One year and still eatin'

November 6, 2012 is the One Year Anniversary of the instant healing miracle that God blessed Christopher with!  Happy Anniversary to Christopher, but most of all to our God who made it all possible!

November 6, 2011 will forever be a special day for my family.  It was the day that changed the very course of our lives.  We woke up that morning living under one reality, but went to sleep that night living under a completely different one.  None of us really expected it.  None of us really deserved it, but God did it anyway. 

There is a very sweet and absolute aspect of God's character that I have really learned to embrace this past year.  HE IS LOVE!  He is compassionate and merciful.  He is full of grace even though we are not.  He doesn't bless us because we have earned it somehow.  He blesses us because He is the embodiment of love, and He loves us despite our sinful nature.  He pursues us with an intense love even when we don't love Him back, and even when we are distracted by the trappings of life and sin.  He loves us so much that He even sent His own Son to die for us on the cross, so that our sins could be forgiven.  He loves us so much that through the death of Jesus we can have the gift of salvation. 

"The gift of salvation"...those are some powerful words!  Read it again, "the gift of salvation".  Think about what that really means.  That's eternal life in heaven, and it's a free gift!  All you have to do is accept it.  This is unlike any gift you have ever been offered before.  It's free, but it's also priceless!

Before November 6, 2011 I knew all these things...in my head.  After November 6, 2011 I came to embrace these things in my heart.  More than just a young man's stomach was healed that day.  Our entire family, many of our friends, and countless people we have never met before have learned about the instant healing miracle that the Holy Spirit did that day.  It is no exaggeration to say that many lives have been changed forever.  God did the miracle, and an unstoppable "ripple effect" began.  It was like dominoes falling one after another as one soul shared with another the incredible news of God's healing grace. 

I sometimes wonder, why God chose Christopher.  He could have chosen anyone.  I sometimes wonder why God does miracles in the first place?  He has nothing to prove.  He is who He is, so why?  God gave me some insight into these questions not too long ago when we had a repairman at our house.  The hot water heater had gone out.  I was irritated in having to take cold showers and not too happy about having to spend money on a new tank.  The repairman showed up with his tools and got right to work.  It wasn't long, as he tinkered with the hot water heater, that tears began to fill his eyes, and he began to share with us about his daughter who had recently died.  It was a heart wrenching story, and it was easy to see that what this man needed to hear was a message of hope.  Christopher and I began to tell him about the healing miracle that God had done.  The repairman was overcome with emotion and thanked us repeatedly for telling him.  He remarked that Christopher must be a really special person, but Christopher stopped him.  Then some very mature words of wisdom came out of my 17 year old son.  He told the repairman, "God did the miracle in me, but it wasn't about me. It was about Him, and it was for you!"

Christopher was exactly right.  Christopher didn't do anything spectacular to "earn" God's blessing.  God being God...God being love just chose to do a miracle in Christopher in order to bring others to Himself.  He blessed Christopher, and, in so doing, blessed each and every person that learns about His handiwork.  God set the healing in motion, and then allowed miracles to do what they do.  Miracles have a momentum all their own.

Why do healing miracles have such a powerful effect?  They are powerful because of the One who creates them.  God is the author of miracles, all kinds of miracles.  He does big ones, small ones, and even mind blowing ones.  No matter their size, they all have one thing in common.  They all glorify God!  When a miracle happens the sweet weight of the Holy Spirit overlays the frayed and fragile fabric of this world with the perfect and eternal fabric of God.  What is impossible for man is possible for God.  The power of a miracle is the power of God Himself.



Christopher and Breanna

Miracles are God's gift to a WORLD in need.  They aren't supposed to happen in some dark church basement somewhere never to see the light of day.  They aren't supposed to be kept secret.  They are supposed to be shared with as many people as possible, so that all may learn the good news that God lives, loves, and heals.  God gives us the miracle, and we MUST share it with others.



A Chinese anniversary feast!

Miracles are also meant to be celebrated, so today we celebrate the one year anniversary of the instant healing miracle that God did for Christopher!  What better way to celebrate than...FOOD!  Christopher's very first meal was Chinese food, so we decided to give thanks and honor God's healing miracle over a plate of Orange Chicken and Fried Rice. Of course no celebration would be complete without cake and candles.  After gathering together to say a prayer of thanksgiving for an incredible year of eating, Christopher blew out the candle on his anniversary cake.  Happy one year anniversary to Christopher and most of all to God who made it all possible!

One year and still eatin' !!!

You might think that's the end of the story, but you would be wrong!  I stopped adding new posts to this blog a few months back because I had to wait to see what God was going to do next.  Christopher had his tubes taken out, but more twists and turns were about to come our way.  God wasn't finished yet!  He had more surprises, more treasure, and more miracles for us.



If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can pray like this:

More tomorrow...