Doin' Peachy, Just a Little Preachy

I just thought I would write a quick update while I had a moment. One of the challenges of seminary (and probably any graduate school) is that time really does escape from you. I know this is silly, but it's hard to even pick up the phone to chat to lots of folks. So, it's great for me to be able to blog while I take a break from homework and connect with eons of people who are important to me! Thank you, digital world.

I wanted to share an experience that I had a week ago now. Two Fridays ago, the seminary hosted a free healing conference and brought in a woman named Judith MacNutt to speak and lead the conference. Her husband, Frances MacNutt, and her are the founders of Christian Healing Ministries. If you've ever been involved in counseling before, especially Christian counseling, you have probably heard of them. Anyway, the Thursday before the conference, I was talking with the lady I work with, Sarah, and I was telling her how I really wanted to go, but probably wouldn't because it lasted all day on Friday and I had homework to do. Sarah, who has been in the counseling field herself, told me that I needed to go. She was like, "Molly, the MacNutts created a whole new idea in counseling when they introduced their form of healing ministry. I can't believe she is here and she is free. You have to go." Well, I am easily persuaded, so I decided for sure that I was going to go.

Friday rolled around and the conference began. It was great! Judith talked about the different components of being in a healing ministry and then, right before we left for lunch, she asked people in the room who were in need of physical healing to come forward. Many did! She told us we were going to pray for their healing. So, the rest of us acted as prayer ministers. We began praying, and she led us. The cool part -- people were physically healed -- not everyone, but some. It was awesome. However, the point I really wanted to communicate in this blog post is one that concerns the whole church -- all of humanity, really. Towards the end of the conference, they had the Asbury Healing Academy and other prayer ministers come forth. Then, they invited all of us up, one at a time, to be prayed for (if we wanted to be prayed for.) At first, I wasn't going to go. I wasn't sick. And, going up to the front to be prayed for makes me feel pretty vulnerable. However, one thing that I heard God say to me loud and clear was: "Molly, no one here is whole. Not one person. Go receive prayer." So, I did. Then, when I got into the realm of my particular prayer ministers, I just started talking all over the place. I told them how I was experiencing some anxiety because of moving and because Kyle didn't have a permanent job yet and yada yada yada. The things everyone here seems to worry about. However, one thing that I didn't tell them is that sometimes the anxiety is so great that it actually makes me doubt my call. There are moments when I am like, "What the heck am I doing here? Maybe I am not supposed to be here." My humanness gets the best of me. So, back to the story. The ministers just start praying. They pray for wholeness and relief from anxiety and so on and so forth. BUT, then, one of them said, "God we pray against the enemy. We pray against the power he has to make Molly doubt her call. We pray against the power the enemy has to make her believe that she isn't meant to be here at Asbury." I didn't know whether to be like this: : O or like this: : D! The girl read my mind. Actually, let's just say the Holy Spirit was present. Most importantly, though, in that moment all I felt was a rush of freedom. Jesus healed a lot of people that day, but you know what, he also healed me. He freed me from something I didn't even realize I was trapped in. Today, you might think you're whole. But, you know what, you probably aren't. That's why we need Jesus. I don't want to be all preachy, but I am serious. Jesus is the only one that can make us whole. Amen and amen.

Until we communicate via my blog again, I hope this story gives you some encouragement! And, if you ever have the chance to experience a prayer conference with the MacNutts, please go!