Monthly Archives: March 2012

Mar26

Do it Again!

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Our church was buzzing this weekend with a powerful service of healing testimonies, I’ll share them in a minute… first a little vacay update.

The Collins Clan enjoyed a ten day break in San Diego. Reconnecting with some lovely friends from years gone by, reminiscing and enjoying the limitless wisdom our friends offer. The children enjoyed the parks -San Diego Zoo, Seaworld and Josiah loving his Disneyland dream.

What a gift to sit on a beach for hours on end, breathing in,

children settled,

surfing,

and dolphins diving (first time of seen this in the wild!)

Photos:Mine – California 2012

Back to the testimonies! Two stories were shared…

The first, Jillian a beautiful 20 year old who has endured Scoliosis for many years.  She has undergone major surgeries to bring correction to her spine – by removing brain mass from outside of her skull cavity and to place two titanium rods in her spine to correct the curve. In addition, a time in traction where weights were attached to bring the 105 degree curve into correction. Times of intense pain and learning to respond physically to accommodate this dictated Jillian’s teenage years until two weeks ago on our youth trip to the LA Dream Center. God met with Jillian during a worship service and spoke to her, to her heart – clear words of healing and wholeness to come. Jillian has experienced massive healing already and can move with freedom like she hasn’t in a long time. Thank you Jesus.

Curtis, our great worship leader, spoke of a different healing he had recently experienced, after attending an Encounter God retreat with pastors, designed to heal hearts and emotions. Curtis was taken back to a place of his childhood where he experienced much emotional pain – he realized this had a hold over his life, that chains held him bound and he needed to experience the freedom he is promised in Christ – Curtis decided to release these areas and felt a new freedom he has never known before. How Great is our God!

As they spoke, the testimonies drew in the tangible presence of God and changed the atmosphere to expectation and faith – a clear invitation for miracles.

Already we have heard of other healings that took place as these testimonies were spoken.

The word testimony comes from someone giving evidence, with primitive root in Hebrew ‘Do it again’. Hearing testimonies changes the way we hear.  How we walk out our faith.

Are you believing as you hear this… ‘Do it again’?

I am challenged yet again to share my healing.

Healing…. I believe in it. I read about it. I pray for it. I haven’t seen anywhere near the healings I should.

I realized today that I have been reluctant to share my healing as much as I should, maybe because I have not seen healings around the people I love, almost feeling guilty for my own healing. In doing so I have not given God the glory He deserves for healing me. I realize I can’t be responsible for another’s healing – but I can be responsible for praying for them. God does the rest (thankfully)

So, my story…

I was seven years old and so sick. A frail, ashen girl attending endless Dr’s appointments and experiencing various tests until conclusive results found that I had Cystic Fibrosis – a life threatening disorder affecting the lungs and digestive system.  Years of medication and physiotherapy followed with many weeks of hospital stays and intermittent school attendance. Carrying the weight of the diagnosis, physically and mentally was tough.

My family felt it.

At school lunchtimes, I would wait at the office with my friend Ian Bills to pick up our meds, he also had CF. Billsy was great fun with a cheeky sense of humor always wheezing and laughing so hard sometimes he could hardly breathe. I would always whack his back in the name of physio.

I miss my friend Billsy, he laughs easily now.

At 13 my Doctor sent me into hospital again for intensive tests. This time a different result. The consultant called my family together to inform us that there was no trace of the Cystic Fibrosis in my body. The news attracted media coverage nationally and local TV news.

At this point in my life, faith was not resident – God, Jesus, Christianity were not part of my life, or the life of my family – in fact – we all lived a lifestyle far from faith.

My Mom met a friend who went to a local church in Lye. Barbara cried with thanks when Mom told her I was clear – the church had been praying for my healing for years.

They had believed and persisted in prayer. Be encouraged. Don’t give up.

God invaded our lives with what He does best from thereon in. Salvation. Love. Healing. Grace. Freedom.

I’ll save those stories for another time…

As for today I want to make some room for miracles.

For us to shout out. ‘Do it again’

Could it be as we begin to testify of our stories that we will see healing from pain – physical and emotional? That our language of faith will change.

Our ears will hear again. Our eyes will see miracles.

As you go about your week, be intentional about telling some God stories. His goodness over your life, His faithfulness, His love and grace surrounding you.

Take time to share and see how the atmosphere changes.

Let me know how it goes…

Isaiah 61. For you.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,

Because the LORD has anointed me

To proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of joy

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

Mar11

Cease

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A view of a plane flying into San Diego over I...

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As we spring into our break. A quick post to say Hi and let you know I’ll be back in a couple of weeks. We are heading down to San Diego for a few days of playing, resting and connecting some old friends.

This week the children all received their school reports which is always a fun read. Phil attended a retreat with a group of pastors from across Canada. The ministry hosting the weekend have a great vision and hope to use their resource in Canadian churches. A combination of 12 steps, Freedom in Christ and inner healing prayer.

I am really excited at the thought of introducing this to our church. Living in renewal and healing -  wholeness is in God’s heart for us.  Do you agree?

I posted my first assignment. Woohoo!! My book is taking great shape in the way of contributors. I am blessed by some amazing people who want to share their story.

I also learned some valuable life lessons. Let me share them with you.

*Don’t wash your child’s ski coat with your undies. Velcro and lace have a way of bonding together which basically doesn’t look good as child trots off to school.

*Don’t pretend to have a pencil stuck in your throat sideways to make your children laugh. Stretching the skin on the right and left side of your neck and pulling outwards does give the swallowing pencil effect, but can cause severe bruising on each side of the neck.  Such bruising causes great embarrassment to the pastors wife.

Anyone noticed Phil’s excessive scarf wearing this week?

*Be clear on your words.  Trying to use the words ‘terrible’ and ‘horrific’ at the same time on hearing bad news comes out as ‘terrific’.

Lessons learned…. I hope.

I write from Bellingham, waiting for an early morning flight south.

Flights… One way or the other – they have a way of creating much physical tension within us.

Cockpit-TwinOtter

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What sort of flier are you?

Fearful flier. You sit close to your family member, who experiences your digging nails. You are one that watches every light flashing. Examining the face of cabin crew, an expert reader of all things anxiety. Listening for every bang and ping on the plane and letting those very noises affect your journey. You always imagine the worst.

Nervous flier. You pretend to be fine. Hands wringing and eyes darting backwards and forwards, watching what is happening, you pace the aisles, you are always waiting for the experience to be over.

Sedated flier.  You line up your free double whiskeys laced with Graval and offer a glazed smile to all. Oblivious to real life around you.

Easy flier. You know that it’s not always straight forward but within two whirls of the Roll Royce jet engine you are stretching out with your iPad 3, life as normal.

Full on Flier.  One who loves the whole experience. The latest movie release, the gourmet meal, the new best friend in the next seat. Chit chatting with the cabin crew. You were born for this. By the end of the journey you are invited to two weddings and a christening.

So when I think about flying, I know one thing.

Whichever flier I choose to be,  I know I am going to reach the same destination.

I choose to trust the pilot.

Psalm 46:10 says this ‘Cease striving and know that I am God’ In Hebrew, Cease means ‘let your hands drop’  or ‘let go’ then… He will be on it.

Easier said than done, I know.

Photo:Mine

‘To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way’ C.S Lewis. Into the Wardrobe.

 ‘Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God’ Corrie ten Boom.

Have a great week! 

Mar5

Storm

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Photo:Mine

August 2004. We were near the end of our sabbatical when the storm warnings began. There was a new look about Daytona. Locals travelled with haste, a look of fear and intensity. We chatted with new friends in the grocery store, stockpiling cans, water and all things survival. Our small house near the beach would be our haven, we began to prepare the ‘safe room’. Blocking windows, ensuring order, candles, radio and water. Our makeshift citadel. We were ready. The children too were prepared, three girls, all in the same bed, torches in hand. They slept soundly. We tracked Charley across Florida until the moment came. Rains sounding like waterfalls, trees beginning to bow, power shut down – we headed to our safe room. Phil and I sat on our floor mattress like a couple of students and waited. Some would call it divine intervention as Josh Groban declared a tinny ‘You Raise Me Up’ on the battery operated radio, like the angel who’d sat in our kitchen the night before (that’s another story;)  Hurricane Charley arrived sounding like a freight train passing through our yard. Eerie silence followed. Until the next surge, of droning, whining, crashing. In the midst of the din our new friend, the radio DJ informed us that the eye of the storm was over Brookline Avenue. Our road…..

English: This image shows Hurricane Charley of...

Photo: Creative Commons

 Charley moved on to the Atlantic after a couple of hours.

We stared into darkness for a long time, until torches waved in our bleary faces and little voices whispered ‘has Charley been’?

….Storms rage in scripture. Tornadoes rip through the Bible. God speaks out of the whirlwind in Job and whisks the prophet Elijah to heaven in swirling winds.

In Matthew 14 we read of a great stormy experience for the disciples. Verse 22 says ‘Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Are you finding yourself too far out?

Verse 25 says, During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

The fourth watch. The darkest time.

Precious words followed as they feared the ghost walking towards them.

‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid’

Take those words to your heart today.

Then there’s the storm of Mark 4:35…

On the evening of that same day Jesus said to his disciples, Let us go across to the other side of the lake. So they left the crowd; the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting, and they took him with them. Other boats were there too. Suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the waves began to spill over into the boat, so that it was about to fill with water. Jesus was in the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The disciples woke him up and said, Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die? Jesus stood up and commanded the wind, Be quiet! and he said to the waves, Be still! The wind died down, and there was a great calm.Then Jesus said to his disciples,

Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?

Yet again, we see havoc across land this week, wreckage of lives. I pray that our friends in Kentucky will find peace.

My week has been filled with conversations of stormy lives.

Some storms have been raging around lives for weeks, months. Questioning will this ever end? The tiring rage, the noise, the debris.

For some friends, it’s been the devastation of loss and grief. A storm with no warning. Worlds turned upside down. Hurting hearts. A dark time. Psalm 139 promises you ‘that even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you’

Christus in the storm on the lake; Rembrandt (...

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Whichever storm you find yourself in I pray that are able to find the eye of the storm, we all know that the storm is not always removed, but Jesus in His love is our safe room, our haven. Sometimes, the ‘Be still’ is about you and your response in the storm.

One of things we learned was that being in the eye of the storm didn’t eliminate the noise, even the fear at times, but we realised soon enough that the devastation could have been a lot worse.

And remember Jesus slept! I love this line from ‘When Heaven Invades Earth ‘It was the peace of heaven that enabled him to sleep. It was the same peace that subdued the storm. You only have authority over the storm you can sleep in’

I think my kids had the right idea.

Psalm 91:1   

“You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,

Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.

I trust in you and I’m safe!” MSG

Have a great week – Sleep well.