The Reality of This Journey is Staggering!

Dear Friends,

This last Sunday I was invited to speak at Renaissance Church in Bakersfield, CA. I had an opportunity to train and equip them on how to pray for the sick. During the teaching I began to share testimonies of the incredible healings I had witnessed over the last 40+years of ministry. As I was sharing these stories it occurred to me how amazing that He has allowed me to be a part of what He is doing in healing people. He obviously doesn’t need me as He can do this just as well without me. I remember hearing John Wimber say when referring to our call to pray for the sick, “We all get to play.” I didn’t totally understand that when I first heard it but after experiencing it these last 40+ years I now understand. What could be more fun than praying for the sick and watch as they are instantly healed as you pray for them!

I shudder to think back to 1984 when Dr. John Lavender wanted me to accompany him to a week long healing conference with John Wimber at the Vineyard in Anaheim,CA. I did not want to go to anything having to do with healing and told him so as we were standing by the car to leave. The reason being that I had a bad experience in my exposure to healing as a young boy. I was raised in a conservative Southern Baptist Church. We sang hymns on Sunday morning, we had no raising hands, no hysterical laughing or crying, nobody running around the room shouting, and for sure no people falling over “resting in the spirit.” We did everything in order because we knew that’s the way God expected it to be done. He is, after all a God of order. Right!

Well, when I was about 13 years old my grandmother took me to this Oral Roberts healing tent revival at the fairgrounds, and they were doing all these crazy things I just described, and it freaked me out. If this was healing, I wanted nothing to do with it! After I told Dr. John I did not want to go, He lovingly looked at me and said, “Michael, get in car, we are going!” So off we went.

As we were on our way down to Anaheim I was praying, “Lord you know I don’t like this stuff, and I don’t want to be here, but if there is anything you want to show me or teach me, I will be open to it.” I soon learned if you pray a prayer like that God will take you at your word. After we arrived we walked into this large warehouse filled with about 2,000 people singing worship songs like I had never heard before. I felt my spirit immediately react by jumping up and shouting, “Yes!” It was as if he had been waiting for this a long time and we were finally there.

I didn’t know what John Wimber looked like but he turned out to be this dude dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and white pants with flip flops on his feet. Very unlike what I was used to seeing in church. When he started teaching on healing his style was so laid back and easy that I thought, I can learn something from this man. After his teaching he immediately had us praying for the sick using the model that he had just demonstrated by praying for someone.

That week-long conference profoundly impacted my life. It turned me around 180 degrees regarding healing. I felt as if I had found what God called me out to do with my life. After the conference as Dr. John and I were in the car headed back to Bakersfield, he looked over at me and said, “Well, Michael, I guess it’s back to the same old thing.” I looked back at him and said, “John, I will never go back to the same old thing!” I think he was surprised but at the same time looked pleased. I came back to the church and started praying for the sick. Before long, I was recruiting others and teaching them what I had learned from John Wimber. After this initial exposure I went to every healing conference they held over the years.

Earlier in this letter when I said I shudder to think back when this started what I meant was this; what if Dr. John said, “Okay Michael you don’t have to go.” How different my life and ministry may well have been. I might have completely missed what God had planned for me and would not have experienced what I have over these last 40+ years.

Thank you for your continued faithful support over these many years. Your giving has allowed us to take this ministry all over the world. The impact Wholeness Ministries has had and will continue to have will never be fully known this side of heaven. But I have no doubt that God is well pleased with what we are doing and your generous giving has allowed this to happen.

God bless,

Mike

“Learning To Do What Jesus Did” is available on YouTube.

In addition to the 9 DVD series being available through Wholeness Ministries you can now watch the entire series on YouTube. The book, an excellent training manual, has been taught around the world and is available in English and Spanish. You can buy the Book, CD’s or DVD’s at the Wholeness Shop.

Learning To Do What Jesus Did (9 parts)
Available on Youtube