the online journal of jordan e.

Power Healing

This weekend us VLIers spent a good 10+ hours doing a Power Healing intensive. That basically translates to many hours on our bums watching a dvd of Steve Robbins lecturing on biblical healing and then putting it to use once the dvd spun its last round.
Between historical information, eschatology, and Old and New Testament illustrations, we got to hear crazy and exciting healing experiences Steve and his wife had been a part of. There was, for instance, the South African man who, once John Wimber started praying for him, began spinning like a top. He spun at exceedingly faster speeds, change flying out of his pockets, clothes twisting off, until he sort of came to, unaware that he had been spinning - only knowing that God had freed him from idolatry. Or the woman who had been put in a wheelchair at age 28 from a stroke occuring shortly after her mother's death. Her hands and feet were severely gnarled and curled up and the person praying for her felt the the woman needed not only physical healing, but emotional. As she prayed that the woman's relationship with her dead mother would be reconciled - that here would be forgiveness and a release of bitterness - the woman's hands began opening up. As the fingers were extending out and being restored, the woman yelled, "But I hate my mother!" to which her hands responded by curling back up. She eventually overcame the unforgiveness she was dealing with and experienced full healing.
Aside from those many inspirational and amazing stories there were a couple cases that got at least Asa and I practically rolling on the floor. How about these two healing cases: a damaged sphincter and a spastic colon. How would you lay hands on those ailments? With a ten-foot pole?

posted by Jordan @ 9:55 fm

Baptism

These were the surly waters of Lake Superior when I was baptized on September 12. The lake was, of course, frigid and combined with the violent winds, made for quite the powerful experience.
How I came to be one of the dunked that Sunday afternoon is really a story of obedience. I was baptized as a wee two-monther years ago, but in recent years have been feeling that familiar tug to do it with genuine faith and understanding of Jesus, but also that familiar feeling of pride and reluctance to avoid it. During a staff prayer hour in August I began to pray adamently that if pride or embarrassment were keeping anyone from obediently being baptized that they would just humble themselves and honor God. Before amen was even said I realized I was praying about my proud self.
The actual even was interesting and surprising in a lot of ways. I had great expectations for the moment of immersion, hoping that maybe God would reveal himself under the waves or that I would resurface a changed person. Instead, Michael and Ben pulled me out choking on a quart of lake water and off running toward a dry towel. Later, however, as I spent some time praying about it, I was struck by one line that kept playing over and over in my head and in conversation with God: Jesus, your love has won me over. Much simpler than a crazy jump in a lake, that sentence ended up overwhelming me in a very good way.
For a couple of more pictures, klicken Sie hier.

posted by Jordan @ 8:25 fm

Oh, Jena.

Last night was my brother, Jake-the-rabid-snake's twelfth birthday. We went to Pizza Luce where my mom tried to force a kitty cocktail on him, but he bashfully refused. He didn't push away my gift to him, wrapped in old classified ads, though. I gave him the eleventh book in The Series of Unfortunate Events. They're written by "Lemony Snicket," which is possibly the most enjoyable name to say aloud. Almost as fun as "Shotsie Bottoms."

posted by Jordan @ 8:18 fm

Dang, I'm sorry. I sure do appreciate your interest and dedication to this stinking journal - maybe you could all start a chant in my honor. Or sell your spleen on the black market. Or your gizzards (if you've got them).
Nah, I'm just joking. Times have been crazy as of late. I have begun classes through the Vineyard Leadership Institute and am now wowed every Tuesday night by Steve Robbins' lectures on the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch. Do you know that just by the first few chapters of Genesis the way our God created us should blow us out of the water?? True, when we look at all of the mythological creation stories and pagan beliefs that were around during the Old Testament years, there's a whole lot of similarity (in many there is even the story of an earth-engulfing flood). But the great difference is that no other god in any other account of creation made man for the reason our God made man: to have relationship with him. Man was made in other stories to be slaves for the gods, to do earth's labor and to generally be an annoyance to their divinity. Our God, however, planned for us to draw close to him from the start. And when we screwed up that perfect relationship he came time after time again to restore that. Amazing stuff!

posted by Jordan @ 8:12 fm