To many, Disneyland is known as the Happiest Place on Earth, but to some it can also be the Most Expensive Place on Earth. Who's with me???
This post is a story about how I was able to go to Disneyland for a mere $20. It's true!!
A little over one year ago, I was writing out a tithe check to our church for my husband's payroll which he received a few days prior. As I was dating it, this thought crossed my mind: You should tithe on your AFLAC reimbursement too.
Um, what? I don't believe the Bible instructs us to tithe on supplemental insurance reimbursements.
I had never had the thought to do this before, but whatever the case, the thought would NOT LEAVE MY MIND, so I obeyed that "thought", knowing it certainly didn't come from ME, and therefore must have come from GOD. It only meant an extra $20 addition to the check, but I felt better in my heart knowing I'd done what I believed to be the right thing.
The next morning, a friend of mine posted a photo on social media of herself in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland. As soon as I saw it I thought to myself, man, I wish I could go to Disneyland, then went on with my day.
A couple of hours later, I was at work when my boss asked if there was any way I might be able to go as a chaperone with my daughter's choir to DISNEYLAND in three days??? A school administrator had to drop out from going on the trip at the last minute, and because they were in a pinch, my way would be completely paid in addition to being given a meal stipend!!
SAY WHAT?????
Needless to say, I graciously bailed them out 😉 and agreed to go, and as soon as I did, do you want to know what the Lord brought back to my remembrance? My $20 tithe on the AFLAC reimbursement. It was such an odd thought to do that, and because it was so odd, I knew it had to have been God impressing me to do it. So I did, and the return on my obedience was ten fold!! That trip would have easily cost me $200, but I got to go for a mere $20!! SO COOL.
This same kind of thing has happened to me in regards to tithing several times. And those are just the times that I've taken notice! As much as I believe it blesses God when we hear His voice and obey, I wonder if it blesses Him even more when we notice His blessings in our lives and thank Him?
Disney with Megan
💜March 2017💜
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
Malachi 3:10–12
Did you know that non-Jewish people, like yours truly, can observe and celebrate Jewish (biblical) holidays? I did not know that!
My curiosity was piqued when two of my close, non-Jewish friends told me back in December of 2015 that they were going to celebrate Hanukkah with their families.
Say what now???
They explained that there were blessings from the Lord to be had if one set time aside to observe the Jewish holidays. (My sister just told me that she saw a Gentile interviewed who celebrates the Jewish Feasts, and had this to say: "As I read the Old Testament, I realized that they were called 'The Lord's Feasts', meaning, we should ALL be celebrating them. It was just a given that the early Gentile believers would partake in them!" So there you go!!)
It was seven months after that, that I heard a Messianic Rabbi named Jason Sobel speak for the first time. My life has never been the same since.
In October of 2016, Rabbi Jason explained Yom Kippur to us. That it's a day of forgiveness and wholeness, and that our responsibility is to intercede in prayer for our family, friends, nation, etc. We are supposed to feast before sundown on the evening of Yom Kippur, and then fast after that until sundown the following day.
So I did that! My friends invited me to their house for dinner to "feast", and then I spent that following day praying and fasting. I'd prayed and fasted before, but this time felt different ... more purposeful, and hopeful.
That night I broke the fast with dinner, and went to bed expecting to wake up to abundant blessings!
What happened instead, was my sciatic nerve, which had been causing pain down my right leg for several weeks, was so painful when I awoke, that I could barely stumble out of bed and hobble into the bathroom! My husband asked if I was alright? I told him I didn't know!
I got into that bathroom and in my discouragement and maturity thought, "Really God? THIS is the blessing I get for dedicating yesterday to You?! Thanks a lot!!"
I showered and continued getting ready for work, all the while wincing at the pain radiating down my right leg. NOT COOL.
I don't know about you, but sometimes while I'm getting ready, I'll listen to music, or scripture being read on my phone's Bible App, or in the case of this day, listen to an episode of Sid Roth's It's Supernatural. That morning, I chose to listen to their most recent episode with guest Rabbi Jonathan Cahn who was talking about Yom Kippur. Perfect.
Towards the end of the episode, Rabbi Cahn said that he was going to blow the shofar, and if anyone needed healing, all they needed to do was believe that God would heal them as the shofar was sounding.
I thought to myself, "Why not? Bring it!" So I asked the Lord to heal me as the shofar was blown, and HE DID. I WALKED OUT of that bathroom PAIN FREE, and haven't had an issue with my sciatic nerve since then!! It's been 6 months!!
Oh my goodness, I was SO EXCITED and GRATEFUL to the Lord for having mercy on such a green Yom Kippur observer like myself. He knew my heart was in the right place when I had observed His holiday, and perhaps He allowed my sciatic nerve pain to intensify so that He could show His miraculous power the morning after? Who knows? Whatever the case, the fact remains that I was healed that morning!!
Fast forward about 6 weeks, and I had a doctor's appointment to get a refill on my blood pressure medicine. I've had to take medication plus a diuretic for hypertension the past several years. It's just one of those health issues I've accepted as part of my genetic cross to bear.
At this point, I had actually run out of my prescription 3 months prior and was trying to get by with only taking the diuretic until even that ran out 3 weeks before. Our insurance had changed, which required me to get established with a new doctor, and needless to say, I had put off the whole process way too long.
Before my new doctor came into the exam room, a nurse took my blood pressure. It was surprisingly low ... for me. I remember thinking how odd that was, as I usually have higher blood pressure at the doctor's office than when I'm relaxed at home.
The doctor came in, introduced herself, and asked why I was being seen that day? I told her I thought I was there for a refill on my hypertension medicine, but that after having been off it for 3 months, and off the diuretic for 3 weeks ... I wasn't so sure anymore, because the nurse had just taken my blood pressure, and it was within a good range for me.
She decided to take my blood pressure as well. Same numbers.
She said, "Well, how about I refill the diuretic, and see if these numbers stay the same with just that? Then maybe next time we'll discuss you going off of that as well?" I told her that worked for me!
As I drove home, the Lord brought to mind my healing experience in the bathroom, the morning after Yom Kippur, and how I was so desperate for healing of my sciatic nerve. Then He spoke to my heart, "You called out to Me for healing of just one thing that morning, but you had no idea ALL of the healing I had in store for you."
And He wasn't kidding.
I took the diuretic for a couple of months, and then stopped. My blood pressure numbers have been even better since being off that prescription!
Want more??? Okay!!!
For 10+ years, I've suffered from something the internet calls Golfer's Vasculitis. Look it up. It ain't pretty. Basically, anytime I stand or walk for several hours in one day, like at an amusement park for instance, my legs break out in a most unsightly red rash.
Well, three weeks ago I was at an amusement park for 11 hours (after walking 2 miles the day before), and my legs were as milky white and rash free that night as they were first thing that morning!!!!
COME ON!!! That's the abundant life I'm talkin' 'bout yo!!! WOO HOO!!!!
I may not be Jewish, but my Savior and Healer IS, and if He's wanting to extend blessings to me and my family when we celebrate these Jewish holy days, then WHY NOT?!?!? I am ALL IN.
And now for the icing on the kosher cake: My husband helped me celebrate Hanukkah with our daughters this past December 2016!!! WHAT?!?!?
I KNOW!!!! I'm TELLING you, the BLESSINGS are REAL.
So be encouraged!! And celebrate the Jewish holidays!! Why not?
Shalom!! 💙
Do you pray?
Do you ever fast and pray?
My mom used to talk about fasting and praying when I was growing up. She always made it sound like such a powerful combination. As an adult I have discovered that she was right!
In Matthew 6:16, Jesus says, "When you fast ..." He didn't say IF you fast, but rather WHEN you fast. I believe that means that He expects us to do this regularly as part of our Christian walk.
I have had many specific answers to prayer when I've added fasting to the mix. It's as if God knows that I really mean business when I'm willing to give up food!
Here are two examples of how specifically God answered a couple of my prayers when I fasted:
Example 1
When my oldest daughter was a toddler, she would suffer regularly from bladder infections. Naturally, her pediatrician was concerned, as was I. The fear was that urine was splashing back onto her kidneys, which could result in the development of scar tissue, and that could lead to problems later in life. In order to find out if this was happening, and if surgery would be needed, she was going to have to endure a very invasive test. Needless to say, I didn't want her to have to go through such a test, so I began to pray. I called my mom, who mentioned some outside factors that she'd heard could contribute to bladder infections, like bubble baths. Well, I did let Amanda take bubble baths, but how was I to know if she had a serious internal issue causing these bladder infections, or if it was strictly caused by sitting in a tub of highly concentrated soap? It would seem that the only way to know for sure would be for her to have the invasive test, which I didn't want her to have unless it was absolutely necessary.
I decided to fast the next morning until lunch time, and my prayer while I fasted was that my mentor Shirley would call me by 11:30 a.m., would ask me about Amanda, and would say to me that bubble baths can cause bladder infections. If all of that took place by 11:30 a.m., I would know for sure what was causing the infections, and would be able to tell the pediatrician with confidence that we would not be going forward with the invasive test. That may sound crazy, but when you have a serious decision to make, especially one that involves your child, you're willing to pray for crazy!
Well, Shirley did call by 11:30 a.m., she did ask about Amanda, and she did say that bubble baths (and colored toilet paper) have been known to cause bladder infections. I was so grateful to the Lord for answering my super duper specific prayer request!! And honestly, if Shirley hadn't called, I would have had a peace knowing that the invasive test was necessary, and that God would carry us through the medical road we needed to walk.
Interestingly enough, when I told the pediatrician that I would not be authorizing the test on Amanda, he said, "Okay, then I'd at least like to order an ultrasound, which will show us how her kidneys are doing." WHAT?!?!? A non-invasive ultrasound was an option all along??? Perhaps the other test would be more detailed, but STILL. So we had the ultrasound, and it showed two perfectly healthy, unscarred kidneys. Praise the Lord!
Example 2
A few years ago, during open enrollment for insurance, I couldn't decide if I should continue paying for AFLAC supplemental insurance. I'd had it for a couple of years, without needing to tap into it, and didn't want to pay for something I wasn't going to use. I don't know why this decision was stressing me out, but it was, so I decided to fast and pray one morning before joining a friend for lunch. My prayer was this: If I was supposed to keep AFLAC, my friend would say the word cancer before lunch was over.
She picked me up, and before she even backed out of my driveway, she said, "Guess who has cancer?" True story.
I continued my AFLAC coverage, and was able to turn in many claims for reimbursement that next year. Thank you, Lord!
So now for the most recent answer to fasting and prayer, and the reason I began this post in the first place.
Amanda is a sophomore in high school and a base on her cheer team. Her body has taken some abuse while participating in this sport, but she absolutely LOVES it (the sport, not the abuse.) About 5 weeks ago her low back started hurting, and her coaches told her she should see a chiropractor.
There's a parent at our school, Dr. Joe Martin, who owns a gym that's connected to his chiropractic office. I've never been to a chiropractor, but know that my mom avoided carpal tunnel surgery because of chiropractic treatment. My husband, on the other hand, had a less than positive experience at a chiropractor. So I took her to her doctor first, who prescribed muscle relaxers and a week without participating in cheer. When that didn't help, she ordered an x-ray, with the thought that physical therapy would be the next step, depending on what the x-ray revealed.
Okay, here's the deal. I wanted relief for my daughter more than anything, but I didn't want to throw money down a path that wasn't going to ultimately help her. How is one to know what road to take in a situation like this? Well, if you're ME, you fast and pray. It was after fasting and praying last Monday morning, that this thought came to me: Pray for someone to say Doc Martin's name to you before you leave work tomorrow afternoon. If that happened, I would know to take her to him for chiropractic treatment. So, that's how I prayed.
It was 2:00 on Tuesday afternoon, and I was going to leave at 3:30 to take Amanda to get the x-ray, if Doc Martin's name was not spoken to me. That's when her coach, Hope, stopped by my office and expressed her concern for Amanda. I agreed that something needed to be done. She started telling me about one of the other coaches, and how she has a chiropractor who only charges the age of the child getting the adjustment. I listened, and when she paused I asked her, "So is that all?" And she said, "No. I think she needs to see Doc Martin."
DING! DING! DING! DING! Winner, winner, chicken dinner!!!
I started to cry as I told her how she had just been a huge answer to prayer. Then she started crying because she had been feeling like her prayers for this cheer team were somehow not making a difference. Now she knew better. How cool is that? God blessed us both!
After work I texted our Superintendent, whose family had been treated in the past by Dr. Joe Martin, and asked how I could get Amanda an appointment. He just happened to BE at Doc's, and told me to bring her right then!! WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!? So I drove Amanda over there, and after one adjustment, she felt SO MUCH BETTER!!! The pain was almost completely gone! No more muscle relaxers or x-ray needed!! We went back a few days later for one more adjustment, and now she is pain free!! THANK YOU, JESUS!! And THANK YOU, DR. JOE MARTIN!!
If you have a need that's weighing heavy on you, why not fast and pray about it?
And if you live in the the Fresno/Clovis, California area, and are in need of an excellent chiropractor, click here for Dr. Joe's website.
