To put feet on our prayers, let's contact our reps.

Contact your Senator
http://www.senate.gov/

Contact your Representative
http://www.house.gov/

Here's what I've read about contacting them, for what it's worth.

First, obviously, be polite. Otherwise, you'll be laughed at and probably dismissed.

Second, stick to one topic per post or letter. Often, an aide skims them and merely checks off yes or no on a list of topics. If you write about more than one, it might not get noted.

Third, be encouraged that you wrote. They consider one letter as representing 10,000 more constituents in agreement. It does hold weight.

So, Encourage the ones who vote like you do. They're probably fighting a hard battle.

I read the first two books of the tome, _Advise & Consent_ for a book report. I was touched by the idealistic young man who went to Washington only to experience a very un-idealistic "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" modus operandi. If you don't support my pork project, my whole sub-committee will vote against your project.

Finally, be sure that if God tells us to pray for everyone in authority, then he hears and answers. And He reigns!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twuLr5rQmp0 "He Reigns"

Healed of CP

Does anyone know Bob Turner? Tell him I'd love to chat with him, catch up. He had the most wonderful story to tell.

I met him years ago in a home meeting. He played the piano beautifully for our worship, then he gave his amazing testimony. I love to believe wonderful things and tell others, but I don't want us to be deceived. I want to verify it.

I did. I called his high school and asked the secretary if she remembered him. "Oh, yes," she said.

So I didn't put words in her mouth, just asked what she remembered. She corroborated:

Bob was born with CP and at 14, his left side stopped growing. His left arm and leg were shorter and drawn up, and he walked with a dragging limp. His parents bought him an old piano for coordination therapy. He'd pound on it in frustration. But he still managed to learn a lot.

One night, a friend took him to a home prayer meeting and they laid hands on him and prayed. His left arm and leg straightened out and even his teeth on that side came in longer.

His parents didn't believe it when he ran up the stairs to tell them. They had been through so much for so long. His mother put her pillow over her head. His father said, "Let's see if it's there in the morning."

It was.

He went back to school on Monday and teachers pulled him into their rooms to ask what happened. A Bible club was formed and at the end of the year, an assembly program speaker had to cancel, and Bob and the host of the home meeting were allowed to give their testimony to the whole school.

All this, the school secretary corrobrated--in her own words, not mine. Except for one mistake. She said, "He went to a revival..."

No. It was just a living room full of believers.

Bob spoke in several churches in the area, and in my living room twice. I made more friends on those occasions, strangers brought in by friends into my packed house.

It would seem that God is still in the healing business. Several times, the Bible says Jesus healed them "all." I don't know why all aren't healed who ask with faith today.

Nowhere does it show Jesus refusing anyone with the words, "I think I'll let you keep this affliction. It will make you more spiritual." But we have probably all seen situations where it does.

Nowhere does it say in the Bible the age of miracles is past.

In fact, I Corinthians 1:7-9 KJV says we are to come behind in no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But miracles do seem to happen more on the mission field than in more  "sophisticated"  science oriented-countries. Like ours. Ask a missionary back from the foreign fields. When everyone else isn't around.

I think we're pretty Laodicean, a la Revelation 3, but that's another topic for another day.

I do know that some people are still gloriously healed right here, and I hope that knowing that builds faith.

And we should dwell on the Word, such as Isaiah 53:5, "With His stripes, we are healed." And "Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today, and forever." But if His plans don't coincide with ours, we should also remember, God has His plans for us, and they're all good. "All things work together for good for them them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose," Romans 8:28.

And who does the healing? We are told in Hebrews that Jesus is at the right hand of God. God and Jesus are seated in heaven. So, the work on earth is done by God's presence in the wonderful Holy Spirit.

James says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." I'm no expert. I just suspect that God appreciates it when we recognize all three aspects of Him in their different roles. Like it says in the hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy--God in THREE PERSONS, blessed Trinity.

Too often today, we fail to mention one of these blessed Persons, God on earth today, the Holy Spirit, rather than act and believe for Him to minister accordingly, his gifts of the Holy Spirit. Healing, in Bob's case.

My novel's heroine's little girl is very ill and a new believer prays for her. This believer just lost a loved one, himself. He says he doesn't know why everyone isn't healed. He just knows that healing was part of the work of the cross. "With His stripes we are healed." So he prays for the toddler in faith, believing, and....

Pray for me to get a publisher and you can read the book and find out. LOL Thanks!

As for Bob Turner, he doesn't have all the answers, either. But he did get his healing, praise God. May we see more healings like his.

Jesus said,  Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."  John 14:21

It might require some sacrifice and some more obedience than we're used to. But it would be worth it all, to see our loved ones healed.

God bless~

Closed--Too Wet & Too Wild

I'm reading about changing ourselves and how difficult it is, even with God's help. We're "comfortable" with what is familiar. Change for the better may seem artificial, uncomfortable.

I once rode past a Florida water park, Wet 'n' Wild, after a violent storm. A new sign stood out front: "Closed--Too Wet & Too Wild." I laughed and went on by.

But God will not just go on by. He will change us if we tell Him we regret our shortcomings and want Him to change us. He'll forgive us and make us peaceful and calm, regardless of any storm. And let us live with Him forever.

Knowing He loves and accepts us, we can do the same for ourselves and change and grow and become the kind of person He plans for us to be. And that is success.

My heroine, Maggie, had massive self-doubts. Two people died because of her shortcomings, she believes. She searches for answers on the dark side and her artistic, funny, sunny self almost gets lost in the process. But she gets by with a little help from her friends and learns the truth from a surprising source.

Scroll down and push the Ready button in the margin for more information, if you like.