Hi all,
We were married in September 1978 and the following March (1979), Barb became pregnant with Chris. In May with her 3 months pregnant and suffering all the sickness, emotions and nausea that comes with the first trimester, we drove west across the USA from Charlotte, North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma. (1020 miles/1640km) I drove a rented moving truck and she followed, driving our little car. It was not a fun trip, complete with stops so Barb could vomit on the side of the road with threats to go back to her mom in between the dry heaves, lol.
Before leaving Charlotte we had expressed to the Father that we didn't want to live in an apartment as Chris would be born in December. We asked if we could rent a house, and He replied to me:"You may rent a house...and after that I'll give you a ranch." Lesson learned. The ranch didn't happen for another 19 years. He has a way of leaving large gaps of time between promises.
As our habit was and is, we wrote down our needs on paper,
Even at age 22 we had discerned the honesty required when praying, making a distinction between need and desire. That requires an honest discussion within your own heart. If you tell the Father you need something when it's really a desire, He won't always answer, especially if that desire is born of lust/greed. If the desires are righteous, we have found He will often answer. Psalm 37:4 says He gives us the desires of the heart, not the lusts of the heart. They must be righteous desires, usually directly connected to an expressed need. Philippians 4:19 says He provides our needs according to His riches in heaven.
The needs were; 3 bedrooms (1 for us, 1 for the baby, 1 for our parents to visit), at least 1 full bath and a second bath for the other 2 bedrooms, a garage for the car, appliances except for washer and dryer. We would buy those once there.
Under desires we wrote earth tones color scheme, carpet not hardwood or tile floor, fireplace, window over the kitchen sink. We submitted both lists to the Father, and took authority over the devil to forbid him from messing anything up, and asked the Father to send His angels to do what they needed to do. Quietly, internally, after we had prayed, I said to myself but later also to Barb; "It would be nice to have a garden started since we'll be there in springtime. (May).
Once in Tulsa we made an appointment to look at a house for lease. As we were driving to that appointment my eyes fell upon a sign that said 'For lease' in front of a home to my left. My spirit leapt and I slammed on the brakes. "This is it. This is the house the Father has for us." We determined it was right and proper to keep our appointment to the other house, and we did. Going there confirmed it was 'dead' in our spirits, no life there, so we knew we were to rent the other house. We did, and it had all we had put on our list of needs AND desires - earth tones, carpet, fireplace, window over the sink.
The house even had a garden growing out back, and we were thrilled. A few days later when we moved in, everything was clean and perfect, but the garden had been mowed down to the ground. I was stunned. "What happened?" I asked the Father, and that day I learned yet another lesson:
"You didn't think enough of me to include a garden in your prayer, (though I provided it) so it was left unprotected, and the devil moved the people to destroy it."
Grace comes first, which is a revelation from the Father or Lord. Faith is our response to that grace/revelation. When the Father said; "You may rent a house in Tulsa", that was the grace/revelation. As Jesus said in John 15:7, when He speaks to a person, they may ask what they want pertaining to what He spoke, and it will be done.
For example, Noah received the revelation of the flood and command to build the boat, so whatever he would have needed for that task would be provided. We received the command we could rent a house, so we should have responded to that grace/revelation with enough faith to include the garden. Oh me of little faith.
December 1979, Chris is born a 'blue baby'.
After over 15 hours of labor, Chris was born by emergency C-section, with the cord wrapped around his neck. For those who know such things, his APGAR score was 4. We didn't know anything, being 1st time parents. At 4 months my mother noticed something wasn't right with his muscle tone, but we dismissed her comments. But at 6 months he could not sit up normally, he was like a rag doll, and hadn't spoken a word.
In June of 1980 Barb took Chris to a doctor (6 months old). We had moved to the Boulder, Colorado area and had no family and were just beginning to make friends at the church we attended, City on the Hill, Pastor Steve Shank. Good church, good pastors. The doctor told Barb that Chris had cerebral palsy (CP), which is brain damage during labor and/or delivery. He told her to put him in a home 'and forget you ever had him'. He said there was no reason we couldn't go on and have normal children, so put this one in a home and forget we ever had him.
Barb called me at work in tears and just devastated. That night we gave 6 month old Chris a bath, laid him on a fluffy bathmat to dry him off, and laid hands on him, rejecting the doctor's diagnosis and advice, commanding Chris to be healed. But...when Chris was almost 5 years old he still had never sat up, never spoken a word, and could only roll like a log across the floor, pushing himself with his arms to change direction.
One night while I was working late, Barb reached her breaking point.
Chris was upstairs in a crib though he was nearly 5, because he would roll right out of a regular bed. She poured her heart out in tears to the Father, begging for healing, begging for answers. Suddenly she heard from upstairs:"Mommy! Mommy, look!" She ran upstairs and Chris was sitting up in his bed, and talking. It was truly a miracle, and for whatever reason, was only a partial healing.
Chris has barely stopped talking since, lol, for he keeps a running commentary on truck, cars, trains, people, anything going on around us. He has never met a stranger or dog that he doesn't like. Mentally he is about age 4, but understands some things beyond that.
Back in 1984-85
Many 'Word of Faith' people were questioning if it was 'against your faith' to go to a doctor, to have insurance, to take medicines, and so on. Chris's (new) doctor had prescribed physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy for him. Chris was now 6 years old, talkative, but needed help saying some letters.
I went to the Lord on this one, since it was His stripes that bought healing as part of the atonement. He told me this:"It isn't 'against your faith' for the therapies work with healing, not against it." I asked what He meant. "They cause body parts to move as they were designed, so they are working with healing, not against it." I asked for chapter and verse and He replied:"Do you not understand why I told the man with the withered arm to stretch it out, or the lame to take up their bed and walk? (Mark 3:1-5, 2:1-12)
We've learned so many lessons about the ways of the Lord during our journey. I hope by sharing these you too may know His ways. Next week, Chris' desire for heaven rather than healing, and time gaps between His promises, and more! Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected] or [email protected]
We were married in September 1978 and the following March (1979), Barb became pregnant with Chris. In May with her 3 months pregnant and suffering all the sickness, emotions and nausea that comes with the first trimester, we drove west across the USA from Charlotte, North Carolina to Tulsa, Oklahoma. (1020 miles/1640km) I drove a rented moving truck and she followed, driving our little car. It was not a fun trip, complete with stops so Barb could vomit on the side of the road with threats to go back to her mom in between the dry heaves, lol.
Before leaving Charlotte we had expressed to the Father that we didn't want to live in an apartment as Chris would be born in December. We asked if we could rent a house, and He replied to me:"You may rent a house...and after that I'll give you a ranch." Lesson learned. The ranch didn't happen for another 19 years. He has a way of leaving large gaps of time between promises.
As our habit was and is, we wrote down our needs on paper,
Even at age 22 we had discerned the honesty required when praying, making a distinction between need and desire. That requires an honest discussion within your own heart. If you tell the Father you need something when it's really a desire, He won't always answer, especially if that desire is born of lust/greed. If the desires are righteous, we have found He will often answer. Psalm 37:4 says He gives us the desires of the heart, not the lusts of the heart. They must be righteous desires, usually directly connected to an expressed need. Philippians 4:19 says He provides our needs according to His riches in heaven.
The needs were; 3 bedrooms (1 for us, 1 for the baby, 1 for our parents to visit), at least 1 full bath and a second bath for the other 2 bedrooms, a garage for the car, appliances except for washer and dryer. We would buy those once there.
Under desires we wrote earth tones color scheme, carpet not hardwood or tile floor, fireplace, window over the kitchen sink. We submitted both lists to the Father, and took authority over the devil to forbid him from messing anything up, and asked the Father to send His angels to do what they needed to do. Quietly, internally, after we had prayed, I said to myself but later also to Barb; "It would be nice to have a garden started since we'll be there in springtime. (May).
Once in Tulsa we made an appointment to look at a house for lease. As we were driving to that appointment my eyes fell upon a sign that said 'For lease' in front of a home to my left. My spirit leapt and I slammed on the brakes. "This is it. This is the house the Father has for us." We determined it was right and proper to keep our appointment to the other house, and we did. Going there confirmed it was 'dead' in our spirits, no life there, so we knew we were to rent the other house. We did, and it had all we had put on our list of needs AND desires - earth tones, carpet, fireplace, window over the sink.
The house even had a garden growing out back, and we were thrilled. A few days later when we moved in, everything was clean and perfect, but the garden had been mowed down to the ground. I was stunned. "What happened?" I asked the Father, and that day I learned yet another lesson:
"You didn't think enough of me to include a garden in your prayer, (though I provided it) so it was left unprotected, and the devil moved the people to destroy it."
Grace comes first, which is a revelation from the Father or Lord. Faith is our response to that grace/revelation. When the Father said; "You may rent a house in Tulsa", that was the grace/revelation. As Jesus said in John 15:7, when He speaks to a person, they may ask what they want pertaining to what He spoke, and it will be done.
For example, Noah received the revelation of the flood and command to build the boat, so whatever he would have needed for that task would be provided. We received the command we could rent a house, so we should have responded to that grace/revelation with enough faith to include the garden. Oh me of little faith.
December 1979, Chris is born a 'blue baby'.
After over 15 hours of labor, Chris was born by emergency C-section, with the cord wrapped around his neck. For those who know such things, his APGAR score was 4. We didn't know anything, being 1st time parents. At 4 months my mother noticed something wasn't right with his muscle tone, but we dismissed her comments. But at 6 months he could not sit up normally, he was like a rag doll, and hadn't spoken a word.
In June of 1980 Barb took Chris to a doctor (6 months old). We had moved to the Boulder, Colorado area and had no family and were just beginning to make friends at the church we attended, City on the Hill, Pastor Steve Shank. Good church, good pastors. The doctor told Barb that Chris had cerebral palsy (CP), which is brain damage during labor and/or delivery. He told her to put him in a home 'and forget you ever had him'. He said there was no reason we couldn't go on and have normal children, so put this one in a home and forget we ever had him.
Barb called me at work in tears and just devastated. That night we gave 6 month old Chris a bath, laid him on a fluffy bathmat to dry him off, and laid hands on him, rejecting the doctor's diagnosis and advice, commanding Chris to be healed. But...when Chris was almost 5 years old he still had never sat up, never spoken a word, and could only roll like a log across the floor, pushing himself with his arms to change direction.
One night while I was working late, Barb reached her breaking point.
Chris was upstairs in a crib though he was nearly 5, because he would roll right out of a regular bed. She poured her heart out in tears to the Father, begging for healing, begging for answers. Suddenly she heard from upstairs:"Mommy! Mommy, look!" She ran upstairs and Chris was sitting up in his bed, and talking. It was truly a miracle, and for whatever reason, was only a partial healing.
Chris has barely stopped talking since, lol, for he keeps a running commentary on truck, cars, trains, people, anything going on around us. He has never met a stranger or dog that he doesn't like. Mentally he is about age 4, but understands some things beyond that.
Back in 1984-85
Many 'Word of Faith' people were questioning if it was 'against your faith' to go to a doctor, to have insurance, to take medicines, and so on. Chris's (new) doctor had prescribed physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy for him. Chris was now 6 years old, talkative, but needed help saying some letters.
I went to the Lord on this one, since it was His stripes that bought healing as part of the atonement. He told me this:"It isn't 'against your faith' for the therapies work with healing, not against it." I asked what He meant. "They cause body parts to move as they were designed, so they are working with healing, not against it." I asked for chapter and verse and He replied:"Do you not understand why I told the man with the withered arm to stretch it out, or the lame to take up their bed and walk? (Mark 3:1-5, 2:1-12)
We've learned so many lessons about the ways of the Lord during our journey. I hope by sharing these you too may know His ways. Next week, Chris' desire for heaven rather than healing, and time gaps between His promises, and more! Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected] or [email protected]
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