Phoenix Preacher

The following photos are as close to a documented case of faith healing of an organic condition that I've ever encountered.

The healing occurred at the Lakeland  meeting and this is the testimony of the healed.

“Ok…I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was about 13 yrs old and they said the only way to straighten it would be surgery because my growth-plate was almost closed, leaving no option for a brace.  It has been painful all of the time, and at times excrutiating.  It never changed for the worse or better even through pregnancy, so the specialist said it was "completely stable"  and "would never shift."  There were times that I had so much pain I couldn't stand straight up.  I tried physical therapy for awhile to combat the pain, but couldn't afford to keep it going.  When we lived there,(name deleted)   had a word that I would be healed from the inside out, resulting in the straightening of my back.  On the 8th, as I watched the outpouring on tv God told me to take a picture because this was to bring about the healing that was prophesied over me a year before.  My camera battery was dead, so I put it off for a few days.  On the 11th, my dad called and said he was going to Lakeland and wanted to take my son (deleted).  I said of course he could and he said he wanted to take me but knew I couldn't go with work and the kids. I said God would make a way and in one day, I had all of my shifts at work covered and childcare lined up for six days!!!  I knew I had better obey God, and took a picture of my back the night before we left. 

We flew out on the morning of the 13th!  On Sunday (15th)  I went up for prayer (just at the altar, not the stage…not from Todd) and A woman on the ministry team prayed for me.  She said all things crooked will be made straight and laid hands on my stomach and back.  I was slain in the spirit and she straightened my body out as I laid on the floor on my back and continued to pray for me.  I stayed after she moved on and when the minister on stage yelled "fire" my body jumped and I began to laugh.  He yelled "fire" again (praying for someone else this whole time) and I laughed so hard that the laugh went deep into my stomach, as I laughed, I felt my spine move!  It didn't hurt and I wasn't even sure it really happened, but I started crying and laughing and then I felt my left ribcage lower to the floor!  My left ribcage has never rested on the seat-back or floor and my left arm would never rest against my side, due to the curvature of my spine.  So I knew it was real then and I cried and thanked God, Then I got up and went to my dad, who was already crying even though he couldn't see me.  He said a pastor who had been sitting behind us had just given him a word of knowledge as encouragement.  He said he could see God slowly twisting and moving my back into alignment…he did not know I had scoliosos and had never spoken to us before.  I sat down and both sides of my back touched the seat-back!!!  When I stand straight now, my left arm rests on my side!!!  I have small amounts of pain in my muscles off and on, but it feels like they are sore from the change, there is NO bone or nerve pain whatsoever.  I was able to give my testimony and show the pictures on stage on the 17th.  I recieved this healing as a tool for us to use, God told me that. “ 

I have every reason to believe that these are true, unaltered photos and the testimony is true.

One thing we can say…God still heals. 

Let's discuss…

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.

But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.”
(1Corinthians 11:1-15 ESV)

This is the weekly place for those who have been victims of abusive churches to share their stories within a community of wounded healers.

You may use your name or you may use a pseudonym if that is more comfortable.

We come from a variety of back grounds and experiences, but most of us have travelled the road you're on, many of us are still traveling it.

We invite you to stay as long as you like, we hope you become part of this community and another healing, but wounded healer for others.

What goes around comes around…

While some objected yesterday to my comparison of Todd Bentley's commissioning service to Skip Heitzig's, I now object to being compared theologically with…Oprah Winfrey. 

It just goes to show you what happens when you mess with Rolph.

Tim Wirth got tired of braying at Richard Abanes and decided to take me on.

A week ago Friday on TGIF I wrote a column where I tried to make a case from church history and common sense about reading various authors with profit despite doctrinal disagreements.

It was a plea for real discernment and thoughtfulness from the discernment ministries.

It didn't work. 

He focused on this excerpt from the article;

“Bernard was a Catholic monk…and a mystic.
He also is probably more responsible for the cult of Mary in Catholicism today than any other father.
However, along with these and other dogmas that both the Reformers rejected, Bernard wrote some of the seminal theology that evolved into the doctrine of justification that we hold to in Protestantism today.
While both men quoted more frequently from Augustine than any other father, Bernard was quoted often and was commended highly by both men.
He was also held by both not only to be a brother, but a “doctor” in the church”

Luther and Calvin could affirm Bernard as a brother and glean from his work that which was good and biblical without embracing everything he wrote.
A true, mature believer can glean from all of the above as well as Warren, Henri Nouwen, Richard Foster and the rest of the brethren that the asses never stop braying at.
The one incident I’m most ashamed of that happened here was when I jumped on Rolph for recommending Nouwen…then read with wonder Nouwen’s “Prodigal Son”.
I was immature and ignorant and proud of both.
That in my opinion, is the perpetual state of most of the “discernment ministries”.
Unfortunately, it’s too often my state as well.
If Luther and Calvin can practice a “generous orthodoxy”…we should too. end quote.

Now from this, here is what the ever brilliant Wirth concluded;

"I also think its a natural transition for many in the Reformed/Calvinist crowd (not all though) to start to join with the Emergent church and those authors that Emergents promote. And I think Michael himself states the reasons why." 

I am not aware of one Reformed person of note (or without note) that has joined up with the emergent church.

How it is a natural transition from holding to the five solas of the Reformation to Rob Bell is something that completely escapes me.

If that wasn't wacky enough, we move to this gem…

"To me this is a Oprah Winfrey style of logic that lacks serious discernment and let me explain why. Oprah as well states that she is a Christian. She also has stated that she does not believe that Jesus could not possibly be the only way. Oprah would agree that we could learn lots of things from good people as she exposes many people to her new age ideas.

That is Oprah Winfrey logic."

That is a load of happy horse bleep. 

If you study church history, you find that theology has developed over the centuries and that doctrines we hold dear today sometimes took hundreds of years to mature.

Many of the fathers of the church while not having fully mature doctrine, contributed much to the process of it becoming mature as in the case I cited of Bernard and justification.

Even today, no one has all the answers or the corner on biblical truth.

Some, like the discernment ministries think they do, but that is nothing more than further proof of their willful ignorance. 

Thankfully, Tim thinks I might be saved;

Now I sincerely do not believe that Oprah is a Christian and I have no reason to believe that Michael Newnman is not a Christian.

So Michael thinks that we discernment ministries are immature and ignorant because we caution against new age forms of spirituality and prayer that are outside of scripture?

No, Tim, because you have no idea what you're talking about.

Like your brethren you have no idea what the history of the church is or how it developed.

You act as if the church just appeared with the Scofield Bible in the first century and has battled Rome ever since.

You're ignorant of even how ignorant you are. 

Tim then goes hoarse braying against Abanes, Nouwen, and Foster accompanied by the discernment "scholars" Yungen and Oakland.

Unfortunately, you can't respond to Tim on his website because he has neither the courage nor the ability to defend his assertions through actual dialog.

This is just a snapshot of a group of people hellbent on creating division and strife. 

Church history shows us that even Luther and Calvin interacted with their theological opponents as did Whitefield and Wesley and many others on different sides of doctrinal issues. 

When Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door, he was asking for a debate, not making a definitive statement never to be questioned.

They were willing to engage because truth was what was important, not pet doctrines or popularity. 

Until the discernment ministries are willing to actually engage in discussions of the things that concern them with their brethren who differ, they remain nothing more than divisive jackasses.

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