Testimonies
Shannon Callan
Lynda Gilpin Wendy
Jobe David Carter
Kathy Garner
Sharon Brown Sophie Gonzales
Ron Lohr Healing Touches
Nigeria
Mission Trip Testimonies: - 2005
& 2007
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Introduction
In this section, you will read the stories of people
who have received help from God. Jesus was sent by God the Father, and
he was anointed by the Spirit of God, to do something about our
condition. Jesus, the Son of God, is authorized and empowered to do
something about every condition people face. The Lord Jesus comes to
share good news that God saves, to set free captives from their bondages
and addictions, to heal the sick, and to release the discouraged and
oppressed (Luke 4:18-19).
Jesus is still touching people today and changing lives. God does
this in many different ways. Sometimes, the Lord sovereignly touches
people. At other times, the Spirt of Christ uses another person to be a
helper, to bring a touch, to release grace, or to be an instrument of
God’s blessing.
May you be encouraged as your read these stories. May you come to the
realization that God loves you and wants to touch you like he touches
others. And, may you become an agent of his touch and blessing in the
earth today. We pray that God’s kingdom will come, and that his will
be done on earth today as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
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By Shannon Callan
I just got back from an amazing two months,
Sept. – Oct., 2007, serving the Lord as a missionary in
Nigeria
. I went with an organization called SIM, Serving in
Mission
, which has been serving for many years in
Nigeria
. I was working mostly as the librarian/reading tutor at a home for boys
who formerly lived on the street, and also helping tutor a Nigerian
woman in English so that she could serve the mission in an
administrative capacity. Throughout my time overseas, I sent a number of
e-mails home to keep friends, family, and intercessors updated on what I
was doing. This is a copy of my final e-mail, my “swan song,” so to
speak, my final reflection on and summation of my experience. Hope you
enjoy this little taste of my experience!
Well, friends, I am afraid that the time has
come for us to part. But, because of this tragic but monumental
occasion, I have cooked up something special with which to say goodbye. So
today I present to you, completely free of charge, the all-new, never
before seen, and exclusive interview with Shannon Callan, conducted by
none other than the brilliant and insightful Shannon Callan! (Hey, I
don't have a lot of options. Barbara Walters isn't exactly
pounding down the door to do this kind of thing.) And now for our
feature presentation:
Shannon: So,
Shannon
, thanks for taking the time to meet with me today and answer some
questions. I know you must have a lot on your plate. And can I say that
your time in
Nigeria
seems to have made you more attractive than ever?
Shannon
: [laughs] Oh, you are too kind! But I'm always happy to set aside some
time to talk to my biggest fan.
Shannon
: Absolutely! Well, let's get down to business. One question that many
long-time readers have been asking is the perennial favorite: What was
the best part about your time in
Nigeria
?
Shannon
: Naturally it's difficult for me to boil it down to just one thing,
except for maybe that achaba (motorcycle) ride I wrote about! But
seriously, if I had to say what the best thing was, it was
relationships. That is such a huge focus of Nigerian life and when you
are willing to give yourself to it, it really blesses you in return.
Even in the acquaintances that you form with vendors in the market or
neighbors across the street, it's amazing how willing other people are
to share their lives with you and how enthusiastic they are to know
about yours. People in
Nigeria
really understand the lasting value of a good conversation. I was also
amazed that I was able to get as close to the other missionaries as I
did in only two months. I was blessed to really form some friendships
even in that short time, and I was sad to have to leave those friends
behind. And of course, the relationships that I was able to form with
the former street kids I was working with was amazing. They are
full of so much promise and so many hopes and dreams for the future and
so many of them already know that whatever they plan to do, they want to
serve God for the rest of their lives. It is such a privilege to have
been able to spend the time with them that I did. And I expect to hear
great things from them in the future.
Shannon: So, Shannon, how do you think that your
time in
Nigeria
has changed you personally?
Shannon
: That's a difficult question and I don't think I'll fully know the
answer for another few months. But I think one of the things that's
changed is that I'm at least able to be slightly more outgoing than I
was in the past. I think that's just what's demanded of you in an
extroverted culture, so I think I may have changed to become more like
that in just trying so hard to adapt. That's my hope at least. On the
more negative side, I think one of the most difficult "reverse
culture shock" kinds of things I've been dealing with since coming
back to the States is trying to accept how demanding and downright rude
Americans can be. So many people seem to be walking through life with
this strange delusion that they are the most important person around and
what they want is of paramount concern to everybody else. Why is that? I
want to be able to be gracious, but sometimes I just feel like smacking
someone!
Shannon
: Wow, okay, well, let's forge ahead. Here's a hard-hitter: What do you
think God was teaching you during your time in
Nigeria
?
Shannon
: I think that signing up for missions service is kind of like being
enrolled in the School of Hard Knocks. Because of the situation you find
yourself in, it's kind of like everything God's been saying to you
suddenly has exclamation points on the end. One of the things I've
always struggled with is
coming to terms with my own weakness. I've always
wanted to be the independent one, the one who didn't need any help, who
was never sick or tired or incapable, no matter what the situation.
During my time in
Nigeria
, God was showing me that that kind of attitude isn't only unrealistic
and unhealthy, it's sinful. I'm still reeling from that one. And I've
discovered that that kind of pride is crippling, because in
self-sufficiency we not only cut ourselves from the strength we get from
other people's support, but we cut ourselves off from the support of God
himself. We also cultivate contempt for other people who are willing to
admit that they are weak, which isn't healthy or loving. So far I've
just started to realize the implications of this, and have not yet had a
chance to walk it out, so hopefully I'll eventually get to the point
where this actually bears some kind of fruit in my life. The big
unfinished lesson is something about trusting God, and why it is that we
trust God and what it means for God to be trustworthy, because I think a
lot of what I thought about those questions was shaken up by the
robbery, but I am very much in the middle of that one right now.
(A little over halfway through my time in Nigeria,
I was eating dinner with a couple of friends when two armed men broke
into the apartment where we were eating and stole some of my friend’s
belongings before one of my friends was able to sound the alarm and
scare them away.)
Shannon
: So, if you don't mind my asking, how are you doing with processing the
whole robbery incident? I know you just did a lot of debriefing with SIM
member-care personnel at their headquarters in
Charlotte
when you first got back to the States, but where are you with that now?
Shannon
: Mmmm, I can't hide anything from that famous piercing insight of
yours, can I? Well, debriefing was really good, really thorough. I
pretty much spent 4 solid days straight talking about different issues
in my processing of the event. I'm going to be really honest with you. I
still struggle with feeling fearful. I feel like a lot of people's sense
of security is based on the belief that nothing really bad could ever
happen to them. That illusion is stripped away when something like that
happens and you can't really rebuild on that same foundation. That's
probably a good thing, because it's the wrong foundation to build your
security on in the first place, but it's still very difficult. But I
know that time will also help to repair that sense of security. And I
also know that God never guarantees anyone’s safety, whether they’re
pastors or missionaries or no matter who they are. In fact, it’s the
opposite. Jesus warns us that we ARE going to face persecution and
danger in doing his work. That doesn’t change the fact that we are
called, and I think the consequences for disobeying the call of God are
even greater. Look what happened to Jonah.
Shannon
: Well thanks for your honesty. So, besides seeing your family and
friends, what is the best thing about being back in the States?
Shannon
: I don't think it's possible to overestimate the simple joys of
brushing your teeth with water straight from the tap. For me that just
embodies a lot of what's nice about the States: sanitation, convenience,
not having to worry about upsetting your stomach at every meal. And, I
haven't really had a chance yet, but I'm very much looking forward to
being able to go to the grocery store. It's going to be nice not to have
to negotiate the price of every bunch of carrots and bag of sugar.
Shannon
: Time-saving, at the very least. So, now you're kind of back to square
one in terms of the age old "You've just graduated from college,
what are you going to do now?" question. What's in store for you in
the future?
Shannon
: Have I ever mentioned how obnoxious that question becomes after a
while? But in the short term, the plan for the immediate future is to
live at home for a while and work on finding myself a job. For long term
plans, I need to become a celebrity in the next few years so that I'll
be able to compete on Dancing with the Stars. I'm not sure what kind of
notoriety I would like to achieve, but it doesn't really matter, as it's
just a means to an end. But after that, I think I will go on to do some
seminary studies to prepare me for a future in some kind of Christian
service, or to give me another shiny degree to hang on the wall of my
office when I make manager at the local McDonald's.
Shannon
: Okay, I realize that I've already taken up a great deal of your
valuable time, but I have just one more question: What would you say to
someone who's contemplating missions work?
Shannon
: Well, to borrow the words of the Roman goddess Nike, I would say,
"Just do it!" A lot of people hold themselves back from taking
advantage of the opportunities that come their way because they're
scared or they have a myriad of excuses, like finances, work,
opportunities, getting sick on local food, all kinds of things. I think
a lot of people psych themselves out of it by allowing themselves to see
only obstacles, instead of asking "Is there some way
I could get around this?" before giving up.
And as for being afraid, well, I guess I know as well as anybody that
there are good reasons to be afraid of going on the field. But there are
also good reasons to be afraid to go to downtown, or to go out your
door, for that matter. If you look for a reason to be afraid, you will
always find it. And as I said before, we are promised danger and
tribulation and that holds true no matter where we are. So, seriously, I
would say that if international missions are something you feel called
to, or even if it's only something you feel like you might be called to,
pursue it.
Shannon: Well, again,
Shannon
, thank you for your time. You know, I heard that you were an
intelligent woman, but talking to you has just revealed a depth to your
perspicacity that I didn't even know existed. It is such an honor to be
able to spend this time with you.
Shannon
: Really, it was nothing. As I said, I'm always willing to talk with
someone who appreciates the honor.
Well, that's about it for me. Again, I cannot say
enough thanks to all of you for all of your support and your prayers and
your e-mails and words of encouragement. I have so much enjoyed bringing
you all on this journey with me, and I know that God goes with you on
your journey, no matter where it takes you.
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Celebrating Years of God’s
Healing Grace and Mercy
Lynda Gilpin, 10-3-07
Editor’s note: Lynda’s testimony is powerful.
She celebrates the Lord’s continuous work of physical and emotional
healing in her life. Lynda has been a member of Calvary since the early
days, has served on the mission field in
Russia
and
Israel
, and continues to serve faithfully at
Calvary
on the World Missions Council and through small groups.
I believe that healing comes in our spirit, body,
and soul, (mind, emotion, physical healing), because this has been my
experience in my walk with the Lord.
In 1989 the Lord was speaking to me to come to the
end of self, to admit where I was, and to come and cry out to him. (I
was in recovery from a recent divorce and years of mental abuse.)
My friend Magan said to me at church one day, “We
should forget the makeup. We come and cry it off every service.” It
was as if the Lord was saying, “Don’t hide behind anything, no false
fronts. Be open and transparent so that you can learn what is in your
heart.”
Mahesh Chavada prayed for me at the Kansas City
Conference in 1990, in his session for healing of damaged emotions. I
had never really embraced that thought before, but I knew that it was
from the Lord.
Thus began my journey of pressing in to the Lord,
asking for this healing to become complete in my life. It seemed that
every service as we came together at Calvary the Lord was supernaturally
healing something deep inside of me that I was not even aware of that
needed healing.
I would sit in the worship and teaching services
and weep. I continually asked good friends to pray for me as I felt that
I needed others to stand in the gap with me. I wondered if they would
tire of seeing me as I approached them for prayers. But, I continued to
follow the leading of the Lord.
In 1991, again at the Kansas City Conference, the
Lord revealed to me that he was healing/delivering me from the fear of
man, imparting a new level of boldness within me.
He did this in an interesting way, through an
encounter with a homeless, demon-possessed man who approached me in a
park at the table where I was sitting for morning coffee outside the
hotel we stayed in. The man sat down and literally growled at me while
speaking. I recognized he had a demonic spirit, and I told him Jesus
loved him. I sat there as long as I could stand it trying to witness to
him and finally got up and staggered away in tears.
I was emotionally undone as this event unfolded
that early morning; he had frightened me profoundly. I was alone,
sitting by myself at that table writing in my journal, and there was no
one around to help me.
As I left the table, God sent me an angel in
disguise. Suddenly there was a precious, gentle old man who appeared
where he had not previously been. He pulled his small Bible out of his
pocket and began to speak in a calm way to me. He said he totally
depended on the Lord for all he needed, and lived by the words in his
Bible.
When I made my way into the auditorium and found
the area our group was sitting in, I shared with friends there what had
happened. They prayed with me. In the praise and worship service, the
presence of the Lord was so heavy on me I could hardly stand. Two people
were holding me up.
It was during this worship service that the Lord
made me aware that he was giving me a spirit of boldness and that I had
a hidden fear of man-- what they thought and how they had treated me in
the past. He was setting me free.
Alan Vincent visited
Calvary
in 1992. I had never met him, nor heard him speak. As he was giving his
message, he stopped about 5 minutes into it and stated, “There is a
lady here that has a back problem and God wants to heal you.”
For several months I had been dealing with one of
those “bend over and tie your shoe back slip outs.” I had been to a
chiropractor, had treatments, and had some relief. However, I was far
from being well.
God had impressed in me that I still harbored
unforgiveness toward my former husband. I had to learn what
unconditional forgiveness really meant. Although I had dealt with some
parts of that, and was still working on it as God revealed things to me,
I came to realize that my physical back problem was connected to this
issue of unforgiveness.
This seemed to be the time and place that God chose
to deal with it. As I went to the front of the church for Alan to pray
for me, the power of the God was so intense that I “rested in the
Spirit” for the remainder of that service.
It was an hour and a half before I could manage to
sit up, I was so drunk in the Spirit. I had to be driven home, missed
the next day of work, and I was still drunk. When my head cleared, my
back was entirely healed.
God impressed on me to read
Daniel 8:27
“As he was exhausted and lay ill for several days.” My healing was
so complete that months later I went to
Latvia
with our first mission team and shuffled two seventy pound pieces of
luggage-- one for me, and one for Tammy Ross who lived in
Latvia
.
Jack Deere spoke over me by name at a conference
from a crowded room of hundreds in March of 1993.
His word was “There is a woman named Lynda here.
You feel defeated in your prayer life, feel condemnation, and feel
worthless. You think you cannot change, you don’t like yourself, and
you think God doesn’t even like you. You’re more in touch with
failure than truth. These are lies of the enemy. God can change all
that; you are powerless to change this. God loves you. He has planted a
seed already in your heart. It will grow into a beautiful plant. There
will be a stability in your emotions which you have never experienced
before. Take one step to Him; He will run to you. You will feel in your
heart the affection the Lord has for you. You will have a hunger to
pray. It will be a sovereign work the Lord is going to do.”
A few months later, I was on my way to
Moscow
,
Russia
, with The Commission Program, teaching Christian Morals and Ethics in
Russian schools to Russian teachers. That in itself is a miracle story
of God’s provision for me to go.
I was living out the words that Jack Deere had
spoken over me, and when I returned in 1994 to
Calvary
, again God touched me with healing from a spirit of rejection. I was
scheduled to make the second trip into
Latvia
with a mission team.
As they prayed for our team, God profoundly touched
me as I rested once again in his Spirit. Robert Smith told me the Lord
was healing me of this rejection. Later when I tried again to get up, I
fell again. This time pastors Jeff McGee and John Foster came to pray
for me. Jeff McGee spoke that the Lord had healed me of a spirit of
rejection, that he was giving me authority to pray for those who also
suffered from rejection.
The most recent physical healing I have experienced
is for my right arm. I injured it late in 2006, lifting heavy objects,
then overworking it at the shoulder joint. I had asked for prayer
several times at LIFT group and at the end of Sunday service.
A word was spoken to me that the healing would not
be complete until after I returned from the Nigerian Mission Trip (in
January, 2007), and that I would never be the same after this trip.
While there, a pastor prayed for the congregation
for healing. There was grace to ask the Lord at that time for the
healing we needed. Debbie Buckles was praying for me. For the first time
in months I was able to raise my arm above my head and rotate it some.
This has been so awesome for me.
Celebrating the goodness of the Lord,
Lynda Gilpin
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Healed of Food Allergies
Wendy Jobe - December 2007
Editor’s note: At a recent Friends and Family
Service, Wendy Jobe shared a remarkable testimony of God’s healing.
The Lord surprised Wendy during a church service with his presence in a
tangible way. We rejoice with Wendy and celebrate the grace and goodness
of our Living God.
Two years ago, I found an explanation for why I had been feeling so ill
for the previous several years. I had had body aches, horrible
headaches, stomach cramps, nausea, fatigue, sinus infections along
with laryngitis, pharyngitis, bronchitis, and tonsillitis. My
doctor finally gave me an allergy test and discovered that I was
allergic to a host of foods (wheat flour, gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts,
oranges, tuna fish, and a lot of other foods) that I had been consuming
daily. I had been poisoning myself. After a period of detoxation, I
changed my diet and my health radically improved. For two days after I
found out about the allergies, I really struggled with God. I was not
happy thinking about never being able to eat pizza and bread again!
After that, I decided to accept that God knew this was happening and
maybe He had a reason and a plan.
Then, in early November of this year, I was at church one Sunday,
enjoying the worship, but sitting down because I had had some
“forbidden” food which was making me feel sick. During the worship
time, a few of the men spontaneously began making a circle around the
worship center while we sang. My husband took my hand and led me to be a
part of the circle as more and more people began making their way to the
edge surrounding the sanctuary. It was a powerful moment as we sang,
holding hands, standing together in a big circle worshipping the Lord.
At that time, one of the men of the church began walking around the
sanctuary waving a flag in worship. When the flag breezed past me, I
felt God’s presence just flow through my body and the word
“healing” popped into my head. When the songs ended, and we returned
to our seats, I asked my husband, Duane, if he felt God’s presence
come over him in a strong way when the flag went by. He said that he had
not. I thought about what it was that God was speaking to me, and I felt
prompted that God was speaking to me about healing my food allergies.
I was so surprised that I didn’t even mention it to Duane for about a
week. I decided to test it out by eating some of those allergen foods to
see what might happen. What happened was nothing! I ate bread and had no
reaction. I drank a glass of milk and sat waiting for the inevitable to
happen and it never did. After about a week I told Duane everything that
had been going on and we hesitantly rejoiced and kept waiting to see if
anything would happen. Now, it is the beginning of January and I am
healthy and happy, and eating a diet that would have knocked me off my
feet just three months ago! I’m still amazed at how that could have
happened!
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Fort Bend Youth for Christ
David Carter
Editor’s note: Recently, David Carter sent out an
update on their ministry. Then, he followed it up with an encouraging
email. This testimony includes updates from both the recent letter and
email.
FBYFC is growing and expanding at a rapid rate,
reaching more teenagers than any other time in our history. Last year we
were able to present the Gospel to more than 2,200 kids and had over
1,000 first time decisions to follow Christ.
In our Youth Guidance ministry, we have been given favor with the county
to have an open door to the
Ft.
Bend
Juvenile
Detention
Center
. All kids between 10 and 18 years of age, who get in trouble with the
law in
Fort
Bend
, are brought to this facility. We have a running joke that JDC does not
stand for
Juvenile
Detention
Center
! rather, it means
Jesus
Development
Center
. It's because we have Bible studies and/or church services there every
day except Saturday. We also provide Bibles and study helps to ensure
these kids get a good dose of the Word.
We continue to work with the teenagers in two boot camps. They have
weekly Bible studies in which we provide them with their own Bible and
one-on-one counseling. This ministry provides more of a high impact
relationship, since these kids have to stay with the boot camp for at
least 6 months.
In our Campus Life ministry, we work with kids in local high schools in
an off-campus club setting. Any teenager can attend Campus Life. The
meetings are high energy with much activity, including camps and trips.
The ministry greatly depends on forming strong, significant
relationships with kids in order to share Christ in an effective way.
We also played a significant role in Fort Bend Convoy of Hope. It was a
county wide program reaching more than 3,500 people from low income
families. These people were given food, medical treatment
(vaccinations), groceries, clothes, prayer, and a chance to receive
Christ.
And, here is more good news. We have been invited to
Brazoria
County
in order to start a ministry in their
Juvenile
Detention
Center
. That just about doubles overnight our ministry to kids. Our goal is to
continue to take quality ministry into each county facility (which are
state run institutions) and then reproduce ourselves in other counties.
After so many years, I believe we have a good operating system that can
be duplicated.
Fort
Bend
has around 2,000 kids a year. Over
half of those kids respond to the Gospel each year.
I cannot guarantee that each decision made is genuine, but all we
can do is plant seeds and water and depend on God to give the increase.
Right now, we have 25 volunteers working throughout the week in
the
Fort
Bend
facility. We commonly call
the ministry the
Bible
College
because we have Bible Studies every day except Saturday, because that's
visitation day for the parents. We make up for Saturday by having two
Bible studies on Sunday.
We do need you prayers. We
need to believe for another 25 volunteers.
Your servants in Christ,
The
Fort
Bend
Youth for Christ Team
David Carter Executive Director
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By Kathy Garner - September
2007
I do not believe that I would be alive today if it
weren’t for
Calvary
. I don't think that I would be able to smile and feel the joy of life
in spite of circumstances. The prayers and the help you have given me
are too many to mention. I am grateful for Cleansing Streams, Healing
Touches, Artisans, Ladies Bible Study, our pastoral staff, and the
friends I've made. I'm so very, very grateful. I have had nothing but
love and wisdom poured into my life. God has touched me primarily with
his Spirit.
Okay, what flooded my heart is contained in the rest
of this testimony. I'm hopeful, now that I've started writing, that
God will help clear my mind and help me to communicate. But, I think
the previous paragraphs just about summed it up.
When I first walked in
Calvary
11 years ago, I knew I was home. This was prior to the big battle and
severity of aggression ahead with the Crohn’s and Rheumatoid
Arthritis. I had been attending Woods Edge in the Woodlands for
several years prior to visiting
Calvary
. I drove out there every weekend to go with friends; but I live only
5 minutes from
Calvary
.
Bryan Barrows introduced me to
Calvary
. That man is like a brother to me, and if for nothing else, I'm
forever grateful to him for that introduction.
I had attended several services for about a year on
and off prior to joining. I saw the love that Steve was talking about
yesterday. I felt the Lord's presence strongly. I saw the fruit of the
Spirit at
Calvary
. That's when I thought about joining. I had never considered joining
a church before. For the first time, I understood what it meant to sow
seed into good ground. So, as a visitor, I started tithing to
“test” the soil.
Not long after deciding to join, I was in the
emergency room with a Crohn’s attack and almost lost the battle that
day. I had a very strong sense of God’s Spirit with me also. I was
told by my doctors, during that hospital stay, that I had to leave
“Corporate America,” or it was going to kill me.
I was devastated. I identified myself so much by my
accomplishments. God was definitely using this to change my direction.
It was a classic
Romans 8:28
situation. He had me right where he wanted me: at home and in the fold
of
Calvary
.
After one applies, there is a six month waiting
period to determine eligibility for social security disability. All of
my doctors came through with the paperwork quickly, understanding that
their time was definitely my money. In the meantime, I didn't have an
income and I had a mortgage and major medical bills.
Within a couple of weeks of being at home, a check
came in my mail from my insurance company for an “over payment.”
It was a pretty large sum. Then another came a week later for an even
greater amount. The two combined amounted to a hundred-fold return on
my tithe. It was just enough to get me through the next six months
before the social security disability kicked in.
I can see such a pattern with all of this, but it's
so intertwined. It's as if it's a cob web. It's definitely a pattern,
but not what I would have chosen. I am so grateful though. I am alive.
I do have my home business. I am able to be more active in my own
community with its needs. I've been able to mentor the coolest kid in
fifth grade. We’ve been meeting since she was in the second grade. I
now have new family and friends. These are ALL God’s accomplishments
and I'M SO GRATEFUL. That's why I can smile even on the bad days.
Thank you,
Calvary
, and TO HIM BE ALL THE GLORY!
Kathy R. Garner
GARNER Media
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By Sharon Brown
In 1992 I found out that I had breast cancer. It was a
very bad grade 3 going into a 4, with 4 being the worst. I had
received prayers for total healing, but God did not answer the way
that I thought that he would. I wanted to be totally healed so
that I would not have to have any surgery, but another lump had come
up under my right arm. The doctors told me that if the lump in my
breast was cancer, then the new lump under my arm would be cancerous
also. After much prayer, my husband and I decided that I should
have a modified radical mastectomy. Several days after the
surgery, I asked the doctor about the lump under my right arm and he
said it was “a badly infected lymph node, but no cancer."
That was my healing – God did hear my prayers and saved my life.
I had two small boys in elementary school and they needed their Mom.
I did have to go through 10 months of chemo, which was very hard, but
I knew that My God, My Lord and Savior would get me through it.
I have now been cancer free for 14 years – all because of the grace
and mercy of our Heavenly Father.
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Divine Intervention for Unborn
Child
By Sophie Gonzales
On March 8, 2007, my obstetrician called
to tell me that he saw many cysts on my unborn baby's kidneys. I
immediately went into prayer mode. I called everyone I could think of
and wanted to raise up a spiritual army for God. I believe the enemy
wanted to choke me with fear since I had previously lost a baby
at thirty-two weeks. I was full of righteous anger. Everyone
literally prayed for my baby without ceasing. I stood on God's
promises and reminded Him of His word.
Then on March 12, I went to see the
specialst that would handle my situation. He could not find anything
wrong with the baby's kidneys. They were normal and fine. When I
talked with my general
OB
, he did not know what to say. He was sure of what he had seen. I
told him that I believed what he saw were cysts, but that God is still
on the throne and that He heals today just the same as He did
long ago.
God healed Maribeth Sophia Gonzales, who was born
healthy and whole on May 11, 2007.
Testimony by Sophie Gonzales
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A Transforming and
Liberating Encounter through
Calvary
By Ron Lohr
Thank you, Steve, and Calvary
Community
Church.
For 33 years, I served zealously in an active, busy church. I served
twenty-eight in full time ministry, most as senior pastor. The problem
was that it was a Christian cult. At least it was Christ-centered, but
it qualified as a cult by many definitions. Everything was fine,
except we kept praying for the leading of the Holy Spirit and our
leader kept saying, “Don’t believe me, but believe the Bible!”
Little did we know that every Saturday members of Jack Hayford’s
church in Southern California were prayer walking the perimeter of our
property in Pasadena
. We were so busy keeping the holy Sabbath that only our security
department noticed.
Gradually, God softened our leader’s heart to the Person, Jesus, and
history was made. As far as I know, no other cult, as a group, has
come into authentic Christianity. I will not even mention the name of
the church because this is to celebrate the involvement of Steve Meeks
and Calvary
Community
Church.
I would like to say that the movement to grace and Jesus was led by
me. However, I had been one of the hard line loyalists to the old
ways. Thanks be to God, I caught the vision quickly, began to change,
and preach the “New Covenant Changes.” You might think this was a
time of joy and euphoria. It was and it was not. Families were split,
ministers left (some with most of their congregations), income
dwindled, and two colleges were closed.
It was a lonely time in a way in the mid 1990’s for a minister in
the “former cult.” It was a time when my congregation was
shrinking in numbers; yet, I knew that responding to the changes was
right and of Him. In those lonely times, some of the loyal, “new
covenant” ministers remaining in the worldwide organization used the
phone and email to encourage one another. Some of the messages I
received, particularly from two friends in the pastoral ministry,
inspired me to compile these positive comments and circulate them to
other pastors who could surely use some encouragement. Well, it caught
on and the “Good News Grapevine” was born.
I used mailing list capacity on our in-house CCMail Program and sent
out volumes of material of a Christ-centered nature that served to
inspire the remnant of those dedicated to Jesus only for their
salvation, and those who were willing to admit that “we went to bed
as an only child, and woke up the next morning shocked that we had
millions of brothers and sisters in Jesus.”
With email, the updates and volumes went to
Australia,
South Africa, the UK, and all over
Europe. There were at least 10,000 readers on a weekly basis and all of this
was free.
Someone reviewed a book we had never heard of, Relational Christianity
by Steve Meeks. I got one from the
Houston
office of Calvary (I pastored in
Tulsa
at the time) read it, and gave sermons from it. Personal relationship
had been important to us but when you are the one and only true church
on the face of the earth” and the “only game in town” it is easy
to be spiritually smug.
Many people wanted the book so I arranged a special deal through a
kind lady, Marylin. Steve later told me that there were hundreds of
books involved and some day we may know how many lives it affected.
In 1997, I resigned from the full time ministry of that brave
denomination feeling led by God to do other ministry and fund it
myself. Shortly after my transition in the fall of 1997, I traveled to
Houston
on business and in an attempt to do some reconciling, I decided to
stop by Calvary
Church
on a weekday and thank Steve if I could get to him, for all that he
had done for me, though we had never met. I stopped by unannounced and
was invited to join Steve in a staff prayer meeting. He knew me
instantly, and sensed what I had been and was going through. The staff
laid hands on me and prayed. I rarely shed a tear, but I did then.
In addition, for 10 years I did secular work, ran the internet
ministry, and worked in sales management traveling with clients in 23
states. In early 2007, God opened the door for me to serve Him and His
people at Open Door Mission, where, among other things, I teach a
class, titled, “Relational Christianity.” That is where the story
gets interesting again.
Developing mentors for our clients at the faith-based mission is one
of my joys. Mentoring can be done at an Astros game so I accepted
tickets from Michael Acves-Lewis of Mission Houston and went to the
game with about 50 of our guys. During the game, I saw my friend,
Michael, with his family about 15 rows in front of our group. I
noticed there were a couple of empty seats near him so I went down to
watch the game and talk with Michael and Cynthia, his wife, who is
brilliant but knows little about baseball. I enjoyed talking with her
and introduced myself to the person behind her who was also a guest of
Mission Houston.
And, who was it? Jeff McGee. Small world? No, big God. About this
time, we were beginning the “Relational Christianity” class. (A
class title that I ruthlessly stole from Steve.) Our bestseller
textbook was selected. However, our source “dried up.” Once again,
I asked for help from
Calvary
Community
Church, this time from my new friend, Jeff McGee. In addition, he sent 20
books immediately to the Open Door Mission and the men are intrigued.
Some are unsure of their relationship with Jesus. Most in the class
are Prodigal Sons, which means they graduated from the DoorWay
Recovery program then relapsed and came back to the ODM for help. They
are given three months to regroup spiritually. Now, for the first time
they are reading Relational Christianity!
That brings us up to date to
July 15, 2007.
Thank you Steve, Marylin, and Jeff for your help over the last 12
years. In my remaining time, I want to live and promote relational
Christianity and the Person, Jesus. I am through with religion.
In Christian Love,
Ron Lohr
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2-19-07
Editor’s note:
Calvary
touches people locally and globally. We have members who minister to
people in our own congregation, in our own community, in local prisons,
and in other places in our city. Healing Touches, which is led by Joe
and Joanne O’Sullivan, is one of the ministries at
Calvary
which has far reaching impact. Joe and Joanne have helped other
congregations establish prayer for healing. The following testimony
comes from a member of another congregation in
Houston
. This person serves as the prayer coordinator in their church. We were
asked to share the testimony without names, for the sake of
confidentiality. Rejoice with us in this testimony. Give thanks for
Healing Touches. Ask God to continue to bless others through Healing
Touches.
Thanks, Joe and Joanne, for serving the Lord and the
body of Christ.
I had been going through a "funk" for about
six months. I had also been sick for two years with severe
allergies. I had been prayed for, had gone for prayer, and had people
come to my home to pray for me. However, nothing was getting any better.
I had talked to Joanne before Christmas and she said if I wasn't any
better to think about making a Healing Touches appointment after the New
Year.
Over New Years, I had gone to Kansas City
and came home much sicker. So I made the appointment with HT.
While I was in Kansas City, I had met with my pastors and talked with them about my
"funk" I had not said anything to either Joe or Joanne
about my conversations with them. When I went for my HT appointment
- that is exactly what the Lord wanted to talk to me about.
My way of thinking is black and white. No gray. The team
explained to me that the gray is where the mercy and grace from the Lord
comes in, and that I wasn't extending any "gray" to others. Plus,
I was trying to run from my calling instead of embracing it and just
walking it out. Everything they prayed about, received from the
Lord, spoke, and prayed into me was so right on.
Now about my being sick - they did pray for me - but.....I ended up in
the hospital the next day. No, I don't think it was because of
them. But I do believe it could have been worse if they had not
prayed for me. I also believe it is exactly where the Lord wanted
me, so that He could deal with me on all of the above.
I just wanted you to know that Healing Touches is a great ministry and
the Lord is using it mightly. I also appreciate all the
encouragement and time that Joe and Joanne have given me in helping
me with our prayer ministry.
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