JOEL 2 GENERATION

for some crazy reason, I just wanted to see a miracle happen in the Timberline Lodge - it was the hotel featured in the classic horror film The Shining .  So after skiing, we walked into the hotel and asked to see the manager.  We found the man in charge and I told him what was in my heart to see and asked if he could help us.  He said, "I just came from the hospital; I have strep throat and you can start with me".  Wow!!!  We go back into his office and ask him to put his hand on his throat.  We pray a quick prayer releasing the power of Jesus and after saying "Amen", I ask if he can go and drink some water to test it out.  He says he doesn't need to - it was already healed!!!  I guess it hurt even when he wasn't drinking.  We found out he was a believer - and I am sure that his testimony was going to spread all throughout his hotel.  God is good and gives us what our heart desires!

I've seen a number of people healed in ski resorts in the past 8-10 years - mostly in Asia, but this past week a few of us were skiing in Oregon and we knew that if we would step out, God would move.  we'd just seen so many healings on the streets of Portland.   I would introduce my buddies as "healers" and ask if anybody had any injuries or pains.  Skiers and snowboarders usually do and this was no exception.  One guy had an ankle problem and my buddy laid his ski pole on his ankle and prayed for Jesus to bring the Kingdom.  I agreed with him as we broke off the "shock and trauma" from the injury and sure enough the Lord touched him with His healing.  I don't know if it was 100% healed at that point, but it was healed enough that he called out to his friend (also operating the ski lift) saying, " Dude, do the healing thing. It works!"  Then we got to pray for his buddy too!   Those were the only ones we got to pray for on the mountai...

I like chocolate shops, and as I was out with a family with some smaller kids, we decided to go inside one and get samples.  We got samples, and while in there I get a word of knowledge for a shoulder/neck problem.  Since there were two employees and three other customers, I just decide to make the "public announcement" about the condition and one of the customers says that she had that problem earlier in the day but it went away.  I thought that a bit strange.  Why would the Lord give me a word of knowledge for someone who no longer has the problem/pain/condition?  Maybe because He wanted to heal someone else!  I had explained that if the woman still had had that problem that God would have healed it.  Then another one of that group acknowledges the power of prayer and says her feet are killing her (she had a condition I had never heard of).  I asked if I could pray for her and she agreed.  I knelt down and laid my hands on her feet.  ...

while we approached a young homeless teen drumming on a street corner, a word of knowledge came revealing that he had a headache.  I stopped and stooped next to him.  He was probably thinking I was going to give him money (I did give him something) but then after admiring one of his drums, I asked him if he had a headache.  he did and then God healed him in Jesus' Name after prayer. I imagine that it was a whole lot better to be drumming headache-free. Jesus hates headaches and so should we!

while waiting to head back out with a new group, I noticed a young man (early 20's) who was standing nearby.  I got a word of knowledge that he had a problem in his hand/fingers.  I approached him with my "strange question" and sure enough his hand/fingers were injured.  he appeared very nervous and apologized as he was waiting for the police to come.  then I discover how he was injured - he was a mixed martial arts fighter and had just assaulted a man!  he was about to be arrested for assault by the police as soon as they arrived.  so then I waded into the water.  I told him that in spite of what had just happened, I believed God wanted to heal him right then and there.  he was willing to let me pray and sure enough the Lord healed this man.  I was reminded of the Scripture, "that God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  This man had just committed a crime and Jesus reached out and healed...

"common sense" words of knowledge is a term I just made up - kind of like the way we've been talking about "visual words of knowledge" for years now (when someone has a cast or a bandage that is visible).  I often will ask guys who drive taxis if they have back problems or others whose employment/hobby/sport might lead to a particular type of pain/injury (just ask skateboarders if they have any pain).  anyway, I went up to a security guard who spends all day on his feet if he had any pain ("common sense" for his job) that he might want to get rid of.  I'm not sure how I introduced myself (sometimes I mention that I'm a pastor) but anyway, this guy had a knee problem and was willing to let us pray.  he laid hands on his own knee and we prayed in Jesus' Name - he was healed and as you can imagine quite thankful for the encounter.  we saw him hours later and guess what?  he was still pain free and doing well. pretty much anybody who spends ...

sometimes you have to interact with someone for a while and God will give a word of knowledge, and then there are the most fun types - when you are walking by a single individual and a word comes suddenly.  this happened while 3 of us walked by a guy sitting in an outside cafe.  he was pretty shocked - "how did you know"?  he actually thought he was doing something to give it away.  I explained it was nothing like that.  I asked him to put his hand on his neck/shoulder - he did, we prayed in the Name of Jesus and God healed him.  he was pain free and very happy.  he didn't seem to want to interact any more and so we left rejoicing at the way the Lord did a "drive-by" to exalt the Name of His Son.

over the past couple of months, I have immersed myself in the most recent developments in Cosmology and Astrophysics as it relates to creation and the existence of God (don't ask why, but this is what I have been doing).  so should it surprise me that I run into a Cosmologist/Research Scientist and begin talking to him about a "testable creation model" that is being worked on by one of the world's leading (and most brilliant) Apologists, Dr. Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe, and his research team.  To my astonishment, this man had some exposure to Christian arguments for the existence of God and the theistic implications of Big Bang Cosmology (sorry if this is getting technical).  This guy was way smarter than I am and so it wasn't about trying to impress him with my limited, layman's understanding. Rather I offered to pray for him for some pain he had - he was willing to let me.  Don't know if anything really changed, BUT I asked him if he would honestly ...

while walking by some stalls, I was drawn to one where a woodworker was selling his creations (mostly salad tongs and kitchen stuff).  I have always been impressed by those who can work with wood!  as I spoke with him, I got a word of knowledge for a hand and wrist condition.  i took the risk and asked him if his hand/wrist hurt - it did and rather than asking him if I could pray, I simply asked him to put his other hand on it as I said, "watch this!"  all the pain left as we prayed for him in Jesus' Name.  this new age influenced man has a lot to think about.  namely that no new agers have ever come up to him and revealed his pain - much less heal it!

in Portland, everybody knows Voodoo Donuts and since I kept hearing about it, I wanted to go there for 1) donuts and 2) to see a miracle.  not bad motivations. since the line was so long, we decided to approach a woman and her adult daughter who had a large pink box (Voodoo's signature) of their donuts about 50 yards from Voodoo's front door. I offered healing to these women - we identified ourselves as followers of Christ.  One of them had a long-term knee problem.  The woman laid her hands on her affected knee and as I released God's Kingdom in Jesus' Name, the Lord began to touch her.  After a short prayer, she got up to test it out - and guess what?  All pain gone!  Guess who they wanted to talk about?? highly recommended - approach strangers, in Jesus' Name destroy any pain they might have and watch who is interested to talk about the Man who heals "all manners of sickness and disease".

in the Pacific Northwest, you will see EVERYTHING.  on a Saturday afternoon we came upon a full-blown Hare Krishna worship service - an altar, sacrifices of food before images (including two deified Yogis) and a group of about 15 or so devotees chanting expressions of worship to Krishna!  just seemed like the kind of place that Jesus would want to invade with His power and goodness. we walked up to one of the western converts and I told her I was "a healer" and asked if she needed any healing.  she said she was good from head to toe (I doubt it, but oh well).  Anyway, an Indian woman came up offering me a banana, and as I politely declined, I told her that I was a healer and asked if she had any pain.  she had neck and shoulder pain.  I instructed her to put her own hand on the affected area - I prayed clearly in the Name of the Lord Jesus and guess what?  Yes, SHE WAS HEALED!  I just love the fact that Jesus invaded a worship service of a fals...

walked up to a young homeless couple and asked if they had any pain that they didn't want anymore.  the girl said she had pain in the hips.  I told her I was "a healer" and she put her hands on her hips and I prayed in the Name of Jesus.  since she wouldn't know if it was healed until she had checked it out over the course of a couple of days, I asked if she had any other pain.  she had her feet bandaged and told us her feet were hurting and so she let me pray again.  after a short prayer, she began using the most expletive language I have ever heard! (can't repeat it).  she was shocked as all the pain left!  we left them with a whole new perspective on what Christ will do as He loves on people!