MONDAY

God radically saved a young 19 year old man Sunday morning — first day of the fast! It touched his best friend who was with him that morning so deeply…that his friend repented and spent all day Sunday making things right with the people he had been hurting! He brought several friends back to Sunday night service, and both these young men that God touched testified as to how God moved powerfully in their lives that day. See our Facebook page for pictures of the First Sunday night of fasting and prayer, and these two young men testifying to the power of God!

What a wonderful word from our Lord at our Monday morning fasting & prayer today! During a time of praying in small groups of three or four, this came to our group: There was the throne room of the King with an outer court. In the outer court were throngs and throngs of people milling about. Many of these people would not go into the inner throne room where the King was. They all had their reasons (“I’m not worthy”, “I’m not comfortable in there”, “I do not belong in there”, “I can’t relate to the King…”). There were many barriers to people feeling free to enter into the throne room of the King.

The Lord is telling us to enter into the throne room of the King – with Him!! Let Him break down the barriers so we can be with Him more intimately. Furthermore, Jesus wants us to boldly approach His throne and even get into His lap and really know His presence – His daddy presence! He wants to be with us, for us to feel His presence, His heartbeat, His voice, His warmth.

Another word came that we could even smell His presence and to have that fragrance on us for the rest of the day!

Pastor Rob had an additional word recalling bedtimes with his son Josh, snuggling cheek-to-cheek and forehead-to-forehead, and how they hug tightly and say goodnight with his son telling him that “you are the best daddy in the whole world.”

It’s that kind of intimacy that our Lord is looking for. Jesus is our “best Daddy in the whole world!”

Another word was given that we come to His lap as our papa who is the King, not as to a King who is our papa!!

– Rob Verdeyen

MONDAY

From Brad Canfield after prayer this morning: I want to share that my wife Bethany and I are in a place of brokenness and weakness right now. We are crushed by the loss of our unborn son earlier this month. This morning during prayer the Lord invited me to climb up into his lap and receive healing and comfort. I believe this word is for others in our body this week. If you are broken or crushed right now, there is NOTHING holding you back from climbing up into God’s lap and being close to Him. Don’t wait to do it. Climb up now and receive what He has to give you this week.

From Rebecca: The Spirit is moving! The young men that spoke last night lit the fire in my 14 year-old son. He went home and immediately called his Dad to invite him tonight to the prayer meeting. They don’t have a strong relationship – his Dad is not a believer. What courage God gave him through one testimony to extend that invitation. Hallelujah! We reflect the light of the world!

From Annie Popoff: I have felt compelled for a long time to commit myself to this body of believers, and I want to devote this week to fasting and praying for the people of Calvary.

From Becky Wambua: This is my first time fasting and joining the prayer chain. This week I’m trying to fast from my busy life as a student, spending at least two hours every day to talk to God. This week I want to pray for my house, Dixon Lodge. My two roommates and I are part of the few Christians in the house, and we want to be used by God and show the girls how much He loves them. I’m also praying for my academic success this term, patience, and enjoying my singleness in God.

TUESDAY * Hi from Palmer & Grace: God really answered prayer for Grace last night! After laying Jonathan down and being at the end of herself with his crying and not sleeping, we cried out to God on our knees, and when we went in his room he was asleep on his back! He has never done this on his own anywhere except driving in the car! Thank you who prayed for us on Sunday night – we were so encouraged!! God did bring out the big guns last night! Please continue to pray for Jonathan to sleep longer stretches, and for us to become more and more dependent on Jesus during this trying season. Praise His name for He is good and I know He is making us stronger through this!

  • From Erik Helesto: Awhile back after going to many prayer meetings, I realized that the older generation worshipped God a lot and the younger generation asked God for a lot. At that time I also figured that my heavenly Father already knew what I wanted without me asking for it. With that I decided I would just worship God and pray for Him to be glorified and not ask for anything.

Last night God spoke very clearly to me that He missed the times that I would ask Him for gifts. He yearns for the intimacy that is brought through asking, and He absolutely loves to give us gifts.

  • From Justin Talbert: I feel like God was speaking to me both at noon and evening prayer, and telling me to share this for encouragement to others: “My grace and faithfulness is sufficient to carry you through the trial that I have sovereignly allowed you to go through. If I removed you from this trial, you would be unable to experience and know the special blessings that I have in store for you to conform you more to the image of My Son, Jesus Christ. Lean on Me and rest in my presence and allow Me to be your strength.”

I hope and pray that this encourages someone, and that God will be glorified through this.

  • From Jeanine Young: During this morning’s prayer & worship I really felt God’s warm loving presence, and while we were singing one of the last worship songs (I think, “I am Yours…”), I had a picture of Jesus walking quietly amongst us listening, stopping at each person and looking warmly, tenderly, and seriously in each person’s eyes, touching our hands, and then going on to the next person. He was taking our loving worship seriously!
  • From James: This morning I prayed that God would keep His word that if I sought Him with all my heart that I would find Him. Before I could get into the prayer chapel, God showed Himself to me in the rain. As I pulled into the parking lot I saw the rain falling in the light, and He impressed on me during prayer that that was His love showering down on me.

I could not escape it as I got out of my car – I was drenched in the rain as I walked to worship. During morning prayer He drenched me in His love! He washed me, soaked me, even as we sung and prayed I could hear His love coming down on me and all of us there. During prayer Rob asked us to share about God’s love…OH HOW HE LOVES US!

  • From Peter Fricke: At Monday night prayer God’s finger touched me powerfully: When I opened my mouth to pray, a very hot heat came upon my back and head, almost like my ears would get singed. He has done this before with His healing warmth. I always praise God for His provision (family, shelter, food, job, etc.,) but I had my ears opened to hear that He is also my spiritual provision. He clothes my spirit in this material body (my tent), feeds me with His truth, educates me in His Spirit, breathes His Spirit into me to live, heals me with His loving warm finger. He has compassion on me when I am weak and will like a loving father with a sick child. He cleans up after my messes like a loving father. His joy overflows when I return to Him and rest in Him. In my quiet during prayer, my confidence in Him grew stronger and stronger. God truely is our strength and provision for our spirits.
  • From David Shaw: What a wonderful day in Morning Offering today…AGAIN! One of the first things spoken was this beautiful word from Psalms 92 (especially vs. 2):
  1. It is good to praise the LORD
    and make music to your name, O Most High,
  2. proclaiming your love in the morning
    and your faithfulness at night,
  3. to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
    and the melody of the harp.
  4. For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;
    I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
  5. How great are your works, LORD,
    how profound your thoughts.

We are to be proclaiming His love in the morning and His faithfulness at night when we lay down to sleep. What a great way to begin and end each day!

  • From Sarah Clark: I too had a picture of a waterfall in my head this morning during our circle time. This picture was of a vessel that was being poured into. I felt the Lord saying to me, “How can you show my love to others if you do not receive my love for you?” I then had a picture of the vessel being so full that we could pour the overflowing waters onto others. The fact that God’s kindness is what leads to repentance was in my mind. If we will receive His love, only then will He truly be able to use us to proclaim His love to others, knowing that is truly not anything but by His love and grace alone that we are set free. What an awesome, generous God we have!
  • From Heidi Coley: “My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to Your word. I have told of my ways, and You have answered me; teach me Your statutes. Make me understand the way of Your precepts, so I will meditate on Your wonders. My Soul weeps because of grief; strengthen me according to Your word. Remove the false way from me, and graciously grant me Your law. I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me. I cling to Your testimonies; O Lord, do not put me to shame! I shall run the way of Your commandments, for You will enlarge my heart.” Psalm 119:25-32

“Let none that wait on thee be ashamed.” Psalm 25:3

“We who have to wait are often tempted to fear that we do not wait aright, that our faith is too feeble, that our desire is not as upright or as earnest as it should be, that our surrender is not complete. Amid all these causes of fear and doubt, how blessed to hear the voice of God: Wait on the Lord! Be strong, and let thine heart take courage! Yea, wait thou on the Lord!’ Let nothing in Heaven or earth or Hell – let nothing keep you from waiting on your God in full assurance that it cannot be in vain” (45-46). Waiting on God by Andrew Murray

TUESDAY

Psalm 92:2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.

The prayer chapel was overflowing this morning – God met us powerfully this morning! We were met by the Lord this morning wanting us to experience His lovingkindness this morning and wanting us to lay on our beds at the end of this day basking in His faithfulness!

We sang song after song singing love songs to God this morning!

Music box – A college girl (the chapel was full of youth this morning!) had a vision of our little prayer chapel making music like a little music box that God was just delighting in!

A word was given like parents glowing as they hear their little boy waking up in his crib, excited to see him in the morning, this was the Lord’s heart for us this morning…every morning!

Another word was shared about how we are typically so concerned about the future when talking to God – so stressed, panicked, pressured, focusing on future directions and events and needs – that we miss enjoying God’s lovingkindness in the day we are in, the moment we are in, the morning we are in!

Clay vessels with lids on them! A vision was shared of a waterfall being poured out on all of these clay vessels, some smaller, some big 30-40 gallon clay water pots, some even bigger! Some had no lids and were overflowing, some were even growing in their capacity to hold and distribute living water. Others had lids so no water at all could fill them – it just poured over them. Some had holes in them and could absorb small amounts of the water that was being poured out!

The whole prayer chapel stood with our arms gesturing we want this to be our lives and receive the full flow of God’s love, power, and Spirit filling our lives afresh!! Singing this song – “HERE I AM, I STAND WITH ARMS WIDE OPEN TO THE ONE, THE SON, THE EVERLASTING ARMS!!” “SO I SHOUT YOUR NAME, FROM THE ROOFTOPS I PROCLAIM…THAT I AM YOURS…ALL THAT I AM I PLACE INTO YOUR LOVING HANDS…AND I AM YOURS, I AM YOURS!” bret

Young people are amazing, rising to the challenge…pressing in this week of fasting! Their presence is challenging us as the older generations rise with them!

Tonite college meets on campus!! The older generations are meeting here at the church again tonight! See pictures on our Facebook page from last night!!! – so powerful!

Last night we felt the Lord’s heart that when we are weak He is strong! When we are weak, the power of Christ rests on us! Fasting makes us weaker and weaker…the weaker we grow, the stronger He can move and get all the glory! So let’s not stop because we start feeling tired, weak, exhausted! It’s not too late to join us!

We are trusting God to stir our body to fast, people joining us the 2nd half of the week just as He stirred people the first half of the week.

Won’t you join us tonight? Be weak with us – let’s ask Him to be strong again and again tonight!

With fasting I feel like God is speaking to me so much that I can’t write it all down! I’m praying that for you you too! Adjust your fast if you need to. Join us! Press in! Respond, because He wants to speak to you too. I’m praying He does!

- Pastor Rob

We serve a great GOD! I just saw a spiritist come to Christ on the beach tonight! A man who served demons asked the LORD to save him! That’s my JESUS! THAT’S my JESUS!! GOD is great and awesome and HE still does great things!! As you pray and fast this week family believe! We serve a GOD who moves mountains! (Cody Smith)

TUESDAY NIGHT

Making my way to the sanctuary last night felt much like a hindered crawl, desperate to worship, desperate for prayer, needing to hear, but barely able to move.

Those first few chords of piano filling my ears, penetrating my heart and reaching my soul, the tears began to fall. Once again huddled over a tear soaked alter, God speaks. God moves. The ocean of grace filling the sanctuary, the prayers of the saints wafting over my back and peace uplifts, shores up, renews.

The words are “broken vessels.”

Yes Lord I am broken I reply. No He says your are whole, but you are My broken vessel and with each crack in the pottery my light seeps through and its ME in you spilling out. I am seen through your adversity, He whispers tenderly.

Why is it always hard Lord? I plead.

Because if it was easy, others would never see how I shine brighter when things are hard.

So what am I surrendering to Lord tonight?

He says, you are surrendering to hard things.

The wave of resolve comes over me. And I find comfort in His words. Because surrender brings comfort even if it’s hard, because I know the path of hard and it is more rewarding than the path of no resistance, because even though I can not see how He is working in all this, I know that He is.

You have made promises Lord, I remind- more for myself then to Him.

But He answers anyways, I always keep my promises Kristen.

I make my way to the circle. Met there by others; faces strained, tired, searching, needing to be moved. We pray for REALLY hard things, gut wrenching hard things that when spoken out loud make me want to hold my breath.

Breathe , Breathe, I remind myself.

And I realize, my HARD is not really hard at all. In the light of what other suffering persists, loss, grief, deep heartache, great need, my current struggles seem so minimal. And I am able to comfort and battle and God has given the strength in the circle amongst His collective body to hold hands, weep together, and uplift, shore up, renew.

Men holding hands weeping. Women laying hands on each other weeping.

Hearts encouraged.

The only changes made were those unseen.

But we left there all of us clinging to the HOPE stirred.

And a grateful realization…

We are not alone.

  • From Justin Talbert: At last night’s prayer meeting I got the unique opportunity to pray with a group of young people, most of which were younger than me (I’m 18). During prayer I felt God stirring my heart to pray over these High Schoolers and Middle Schoolers, but as I went to pray over them, I felt God tell me to wait and just listen. As I sat listening to their prayers, I realized that the very things God was speaking to me He was also speaking to them. God is stirring up passion in our youth in this church and in this generation. I wish I had the same faith and passion that they do when I was their age.

In that light, I feel that we need to intercede on their behalf that they will pursue God wholeheartedly. We need to pray in faith over them that God will move mountains in their lives and begin a revival through them. I want to see my generation rise up in the boldness of the Holy Spirit, and spread the Gospel powerfully throughout their schools, their city, their state, their country and their world: All for the glory of God.

Put this on prayer chain … Neat story from last might from a member of a HC in our church!

Good Evening HC Group!!

I just got home from another amazing night of prayer. God spoke to me tonight in such a clear way about an issue that I have been dealing with at work regarding being 100% honest or being 90% honest and justifying the other percent in my own mind.

He said: Those who honor Me I will Honor! PERIOD!! He did not say: Honor me the best you can using your own intellect, or Honor me with the easy choices, but you better handle the ones that may have what may seem to be negative repercussions. We serve a God who is good and there is NO good thing that He will withhold from those that love Him. Are we willing to trust God with everything? God gave me the power to trust Him in an area of my life tonight that has been a struggle and what peace it brings! May you all be blessed throughout the week, month and year and may we all grow to walk with and know our Lord more!!

Looking forward to our HC group meeting this week.

Hi, well I finally made it to prayer in the morning, I felt tired just dragged myself out of bed and am so glad I did! This morning on the way Jackie and I were talking about how we read this book “Marriage without masks” and how sometimes people have trouble removing those masks because of being afraid of what people think or will judge and then Pastor Rob mentioned about removing the masks this morning. As we were praying I saw a picture of a heart but it was a heart made from clay and it was rather beautiful to look at but I saw the arteries and it barely functioned at all and then it was dashed to the ground and broke in millions of pieces and I thought wow that’s it for that heart but then someone cried out in prayer and wept and I saw a new heart appear, just pulsing and healthy and pumping lots of blood and it became a life giving organ again. It was God that took broken pieces and restored it into healthy life giving organ.

love you guys Rob B

Dear Lionel, My Son brought two of his friends to your church Sunday and they gave their hearts to the Lord! God is so good! I just thought you should know the impact your church had on my Son’s friends and him for that matter. God has answered my prayers for these boys! Warm Regards….Ronda He woke me up several more times telling me to pray for that marriage. About 5 am I went back to sleep for the last time that night. God then gave me a dream.

In it was a river. The turbulence was so great it would rival a tsunami. There was a huge black shark swimming around in this turbulent water and there was a dead man in the water. God told me to go in, get the man and take him out of the water on the other side of the river. God protected the man and I from the shark and the turbulent water. I got him out of the river and God put a little cabin there for us to go into. When I opened the door there was light and warmth in the cabin although there was no light bulb or heat source. The only thing in the cabin was a cot. God said to put the dead man on the cot and pray for him. After some prayer the man came alive again. I told him that God brought him back to life. The man said that he had drowned himself because of his sins. The man was repentant of his sins. I asked if he wanted to be saved. He said yes. I told the man that God was adamant about openly confessing his sins. The man did so and accepted Jesus in his heart and life. As we continued to pray I noticed that he was not praying out loud any more. I had been down on my knees head bowed beside the cot. When I looked up only the man’s clothes remained. God had taken him to heaven. I then woke up. I asked God to help me understand the dream. The man represents people who are committing spiritual suicide and ruining their marriage in the process. The black shark represents evil forces wanting to keep people in sin and breakup their marriages. The hate this shark had toward us was indescribable. God was adamant that there must be open verbal confession to someone else and no condemnation of the person confessing. We are to show love and help them to confess and help them progress in their healing. As a body and individually God has called us to pray very earnestly for the marriages in our church body. The light and warmth in the cabin is God’s love and mercy showing us forgiveness and the way to go as we come into the house of God. The person praying did not represent only me but our whole church body. Please be aware that this dream did not depict physical death. It depicted spiritual suicide. The man’s resurrection was a spiritual one. God has given us the loving task of helping our brothers and sisters and the marriages in our body, through loving prayer and guidance. We don’t have to be up to the task. God will give us what we need when we need it. What is required of us is willingness to let God use us. The prayers and dream were a confirmation to the couple in that marriage. God was letting them know they did the right thing in His eyes. That night as God woke me to pray for them they were openly confessing their sins to another couple in our body. The man was on the verge of leaving his marriage permanently. He has been addicted to his sin for a long time and saw no way out. Evil forces were blinding him with lies and blinding his wife to her own sin. And yes, that marriage was saved. Praise God. With help from God and another loving couple they are starting to heal. But there are other marriages in our body that need saving.

Thursday

  • From Amanda Westfall: This morning was a sweet, sweet time to unite as a family. The Lord was prompting my heart to pray for the men in our body during worship, and then immediately after, Rob felt the leading to have the women sing out as the men interceded for us. The men then sang out as we women prayed for them. The music faded and the Lord led us to pray out for one another as a body so each one may be edified. It was incredible to be lifted up and to lift up the family together. Thank you, Lord, for the desire of Your sons and daughters to walk and live and bask in their identify as children of You, Almighty Jesus!

FRIDAY

  • From Anny Condrea: On Wednesday during the noon prayer time, I believe I sensed the Lord wanting to remind us that it is not a coincidence Pastor Rob taught on “heart check” before the week of fasting. It needs to be taken seriously. He is encouraging us to study. There is tremendous revelation, power and understanding in studying the Word concerning the heart.

What is my song besides the songs of angels, when with perfection around the throne they sing? What is my song besides the harmony of choirs? As they cry, “Holy is the Lord, the Lamb, the Everlasting King!” What is my song when words can cover little of what I want to say to You, my King? What is my song, when I can’t find the rhythm? And notes mix up each time I want to sing? What is my song? And yet You find much pleasure and with delight You listen, smile or cry… Amazing love, a love that I can’t measure surrounds me as the song connects Your heart with mine. And so I sing a song and then another, and hours seem just minutes when You come. And graciously, You help me understand: It is my heart that needed in song to find it’s way to You…to come. My heart sings!!!

I sense the Lord stirring me to continue writing poetry for Him, a gift He gave me many years ago when I wrote the first one after I gave Him my heart.

  • From Justin Talbert: Today, after the noon prayer time, God gave me a vision that I thought would be good to share with the body and those on the prayer chain: In it I saw Jesus with His head down and He was weeping, so I asked Him why He was weeping. He looked up at me and asked why I wasn’t weeping. Then I saw that He was weeping over America. As I was looking down at our country, He said to me, “I’m weeping because my children don’t know me.” Later at the evening prayer meeting God kept challenging me, “Are you willing to weep over My children?” I personally am feeling God put a burden on me for the apathetic and religious people in America’s churches, and more specifically for the youth of my generation. I would encourage all of you to keep interceding for our youth, our cities, and our country. God loves the people He has created, and He desires to see them come to Him to find peace and rest.
  • From Kam Moi Yundt: Before the fast I felt as though the Lord was showing in me stones that were in my life that He wanted to turn over and polish into precious gems for Him. This morning that picture came into full meaning when David prayed over women and he was being met with an image of jewels that He was refining. My Lord wants to wear me as a crown of gewels on top of His head. He wants to proudly display me and proclaim, this is my Beloved Bride and I delight in her.

Yesterday I was met with an image of the Lord chiseling away at the strongholds that Josh has built up. The size of the tool is significant. Only in God’s timing will He break down the wall, and although a chisel isn’t the chosen tool man would think of, God knows the appropriate tool. As He is chiseling, He’s looking back at me, and He’s giddy. My Lord, giddy?!? I’ve never known my Lord so intimately that He would share that He’s giddy for the work He’s doing in my life. I love His smile. I love His humor.

I was met with an image of an ice cube during morning offering. An ice cube that melts at the marvelous presence of my Savior. He’s so overwhelming in power and grace. He wants to mold us into living water to refresh us and flow freely through us.

I too had the image of a plump, fresh, pumping heart. It’s a brilliant scarlet red that lets me know that it is healthy and bringing life and oxygen to all other extremities in my body. Lord, You have my heart!

While praying with a wife and mother of 4 kids, I was met with the image of all 6 of them with their hands raised worshipping You. They all had one heart and shared a oneness for you, Lord.

As I was worshipping the Lord this morning, I felt the Lord intertwine His fingers with mine as my hands were raised. I was met with His face directly above mine. He wants me to look into His eyes and not at my trials around me. I trust You, oh Lord. My eyes are gazing into Your’s as my trials fall down around me.

This evening the Lord met me with an image over a family. It is a single rose coming out of clay dirt. The clay dirt is how their marriage feels rocky at times and doesn’t always feel healthy and strong for You, but at the top is a rose in full bloom. It’s a brilliant crimson red, signifying their hearts. As we prayed, both the husband and wife confessed to struggles they’ve been going through regarding their character and what they bring to the marriage. I feel the Lord was showing me that He’s removing the thorns on the rose stem – prick by prick so that it’s completely smooth and beautiful to touch. Their hearts are seeking You now Lord. It’s one rose, four hearts – all united together for You.

While praying with my house church tonight, as we grasped hands, I felt the Lord was meeting me with the image of all of our hands pushing down the strongholds in Josh. I can see the stronghold crashing down into rubble. I can see Him beckoning me to enter. I was to march around the stronghold 7 days, and this March will be 7 years of marriage, and the Lord showed me that this is no coincidence: He’s got a perfect work in place, and He’s on the move this week!

  • From Amanda Westfall: Morning offering today was beautiful.

FRIDAY

  • From Randy & Theresa Knight: BEAUTIFUL!!!!!
  • From Shannon Hammersley: The week before leading up to Prayer & Fasting, I kept coming up against the question, what am I to “give up” or fast for the week? Saturday night before the beginning of the fast I had a clear vision that I am to give up the sadness and guilt I have always had over the passing of my dad when I was 18. (My dad had become an alchoholic and my parents divorced when I was in 8th grade.)

I have been holding this guilt for over 16 years, just thinking it would never go away. It would shrink, but I always felt sad when I thought of my dad and how I handled the situation. He passed away while I was angry at him for again missing my birthday. So I chose to not take the phone call next time he called. That was a yearly routine at this point – he would call and apologize later, and I have always held onto the guilt that I did not let him tell me what he wanted. In a dream God revealed to me clearly that my dad is happy for me and proud of me, and I am not to ever feel sad or guilty about the entire situation again. Every time I think of my dad now, I feel a sense of happiness, almost excitement.

  • From Ryan Creason: As Rob was praying asking God to stir up a work in our hearts today at the lunchtime prayer, I got a picture of a large pot on the stove with soup in it that had been sitting there for awhile. It had spices added to it, but so long ago that they had just sunk to the bottom and grown stagnant. Then the chef turned on the heat and began to stire the soup as it began to boil, and those spices were worked up again and stirred throughout the whole soup. It went from a soup that was tasteless and coagulated, to a fresh amazing meal. I guess it’s just a picture of God and what He’s doing in my life personally, as well as I’m sure many others this week. Getting His “spices” into all aspects of our lives, leaving nothing “tasteless”.
  • From Rebecca Christie: Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
  • From Anny: The Lord is revealing that a beautiful work of the Spirit is happening! He is bringing us higher to a new level of maturity in Him. He is teaching us to walk in the Spirit and not walk in the flesh. He is showing us how He wants us to not listen to the voice of the world with all its demands, to not listen to the flesh with all its demands, to not listen to the voice of the enemy who comes only to rob, kill and destroy, to not listen to the voice of a broken heart, but to listen to the Holy Spirit. He wants to heal your broken heart. Come and ask Him!
  • From Russ Larrabee: Just wanted to give praise to God. I’ve been a Christian 40+ years and have never been certain of God’s voice. Rob said Sunday that if you hear that still small voice it is God. This week I made an effort to listen to that voice, and asked God to make it clear to me if that was his voice or just my own thoughts.

Tuesday while I was waking up, still groggy, that voice said that there would be “3 days of clear skies and then rain again.” It also said I was to tell someone. I did not put much stock in it. I said to myself how foolish, half of the valley is flooded and the skies are overcast, besides this is Oregon, we won’t see clear skies for months much less 3 days now. Later that night I was reminded of another thing Rob said Sunday, that “God wants to bless us but is waiting for you to do your part.” So I decided to do my small part and told my wife about what I heard. I admit I doubted, not that God was able, but that I had heart His voice. The next day was still rainy and I was still doubting. However Thursday morning the skies began to clear and I began to hope. Friday was totally clear and I was praising Him. Now I am waiting and believing that the skies will be clear today, and then that we will get really wet again.

I am so thankful that God was able to provide a way for me to identify His voice. I have longed to hear His voice for so long – what a blessing and an honor to have the Creator speak to me. Praise God.

SUNDAY

From Hannah Maupin:

Hi, this is Hannah… not Dad writing for me, but Hannah in person. Today after school I came home in a hurry …asked Mom and Dad if the report from my test yesterday came. They looked at me strangely and said that I no longer have cancer. This was music to my ears and I race up stairs to get my CD of Matthew West’s with the song “Survivors” to listen to for the first time since I knew that the words would be true to me. My parents and I danced trying to bring my brother into the dance with me. He joined in, in his own fun way…

At the beginning of this process I kept on thinking, “Why me?” Out of the 40 or so kids in 6th grade and the 20 or so kids in the middle school group at church, why me? While talking to my sister last night I found my answer. “Why not me?”

I was reading a verse Romans 8:28, and this verse says God works all things for good for those who love Him. I realize how God has done good through this. It has tested my faith, it opened my eyes to some things that I never noticed before, realize just how much people care, and brought me closer to God and my family.

In the song “Survivors” it has a line that goes like, “For the moment you saw who you are and what you’re made of.” At the beginning I didn’t see much, but as I got further I started to see someone stronger than I thought I was. I started to notice my connection with Jesus growing. …

When I look back at all this I realize how much stronger this has made me and in all the ways I’ve grown. I wouldn’t take back this experience. I can now see how God works all things for good. I’m so thankful that today I get to join all the cancer survivors in the world.

Love, your now cancer free writer,
Hannah

Snapshots of Calvary.

Snapshots of Calvary -  Rob, Nehemiah and Gene enjoy some time on a tube during Family Day at Foster Reservoir

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:8