This Homeless Man Breaks Down During Praise Song!

We made our way to the ocean front view to eat our lunch. We were hoping for a relaxing day. God had other plans for us. A homeless man began to act crazy as group of kids antagonized him. I hadn't noticed because he was sitting next to my hubby and I was turned the opposite direction talking to my son. My hubby (Anthony) was getting worried. The man had a large, sharp stick and was waving it around near him. He finally tapped me and said, "This guy's stressing me out!" I replied, "Are you praying for him?" He said, "Ya." I began to pray also, quietly at first and then softly out loud...only my hubby could hear me. As I closed my prayer, "In Jesus' Name, Amen." The guy stopped his ranting, ran his hands down his chest and said, "Thank you Jesus, I feel better." 
WOAH! We both looked at each other, "WOW!" 

The man moved closer to my hubby. He was rubbing his injured leg (he was using the sharp stick as his cane.) I leaned over asking him if he wanted my hubby to pray for him? Anthony gave me that look, "What are you doing?" LOL! The homeless man answered, "Wait let me see your eyes first." Anthony took off his sunglasses. The man got right in his face, staring for a painstakingly long, awkward time. He finally said, "You can pray for me...you've got heart." He reached out and put a death grip on my hubby's shoulder, who responded in turn by grasping his outstretched arm.

He prayed a powerful prayer for him. Then he began to pray for us, it was for blessing and protection over our family. My hubby was leery about letting him at first but after praying, felt like the Holy Spirit was moving in the entire situation and knew it would be okay.

When we finished, he began to play a song on his harmonica, "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire." I asked if he could play along with music? I pulled out my music player, pressing play as "Oh Praise Him," by David Crowder, filled the area. He began to play along as the Worship music began to touch his spirit. He broke down. He was struggling. He made one last grunt, "Argh" a relenting...finally lifting his hands in Praise. I told my hubby to start his GoPro...having no idea how powerful the video would end up being. It was incredible to see the spiritual battle/warfare going on right in front of us. The song finished  abruptly as my battery ran out. He sat down below us and said he wanted to play another song for us. Anthony said, "That's okay you already played for us." He said, "Not this one!" Then he played, "O PRAISE HIM!" 

SERIOUSLY...Talk about having a moment! It was incredible.  A normal, ordinary day turned into an extraordinary encounter. 

No matter what is going on or where you find yourself...NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF PRAYER!

JESUS has a purpose, a plan for you each and every day. Don't miss it!

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

Can One Simple Email Change Your Life?

I scanned back and forth down the page. A lump formed; eyes no longer able to contain the moisture. The overflow releasing, sliding...the drops, clear pearls resting on my keyboard.

The young boy was soon to be left alone in this world. A mother, slowly letting go of her fight; her body...slight and weak, cancer overtaking.

The words called for prayer, help and God's will to stir and move the heart of someone to take him in.

Blurred, wet eyes fixated on the dot...the period signaling the end of the email.

I climbed the stairs; incredible urgency to reach the safety of my room. I needed release...the tears to freely flow. The words moved me, heart and soul...beyond my plans, my worries, my selfishness. I prayed for the boy. I prayed for his mother. I prayed for the right family to open their home. God's will.

I shared it with my husband. We prayed and prayed and prayed. God's will. We took steps of faith, moving and waiting. Gods will. After several phone calls, visits and constant prayer, the doors slowly began to open. One by one. With each door, fear of change, less us time momentarily filled our minds...but we stayed the course, always praying, God's will.

That Monday morning email changed my heart. God's plan is bigger and better than my plans. We await the final process; a young boy, alone, now to become a part of our family. God's will.

When God puts things in motion and asks you to move, touching your heart and spirit to the very core of your being, take the steps. Walk it out. He will open the right doors and shut the wrong ones. We worship a God who parts the sea, shuts the mouths of lions, makes walls crumble, brings the dead to life and sets captives free.

What has God been putting on your heart? Take a step of faith and trust Him...God's will.


"Who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again..." Hebrews 11:33-35

"God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us." Hebrews 11:40

 "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.


READ HEBREWS 11:1-40 (To Increase Your Faith)

Can You Be Still?

Today I received an email that really touched me. How many of us truly listen? When someone speaks are you too busy thinking about what your going to say as soon as they stop? This message really hit home!

Being the Stillness
Bonnie Grove, She Reads Featured Author
Devotion:
I have sought comfort in the book of Job many times in my life. After I buried my infant son, I asked, "Why?" God reminded me that when Job asked the same question His answer was, "Who?"

While laying on a hospital bed knowing for certain I would lose the twins I had carried only a few precious months, God reminded me how in the midst of Job's suffering, God came. And in the whirlwind He answered. Not right away, not in Job's time, but in God's time - the perfect time when Job's heart could take in the words of healing.

In the years following those dark events, I trained in theology, counseling and psychology. I was on a quest to understand my brokenness, and that of others. I'm still on that quest, though my formal training is behind me.

One evening, I was in conversation with a man who was going through a divorce and was in obvious pain. He spoke of his daughter, and how his hopes for the future had been destroyed. When he finished speaking I sat in silence, knowing I had no great words to offer. Spent from telling his story, he too sat quietly.

Our silence stretched into minutes. Then, the man began to cry. I sat with him, keeping his tears company, and still said nothing. More minutes passed, and the man said, "That's the first time I've cried since this whole mess started." Then he said something surprising: "You've helped me so much. Thank you."

The silence had changed something for him. From my perspective, the silence was a result of my limitations as a counselor - I was empty handed. But it became clear to me there was something powerful at work. I remembered how Job's friends sat in silence with him for seven days and nights. With that in mind, I began to pay close attention to silence. I found that by being quiet, I could better understand my thoughts, fears, hopes, and desires. And in my long silences I was able to sense God's presence and hear His voice. When I sat with the man going through a divorce I listened to him without interruption. Then, by saying nothing, I helped him listen to what God had to say to him.

There are astounding lessons to be learned from the act of listening. I have learned that listening is an act of love. It is not passive; it is intentional, engaging with the heart and mind of another person. To listen you must turn off all outside distractions; say "no" to the world rushing by you. A sacred act of deliberate silence and meaningful pause, listening helps people clear a space in their life, heart, and mind in order to simply "be." Our listening is an important gift. I am learning to make it my first response. Through listening I want to provide the stillness God speaks into.

Dear Lord, bring me into a deeper silence before You, that I may hear Your voice, and in hearing, believe, and in believing, listen to the heart of others. When people hurt Lord, let me first offer them my listening, not my advice. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

"Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great."
Job 2:13 (NASB)

God Can You Hear Me?

TRUE STORY & Pictures By: Lisa Petrarca
Yesterday on a brisk, windy, sunny day we took our dog Allie to the beach. This is always a very special, joyous day for her. She is a Siberian Husky. When you own a husky you're told to never let them off their leash. They have a natural inborn instinct to run. Over the years we have slowly trained her. On our beach visits we let her off the leash. She runs a little ways, jumping, sniffing and playing and then always stops, looks back and waits for us to catch up to her.

This particular day seemed no different than others before it. We strolled along the white, long stretch of sand. The chill of the wind was stinging our faces, as Allie frolicked in the water, chasing dogs and birds. Allie stopped and waited every so often just as she had been trained.

The sun was lowering behind a low patch of fluffy, cotton white clouds, signaling an end to our day. Approaching the part of the beach that we attach Allie to her leash, she abruptly turned and began running the opposite direction. We cried out, "Allie, Allie...STOP, come back here!" She continued to run, farther and farther. Our cries soon becoming muffled, lost in the pounding crash of the waves, beating against the sand.

We continued to walk in the direction she was running. We were certain she would eventually stop, look back and dash towards us. She began to appear as though she was a mirage, to far away to tell if it was really her. I began to run, worried that she might scale the steep cliff and run into the heavy, rush hour traffic on Pacific Coast Highway.

She had slowed down, but was still very far ahead. She now started to approach the few people on the beach, a woman at first, and then a couple. Each time she would walk away. She appeared to realize that she was lost. Walking away from the couple, with no one else around, she stood alone in the middle of the beach, a long isolated view in front of her. I began to get closer as she stood in one place. Her head was faced up towards the orange, red & yellow sky of the setting sun. She was howling, loud piercing cries, crying out because she was scared and lost. She had gone too far and now realized her mistake.



Out of breath, I started to walk, passing a couple that was staring at Allie. The wife looked at me with large, concerned eyes, "Oh, she's crying...she thinks she's lost." Finally close enough for her to hear me I shouted, "Allie, come here, I'm right here!" She quickly stopped her howl, snapped her head down, stared frozen for a moment and sprinted towards me. Her eyes squinting through the blowing wind, tongue hanging out of her mouth, tail wagging, and wait a minute...is that a smile? Can dogs smile? It sure looked like it to me. Reaching me, she jumped up on me and kissed me.

This story sadly represents our walk with the Lord. We are safely beside him, protected, loved and happy. All of a sudden something catches our attention. It looks fun, challenging, exciting...our mind starts to run. Next our body begins to chase after it also. We are going full speed in the wrong direction. Getting caught up in the moment, enjoying our fleshly, worldly desires.

The Lord is calling us to come back. He wants to protect us. We have gotten too far away. We no longer hear his cries. They are drowned out by the loud crashing waves of this world. Pride, vanity, money, pornography, sex, drugs and alcohol...we are trapped in the middle of their false allure.

Never finding the happiness we had hoped for, our life begins to fall apart around us. We stand alone on the long, lonely, isolated stretch of sand. Crying, calling out to the Lord, "Where are you Heavenly Father? I need you. I'm so scared and alone. Please come and help me."

He is there waiting for you to call Him. He wants to bring you to the safety of his loving and forgiving protection. Just call out to him, he will hear you. You are never out of his sight. He is waiting for you to stop running. Just like huskies, we have a natural instinct to run after the things of this world. These things only give us fleeting, momentary pleasure. Followed by our guilt, unhappiness and self-loathing. Stop running and look to the Lord for peace, shelter, comfort, love and complete happiness. He is waiting for you.

"Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent and assign your nuggets to the dust, your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines, then the Almighty will be your gold, the choicest of silver for you. Surely you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fullfill your vows. What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways. When men are brought low and you say, "Lift them up!" then he will save the downcast. He will deliver even one who is not innocent, through the cleanness of your hands."
Job 22:21-30