God: #1 Locksmith

My 86-year-old grandmother accidentally locked herself outside of her home in Texas today. Being the month of August, it was very hot outside. Since she could not get in her house and had no access to the telephone, she decided to sweep her carport and wait for someone to arrive. She had already tried several keys that were in her pocket, but none of them went to her house.

After quite awhile, when the heat was becoming a bit much for her, she decided to ask God to make one of the keys work. Sure enough, one of the keys opened her door! After she unlocked the door, she tested the key once more and it would not open the door. My parents arrived and they tested the keys. They found that none of those keys would open her door. The Lord made that key to fit only for that moment!

Interesting "Events"

The following events may not make sense, but I never want to forget them.

#1---Lately, we have experienced some interesting little things that have boggled our minds. My husband noticed, about a month ago, that when worship music is played in the car, the lights turn on. Our lights are not automatic lights. You have to turn a little button to make the lights come on. Over the past week, I forgot to bring my worship CD's in the car, so I had scanned radio stations looking for some good music. I stopped on one station that plays a mix of Christian music. I listened to several really good Christian songs and, finally, a worship song came on, and the button moved so that the lights came on! I kinda laughed, but didn't know what to think. This happened to me about four times last week.

#2---Today, my husband was a guest speaker at Po'okela Church. He decided to leave his wallet and cell phones hidden in the car, so he rolled up all of the windows and locked the doors (the windows are electric, so they only work when the car is on). During service, he prayed that God would "open the windows of Heaven." It began to rain outside. When my husband came back to the car after church was over, he found that ALL of the windows were rolled down. The car was wet on the outside from the rain, yet the inside remained dry. Hmmm. Interesting.

#3---Last week, I had been teaching my children about the following verses:

Psalm 91
1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

I asked my children to remember how the mother hen that lived in our yard kept her chicks safely protected under her wings. We discussed how God will cover us with His feathers (verse 4) and what it means to dwell in the secret place of the Most High. One night, we prayed as a family that God would cover us with His wings, that our home would be a refuge and shelter, and that He would place His angels all around our home, inside and out!

Here's the interesting part: all week long, I have found little feathers in my house. I have swept numerous times and vacuumed. After the fourth day of waking up to find feathers in my living room, kitchen, hallway, and bedroom, it finally dawned on me that it was a reminder of what we had asked for. I do not know if these feathers are blowing into the house from somewhere (I have found no evidence of birds in the house....okay, other than feathers) or if God is actually leaving these feathers in our home. All I do know is that He is reminding us about His covering and His faithfulness to be with us.
UPDATE: 8/20/07---TODAY WHILE SCUBA DIVING AND FILMING AT MOLOKINI CRATER, A BIG, WHITE FEATHER FLOATED IN FRONT OF MY HUSBAND'S VIDEO CAMERA. HE WAS 20 FEET DOWN. I ALWAYS ASK THE LORD TO SURROUND HIM WITH ANGELS WHILE HE DIVES. ISN'T THAT WILD?! I JUST WATCHED THE VIDEO. IT'S REALLY COOL.

Boy's Arm is Healed

Last Saturday, my husband and I ran into a family from church and we noticed that their son, Kekoa, had his arm in a sling. He had been injured at school and the doctor did an X-ray, but told them they would have to wait for the specialist to come in on Monday to review the results before they could determine whether or not it was broken (typical Hawaiian healthcare). My husband prayed for Kekoa and then we left.

I saw his mother on Wednesday and she informed me that, after the prayer, Kekoa told her, "I know that God is healing my arm." He began using his arm as if it were normal. On Monday, the doctor called and told them, "We see something on the X-ray, so you'll need to bring him back in." The mom said, "But he's using his arm just fine. He doesn't hurt and it's normal." The doctor told her to come have it checked anyway, so we're waiting to hear what they found on the X-ray. This should be interesting!

6-year-old Healed From Knee Injury!

One really awesome thing happened in my class tonight!! A 6-year-old boy, Matthew, was injured at school yesterday and his knee continued to swell and he could not walk today, so his dad carried him into the doctor's office. The doctor said that his meniscus was probably torn. His knee was visibly swollen and red and he could not straighten his leg. It was also full of fluid. Tonight, he came hopping into my class and looked very uncomfortable. He asked if we would pray for him, so I had the class gather around him and we laid hands on his knee. After prayer, we sat down and continued the class. Towards the end, during playtime, he began running around the room. I asked, "How is your knee?" "Better," he shouted.

His mother came in to get him and they went into the sanctuary for more prayer. Three people prayed for his leg and he came running back into my class VERY quickly! I looked at his knee and I could not see any swelling. I said, "I can't believe it!" I suddenly realized what I had said, so I corrected my statement to, "I CAN believe it!" Matthew seemed so excited to be running around and he made sure that everyone noticed, too. His parents were very happy! Thank you, Lord.

Freedom to Dance

This may seem small, but I have always wanted to dance for the Lord in a more public way, yet I was too self-conscious to do it in front of people. Over the past 6 months, I have been given the boldness and freedom to express worship to God in a way that I have always wanted to. I am very thankful for this opportunity. Another very wonderful part of this is that my daughter is dancing with me!

Relief from Chest Pains

A friend of ours was approached by a co-worker who asked for prayer because he was having severe chest pains. The man previously had a heart attack and was fearful because of the pain. Our friend was really nervous and unsure at first.....what a big request! But he laid his hand on the man and prayed against the pains and it left immediately. Thank you, Lord.

God Uses Numbers......

Here is a really neat testimony that my husband wrote about on his blog regarding words of prophecy. I copied it here:

"Here's an example and, by the way, a year ago I would never have done this. I sit down by a man who is waiting for his ride. I ask if I can pray with him. He says no, he's not interested. We do begin to talk though and as we do I feel intense compassion for the depth of hurt in him and the numbers 10 and 14 come to mind, forcefully. So much so that it's distracting. I clear my throat and go with it. "There is a deep pain in you from 10 or maybe 14 years ago. Something happened that left your life scarred and God wants to heal your heart." He begins to weep and says, "My 14 year old son was killed 10 years ago in a hit and run accident. (long pause) I've been angry at God ever since." We cry together and when I ask if I can pray with him again he says yes. The manifest presence of the Spirit of God meets us there and he begins a new day and season in his life as a believer in Jesus Christ."

God is awesome!!

Dancing in Freedom/Sitting with Senators

We had another powerful Sunday that was packed with prayer, praise, worship and Spirit-filled preaching. Since we're in Hawaii, we use modest hula dancing as part of our worship to God. Hula is new to me and I have really enjoyed being taught by very Godly Hawaiian women. I have always struggled with a fear of getting up in front of people, whether it's to speak, act, dance, or do anything! This morning, a wonderful thing happened. I was able to get up and dance to a song called, "Come, Holy Spirit," and I did it without fear. An amazing peace came over me and I felt so close to the throne of God. In my mind, it was just me and God in that place. My husband called for the team to dance again at the end of service and as we danced, I heard people weeping. At one point, I noticed a woman laying face down in front of us and then my husband came and knelt on the ground where we were dancing. It was as if a door had been unlocked to the Kingdom and people were openly expressing their worship to God. Others stayed in their seats, holding Kleenex to their eyes. Then, people prayed for one another; some for the next hour!

The Tuesday after service, my husband flew to Oahu for a lunch with the Lieutenant Governor. I prayed that God would open a door for him to speak about the spiritual climate of Hawaii and what God was doing in Maui. Well, when he arrived, he found that the Lt. Governor could not be there, but he ended up sitting at a table with 12 men, some of who were senators and congressmen. Someone made the statement that "these men are the movers and shakers!" They all spoke of economics and wealth. Finally, one of them turned to my husband and, perhaps somewhat mockingly, asked, "So, you're a preacher....what does God say about economics?" My husband thought to himself, "Oh, boy....here it goes." He began telling them about true wealth in the Kingdom of God and what Jesus came to do....that all that other stuff really doesn't matter in the big picture. He mentioned healing the sick and how Jesus touched the poor. Now, with the attention of the entire table, one man asked, "So, you believe that miracles happen?" My husband then told of several testimonies that we recently experienced. They all listened carefully and seemed a bit surprised. My husband was treated well after that and he was able to share more with individuals who spoke to him afterwards. It is so neat how God opens the doors and confounds the "wise." I believe this was a divine appointment and I know that good seed was planted that will flourish and produce good fruit.