had been displayed on a billboard on a highway or emblazoned in the sky on the clouds. BELIEVE. Every patient in the waiting room could see it, knowing that she had the same disease that was causing their pain and fear, and they could realize that they can believe God to help them emerge from the difficult circumstances with grace and dignity like the lady in black.
BELIEVE is a simple word that is used regularly in all different ways, but that day in the office of the oncologist it was a message to everyone sitting in the room. BELIEVE for a good result, BELIEVE that you can overcome the effects of the disease, BELIEVE that you will live, BELIEVE that you will see your children grow up, and young teenagers in wheelchairs, BELIEVE that you will overcome the disease, marry, have children and live a good life.
God's billboards are better than the billboards on the highway. They're personal, sent for a particular situation and displayed by the perfect person.
I believe the message was for me and for my husband. I know the other people in the room received the same assurance that all they have to do is BELIEVE. After all, God went to a lot of trouble that day to impress upon the beautiful lady that she should wear that shirt so that everyone who saw her that day would know that all they have to do is believe and it will be done unto them. Thank you, God, for the simple yet powerful message. What God accomplished in the simple word on that T-shirt would have taken hours for a preacher to accomplish speaking in front of thousands of people
Just BELIEVE, the lady in black proclaimed without opening her mouth. She jolted me from anxiety into faith with that one word, BELIEVE.

BLESSING BLOCKAGES

July 15, 2002

RIPE FRUIT
My sister read to me a passage from a book she had been reading about the Holy Spirit.
In essence the passage from the book asked the readers to assess whether they had ripe fruit of the Holy Spirit operating in their lives.
In summarizing the comments of the writer for my own use, I borrowed some of the comments of the writer and added a few.
In assessing the degrees of the fruit of the Spirit operating in our lives, we must check whether we have love, joy, mercy, faith, goodness, kindness, self-control, peace and patience emanating from us.
Do we have more kindness and faithfulness than the Mormons?
Do we have more peace than the Buddhists?
Do we have more joy than the atheists?
Do we have more love and acceptance of others than unbelievers?
Do we have more self control than the Muslims who pray multiple times a day?

Jesus told His followers that their righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees so that they would enter the kingdom of heaven. We know that it is God's righteousness in the Holy Spirit who lives in us. He makes us righteous. However, is the fruit of the righteousness that emanates from us more abundant than the fruit of the followers of other religions or even of the unbelievers? If not, then the fruit of our flesh is what is causing us to block the blessings of God from flooding into our lives. The fruit of the flesh is described in the same passage in the Bible that the fruit of God's Spirit is described The fruit of the flesh is anger, division, strife, jealousy, envy, selfishness, enmity, dissension, licentiousness and also other obvious ones like drunkenness, carousing, etc.

Jesus didn't say that our righteousness should equal the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. He said it should exceed their righteousness.

The writer of that book put Truth in red letter words to me.
The fruit of other religions often exceed the fruit of righteousness of God's children. What is the cost to us? The cost to us is the blessings of God, who is pouring His blessings upon us every second of the day. If we aren't receiving them, we need to check the fruit of God's Spirit, His righteousness within us, and check to see if we are letting it flow from ourselves to others.

The only things that can block the blessings of God from coming into our lives are the fruit of the flesh which actually are the fruit of the devil. The devil doesn't want you to live the abundant life that Jesus promised.

There are spiritually starving people who are fruit gatherers who are eager to gather God's fruit from His children, eager to receive our love, joy, peace and kindness. The excess that we have is what we need to share because it exceeds the production of fruit of other religions.

Matthew. 5: 22; Galatians 5:19-23.

CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME OUT OF STAR TREK/

CAN ANYTHING GOOD COME OUT OF STAR TREK?

A month ago I would have told you that nothing good can ever come out of Star Trek? I never was a Trekkie, never will be a Trekkie, and never thought anything good could ever come out of Star Trek except just some wasted hours of escapist entertainment. That was my personal opinion.
Steve, my hubby of 54 years, is a died in the wool Trekkie. He's been a regular viewer of the TV series since it was introduced years and years ago.
Myself? I never got it. What was the attraction? I even made myself sit with Hubby and watch a couple of episodes. They had something to do with a Holidome or something. I never got that one for sure. The story went from outer space to the present with lighting speed and left me back there in the third or fourth dimension somewhere. I just never got it, even after trying desperately to understand.
I finally decided that Trekkies are either born that way or they develop into fans after many, many hours of watching the programs. I wasn't born a Trekkie and I'm not willing to spend hours watching a program that confuses me from the opening dialogue to the end when they always say, "To boldly go where no man has gone before." I guess I'm not bold enough.
Now can you understand why I was doubtful that anything good could ever come out of Star Trek? It's kind of like the Jews said about Jesus when He was ministering to people. They said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Well, were they ever disillusioned. Look at what they were missing, the Son of God. I think some of them changed their opinions when Jesus started healing the sick and speaking wonderful words of wisdom. That should have changed the hardest of hearts, seeing miracles happen before their eyes.
Now, I've seen wonderful miracles, too, in my lifetime, thanks to the God/Man who was from Nazareth, but I still was convinced that nothing good could ever come out of any episode of Star Trek. I ought to know by now not to dig my heels in on anything because I will be proved wrong every time. Sometimes I leave deep crevices in the ground from my heels that won't yield an inch until new, convincing informational facts come my way. Then I easily lift my feet up and take normal steps without dragging my feet to show my resistance.
So, you may ask, what happened to let me know that something good can come out of Star Trek? It was an unusual thing, kind of a God incident. Not a coincident but a God incident.
Hubby was watching an episode of Star Trek and I was finishing dressing so that I could take a trip to the grocery store. I was walking down the hall toward our bedroom and I heard something I never thought I would hear coming from the TV. It was a very wise statement, something that immediately caught my attention. I stopped walking and asked Hubby to replay the last statement made by one of the characters, a weird fellow called a Kleon or Klingon or something out-of-this-world strange, which matched his outer space character looks.
The Klingon said this powerful, insightful statement: "PATIENCE IS A BETTER WEAPON THAN A SWORD."
That statement sounded surprisingly like something the Man from Nazareth would say. Jesus taught a lot about patience. Now here was a fictional character in an outer space TV show saying something that Jesus would have said, a bold statement about the power of patience.
We all know what a sword does. It kills, it maims, it butchers, it fosters fear in the hearts of anyone who is threatened by it. But patience is not like that. Patience is like the personal characteristic of the Man from Nazareth, calmly waiting for the Heavenly Father to do His spiritual works in a trying situation, never yielding to the temptation to use the violence that comes by brandishing a sword. In fact, the principle is that those who live by the sword will die by the sword, meaning if a person wields violence against another person that he will surely reap whatever he has sown, violence.
I was almost bowled over by the wise statement, that patience is a better weapon than a sword. That insightful message was akin to the one that says that all good things come to those who wait. In fact, I remember one scripture says, "Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Fret not yourself because of a man who prospers in his evil ways."
I believe I got the spiritual message that was conveyed on Star Trek, that patience is a better weapon than a sword. Now, would you believe that? I didn't even hear it in church. I heard it out of the mouth of a Klingon on Star Trek.
Maybe I should start watching the program all the time. Am I kidding myself? For sure. That would be torture for me. I'll just listen intently every time I hear the dialogue of Star Trek being broadcast into our home. Maybe the Klingons have more good messages for me. I'm open to hearing good wisdom from any source.
I hope you will remember this every time you hear the name Star Trek mentioned, "Patience is a better weapon than a sword." Also remember it when you're in a trying situation with a loved one or even a stranger. It's worth remembering because it's wisdom, even if it came from a Klingon.
Boy, was he ugly. Whoever came up with the design for his face had a weird sense of imagination. However, the person had a good handle on wisdom. He gave the Klingon the wise lines, " Patience is a better weapon than a sword." I'll never forget it.

JUST IN TIME
T. Wieland Allen
When messages come to us that are definitely from God, we can't miss them and we can't deem them as just coincidences. We call them God-incidences in my family and circle of friends.
My husband Steve had been hospitalized for a hernia repair which turned into a bigger operation than first anticipated. At first there were two hernias, then three, and during the laparoscopy operation the surgeon found two more, for a total of five hernias. Fortunately they were all in close enough proximity to each other that the surgeon could use a large piece of webbing to do the repair work. The operation went smoothly after eight small incisions.
The surgeon cautioned me after the surgery that there are limits to pain endurance that are put by God into humans. He was being cautious because of the fact that my husband had endured two serious operations and very strong chemotherapy during the past year. The surgeon knew that pain had been a big issue in the chemo, as well as the operations. He wanted me to be prepared if Steve ever evidenced that he had reached that pain limit and was ready to just give in to the pain. It was a kind gesture for him to prepare me for such an occasion. Then he set a standard for Steve, he said, "But your husband is bulletproof, so he'll probably do okay." That was a measure of encouragement after the informative warning about a pain limit.
On the second day after surgery, nausea became a real problem. In fact, Steve finally had to give in and yield to the urge to vomit, which he did with retching waves for a full five minutes. Needless to say, that didn't help the eight laparoscopy incisions or the extra large sheet of webbing that was used to repair the large area of the hernias. Pain increased immeasurably, of course, after the retching. The pain meds were welcomed with each push of the button every ten minutes.
The words of the surgeon echoed in my mind all the way home that evening and grew louder as I readied myself for bed, reinforcing the medical information that there is a limit to which a person can endure pain.
I decided to turn on the TV to quiet my mind, possibly zeroing in on a funny sitcom or something similar. Immediately an ad flashed onto the TV screen. In large letters it said, "PAIN IS ONLY TEMPORARY. GIVING UP IS FOREVER."
It couldn't have been more emphatic if it had been written in the sky by an airplane skywriter. It was for Steve and for me, a personal message from God.
I called Steve on his cell phone at the hospital immediately and told him about the heavenly message. It was just what he needed to hear. It took pain out of the perspective of lasting forever, and it put it in the right perspective, as only temporary. It spoke volumes of truth to both of us.
I don't know what ad is responsible for the shock treatment that Steve and I got that night. Actually, God deserves the thanks and I immediately gave full credit to him that night. I'm still giving credit to him by writing this story. No one else could have arranged that situation, the timing and the perfect wisdom that took fear away.
That's the kind of Father that God is, One who takes away all fear by sending a wise message just when we need it.
That wise message applies to emotional pain as well as physical pain, emphasizing the fact that, "This, too, shall pass."
But I like the way God said it to us, "Pain is temporary. Giving up is forever."
He always knows the perfect thing to say in the times of need!

MEDAL OF HONOR

MEDAL OF HONOR For most of the year 2010 Steve experienced the valley of the shadow of death spoken of in the 23rd Psalm. Even though it was a shadow of death, it planned to eventually bring death to his body. He related to me that during his long hospital stay after the two serious operations that there was a point where he had to choose life rather than yield to death. He won that battle by his own choice and that's the reason he is alive and vibrant today. Then another long battle ensued with the strong, strong chemotherapy necessary to kill the remaining rare cancer cells in his body. That was a different kind of battle, just as emotional, just as painful, just as debilitating. During those six rounds of strong chemotherapy Steve forced himself to eat when his body rejected food, he took advantage of every strange medicinal aid that was available to calm his raging nausea, he continually spoke faith filled words when he felt emaciated and weak, and he prayed constantly in the Holy Spirit, determined not to let the cancer win the war. It was a constant battle for most of that year, but he emerged cancer free, free indeed. He won the war like a hero, and I've never been more proud to be his wife. I give him my own personal Medal of Honor for his determination, his steadfast faith and his positive attitude during that war with its many, many battles. No Purple Heart medal for Steve. He deserves the Medal of Honor from all of his family and friends. We are all so proud of him.

CONFIRMING IMAGES

                                  CONFIRMING IMAGES

     God is such a great Father.  He always gives us something on which to base our faith.  The Bible, our Instruction Book, says in Matthew 18:15 that when something is confirmed by two or three witnesses that it is established.
     In court trials when two or three witnesses tell the same story on the witness stand, a jury will believe their story much more readily than if just one witness has testified to something he alone witnessed.
     The Instruction Book also says that God will show us things to come.  He does that by giving us mental images in our minds of things in the future that seem only remotely possible  of becoming reality.  Those images are put in our minds by the Holy Spirit and they are called prophesy.
      My sister Mary and her prayer partner Karen have been very loyal to us in praying for us every week when they meet together for intercessory prayers.  They both were determined to pray until Steve had a good report at the end of the chemotherapy.
     We had received wonderful encouragement from family members and friends and we had received some distinct words from God that gave us faith for Steve's complete healing.   Then one day Mary let us know that when she and Karen were praying that Karen saw an image in her mind of two years in the future in which Steve will be a healthy man teaching some children to swim.  She had surely seen "things to come," which is what Jesus said that the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Truth would provide.  That testimony gave both of us an image in our own minds on which to hold, imagining Steve healed in the future instead of thinking of him as sickly, exhausted, nauseous, weak and in pain.  We were able to change the channels in our minds from current negative reality to future positive results.
     I suddenly realized one day that that is the reason why it is necessary to have faith boosted by two or three witnesses, because the positive image becomes established in our minds and we can have unwavering faith.  God uses spiritual gifts from other people to make our faith firm, just like the word confirm says, con-firm.  The new image become firm, unwavering and established.
     When God sends his confirming message through two or three witnesses, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is going to do what He has said he will do, in this instance heal Steve completely.     
     We know that Steve will be completely healed.  We also know that he will be teaching children to swim in some way.  I wonder if he will actually be teaching children to swim, or maybe the wonderful testimony of his complete healing will encourage people to swim in the Living Waters of God which bring the abundant life to all who are eager to experience being baptized in them.
     We're believing for both because God always does unbelievable things, and that's why they need to be confirmed by two or three witnesses.  Our little human minds cannot believe for unbelievable things unless He tells us two or three times through two or three witnesses that He is trustworthy to do what He says he will do. 
       Either way, God's promise to Steve through Karen is firm and established because she was willing to open herself up to God's vision and then she was willing to confirm the "things to come" which she had seen spiritually.
      Her encouraging image gave us the necessary faith to do what another chapter in the Instruction Book says to do, which is to speak the things that are not as though they were.
      Karen did it and her obedience established unmovable faith in us.
      Bring on the Living Waters!

DOCTORS REJOICE, TOO

                                    DOCTORS REJOICE, TOO

     After the reports from the test results arrived from Houson, the local oncologist, Dr. Jumean, was all smiles at Steve's next office visit with him. As the doctor read the results of each test he remarked, "That's good. That's good. That's good." I told him the doctors in Houston were elated with the test results, and he proudly said, "So am I."
     Then he told Steve that he has 25 and 30 year old men who do not tolerate the strong, aggressive chemo the way Steve did. He was visibly impressed. His comments mirrored the remarks of the doctors at MD Anderson.
     Steve told Dr. Jumean the latest testimony about the blood thinner shots and getting them for $23 a month from the mail order pharmacy instead of $900 that the local pharmacy required. Dr. Jumean kept remarking, "Wow. Wow. Wow," as Steve told the story. When Steve remarked that it was a miracle, the doctor confirmed it by saying, "It certainly is."
     As we left the exam room, FiFi, the doctor's wife who is also an oncologist, told Steve how happy she was that he's had such good results and she emphatically said, "Thank God." Steve told her that it's a miracle and she totally agreed and repeated, "Thank God."
     Steve's chemo friend named Brenda was in the waiting room and rejoiced with us, as did the two people with her. They kept saying that the wonderful report was God's work in the situation and the results of prayers because they have all been praying for Steve just like we've been praying for Brenda. Brenda's results were better, as reported on her last visit to MD Anderson. She said that the tumor had shrunk a little bit. She was more interested in talking about Steve's miracles than she was about herself. I know that his testimony about dramatic results and being cancer free encouraged her and boosted her faith to a new high.
     God received lots of recognition, praises and thanks that day in the doctor's office just like He always does from us.
     When the journey began ten months ago, we expected to be able to praise God for his miracles in healing Steve; but the,"Wow," remarks from the doctor and the, "Thank God," from his wife, who is also a doctor, were totally unexpected. Those rejoicing remarks are bonuses. That doesn't happen very often. Many times we feel like we have to convince people in the medical field that God has intervened in a matter and performed a miracle. It was wonderful to hear the doctors also proclaiming the miracles to us.
     It wasn't too hard to recognize the miracles in this situation considering the extent of the metastasized cancer in Steve's body. That he would recover from the original surgeries was a huge concern to the surgeons. Drs. Robison and Daniels were God's hands and eyes in that procedure. Then the strength of the chemotherapy that was prescribed and the fact that, because of his age, Steve lived through the difficulties of the chemo is another remarkable miracle. I don't think anyone in the medical field expected that. However, when we think about it, Dr. Daniels did expect it. He told Steve before the start of the chemo, "They don't know you and how strong you are, that you're an amazing man. You'll do great." He's the one who called Steve a marvel, a miracle man and a superman. Dr. Robison called him the strongest man he's ever known.
     Actually Steve was not strong in himself and his human abilities. He was like Samson in the Bible, God imparted amazingly super strength to him. The only difference is that Samson's strength was in his long hair. Steve's strength was imparted to him from God through the Holy Spirit in him and the prayers of the saints. To see his bald head, you know his strength is not in his hair. That shows us that God works with what he has to work with, but He always comes through no matter what the circumstance is.
     Surely ten year old Lydia prophesied when she dreamed that Uncle Steve was cancer free. He is certainly Cancer Free, Free Indeed. Thank you, Lydia, for seeing the healing in your dream before the doctors declared it. Now they've all declared it and they rejoice along with us.
    Wonderful things keep going on. Thanks again for your powerful prayers and your emotional support during the journey. Like I've said before, we couldn't have done it without all of you. How fortunate we are to have a family and friends who pray, but also we're fortunate to have a family and friends who believe in the great results of their prayers.
     Bless all of you who said one prayer or a million prayers. And bless all of you who encouraged us, kept our spirits soaring. Bless all of you who provided so many meals for us so that we were kept hearty and had the strength to pray fervently.
     It took heaven and earth working together to accomplish this miracle.
     Praise be to God!

MIND BOGGLING INTERVENTION

                               MIND BOGGLING INTERVENTION

     We were both weak kneed and breathless from God's latest miracle in our behalf. It had actually taken our breath away. That's pretty rare for Steve and me. Both of us rarely are speechless at the same time and also weak from an awesome happening. The story is worthy of telling.
     Steve was down to his last four shots of Fragmin, the prepared blood thinner shots that he is supposed to administer at least until the next MD Anderson tests. He called the local pharmacy which has been very efficient in providing his various meds. The local oncologist prefers that particular pharmacy because they are efficient and cheaper, in some instances.
     Steve called the local pharmacist, who said they would call him back when the shots were available, since they have to procure them from a supply house. MD Anderson had provided the shots the first month, and the local pharmacy had provided them for him the next month free of charge because Steve had met his deductible that our insurance requires.
     Later the pharmacist called and said they had located some shots for him. I heard Steve exclaim, "Nine hundred dollars? Do you mean that that amount is the amount of my co-pay after the insurance pays their amount? " The answer was yes, that it was the amount we had to pay for a month's supply of shots. We began to know why the local oncologist had earlier remarked that MD Anderson had certainly prescribed expensive shots.
     Steve told the pharmacist to hold off on ordering them until he could talk to his doctor. Nine hundred dollars a month was a shocking amount to have to pay for the blood thinning shots. In fact, it was mind boggling.
     We discussed the possibility of his calling Angie, the MD Anderson oncology nurse, and have her discuss with the doctor what other comparable med would do the same job.
     After recovering from the shock, Steve came up with a better idea. He recalled a past occasion the previous month when Angie, from MD Anderson, had located some shots at a mail order pharmacy after the local pharmacy couldn't find any shots at their supply houses. The mail order pharmacy supplies another medication for Steve, but they needed a doctor's prescription for the Fragmin, so Angie had phoned in the Houston doctor's prescription. In the interim, the local pharmacy had phoned us and said they had located the shots. Steve then phoned Angie again, thanked her for her help and told her the local pharmacy could then provide the shots. That problem was solved
      There we were again the next month, having a problem with the same med, but this time the problem was the ridiculously high cost. Steve scrolled through his old phone messages and found the number of the mail order pharmacy he and Angie had previously contacted, dialed it, and spoke to the person who answered. Of course he explained his predicament, that he needed the Fragmin and that it was horribly expensive locally.
     He listened for a moment and then I heard Steve calmly ask her a question, "You mean the cost will be $70 for a three month supply?" He asked again because the information was almost unbelievable. "You mean I only have to pay $70 and you will ship me a three month supply of the shots by overnight UPS?"
     The answer was, "Yes." Praise God, it was true.
     Instead of the three month supply costing $2,700 we have to pay $70, and they will ship it to our door. If he had gotten it locally it would have cost $900 a month. Now it costs $23 for a month's supply of shots from the mail order pharmacy.
     When we sat down together and talked about God's efficient direction of the whole situation and the fact that the orchestration of the past two months set the entire situation up, we were amazed. Steve wouldn't have known who to call if the local pharmacy had not had a problem locating the shots the previous month, which precipitated Steve calling Angie at MD Anderson, who called the mail order pharmacy and gave a prescription to them. Even though Steve didn't have to use the mail order pharmacy the previous month, they still had the open ended prescription that Angie had phoned in. Nobody but God could have arranged that scenario.
     We walked around for several days with boggled minds. In fact, we were so in awe of God's intervention in the situation that we could hardly talk. It was like getting a huge raise. Really, it was just part of the benefits of being a child of God.
      How sweet it is to be loved by Him!

ST. SAMUEL

                                                SAM, THE SAINT

     We formed new friendships with the employees at the hotel in Houston where we stayed. They became family to us, extensions of our own family. It was so heart warming to see them serve the cancer patients with love and care and kindness. It is apparent that it's one big happy family built on God's love.
     Sam is one of the shuttle drivers who is a special man. He's about 60 years old, a slightly built black man. I have a wonderful image in my mind of him that will always stay there. It is one of Sam lifting a seven or eight year old cancer patient, a tiny boy with bony thin legs and arms. Sam was lifting the emaciated boy out of the front seat of the shuttle and lovingly placing him in his wheel chair. The precious boy leaned his white, bald head on the shoulder of Sam, the shuttle driver. It was one of the most spiritual sights I've ever seen. It seemed like Jesus was lifting the child in his loving arms, giving the boy the security he needed.
     Sam told us later that the boys parents are divorced and they hate each other, each one always bending Sam's ear about the sins of the other one. In Sam's arms the boy seemed so secure and loved. I called Sam a saint after that. He will always be St. Samuel to me.
     St. Samuel told us a gem of wisdom I'll never forget. He said that he noticed that when someone tells a derogatory story about someone else, that the one telling the story is always the hero of the story. He said, "When I tell my brothers a story about something negative that my wife did, I'm always the hero of the story." Insight like that doesn't come from men. It comes from God.
     St. Samuel is wise, also. He said he listens patiently to the stories he hears, knowing he's only hearing one side.
     Love can be manifested by patiently lifting the diseased body of a small boy and giving him momentary physical and emotional stability. Love can be manifested by listening to the stories of parents who are warring against each other, letting them know that he understands. Love can be manifested by sharing truths with other people, even those people who are sitting in a shuttle being transported to cancer treatments.
     St. Samuel manifests love in every activity he performs. God uses him to manifest His love and share His truths. I wouldn't have missed knowing Sam for anything. He's one of those truly rare jewels we find in life. We discovered that jewel in the middle of Steve's cancer treatment. I can't think of a better place to find a rare jewel.

LAST MINUTE RESCUE

                                            LAST MINUTE RESCUE

     When faith starts waning a little bit, even a mite, then God sends something to catapult us again into full fledged faith. It might be a dream. It might be a prophecy. It might be a vision. Whatever way He can get his power to us to propel us to the top again He uses.
     While experiencing magnificent miracles relating to Steve's healing of cancer, during the chemotherapy experience there were a few times when caregiver exhaustion entered into me and I didn't realize that I was operating on about one half power of the Holy Spirit. It wasn't His fault. It was my fault by allowing tiredness of body and tiredness of emotions to take over. God understood and knew that I needed to be encouraged as only He can encourage a person, by giving His power in whatever way we can receive it at the time. Since my body and mind were overloaded during the daytime, I guess the only way He could get His message through to me was in a dream. 
     The dream was emphatic and memorable, one that was easy to refer back to when encouragement was needed. I dreamed that Steve, a small boy and I were in a car. Steve and the toddler boy were in the front seat with the toddler boy strapped in a car seat. I was in the back seat.
     In the dream, suddenly Steve stopped the car, exited the driver door and ran around to the back of the car. The toddler boy moved into the driver's seat and looked out the door to see where Steve was going. Steve had not closed the door properly and the boy fell out the door onto the highway.
     The activity continued in the dream with Steve running around the car to get the boy, but before he could get to the boy I leaned over the front seat and grabbed the boy and lifted him into the car. The toddler boy, whom I was surprised could talk so well, said loudly, "Thank you, Jesus. You're always there, even at the last minute. "
     I realized in the dream that the boy knew who had really saved him and it wasn't me. I also knew that I was trying to be everything, caregiver, emotional supporter and spiritual cheerleader. The revelation came that I needed to leave everything to God and let Him be the rescuer, just like the child in the dream knew. I had to revert back to having the faith of a child.
      Then the words to a new song came to mind.

     Thank you, Jesus, You're always there.
     Thank you, Jesus, You show you care.
     Thank you, Jesus, You prove you're there
     Even at the last minute.

     Faith catapulted me again to a new height in relation to the situation. I always knew God was always here and always cared, but often He can't manifest Himself until the last minute. It's not His fault. It's always our fault, but He understands that.
     Thank you, Father, for spiritual dreams that you use to communicate your love to us when our earthly minds are full to capacity and overflowing with problems relating to personal circumstances. You tunnel through them and leave your love messages in our minds through dreams so that we can again soar with the eagles by catching the currents of the Holy Spirit and letting Him carry us, confident that You will manifest yourself, even if it's at the last minute.

MYSTERY SOLVED

                                             MYSTERY SOLVED

     During my husband Steve's journey through chemotherapy many, many people have prayed simple prayers of faith. Others have prayed intercessory prayers. Intercessory prayers are the full battle prayers in which we are often called to participate. Each prayer has its own function and its own powerful effect in the final results. We are forever grateful for every prayer, the numerous but different kinds that were prayed by friends and relatives. Our own full armor prayers were constantly prayed every day also.
     Gifts of faith are given to people in many ways, through revelations, through hearing the personal words of God, through confessing the written words of the Bible, through prophesies and through other ways.
     At the December trip to MD Anderson the chest x-ray and CT scan showed that Steve had a blood clot in his lung caused by the abundance of tumors he had previously which were removed during two surgeries. That discovery announcement came after we received the good news that the numerous small tumors were gone. We rejoiced in the news that the tumors were no longer any problem, but we were concerned about the pulmonary embolism, knowing that it could detach and enter his blood stream, go to his heart and the result would be instant death. That introduced more concern to me than the cancer had.
     We knew that God is bigger than cancer and He is bigger than a blood clot. We both knew that God could take care of the clot just like He took care of the tumors.
     Steve was speaking faith words and I was speaking faith words. His words seemed to have more conviction than I was feeling. I was really impressed because every time anything was mentioned about the blood clot, he emphatically said, "It's gone," with no doubt, no unbelief, only firm faith. When he began those positive confessions of faith, I didn't have the absolute assurance that he possessed that the clot was already gone. I knew it eventually would be gone, but as far as having the knowledge that it was already gone from his body was not firm in my mind. I was possibly looking for the daily blood thinner shots to eventually cure him somewhere down the road in the next year. He was having to inject the shots subcutaneously into the fatty tissue in his abdomen area. The doctors had prescribed them for six months and originally said that he might have to be on them the rest of his life to make sure the clot did not dislodge and cause catastrophic results.
      Steve continued with his firm confessions of faith that the blood clot was gone. I wondered why he was so convinced, but I relied on his faith since it was his body that the blood clot was afflicting.
     At the January trip to MD Anderson the doctor reported that the barrage of tests that Steve had the previous day showed that there was still no evidence of tumors and that the blood clot was completely resolved. We had even more reason to praise God, being thankful for healing his body of the tumors and also healing his body of the blood clot. We weren't the only ones who rejoiced. The oncologist and his complete staff also rejoiced. They were impressed and called Steve a champ. Of course, our relatives and friends joined us in rejoicing that God had taken care of everything.
     One time during the week after receiving the double portion of good news, I asked Steve why he was so convinced that the blood clot was gone even weeks before x-rays showed it was resolved. His reply explained it.
      Steve said that he was infused with faith the last time I had my Bible study group at our house, which was the last week in December. I was saying goodbye as the ladies were leaving the house but one of the ladies held back from the others, put her hand on Steve's lung area and emphatically said, "BE GONE."
     Steve explained to me that that gesture by Jane was good enough reason for him to know that her command was obeyed and that the blood clot left his body. He had not related the incident to me, neither had Jane, so I didn't know about the obedience of Jane to lay hands on Steve and command the clot to leave.
     Weeks later I told Jane that Steve's faith had risen to new heights when she spoke the simple command to, "Be gone," and that he knew at that moment that the next tests would show that the clot was gone.
     Jane explained the occasion of her actions on that special day, telling me that God told her previous to the meeting what she should do. God always provides the opportunity for us to do His bidding. When all the other ladies were leaving and I was engaged in saying my goodbyes to them, Jane completed the duty God gave to her and laid her hand on Steve's chest and spoke what God told her to speak.
     The mystery was solved. Now I know the reason for Steve's great amount of faith. It was Jane's obedience to God. There was no doubt in his mind that the clot was gone, and it was. The doctors were surprised and I was surprised. Steve was elated but not surprised. He had known it for three weeks.
     "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and being convinced of things not seen," says one translation of Hebrews 11:1." Before it was seen on x-ray and CT scan, Steve was solidly convinced that the clot was gone by Jane's act of obedience and simple words of, "Be gone."
     The mystery was solved why Steve had unmovable faith that he was healed of the blood clot. When Jane said, "Be gone," it was gone. It was another miracle. What the cancer and the blood clot tried to destroy, God healed.
     Praises to God never stop around our house.

GOD'S COMMUNICATION SKILLS

GOD'S COMMUNICATION SKILLS
T. Wieland Allen

While musing with God one morning upon waking I said to Him in my thoughts, "Father, you have the greatest communication skills." Meaning it as a genuine, heart-felt compliment to Him,I didn't intend for that statement to be the pivotal point of an exploration of His efforts to restore personal communication with all His children just like the one on one communication He had with Adam at the beginning of the earth. Though I didn't intend it to lead to a teaching, God did.

My thoughts began to go through Biblical history, starting with satan cutting off the ability of men to hear God's constant conversations with them, dulling their hearing and blinding their eyes to God's efforts to communicate His rescuing attempts to all men.

I began to think about God giving instructions to men through Mosaic Laws which the angels wrote in stone when Moses was on the mountain. That was really a dramatic show of God's desire to speak to His children. He wanted to instruct them how to avoid the evil trappings that satan had brought into the earth when Adam allowed him to enter the earth through Adan falling for the deception of the evil one. Those laws were meant to protect and guide men, not condemn and judge them. Later Levitican laws were added, still in an effort to protect God's children from evil.

After God's children began to refuse to heed his instructions written in stone and given through priests, he answered their prayers and sent judges to settle differences between men. That worked for a while as long as the judges discerned between right and wrong activities, bringing peace to the people.

Later He sent prophets to speak for Him, warning men of impending problems and teaching them how to avoid the evil that satan had brought into their lives. That also sufficed for a while.

Then He began to speak through dreams and visions and angelic visitations to certain men who would receive and believe them. He also gave wisdom to other men which enabled them to correctly interpret the dreams and visions. He was constantly trying to protect His children from evil by pointing it out to them and instructing them how to avoid it.

God never changes, but God's communication skills with men always changed because men changed and they began to reject His help.

Finally He sent His Words into the earth in the form of flesh, His Son, and His Words lived among men, teaching them the lessons He wanted them to learn about His ways, and instructing them again how to reject the evil that was still in the earth.

Jesus, His Son, demonstrated to men how He communicated with the Father and the benefits of that communication. People were healed, miracles became evident and demons were cast out of men, bringing them the freedom from addictions and destructive works of satan. All of that was as a result of the constant communication Jesus had with the Father.

Through the death and miraculous resurrection of Jesus, a path from heaven to earth was cleared that enabled men to have the same communication with their Heavenly Father that Jesus had. That was accomplished by the Father sending His Own Spirit into the earth through the path that Jesus cleared, and God's personal communication was restored to every man who would partake of the rebirth of his human spirit by the impregnation of God's Spirit. What wonderful communication every child of God can have when God lives inside of the person. The Holy Spirit is God's two way communication, His Internet connection, His WiFi, His FaceBook, His Tweeter, His YouTube, His Twitter, His telegraph, His cell phone, his texting, all wrapped up into One Being, the Holy Spirit.

Through His Spirit living within a man, God communicates through insight, dreams, visions, discernment, prophesies, personal instructions, cautions, revelations, etc., which will enhance a person's life and bring heaven to earth for him.

Through His personal communication God's power is transmitted to people who choose to receive His help. He gives solutions to problems through His gifts of wisdom and knowledge and discerning of spirits. He gives anointing for healing and miracles. He gives His supernatural belief which is called faith.

The most miraculous example of God's communication skills is by His speaking His powerful spiritual words into the earth through the mouths of men which become creative power to change circumstances, situations, and even people. God's spiritual words, with which He created the world, are spoken in the earth again, but now through the mouths of His children in prayers of the Holy Spirit. Those prayers, instigated by God, allow Him to speak His creative words again to destroy the works of satan, just like Jesus did. They change the world situations from bad to good. They restore everything to the way God created it to be, which is that everything becomes beneficial to His children. The curses of the evil one are changed by the power of God and become blessings instead of curses to God's children.

Now, that is a Wonderful Father, One who has had multiple ways of communicating with His children to perfect their lives and the lives of others who haven't chosen to partake of His words. God has always had, and still has, perfect communication skills.

Every man has the opportunity to be One with God and accept His personal communication. It is through His Holy Spirit living within them, speaking to them in whatever way they can receive it at the time, whether it's through dreams, visions, wisdom, knowledge or personal words. He's always there with His loving words. He's speaking to every man every minute of every day. The Holy Spirit is the connection that enables men to receive His comforting and loving words.

God's talking. Who's listening?

BOOSTER JETS

                                                   BOOSTER JETS

     Reports of Steve's series of tests that he had at MD Anderson in Houston after the final cycle of chemotherapy thrilled the medical personnel. Documentation from the blood work, chest x-rays, CT scan and full cardio workup that were sent to the oncologists, his nurse practitioner and his oncology nurse made them almost giddy. The final reports said there was no evidence of any cancer anyplace in Steve's body. Also, the radiologist's report said that the blood clot in his lung was COMPLETELY RESOLVED. Praise God!
    The nurse, with whom Steve first met, kept remarking that lots of their 30 year old patients do not endure the strong, strong chemo as good as Steve did, and she said that many of them do not have such good results. She was all smiles and laughs and praises for Steve.
     Kavin, the nurse practitioner, entered the exam room with a big smile, too, and told Steve that he sure looks great for having the extremely strong chemo for so long. He said, "Put some hair on your head and nobody could tell that you've had all that chemo." Then he read all the results of the tests to us, rejoicing with every positive result. He was particularly pleased that the blood clot has "completely resolved" like the report said. He said they didn't expect that quick and that good a result.
     Dr. Ludwig came in with dancing eyes, quickly telling Steve with a big grin, "Now, let's see, you're 55; aren't you?" Then he said, "We didn't expect the chemo to work that good on a man your age. " Steve told him his correct age number is 74. The doctor said he really knew that, but it's hard to believe it. Then he reiterated that 30 year old people don't tolerate the strong chemo as good as Steve did, nor do they get such fast results. He had told us before, at another appointment, that even children, who heal quickly from any wound, almost always have to have a year of chemo for the same rhabdomyosarcoma. The doctor kept calling Steve amazing. He told us that the reports were the bright spot of his day, week and month, because they don't hear miraculous results that often.
     We all know why Steve was able to endure the chemo and get such great results. It's God's intervention in the situation, His powerful and wonderful anointing on the meds, the doctors and on Steve. It was also God's wisdom that was given to the Muskogee doctors to remove all the numerous visible tumors when they operated, leaving only some small tumors and invisible ones. Without their wisdom, he would have had a harder time with the chemo. The chemotherapy regimen was tough on him, but there were certainly huge doses of supernatural strength for him.
     Also, all of the prayers of the community of saints multiplied mightily in sending God's special anointing on the chemical cocktail so that it had speedy results. Of course it would, with God's power in it and behind it. God's power was the Booster Jet that allowed His revelation of just the right chemical combo to do its work. The Booster Jet was the key to the good results, and that was from the fervent prayers of relatives and friends.
     The word "fervent" in the scripture that says, "The fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much," means in the Greek "explosive fire power." So that was the reason for the dramatic results that left the doctors giddy and excited.
     The same Booster Jet also was behind the speedy results of the blood thinner shots. The doctor originally said that Steve might have to be on the shots for the rest of his life. They don't know about God's Booster Jets. They were amazed at the fast results.
     So the final chemo report that Steve got in Houston was a thrill to hear, but it was also heart warming to see the doctors excited about Steve's results. We know that they don't see those dramatic results very often, like they all said. They have a tough job, dealing with all the people who are in the beginning, middle and end of devastating illnesses. Knowing that they gave the right prognosis and treatment in just one case gives them the impetus to continue with their jobs of ministering to the ill people in body, mind and spirit. I bless them in their difficult jobs.
     How blessed we are to have friends and relatives who pray Booster Jet prayers, and we were fortunate to have brilliant doctors who knew the right procedures and the right chemicals to combine to facilitate God's healing in a person's body. God gives them wisdom and insight because they are extensions of His loving care. Bless them, bless them, bless them for their part in the miracles.
     For the prayers of the saints, we are eternally grateful.
     To Our Loving Heavenly Father, to Him be the glory for His wonderful orchestrations from beginning to end. Great things He has done.

THINGS AIN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

                   THINGS AIN’T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM
                                                                                       
     The final stages of my husband’s chemo cycles went relatively smoothly. Looking for the end of the treatments gave us joy, knowing there would be no more chemo cocktails for him, no more nausea, no more aches and pains in his bones and joints, no more bowel problems, no more weakness. Yes, it looked better every day.
     We were overjoyed with the results of the chemo which resulted in the thrill of knowing that he is cancer free. The right combination of chemicals in the right dosage was given. God did His wonderful part in presenting miracles during the long adventure, so it has been exciting.
     The last phase of any adventure is sometimes the hardest to go through, and we’ve found that what is visible to the natural eye is not always what is happening.
     The second week of each chemo cycle was always the worse part of each three week treatment. Chemicals were working, performing both positive and negative results in the body. Steve had been a champion throughout the 18 week process, just like he was during the two surgeries, the small one and the extensive one. He had stayed positive most of the time throughout the nine month ordeal.
     The last cycle, the sixth one, was going along reasonably well with only mild discomfort. Of course, having been through five cycles already has helped both of us know what to expect.
     The second week of the last cycle had added some different symptoms, results from the effects of the chemicals in his body. He had been dizzy upon suddenly getting out of chairs. The dizziness went away in a few minutes, but it was alarming to him and to me as his caregiver.
     It occurred to me that maybe his blood pressure was so low that it was causing him to be dizzy, so late one night he decided that he would take his blood pressure to see if that could possibly be causing the problem. He hooked up the digital blood pressure machine we’ve had for years and it quickly registered his blood pressure at 97 over 57 with a pulse rate of 97. We were both alarmed since his normal blood pressure is 135 over 72 with a pulse rate of 60. Of course, we surmised, the dizziness must be caused by low blood pressure.
     Neither of us panicked but we discussed the fact that if it registered the same low numbers the next morning that we would go to the doctor's office or maybe to the hospital.
     We both had restless nights, needless to say; but in the early morning hours the thought came to me that the digital blood pressure machine might need to have the batteries changed since they had never been replaced. I didn’t get an opportunity to tell Steve about that persistent thought, but when he took his blood pressure after breakfast the machine noted that it needed new batteries.
     Sure enough, after the batteries were changed the machine registered his blood pressure as being back to normal, 130 over 70 with a pulse rate of 60. We were elated with the new numbers since they assured us that a trip to the doctor’s office or the hospital would not be required.
     I began to relate the situation to some of life’s lessons, that things are not always as they seem. Sometimes negative outward circumstances are only indications of things going on in the spiritual dimension in answer to our prayers. Sometimes the alarming things are not really negatives but they are human reactions to God’s orchestrations in the situations. Sometimes when we interpret situations as negative, like Steve’s low blood pressure numbers, maybe we need our faith batteries charged, or maybe we need new batteries inserted into our minds in the form of a gift of faith.
     Maybe we need to charge our faith batteries by quoting God’s promises relating to the situation. Maybe we need to build up ourselves on our most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit like is instructed in verse 20 of the book of Jude in the Bible.
     When faith is high and we are tuned in to God’s promises, we are solid in expecting good things to eventually happen because our spiritual houses are built on the Rock, not on sand.
     It turned out that the dizziness was the result of one of the chemo medications in combination with the shot to boost his immune system. It was just a new indication that they were doing their jobs. That symptom lessened quickly as the cycle progressed.
     I don’t use the word “ain’t” in conversation. I just used it in the title of this story to get your attention. Maybe the next time things look bad and you begin to panic, maybe the words, “Things ain’t always what they seem,” will come to your mind and you will recall this story and realize that you need to switch the batteries of your mind from fear to faith, or from panic to calmness, by realizing that God is busy working his orchestrations in order to answer your prayers.
     Maybe you need to find a scripture that is one of God’s promises that relates to the situation and keep that promise foremost in your mind so that when outward circumstances are alarming, then you can declare that promise to your doubting mind.
     Maybe all you need is a battery change from unbelief to belief.

GOD THE NEGOTIATOR

                                         GOD, THE NEGOTIATOR

     Since the small boutique hospital where my husband Steve had his two surgeries to remove numerous cancers was not a Blue Cross/Blue Shield provider, Steve had two large hospital bills.
     Medicare paid the twelve day hospital stay, but they didn't pay for the surgery to implant the chemo port (two hour surgery) since it was outpatient. Neither did they pay anything for the emergency room visit after the first surgery for the locked bowels. Blue Cross/Blue Shield was the only one who possibly could pay, but they were not providers at the time of the outpatient surgery and the emergency room visit; so they wouldn't pay.
     The hospital bill was $3,300 for the outpatient surgery and $1,000 for the emergency room visit.
     Steve kept telling me that he would take care of it, that he was going to negotiate with the hospital and try to get them to settle for half of both bills.
     He called the CEO of the hospital, with whom he got to be real friendly while a patient, and told the CEO that he wanted to try to negotiate the bill. The CEO told Steve that that wasn't his area of expertise, that he would have the business manager call Steve.
     During Bible study one Tuesday at our house, the phone rang and Steve was waking from his nap so he answered it. It was the hospital business manager. She said that they would cut the outpatient surgery bill from $3,300 down to $475 and completely wipe out the emergency room cost of $1,000, settling for the $330 Steve had already paid on it.
     Steve asked how much he was going to owe on the 10 day surgery stay. She said about $42.
     Hallelujah!  Steve said he would have settled for half so this was a Christmas gift from God!
     This was wonderful news since the MD Anderson bills add up, even though we're current with those, plus the motel and plane flights.
     Steve's healing from cancer was the primary blessing and we are overjoyed that he is cancer free, but this news is also wonderful!
     He came home from the hospital with a bill that has a zero balance on it. God is a fantastic negotiator! His grace covers everything. Praise Him forever!
     The adventure continues with God's hand prints and footprints visible at every turn.