21-Day Fast: Breakthrough Stories
by gingerhohm on May 21st, 2010
filed under Journal
I like dogs. I don’t have one, but I like them still the same. Years ago, I had an old bulldog named Snapper. You’ve heard the saying, “the tenacity of a bulldog?” Well, I think old Snapper invented that saying. For fun I would get an old rope or towel and swing it above Snapper’s head. Once he grabbed hold of it though, the real party began. Snapper would hold on for dear life! You could drag him all around the yard, shake him until his teeth just about fell out, and even pull him off the ground. That stubborn old dog would just hang there with his jaws clamped down on that old rope with no intention of letting go. Snapper was tenacious.
Snapper reminds me of my friend, Johanna. She and her husband have wanted a baby for a long time. Actually, she is five months pregnant at the time of this writing. Happy? That would be an understatement. Easy? Is anything in life? You see, this is Johanna’s third pregnancy.
In the Fall of 2009, Johanna announced the blissful news of her second pregnancy at our Life Group. We were all very excited and eager to meet God’s newest creation. However, that November our dancing turned into mourning as we heard she had lost the baby. I watched my friend cling to her faith and hold onto her Savior with the tenacity of my old bulldog. Was her faith shaken? I know it was. But did her hold loosen? Not one bit.
Johanna has fibroid tumors. This is why it has been so difficult for her to get pregnant and this is why it has been a problem staying pregnant. The Doctors told her the tumors were growing and would have to be removed in order for her dream of having her own child become her reality. The date was set. The surgery would remove the one thing that stood in her way. There was just one problem. Neither she nor her husband could find peace.
God speaks to us through peace sometimes. Did you know that? God has the ability to see the future; something we cannot see. If we trust Him, he will help us navigate through minefields we have no idea are in our path. God was doing that very thing by removing peace from this situation. My friend and her husband did the unthinkable. The night before the surgery, they canceled. This was one of the most difficult situations they had every faced. After all, not having surgery meant, more tumors, bigger tumors, and worst of all – no children.
A week or two later, Johanna found out she was pregnant. She then realized the reason for the unrest. Having the surgery would have terminated her pregnancy. Is that faith, or what? My friends clung to their faith with tenacity. The kind of tenacity old Snapper would have been proud of.
I have chosen to be faithful;I have determined to live by your regulations. Psalm 119:30
21-Day Fast: Breakthrough Stories
by gingerhohm on May 17th, 2010
filed under Journal
My friend Joe started attending our church about six months ago. Joe doesn’t really “fit-in” as the average church attender. Joe is different. You see, Joe has spent more years inside prison than he has outside. Joe doesn’t talk like a Christian either. He hasn’t learned the language. He talks about God like he is the head of his gang. Don’t misunderstand! Joe is in love with Jesus, but Joe is different.
Joe has tattoos – a lot of tattoos. In fact, it’s hard to find a place where Joe doesn’t have a tattoo. Did you know Joe has tattoos on his face? They are tear drops – four of them.
In case you are wondering, I like Joe. In fact, he is one of my favorite people. I light up whenever I see him enter the church. We hang out at breakfast before the service and swap stories of our week.
Joe also attends our Life Group. I watch for him and his sister to walk up the sidewalk to our home. He sees God differently. I guess that is what I love the most about old Joe. He brings a newness to our group. He reminds me of what is was like when I first met Jesus.
Yeah, I guess it is kind of obvious. I really like Joe.
Joe had a breakthrough just about a week before this writing. He was walking behind a women. She reached in her pocket for something and when she pulled out her hand, a large sum of green, hard, cash dropped to the ground. Joe quickly scanned around to see who had noticed the money. No one was around. Joe instinctively picked up the cash and started to stuff his pockets. Lord knows he needed the extra help. As he was putting the money in his pocket, the Lord tapped him on the shoulder. Joe knew he was stealing. He knew he was wrong. He knew he wanted something better.
“Ma’am!” Joe said. “I think you dropped something.” The women insisted she had not. Now wouldn’t it have been enough to say he had tried? Nope. Joe knew she was unaware of the money she had lost.
Ma’am, I think you did drop something. Is this yours?” The women recognized the cash Joe held in the air was hers.
Now what do you suppose would make an ex-convict give up a large sum of money when no one on the planet was aware of his behavior? I’ll tell you exactly what it was. Are you listening? It was freedom. You see, there has been more than bars that held Joe captive. There were chains and strongholds within Joe that held him far longer than the California State Prison system. He has met truth and that same truth has set my friend free.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—
his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2
21-Day Fast: Breakthrough Stories
by gingerhohm on May 13th, 2010
filed under Journal
My husband has cancer.
I remember hearing those words for the first time. My friend was distraught, but hopful – so was I. We serve a big God and I knew He alone held the answers. In the months that followed, my husband and I spent countless hours with both of them. He introduced her husband to Jesus and I shared my faith with my friend. So many times I thought, this is her day, only to see doubt and grief cloud her mind. Dale passed just two months after my own mother. My heart was tender and I longed to see her find peace.
I spent the next two years in pursuit of my friend. I called, I took her to lunch, I took her out for coffee. Did I mention I called? Slowly she stopped attending church and our time together became less and less frequent.
I remember getting a phone call about one year ago. It was around 6 pm on a Wednesday evening. It was Jo! She spoke five of the most beautiful words to me, “I want to come home.” I immediately began to cry. My friend had finally received her breakthrough, and I was allowed to share this moment with her. She attended our Life Group that night. In fact, one year later I can say – rarely does she miss a Life Group meeting. Not only is she attending church, she is involved with the our women’s group, she is involved with our Life Groups, and her only son is going to the Philipines this summer with our youth group!
Why do some breakthroughs happen immediately and others take time? I have learned that God often uses time as a tool to unlock our hearts. The Bible tells us that “the Lord is not slow in keeping His promises as some understand slowness to be.” The Lord does not view time the way we do. When we find ourselves in the “Waiting Room” of life, we must learn to put our trust in Him and Him alone.
21-Day Fast: Breakthrough Stories
by gingerhohm on May 10th, 2010
filed under Journal
I experienced my own personal “breakthrough” the fist day I stepped inside San Quentin Federal Prison. I would leave a different person.
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No, I never “did time” in prison, but I had the honor of ministering in one. Here’s my story….
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I was playing in a Christian band that was invited to do a service at the chapel in San Quentin. I was cautious, but excited to see how God would use us to touch these lives. Little did I know, I was the one who was about to experience a life-changing event. As soon as we walked past the heavy metal gates, I felt welcome. These men were helpful, kind, and seemed void of any hidden agendas. As we began setting up our equipment, one humble man approached me and the drummer of our band. He began to share how he and several others had been praying and fasting for several weeks. Their focus was this service and us! The man handed me several sheets of paper that were filled, front and back, with typed scriptures. He explained how they were praying these scriptures over the service and over us.
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I remember looking over at the drummer and realized it was hitting him as hard as it was hitting me. Tears spilled onto our cheeks. We were unable to hide our surprise and awe as we processed this precious gift. I remember these words bouncing around in my mind, “These men have been praying for me more than I have been praying for them.”
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How was that possible? After all, I was the one who was free. I was the one who could attend church anytime I wanted. I was the one who was able to choose how I would spend my time. These men were convicted felons! They had very few choices. With the little bit of free time they were granted, they chose to spend it on their knees lifting my name and ministry to the Father.
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I cannot begin to tell you how humbled I was.
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To tell you this service was incredible would be a major understatement. It was one of the most powerful services I had ever been involved in.
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I remember being exhausted as we retraced our steps past the heavy, metal gates. I remember inhaling a long, deep breath of freedom as we walked towards our cars. I heard the others talking of where we would go for dinner, but my gaze was on the moon above. I remember looking up at it as if it was the face of God. I promised my God that if it be within my power, I would never allow that scene to take place again. I vowed to pray for those I was ministering to with every possible amount of time I could find to devote.
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That was two years ago. I have kept my word. The result? Every time I have ministered, God has moved in amazing ways. Ways I never dreamed possible. That night in San Quentin was when I experienced my breakthrough and I learned the importance of prayer.
Mothers day invitation
by gingerhohm on May 8th, 2010
filed under Journal
21-Day Fast: Why prayer AND fasting?
by gingerhohm on May 7th, 2010
filed under Journal
We hear a lot about prayer in Christian circles. “Pray without ceasing, pray for me brother, I’ll keep that in prayer!” In fact, rarely do we ever come together without starting with a prayer or ending with a prayer – or both! Prayer we get, but fasting? Not so much. What’s the big deal? Why do we need to pray AND fast?
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It’s actually pretty straight-forward really. Prayer connects you with God; fasting disconnects you from the world. Bottom line? Sometimes prayer just isn’t enough. Jesus even says so, “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). There is something special that happens when we connect with God while simultaneously disconnecting from the world. It’s sort of like hitting the pause button or turning down the background noise, and just allowing ourselves to tune back in to hearing God’s voice.
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Elijah understood it. After exhaustion drove him into the wilderness and fear hid him in a cave, God says, “I’m not in the wind; I’m not in the earthquake. I am that still small voice that is trying to get your attention.” God was able to get his attention by removing the distractions that interfered with Elijah hearing from God. Fasting does that. When fasting is handcuffed to prayer, it is an amazing process that can transform the ordinary Christian into the extraordinary Christian!
Desperate Times
by gingerhohm on May 4th, 2010
filed under Journal
“When I was desperate, I called out, and God got me out of a tight spot.” Psalm 34:6, THE MESSAGE
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I am always amazed at how God is always aware of our circumstances. Time and time again, God has proven himself. He has proven he is faithful to His promises, proven He is aware of my need, and proven He has the power to change my situation.
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Once I was driving a group of teenagers to winter camp. At the top of the pass, the snow turned to white-out conditions. Traffic was heavy and the roads icy. I noticed an approaching Suburban start to fishtail. Suddenly, it spun wildly out of control, barely missing the van full of kids in front of me and on a collision coarse for mine. The front of my van t-boned the SUV. The impact was so severe it literally ripped the Suburban almost in half. In my desperation I called out to God, and God got me out of a tight spot. Other than some bumps and bruises, we were okay. Shaken up? Yes. Scarred? You bet. But were we alright? We were.
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Now, why did that wreck have to happen? We didn’t need to buy a new van. We didn’t want to feel soar at our camp. In fact, if God had asked me, I would have decided a completely different turn of events.
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But was my faith strengthened? It was.
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You see, bad things happen to good people. In fact, they occur that way everyday of the year. The real question is, “Will you trust Him?”
CD Release memories
by gingerhohm on May 3rd, 2010
filed under Journal
Came across this picture and thought I would share it with you. This is from my CD Release Party on January 10, 2009. It has been a crazy ride this past year, or so. God has done some amazing things in my life and in others. I can hardly wait to see what is around the bend as I ride This Train.
21-Day Fast: Stumbling Upwards
by gingerhohm on May 2nd, 2010
filed under Journal
I spoke to a group of ladies earlier this year about “Defining Moments.” You know, the God moments in life when you are faced with a new truth about yourself, life, God, others, etc. At first, the new truth is uncomfortable – like coming out of a dark room into the bright sunlight. If you are patient and allow your eyes to adjust, you find an appreciation for where you are in your journey.
It occurred to me just today, as God and I took a long walk together that some of the most important times of my life have felt just like I was stumbling upward. Isn’t that a funny word picture? Funny, but true! I often feel as if I stumble into a higher place in Christ. I rarely see it coming. I just awkwardly find myself there.
I think this fast is one of those moments. I am about to stumble upward again. I have no idea why or what it will look like, but I sense God’s presence. He is guiding; I am following. That is a combination that has always worked well for me in the past. Experience tells me this moment is not only important, but defining.