Summer Study Healings

The students have been conducting bible studies by themselves at a local park near Mesa College all summer long. I finally was able to attend one in June. I had just come back from our staff regional retreat that hosted over 100 IV staff workers from all over central and southern California (oh and UNLV too). We had been discussing and seeking personal revival in our own lives and trying to then also see revival take place on our campuses. So when I came back, I was expecting God to move.

The students were doing a worship session instead of their typical bible studies and later we prayed for the wounded and sick. There were around 10 people there; many Christians, some were nominal and/or seekers, and there were others that I didn’t even know their spiritual background. One student had a knee that was swollen and in a soft cast, one student had a bad back who could feel the pain in their back and had trouble moving, and another with a hurt thumb (from playing too many video games…college students). We felt led and took a risk to invite the Living God to encounter these people. We started praying for the smaller injuries first. I shared some things I have learned about healing and a personal testimony of my own healing. Then, as a community, we prayed for the thumb. We prayed twice and not much happened. We thanked God for His love anyways and went on to another student with a bad back. Two people from our group prayed for him (one I have known to be a confirmed seeker). We asked God to heal our bro’s back. This student was visibly struck by the touch of God on him. His back was healed and better, you could see in his eyes that he encountered His loving Father!! This student was so stoked as he tested it and he even prayed for the student with a bad knee that needed surgery. We prayed several times and God didn’t heal the knee, but we thanked Him for His love anyways. During this time, the person whose thumb we had prayed for confessed that her thumb felt better. We took a risk and God totally touched our community.

Thank you for all of your prayers and asking God’s name and character to be lifted up in our midst. Thank you for asking for the authority of the Kingdom to be released. Thank you Papa!

Encountering God through Intercession

During the year, I led a prayer meeting centered upon praying through the Lord’s Prayer (Mathew 6:9-13). It was about 4 weeks long and great stuff happened. I wanted to share one testimony that happened during the course of those meetings.

We were centering our prayer around asking God to let His Kingdom come and His will to be done on earth (and Mesa!) as it is in heaven when a student came up. We had just asked God to touch student’s hearts and bring them to turn back to Him when Matt (name is changed to protect his identity) came where we were praying on the campus in front of the LRC.  I had known Matt only in passing having met him during one of our “on-tempo” meetings (our weekly large group gathering where about 20 students typically gathered). He proceeded to tell me that he had just found out that he was going to be a father from a relationship that he wasn’t even part of anymore. I was a bit thrown off and didn’t know whether he was a Christian even or not. I found out some more details and saw that this guy was a bit beat up as he was trying to figure out what to do.

As you should already know, I was facing the same choices that this guy was now facing about 7 years prior. Here he was going through his choices. He wasn’t with the girl any more, should he get back with her, is it even his kid, should he marry her, should he go through with having the child at all, and who knows what else (this is a list and may not be very accurate by the way). I was trying to figure out what to do and even was reminding this guy that he has responsibilities now. I felt a bit hypocritical but at the same time, I knew there is still a right thing to do even if I hadn’t quite figured it out back during my time. I actually shared with him about my journey and tried to encourage him to do and seek out the right thing.

I had a feeling this guy wasn’t really walking with God much, but could see that God was interacting with him and even using me. It was a crazy, but great place to be. He was openly confessing that God felt distant and He couldn’t hear from him. It wasn’t long before he mentioned a hip-hop song that he felt was coming to his mind lately that related to what we were talking about. What he said reminded me of this: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul” Mark 8:35-36? So, before we knew it “on-tempo” was going to start. Before it started, I knew this guy was getting tugged on by Jesus and I wanted him to get touched. I challenged him to come to our group to hear from God and he decided to attend the talk. Amazingly, the very message we were learning from that night was from Mark 8 and consisted of the passage with those very verses we had just been discussing. At the end of the gathering I went to him and made sure to emphasize that it seemed God had been speaking to him.

It was amazing to see God pursue and bring broken students to Himself and even use another broken (but mending) person as His instrument. I have to say that I didn’t see any change or response come from Matt in responding to God that night. Yet, I do now.  Later I was stoked to find out that he was and is intentionally pursuing a relationship with his son and his ex-girlfriend. Matt didn’t run away or deny his child but is pursuing what seemed to be the right thing. I am proud of him.

Please join with me in asking for his heart to be completely soft to Jesus and following Him. Please pray for Him to find God’s will. Please pray for him to give his life up in the name of following Jesus.

Redemptive Identification

Another story of God’s name being lifted high in a student’s life. This one also happened at mark camp at the beginning of April.

One of our Mesa College students came from a tough background and he was at the camp. During Mark camp, our students intensely study a section of Mark’s gospel with the chapter, verses, and titles removed from the text (or other scriptures too depending on what track they are on). After we were done studying about the parable of the old and new wineskin, the students were challenged by our Mesa/City volunteer staff by her asking them to write old identity labels on a name tag, names or labels they felt defined by in the past. On another name tag, they were to place new identity labels that they felt God had for them. As is the best way I think to lead (by example), us staffers also participated in the challenge.

I was challenged to share my own old tough identity labels by this same student who had a rough background. I saw him put on his name tag f**k up, faggot, and drug addict (what a hard list). In my own mind, I was only considering putting one of my labels that was super hard for me until I saw his bravery. After seeing his, I put mine on which read: “fag. I felt liberated by what Jesus had done for me in taking me from hiding from hard pieces of my past and allowing me more freedom and I was thankful for the bravery of this guy.

Later that day we were hiking up a mountain on the island and when we reached the top, Jesus did some cool stuff. When we reached the top of the climb (a good climb indeed) and were hanging out, I noticed what I perceived as trash to be blowing in the wind. I asked the students if they could pick it up. One student responded (it was this brave student who had written down the names for himself aforementioned). He  said it was his. He picked it up and we went on our way to our destination, Avalon.

The next day or so, I ran into the same student. He was blessed and as he shared what happened to him with that trash he picked up on the mountain, I was stoked on the small and powerful acts of God. He shared with me that what was blowing around in the wind that day was his name tag with the labels of f**k up, faggot, and drug addict. Then he shared with me that his new wineskin labels had still stayed with him. This name tag had the names “king and priest” and “son of the Most High”. I was stoked as the symbolism of that moment struck his heart. His old names were crumpled and blowing in the wind no longer stuck to him, while his new identity was formed from the things that God is claiming over him. His heart and mine were touched.

Thank you Jesus for new identity!

A Touched Heart Wound--First Steps of Healing

Throughout the course of my time on campus, I felt that much needed confirmation of God, indicating to me that sweet and refreshing knowledge of being in the will of God. One of our students at Mesa drew my attention in particular. I noticed things about him that I related a lot to.

I saw him be really critical of himself and really struggling to believe he could be loved. I saw this in times where some of his scripture that was on his heart was that which reminded him of his depravity. This is not bad in itself, in fact it is so true that NO ONE is good and NO ONE is righteous, but I think what happens here is that when Kmac and myself (at times) went here we couldn’t see the greater picture of the greatness of God’s finished work on the cross. The depravity is only meant to lead us to our need for Him to save us and not to a life of condemnation (John 3:17). I know some of you are already saying yep that sounds like you.

                As I kept interacting with Kmac, it became so clear that many of Kmac’s struggles stem from the relationship he had or actually better said, didn’t have, with his real dad. I learned that when Kmac was really young, his real dad left his mom and him. Kmac felt this loss as shown in the Mark camp old wineskin label he wrote about himself: “unwanted”. At one point during that same powerful mark camp, Kmac started to share what seemed to be a disconnected, highly emotional rant about mourning the loss of his grandfather. When he was sharing that he didn’t want his grandfather to be gone (he passed on a while ago) and he was sobbing, I honestly was a bit confused. I didn’t know why he was sharing about his grandpa, though it was obvious it was deep.

                After around 25 students were baptized during our mark camp baptism, Kmac came up to me to tell me why he had been so emotional when he was sharing about his grandpa. He started breaking down to me what God was doing in him. God was working in some deep abandonment stuff in his heart; God was touching and uncovering a huge wound. He told me more about his dad leaving him and his mom. He told me so much about his grandfather. His granddad gave him his first bible and really was the model of a man of God and one who invested in him and not only shared with him about Jesus but showed Him through his walk. What I came to see is that God was connecting the loss of his grandfather to the sense of loss Kmac had in his father who wasn’t there for him. I don’t think Kmac was fully healed that day or anything, but as I walk more and more with Jesus I see there are distinct steps along the journey of healing. Kmac was taking on of his first steps towards healing through the Holy Spirit’s revelation of the truth of the hard stuff, the need he has for a father.

                As he shared with me the story, I couldn’t stop weeping. I was connecting with him in several ways including feeling the hardship that forms when men abandon their kids. I was seeing him as my son, grown up and working through his sense of abandonment. I was encouraged by his forgiveness of his dad and touched. I was blessed also that I was able to see God touching this for both of us. He connected me to Kmac by remembering my own past and my son. This was one of those moment where I saw the hand of God bringing two people together to experience His comfort, comfort that comes from the most unlikely sources.

I believe fathers have such a role in allowing healthy identities in their children and I believe that as Kmac is walking through that journey towards being healed of his father stuff, the Father will give him true perspective about who he is. Within sober judgment and gracious agape is so much freedom. Throughout my time with Kmac, I was utterly convinced that God has place me right where He wants me to be.

Thank you for supporting me to walk the journey out that God has meant for me to walk. I wouldn’t have been there without your prayers and support.

At the end of the year we had a banquet for the students, it was such a rad night. Jesus grabbed the spotlight indeed. As He should.

Its a praise that so many lives are connected through the minstry happening at Mesa. These are His jewels.

Kendra's story

Here is one of the student's testimonies from her experience on Catalina Island from our Mark camp. Here it is, raw and unedited:

"2012, this is the year that my life was changed. It all started at this year’s spring break camp at Catalina Island (campus by the sea). This is an intervarsity retreat. You go the whole spring break and study the book of mark in detail. You go to 4 intense classes a day. Their are 3 levels of classes mark 1, 2, and 3. I was in mark I because it was my first time this year. Anyways what happened the day my life changed was it was the second day of camp it was the night session and we just got done talking about the kingdom of satin and the kingdom of god and our application question was what kingdom are you living in. and my ancer was that im in the kingdom of satin. That really freaked my group out. I mean I was comfortable in satins cage and I didn’t even want to try to get into the kingdom of god. I had no strength or confidence in my self I thought I was worthless and not worthy. I was depressed and suicidal Plus I was extremely scared to get ride of that fear of medical people that I have had my whole life I was scared that I would change for the worse and not be myself. I was scared and frustrated all at the same time. So my group’s members wanted to pray for me so I hesitantly said ok and .they all layed hands on me and all gathered around my seat and started to pray out loud. after about 5-10 minuets I got really hot suddenly so I told them that I was going to take off my sweatshirt but it didn’t help my blood presser was extremely high and my heart was pounding and all the sudden It got hard to breath and It felt like someone was literal choking me and had their hand around my throat. So I tried to take them off but their was nothing their so I told them “I have to go out side NOW. I cant breath” And I rain out side and tried to take a breath but started to hyperventilate and I was gasping for air wale I was shaking violently so my friend didn’t know what to do go get a doctor or pray. I was hyperventilating four a good 10 minuets wile I was doing that I really felt me, god, and satin fighting and I actually herd satin telling me things in my ear to discouraged me and when it was the most curtail point I said “I WILL NOT BE AFRAID ANY MORE” I rebuked it and I fell to the grown but my friend caught me and when I calmed down he said how do you feel and at that moment I felt free and it was gone. So I told him I feel peaceful and free and then when I got my strength back I was super filled up with the Holy Spirit and I was in the kingdom of god. I was finally free from satin and out of his world. My life is changed because I am no longer afraid of doctors and now im a princess in the kingdom of god forever. I will never be the same."

I saw her early in the week and later in the week. Later in the week, she committed her life to following Jesus (got baptized) and there was peace all over her life. This student was from another school and not from Mesa and i was so blessed to hear her story from many angles including her, her staff worker and one of our students, Taylor. She also shared boldly to all of our Mark 1 class about her new found freedom from fear, persistent anxiety, her right leg getting completely healed after wearing a brace for 4 mths, and from some obvious spiritual bondage. Through her story, you can see another person liberated from the control of the enemy and brought into new identity...a "princess in the kingdom of god forever". Praise Him!!

Also, please pray for her to stay close to Him. Pray also for her to not let Satan and people discount her accoun (many people saw the Kingdom come in her life and she obviously has too. Pray for her strengthening in the love of God and authority in the Kingdom of God. I have checked in with her a bit and she is getting more and more plugged in with a local church.

How good is God!

'Lifting His name high!' is the reason for this blog.

Jesus said this is how we should pray and this blog contains the stories of prayer being answered on San Diego Mesa and City College campuses.

  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth (Mesa and City campuses.) as it is in heaven.