10 comments (Add your own)

1. Brad Dancer wrote:

This week God did a miracle in my family. Two months ago my mother, a 5 year cancer survivor, was told by her doctor that she had a mass on her lungs and that her white blood cell count was very low. She as been very tired as of late. We all knew what that meant and began praying at once.

Yesterday she went to the cancer doctor to see where to go from here and confirm the diagnosis.

Well, the doctor found no mass at all and no evidence of cancer.

God is real and He does answer prayer! That's our story!

December 30, 2009 @ 4:39 PM

2. Curtis McMinn wrote:

God has been great to us again this year! It's all because of prayer and his continued faithfulness!

Several of our family members found full-time employment this year after losing their jobs. God continues to challenge and grow us as a couple on a daily basis.

Overall, we've been blessed with a healthy, safe and thriving family. We couldn't have asked for any more this year. God is faithful!

December 31, 2009 @ 11:58 AM

3. Terri Nathan wrote:

On New Year's Eve, I received a phone call from my sister that my dad had been taken to the emergency room in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He could not catch his breath he really could not breath at all without the help of oxygen. He was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. Fluid had collected around his heart and in his lungs. He was treated at the hospital and responded very well to the treatment that was given. He is now feeling much better and hopefully will be released from the hospital today. God is so Great.

January 4, 2010 @ 5:27 PM

4. Zandra Frye wrote:

I'm very grateful for my Family.2009 was a difficlt year for us financially and with a lot of death and sickness in our immediate family.When things looked bleak as in, how are we gonna make it through this one...God ALWAYS!! pulls us trough.Everytime..He does not fail us.I praise him! My parents are still sick but alive and serving him.God provided for Suzanne to go to college,Eddie got his job back in Houston.I'm blessed despise all the trials and tribulations.To God be the Glory!

January 12, 2010 @ 1:41 PM

5. Mike Nathan wrote:

Last Sunday during worship service, I asked Brad to pray for issues with the project in Malaysia. The prayer was to make things to workout. I was concerned about how deal with the client, and how to solve the existing problems offshore. Well, it is not completely solved yet. However, God was there with me to deal with the client on very difficult situation. I went to the meeting knowing that he will be there to support me and guide me…The meeting run so smooth and I wasn’t even worried, scared and was able to conduct the meeting without any issues, and the client was very pleasant to deal with. Praise the Lord.

Secondly, he also opened up the doors to investigate design issue that could be causing the problems, which wasn’t even under consideration last week. Possibly this could solve the problems we are having offshore. He also directed me to talk to the right qualified people to discuss the issues for the possible solutions for the problems. I am confident that He will guide and give the tools and knowledge to all the people working on these problems for speedy solutions, and bring the plant back on line, and produce gas without anymore problems. I know He could fix this right way. But, I know in my heart that he want all of us to learn from this, so this want happen again...I give all the Glory to Him.

Thirdly, he also made us move repair of a equipment from original subcontractor to another contract this week. We met with the new subcontractor, made plans and guess what, we were able complete the work this Sunday, instead of three weeks from now. Praise God.

Thank you Lord Jesus for your grace and mercy, and guiding all of us with this project.

January 16, 2010 @ 12:14 AM

6. Jim McDougal wrote:

My (recent) story: As most are aware, my mother recently passed away. It has been a long, sometimes very strange journey as Alzheimer’s changed mom from an extremely organized, self-confident, highly educated and intelligent, nurturing force in my life to a dependent, frail, infant-like being who no longer recognized those with whom she shared her life. But that is all okay now, for she joins my father who passed away in 1976 and they are forever together in new bodies, free from human frailties and illness. Glory be to God, forever and ever!

The next time Pastor Brad decides to pray for ‘impossible walls’ for his flock, I hope to be absent from the congregation. Our wall was that we could not find mom’s will. I know it existed and had had it in my hands when we had to move her into a caring environment. Prior to that, she lived alone and we had found her important papers in a box marked ‘to be shredded’. Mom had decided, in the interest of preventing identity theft, that any paper or papers with her name on it needed to be destroyed. That included stock certificates, bank records, tax papers and, of course, her will. Fortunately, by God’s provision and perfect timing it turned out, we were able to intervene and make things right. But it’s been a six year journey of highs and lows.

Back to that impossible wall. I am convinced that each of us at times provides comic relief for our Lord. Especially those times when we insist upon ‘taking the bull by the horns’ and fixing stuff all by ourselves. We literally tore our house apart looking for that all-illusive stack of important papers. Had we put it in the safe-deposit box at the bank (like we should have)? NO… Had we stashed it away quickly as the wind and water damage from Ike threatened our home? NO… Had it somehow been put in the storage unit with mom’s furnishings as we renovated her house? NO… Could it be in the computer room? The dining room? The closet where we keep other junk? No, no and no! Had we left it in the care of mom’s attorney? Not even. So, as I prepared to retire for what would probably be a third sleepless night, I finally turned it over to God. I prayed, “Lord, what might happen if we don’t find it? Surely you know exactly where it is and what has become of it…” Peace came slowly. Then, in the quiet of my soul, I received an inspiration: ‘look under the bed’. You have to know, that we have an old-style waterbed box frame with a new-style sleep-number bed in it. It sits up on a pedestal formed by a pair of under-dresser units. The center section between the units is an unused space, accessible by a small, decorative door. It’s the perfect place to stash long, delicate items like fluorescent lamp tubes and certain sporting goods. It’s also kind of difficult to get to as the carpet keeps the access door very tightly closed. Nevertheless, I got up and forced open the cubby. There were the fluorescent tubes, some certain sporting goods… and two file boxes marked ‘to be shredded’… and let me tell you, there was rejoicing in the house that night!

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I have another story to share, this one from a dear friend who told it from the pulpit yesterday. Back when Dr. Randy Hatchett was attending seminary to earn his credentials, he was a ‘circuit minister’ (one who fills in when necessary for ailing or vacationing pastors) in an area known more for dairy farming than for higher education. Some of those he ministered to became his lifelong friends. One such dairy farmer, in later life became involved in missions. Every couple of years or so, he and Randy touch bases. Randy tells the story: my friend relates how there is a particular mission church in Mexico, far off the radar screen of most Southern Baptist efforts, where the Pastor’s unique ministry is preparing those who feel called of God to go out and preach. He puts these young men, untrained as they may be, on a rotation to preach the weekly sermon and then encourages them with advice, reference materials and mentoring. Each year, they hold a revival where the rotational lay-ministers lead sessions. This dairy farmer makes the trip each year to assist and sometimes takes church members with him to lead VBS sessions for youth and adults as well as provide resources and manpower for this church’s many needs. He had taken notice of a particular young man, dirt poor, yet who possessed a gift for preaching.

Back home one evening, this now retired dairy farmer was out with his wife shopping at a local department store. There he noticed some dress shirts on clearance for a ridiculously low price. He kept being drawn back to the rack, even though he didn’t need any shirts. The salesperson asked him if he was interested in the shirts, but quickly reminded him that this selection of small and medium dress shirts wouldn’t fit his large frame. Still, he could not kick the notion of purchasing the shirts, not just one or two, but the whole rack! He reported that he really wasn’t thinking of Mexico at the time, but he just needed to buy those shirts. So he did, all eighteen of them, to the surprise of the clerk and the consternation of his wife.

On his next trip to the Mexican church, he carefully packed the shirts in his suitcase. During the revival, the particular young man he had noticed earlier did not preach and was not on the program. He spotted the young man among the congregation and asked why. With a fallen countenance, the young man related how he had recently torn his only dress shirt. When he asked the pastor about preaching the revival, he was told that one thing must be adhered to – and that was anybody preaching from the pulpit would need to dress appropriately, and that included a button-down dress shirt as a minimum. This poor dirt farmer had prayed for several weeks that somebody could provide him a dress shirt as his family was way too poor to afford one themselves. Disappointed that the prayer had been unanswered, he nonetheless attended the revival.

Well, I don’t have to tell you the ending of this story, as all the details have been already been outlined. The world will dismiss this as a mere coincidence or sheer happenstance that occurs when religious nuts gather together looking for some tangible evidence of a fantasy. But the true believer will understand this as the beautiful strains of a symphony, composed and directed by God Himself where, at the Holy Spirit’s urgings, we play the instruments of faith that He has given us. And it is a most beautiful thing to behold, by the believer and by God Himself. All praise and glory be to Him!

January 18, 2010 @ 7:26 AM

7. Mike Nathan wrote:

I am learning to give more and more of my concerns and issues to God, and pray about it all the time, more than ever before. Guess what, it is working. This week, I was faced with a shipping problem at a Port in Malaysia…The Port Authority told the customer that they will not allow the ship to dock at the Private Jetty that they have to offload the cargos at the Port and truck or barge them to the private Jetty. Major issues, since these cargos on the ship are oversized and over weight for truck or land transportation.

So, I had Terri to pray and I prayed and ask God to make the Port Authority give us the approval so we could offload the cargos at the private Jetty. Well, next day I was driving from Kuala Lumpur to Pasir Gudang, where the Port is…On the way, in the car, I was praying and asking God to get me an appointment with the Port Authority to plea our case. As I was praying, the phone rang and the customer on the other end said, we have an appointment with the Deputy Manager at the Port Authority at 3.00pm, and he would like to meet with us to discuss the Port authority's position on this matter. Praise God.

We went to the meeting and the Deputy Manager at the Port Authority welcome us with a smile, served us coofee, casual discussions and did all the talking with regards to what Port Authority's stand on this matter…It went so well, and we received the approval to dock the ship at the private Jetty, and problem was solved.

The miracle part of the all deal was that I didn’t even have to plea our case to them. When we met, he already had his mind made up to give us the approval to dock the ship at the private jetty, with certain conditions that we could accept.

Typically, in Malaysia things don’t work this way. Most of the time, they are looking for something before they will agree to give you anything…In this case, we didn’t have to do anything…I know that our prayers were heard, and God moved in and took care of it. I give all the glory and thanks to the Lord.

I am beginning to like the part that nothing is impossible for God. It doesn’t matter how big or small, all the same for Him!

Give your problems and worries to the Lord, and He will make the burden light…It says in Matthew chapter 11, verses 28 to 30...

Matthew 11:28 - Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:29 - Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:30 - For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light."

Thank you Lord Jesus for answering my Prayers!

February 5, 2010 @ 1:37 AM

8. Mike Nathan wrote:

I had a health issue (Colitis, its form of bleeding) and I kept praying for years and never seem to get any better…Finally, I went up front and asked Brad to pray for the healing, and gave the problem to God to make me feel better and heal me. Well, I asked for the prayer on January 10, 2010, after the sermon where Brad asked us to give all our problems, concerns and leave at Gods feet. Well, I did exactly that on that Sunday. Praise God, he answered the prayer…For last two months; I am back normal and stop bleeding. I thought I will share this with all of you to encourage you all to do the same…God might not answer the prayer right away, but if you be faithful and be patient, He will answer in His own time… God is so good to me and my family. His love, grace, and mercy always blessed upon us. God is great!

Also, on the Easter weekend, I gave my testimony to my immediately family in Canada, and planted the seed. Now, it is up to God to take over and make it blossom. Please pray that my family will have the faith to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Brother Brad, thank you for your continuous prayer. We are truly blessed to have you. God bless.

April 13, 2010 @ 4:19 AM

9. wrote:

As I was growing up in Sri-Lanka, my family’s religious background was Hindu. I was taught to follow and practice Hinduism. If you do not know Hinduisms, a Hindu believes in different gods for different needs. Later in my life, I believed, there was a God and only one God, and different people believed in him through different method. When it came to Christianity really I did not know much, since I was not exposed to it, I knew Christians believed in Jesus Christ…



As I said earlier, I believed in God, and deep inside of me, I knew he provided and took care of me. I left my family early in my life at age 17. I went to England and lived there on my own for two years. I was going to school, and working to pay for my college tuitions and living expenses. I had no adult guidance. I knew God was protecting me from getting into trouble or getting involved with bad people, and get into sinful things like drinking, drugs or even sex. Every night, when I walked home late at night from work, I always prayed to the God to get me home safe and protect me, and, he did…



After two years in London, England, I came to Tulsa, Oklahoma to attend the University of Tulsa. Even here, I had to work to get through college, and God provided me with a job, three meals a day and place to live. In 1979, I met Terri and we dated for 2 1/2 years. We got married in 1981. After we married, I did go to church with Terri, especially at Easter and Christmas. At times I went unwillingly to please Terri, and to set a good example for my daughter - Nicole. Never for myself. I never really paid much attention to what the Ministers/Pastors were saying, except just to stare at them. Not much has changed there, I still stare at the pastor, but I do listen…



About eight (8) years ago, thanks to Nicole and Terri, and Terri’s friend Jeannie Banks, I start going to Wildewood Church. I am very thankful to God for bringing Nicole into my life. She invited me to youth activities on Sunday evenings. The youth made me feel so welcome. This gave me an opportunity to get involved with youth outings, church functions and going to youth conferences and listening to some wonderful speakers and worship bands. I was lost and searching - just like some of the youth –for what Christ is all about. In addition, I was struggling with another issue, my father. My father was a Hindu, a very good man. To my knowledge, he never did anything against Gods’ commandments. He was a very kind and loving person. My father passed away in 1983. To my knowledge he had not accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. As per the Bible, the New Testament, since he did not accept Jesus Christ as his savoir, he couldn’t have gone to heaven. I could not accept that he did not go to heaven. I refuse to accept that.



As you all well know, God works in mysterious ways. While I was at a youth conference in San Antonio one summer, one of the church members in the middle of the conference asked me,” how do you know that your farther didn’t accept Christ as his savior and lord? Did you know that each and everyone in this world will get an opportunity to accept him, even at the time of death”? In addition, to top of it off, Mercy Me, one the greatest Christian Worship Bands introduced a new song, “Spoken for”. It is as if God just spoke to me and let me know my father is with Him in heaven and I am his own.



From that day forth, I invited Christ into my life. Many people have helped me discover Christ: Terri helped me by not pressuring me to go to church, and the church family by not pressuring me join or do things that I wasn’t comfortable doing. In addition, Candy, and George Watson on Wednesday evenings,- one on one - helped me to understand, more about Jesus and what He stood for through videos and easy to understand lesson’



Eight years ago, January 20, 2002 I became a Baptist and a part of God’s family. When you accept Christ as your savior, you’ are adopted. No ifs or buts about it. From that day forward my life has changed for the better. As months went by my life started to change, and I was convicted and tested’ I started to look at thing from God’s perspective and became more humble and thankful for what He has provided. I now enjoy life to the fullest, without any regrets.



A few months after my baptism, George (my pastor) and I got together once a week and he helped me to grow in my spiritual life. God knew exactly how to help me and guide me, so I could get closer to Him. I was nervous and afraid in the beginning, but as the weeks went by I got more comfortable, and started asking questions. I even said an “out loud” prayer or two. For me that was a giant step, since I am not good with words and slow to speak. I used to think what others might think of me. As you know Moses was slow and scared to do what God asked of him. Then he put his trust in God to guide him through. That story gave me the confidence to do things for God and at Church; that I would not have even thought of doing before. I thank God for George for being my pastor, and most of all a friend in Christ.



Since then, my hunger for his word grew rapidly. I want to learn and understand more and help others. Specially, help others who are lost and not knowing what Christ is all about and help them to know Him. Just like a newborn baby, learns to crawl, stand and walk. So is my life with Christ. I just started to crawl and I have long way to go. To help with my spiritual growth, in the past few years, God has called me to be his servant in different areas of the church, which I enjoy very much.



I am not perfect and never will be. I continue to work towards being more like Christ, and learn everyday how to live in this sinful world. Believe me; you will be tested everyday by the devil. He wants to break you from being like Christ. Being a Christian is not easy. It is very hard work. If you believe that Christ is there to help you through it, you will beat the devil every time. Have faith in Jesus Christ and never give-up. Live your life as an example. We should try to live a Christian life everywhere we go and in everything, we do. So others can see the difference in your life and maybe, they will try to follow your example. Maybe they will ask you question about, why are you different than you used to be and what made you change? Here is your greatest opportunity to witness to someone about Christ.



Finally, I want to thank the church family and friends - you know who you are - for helping me to grow in my spiritual life. You all are part of me. You helped save me to eternal life with our Creator in heaven. There is nothing I can say or do that will ever take that way from my life. I was 44 years old when I accepted Christ in my life. It is never too late to live your life for God. What is holding you back?



If anyone of you wants to talk with me and know more about my life, please let me know, I will be glad to share what God has done in my life and maybe I can learn something from you…

May God bless you all and thank God for Jesus Christ…

June 15, 2010 @ 9:44 AM

10. Stephen Hime wrote:

THE STORY, THEN AND NOW

Twenty years ago, a seventeen year old Salvadorian girl named Ana, previously employed as our housekeeper, showed up at Teresa’s and my front door. Not only was she alone with no place to go, she was pregnant and quite bruised up from the beating she took from her sister and brother-in-law.

For the next eighteen months, God used Teresa and I to meet Ana’s needs. We were there with her when her first son, Mauricio, was born and she was there when Teresa gave birth to Stevie. I never spent so much effort on my own high school diploma as I did with Ana and her English as a second language course load. God changed all of our lives during that time.

Fast forward twenty years to yesterday evening. Teresa and I were praying about our leaking roof. Torrential tropical thunderstorms have been forecast for the next thirty-six hours.

If you don’t know what thirty heart surgeries over eighteen years does to your finances, I will leave it to your imagination. Suffice to say that $600-$1000 to repair the roof is not something that I would be able to pull out of my back pocket.

Teresa trips down to Wal-Mart to pick up some household necessities. Providentially, Teresa bumps into Ana at Wal-Mart. Teresa mentioned that we had a leaking roof. Ana told Teresa that her husband, amongst other home improvement projects, was a professional roofer. Ana told us that she would have her husband look at our roof.

This evening, just after returning home from work, Ana and her husband showed up. I noticed that one of the areas that needed repair had already been replaced. Ana told us that her husband had come over earlier to look at the damage and had repaired one section with materials that he already had on hand.

I told Ana that I didn’t know how much money I could come up with to pay for the repairs. She would have nothing to do with any discussion about payment. Ana told me that she felt that she could never repay Teresa and I for what we had done for her. Furthermore, her husband, upon learning about the role that we had played in Ana’s life, was eager to repair our roof at no cost. As he did not have enough shingles to finish patching our roof, Teresa and I did pay $55 for more shingles at Home Depot.

Let me say this straight up front. God is good! None of these events were coincidental. God used Teresa and I to meet Ana’s needs. Twenty years later, God used Ana and her husband to meet our needs. Praise God for changed lives! Praise God for a dried in house!

June 30, 2010 @ 10:36 PM

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