"In Accordance with the Scriptures"

Mom used to have these two paperback books she kept on the coffee table next to her Living Bible when I was a young teenager. That's been over forty-five years ago now, but I can still remember the covers of those two books clearly. It all came rushing back to me when I recently stumbled upon them in the course of my research on the second wave of the charismatic movement and its influence on and shaping of the "American Gospel." The second wave is the hardest to find information on, but what I've managed to uncover makes up for the lack.  

To say when my parents left our traditional Presbyterian church to join this second wave movement was like going from one extreme to the other would be a gross understatement. In fact, I don't even have words to describe the difference; I thought they had lost their minds. But Mom took it quite seriously, that's why I had to get my hands on those books recently and read them. 

I'm almost finished with the first one, and my initial concern is that everyone in the storyline seems to rush through the conversion process, accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior as fast as they can, qualifying them for the "good stuff," the real power of being baptized in the Holy Spirit, followed by a linguistic tutorial on how to begin speaking in tongues because that's the evidence that you received this second blessing of power, or so they said. Never mind what Paul said to the Corinthian Church in 1 Corinthians 12:30. 

The Gospel is never explained or unpacked. 

The Episcopal priest telling his story, who seems genuine and sincere, like an all-around nice guy, says that until he had this "experience" in his life of the second blessing and tongue speaking, he was dry and empty spiritually. 

It's funny because my "experience" was just the opposite. I "experienced" all of the charismatic "stuff" as a young adult, and there was a time when I wasn't sarcastic about it and genuinely asked to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, receiving prophecies, being "slain in the spirit," engaging in holy laughter. I admit that the red flags never quit flying for me; but nonetheless, I was still searching and open to it all and a willing participant. 

And yet I was still dry and empty by the time I reached by fortieth birthday. It was the summer my younger sister was battling cancer, and I still believed in all of the charismatic "stuff," now in addition to the Word of Faith and health-wealth nonsense. Whatever one may believe about the spiritual gifts, nothing should ever be elevated above the Gospel. 

Man, I was such a theological mess. But God began to unravel the tangles one thread at a time, as I've shared before, sitting in a Passion Conference listening to John Piper. You may not agree with everything Passion or Piper, but the point here is that God can use whatever he desires to reach a heart. 

And my heart began to open up that night to the Gospel. Why? Because the Bible tells us: "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ( Romans 10:17 )  

The Word of God is the means God uses by the power of his Holy Spirit to bring dead people to life, empty people to fullness, not spiritual gifts or experiences or personal revelations or the power of suggestion and manipulation through evocative music. 

"through the word of Christ." 

"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.'" ( Romans 1:16-17 ) 

It's funny because after that conference when I began studying my Bible, I learned the truth about the Holy Spirit's work from a Presbyterian minister, clearer and sounder teaching than I ever received from the group who supposedly had a corner on Him. 

But I still tested everything like the Bereans in Acts 17:10, and I still do. I don't want to be fooled anymore. The Bereans are an example for all of us. I don't fault my mom at all for her earlier beliefs, in fact, I wished I could have her back and enjoy theological conversations with her now that I'm not so biblically illiterate. I know the last ten years of her life, like mine, she grew away from aberrant doctrines and closer to the truth as we all do in our sanctification process. It's lifelong. It's grace. 

For all of this talk about the Gospel, what is the Gospel exactly? We have to get the Gospel right because believing a different gospel leads to damnation. That's the strong language Paul uses when he admonished the Galatians for so quickly deserting the grace of Christ for a different gospel. 

The Gospel isn't telling someone about Jesus and then leading them in a sinner's prayer never to be mentioned again. No, we never get beyond the Gospel. 

Paul spells out the Gospel to the Corinthians in no uncertain terms: 

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you - unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: 

that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas ( Peter ), then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 

Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed!" 

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 

So I'm continuing in my research and study, Lord have mercy - it's time consuming. I don't have all of the answers by any stretch as to why the American church has gone in some of the directions it has. It's a mystery, but what I do know is that we aren't called to understand the complexity of history. We are called to understand the Scriptures. 

When we focus on the Bible, the rest of life tends to come into clearer vision as we pursue the ordinary means of grace. 

Also, off topic and on the opposite end, I'm curious and looking into the theological differences in Calvinism and Confessional Lutherism, if anyone has any resources they can recommend. 

Thanks!

Stay biblical, my friends! 

Happy Labor Day Weekend! 

Soli Deo Gloria! 

Another Archive Photo: Atlas and Kimba / Our farm cats have enjoyed the overflow of the dogs' livestock protection plan. Any farm animal or pet is consumed within their care. 

"The Mystery of Godliness"

"With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" ( Micah 6:6-8 ) 

Paul said in 1 Timothy 3: 14-16: "I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory." 

Until recently, I had never looked into the beliefs I was taught at a young age in the charismatic movement that took the globe by storm back in the 1960s, which came on the heels of researching the history of the Word of Faith movement, which in turn led to more unplanned investigating because I discovered it's all connected in a tightly woven web like the ones the spiders of Healing Brook delicately, but firmly weave along our livestock fencing this time of year. 

In my study and research into some of the movements in the twentieth century American church, I find one common denominator always before me: In each movement, supposedly a movement claimed to be of God, I can't find him. I can't see the Gospel of Jesus Christ, only a replacing of Jesus for an agenda or formula, personal experience, spiritual gifts, and otherworldly practices sprinkled with a measure of Christianity.  

Each group has their own agenda to put forth. 

It's feels cold and manufactured, like a business. 

Superficial. 

I've watched dozens of sermons and interviews and read many of the movements' books and articles. I've based my assessment from the horse's mouth. Their websites are full of words like "networking," "dominion theology," "Seven Mountain Mandate," "restorationism." I've paid close attention to their activities and conferences lately, and it's disturbing.

Where's the Gospel? 

Where is the unpacking and explanation of the core doctrines of our faith? Where is the preaching of God's Word as Paul instructed Timothy in his pastoral position at Ephesus? Our Reformation fathers were willing to give their lives in fighting for the supreme authority of the Bible and justification by faith alone. If God did have "generals" - it would be these courageous souls. 

The early days of Pentecostalism, with the faith-cure healers and their aberrant doctrine and unorthodox healing methods, the Latter Rain, Word of Faith formula, the health-wealth emphasis on worldly achievements and success, the charismatic, third wave, the demon-slayers, and the NAR with their initiating of new apostles and prophets into their organization, ushering in a new era in church history, they say, for one, exercising authority over current pastors and elders, is what Paul calls "another gospel" in his letter to the Galatians. ( Chapter 1 ) 

In addition, the history of all of these movements, coming about a little over a hundred years ago, (isn't that suspicious?) is interwoven together sharing a foundation that's built upon British Israelism, Christian Science, New Thought Mysticism, Keswick Higher Life, with a sprinkling of Christianity. And a boat load of pride. All of us must battle pride for the rest of our lives; it's a daily battle that gets us coming and going. However, we should see growth in humility in our sanctification process - and especially in our shepherds. Jesus said that we would know them by their fruits - a diseased tree can't bear good fruit. Their fruits are bad because the trees are bad. The roots are bad. 

A good teacher and pastor is kind and welcomes hard questions. They bear good fruit because a good tree can't bear bad fruit. ( Matthew 7 ) 

These are my initial observations. It doesn't mean that every church involved in these movements believes all of the false theology or that there aren't sheep in these organizations and denominations. The Farmer and I were. Jesus rescues his lost lambs. We tend to not think much about this, until we're one of them. ( John 10 ) 

I find myself having to pull back a bit to process all of this. It's heavy stuff. I think of Augustine's explanation of the "visible" and "invisible" church. 

In attempting to understand why God allows certain things that seem beyond confusing to me in this world, and mostly in the church, I am reminded that he has not called his sheep to understand the world or the church, his ways or his means, but his Word. We are commanded to understand his Word, and we will do well to do this. And I've found that when I dig deep into the living and breathing Word of God, allowing it to transform and renew my mind, my vision also sharpens and my focus becomes clearer into the mysteries of godliness and wickedness of this world. 

This research project, more than anything, maybe, has caused me to cling to Christ and his Word more than anything else in memory. Another thing I don't understand is why he has had such grace on me. 

As the prophet Micah brings to remembrance in the type and shadows of his book, God did give his first born for my transgression, for the sin of my soul. 

That's what I do understand. 

And that's more than enough. 

Stay biblical my friends! 

Stay true to God's Word. 

💜

Another archive photo I stumbled upon: 2005
At Bush Gardens with the man children, the year before we found the land for Healing Brook. 

 

The Well inside of the "Whale"

"And the people of Nineveh believed God." 

Even people who don't claim to be Christians know the story of Jonah. God told the prophet Jonah to go to the wicked city of Nineveh and "call out against it for their evil has come up before me." 

Jonah boards a ship in the opposite direction, "away from the presence of the LORD." Which is impossible. ( Psalm 139 )  "God hurled a great wind upon the sea." You'll take note it says that God caused the storm.

The sailors throw Jonah overboard at his request so the storm will cease. Before they do, these terrified fishermen, who are not Hebrew, say, "O LORD, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you O LORD have done as it pleased you." ( 1:14 ) 

This book, as all books of the Bible, is so rich and deep in meaning. Occasionally I'll hear someone say that the Gospel isn't presented in the Old Testament; however, the Gospel IS the Old Testament. Jesus is all throughout. Here is a beautiful type and shadow of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in these unbelieving sailor's lives. 

And Jonah is a picture of Christ. Obviously, he isn't the Christ, but like so many of the Old Testament saints, the stories of their lives pointing us to the One to come, Jonah foretells of the innocent blood that would be shed for ours. The blood that would keep us from perishing when we believe in him. 

"And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah." ( 1:17 ) 

You'll note again, that God caused the great fish to swallow up Jonah. 

"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." ( Matthew 12:40 KJV ) 

Peter's prayer in Acts: "for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place." ( Acts 4:27-28 ) 

"And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land." ( 2:10 ) 

Do you see how God is the one driving not just Jonah's narrative, but the entire biblical story? That's because it's his story. And yet, we are free to make choices, not coerced, and held responsible for our choices. We live in this mystery and tension, but make no mistake, God is ultimately in charge. 

This time when God speaks to his prophet, Jonah listens and the people of Nineveh, that great, wicked city, repent. 

That's the Gospel. 

Isn't the Bible nourishing? Recently, as I am reading and understanding God's Word for the first time in my life that adjective and it's verb form keep coming to my mind. "Nourishing" as well as "satisfying" and "transforming" and "sanctifying."

This happens when we "rightly divide God's word." Honey oozes out of the rock and into our souls. ( Psalm 81:16, 2 Timothy 2:15 ) 

"Taste and see that the LORD is good." "His Word is sweeter than honey." It is a "double-edged sword," cutting both ways, bringing truth to our hearts, and in a type of good pain, surgically removing infections and tumors at the same time. ( Psalm 34:8, Psalm 19, Hebrews 4:12 ) 

"Salvation belongs to the LORD!" ( Jonah 2:9 ) 

And everything we need for life and godliness is found in our salvation. You don't need any other emotional experience to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He comes into your heart at salvation, Jesus told us this. And Jesus said he would be with us forever, so God the Holy Spirit isn't going anywhere. Salvation is a work of God from beginning to end in the life of the believer, and the ground is level all around the cross. ( 1 Corinthians 12:13 ) No group of believers is more powerful than the others. That breeds pride - something God hates. 

If you follow this blog, you'll know that I've been unpacking the Word of Faith Movement, looking at the roots, shoots, and fruits of this false teaching. One thing the false teachers like to pound into their follower's heads is that "God is not sovereign" - that man, in fact, is in control. "God can't do anything," they say, "Because we tie up his hands until we exercise enough faith enabling him to act on our behalf."

Did you notice any of that kind of wimpy behavior in the story of Jonah? 

I know, it's simply ludicrous, and yet many believe it. I told you the Farmer and I were a part of this heresy for years. Even after we got out from under the Word of Faith/prosperity/health-wealth teaching, it took years to deprogram our brains and hearts from all of the nonsense. 

The Bible is so much better than this. 

David, another biblical saint, most often calls God, "Lord" the Hebrew word adonai, meaning sovereign. To not believe and confess that God is sovereign is not only an arrogant, foolish thing to do, but it's also not to believe his Word. 

God calls himself "sovereign" in his Word. ( Matthew 10:29-31, Isaiah 45:7-9, Colossians 1:16-17, Proverbs 16:33, Lamentations 3:37-39, Acts 4: 23-31 ) These verses are just the tippy tip of the iceberg. 

At the beginning I wrote "claim to be Christians" because in this day and age it is so difficult to tell who the Christians are because Jesus said in the last days that many false prophets will arise deceiving many. In fact, of the 27 New Testament books, 26 sternly warn of false teachers and false prophets. ( Paul's letter to Philemon is the only exception.) 

Think about that. That's what we are seeing all around us today in the American church. We must pray for discernment more than ever, so we will recognize their diseased fruit. That reminds me! Yesterday I watched the 15 minute trailer for American Gospel Part 3. This time the documentary is going to be in the form of a series with episodes instead of one long film, and they are taking on the NAR! 

I'm so excited for this to come out! ( If you haven't watched the first two documentaries, please do! I can't recommend them enough. American Gospel, In Christ Alone and the second is American Gospel, Christ Crucified. ) 

We will have false teachers until the end Jesus told us, the weeds grow with the wheat until the very last day. And the days ahead are scary ones, but we must remember that Jesus is building his Church. He's been successful for 2,000 years, and the good work he began in us, he'll bring to completion, just as he promised. ( Philippians 1:6, Matthew 16:18 ) 

I think of how he protected his Word and the core doctrines of our faith during the Reformation. When we've done all to stand, stand, remembering our fight isn't against flesh and blood. Satan is behind the wolves' agenda to take over the Church, but no matter what happens, Jesus will preserve his Bride. We must continue to fight the good fight of faith and pray for all of the saints and the unbelievers as God has had amazing grace on us. ( Ephesians 6 ) 

Okay, my friends, thank you all for joining me in this journey for our Lord Jesus, proclaiming his name and his kingdom to the lost. I'm currently continuing my research into church history now in the direction of the charismatic movement that rocked our nation beginning back in the 60's and until now. It's a heavy study for me since my parents left our Presbyterian church when I was twelve to join this thing. 

I find myself taking extra walks around the farm in the midst of God's creation to reflect and process all I'm learning. I find myself repenting over and over of ever taking all of this beauty and intricacy for granted - "his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made."

"Man is without excuse." ( Romans 1:20 ) 

Soli Deo Gloria! 💜

"Dem Bones"

T.G.I.M.

W.O.F. Moverment / Part 7 

Last evening as the Farmer and I walked with Aslan to feed the critters at the barn we were talking about the valley of dry bones. I know, we have some interesting conversations. 

I said, "How many times have you heard Word of Faith and prosperity preachers say this well-known passage from Ezekiel 37 means that God wants to resurrect your dreams or goals or some "dead" portion of your life and bring you to "greatness?" 

The Farmer said, "Can we not talk about Word of Faith anymore? I just want us to talk about the Bible from now on and how "beautiful" it is." The Farmer doesn't use the word "beautiful" too often; he was repeating and mimicking what I said because I use the word "beautiful" quite a bit especially when I refer to a biblical truth I've learned. 

"I get it," I told him. I couldn't help but think that that's another "shoot" of the word-faith movement: "The Bible is a book about us." 

When word-faith preachers eventually get around to actually opening the Bible in a sermon, they typically just read a verse or two, never expositing large passages of Scripture, just a verse to fit disjointedly into their twisted theology. Usually their messages contain lots of stories about themselves and what God has done for them or how they've exercised their faith and God has raised them to "greatness" or prosperity or health or success. 

It's called "eisegesis" - reading one's self into the text, but I'm reminded of a clearer definition I heard recently: "narcigesis." 

I know what the Farmer means because after awhile, the word-faith jargon gets old. Hearts opened to the Truth don't want to go back to the thorns and thistles. When I traced the history of the word-faith movement, I only took it back to the late nineteenth century, but all false teachings, if we kept following its jagged trail, would land us smack in the Garden of Eden. We're all prone to having our itchy ears scratched with these annoying nettles. 

At our heart's core, we want to be our own god. We want to be the one calling the shots because in our minds, we know what's best for us. We want to be the hero of the story. That's the human condition, the sin Jesus, the true Rescuer, came to redeem us from. 

And only green pastures can satisfy us. Sheep may nibble on unhealthy, empty fodder, but sooner or later, they're going to get hungry for the real deal. 

My sheep enjoy bread. I don't give it to them too often, but sometimes I swing in the discount bread store and pick up a farm barrel of expired loaves and stash it in the freezer. Kids love to feed bread to the flock. 

However, as much as the sheep may enjoy the loaves of bread at the time, it never satisfies and sustains them like green pastures. When I lead them to a fresh field, through the gate and out of a field they've eaten past the nub, they about run me over to get to the green grass. 

That's how I think about the Farmer, and all of us believers, stampeding to get to the Truth because we know it's the only thing that truly satisfies our souls, sustains us through the harsh seasons of life, and strengthens us into the army of God. We are always tempted with the bread of selfishness, but sooner or later, we're hungrily reaching for the Truth: 

The Good News that in our sin, not because we were great, but in our sin, Christ died for us. The perfect life he lived here on earth is now imputed to us as if we lived it, when we confess our sins, repent, and put our trust in him. We become clothed in his righteousness. 

And one day, when He calls our name, sinews will lay upon us, skin will cover dem bones, breath will overtake the death within us, and we will stand on resurrected feet. 

Because the Bible is a book about Jesus. 

That's the Good News! 

💜

 "And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD." ( Ezekiel 37:14 ) 

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me, shall never die. Do you believe this?'" ( John 11:25 ) 

Happy Monday, Friends! 

Archive photo of the Farmer with his first bull calf 

The Greatest Show on Earth

Part 6 

The Word of Faith Movement

The "Shoots"  

I thought I'd start out with one of the most basic aspects of the Christian life:

Prayer.

I heard Pastor Chris Rosebrough say just this week that in heresies the enemy is working to get Christians not to pray. 

My ears perked up like my dogs' ears whenever they hear me open the refrigerator door in the garage. "Hello, it's bone time." 

This week one of my ducks got too close to Aslan while he was waiting eagerly outside of the garage on the sidewalk. The big boy jumped up in a flash of fur and pinned the poor duck down in the herb bed with his huge, bear size mouth firmly locked on her neck. After a couple of seconds, he let her go; his control amazes me. There was not so much as a single feather floating in the air. He could have easily bitten her neck clean in half, but he wasn't trying to kill her, just warn her. 

She was fine. She's used to Aslan. The ducks know, like Lewis's King Aslan in Narnia, that he's good, but he's certainly not safe. 

Pyrenees usually don't move that fast unless it involves food or a coyote. 

Or a wolf. 

If you have any knowledge at all of the Word of Faith movement then you're already aware of their trademark version of prayer: decreeing and declaring, commanding, demanding, confessing, and rebuking. 

These exhausting activities stem from their founder E.W. Kenyon's mind-over-matter, faith-force theology: "If you believe it, you can receive it." So, "name it and claim it!" And also from their erroneous belief that after Jesus resurrected he gave us authority over everything in the known universe. In future blogs, I'll address this more. 

For now suffice to say that if mankind was given authority over everything in creation, including the weather and natural disasters, as Word of Faith teachers always assert, don't you think that on his journey to Rome the Apostle Paul would have calmed the turbulent storms that kept him out to sea for months? When all passengers and crew were hungry from not taking food for fourteen days and the weary sailors tossed the tackle overboard, don't you think Paul would have stood up and commanded the storm to cease? Surely, if any human had the authority to do so, it would have been Paul. ( Acts 27 ) 

In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him. Not us. 

Under his authority, Jesus commissioned us to make disciples. The Psalms instruct us to declare "the glory of God" and "the works of the Lord." Even God's works themselves declare his glory. ( Psalm 19 ) In the gospels, we are commanded to declare "the Gospel," but not our prayers. 

Parents are given authority over children, rulers over their people, Jesus's chosen Apostles over the Church, again, authority is given by the Lord Jesus as he has determined to delegate his authority. It's not a free for all. 

Word of Faith teachers really get going on the authority thing. Could you imagine if your kids walked around the house decreeing and declaring, commanding and demanding things from you, asserting their authority over everything? 

There's so much more that can be said and clarified on this subject. I hope to encourage study. 

Jesus teaches us to pray to our heavenly Father when we have a need. Even though he already knows what we need before we ask, we are encouraged to ask, seek, knock, to come humbly and pray for good weather as well as good health. ( Matthew 6:25-34, Matthew 7:7-11 ) 

The Scriptures tell us that Jesus wakes up early and finds a quiet place to pray. Hebrews tells us that Jesus is heard in prayer because of his reverence. ( Mark 1:35, Hebrews 5:7 ) 

He teaches us in Matthew 6:6 not to heap up empty phrases like the Gentiles do, or pray to be seen by others like the hypocrites, but "go into your prayer room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." As we will see, the rewards are not perishable, but eternal. 

In the biblical narrative we have so many beautiful examples of prayer: Daniel's humble prayer of repentance for his nation and request for mercy. ( Daniel 9 ) 

Moses's prayer as he "bowed his head toward the earth" and asked for God to "pardon our iniquity and our sin and take us for your inheritance." ( Exodus 33 ) 

Mary's Magnificat in Luke 1: 46-55, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant." 

Another young mother - Hannah's respectful, reflective prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1-10, so similar to Mary's song of prayer. "My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation." 

The Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 whom Jesus doesn't give an answer to after the request for healing for her daughter. He's silent. Nonetheless, she comes and kneels before him calling him "Lord." She is not offended by Jesus referring to her people, the Gentiles, as dogs, but she continues to ask. "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." 

Then the healing came to her daughter. Jesus said it was because of her faith. 

Look at her faith. Her faith was requesting, not decreeing or declaring. Her faith was humble, not demanding. Her faith knelt and acknowledged His authority as Lord. Her faith acknowledged her need for him. 

There are so many others. The Bible is full of them. 

Do we see the pattern in these prayers? 

Yes, there's some major rants in the Psalms and in Job, but they are rants directed to God in prayer. They aren't demands and commands. We should be experiencing wrestling at times in our prayer life. That's good. I'll show you why: 

I really don't want to miss this: 

God uses our prayers as a means of grace. 

I want to write that again because it is such a beautiful truth:

God uses our prayers as a means of grace. 

The Bible is a book about God. It is so nourishing because we are learning about him in the narrative and his plan of redeeming a sinful people to himself through Jesus, and we learn as we feast on its goodness that God rarely does anything immediately. 

He works through "means." 

We see this in the cross of Christ and in everything he has done starting in creation. This is how our God choses to work his grace, his sovereignty, and his authority in the lives of his children. Through means. Through our continued prayers we slowly develop into mature, solid saints with strong spiritual bones. It's a godly process. It's God's will for our lives, our sanctification. ( 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 ) 

Prayer is this powerful.

Not because we can get whatever we want, but because it IS a means to an end, just not the one we had originally thought or the one the word-faith / prosperity gospel offers. It's so much deeper than getting our 'immediate' material needs met, and yet, God does meet those as well. In the daily process of communing with our Father for everything and in everything, our pain, joy, questions, in our supplications and requests, that communion is drawing us closer to him. 

He uses our prayers as a means to accomplish his purposes. 

The more we pray, the more we desire to pray because we're being "filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understand, to walk worthy, be fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work." ( Colossians 1:9-14 ) 

Yes, friends! Pray his Word back to him! As we study and meditate on God's Word, its truth shapes our prayers and creates a strong, tight braid with the three that embody the means of grace.   

The word-faith theology says we are to declare and decree Bible verses in faith so we can get God to "work" for us. This is a misuse of the Bible, and it's not prayer to confess things. Do we see how selfish and self-serving this word-faith theology is? It's deceptive, hard to recognize because it appeals to our sinful, human nature while robbing us of the true abundant life Jesus came to give us. 

Do we see why the enemy would want to keep us from prayer?

And do we realize how his scheme would be, not to get rid of prayer altogether, that would be too obvious, but to offer us a counterfeit? And many of us have bitten and swallowed the word-faith bait. I was hooked on it for years. 

I want to close with this thought: When Jesus told the disciples parables that they would pray and not lose heart or give up, when he instructed us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking, Jesus had a purpose in mind. 

He wanted us to know that in the continued times of prayer, day in and day out, humbly and faithfully pouring out our hearts to God in petition and supplication, in times of joy as well as pain, something beautiful and eternal was going to take place: a deep affection for and the realization of the sheer grace, sovereignty, magnificence, and mercy of our heavenly Father and our Mediator the Son of God by way of the Holy Spirit. 

Prayer is the means of his grace. 

This relationship is not developed in the mode of never-ending, exhausting exercises of decreeing and declaring, commanding, rebuking, and demanding, naming and claiming or confessing verses over and over until we possess what Jesus has already so sacrificially and graciously given us by way of the cross. 

In Christ, the blessings were always ours. 

We don't need to work ourselves up into a frenzy, just open your Bible and your arms and receive. 

Pray. 

Another HBF archive photo - my first Great Pyrenees - Aslan's grandmother, Natasha 

WOF History "The Greatest Show on Earth"

Part 5 

The Word of Faith Movement 

"The Roots"

So today, we take a look at the roots of the Word of Faith Movement which I will also refer to as "word-faith" or "WOF" theology or doctrine. This is a bit lengthy because I didn't want to divide it up, but I promise the rest of the blogs will be short, dealing with one WOF "shoot" at a time. 

I entitled this blog series "The Greatest Show on Earth" from a quote I read out of John MacArthur's "Strange Fire"- "The prosperity gospel is Christianity's version of professional wrestling: You know it is fake, but it nonetheless has entertainment value." 

When I first read this quote, it made me laugh because I had just said to the Farmer that the word-faith, and overlapping prosperity gospel preachers, with all of their drama, fake healing, and false teaching, reminded me of a three-ring circus. 

But as you'll see, when we pull back the curtain, there's nothing funny about it. 

One thing I've learned in studying church history, and this is not a brain buster, is that there are levels of study. First, you can be scared to examine the history of your denomination and its traditions because you think it will destroy your faith or the image of the leaders you idolize. Remember, our faith isn't in man or a denomination, and denominations are man-made. 

Secondly, we can decide to scratch the surface a bit, reading only non-opposing views and biographies, refusing to dig too deeply into the landscape. Or we can summons the courage and integrity to keep digging until we arrive at the hard truth. Ironically, I found my questions and concerns drive me deeper into the Scriptures as I processed my findings in prayer to God. I have read books, arguments, old newspaper articles, court proceedings, and eye witness testimonies. I've learned much that I didn't set out to learn. 

Here we go: 

You may have heard that Kenneth Hagin ( 1917 - 2003 ) was the father of the Word of Faith Movement, and this is yes and no, a response perhaps typical, given the nature of the movement as a whole. Hagin obtained the title because he popularized the theology, but E.W. Kenyon ( 1867-1948 ), every biblical scholar with something to say on the subject, agrees was the "man behind the message." (1)  

When we attended our WOF church in Texas, we were strongly encouraged to read Kenyon's work that was available in the church bookstore along with all of the word-faith literature. Hagin plagiarized huge chunks of Kenyon's work in his books which scholars readily point out. He gave Kenyon credit for some of the passages he quoted, but large portions of Kenyon's work were copied and not acknowledged as being from Kenyon. The leaders in our church were aware of the plagiarism, but it didn't seem to bother them. This is known and accepted information as it is easily verifiable. 

Also I need to mention, if you're familiar with Hagin at all, you'll know that he claimed to have been given the "faith formula" through personal visions and visits from Jesus. However, Hagin claimed to have so many visions and visits from Jesus that it's hard to keep them all straight.  

At any rate, still everyone on both sides of the debate, visions and visits aside, opponents as well as critics, all agree that E.W. Kenyon "originated much of the doctrinal substance, and even the terminology and expressions, of the word-faith movement." Since Kenneth Hagin was the one to popularize the ideas, he is known as the "father" of the movement and Kenyon the "grandfather." (1) 

Okay, so there's that. 

Now we turn to Kenyon to find out how he came up with the word-faith theology. I've done a deep dive into the life of Kenyon because oftentimes if you just google the Word of Faith movement, you'll find information saying that all of the word-faith theology is grounded in metaphysical mysticism, insinuating that Kenyon jumped from the Christianity ship into the pools of New Age thought. And that wasn't the case. Although Kenyon was hired by a Methodist church and appeared more comfortable it seemed in Pentecostal circles, he remained a Baptist pastor his entire life as far as I could tell. 

On the other hand, proponents of word-faith theology stress that it is an extension of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement; this isn't wholly true either. And not all Pentecostals "name it and claim it." Many distance themselves from the Word of Faith movement. Even though I am not a Pentecostal and take issue with the movement, I want to add this to be fair. 

Of the biographical work written on Kenyon, I found Robert Bowman's the most thorough and honest. In his book Bowman drew from Dale Simmons' doctoral dissertation for an analysis of the roots of Kenyon's thought. Both scholars came to the same complex conclusion: Kenyon was influenced, not only by the meta-physical cults, but also by the evangelical "Higher Life" also known as the "Keswick Holiness Movement" along with the popular faith-cure traditions of the late nineteenth century. 

Kenyon lived in Boston in the 1890s and was interested in Mary Baker Eddy's Christian Science ( which is neither Christian nor Science ) as well as Phineas Quimby's New Thought spiritual movement and folk healing. 

When Quimby was a youth he suffered from tuberculosis, which can't be cured. Never claiming religious affiliations, Quimby began to dabble in mind-over-body experiments, and claimed to have cured himself of the disease. Interestingly, the same type of testimony is claimed in a number of word-faith leaders and healers, using the same techniques; although no medical documentation could be obtained. 

Before I continue with the other influences in Kenyon's ministry, I want to interject something I learned of interest that I had never seen before in Kenyon's story. Remember I just wrote those two blogs on the mainline denominations and how so many have left the "seven sisters" in the last 100 years after the churches began to question the inerrancy and authority of Scripture as well as the core doctrines of the Christian faith? 

This migration would have been in Kenyon's day. Here's a quote from him - he refers to the mainline churches as "old line denominations."

"We cannot ignore the amazing growth of Christian Science, Unity, New Thought, and Spiritualism...We cannot close our eyes to the fact that in many of our cities on the Pacific Coast, Mrs. Eddy has a stronger following today and a larger attendance at her churches than have the old line denominations; and the largest percentage of her followers have at one time been worshippers in the denominations - they have left because they believe they are receiving more help from Mrs. Eddy's teaching than from the preachers. They will tell you how they were healed and how they were helped in their spiritual life by this strange cult. This is a libel upon the modern Church - it is not only a libel but a challenge." 

Kenyon notices that as the parishioners of the mainline churches began to leave hungry and searching for something to fill their souls, the new thoughts of his day were drawing them in. He saw this as a challenge. 

I argued in my blog that because of this abandonment from orthodox Christianity, we see believers faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ leaving the mainline churches for gospel-centered churches, but we would also see those who were left in the gutted shell without the power of the gospel eventually leaving as well for some substance to satisfy their soul's longings. History has proven this exodus true by the sheer drop in attendance alone from the mainline churches. And Kenyon saw it too. 

My observation at this point: If Kenyon saw the people searching for truth and finding it in a meta-physical cult, why for the love of all that is good in this world didn't he just give them the Truth? He was a Baptist preacher, who, again, by all accounts that I can find, believed in the inerrancy and authority of Scripture and the core doctrines of the Christian faith. They needed some guidance. As a pastor, it was Kenyon's call to help shepherd the wandering flock back to Christ through the Gospel of Christ. 

Why did Kenyon feel like he had to invent something to compete with the meta-physical thought that was appealing to folks leaving the mainline churches? Something to make the gospel more attractive with some sort of mind-over-matter spirituality? 

The late nineteenth century and early twentieth century were bewildering times enough with the meta-physical cults and parishioners leaving the mainline, but now enter the rise of the holiness and faith-cure movements, causing the atmosphere to become even more convoluted and downright disturbing with unorthodox, spiritual practices. 

This is the air Kenyon breathed. 

The Keswick higher life movement was to be characterized by "an absolute total dependence on Christ for personal holiness, for ones material needs, and - as many increasingly came to think - for one's physical health and well-being." (1) There was much overlap with the holiness movements and faith-cure healers. 

Historically speaking, whenever a movement or denomination "moves" away from the gospel and focuses on the law or personal piety, when they reject the confessions and creeds the church fathers put in place to anchor us to our core doctrines found in the Scripture, protecting us against heresy, we see a seismic shift away from the truth and into legalism and all kinds of made up rule lists for parishioners to adhere to. 

And similar to the mainline decline, we see many leaving these holiness churches, but for a different reason: They can't live up to the law and rule book that's being pressed upon them without the truth of the Gospel of Christ's righteous life applied to them to counter the crushing effects of not only God's commandments, but their pharisaical traditions. 

In addition we see that the holiness movements downplayed the sovereignty of God giving man control over salvation, sanctification, and life in general. We see this played out mightily, not just in new age thought, but in word-faith doctrine. You can see how all of these different thoughts begin to spill over into the other. 

I'm not even scratching the surface with the faith-cure healers and their effect on Kenyon who traveled in these movements preaching at their revivals and conferences, influenced by their beliefs, especially those of John Alexander Dowie, who later in life considered himself the prophet Elijah. 

Dowie, along with many of the other healers, renounced medicine and medical treatment, labeling them of the devil, extracted "demons" from mental patients by tortuous means, admonished the sick when they weren't healed, accusing them of not having enough faith or having too much egregious sin in their lives, often times exploiting the terminally ill and other followers by requiring their tithes and payments for healing prayer sessions. 

A.W. Simpson, who is customarily credited with bringing the "healing message" to the American church, taught that divine healing through prayer was the "only" appropriate means of healing for the obedient Christian. Even though his radical views are not generally accepted today by the CMA denomination. (1) 

Charles Parham who is considered the father of Pentecostalism went so far as to add physical healing with salvation in the gospel on the same par with forgiveness of sins. Parham taught that forgiveness of sins was not enough. Leaving out physical healing, he wrote, wasn't a "full gospel." 

Parham says to those who would neglect to preach "this" gospel of divine healing in this life, "attended with signs, wonders, mighty deeds, divers miracles, and the gifts of the Holy Ghost - are in danger of standing in utter condemnation before the judgment bar of God." ( The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness, page 46 Charles Fox Parham ) 

"Those are strong words," Mr. Parham. "I beg to differ and offer that you were the one in danger." 

The Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus is our healer, and we can pray and be healed physically and mentally today. However, physical, divine healing is not "guaranteed" in this life, and to preach that it is, is not preaching a "full" gospel, but preaching another gospel altogether. I'll get more into that when we look at the individual WOF teachings in future blogs and how they hurt believers. The root in addition to the bad fruit is the proof. 

I did quite a bit of research on Parham since he was given the title,"Father of Pentecostalism," and he was involved in numerous outlandish stunts, sexual misconduct and arrest, financial scams, in addition to his questionable healing methods and revivals. At least one group of his followers were charged with the murder of someone in their care. 

I also found legitimate doctors during this time who were practicing homeopathic treatments and establishing medical facilities for patients with consumption and other aliments, so I'm not insinuating that all those helping to heal others were bad. And I'm in no way saying that every church in America was mixed up in these movements, not at all. But they were highly influential in our church culture and sadly still are today. 

Again, I waded through many newspaper accounts and court proceedings - not all, because there are literally hundreds. It's best to get first-hand information, even though it is a tedious process. I was unable to locate any documented healing, not that God can't heal through any means, I believe he can, even through fake healers and false teachers if he so desires. 

Some biographies of these preachers and healers failed to cite their sources, for example, one popular biography series in particular cited just one source for Aimee Semple McPherson; that's why you have to do more than a surface investigation. Who in the world cites one source for a historical biography? Whether one agrees with McPherson or not, that's just sloppy scholarship. I was surprised especially coming from such a popular series, so that detail led me into more research to find the book series had multiple discrepancies on all of the biographies. 

Through this project, I've learned to question and investigate everything I read, again tedious work, but if you want to get to the bottom of something, that's what it takes. It's like you have to become part detective with a nose like a blood hound. Then I asked, "What would make someone paint a deceiver into a saint?" Sometimes I'm too philosophical for my own good, but still, I wonder. I admit writing this took me down some crazy rabbit holes and trails, but I'm not sorry for that. I learned a lot even if at times it was depressing. 

During this time, the Gospel of Jesus Christ began to be moved from the center of the church service and Christian life. The command to devote ourselves and our church gatherings to the reading of Scripture, prayer, and the expository preaching of God's Word were replaced with a narcissistic view of the biblical narrative, topical sermons, and personal, spiritual experience. 

I found myself drawn into self-reflection and prayer over all of this, with much wrestling in the Scriptures asking God why he would allow such things into the church. It makes me return time and again to pondering what the Reformers must have gone through in fighting for the inerrancy and authority of Scripture and the core doctrines of Christianity, along with the sovereignty and grace of God, and all of our faithful church fathers when heresies threatened the church. 

Again, there is so much that can be said; entire books have been devoted to Kenyon's influence and the Word of Faith history and theology. Suffice to say that this was the sphere where Kenyon spent most of his adult life, and the effects are seen in his doctrine. 

Here they are: 

1.) Human nature is spirit, soul, and body, but mostly fundamentally spirit. 

2.) God created the world by speaking words of faith and does everything else by faith, and we are intended to exercise the same kind of faith. 

3.) In the fall human beings took on Satan's nature and forfeited to Satan their divine dominion, making him the legal god of this world. 

4.) Jesus died spiritually as well as physically, taking Satan's nature and suffering in hell to redeem us, and then was born again.

5.) By our positive confession with the God kind of faith we may over-come sickness and poverty. (1 )

Now here are the false doctrines added to the above list by Hagin and Copeland: ( Remember when a movement has bad seeds ( roots ) it can't produce good shoots or fruits, and it's disease, like cancer, actually metastasizes. ) This is the nature of sin. Dr. Bowman also pointed out that false doctrine always brings confusion. Contrast this with the true doctrine of God's Word that brings clarity. 

1.) Little gods Theology / We are just like Jesus. / God has a body. 

2.) We don't need reason, just faith.

3.) God has faith. 

4.) Jesus gave up his divinity when he came to earth as man. 

5.) Our words carry the same power as God's words. 

6.) We can have what we say. / We can have what we think. 

7.) Believers have authority over everything. 

8.) God is not sovereign. Man is in control. God is limited and needs our permission before he can act. We get God to work for us by our faith. 

9.) It is always God's will to heal and make rich. 

10.) God has appointed prophets and apostles and ushered them in during these last days to take authority over the current pastors and elders and to transfer wealth and usher in the second coming of Christ. 

If all of this appalls you, we'll refute each one in future blogs. I think many people know the doctrines are false; they just need help seeing why from the Scripture. I love this part, so it's going to be a great series. It always is when we're learning God's Word. 

For the record, I'm not someone who believes God no longer heals or does miracles. Quite the contrary. I've told my testimony of being delivered from an addiction to alcohol, falling on my knees in my bedroom by my bedside in desperation, repenting of my sin and asking God to help me one dark night. I didn't need a faith-cure healer or revivalist or televangelist. I didn't need a second blessing, the first at conversion was powerful enough. I didn't even make a seed-faith offering to someone's ministry. 

When the Farmer's blood pressure is up or his heart goes out of rhythm or races, I wrap my arms around him and pray immediately. If I received a cancer diagnoses or other life-threatening disease, I would call my pastor to come with his bottle of oil, anoint me, and pray for me, not because the oil is powerful, but because this process is laid out in Scripture with a promise not of healing, but something greater: salvation. ( James 5:15 ) I would not declare, command, or demand my healing, or get in a fight with the devil and rebuke him. I would not engage in a mind-over-matter confession of the Scripture. I would continue to ask for my healing while entrusting my life to my faithful Creator knowing my suffering would be producing an eternal weight of glory as Scriptures says. I would bury myself in Jesus. 

God has been so faithful and good to me and the Farmer in using all of our sickness, disease, and suffering for his glory and our good, and we never once have needed the assistance of a cure-healer, a televangelist or a seed-faith offering to one of their ministries, nor have we needed a healing room. And you don't either, my friend. God doesn't need their help to accomplish his purposes. 

If a movement or denomination is built on unbiblical principals then it is not of God. The roots determine the fruits. Jesus said in ( Matthew 7:17-23 ) concerning false ministries that a diseased tree can't bear good fruit. It's a slam dunk. 

The Bible is so much better than this, my friend. 

Because Jesus Christ was and is and always will be the greatest show on earth! 

💜

 (1 ) The Word-Faith Controversy, Dr. Robert M. Bowman Jr. 

A great resource is Newspapers.com ( subscription required  ) 

My Natasha with her sweet pups from the HBF archives. 

T.G.I.M.

"...to live is Christ..." ( Philippians 1:21 ) 

When I began researching the Word of Faith Movement to share its history, I already had a basic knowledge of the theology as well as a bit of the foundation from being in a word-faith church in Texas back in the 80's, and if this tells you anything, our pastor's best friend was Robert Tilton. So, at the risk of sounding like a know-it-all, I know some things. And I've certainly seen some things. 

We were continuously encouraged to read the E.W. Kenyon's ( 1867 -1948 ) material in our church's bookstore. If you know anything about WOF, you probably associate Kenneth Hagin ( 1917-2003 ) as the founder of the movement, but Hagin actually plagiarized large chunks of Kenyon's work which everyone acknowledges on both sides of the debate. Plus this information is easily verifiable. The leaders at our church didn't seem to think that the plagiarism was a big deal. Since WOF is a false doctrine, I guess this made it acceptable and not a surprise. 

The history can be confusing however because Hagin also claims that he was given the "faith formula" during visits and visions from Jesus, but over the years Hagin claimed so many visits and visions from Jesus, it's hard to keep up with them all. Anyway, visits and visions aside, all scholars agree that although Hagin popularized the WOF theology and added to it, Kenyon was "the man behind the message." ( Robert Bowman ) 

As I began a deep dive into Kenyon's life to see exactly where he got his ideas, I fell into more rabbit holes that Alice in Wonderland. Once inside, I discovered the tunnels were all connected to each other. That's why it's taking me so long to do this research project. 

In short, the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century was an interesting, I'd use the word "disturbing," time for Christianity here in America. 

As I wrote in my last blog series, we had the mainline churches slowly letting go of the inerrancy and authority of the Scriptures along with the core doctrines of the Christian faith, so now add these warm currents to the swirling sea waters: Disillusioned parishioners beginning to leave the seven mainline denominations in search of something with substance. Folk-healer Phineas Quimby's meta-physical, New Thought. Mary Baker Eddy's Christian Science. ( Which is neither Christian nor Science ). The holiness and Keswick, higher life movements, the pre-Pentecostal/ charismatic movement and the faith-cure movement. 

Lots of movement, and lots in the wrong direction, but that's the air Kenyon breathed that helped him develop his word-faith theology, all groups influencing, impacting, and overlapping the other. Kenyon traveled in these different spiritual circles preaching at their rivals and conferences even though as far as I can tell remained a Baptist preacher until his death. I've been researching all of the movements, reading old newspaper articles, and the spiritual magazines put out by these groups, court proceedings and eye-witness testimonies, first-hand, tedious stuff. It's been insightful. I can tell you that much. 

I'm still going to post the "roots" of the movement, but my biggest take-away perhaps in all of this study, in between farm work, grandchildren, and my Farmer, has been that I can now see how we arrived at our current "American Gospel" with all of its unorthodox and crazy, false narratives. Even though this is a bit reductionistic, I can see how we got here. History is helpful like that. 

And yet, in the midst of all of this mess, Christ has not missed a single beat. He is building away at his Church. She has remained steadfast through his hand alone; all down through the last 2,000 years of history, just like he promised. 

I think that's what I want to say this morning. 

Last night the Farmer put on an interview ( more like a sermon ) with Paul Washer called, "Living in Light of Eternity" ( You can find it on YouTube ), and it immediately put all of the research and history I've been wrestling with into perspective. The Bible is helpful like that. 

America Christianity, by and large, has too low of a view of God and Christ even for those who claim the inerrancy of Scripture. I see it. We've more or less created a "god" of our own making and a Jesus we designed to fit our lives who we invite in to help us accomplish our goals, fulfill our dreams, and answer our prayers. A Jesus who will follow us. We have quite a lofty view of ourselves. Many have married God for his money and power. 

And then we tend to think the government is our real problem. True, satan has been infiltrating governments since the beginning of time because if he can get a government under his thumb, he can control more people. But I also think that many have followed his shiny trinkets and promises of authority and status that appeal to our sin nature into a deceptive snare of distraction, rendering them unable to see that his most dangerous work has been performed, not in the world, but right in the middle of the church, sowing weeds among the wheat. (  ) "Many" false teachers with "many" followers. This is scary stuff the Bible warns us of. 

Living in light of eternity is to live now for Christ. To follow Christ. To gaze at his beauty as we attempt to fully realize God died for us. This truth fuels the following. If we decide we want to live "our best life now," I'm afraid that's exactly what it will end up being. 

Some of us need to wake up before it's too late, and some of us need to be encouraged today and remember that Jesus was and is and always will be the greatest show on earth! 

Not us. 

And that's very comforting news. 

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." ( Philippians 1:21 ) 

💜

One year we managed a harvest of tomatoes. 

Better Than Life

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." ( James 1:12 ) 

My animals remain steadfast whenever I receive a phone call on our morning walk in the only signal spot. lol

I'd like to think that things get better in this life, but is that a promise in Scripture? And what is God's definition of "better" anyway? 

And just because I believe something long enough does that mean I can make it happen? That sounds more like mind-over-matter science than trusting our all-sufficient, all-knowing and loving God. 

Oh yeah, one day in Heaven, things will be "more better" than any of us could possibly imagine. But for now we are told by the Apostle Peter: 

“Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." ( 1 Peter 4:19 ) 

For twenty years I felt like I did good by praying fervently for my son's mental illness to get better. I believed it would, at times I believed so much it hurt while his illness got progressively worse. To watch your child suffer is not something I would ever wish upon anyone. Although nothing I know of can drive us deeper into the love and dependence of God. One day, I realized that even though his illness wasn't getting better, I was. 

And then, best of all, I realized he was. 

The mental illness still remained, but he was handling it better. He eventually consented to a regular doctor and therapist, and they found the right medicine. He beat an alcohol addiction. He and his wife bought their first home and moved in with their two fur babies. They both teach in the county's public school system. They work out together at a local gym in a community hustling and bustling with people from all over the world, with the coolest farmer's market and street tacos ever. 

Anxiety still comes at times, insomnia and hypochondria, the things bi-polar patients are prone to experience and learn to combat, but they work through them together. 

Every member of our family is on Team Johnny and Melissa, father, father-in-law, mother, mother-in-law, grandparents, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, nieces, and extended family. 

This year in my birthday card Johnny wrote, "I'm searching for the Lord again." 

Twenty years ago I begged God to make things better. 

And he answered my prayer by not making "things" better, but by leaving things alone and making "us" better. 

I don't know what lies ahead in this life for our family, but I''m beginning to learn God's definition of "better" and I see that it is way "better" than mine. 

Happy Weekend, Friends! 

His lovingkindness is better than life. ( Psalm 63 ) 

💜

 

Misha and Kisha from the archives.