Hope Beyond Reason

I just finished the book, Hope Beyond Reason, and I wanted to share my heart with you regarding it.

My family and I were attending Christ Community Church in 1997, and for the first time in our life, we had experienced an atmosphere in which God's love could be felt through His Spirit and His people corporately. Strongman, although not crazy about driving 50 minutes to attend a service, also enjoyed the love, which flowed in and through the house. We both enjoyed Pastor Dave's gift of expression, which made us feel we were his friends, and he was telling us about his best friend, Jesus!

I had joined the choir for the Christmas presentation that year and was overjoyed to be singing my love out to Jesus along with others who loved Him. After choir practice, Robin (Pastor Dave's sister-in-law) asked me what I thought about Pastor Dave's bleeding gums. We spoke about the possibility of infection of the gums, but deep in my heart, I knew something was seriously wrong. Not wanting to panic her, I responded by encouraging her to encourage Pastor Dave to see a doctor immediately!!!

The Monday before Thanksgiving, I received a phone call from my brother, Alan. I had already gone to bed for the evening, so I was somewhat groggy as I listened to his voice saying, "Pastor Dave has Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia." I felt like someone had kicked me in the guts, and I responded with a passionate, "NO!" I hung up with my brother and immediately told Strongman the diagnosis through tears.

I went back to bed, and as I lay there, prayed and prayed for Jesus to heal Pastor Dave. Strongman was taking a shower at the time and afterwards came to bed with an awesome encouragement. He said while in the shower the Lord gave him a picture of Pastor Dave walking onto the stage at church stating that he was healed, while pointing his finger to Heaven. Again, I started to weep, but this time because of the goodness of Jesus. I had received an infusion of hope.

Immediately, I became part of the prayer chain, which Robin had organized. I knew every detail of Dave's medical condition and prayed specifically regarding each of them. I was one of the many who signed up for the 24 hour prayer siege...my time 3:00 am. Having two small sons, I couldn't commit to a time during the day. The way the Holy Spirit led me to pray was a way in which I had never before prayed.

I started to read the book of Acts and came upon passages which described signs and wonders or anointed speech and how MANY were "added to the Lord." I started claiming the Dave's healing would cause MANY TO BE ADDED TO THE LORD! (I hadn't before prayed declarative prayers, Jesus taught me how to pray).

The other thing Jesus put on my heart was the verse, "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered,'" but I prayed that the sheep would be "scattered" to go into all the region to tell about how their shepherd had been struck by cancer and how Jesus healed him with the side effect of causing an increase of unity, passion, faith and love in the body of Christ throughout our region!!!!

This book caused me to remember the hope Jesus had given me during the time of my Pastor's illness. It caused me to remember the boldness I had in sharing Dave's needs and then sharing the triumphs that the Lord worked through him!!! Truly, truly, I believe Jesus has added many and will add many more to His Kingdom because of Dave's story, and yes, the evil one made a grave tactical mistake in coming against him for the result was causing his people to rise up against all physical odds in order to pray as we never had before...love and perseverance and unity abounding throughout His church!!! The Lord has already told me to give this book to a friend who has multiple sclerosis.

Oh, and by the way, the Christmas of 1997, I was on stage with the rest of the choir as Pastor Dave came into the sanctuary with his finger pointing toward Heaven, just as Strongman had described to me a few months earlier...boy oh boy, did I bawl!!!!

I especially loved the way Dave expressed his love for Jesus and Sheri, his wife, through the writing...it's that kind of love expressed that WILL draw multitudes to Him!!!

Thank you, Pastor Dave, for writing your story, I know many more will be impacted for Jesus!!!!