Testimony/God Stories

All Ten Toes
hazard_henry

Henry Hazard, Pastor

Heritage Bible Church

“Pastor, please pray for healing for my grandmother,” Mark requested at a Sunday evening service. “Tomorrow she is scheduled to have some toes removed because they are turning black.” Mark’s grandmother had poor circulation to her feet brought on by diabetes.

“Mark,” I responded. “Ask God to give you a rhema and then we’ll talk.” (Logos is used in the Greek New Testament to refer to the written word, the Bible, or to the Living Word, Christ. Rhema, on the other hand, means “spoken word.” Romans 10:17 states, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the spoken word (rhema) of God.” I knew that if God gave Mark a rhema about healing, I could pray in faith that He would heal his grandmother.

After church I asked Mark if God had given him a rhema. He told me, “Yes,” and shared with me a portion from James 5:16, “Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another so that you may be healed.” Then Mark said, “I like the last part about healing but I don’t like the first part about confessing. I told him that if he expected God to do the last part, he would have to do the first part.

Mark then confessed some sins. When he finished, I then asked God to heal his grandmother’s toes. She did not have surgery the next day because she ate the breakfast that was mistakenly brought to her. The following day the surgeon and his assistant came into her room to talk about rescheduling the surgery. When they examined her toes, they were turning pink! Eighteen months later, God took Mark’s grandmother Home to be with Him. But she still had all ten toes.

April 20, 2019No comments
Just Because
Kenneth Finch

Kenneth A. Finch, Ph.D. L.M.H.C.

Counseling

“JUST BECAUSE things are the way they are, it is not necessarily the way things ought to be.”  I heard Dr. David Mendez say those words while I was working towards my B.A. in ministerial studies at Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida. Having experienced life as a pastor and also as a mental health clinician, I have noticed often that Christians seem to feel as though they should not experience anything like depression or have “issues.” That if they are praying as they should or living as they should, they should not need therapy for any reason. DO CHRISTIANS get depressed? Experience trauma or burnout? Have anxiety, compulsive behaviors, marital discord, family dysfunction, and addiction? Yes and more! Christians are not immune to having “issues.” However, we do have hope under the “umbrella” of God’s grace. God’s Grace, plus transition, plus cognitive and behavioral change equals recovery. As a board-certified cognitive behavioral therapist, certified traumatologist, EMDR certified, associate member of American Society for Bariatric Surgery, and board diplomatic clinical sexologist, I am equipped to add tools for change, and with God’s help, bring back significance and purpose to many who have experienced difficulty on life’s journey. My other providers, Dallas Finch, LCSW, Meredith Finch Thurlow, LCSW are trained in EMDR and, as a team we offer individual, marital, and family therapy. Individual sessions are available for general therapeutic growth, and for dealing with specific issues, such as anger management, communication skills, anxiety/panic, and other stressors.

Finch & Finch Consulting Group, L.L.C. also offers executive coaching services. We offer speaking and workshops to provide effective team communication and structure that is important for forging relationships, equipping your team with proper attitudes to develop your team leadership. Dallas Finch, LCSW, Meredith Finch Thurlow, LCSW and Kenneth A. Finch, Ph.D., L.M.H.C. are intentional about adding value to our clients in the context of faith with individual, marital, and family therapy as well as executive coaching and team building.

April 20, 2019No comments
Miracle of Giving
Christopher Dowling

Christopher Dowling

Inner Space of Bay County

It was my first year in the shelving business and I had plenty of inventory but few customers, no operating capital, and no advertising budget other than word of mouth and phone listing in the white pages. I was getting to the point of having to look for a job when the phone rang. The person calling was currently building a new house for the Taunton Family Children’s Home to accommodate their needs as their adoptive family continued to grow both in age and in size.

The builder was asking for assistance with closet and storage shelving. Immediately I was convicted that not only was I to help but I was to take care of mirror and bath accessory needs also. When I met Abigail and Judge Taunton and experienced how the Lord was working through them I was convinced to follow through with extravagant generosity from that day forward. Besides that, I was keenly aware I could not eat my inventory, so why not give it to an amazing cause! Within the next few days I took care of the closets and baths. At the end of each day I was invited to join one of the families for supper. Unbeknownst to them they were feeding me both physically and spiritually at a time when my needs were known only to God.

So now for the rest of the story …. The following week my phone began to ring….. and it was customers, both home owners and home builders. For the next three months I was booked continually with work. That was twenty-three years ago and even though I have failed God numerous times God has never failed me or you!

Everything I have I have to credit to God. So, remember you cannot out give the Giver of all Eternity.

IT IS HIS ANYWAY!

April 20, 2019No comments
My Favorite God Story
rinehart_wade

Dr. Wade Rinehart

First Choice Physical Therapy

In 1999, the Physical Therapy market was so saturated that it was very difficult to find a job. I was a new graduate, married, and had a whole lot of money in school loan debt. I tried to make a deal with God stating that I would work for him if he would help me with my financial situation. He said, “You come work for me first and I will take care of the rest!”

So I went to Hiland Park Baptist Church and offered my musical services to the youth pastor who told me they do not have any money to pay me. I said it was no charge and that I just wanted to serve. The rest was history. God blessed that youth group and made it flourish. He also blessed me with a job that led me to my own Physical Therapy practice by 2002.

By 2006, God built the First Choice Physical Therapy building and by 2007 we won the Jerry Mills Small Business of the Year Award. The list goes on and on as to the many blessings that God has provided me. I am proud to say that Hiland Park Baptist Church still has a flourishing youth ministry and I have since moved on to the Wreck, a youth ministry program at Emerald Coast Fellowship. With God’s help, we were able to take 20 kids and multiply it to over 200 kids every Wednesday night.

I am humbled by the fact that God continues to use me to further his kingdom through youth ministry. My daughters have since joined the youth band and sing with me on stage every Wednesday night. I have come a long way from being broke and in debt. I can truly say that God continues to bless me every day.

April 20, 2019No comments
One Atheist, TWO MIRACLES
Rachel Rice

Rachel Rice, Wife of Associate Pastor

Heritage Bible Church

“We are wasting our time,” I told Brian again. “I am not interested in a long-term relationship with a man who does not believe in Jesus.” In the fall of 2004, I started attending the Florida Institute of Technology, majoring in Forensic Psychology. In January, 2005, I met Brian Rice at a birthday party of a mutual friend. He was a meteorology major but was also a confirmed atheist. I was not interested in him at that time but he was interested in me.

We met again in August of 2005 and dated periodically. Since I went to church and attended a regular Bible study and prayer gathering of Christian friends, Brian came too. He tolerated my faith and listened to our stories but didn’t think there was a God — until he learned about a miracle.

I grew up in Manassas, Virginia. In the summer of 2000, when I was 14 years old, about 30 adults and youth from our church went on a summer missions trip to the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico for 1 ½ weeks. We built a storeroom, conducted a VBS, and did some door-to-door evangelism. On the final evening we had a big tent revival. At the close of the service a frail, arthritic old lady was pushed down the aisle in a wheelchair. She was anointed with oil and the group prayed for her healing. Suddenly, she stood up and started dancing down the aisle, praising Jesus for healing her.

Brian was puzzled. He knew I didn’t lie. If what I said was true, maybe there was a God. He started getting interested in church. In January, 2006, He trusted Jesus as his Savior. One miracle had led to another! This second miracle led to a wedding in December, 2006.

We weren’t wasting our time, after all.

April 20, 2019No comments
My Testimony
daniel_tom

Rev. Craig Carter, Pastor

Lynn Haven United Methodist Church

For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9 GNT)

I was blessed to be raised in a Christian family. At the age of seven I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Throughout my youth, I remained active in a local church as I attended Sunday School, worship services, Bible studies, and other activities. However, my Christian faith never reached a depth where I felt that I had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; it was more ritualistic and “works” oriented.

During my high school and college years, my spiritual life became a series of peaks and valleys. I underwent constant cycles of straying from the church, returning to the church, straying…, returning…, etc. Upon being assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, FL in 1980, I became active in the First United Methodist Church, Fort Walton Beach. It was there my spiritual life took a complete 180 degree turn as people ministered to me and invested their lives in me. I realized that Christianity is more than a religion – it is a personal, one-on-one relationship with Jesus and it is HIS grace, not our works, that saves us. The key turning point in my spiritual journey took place at a retreat held at the Blue Lake Methodist Camp near Andalusia, AL. Through an encounter with God’s Holy Spirit, I finally understood that I was totally incapable of saving myself and my efforts to live according to the Lord’s standards were futile. So I fully surrendered my life to the Lord and was forever changed by God’s love, mercy, and grace.

From that time to the present, I have never looked back in my Christian walk. God has continued to reveal Himself and His will to me, and it is my desire to share His goodness with others. That’s why I answered a call to ministry and have served as a United Methodist pastor for 25+ years. It is an incredible privilege to proclaim the vastness of God’s love and the riches of His grace. I know the gospel is true because I’ve been changed by the Good News of Jesus Christ. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it…and I’m seeking to tell others. To God be the glory.

April 20, 2019No comments
So What Do I Do About Mama?
stewart_george

George Stewart

Pool Construction, Renovation & Repairs

One of my many God stories was when I was forced to make the decision to no longer care for my mother in our home, My Mother had dementia and had become too unmanageable for me and my family. I found a very nice assisted care facility and for weeks had begun decorating the apartment for my mother to look just like her home. In the weeks preceding her move-in date I would take her with me as we decorated and hung pictures, each time we went she became agitated and verbally abusive about the move causing me to regret the idea and feel inadequate as a caretaker and a failure as a son. The move-in day was scheduled for a Thursday after noon and I was not looking forward to the verbal assault we were about to get that afternoon. During my Thursday morning men’s Bible study they all knew my level of anxiety and doubt that this was truly the right decision. So that morning as we got ready to adjourn the study the men stood up held hands in a circle and began to pray for God to appear and be with us that afternoon when we moved Mom into her new residence.

That afternoon I picked Mom up and headed to the dreaded appointment, I knew what to expect since I had experienced it for the previous three week. I rang the doorbell and we walked in towards her apartment when she exclaimed in a loud and pleasant voice “Look how pretty this place is, I think your Dad would have loved it here, it’s beautiful!” We walked to her apartment where she went in and with a joyful smile looked around and said “I’m going to love it here!” The staff and my family were shocked and could not believe how happy she had become in an instant. They all cried and smiled and gave thanks to the Lord because he had done a mighty work. My mother lived there for 3 years with her little dog and was happier than she had been in quite some time. She passed away from the disease in 2009 and to this day I cannot drive past there without remembering the circle of men that prayed for God to appear…and he did in a mighty way. God Bless you, George

April 20, 2019No comments
Those God Moments
Virgil Tillman

Virgil Tillman

Springfield First Baptist Church

What is your “favorite” hymn, or Bible verse? I attempt to identify my “favorite” verse or hymn, but always end up narrowing the “favorite” down to ten or more. The same is true of those miracles we’ve seen or been a part of during our Christian walk. We look back on those “God moments” when He intervened in a special way. That special way may have been completely different than expected, leaving no doubt that it was a God moment.

I recall the times I was privileged to stand beside the hospital bed of dying patients. Standing in a circle of love around the patients bed, we’d join hands and sing hymns such as “Amazing Grace.” Gentle touches and softly spoken words of comfort were provided. This pastor, the patient’s family and the nursing staff accepted those times as true God moments. We accepted the fact that death is very much a part of life and it is a graduation for the Christian into glory. One gentleman had struggled and was becoming increasingly frightened and angered. We watched as he gradually accepted that Jesus loved him and was with him. The anxiety and anger was replaced with a peaceful assurance and acceptance. As he grew weaker, his family was touched by the smile he presented. They requested a CD player and Christian music, so it was provided. However, our dear brother, only got into the first verse of the second hymn, “Softly and Tenderly,” sung by Alan Jackson. His sweet wife kissed him as it began and told him that she knew Jesus was calling him home. She assured him that she’d be okay and that she would join him in heaven. It was a “beautiful” God moment which has been repeated many times—God is with us, even at the end of our earthly life and in other difficult times. Cherish those “God Moments.”

April 20, 2019No comments
Take the Wheel
Tosha Manke

Tosha Manke

Freelance Graphic Artist

On a Friday afternoon in March of 2006, my mom and I headed out to the beach. But first, we had to get a tire replaced. Money was tight and a used tire was all I could afford. We stopped at a little hole-in-the-wall used tire place and got the tire replaced. Then, we were on our way to the beach.

Anyone local knows that a Friday afternoon in March (think, Spring Break) on highway 98 is BUSY. As we were driving west on 98, a car pulled out right in front of me. I should have t-boned that car….but, God had the wheel…literally. I saw my hands moving all over the steering wheel, but I was not making my hands move. According to my mom, I kept repeating, “I’m not driving! I’m not driving!” as we spun 5 times across the turning lane, both westbound lanes and back across all 5 lanes and came to a stop in a motel parking lot. No car touched another car! I’m not completely sure how many times we spun, as I was mesmerized watching my hands moving all over the steering wheel. A man even came running out of the motel yelling “That was some awesome driving!” I was able to witness to him that God had control, not me.

I should have been shaking to pieces (as well as my mom), however, we were both as calm as could be and were able to continue on and enjoy our afternoon together.

Later that day, I found out two interesting things. 1.) The “new” used tire was not properly inflated…I think God knew what he was doing, that was a lot of spinning! 2.) That morning my brother-in-law 800 miles away had felt the need to intercede for a horrific car accident. I’m so glad he listened!

April 20, 2019No comments
Special Testimony Request
Anne Marie Taylor

Dr. Anne Marie Taylor, Au.D., CCC-A

ALPHA Audiology, Inc. Audiologist

Recently we lost a child, Diego, but it’s actually a cause for celebration. We met Diego, a very young child from El Salvador, and he became the longest member of our World Vision Family. He has now matured from a small toddler to a young man.

World Vision (WV) works best when children and families graduate. WV is not a charity but a work effort program involved in following children and families worldwide to get safe living facilities, get in school, learn a trade and become self-sufficient.

For us, it began with an explanation planted in the early 1990s at a Twila Paris concert in Baton Rouge, LA. We’ve been involved with several dozen kids and families who NEEDED and deserved a little help not a hand-out.

During a concert break Anne Marie found profiles of our first two kids. “Ana” and “Marie” blessed us as we were updated with pictures and report cards that were written by the children, translated into English by the WV staff.

Our family, the Taylors, received many notes and thank yous. Contributing families are REALLY the ones blessed by these kids and families.

Sadly, some families got lost in floods where World Vision teams get cut off from villages and must scramble with emergency moves from landslides and water. Third world roads are not priority when food and potable water is needed for survival.

What has impressed us most over the years? When disasters happen, World Vision is already there BEFORE the news crews arrive. Chilean earthquakes, Indian Ocean tsunamis, South American mudslides, etc.

Address: World Vision, P.O. Box 9716 , Federal Way, WA 98063. Call them at P: 1-888-511-6548. Visit: www.worldvision.org.

Wise Spending: Sources indicate that 85% of all monies go directly to WV efforts. Only 10% goes towards fundraising and 5% for management and general expenses. Another great cause: Visit “Smile Train” as it works hard to prompt surgical answers for individuals with cleft palates and mouth abnormalities.

April 20, 2019No comments