My dear Siestas, talk to me today about miracles. I know some people who could use one. Take some stones of remembrance this day and be used of God to build up somebody’s faith. Ground rules: No exaggerations. No make believe. Just pure honest Biblical truth about what you know your God can do from first hand experience.
You guys are so dear to me.
Lord Jesus, show up in a mighty visitation this week in our community. You are our Hope and our Salvation. In You we place our trust. The very sign of that first Christmas was a miracle: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, ‘God with us.'” O Come, O Come Immanuel. So many need to know You are here. Grant us eyes to see and hearts to love. You are our everything. Thank You for Your goodness to us.
Dear Siestas,
It is so good reading these, very faith building. Right now we need a miracle for our son. He is 28 and has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, MR, and many many behavioral issues.He currently resides in a group home. He was on a medication for about 15 years that kept his behavior in check but it was beginning to destroy his liver so he had to go off it. The psychiatrists do not have any other medication that will keep his behaviors in check. Unfortunately these involve aggression toward children and he is unable to be with children at all. We have 3 grandsons so this creates major problems with holiday times and just bringing him home where there are many children in our neighborhood. He is very angry at not being able to come home more and not being able to see his nephews but for everyone’s safety the doctors have made us sign an agreement that we will not. My heart is breaking for him. We will not be able to bring him home for Christmas which seems cruel but this is what they are suggesting. Please pray for a miracle that God would clear his mind and heal his mind and spirit. Thanks so much for letting me ask this, I know this post was to be citing a miracle…..
Christmas blessings to all in Siestaville.
I am praying for you and your family tonight. God bless you this Christmas!
Will be praying for you and family. I will pray that God’s peace and comfort be with you and His will be done.
I am so amazed at the goodness of God. He has performed another miracle. I am so thankful for HIM. My father had to get another blood transfusion. He has severe reactions to transfusions. Yesterday his blood levels were life threatening. Miraculously God provided exactly the right blood and by His grace my dad had no reaction this time.
Praise The Lord O My Soul!
My father had a brain aneurysm that bled out when he was home alone one evening. He was rushed to the hospital and had a stroke in the hospital. He couldn’t see out of one eye and had severe swelling in his brain. The doctors were concerned that if they put a coil into his brain to stop the bleeding that he could die from the procedure because of the fragile nature of where exactly the aneurysm was located.
I began praying and crying out to God and asked any believer that I could think of to do the same. I was praying for some BOLD stuff that I never would have dared to ask God before. I told the Lord that my dad was not a Christian and to please spare his life, to give him another chance to turn to Jesus and be saved. I asked God to “show off” and heal my dad in a mighty miraculous way so that no doctor could receive credit for saving his life, but God alone would get the glory and honor.
It was such a hard time for my family, but after a few days of the doctors debating whether to insert a coil, the bleeding stopped on its own! Then his eye healed, again on its own. By the time my dad was released from the hospital he had not one surgical procedure!! That his life was given back to him and that God alone healed him is truly a miracle!!
It’s been almost 3 years since that time, and my father has fully recovered from that trauma. He walks, talks, sees, etc… just like he used to. He is still not a follower of Jesus Christ, but I know that God can and does perform miracles everyday! I pray my father will turn to God, thank you for joining me in this prayer!
Believing for my own family members as well. I will be praying for your father! What’s his first name?
I prayed for my father for 13 years to receive Christ, many times over a hospital bed and through life threatening surgeries. One day he called out of the blue;) asking for a bible and a few verses to read, it was the day of his salvation. Hold on to the hope dear sister and know that we are agreeing with you for his salvation!
Early in full time ministry, the paychecks for my husband’s assistant pastor position were only $400 a month. Not enough to feed 3 children and the two of us. God always provided each month and taught us to trust Him in a ministry we knew He had called us to.
One day, no extra money had come in and like the old woman’s home, the “cubbards were bare”. While I was in tears over our situation, we recieved a phone call.
“Hello, I am with Montgomery Wards” (I almost hung up at this point assuming it was a telemarket call) “..and I am calling to let you know that your name was drawn and we have a $500 dollar check for you to pick up.”
Praise God! He knows our needs before we even ask!
So awesome! Needed this encouragement today! Thank you!
My husband, the life he is now leading, and the relationship we have are my miracles. We have walked through a firestorm over the last two years, but in the process I have been a witness to God’s greatness in a way I’ve never experienced before. To me, it’s a complete miracle that God allowed me to see Him in such transparency and so obviously. In the midst of all the pain, those glimpses of glory have meant the world to me. One night, I went downstairs to talk to my husband, and the words came out of my mouth, “I think you are being sifted.” I didn’t even remember that story of Peter’s when I said it. If it’s possible, I think God spoke those words to my husband through me. I went back upstairs and forgot the whole thing. My husband did not. He was, at that moment, engaged in an extramarital affair that I was unaware of. Those words stuck with him. To shorten this story, he confessed to me and to our pastor and elders, and we began the healing process. The cool thing is that God kept sending people into my husband’s path that would mention Peter. He was asked to teach Sunday school two Sundays, and the first lesson was on Peter’s denial of Christ. The second lesson, three weeks later, was on Peter’s reinstatement by Christ. My husband studied Peter and Christ and His words of love and forgiveness like they were water to his wounded soul. He was lost, and God was grabbing him and pulling him to Him like never before. I was able to watch this happen before my very eyes. Peter still comes up in conversation too many times for it to be a coincidence. God is reminding my husband and me, of His forgiving, healing love.
I quickly want to share a funny miracle with you. My husband has always struggled with feeling like he’s worthy of love, my love, especially God’s love. We were sitting at a gas station Taco John’s eating breakfast one morning, and he said, “I just wish God would send me that postcard telling me all the answers to my questions.” We soon headed home, and he pulled up to the mailbox for me to get the mail before going inside. Lying on top of all the other mail was a postcard from Godfather’s Pizza. I triumphantly scooped it up and waved it before his face and said, “God the Father sent you the very postcard you asked for. Not only does He love you beyond measure, but He has a phenomenal sense of humor.”
Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to witness the miraculous. I adore you.
Penny, Praise the Lord! and Godfather’s Pizza ha ha ha
loved the story. I bet you were laughing and high fiveing God!
To know Gods love and to show Gods love. I just love you ladies, my heart is rejoicing because each of you see God being glorified through your miracles. It blesses HIM to no end. Okay….this particular miracle is simple and probably frivilous but I still want to share. God shows up in the most detailed things of our life. Picture this, rehearsal dinner for 75. My son got married this past May. His bride had 13 attendants plus others. We had many vehicles weighed down w/decorations, rented place setting,etc…a serious production for this chick. The venue was @ 25 minutes from my sister house. We could not decorate/setup until the day of, serious stress. While leaving my sisters house, with a million things to do, I grabbed two spoons from her silverware drawer. Arrived at venue, five women worked feverishly to make this happen and be done by 2:00 to go home & get ready for rehearsal at 5:00, dinner at 7:00. Fast forward…My dear Mom was in charge of place settings. She came out of the church kitchen to announce, the rental company had shorted us several forks and spoons. I implored Mom to search the kitchen over and make do. Ten minutes later she came out and announced, “we are now short two spoons”, I started to bawl like a baby. She said, “its okay, don’t cry, we’ll figure something out”. She did not know what I knew. In all the busyness, I was obedient to God that morning and even thought to myself, why am I grabbing two spoons. We all cried when I shared this so small of moments but it was magnificent to me. Our God is into the details, our every breath is HIS will. We are so dependent upon Him whether we recognize it or not.
Always in Him,
Vickie
What a great story!!
Oh yes Beth! You are right! So many of us needed to hear of God’s faithfulness! How wonderful to be encouraged through our sisters in Christ! I have been needing some “battle buddies”! What true blessings you all are to me. I have carried your stories with me for encouragement through current “growing pains”.
My own testimony is one of many but will never leave me. When I think of it, I KNOW God is with us…even in seasons where we can’t feel Him.
After the death of a friend in high school, I let myself fall into deep despair and confusion. I did not know how to fight spiritual warfare or release my emotions to our Father at that time. It eventually led into a long season of depression. One that I could not seem to pull myself out of. I cried to God but could not feel Him.
As the end of my senior year approached, I had many wonderful friends and adventures for someone my age. However, I continued to desperately reach for happiness.
It wasn’t long before I started to believe the lies of the enemy. Lies telling me that I could never be happy…that joy was not for me. That this scared, little girl had reason to be scared…because “she was not meant to succeed”. To this day, the enemy tries to use the words “worthless” & “hopeless” against me. But Jesus has taught me the TRUTH!
After a long season of emotional torment, I laid in bed one night sobbing. Sobbing because I believed the LIES and had officially planned to take my life. Something that my own family does not even know to this day. I cried for myself, for my friends and for my family. Worse for my mother…who I knew would be the one to find me.
PRAISE GOD! I fell asleep in the midst of the tears that night. When I woke up in the morning, I decided to go to school. Figured my plan could be put off for a few more hours. I wanted to see my friends once more.
I drug myself into school, walked into a classroom, and immediately ran into a recent acquaintance. This person blurts out to me, “I had a dream you died last night.” WHAT?! As you can imagine, my jaw almost hit the floor! He said, “I don’t know how but everyone was sad.”
At that moment, I KNEW God was with me. Not one soul could have possibly known the plan I had devised. Not one soul could have known what I was going through. But God did. And he swept in like the ultimate romantic and caught my heart in the nick of time. I’m so grateful He did!
My life has seen so much beauty since that day. What I would have missed out on! I knew I was special to Him, from that moment on.
And actually, one graduation, a couple moves, and 4 years later…God, once again, crossed my path with the path of that “acquaintance”. And today we are happily married! It wasn’t until much later that I told my husband how the Lord had used him as a vessel in a huge way.
What a creative web our Father weaves for each one of us! He is the ultimate Father, the ultimate Romantic, and I have discovered, the ultimate Artist!
So If you feel like “there must be more than this” -It’s because THERE IS! And if you feel like you were meant to be more -It’s because YOU ARE!
Time to take our positions and claim our inheritance in Him! You won’t be disappointed! STEP UP SISTER! You are ROYALTY! Keep on keepin’ on! He loves YOU~
Dearest No longer surviving but thriving, what a beautiful testimony! Give your sweet husband a big hug and thank you from this Siesta that is so thankful God used him to show He was there. What a blessing your story was to me. I have been there too, and know what you mean when you KNEW God was with you and the beauty of life since.
Our church just finished Breaking Free… Need I say more???? I am so blessed to be a witness to the miracles God has been working in “our” small group! Humbled… I’m so humbled to have had the honor and privilege to be a part of such a study with God and the women HE brought! Beth, know that even now, still, God works miracles through His servant Beth! It is my belief that He will continue to free His daughters for the work that needs to be done. Thank for your obedience! May you continue to do the work Our Father puts before you and May we ladies freed from (you name it) get busy about Our Father’s work.
Moma Beth and Siesta’s this has been the best topic. Since Tuesday I have been at home nursing a really bad cold and it’s kept me rested!
Ok, I don’t know if this counts as a miracle, but I did get a smile/smirk out of my 15 year old daughter & we both learned a wonderful lesson of compassion,love & obedience yesterday.
You see things are crazy around here since we got a new pastor (I’m a ministry assistant),and I keep making excuses to not do my quiet time (you know: I’m tired, I have too much on my plate, I’ll do it later, etc..) so everything is out of whack! (I don’t like out of whack, I like control!!) 🙂 So, I have resolved to be faithful & do my quiet time no matter what.
Then God sets me up!!
True story: Yesterday morning I was talking with my daughter about this girl that she “hates”. I was telling her how we are not to hate anyone, nor treat them with hatred, because they are God’s Children, and what we do to them, we do also to Him. She came back with her snarky teenagerness, so I tried again to respond with God’s truth & in the midst of it all…… I got a lesson from God as I was teaching a lesson to my daughter about God & His love for us. There are a few people that I dislike, however, those few I have to talk to & deal with frequently. I treat them with trepidation & courtesy (actually I try my best to avoid them), but I do not go out of my way to be genuine with them. In talking with my daughter, I realized that with them, I am doing the same thing she is to this girl. So while I am telling her that she has to love, care for, & be gentle & genuie with this girl even though she is very unkind & hurtful, I am being told by God that I have to do the same. Just because I don’t like the way these people treat/talk to me, does not give me the authority to return the favor. God says do unto others as you would have done to you, not as they have done to you. WOW!!!! What a lesson in a lesson. Well, later in the day I had the opportunity to “practice what I had just preached”! I faired pretty well I must say! Actually, it was all God. I didn’t do anything myself, except try to be obedient. “And that is what it all comes down to,” I told my daughter. “We must be obedient. In ALL things, not just the ones we like!” She looks at me & says, “Whatever!” Then smirks, gets out of the car, & blows me our signature kiss (That means she’ll try). She’s great. God is great. A lesson in a lesson, man I love the way He works.
So maybe the real miracle here is, God taught us both a lesson & the response was obedience.
I was beside myself with grief and anxiety. It was the day before I had to go to court for a trial for my divorce. After 30 years and 2 children my husband wanted out so that he “could move on with his life”. I left work and drove for a few minutes praying for peace and serenity in preparation for the morning courtroom encounter. I parked in a strip mall parking lot and called out to my Lord and Savior to help me face the unknown of the upcoming trial and the loneliness that was overcoming me as I sat in my car with no idea of what to do but cry out for His Presence. Don’t you know, He came to me. I felt Him just behind my left shoulder; a calming awareness that He was there and He said to me in a very soft “voice” “You have nothing to fear. I am with you and everything will be alright” Immediately I felt a peace and serenity like none I had ever experienced before. Then He told me to call Charles and Shirley (my Christian mentors) and tell them He came to me and what He said to me. I did exactly what He asked me to do; blurted it all out in a few seconds to their amazement. I went back to work filled with trust in His words and was clear headed and focused the next day throughout the 6 hours of testimony. I felt Him take over my thoughts and words and actions and I spoke clearly, calmly, and truthfully. When I left court that day I knew He was in control and I was so thankful that our God is a kind and gentle God who is always available to us. To have felt His personal love for me in such a personal way has given me hope in many situations since that time. Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ!
This just happened last week.
My husband wanted to start a side business. We needed about $2,500 to get started. We had an extra car that we could sell for about that amount. When we were pondering what to do the Lord laid upon our hearts a need a family had in our church. they needed a car. I asked my husband if we could give them the van and simply trust God to meet our need. That day we gave them the van. The next day someone gave us $2,500 – the exact amount we needed to start the business. This person had no idea about the van.
My husband launched his business right away and on his first day he booked $1700 of business. After exspenses it’ll be more like $600 but still a complete miracle for us and much needed provision.
I have recieved a miracle just this year of being healed of breast cancer. God is always so good to me. He cares about every detail of my life and loves me more than I can even fathom. Thank you for praying for me,you had a part in making my miracle come to pass.
Mama Beth could you believe with me and pray for my pastor’s 14 year old daughter Gina who the doctor says she needs heart surgery again. She has a skin flap that has grown back around her heart that blocks the blood flow.She is restricted to activity like sports,dance class, or anything fun. Gina is beautiful inside and out,has compassionate for the lost and loves God with all her heart…I would appreciate it Soooo much! Love U! Jude 1:2
My younger sister was taken to the er on nov. 11th with acute renal failure in Austin. She was in ICU for 14 days on dialysis and a ventilator. All the doctors said she was as close to dying as anyone they had seen with sepsis (kidney poisining). She had a 50% change of having permanent kidney damage and would need dialysis for the rest of her life. She is only 43 yrs old with 5 boys, 3 of them still at home who need their mom.
On Friday, December 3rd, she was released to come home. Kidneys functioning on their own, no permanent damage, released with no medicine. She is working hard to regain her strength and the use of her legs. Our family is at awe at God performing this miracle. The doctors have all said she is a miracle!
Last year we were really late on our mortgage payments. It was totally out of our hands. The same day we got the notice that our house was going to foreclosure, with the date we needed to vacate, we received a check from the State explaining that we had overpaid our taxes a few years prior. It was almost the exact amount we needed to catch up on our mortgage! We had no idea we had overpaid, nor had we filed and asked for the refund. Since when does the government voluntarily send anyone money??? Thanks be to God!
Dear Beth…
Here is an update on Baby Samuel…As the blog readers increase each day, from 24,000 to 50,000 yesterday,we are asking our almighty God for a miracle as thousands of prayers asscend into the Glory of His throne room…In Jesus mighty name…
Samuel Opens His Eyes
Posted on 12/10/2010
by lothblogs| 21 Comments
All is well with Samuel today. It’s been a crazy ride of emotions, but the Lord has been faithful and we were able to experience so much of our precious baby. I pray this video encourages you all who have been praying, and spurs you on to continue praying for this wonderful little boy. Next time, I’ll get the angle right!
I am exhausted, so I will write more about today later. For now, I am going to sleep with my beautiful wife, surrounded by my beautiful kids, longing to be with my beautiful Samuel. I am so blessed…
Dear Beth and friends…
Here is the blog link with goes with my previous post…And as God continues to work miracles in the lives of His people, many are gathered and asking for another one. THis Blog of baby Samuel is traveling across the country as thousands of prayers are being up like 0ver this precious baby boy. Please join us in prayer over this precious family…
http://lothblogs.wordpress.com/category/update-on-samuel/
Years of struggling with infertility, God moved on the heart of a woman who who runs an adoption agency while adoption was not even on our radar.
She called, asked if we would consider it. Two and a half months later, our son was placed in our arms. Only God!!
Ok, so I know I’m a bit late to the game on this one….
I am currently experiencing a miracle. My husband lost his job a couple months ago and I’m a stay at home mom. Had you told me a couple months in advance this would happen I would have told you that we were only a few short months from losing our home and going bankrupt – and I would have believed it. Now, 2 months after the fact we have paid all our bills each month and have more money in the bank than when we started. Praise God. I don’t know what the future is for us but I do know that “My God will supply all my needs”
Hi Beth, I just finished working for Samaratine’s Purse operation Christmas Child. I always have a miracle story from that work place! On Monday we were confident of finishing the box processing on Thursday. We did a record amount on Tuesday night, over 63,000. We were on our way to our goal and then Wednesday we did 17,000 by 3pm. Then group after group came that had 20 or 30 schedule and they would tell us the same story, “we only have 5 or 10, everyone cancelled.” It was about a 40% show rate all night long. I told my co-worker, this is a loaves and fishes story, it has to be. God will get all the glory! Yes you guessed it, my jaw dropped when I came in the next day looked at the numbers and we did over 53,000! We do not forget, to say Lord, yes indeed, you have done it, it is done and souls will be touched for eternity for the work that thousands of volunteers did at OCC again in 2010, by your hand.
I also have to tell you that I dreamed I was watching you teach and you made me laugh so hard I had to wake up and go to the bathroom! Yes another Holy Ghost dream with you teaching us.
I love you Beth! ~A~
My daughter had a miscarriage in 2008, then in 2009 she was to give birth to a baby girl in September. She went for 6th month check-up and found out her baby had died. She had Aubree on May 21st, buried her on May 23, 2009. In 2010, she found out she was expecting again. On November 22, 2010 she gave birth to Makenzie “our little red headed miracle baby” she is perfect, healthy, and beautiful. God is so merciful to us. Thank you Jesus.
Being at my Mom’s bedside as she died peacefully was such a gracious miracle. God putting my marriage back together after the fiery trial of adultery. Walking in good physical and mental health while I help my sister who has schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. My son’s smile.
I just stood in Joppa where Peter raised Tabitha from the dead. Stood on the Mount where Jesus multiplied the 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed 5,000 families. Sailed in a boat on the Sea of Galilee where He walked on the water to Peter, where Jesus slept well knowing their lives were not in danger in the midst of a terrible storm. So the word “miracles” stirs up something in me this night as I read the comments here. Don’t we all need a miracle to descend into the deep dark places in our hearts, in our depravity, to find Him and His Resurrection Power and grasp His Love? Yes, we all need miracles for we can’t do it on our own. This past year, I have experienced God healing me of cancer when it had already metastasized. I am clear today. But more than that, He is healing me spiritually in the midst of difficult circumstances of not having a place of our own to live, not having permanent jobs with benefits, not having insurance and having to go to a hefty $2,000 Cobra monthly payment. God has so showed up for us to stir some things deep in my heart to experience Him in ways I never imagined. Just like Paul said in I Tim 1:15, the longer I live the more I see how far I have to go. I have not become all I long to be Phil 3:12. But in the midst of my mess, God has showed up and produced in me a consuming gratitude to see Him as my Supreme Treasure with His Sufficient Power to face anything. I have hope this Christmas and that’s a miracle!
I was at the library talking to a friend and I heard a voice say’go home’. I did not have any reason to go-no meals to fix, no pets but I went home anyway. The scanner was on when I got home. It said a windstorm had come along part of the area I drove home. It knocked trees over the road and messed with the power lines. I could have been hurt. Judging the time from the scanner and how long it too me to get home – it hit the intersection just 5 minutes after I had passed thru it.
I know this is late but thought I’d share. My husband and I were newly married after just six months of dating. We both waited tables at Pizza Hut and were attending Bible College together. We needed to pay rent the next day and were short $15o. So before we both went to work that night we prayed for the money to come in. And Hallelujah it did….just about down to the dollar! He is faithful!
This is a miracle of my grandmother’s. It happened in the late 30’s or early 40’s. One day my grandmother had the children out by the barn. She was watching them and working as they were working in the garden. One by one several of the children asked to go to the house to get water. She said alright but come right back. It dwindled down to just 2-3 children and she took them to the house to see what had happened to the rest.
As they walked around the corner of the barn my grandmother’s heart just about stopped. All the kids were around the well but what really got her was one of her daughters kneeling in the wellrim leaning over into the well with a dipper to get the very first cool dip of water. Her brother had just raised the bucket up to her level. My grandmother did not want to startle her by speaking and causing her daughter to lose her concentration and fall into the well. She was too far away to physically stabilize her daughter.Margaret got her water and got safely down. My grandmother sent the kids to do whatever and she sat on the front porch to recover. While she was there her husband came home and asked why she was so upset. She told him the story. He laughed. She cried. All the children in the story lived to be adults.
Reading all of these posts have been a comfort and inspiration to me as I am going through a very stressful time in my life and desperately needed to be reminded of God’s amazing impact in our lives. I think that it is a miracle whenever I have felt God directly intervene in my life to give me strength when I was at the end of my rope and felt utterly hopeless.
After my freshman year of college my mom had come down to help me pack and drive me on the six hour trip back home. I love my mom and I know that she loves me, but we have always had a very difficult relationship. During the ride home we got in the worst fight we had ever had over something that I now look back on and realize was so foolish and unimportant. We both hurled cruel and hateful words at one another for hours, including her telling me that she did not want me in the family and me yelling back at her that she was an awful mother. In the middle of our horrible fight, my mom told me that she had ovarian cancer and was going to have to go into surgery to have her ovaries removed that month. My initial response was not Christian, it was selfish. I was so hurt that my mother was worried about dying and yet was still saying such hateful things to me. I was exhausted from all the fighting and crying and absolutely devastated at the thought of my mom being sick. I prayed to God to help me and to please be there with me and give me strength. At that moment I looked out the window and saw a rainbow, which to me has always symbolized a promise from God. I took it as a sign that He was with me and it comforted me immensely. God certainly followed through on his promise; my mom’s surgery was successful and she did not need any further treatment. God is also still actively at work in helping me heal my relationship with my mom. It has been less than two years since He gave me that much needed sign, and while things between my mom and me are far from perfect, our relationship has improved so much. That rainbow and the subsequent positive results of my mom’s surgery were definitely a miracle in my life.
Right now I am also at a very stressful point in my life and am praying to God to intervene and help me. I know that this is selfish to ask for your prayers when there are so many people who need God’s help far more than me, but if any of you could help me by praying for me I would be so grateful. Thank you!
Katie,
It is my honor to pray for you. And your Mom. My prayer is that you and your Mom will get on your knees and cry out to Jesus. It is my prayer that you get in God’s word and stay there…wait on the Lord there…hang out in His presence, alone with God. He is faithful, we must be faithful also. He loves you so much and waits patiently for you to reach out to Him. You show up, clear your mind & heart, and wait for that still small voice. It’s mighty and powerful.
Lastly, I pray blessings of peace and joy in your life today and everyday.
Always In Him,
Vickie
Dear Vickie,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful prayer. Your reply touched me so deeply and I am so grateful to you for praying for me and my mom.
Sincerely,
Katie
As I was pulling into my garage one morning after work (I was working nights at the time), a man pulled up in his car right outside of my garage door. We met eyes. Then, all of a sudden, he drove away. I don’t want to overdramatize the story… but I am pretty sure by the look in his eyes that he was up to no good. I cannot wait to get to heaven and find out what made him drive away so quickly. I like to think that He saw STRONG ANGEL in my Garage… or well…. Something made Him leave. ( c :
I went in and went RIGHT to sleep… FULL of PEACE!
Hi there,
For the past 2 school years, I have been able to volunteer to teach children [as I am a certified teacher who cannot find a “regular job”] at “The Ark Home-schooling and Ministry Center” in Harvard, IL 2-3 days/week due to Judy and Bob D.’s hospitality to me. I have been allowed to use the basement of their Christian Bed & Breakfast for FREE; just buying my own food and using the mini kitchen in this fully furnished basement; including Wireless Internet access !
I just figured out if the “housing” part of it came through, that it must be “God’s Plan” for my life right now. I feel that He has simply given me the blessing of teaching children . . .
And, I feel that it is quite a “gift”, for several reasons: 1) it is a Christian/Bible based Center; 2) teaching children brings me such JOY; 3) I am able to go back to work with the same children each week, so I have gotten to know them pretty well; 4) I get paid for my gasoline, and more sometimes. ; 5) I am able to substitute teach of my “off days” at “The Ark”, when/if one of the local school districts call me.
The entire “process of my salvation” had miracle after miracle involved in “it”. . . And, that began years ago. However, it took my willingness to “try out” Miss Beth’s “Believing God” Bible study online, with the first group, way back in Fall 2002 [mind you, I had only heard Miss Beth’s name mentioned one time prior to BG; on KSBJ Christian radio. And, that was a majorly odd way of “being introduced”, as she was on the “Morning Show” playing a game to see who could “spit watermelon seeds the farthest” . . . Do you remember that, Miss Beth ???] After the first session of BG, I simply began to “crave” learning as much as I could about God’s Precious Word. So, I attended the next study “live” at her church in downtown Houston; but was definitely NOT prepared to see 3,000 + women there with me ! [I grew up being rather shy, you see; but, I guess God was just beginning the process of “breaking down my Comfort Zones”.] Anyhow, less than a month later, questions flooded my mind, so, the day after Palm Sunday I felt the NEED to find out “what it was/is ” that Miss Beth, and so many others seemed to have that I did not have within me. Of course, I found out that the “it” was/is really a HE; namely Jesus. [I had grown up in church, and even enjoyed it, but was unfortunately never taught anything about having “a personal relationship/2nd birth/salvation” . . .] And, I invited Jesus to come into my heart to take my sins away, and to take full control over my life in mid April, 2003 in front of 3 precious women from Miss Beth’s church. Thus, besides those 3, that friend [from the school where we both taught, to the NW of Houston] who “coerced me” into “trying out Bible study” was the fourth born-again Christian who I very carefully shared what I called, and will always consider to be, “The best thing that EVER happened in my entire life !” Thank you, Shirley for your prayers and patience !
And, through “Believing God”, I learned to search for “GodSTOPs” [Savoring The Observable Presence of God] ever since . . .
And, some of the major “GodSTOPs” were/are the ladies that I “met” on Miss Beth’s online bulletin board, as well as “Siesta-ville” . . .
In Christ’s Love, Jennifer Olmstead
Janesville, Wisconsin
And, for all of you “southerners”, we have had to deal with ice, snow [only 3-4 inches, though], and bitterly cold temperatures up here. For example, it is 16 degrees F, but the wind makes it feel more like 0 [yes, zero] degrees F here right now . . . However, I am with [and/or am near] my family, and they are very special to me. . .
Last December (2009), I wrote the words “Jesus saves” in the snow on one of my parent’s farm fields. (I live 300 miles away and we were visiting.) This summer, I heard that the corn in that field grew to 11-12 FEET tall. When I went back to the farm in October 2010, the corn was completely harvested, of course, but there was a single stalk still standing in this immense, harvested field. Not only is God a God of miracles, but sometimes, He preserves something against all odds to remind you.
One other glory to this story — I started singing when I saw that lone stalk of corn — started singing “Jesus Saves” in a melody that I did not know. I was overjoyed when I purchased and played Travis’ “Ring the Bells” CD and “found” the song. I must have heard him sing it at one point, and God brought it to my mind. Glory!
As a young child I believed in God and loved Him. But circumstances sent me into foster care and made me an orphan, and gave me a bitter, hateful heart. I spent my life cursing and hating God, and doing every self-destructive thing imaginable. Flash-forward 30 years to finally becoming a full-fledged suicidal alcoholic who put herself into rehab. 5 months out and I went right back to the bottle. One day I was drinking and nearly finished a gallon of Vodka and was so disgusted with myself I went to find every pill in the house, including my blood pressure medications. Thinking of my two sons and feeling even more trapped I finally cried out to God, “If you ever cared, if you ever were there, If you ever loved me, Please save me now because I can’t do this on my on anymore. I give up.” I was in the greatest depths of despair ever, shaking and sobbing and oh so ever sincere and in that very moment the greatest sense of calm and peace enveloped me. It was not like in the movies where trumpets and light and angels descended, but it was as I always imagined a true loving embrace would feel. It WAS a loving embrace. IT was real and true intervention. I wish I had the words to describe my miracle. From that moment on I have never had another physical craving. Yes, there have been moments where the thought of a drink has crossed my mind, but how could I ever ruin that gift? Never! And never again will I ever doubt or Him. I know in my bones, in my soul, in my very being who He is forever more.
Bren, I too know of that loving embrace. God bless you
I didn’t think I had anything for this, but maybe so…
In the last few years, I lost all my closest friends (who were family to me) except one. I lost my job. Church has been a difficult situation. I just lost both my cat and my beloved dog. And now a lingering illness.
Yet, although I have cried and been depressed at times, there have been times of peace, and even a few laughs. I am not suicidal (I was for years). Down, but not in despair. I know God is in control. The fact that I am trusting God through this instead of giving up is a miracle that God can transform you. His Word can change your thinking and his grace is amazing.
Not a flashy miracle but I think it counts, yes?
Yes Michele,
Yes again. Everything helps. You can sure tell who your friends are when tragedy hits. I hope you are feeling better soon. Rebecca
pleading with God for a Christmas miracle for my Matthew’s nerve damage and pain relief and would appreciate prayer warriors to ask with me but also asking for the strength to accept his will whatever that may be. I pray also that his faith be restored and this used for his glory (I wish I could say that was my priority but I would be lying My heart hurts so much seeing him in pain, I am selfish right now so I must be honest, pray for that as well.)
I promised the Lord that any time I could share my story for His glory I would. On July 3, 2010 my 2 children and I were driving home from my parents house after a long day of swimming. It was around 9:20 PM in the evening. We were about 20 yards from our subdivison entrance when a drunk driver going around 80-90 mph came in our lane and hit us head on. I was knocked out and we rolled a number of times. My precious Lord wrapped himself around my 2 children and protected them. He also spared my life as well. I was trapped for around 45 minutes and my son (age 14) climbed out and got his sister (age 8) out of the car and went to call 911. My children only has brusies and scratches. I had several broken bones, but the Lord has seen me through it all and I am healing and I am walking again. I just want all the glory to go to Him.
A few years ago my dear friend, Amanda, miscarried. We walked through the pain of that with her. A few months later she announced that she was expecting and 12 weeks along. Two days later she received devastating news that her baby was no longer growing and there was no chance she still had a life growing inside of her. She asked if it was possible they were wrong, to which she was told no. She never miscarried on her own but eventually scheduled the DNC. The day before she asked to have an ultrasound for closure and to say goodbye. I’ll never forget the phone call from her that afternoon with the news, “The baby is ALIVE.” God brought that baby back to life. We all know it. Our faith was strengthened. While we gathered to pray for her, we asked the Lord to comfort her, to open her womb again, to help her move past the loss. I did find out others were led to pray for the baby’s survival, but we did not. We now ask God for miracles, because we know He is not only capable, but willing! Praise You, Father!!
During my reading of So Long Insecurity, God showed up in a mighty way in my life. As I made my commitment to God 1/2 way through the book, I asked God to touch my hands with his – silly request, but a heart yearning at that time to know He was really in this with me. I sat about 15 minutes with no touch and said I’d wait, but hoped for a touch from the hand of Jesus sometime during the week. I was leading at a seminar in Alaska. After a bit of conflict in my group and a good cry, someone came to my room to talk through some things. We worked through our struggles and she stood and said……….”this is the hand of Jesus” and stretched out her hand to me. Through tears of hope and joy, I took her hand, shared of my request of God and how He had come to visit me through her. It was one of those wonderful Godincidences in my life. And the setting for the book allowed for this visit from God. Thanks.
On October 29th, 2009, I received an email from my husband that could have destroyed everything I held dear. But because of God’s great love for me, He held me up.
To make a long story shorter, my husband was a casualty of not having a father’s love in his life. That wounded him deeper than he ever knew and fueled his pornography and sexual addiction. When he was saved, he thought that God would just clean that up and take it away. Well, after 18 years of marriage, he still faced it everyday. He told me about it in 2001. To say we had a rough year that year would be a gross understatement. He actually almost left me and our five children. But he didn’t, and I thought he was getting better. In fact, we talked about it occasionally, and I asked how he was doing. He always said he was good, but he was lying to me.
We have believed since we met and he was saved that we were called into full-time vocational ministry. We have each worked vocationally in churches part-time throughout the years, but nothing has ever happened on a full-time basis for us, no matter how we prayed and sought God.
In 2006, we moved out of state, and the three years that we were in the other state were so difficult for me, but I grew more than I can even explain in words. I do believe it was God preparing me for what lied ahead for me.
In 2008, we began looking for full-time opportunities. There was one that seemed promising, but it did not work out. However, we still believed we were supposed to be at that church, so he looked for a job in his current vocation in that state, he got one, and we moved last year.
He was here staying with friends for 13 weeks without us while I waited for our house to sell. Which it did not.
In that time period, his addictions spiraled out of control, and on October 29th, he wrote me an email and explained what had happened. He confessed his affair from 2001 (which I suspected but couldn’t prove), and the other sins he had been committing. He ended up in an emotional affair with someone here, and when she stopped it all because she was married, too, it was then that he spiraled downward ending up in a compromising “den of sin.”
It was then that he realized he needed counseling and help. And I found out about it through email while I was 400 miles away!
I don’t recall the exact words of the email because who wants to keep those confessions around to read again and again. I chose forgiveness because I love him, and I love our children… and I love my Lord.
He came home that weekend after his counseling appointment, and that night, we went to our pastor and another couple. The passage in James 5 was my cornerstone, and they prayed over my husband and anointed his head with oil… and my husband was delivered that night from the pain of 30 years.
The next weekend, the kids and I moved here with him. Our marriage is not the same as it used to be because my husband is not the same man he was. He is free!
He has been blogging about his experiences, and I think it has given him a better sense of healing.
Reading So Long, Insecurity has helped me immensely, too. I knew it was the next step in our journey to be able to help other people with their marriages.
We still believe we are called to ministry, even though it may not be vocational right now, but we are called to be the people that God created us to be.
I have seen God do miraculous and healing works in our lives. There is so much more to our story that cannot be told in a few words, but I know that I know that my God loves me, and He has clothed me with strength and dignity, and I am not not afraid of what tomorrow holds. My husband told me that I have been Jesus to him. That is what I want to be.
In 1990 I fell on my knees and told God I wanted to be happy. No matter what that took! God took me to Matthew 5-7. I read those chapters every day for 30 days and they changed my life.
I have spent the last 20 years trying to live my life the way Jesus told us would lead to LIFE and I have found miracles every step of the way – not because my life has been easy – It has been incredibly difficult and broken, yet I have found God’s promises true and every moment of life is a gift to be treasured.
In January of 2008 I started a newsletter called Songs from the Valley – Now I am about to begin my FOURTH year, with a website starting very soon.
There is no circumstance that God cannot bless us through. We are God’s created masterpiece and our lives are the miracle!
I just ordered one for me and my best friend for her birthday in January 🙂 I am excited about this! I love that we get to pick the scriptures that mean the most to us and that God reveals to us.
On a side note…I am reading So Long Insecurity and it is making a huge impact on me. Reclaimed my dignity yesterday and am expecting God to do amazing things 🙂
On cold, cold, winter, morning several years ago, I was backing my car out of the garage to begin my day. Our two daughters were in the backseat, an infant & 2 1/2 year old. Riley, 2 1/2 & wiser that her years, out of the blue, ask me repeatedly “if we were going to “slip” today”. (meaning: if the roads were going to be icy, causing us to slide.) I assured her many times that we wouldn’t, there wasn’t any ice around our home & she need not be concerned at all. She started to get frantic over the possibility of “slipping”. So before I left our driveway, I said a prayer of protection over us & we went on our way. Thank God I did! Not far from our home there was an area of black ice. When I rounded the corner there were cars every direction. We did slip slightly & were in the wrong lane of traffic traveling down a hill. I felt my car directed back into the correct lane, just as a school bus crested the hill coming toward me. We were safe! I was overcome with tears of thanksgiving, gratitude & God’s presence. Praise God for answered prayers & miracles.
God has been so mighty as our Provider, miraculously providing in all sorts of ways during this extended season of unemployment. God bless you all!!! In Jesus’ Love Kathy Knoblock
My mom suffered from giant urticaria for about 3 years. Doctors had no idea how treat her — dozens of meds, possible chemo, a trip to a specialist in Great Britain. Her body was literally allergic to itself. This form of urticaria is known to lead many people to suicide as it is nearly unbearable.
I was at a Global Awakening conference learning about God’s Word on healing. A first and a radical step out of my norm. I went through a prayer line and as hokey as it seemed, after my turn I thought, I blew it! I should’ve asked for my mom to be healed. I got back in line feeling rather desperate and was of the last to be prayed for at the end of a long night. When the teacher came around again, I asked for my mom to be “delivered”. (A very new word for me; didn’t think about it — it just seemed to come out of my mouth.) Before I could finish saying the sentence, I was flat on my back with what felt like electricity on my fingers. All I could think was “Don’t forget this, don’t forget this!!” I was in awe and had no clue as to what was going on.
The next day I wondered how I was going to explain this to my mom who is not a discipled believer. It sounded crazy to me and I was there! While sharing my experience with her over the phone, she said they had disappeared the day before within a much shorter period of time without leaving bruises, and had not popped up anywhere else. That was the end of the giant urticaria!! It’s been about 3 years and she is still blessed. God truly delivered her and she is much more grounded in the Lord. It’s a wild story and makes no sense, definitely does not fit my Baptist background, but it was God. So thankful for His mercy.
A dear friend of mine found out in late August that her daughter was with child. After the initial shock of finding out she was going to be a grandma they had to get her daughter to the doctor for prenatal care. She was already 7 months along and had received no care. The doctors discovered the baby’s diaphram had not developed properly and the internal organs where out of place and they could not see any signs of the baby having lungs. This began a prayer chain that involved many different churches and christians. They were transferred to another hospital that would be more cabable of dealing with the issues this precious little angel would be facing. The doctors gave them zero hope for this baby to survive and make it too surgery. Not to mention he had been diagnosed with a disorder that would cause blindness, deafness and several other malformaties. We continued to pray!!!! The baby was born the monday before Thanksgiving this year. He cried when he was born and the doctors where amazed!!! They sedated this angel and began hooking him up to machines to keep him alive. The surgeon was still doubtful he would ever make it to the O.R. 1 1/2 weeks after birth he was thriving and the surgery was scheduled with the warning he probably wouldn’t make it through. We were all still praying and God heard us and this little angel sailed through the surgery with no problems. He is now off the vent. and other machines keeping him alive. He is breathing on his own. Now he is drinking from a bottle while still receiving IV’s for nutrients. However they are gradually reducing the IV’s as he is able to drink more and more from the bottle. He is not blind! Praise God! He is not deaf! Praise God!!! Everything the doctors said would be wrong with him God said not so fast!!! I am the almighty Healer!!!! They were told after the surgery it would be the end of January before they could carry their angel home. Now they are saying if he continues on this course, they may be home for Christmas!!!!
How beautiful the quilt that God makes of my life is. I was at Deeper Still Birmingham when the Lord placed on my heart that I had not been a good steward of my miracle. And then I started reading your blog, and now you are asking me to give you my miracle. Praise the Lord!
I got mono when I was in the seventh grade and never really recovered. It took almost four years to even be correctly diagnosed with fibromyalgia when I was seventeen. I repeatedly prayed for and even claimed healing a couple times but nothing. My heart grew hard toward the healing I did not receive RIGHT NOW, even as the Lord graciously allowed me to continue to live a relatively normal life despite the fibromyalgia.
When I was 25 my dad was miraculously healed from a leg injury. He and my sister both told me they felt like healing was on the way. I started reading about the spiritual roots of healing, and a week later recieved a vision and healing in the middle of the worship at my church (this is no ordinary thing as a Southern Baptist). The long version of this will be posted on woan.blogspot.com
While my mother was pregnant with me the placenta ripped. The Lord sustained me though, and here I am without a single blemish.
My mom was not able to concieve after she had me, and when she spoke to a doctor about it, they were amazed she had ever had a baby. Apparently her ovaries had never fully developed. I am a miracle.
I fully believe every baby is. After 3years of trying I became pregnant in early 2009, and 8 weeks later I miscarried.
I know now that God a mightly plan for our lives though, because only about 6 weeks later we concieved again and now my precious 1 year old son is taking a nap. I know it was only through prayer and complete faith in what the word says about children, that my son Ira was delivered full term and completely healthy.
I know now that nothing is too insignificant for God. He cares about healing our broken hearts. He is the only God with unlimited resources, and he can and will do anything we ask of Him in Jesus name!
Love you siestas!
Lindsay
I love reading all of these! As with all of you siestas, God has worked mightily in my life and blows me away how He continues to do so, pursuing me daily. I’m so thankful.
My boyfriend and I had recently gotten back together and I was trying out his new professed changes. Taking things slow. It was 4th of July weekend and my family had a get together planned. I was waiting for him to pick me up when I received a phone call from my boyfriend’s mom who was at the hospital. She asked me to come right away but made it sound fairly insignificant. I arrived to find him in a pretty rough condition. He had been riding a wave runner with a friend and as he was speeding across the lake, he hit a wave wrong and came back down to collide with the waverunner. The accident nearly scalped him. Somehow, his friend was able to pull him back on and get him to shore. After arriving at the hospital, the radiologist saw something he “didn’t like” and sent him on to a regional hospital for a possible broken neck. I remember sitting in the hospital waiting room trying to breathe when I felt God asking me just how much I loved him, just how unconditional was this love I professed for him. When I walked in to the trauma room and he was laying on the table, he asked me to marry him. I thought it might possibly be the pain meds. I laughed it off and we waited for the neurologist. The neuro arrived to tell us he had broken (actually shattered in pieces) the same bone Christopher Reeves broke. Guess what? He is not only alive but walking and talking. We were married two years later and now have two boys. That was 10 years ago. God has taken him and molded him into a man with a heart for Jesus. Praise His Name!
Guess what else? Two years after his accident (we were recently married) we found out the bones in his neck never fused with the halo and he would need surgery to repair. He did. All is healed. I went through a health crisis of my own that year. God used our first year of marriage to cement our hearts together. Its my prayer they will always stay that way!
God is still a God who does miracles. My great-grandma never went to see any doctors, every time she had any pains, she would just pray to God to heal her… and He would. She lived until 92yrs old.
God heals headaches, aches and sprains. Praise God!!
Oh, Beth God has certainly granted me the most wonderful miracle. It’s going to be hard to keep this short. On June 7, 2010 my husband and I were living in Okinawa, Japan getting ready to move back to the states on June 26th. On the 7th we went to see a maternal fetal medicine specialist for our first routine OB appt for our third pregnancy. At that visit the doctor told us she thought the baby would miscarry before 20weeks and probably had major problems. At a visit a week later things were improved and she thought the baby would live, but still concerned for major abnormalities. We were scared. The devil attacked, mostly me. Somehow God gave my husband, a family physician, the grace and wisdom to lead me through the last 7 months. We left Okinawa not in the way we’d imagined leaving a place we loved so much. We made it home to Virginia and close to family. On July 14th, 2010 we went to see the maternal fetal medicine specialist at Bethesda. God had provided many signs to my husband that He was at work. I was barely hanging on. Begging God for a miracle yet knowing that even if He chose not to heal our baby He would still be good. That was hard to accept. The appointment revealed a completely NORMAL baby. The doctor couldn’t find anything wrong. We were stunned. Humbled. I had a follow up a month later and the results were the same. A completely normal baby. The next months were difficult. I struggle with depression anyway and this experience didn’t help that. The devil found ways to get in my thoughts everyday. My husband encouraged me to believe. To believe God is who He says He is no matter what. I came to LPL in Richmond, VA. Just about an hour before the Friday night session my husband was talking to me about Belief. About how God wouldn’t make me believe, but that He would bring me as far as He could to it and I would have to choose. That night you and Travis talked about Belief. That the word believe is in the gospel of John something like 90 times. I got the message but still had trouble. I daily asked God to forgive my unbelief and to help me believe. I then listened to the So long insecurtiy simulcast and you said “insecurity is not a weakness it is unbelief”. I think God was working on something. So fast forward several months and our precious baby girl was born December 9, 2010. She is perfect. Totally healthy and our miracle. I still am in awe over God’s goodness and power. Thanks for letting me share my miracle. Thank you for being part of it too. Merry Christmas!
A year ago, when I was pregnant with my second daughter, she was diagnosed with a duodenal atresia. Infants born with duodenal atresia have a 25-40% chance of having down syndrome. God showed me through the teachings of Andrew Wommack and Joseph Prince, that He always, always wants us well. I used to speak out in faith over my little one everyday (with verses like 1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 54:17) while she was in the stomach. Abigail, though born at 30 weeks on Jan 12,2010, is today completely normal and perfect in every sense of the word. She truly is our miracle child.
My husband and I serve in a mission in a mobile home park through our Baptist Association. We have served there almost 7 years now. For our first Christmas Eve Service we had some petite four cakes one of our churches had left over. My husband had suggested that we put four on a plate to give each family. We didn’t even know if we would have anyone, but our doors were going to be open! A friend and I counted them three times. There was enough for nine and a half plates, BUT when we finished we had 11 complete plates!!! We looked at each other said,”We must be going to have 11 families!” Yes, we had EXACTLY 11 families!!! Nothing is impossible for Him!!! This is just one of many stories.