My Favorite Stories

Henry S. served in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II with the U.S. Navy. He was part of the crew unloading the USS Mt. Hood, an ammunition ship, when it was struck by a kamikaze plane. In the explosion that followed, Henry sustained severe injuries to his back and legs which ultimately resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee.

After 18 months in hospitals and rehabilitation, Henry returned home to try to rebuild his life. His disability hindered him from doing some things but it didn’t stop him from one of his favorite hobbies – fishing!

While fishing one day Henry stopped his boat near a log to get out. How was he to know that there was a large rattlesnake on the other side of the log, coiled and ready to strike? As Henry stepped over the log, the rattlesnake viciously attacked. Its fangs pierced through the pants and into the leg. How was the snake to know that it was an artificial leg, and that its venom would have no effect? The yellow poison stained Henry’s pants leg. The snake had broken a tooth on the wooden leg. As Henry pulled his leg back into the boat, the snake slithered off. Possibly for the first time since he was injured, Henry was grateful that he had an artificial leg that substituted for his real one.

There is another snake slithering around, ready to strike unexpectedly. He is the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan (Rev. 12:9). He is vicious and shows no mercy. His desire is to kill, to steal, and to destroy (Jn. 10:10). He deceives the whole world (Rev. 12:9). He is ready to strike you if you come into his territory.

We are living in this world. How can we avoid being struck? We can’t. But we don’t have to experience the devastating effects of the serpent’s bite. Henry’s tragic wound forced him to have an artificial leg that substituted for the real one. That tragedy turned into triumph for him when he was bitten. The snakebite had no effect on Henry’s body, in spite of the fact that venom was released. We too have a Substitute that has taken the serpent’s bite on our behalf. He received the full force of Satan’s venom and died on the cross. That tragedy has turned into triumph because now we can have eternal life by accepting Jesus as the Substitute for our sins.

Is Jesus your Substitute? That old serpent Satan has struck you and his venom has brought sin into your life. Your sins will bring eternal death to you unless you have a Substitute that removes them from you. Invite Jesus Christ to come into your life today and forgive you of your sins. Don’t let the serpent’s venom kill you.

One of my favorite stories comes from the Bible in the book of Second Kings. The prophet Elisha had been a thorn in the flesh of the nation of Aram and they devised a plot to take his life. They gathered a great Army with horses and chariots and went by night and surrounded the city of Dothan where Elisha was staying. When Elisha’s young attendant arose in the morning and went outside he saw the army that had surrounded the city. In despair he went to Elisha and said, “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” From his perspective, he saw their situation as being hopeless.

Note Elisha’s response, “Don’t be afraid! For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Elisha understood a great truth: With God there are no hopeless situations. WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! But who were the people Elisha was talking about? Who made up this host of allies? Notice what he prayed. “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man. He saw an amazing sight. “When he looked up, he saw the hillside around Elisha filled with horses and chariots of fire.” The Lord allowed the young man to see the vast army of heaven that was about to bring victory for Elisha. God opened the young man’s eyes to be able to see in the spiritual realm and from that perspective things looked totally different!

There are times in my life that I feel like Elisha’s attendant. As I look around, it seems that the enemy has surrounded me on every side. I feel outnumbered and overpowered. Discouragement sets in as I ponder, from my perspective, sure spiritual defeat. It is then that I consider the words of Elisha: “Don’t be afraid! For there are more on our side than on theirs.” As God opens my heart to the spiritual realm, my faith and confidence are increased as I claim the reality that there is a vast heavenly army that surrounds me! With that assurance, I can face any situation with the confidence that God will bring about victory on my behalf. I pray that God would give you a glimpse of the heavenly realm so you can see those who are fighting spiritual battles on your behalf!

(This incident in the life of Elisha the prophet is taken from 2nd Kings 6: 8 – 23. The selected quotations are from the New Living Translation of the Bible.)

In February of 1988, my wife and I were ordained with Christian International Ministries. At our ordination, we received a prophesy that we would have a daughter who would be a “dancer in the house of the Lord.” We rejoiced in the prophetic word because my wife was desirous of another child. At the time, we only had our oldest son, Joshua. However, because of financial situations at the time, I was still hesitant concerning having another baby.

The following month, we were participating in a Holy Spirit conference. Before the conference began, my wife prayed that we would receive another prophetic confirmation concerning having another child. There were three different times within that conference that participants could share with others what they sensed the Holy Spirit was saying. My wife never received any prophetic word concerning a baby. However, on three separate occasions from three different people I received a word concerning having a baby.

At the end of that month (March 1988) we discovered that my wife was pregnant. We were very thrilled and excited. However, the thrill and excitement turned to alarm and concern quickly. Shortly after we found out my wife was pregnant, she began to bleed heavily. She went to the doctor who conducted numerous tests. The results were that she had a “blighted ovum”. Basically, they could see a sac present where pregnancy had taken place, but the embryo had died. There was no heartbeat or sign of life. The doctor recommended a D&C procedure.

My wife and I discussed these findings as she wept aloud wondering what to do. Should we heed the doctor’s recommendation or do something different? I said, “We are going to stand and believe the word of the Lord.” We had received numerous prophetic words concerning having a baby (one even saying that it would happen before the end of the year). I told my wife, “We are going to war a good warfare with the prophecies that have come over our lives.”

Our church body began to pray and intercede. Daily I would lay my hands on her stomach and declare, “You will live and not die.” She continued to bleed for another month despite the prayers and declarations. Finally, all the bleeding stopped. She then went to see the doctor once again where he performed another sonogram. As he began to listen, he literally jumped back in astonishment as the sound of a baby’s heartbeat echoed through the examination room. Once again, we rejoiced! God had performed a miracle and brought forth a resurrection in her womb.

Later that year, on December 6th, our daughter, Kayla Denise Gay was born. She became a “dancer in the house of the Lord.” Today, she is our arts team director and is a dance instructor at Audience of One dance studio. God is faithful and He will perform what He has promised!

Philip Melanchthon found his colleague, Martin Luther, kneeling alone in the chapel, muttering bitterly to himself. When he asked why Luther was muttering, the Reformer answered, “Ach, Philip, I lack supplicatory concentration. I cannot get through the Lord’s Prayer without getting hung up by some petition or another before I finish the prayer. Today, it is, ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ I know the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant requires us to forgive when those who hurt us ask our forgiveness, but what if they don’t repent or refuse to repent or suddenly die before they can repent.”

Melanchthon responded, “Brother Martin, you afflict yourself needlessly. I can get through the whole prayer without any problems by just concentrating on the words the dear Lord gave us. Luther expressed doubt, saying, “Dear Philip, forgive me, but I find this hard to believe. In fact, I’ll bet my horse that you cannot get through the Lord’s Prayer without diverging.”

Melanchthon immediately knelt next to Luther and said, “you’re on.” He started praying out loud, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed. . . Oh, by the way brother Martin, is that with or without the saddle.”

Joseph’s whole life was marked with sour episodes not unlike the Baudelaire children in the story Leminy Snicket: A Series of Unfortunate Events. He was sold by his brothers into slavery. He was wrongly accused of rape by the wife of his master in Egypt and thrown into prison where he lived several years. He was forgotten for 2 years by the cupbearer after Joseph interpreted his dream for him. And Joseph was never able to return home to settle once he left his homeland for Egypt. He married and had kids, but he remained the servant of Pharaoh to his dying day. Really unfortunate.

Joseph was also marked by the Lord’s favor as well. His father Jacob had a special love for Joseph that he expressed in gifts and trust. Even though Joseph became a slave in Egypt, the Lord made Joseph prosper under his master Potiphar who entrusted Joseph with his entire household. Joseph was thrown into prison, but the Lord made Joseph successful under the warden who put him in charge of running the whole prison. And when Pharaoh had some dreams no one else could interpret, the Lord gave Joseph the meaning. Because of this, Pharaoh set Joseph to run the whole empire, second only to Pharaoh in all of Egypt. Truly unexpected.

Joseph remembered his pain when his 10 older brothers came looking for food during the 7 years of famine which Joseph predicted from Pharaoh’s dream. The sting of their betrayal was enough that Joseph, who had kept his identity hidden for a time, wept so bitterly that the sound was heard by the household of Pharaoh. Although Joseph had played a few tortuous tricks on the brothers (probably to give them a taste of their own betrayal) Joseph finally revealed himself to them. Laying out the whole story, Joseph invited the brothers to return to father Jacob. They could bring the whole family back to Egypt where they could live under the provision of Joseph and the Egyptians. When the family arrived in Egypt, it was a moving reunion of father and son and a remarkable story of God’s provision during a time of great famine.

Still, the story doesn’t end there. Over time father Jacob died while the family remained in Egypt. Because the 10 older brothers believed Joseph only prevented their destruction out of respect for father Jacob, they fabricated a story about Jacob’s final wishes for their forgiveness. Joseph, who saw right through their desperate attempts to save their own lives, reassured them. He said, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” These words gave comfort that Joseph’s suffering was the Lord’s plan to save many lives through His provision and forgiveness. Very sweet!

On October 31, 1517, a spunky German Roman Catholic priest, monk and professor named Dr. Martin Luther posted his now famous 95 Theses on the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany. He had pastoral concerns about the Roman Catholic practice of issuing indulgences. As the 95 Theses were soon translated into German they struck a deep cord in the hearts of the common people of Germany. It was these 95 Theses (or statements for discussion), along with Luther’s study and expositions of Romans, Galatians, and Psalms, that would set in motion. “the Protestant Reformation.”

Questioning the pope’s infallibility he was threatened with excommunication but burned the paper in a public bonfire and received the papal bull excommunicating him in January of 1521. He was called before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms that Spring. Entering Worms to the cheering German crowds, the day for Luther to appear had arrived on April 17th. 4:00 pm came but he was made to wait outside until about 6:00 pm, when entered a tension filled room of silence before Charles V and “all the king’s men.”

To Luther’s surprise there would be no debate; only his books spread on a table and two questions for him. “Are these your books?” “Yes.” “Will you recant?” Luther knew the king’s grandfather had burned John Huss at the stake about 100 years before for similar statements and so he asked for time to consider the matter and was granted 24 hours. He spent the night in prayer.

The next day Luther was again made to wait outside for two hours, then asked, “Will you recant?” This time Luther answered, “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by clear reason (for I trust neither pope nor councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have cited, for my conscience is held captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since to act against one’s conscience is neither safe nor right. I cannot do otherwise. Here I stand. So help me God. Amen.”

Luther was condemned to death but “kidnapped” and swept safely into hiding as “Junker Jorg” in a castle for a year, where he translated the Greek NT into German in only 11 weeks and later translated the OT so every German home could have a Bible in their own language. This inspired William Tyndale to translate the Bible into English at the cost of his life.

On this 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, let us give thanks to God that we don’t have to know Latin, Greek or Hebrew to read and hear that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15), and that even though “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” those who have faith in Jesus “are justified by his grace as a gift” (Rom. 3:23-24)

Some have no vision. They are negative, pessimistic folks who tell you why it can’t be done or shouldn’t be done. They often think of themselves as “realistic”, but God wants to take us far beyond reality and the natural to the supernatural!

When the steamboat was invented it was set for a first trial in the Hudson River, and they say a man on the banks stood there saying, “They’ll never get it going.” Over and again he repeated this, until it started moving, at which time he promptly changed his tune to, “They’ll never get it stopped!” Helen Keller, “Worse than being blind would be to see, yet have no vision.”

Some have lost their vision. They once had it, but they let it go. Maybe they were hurt, discouraged, or grew too comfortable.

I hear all the time from pastors and leaders who have lost their vision. They say things like, you can’t get people in our area to go to church, you can’t get people to come to evening services or special revival meetings, you can’t get people to give to missions anymore. They’ve lost their vision!

A serviceman in a foreign country took a local bride, and they lived abroad together for years, all the while he told her about his home church back in the states, and how grand it was. He bragged and bragged until years later when they made a trip to the states.

He was so excited to show her his home church. They pulled up to a parking lot of weeds and potholes. All the exterior was broken down, and the door was ajar. They entered to a looted mess. The place was stripped and peeled of all value, and cob webs were everywhere.

He approached the altar at the front. Then he saw it, still there on the wall behind the pastor’s podium for all to see, a wood carving placed there years ago by one of the deacons he had fashioned himself, this verse of Proverbs 29:18, except the “W” of the first word had fallen off.

It now read, “Here there is no vision, the people perish.”

Only one thing is worse than having less, and that is settling for less as the norm. Apathy is a killer. And they say ignorance is bliss. Don’t settle. Don’t settle for less. Don’t settle for less than God’s best!

And don’t give up. If something in your life isn’t what it used to be, don’t give in and forget about the fact of what it ought to be, which is probably even better than how it used to be!

A farmer dug a well, but his mule fell into it. He rushed over and peered inside, and much to his surprise the mule was alive and standing on all 4’s! He thought, well, it’s too expensive to haul him out, and he’s so old, he’ll die soon anyway, I’ll just bury him!

He began to throw in shovelfuls of dirt. But each time he did the old mule would shake the dirt off of his back, and then stomp on that dirt! Over and again the dirt would fall upon him, and each time he’d just shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up! Eventually he had risen high enough to walk right out!

We need to be stubborn as a mule with our vision, and no matter what life throws on us or what others may heap upon our backs, just shake it off and step up and out!

The psalmist says, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.” (Psalm 33:8) The “fear of the Lord” seems to have fallen on hard times in the modern world. It sounds a bit harsh as we prefer to view God in loving, compassionate ways. But the two views are not necessarily incongruent. Fear, in the biblical sense, involves “reverential awe” that gives God His rightful place in our lives. It is a proper understanding of who the Lord is and what He can do. So the psalmist also says, “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13) Most of us can relate to that tension which is felt by a child who views his parents with both love and fear. Put another way, I prefer to call it a “healthy respect,” as opposed to “sheer terror.” On one occasion, my dad, whom I feared and respected in the very best sense, taught me a valuable lesson on the subject.

Growing up in the 1960’s, we had a hair dryer in our home. Rather than a handheld blow dryer that is common today, it was of the beauty shop variety. My parents had purchased it from a salon when the owners upgraded their equipment. It consisted of a large chair covered in turquoise vinyl with a large metal, not plastic, cone attached. Only truly brave souls were courageous enough to stick their wet heads under the hood that blew with an intensity normally reserved for jet engines.

One day it ceased working and my dad decided to fix it. Please keep in mind, my father was a master carpenter and “jack of all trades,” but he was not a trained electrician, as you’re about to find out. He disassembled the dryer that consisted of miles of copper wiring which served as the heating element. After replacing several broken parts, rather than putting it all back together, he wanted to test it first. So he put the spring-loaded mechanism that housed the coil of wiring in place and asked me, about ten years old at the time, to hold it down while he plugged it in. When I protested, he told me to do it and mumbled something like, “I know what I’m doing and I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

Dad proceeded to plug in the device and flipped the switch. When he did, the electrical current flowed in one of my arms, crossed my chest, and then shot out the other arm, catapulting me several feet backward onto a nearby bed. With my arms tingling, my chest pounding, and my heart beating like a rabbit, my dad rushed over to check on me. But rather than ask if I was okay, I’ll never forget the question he posed to his beloved son: “You’re not going to tell your mom about this, are you?” My dad obviously had a “fear” of his wife, while I learned that day to have a “healthy respect” for electricity and have used it carefully ever since.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

One of my favorite stories that tells of the power of prayer comes from Duncan Campbell’s Biography: Channel of Revival. Duncan Campbell was a pastor in Scotland in a little island off the west coast called The Hebrones. From 1949 to the 1970’s, wave after wave of revival hit the Hebrones. When God moves in mighty revival, some of those who oppose the work are those who claim to be God’s own people. Sadly enough, that was happening in the Hebrones.

In the city of Arnauld, the preachers were inviting preachers from the mainland of Scotland to help “resist” this plague. Duncan Campbell preached in Arnauld and said, “Oh, it was cold, the service was just motions.” An older man in the church finally said, “We should give ourselves to prayer.” So they met in a farmhouse on the outside of town at 11:30 p.m. Six preachers were there, but even they lacked fervor and fire. When it came time for this older man to pray, he prayed for thirty minutes. When is the last time you were in a small group prayer meeting and someone was so filled with God that they prayed for thirty minutes? He stopped and then said, “Lord, there are a half dozen preachers in this house and I don’t know how it is with them, not even the Rev. Campbell, but Lord, if I know my heart, I am thirsty. I am thirsty for revival! In Isaiah 40:4, You said You would pour out water on him that is thirsty and Lord I am thirsty and You are not pouring it out! Lord, do You realize Your honor and Your integrity are at stake? You said You would pour out water on him who is thirsty and I am thirsty and there is no water! There is no revival!”

He then turned his face toward heaven and said, “Lord, on the basis of Your covenant promise to Your people and on the basis of Christ’s redemptive work on Your behalf, I challenge You to come to the rescue of Your honor and Your integrity and do it now!” Some of you might say, “Oh to talk to God like that. How terribly audacious, arrogant.” No, just a lamb a little closer to the Shepherd than most.

Duncan tells, the old man said, “Lord, Come rescue!” And do you know what happened then? That huge farmhouse shook like a leaf. Dishes fell and broke. And a huge clock that hung over the fireplace fell off. That prayer meeting broke up at 1:30 a.m. and when they left to go into the city, the city was alive. And the people met Duncan and the others and cried, “Preach to us!”

Now, not every time the church meets will the place be shaken, but there will be times God touches down and there is no question that He is here and it is something that only God can do.

When I was a young boy I loved to lay outside a gaze at the moon and stars. I was fascinated by the movement of them and longed to get a closure look. When I was older I had the opportunity to purchase a telescope. I soon discovered that in order for the me to focus on the moon or a distant star it was more work than just pointing the telescope at the object and viewing. It required skill in tracking the object across the night sky will focusing the telescope. Once I mastered the skill I soon began to see more clearly the objects in the sky. The moon was amazing, I could see mountains and craters and formations that I could never see with my plain eyesight. I was even able to view the planet Mars. It was exciting.

Our worship of Jesus is the same way. The more we master the ability to focus on Him, the more we seek Him through praise, worship, dance, singing or just putting our love and devotion on display, the clearer the view we get of Him…and the more focused He becomes in our life. Worship takes work and worship requires active engagement. And the good news?…worship will lead you closer to Him!