5-1-2009

Greetings all who wrestle for the Kingdom.

Throw yourself in

“The Old Man of the Earth stooped over the floor of the cave, raised a huge stone, and left it leaning.  It disclosed a great hole that went plumb-down.  ‘That is the way,’ he said.  ‘But there are no stairs.  You must throw yourself in.  There is no other way.’” 

The Golden Key by George MacDonald. 

In some respects I believe that this represents the walk of a Christian.  We cannot see the end and God asks us to trust Him and to just ‘throw ourselves in’ so to speak.  That is a fearful place to be.  There are no stairs.  It is not a controlled space in any way.  His ways are definitely not our ways.  It is stark raving obedience.

I mention this due to another kind of fear that is being drummed up at every corner and on every station every day.  It is the “swine flu is going to kill us all, all of our money is gone, all of our jobs are lost, all of our children have left there is no hope in the world” attitude.  It’s a fear of all that might happen or what looks like it is going to happen; for that matter the fear of what actually has happened should not be a part of our make-up.  We should rebut and not participate in this type of unrighteous fear.  The fear of trusting God, however, that needs to be embraced and jumped into.  The discipline of trusting and pushing through the discomfort to grow more complete in Him.

Why?

If we are redeemed from the fall then we are also redeemed from all of the attendant fear that comes with that fallen activity.  We need to be agents of hope and agents of change since we have a source that is greater than all of our fears and frankly greater than all of our difficult circumstances.  The facts of the circumstance are merely facts.  They are not necessarily the truth.  The truth is what God says and what He says is “all things are possible to him who believes”.  I think in the middle of a world that is stressed out and watching a falling sky that people of faith need to step up with wisdom and understanding and effective prayer to rise above and then overcome the world.

We might not be able to ‘see the stairs’ but we can trust that if we ‘throw ourselves in’ to Him that the result will be magnificent and it is indeed the only way; truth overcomes the lie.  Sometimes the facts are not the truth, they are just facts and we need to rise above them and into His presence if we are to stay in peace and see the results He promises us in the Word.

Here are some testimonies of God’s faithful response to prayers by people who have thrown themselves in over the past few weeks;

REPORTS:

• A local CRC Pastor told us the story of his son who was healed.  The son had MS for over 18 years and was in a wheelchair 70% of the time and on a PAP as well.  He was told by the doctors last Nov. that he would not see another Christmas so get his house in order.  On Feb 7^th he was prayed for at a conference at a Vineyard church here in GR and as he was being prayed for he felt his joints begin to tremble, he got very hot and then very cold and when it was over he was completely healed of MS.  He has been running five miles a day, biking five miles a day, walking each night with his kids and doing aerobics three times a week.  God You are worthy of our praise.

• A man prayed for his father re: a surgery for cancer that a call would come in to update and as they finished praying his phone rang with a good report.  Thank You God.

• A woman asked for prayer for her son regarding warts.  They had tried everything the doctors recommended for years and they would not go away.  We prayed @ the “W” and the next week she reported that they went away.  Bless God, He is the healer.

• A woman asked for prayer regarding a relationship with a man who is and alcoholic.  She had tried for years to break the relationship but it never worked.  She was prayed for and it simply resolved itself in a very positive way.  Thank You God for resolution in the Spirit.

• A woman with a kidney problem was prayed for and the doctor described her situation as “you have cheated death and I cannot explain it”.  We can explain it.  Thank you Father.

• A person was having a very difficult time at work and being verbally harassed by their boss.  They prayed for a supernatural resolution and for no reason the boss was let go within a few days.  They called a friend to tell them the good news and decided to pray and ask God for a switch to day shift and within five minutes the phone rang and the new supervisor moved them to day shift.  We bless you Lord for provision for this new Christ follower.

• A story came in regarding a marriage that was on the rocks.  They were moving fast toward divorce and no hope seemed available.  A friend of a friend gave the husband Fireproof and then The Shack.  After seeing the movie and reading the book there was a demonstrable softening in the husband and they are now talking about reconciliation.  Father, You work in mysterious ways Your wonders to perform.

• An intercessor that is a part of the WWT prayed for a man whose wife had told him that she would divorce him when the youngest turned 21.  That happened a few months ago and he was broken up about the situation.  After prayer that God would intervene his wife called (literally as he was walking to his car after prayer) and wanted to meet.  They started to re-connect.  He joined the choir with her and last week they were in church together and his arm was around her.  Father, what You began we ask You to finish.

• A young boy was prayed for at the “W” who was cutting himself and who was becoming distant with his family.  Last week God softened his heart and he has engaged in good and positive ways with the family in the last two weeks.  Thank You Father for healing this heart.

• A Baptist Pastor reported back to us that his church had changed how they were praying for his illness since hearing the teaching on healing prayer and he was inexplicably healed when they began to pray differently.  Same God, different way to pray, different result.

• A man was brought to the “W” for prayer and in the five weeks before he came they had drawn 7.5 liters of fluid off his lungs and he could not breathe well.  He reported back two weeks ago that in the five weeks he has been coming to the “W” he has not had any fluid drawn off his lungs, he is breathing so well he even joined the Easter musical at his church.  Now that is what I am talking about.

• A woman was so frustrated with the situation at her house church that she was ready to walk away from leading it and possibly even leaving it completely.  She put a request in “the box” and within a few days a number of people in her house church stepped up t o help and relive the stress and the burden.  God, You provide for us indeed.

• A foster mom needed $12,000.00 to fix a problem with her house that the State said had to be fixed.  A friend put the request in the box and within two weeks the item was fixed and paid for in full.  What a mighty God we serve.

• A family needed to sell their home (in this marvelous West Mich. Market) due to a move.  They put the request in “the box” and the house sold within a week for only 5K less than the asking price and it was a cash deal.  Father, we should not be amazed but we are.  Thank You.

• A man who is in Seminary hit a severe financial wall.  He sent out an email requesting prayer cover.  The next day he went to his mailbox at the Seminary and there was a cashier’s check for $1,000.00 in his box.  God, You are trustworthy indeed.

• A woman was having harsh back spasms.  Her husband laid hands on her and prayed and as he did the back relaxed and the spasms ended.  We bless you Healing Lord.

• A story came in about a woman who is at Sunset Manor and was depressed and wanted to die.  She actually asked her husband and daughter to kill her.  Rather than do that the daughter asked a person who comes to the “W” on occasion to go with her and pray for her mom.  The mother slept through the night for the first time in months and the depression lifted.  Father, the prayers of righteous people are effective and accomplish much.

• Bob Offringa (our own missionary to Africa) had asked for prayer that if his Dad was to pass away (and it was expected at any time) that it would not be when he was in Tanzania but would fall at a time when he was back in the States.  His Dad passed away as he was returning from his most recent mission’s activity and Bob was able to go to the funeral and be a comfort to his mother as well.  Well done Father God.

• A woman was prayed for at the “W” who had back pain and was going to Physical Therapy multiple times a week to try and deal with it.  The next day she went to PT and did everything the PT asked her to do which amazed him.  She asked if it was all done since she was not in pain any longer and he suggested she come back in a couple of days to be checked but due to illness with one of her kids she missed the appointment.  She has not had a lick of pain since being prayed for.  We serve the best PT in the world, a healing God.

• A woman’s mother who is fighting Parkinson’s disease had her prayed for in proxy.  The mother has been doing so well that she has left the house and gone back into the community and is now planning on traveling since her symptoms have all but vanished.  Her non-Christian father has been observing the changes and is now inquiring about God and spiritual things.  Father, we bless Your work in this home and ask that You continue to bring this man to Christ and his wife to fullness of health.

• A man was being plagued with thoughts of self-hate and self-condemnation about things he did before coming to Christ.  He was prayed for at the “W” and that night all of the accusatory thoughts left and they have not returned.  We take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and it works.

• A family was down to its last $7.00 and as the wife prayed in the morning she heard “money will come today”  That day a man drove up and said he was compelled to give them an envelope with $50.00 in it.  Later that same day a tax refund check came early via the mail.  Thank you Father for provision and timing that comes from you.

Here are some additional things to be aware of as WT members;

OPPORTUNITIES:

·         Please continue to pray for the staff and workers at Mars Hill as another time of transition is upon them.  A number of people were laid off last week and others had their positions restructured.  Obviously, please pray for the financial situation that fostered this activity.

·         Please pray for the team that is in the process of identifying and bringing in a new Teaching Pastor/Shepherd to work alongside Rob.  They need wisdom and the mind of Christ to see with spiritual eyes the person who is needed.

·         Please continue to pray for Ted and Claudia and the OMWB as they speak and minister;

o   For the pending release of our book “Stark Raving Obedience” this June.

o   May 7^th OMWB will be leading worship for the National Day of Prayer meeting for the community of Lake Odessa, MI at 7PM.

o   May 17^th OMWB will be leading the 10AM worship at the Bethel Family Missionary Church on Lincoln Street in Reed City, MI.  Call Ted for details.

o   June 10 Ted will be presenting Listening Prayer and the Unified Vision Framework to the national leadership team of the Atlas Group and also the executive team of Pizza Ranch in IA.

o   July 26^th the OMWB will be leading worship at the Gun Lake Chapel South of Grand Rapids.

o   We will be having a regional Church Prayer Leaders Network conference in Grand Rapids August 21-22.  These Regional conferences will be in support of the publication of our book Stark Raving Obedience.  Ted will be a Keynote speaker.  Ted, Claudia, Isaiah and others will lead breakout sessions.  Location to be announced.

o   We are also planning on additional CPLN Regional conferences this Fall in Dallas, Nashville and the Chicago area.

·         The May team leaders for the Wrestling Team will continue to be Steve and Ruth Zwierzinski and Joe Martino.  They will be “on the ground” before and during the services to assist with any questions or prayer needs that might come up.

You are appreciated and prayed for often.  

Ted and Claudia Kallman

Wrestling Coaches

“As we have taken the circle as the symbol of reason and madness, we may very well take the cross as the symbol at once of mystery and of health.  Buddhism is centripetal, but Christianity is centrifugal: it breaks out.  For the circle is perfect and infinite in its nature; but it is fixed for ever in its size; it can never be larger or smaller.  But the cross, though it has at its heart a collision and a contradiction, can extend its four arms for ever without altering its shape.  The circle returns upon itself and is bound.  The cross opens its arms to the four winds; it is a signpost for free travelers.”  Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton