MY HEALING FROM AN OVARIAN CYST

On July 27, 2024 I was rushed by ambulance to the hospital with intense abdominal pain from an unknown cause. 

 

But wait. Flashback to the day before.  I had written in my journal: “During my quiet time with God, I got a picture of a stronghold.  It was a concrete castle ruins covered over in vines so I couldn’t see it. I kept stubbing my toe on it and not knowing why I was stumped.  So I asked God what stronghold should I focus on tearing down?  I heard him say “fear.”            … Now back to my story…

 

After a CT-scan and other tests, the doctors told me that I had a cyst on my right ovary that measured 15 cm. across.  They showed me the image – it covered the entire width of my abdomen.  It took 3 days in the hospital for the powerful pain and nausea drugs to calm my system so I could go home.

 

I prayed for God to show me what to do, because the recommendation was that I see an oncologist surgeon to remove the cyst and any other involved organs.  They couldn’t know if it was malignant until after the surgery.

 

A day or so later I saw an ad on TV for a “Healing is Here” Conference in Colorado. I recognized the name Andrew Wommack and felt drawn to go to it.  Now, spontaneous trips out-of-state when I’m in the midst of a health crisis are NOT in line with my natural temperament!  Nevertheless, within a few days I was flying to Woodland Park, Colorado along with my daughter Laura.

 

God spoke various things to me during the conference, and I went forward for prayer several times.  I left Colorado feeling better than when I had arrived.

 

Back home I took a turn for the worse, however, and was soon on high-powered pain killers 24 hours a day, barely able to eat or even take care of myself.  During that time I was intently listening to the “Healing Journeys” testimonies from Charis Bible College, to Andrew Wommack’s videos on “God Wants You Well,” and I read Spirit, Soul, and Body by Andrew.  Finally, God gave me assurance to go ahead with surgery and to ask people to partner with me in prayer over every aspect of the operation and my recovery.

 

In the night before surgery I had an experience with God. I felt him come close to me and lay his hand on my hair, like I was a tiny child, and as he touched me I felt something happening in my body. I asked him what it was, and he said, “I am taking away the knee-jerk reaction of fear – now you will have a choice.” A delicious calm feeling enveloped my as he said, “You are safe.”

 

The successful surgery with no complications happened on September 4^th.  No cancer was found at that time.  Two weeks later I got the final conclusive lab report that the large 2.2 pound cyst that had been removed was completely benign.  Praise God for his grace and healing!

 

I am now fully recovered, able to continue all my previous activities, and happily in school as a part-time student at Charis Bible College (Austin Extension Campus). 

 

Lorraine Mahan, Austin, Texas

10/17/2024

RICH WITH PRACTICALLY NOTHING

A mechanic pulled up next to me just when my car broke down.

A friend walked into the garage just when I needed a ride.

A visitor picked up some medications for me just when I ran out.

Are these all coincidences?

I don’t think so.

But you may think otherwise.

We can see such opportunities as serendipity, or as karma, or as God’s favor.

 The Psalmist tells us that our own efforts only go so far, and that we do need God’s favor and help:

“Unless the Lord builds the city, the workmen labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.”

It’s humbling.

We Americans love our independence.  We love action.

We have to be intentional about trust in God.  But if we do.  Even if we only give him a little bit of faith.

He multiplies it.

2 becomes 4.

4 becomes 8, or 16, or 48.

And 2 fish become 5,000.

Prayer:

“Jesus, when my faith is small, don’t let me forget what you can do with practically nothing.”

(Prayer quoted from Cynthia Ruchti in Mornings with Jesus.)

MY STORY - In Honor of Billy Graham’s Homegoing

I was fourteen years old.  I’d had a rough life up to that point.  Divorce had shattered my family, and my dad had kept things stirred up with custody battles.  Mom was depressed, and so my sister and I often felt as if we were the parents.  Life at school wasn’t much better for me.  Except for academic success, the school scene was empty and lonely.

Then came a moment of decision and change that I had never anticipated.  I was at a movie created by the Rev. Billy Graham’s organization, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).   Titled “The Restless Ones,” it showed the empty lives of a group of teenagers and how everything turned around when they decided to follow Christ.  I was a church-goer, but I didn’t know that I was supposed to personally make a decision.  After the movie, the BGEA-trained counselors gave an altar-call, and –shaking all over—I went forward to give my life to Christ.

After that, I was spiritually sensitive to understand the Bible, to know how to pray, and to have wisdom for decision-making.  I prayed about how to deal with my difficult parent situation, how to act in relationships, and where to go to college.  God directed me – often in very specific ways – again and again.  He also gave me courage to move across the country at age eighteen, and later to marry and start a family.  When I became a parent, I sought God for how to raise my children, and I led them in the sinner’s prayer, as I had been led by the Rev. Billy Graham all those years ago. 

Today my family are all members of Christ’s own family because of the ministry of the Rev. Billy Graham.  This day heaven is overflowing with people who have the same testimony as I do – we are in God’s kingdom because of this man’s obedience to the gospel.

Thank you, Billy Graham.  Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving us such a servant of yours to show us the way.

If you want to get right with God and know that you are some day going to heaven, you can pray right now, right where you are:  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  I John 1:9

Make God Look Good!

Christian, have you ever wondered what you can do to see that God gets credit more often?  What can you and I actually do in order to glorify God?  I asked this question recently after an unusual dream. Here are some ideas.

• Don’t be afraid to tell people about your good works.  Jesus said, “Let your light shine,” which means don’t do good things and then keep them hidden out of false humility.  But the purpose is not about boasting.  No, we have to tell the story in such a way that God gets the credit.  That means we have to “connect the dots” for them as we tell it.  

We have to tell a story that shows both our need and God’s supply.  For instance, I have started volunteer work at a hospital by making crocheted baby blankets for new moms.  If that is all I tell people, it sounds like I am boasting – I must do this because I am such a good person!  But the reality is, I took up crochet at a time when my life had hit rock bottom and I couldn’t work.  It gave me an outlet so that I felt less useless.  Then God answered the prayers of many people and healed me.  Now I can become a “Blankets of Love” hospital volunteer. 

• Don’t be afraid to share your own weaknesses in the process of telling the story.  Sometimes Christians think that in order to glorify God they have to appear strong.  In fact, the opposite is true.  As in my example of the crochet ministry, if we let people see our area of need and how God provided for us anyway, we give them hope that he might do the same for them.

• Finally, don’t be afraid to pray specifically and then tell the story of what happened later in that situation.  Many people pray very general  prayers, thinking that this gives God sovereign leeway to do “whatever” is his will in the situation.  But that is not the way Jesus taught prayer.  It’s true that he did teach us to pray “your kingdom come, your will be done,” but he also prayed that a fig tree would wither up, that a deaf person’s ears would hear, that a blind person’s eyes would see, that a lame person would get up and walk, etc.   

How does specific prayer give God the glory?  People tend to take notice when a “coincidence” occurs. 

For example, if you ask God to heal someone quickly after surgery and then the doctor tells them they have healed very quickly, is that a coincidence?  Perhaps.  People will draw their own conclusions about it, but the closer the similarity between the request and the result, the more credit goes to God and not to coincidence. 

And if you pray for what is humanly impossible, for instance that the person heal without the need for the surgery, and the doctor later tells them, “I have no idea what happened – the tumor was there on the first Xray but now it is gone” – then everyone will experience a mystery.  

Human beings love a mystery.  Something in our nature seeks for an answer to it.  And the answer to the mystery is God.

Live life to glorify God.

Tribute to Christian Mothers

Everyone is talking about mothers this week.  Since mine has gone on to be with Jesus, I think of all the women who have "mothered" me.  Right now I am thinking of the Christian heritage that has come from my grandmother and great grandmother.

My great grandmother, Mary Wilson Cox (1847-1931) was a remarkable women whose influence cast a very long shadow in my family.  In an age when women "stayed home," she was a church planter, inspirational speaker, midwife, teacher, and poet, to name a few.  Five of her poems remain to us.  Here is one in which she praises her mother for the Heritage of Faith that she passed down.


Thoughts of Mother

Our thoughts go back to Mother,
To that cottage on the knoll,
Where we knelt each night in prayer,
For the strengthening of the soul.

Our thoughts go back to Mother,
As she read God’s Holy Book,
And then we often wondered,
Why such pleasure in it took.

But when we gave our heart to God,
We learned to love it too,
Because we knew within our own heart,
That God’s blessed word was true.

Our thoughts go back to Mother,
As she sat in the rocking-chair,
And sang with sweet abandon,
There is no sorrow there.

Our thoughts go back to Mother,
As each Sabbath rolls around,
And we with our friends and neighbors,
In the church pew we were found.

We are thinking, dearest Mother,
Of the many who sought and found the Lord,
And many who long since have gone,
To gain their rich reward.

We will ne’er forget you, Mother,
Though our hair is turning gray,
And our eyes are not as bright perhaps,
As in our youthful day.

Our feet are not as fleet as when,
We used to walk together,
To church and prayer meetings,
No difference what the weather.

Our voice is not as strong, me-thinks,
As when we would so often sing,
And meet with one accord so oft,
To praise our Heavenly King.

But Christ is just the same, Mother,
As in the days of yore;
He will guide and keep us to the end,
And save us ever-more.

By Mary W. Cox
1847-1931

Going Home

from Grandma Stories: God’s Little Miracles by LDMahan

There once was a family who didn’t have a home.  They had lived in an apartment.  They had lived in a trailer.  They had lived in one room of somebody else’s house. They had moved thirteen times and lived in seven different cities.  Would you like to live in all those places?  They had seen Boston, Beverly and South Hamilton, Massachusetts.  They had been in Dallas, McAllen, San Antonio and Austin, Texas.  This family really had had a lot of adventures!

The four children of this family were aged twelve, nine, four and two years old, and they really wanted to have a home.  The mother was especially tired and really prayed to God for a home of her own.  Finally, even the dad got tired of moving and they began to look for a house.  The boy wanted a basketball hoop.  The younger girls wanted a trampoline.  The big sister wanted a room of her own.  And the mom wanted a big open kitchen.  They looked and looked, but nothing they could afford was big enough. 

One day while they were in the middle of supper, the phone rang.  It was their real estate agent.  A real estate agent is the person who helps you buy a house.

“Yes. Yes!  We’ll be right there,” said the father.  He hung up the phone and all the kids were herded into the family car for a quick drive across town to see a house that had just become available.  No one put the food away.  No one even looked for their shoes! 

The mom and dad raced across town and arrived at the house just before dark.  That was good, because the lights were turned off in the house and in a few more minutes they couldn’t have seen anything.  But what they did see got them all very excited. 

A big open living room, an extra living/dining area, and four bedrooms – the parent’s bedroom with a large mirror, vanity and bathroom.  The main bathroom had two sinks and a full-wall mirror!  And best of all for the mom – there was a huge kitchen with plenty of room for people to sit around and eat, cook and talk!  Walk-in closets!  A giant-sized yard with trees for hanging swings, a driveway for putting up a basketball hoop, and plenty of room for a trampoline or for playing Frisbee.

The mom and dad made their decision within twenty minutes and got right back in the car to meet the realtor.  That evening, before eleven pm, they had sent a contract and money to the seller of the house, telling them they wanted to buy it.

Now, you may not know it, but buying a house is not easy, even after you find the right one.  Getting through the process is like surviving an obstacle course—if you fall down along the way, too bad, but it you make it over all the hurdles—you get the house of your dreams!

The parents prayed—and the seller decided to choose them over another person who made an offer on the house.  They prayed some more—and the paperwork which had gotten lost was found.  More problems and more paperwork went flying back and forth. 

Finally, nothing happened for several weeks.  The mom had a bad feeling about this.  She drove to the front yard of “her” new house.  She committed this purchase to God.  She asked Him to open the doors that were closed and make a way for her family to have this house—which seemed to be standing there sadly, waiting for them to move in.  She asked His light to come in where there was any darkness.  She finally felt better and went home.

The day arrived for signing the final papers.  The appointment had already been cancelled and rescheduled several times, and the parents’ nerves were on edge. The purchase was taking so long that the family had had to move in with another family and put their things in storage.  What a hassle!  The closing time got closer and closer … 2 pm, … 2:30, … 3 pm, … 3:25.

At 3: 25 their real estate agent walked into the closing office carrying a house plant and wearing a big smile.  Five minutes before, she had just saved the deal from disaster due to yet another last-minute glitch.  Oh my!  The parents gratefully signed the papers and moved the family into their dream house. 

This family learned one more time that, even though their own efforts could not get them what they needed, “With God all things are possible.”

A Boy Far From Home

from Grandma Stories: God’s Little Miracles by LDMahan

The young girl was NOT ready to move far away.  She had been raised in this Ohio city, and knew nothing else.  The world seemed a big, scary place.  But all that was about to change.

College was looming ahead, and the brown-haired senior was not prepared.  She had tried very hard to be responsible, but how could you know what was “out there” before you arrived “out there”?  Unfortunately, after applying to a beautiful, ivy-covered university nearby, there were no funds to attend it. 

Now her father wanted to take her on an exotic vacation even farther away—to MEXICO!  She had never been out of the state of Ohio, never flown in a plane.  The thought of a foreign land made her knees tremble, but since her dad had been there before, she could hang onto his coattails.

The big day arrived.  The plane took off amidst loud, unfamiliar noises, strange uncomfortable feelings in her ears and head, and giddy, electric anxieties mixed with thrill.  Have you ever flown through huge mountains of puffy-castle clouds?  Awesome!  Mexico City was far stranger and far more wonderful than she had imagined.  Huge skyscrapers, ancient museums, cool cave-like cathedrals, and exciting night life.  Maybe going far from home would not be so bad after all.

The return trip was supposed to be routine, but she was in for another surprise—they had to deplane in Dallas, Texas.  Being an inexperienced traveler, the girl had expected to fly straight through to Ohio, but when she found herself on the ground in Dallas, the city where her boyfriend Bob now lived, she was simply struck that she had to see him.  You may know how it is with teenage girls! 

She pleaded with her father.  He checked with the airline clerk—it would be an additional charge of $100.00 each to interrupt their flight.  Dad thought a bit … he looked at his daughter’s hopeful face … he thought some more … then they picked up their baggage and headed for a Dallas hotel!

When she arrived at Bob’s home, she was greeted by his mother and three sisters with hugs and squeals.  It had been a year since his family had moved away from Ohio. The girl stayed with the family, while her father stayed at the hotel. 

She and her boyfriend talked about college life, he showed her a huge book that he had to read in less than five days, then he took her around the campus.  She met with the Dean of Admissions, and counseled with the Director of Financial Aid, all in a whirlwind two days.  Her friend tried to convince her this was the best school on the planet.

After she had returned home to Ohio, however, she began to feel as shy and scared as ever.  Taking an adventurous trip with her dad was one thing; moving to a strange place on her own was too much.  It was too big to decide on her own.  She would ask God.

She got down on her knees on the purple shag carpet of her bedroom floor.

“Dear Jesus, I don’t know what to do.  I’m scared and I have three problems.  First, I need money to go to the school in Dallas.  Second, I need to come back here and to be in my sister’s wedding two weeks after school has already started.  Finally, I don’t know any girls in Texas, so I need a roommate.  I leave it in your hands.”

Within the week a college financial aid officer called.  “We’re offering you all the money you need for school: loans, scholarships and work-study,” she announced.

“Wow!” the girl responded.

When she told her dad, he was very pleased.  “And don’t worry about your sister’s wedding,” he added.  “I will fly you back for that.”

Next, a letter arrived from one of Bob’s university friends.  This girl wrote: “I am in need of a roommate next year – won’t you please come and live with me?!”

So, that is the story of how God led a young girl to the college of her dreams – through an answered prayer and a boy far from home.