Belated Birthday Post and II Chronicles 16:9

Last Friday was Les' 59th birthday.  We had a great day.  It started with a 2 mile walk then we went out to breakfast.  He did have a few meetings that took up the middle of his day, then we headed to Buca di Beppo for dinner.  Their food never disappoints!  We shared the Double Dark Chocolate Cake for dessert and it was delicious!  Our last stop was at Road Runner Sports.  Les got a new pair of running shoes.  He's been going with me on the trail about once a week but needed some new road shoes.

My Bible reading this morning included II Chronicles chapter 16.  Verse 9 is an important part of Les' testimony and I thought it would be a great time to re-post his story of God's miraculous healing.  I've taken notes from a message Les preached a couple of years ago about his healing of Muscular Dystrophy and want to share them in his own words:

During my Kindergarten year I experienced a rapid decrease in my ability to get around. I lost the ability to jump, run, walk up stairs and would complain about my legs hurting. Once, Mom mentioned that I seemed to be struggling keeping up with the others at play. I answered that my new pants weren’t broken in yet and they were slowing me down. To this point, my parents wrote it off as growing pains and growth spurts.

But on a camping trip with three boys and two Moms – Mom’s friend noticed how I walked and ran. She said something looked very wrong and that I should be checked out. Later that summer, my Grandmother was visiting and told my Mother that something was seriously wrong with me and that I should be taken immediately to a doctor.

At this point, I could not walk up stairs without help. At home I crawled on my hands and knees. In public, Mom or Dad would assist me.

At the doctor’s office, I was unable to hop on one foot, or jump over a small block using both feet. Our doctor referred us to a specialist and arranged for an appointment.

First thing the doctors had me do was walk up a flight of stairs, which I couldn’t do. One doctor commented to the other, “ Have you ever seen it this bad in one so young?” They thought they were out of earshot, but my Mother overheard them say this. Doctors ran more tests, prescribed some exercises to be done at home, then scheduled a follow-up visit for two weeks later.

Before getting in the car, I wanted to go over to a fountain near where the car was parked. Mom gave permission and watched from the driver’s seat as I went over to the fountain. She broke down in the car and asked God what was happening to her little boy. As she lay her head on the steering wheel weeping, the Lord spoke to her and said, “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in doctors, believe also in me.”

A couple of nights later, Mom and Dad started to do our first session of exercises. As we began, conviction gripped their hearts. They decided that if God was going to do something, He would get all the glory and nobody would be able to take credit for any part of it. We never did those exercises again.

That Sunday in church, by the gift of tongues and interpretation in operation, a message came to congregation. The message started by quoting II Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” The Lord went on to say that there were needs in that place that only He could meet, and that if you would just have faith in Him, every need could be met.

As a spirit of worship swept through the auditorium, my parents felt like this was to them, and they took me up to have me prayed for.

A couple of nights later, the same family we had camped with was over for dinner and we three boys were in the basement playing. Upstairs, they heard a bunch of whooping and hollering and came down to see what was going on. When they stepped into the recreation room, the first thing they saw was ME running around the room with my friend on my back!

A few days after that, I went back to the doctor for my follow-up visit. The doctor ran full tests again. He commented to my Mother, “Looks like the exercises have helped.” But my Mother said, “We haven’t been doing the exercises. What happened is that a lot of prayers have been going up for this boy, and God has healed him of this disease." The doctor told her that he wasn’t sure about that, but whatever we were doing, to keep on doing it.

And that was the last time I ever saw that doctor.

That little boy who couldn't walk up stairs, is the man who rode his bike across the country, has hiked the Grand Canyon, he skis, swims, and runs, and keeps me on my toes!

I am so thankful for praying parents and for a prayer answering God!

Dale Messner Memorial House Dedication

Thursday night was a special service as we honored the memory of a godly man. Bro. Dale Messner was a faithful man in the Twin Falls, Idaho church.  His son, Bro. Everett Messner, was in Mindanao with us.  Before Bro. Messner preached, he was presented with a beautiful painting by Pastor Balmas:

He was so touched by this...

Bro. Messner had so many great stories of his father.  Lessons from his life as a farmer.  He was a man dedicated to his God, his family and his land.

After the service we had a beautiful dedication prayer for the building.  Candles were placed around the entire building and we spread out around it.

Bro. Messner's pastor, Pastor John Collins, prayed the dedication prayer.

We know this house will be a blessing for many years to come.

To be Right or to be Liked

I read an interesting article about Bill Cosby yesterday.  He talked about his TV show "The Cosby Show" and his philosophy behind it.  “I based the series on two important things: Number one … I hated those series where the children were brighter than the parents, and those parents had to play dumb,” Cosby said. “Number two was that I wanted to ‘take the house back.”  I've never seen the show, but I certainly agree that the dumming down of parents only leads to disrespect.

Cosby gave an example of his own grandfather.  When Bill wanted to play high school football, his grandfather discouraged him.  "Your bones are not strong enough."  The young Cosby didn't heed his advice, and broke his shoulder in the first game of the season.  Grandpa Cosby didn't remind him of his advice, just asked how he was doing then he put a quarter in Bill's hand and he said, "Go get yourself some ice cream. It’s got calcium in it."

Bill summed up his parenting philosophy with this, "When it comes to parenting, to raising young people and keeping them safe, it’s better to be right than liked."

When I think about the leaders in my life (parents, grandparents, teachers and pastors) I am thankful that they chose to be right instead of liked.  They stepped on my toes, told me "No" and held firm to their convictions.  I didn't always like it, but I'm glad about it today!  As a child and teenager, I didn't have their life experience.  If they had let me make my own decisions, who knows where I would I be today.

I know now that it isn't always easy to take a stand.  With the wisdom of years comes the realization that those who were right, and weren't afraid to steer me in that direction, are also the ones I like!

November 20th ~ Parents (Thanks a Day)

How can I express enough thanks for my parents?  We weren't wealthy by any means, but my memories of childhood aren't marred by that.  Our needs were met.  We had clean clothes and plenty of food.  Dad worked very hard, while Mom stayed home and watched other people's kids, while taking care of us and stretching pennies as far as she could.  Mom and Dad were married 40 years and 7 days when Mom passed away.

I am also thankful Les' parents.   They raised a pretty awesome guy.  They have been married for 53 years and recently celebrated their birthdays (75 and 80) by riding in a glider plane!  I'm glad they are still so healthy and active.