When I was a little girl, very little, maybe like 4 years old, my brother Joe had gotten a tick on his chest. I remember we could see part of it but it was definitely “stuck” in him. I cried and screamed because I didnt want my brother to get sick from the bug and it wasnt like all the other bugs we just squished with our fingers.
I remember very vivdly all that happened next. My dad had a talk with Joe first. Then he pulled something from the junk drawer. I can still see Joe’s eyes closed so tightly. And then my dad lit a match! I hit my dad and yelled dont hurt my brother!
My mom took me and plopped me on the couch and that’s when I got a talk. Mom told me that my dad wanted what was hurting Joe to be gone and the fire was gonna help make it go away. It may hurt a little bit at first but ultimately it would be better for Joe. Dad knew what he was doing and we just needed to trust him and let him do what needed to be done. Dad would never hurt Joe and loved him very much.
Decades later I would find myself all alone in this little town, living in a house by myself. As I sat on the floor of my prayer room the Lord brought back to mind that “plop and talk” with my mom.
As painful as it has been at moments, diggin up the roots was happening because my God is a consuming fire. And when we draw near to Him, the sin falls away and dies, like the tick.
Today we hear so much about, Come as you are because God loves you just as you are! Absolutely God wants us to come as we are but it is because of His great love for us, He doesn’t want us to stay where we are! He made a way for us to come to Him and find repentance. It is only in true repentance that we can find healing. When we find healing, then as we continue to draw near to Him we will become more like Jesus and this is where we are transformed.
You see, we are to come to Him as we are, broken and weary, but He came so that we wouldn’t stay that way. He came to seek and save the lost! There isnt anyone more lost than those who are broken. He came to bind up the broken hearted. He came to give the weary, some rest.
Diggin up the roots isnt about “losing yourself” in something new. Its about shedding the old so you can be something fresh and become who were previously held back from being. The “old is gone and the new has come” is not about be controlled, its about taking control by not letting the chains that have taken hold of you for so long, do so any longer.
Just like my dad lit the match to get rid of the tick on my brother, our heavenly Father is the fire to get rid of the sin that is hurting us. It may hurt because it is stuck to us, that sticky sin. But our Father is SO good, and He knows what He is doing. Trust Him.
Daren Mehl shares his testimony of coming out of the gay identity and lifestyle as a Christian on The Meeting House podcast with Bob Crittenden. Aired on Faith Radio June 22nd, 2023.
June is both a month of intense warfare for Daren Mehl and a time to thank God for the radical rescue mission that saved him. Years ago, Daren and his future wife were both same-sex attracted – but one touch of the Holy Spirit changed everything. They repented and turned toward a journey of healing and discipleship in Jesus!
Today, Daren serves as Associate Pastor of Warroad Community Church and is Associate Director of Agape First Ministries, an organization that helps people struggling with sexual and gender identity while standing for Biblical truth. Join us for Daren’s powerful testimony on the Wednesday edition of the Hope Report at 1 Eastern!
The Hope Report is here to do just that….bring hope in the name of Jesus Christ. This faith-based podcast provides a community for believers (and anyone curious about faith!) where we can give each other a hand up in the same way that Jesus gives each of us His hand whenever we need the support. The Hope Report is brought to you by the Lindell Recovery Network, an addiction-focused non-profit serving recovering addicts, and hosted by Melissa Huray and Jason Perry, both of whom have had lives touched by addiction and other struggles. The podcast features inspirational testimonies and interviews, bible studies, addiction counseling and resources, regular segments with military and law enforcement veterans, and opportunities for listeners to engage with the community.
Support this show here by donating to the Lindell Recovery Network https://lindellrecoverynetwork.org/ Massive savings at mypillow.com and mystore.com with promo code: HOPE
I must confess, I am not great at blogging, it’s difficult for me to write blogs, one because I stink at typing, and I really don’t know what to talk about, although my brain thinks a great deal, about some really deep things.
I am not good with grammar and punctuation, and I really stink at spelling, I’m grateful this thing has auto correct.
I have a wide variety of interests in life, mostly…Jesus, He is the love of my life.
So the heck with how I’m “suppose to be” and “suppose to blog” I’m just gonna do my thing and if you like it you like, if ya don’t that’s ok too.
Today I was watching a video on Facebook, this girl was autistic and had some really interesting things to say about herself, mainly i liked the fact that she was just herself, she was dressed much like a male cowboy might dress, and right away I made a judgment. I will see if I can post the video here, if I can figure it out lol.
The things is, I began to wonder how Jesus saw people? Like, did He see through all the messy flesh of how we act and behave and just see the heart and or the soul of who we are underneath all the pain and hut we experienced in life?
If so, I want that, how can I do that? So often, I see the Jesus in me, and I like so many things about how God made me, its really exciting to be me (most of the time) although being 59 and living alone, sometimes makes me think I’m losing my marbles…LOL.
The Bible, when I read it, makes me reflect my own self, it forces me to look inward and it allows me the opportunity to see where I fall short and ask the Lord to help me, not the book of Psalms though, that makes me wanna call down the fire of God. And sometimes I do:) I think sometimes we have to, I don’t believe we should just allow evil to prevail on earth without calling those things that are not as though they are. Anyway..
Peoples hearts, what gets in the way? Why is it so hard for me to A. See beyond the things that that hide our true self, under our hurts? And B. Why is it so difficult to allow others to see the “real authentic self” under all my hurts and messiness?
Jesus lived His life in a fishbowl, He was always Himself, and it didn’t seem to bother Him what people thought of Him. Why? Because He was confident in knowing who He was in the Father? What was it?
How did He see the heart of people, it fascinates me so, I long for that.
Abba, help me to see peoples hearts the way you do, help me to not judge people based on their looks, or if they are gay, straight, anything, just to see the very center of who it is that You made them to be, and then Father, help me to show others the same.
I would love to hear your thoughts, you can write back. I really wish you would, I like conversing, maybe we could get a up of tea…
Join us on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Fridays as we partner with the Lord in prayer and worship for the captive, the Church and the next generation to encounter the Kingdom. God moves at the sound of our voice!
Join us on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Fridays as we partner with the Lord in prayer and worship for the captive, the Church and the next generation to encounter the Kingdom. God moves at the sound of our voice!
Join us on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Fridays as we partner with the Lord in prayer and worship for the captive, the Church and the next generation to encounter the Kingdom. God moves at the sound of our voice!
This is an encouragement for you that I have posted on Facebook that God was working a miracle at the Capitol during the vote last week:
I went to the Capitol last Friday with my dear sister, Beth Beebe. It was very chaotic outside the chamber! There were Christians praying and singing and the other side was chanting and saying like high school cheers trying to drown out the songs of those singing Amazing Grace and hymns.
I looked around and asked God how can I show love in this situation. God gave me that opportunity. I said “Hi! How are you doing?” to someone who was there in support of abortion and transgenders. She said, “I would be doing wonderful if I could stand on my leg! I have to lean against this wall to support me since my knee is so weak.” I asked if I could pray for her because I would love to. (I truly love to pray for the sick! If I see someone limping, or with a sling or brace, I will chase them down to ask if I can pray for them!) She said no because she is a humanist and had a Buddha and Zen counselor and doesn’t believe in my God. I thanked her for being kind to me and she asked, “Well what did Jesus say was the greatest commandment?” ”Actually the first and greatest commandment Jesus said is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.” Well, she said I could pray for her if it made me happy. I decided not to since she didn’t even have a weak yes. I am not doing it just to make me happy! But I told her if she changed her mind and had even a small seed of faith as big as a small mustard seed she could call out to the Lord and she would be saved and could be healed. She said no. Then God stepped in to back me up!
A guy walked up and dropped something on the other side of me and said he could not pick it up. I picked it up and asked why he couldn’t. He said, “It’s my knee! It is locked up and really hurts!” That is amazing! 2 hurt knees right next to each other! I told him I would love to pray for his knee and asked him if I could and he said he would really appreciate that! So I laid my hand on his knee and prayed something like this,”Lord, in this chaotic scene, show up with your love and power and heal this knee! In Jesus name! Amen!” When I got done I saw him bending his knee back and forth and he was exclaiming, “I am not joking here! As soon as you prayed my pain went away in my knee and I can move it without pain and I couldn’t do that before. You healed me!””No! I laughed! I didn’t heal you but you were healed in the Name of Jesus! Hey! Would you go and tell that woman next to us what happened? She wouldn’t let me pray for her knee!” He said, “Yes!” and walked right over to tell her that God had healed his knee! She still would not believe it could happen to her because hers was bone on bone. But I am praying for her that God who did a miracle right in front of her would believe and ask Jesus to heal her knee. This really encouraged me! On a very chaotic day at the Capitol, God showed up and showed He still wants to love on the LGBTQ and heal them!
Please feel free to pass this on to those who may need encouragement of our representatives/senators or anyone who prays!
Thank you for all you do to activate the church to pray for our legislators! May God strengthen and encourage you!
Joyfully yours,
+Val Eliason 952-200-7960
P.S. I have a True Love outreach with Firebase Movement and Agape First Ministries to gay bars and to gay events and I have seen God work right there!
From the moment we are born we search for joy, but always seem to come away empty. What is it? How can we get it? Is it even possible?
Joy means we are glad to be together. Smiles appear and people’s faces light up. Joy, when shared, produces strong bonds and loving relationships. When your group builds joy, transformation happens. Join us as we learn how to build joy.
We will meet every Wednesday for 9 weeks, May 3-June 28 from 6-8pm. We will go through 1 chapter per week.
Please purchase the book and bring it with you each week. It is available for $19.95 at www.lifemodelworks.org
From the moment we are born we search for joy, but always seem to come away empty. What is it? How can we get it? Is it even possible?
Joy means we are glad to be together. Smiles appear and people’s faces light up. Joy, when shared, produces strong bonds and loving relationships. When your group builds joy, transformation happens. Join us as we learn how to build joy.
We will meet every Wednesday for 9 weeks, May 3-June 28 from 6-8pm. We will go through 1 chapter per week.
Please purchase the book and bring it with you each week. It is available for $19.95 at www.lifemodelworks.org
