A Praise Report

Hello Family & Friends:

I wanted to thank all of you for your prayers; I want to thank God, once again, for His awesome & mysterious ways!

Last week I went back to the surgeon for a post-surgical check; I'm healing well, but, the pathology report came back with a positive cancer result. Now, if you will remember, I had already rebuked fear and cancer, God worked it out so that the family and I wouldn't have to fear cancer in any of the procedures by allowing us to receive a "negative cancer" report prior to surgery, and then, when the surgeon gave me the results after it was all over, he said "it was cancer", not it "is", because it's gone and I don't even have to undergo therapy, isn't God AWESOME!!!!

Keep believin' with me that my vocal chords will heal and I will be singing again, soon.

Thanks again for the love!
Kim

Promises in 2008!

I believe in my heart that 2008 is a new beginning! God is ready and waiting for us to grow up and start working for the kingdom of heaven as he originally planned! This is the year for miracles! When we align ourselves up with the Word and live and speak it, awesome things are going to follow. I know you have seen God at work and hunger and thirst after the things of God in your life!! ME TOO!! So, hang on, we're going for a ride!! LOLOL

I hate resolutions, they are just a let down most of the time but this year I have decided to seek out the promises of God in His Word and speak them into my life and my families lives! So help me do this, write down 5 things you want God to do in your life. I'm not speaking material things, although I know you need a financial blessing. But write 5 things spiritually you want to see (miracles!!) in your life. Date it in a journal and then as God's promises come to light go back to that spot in your journal and put a great big star or heart or check mark and date it! At the end of the year let's see how faithful we have been and let God show us that his word it true and everlasting!!

Be it salvation for family members, healing! yes, I said healing!, deliverance from ungodly habits or addictions, generational curses, relationships restored, to love like Jesus does!, (that's sometimes harder than you think) forgiveness, hunger for righteousness, spiritual growth and understanding, Prophecy, to work in stronger spiritual things. I could go on and on and on. This year we are going to train ourselves to speak God's word into existence in our lives. I know I have been praying for many years for salvation for my family, but this year I will commit myself to speaking the Word over their lives in faith, believing that whatever I ask for I shall have!! Matt 22:21

I give you this challenge and see what miracles we receive this year!! Every time you get to put a check or a star on your entry, add another promise to it! Let's keep God busy!

If you need a journal, let me know, I'll get you one! I am so excited!

Love,
Bethany Brown

06/01/07
Good Morning family,

Its been a while since I've sat down to email everybody, but the Holy Spirit has been churning in me this morning. Ya know that feeling like if you don't share this w/ somebody, you might explode? Well thank God I have a family that pours into each other. I know its not miracle monday, but its fulfilling friday. So if you'll just give me a minute of your time, its time for us to encourage one another! I know so many of us are going thru what seems like battle after battle, some of us are in a season of rest, and some of us are just struggling to hold on. But Then God........ He is an awesome God! HE has not forsaken us, lets not forsake Him. Hold on just a little while longer, you may feel weary, but what you don't see is that the Father is strengthing your muscles. Strengthing you for such a time as this! Strengthing you so that will be able to pull your neighbor, or husband, or brother, or children, or sister,,,, out of the ditch. He is our strong arm! He is bringing you thru. He is bringing you out of dark places, so that in a moment, you can lead someone else to the light! You may feel like satan has silenced you, But Then God.....your Father, the Master & King, has put a word in your mouth for such a time as this! In YOUR mouth, lies the power of life & death. He has given you a two edged sword & he will not fail to teach you how to use it! If you are in dark places, oh how I know all too well those dark places, call on Him, not only will He rescue you, but He will place a fire in you that burns so brightly, because in dark places, you will bring the Light! Praise Him, He is Worthy! Try Him, He is true! If you are sick in your body, He is the Healer, reach out & touch the hem of His garment, there is healing in His wings! God can't lie, His word said it. If you are hungry, He is your manna, taste of Him, for He is GOOD! Thirty, go ahead, drink from the Well of Living Water! You'll never thirst again. The advisary is coming against you, because you are dangerous! The devil knows he is running out of time and this family is one of his biggest threats. God said if we will just praise Him, He will crush our enemies for us! So, lets encourage each other, pray for each other, & minister out of our pain, because our God is faithful & just. The promise He spoke for your life, was laid before the foundations of the earth, if we will just hang on & step into our places, those promises will be fulfilled! He loves us. I love you so much & had to share with you all, what was inside me, because in my obiedience, is my healing & victory! Pray for me.

love,
Melody

02/20/07
I Saw An Angel
My daughter Abigail was sick and barely breathing. We had already been to the hospital once where they told us she had an earache or maybe the start of pneumonia and sent us home. Well, we gave her meds and nothing helped. Soon she began to turn gray. In less than 24 hours, Danny said, "Honey she looks like she's dying." I told him not to say that. I was terrified! She began to get these splotches on her legs that quickly moved up her body, which I later found out is a stage of dying called "molding".

We arrived at the hospital the second time and were signing in when my friend Sarah bent down to pick Abbi up out of her carseat. Her face was blue and she was foaming out of her nose and mouth. I immediately burst out in tears from fear. So many things were running through my mind. The first thing I thought to do was pray and get the prayer chain started. So, I called Mamaw and told her about what was happening.She said "I can do that if you do one thing for me." When I asked "what?" she said, "You get down on your knees and you pray too." I said "Okay Mamaw I will."

So I went to the closest chair and got down on my knees. I was then told by a nurse that things weren't going good. As I sat up in the chair and looked over at the soda machine and I could see a man's face. I kind of freaked at first but as I looked at it more and felt better and more calm. To me it felt like something on the tv show "ER" and I knew what was going to happen next. The nurse took me into the prayer room to give me the talk and to prepare me for what may happen.

On the wall was a big mosaic picture and as I sat there, looking at it, again I could see a man's face. Suddenly, I felt like everything was going to be ok. I got down on my knees in front of the wall and began to pray! It was the only thing I wanted to do at that time.

Just then the doctor came in to say "she didn't make it." Immediately I began to scream and cry as I was still on my knees. I looked up and in the corner of the mosaic, I saw an angel holding my baby. At that same moment I knew I was going to be ok. I went back to the room and saw her and held her for the last time.

After awhile I needed to go, but knew that she was going to be ok when I left.

There's not a day that goes by I don't think of her but I know she is one of God's lil angels!

02/15/07
The Hair Brush Experience
For those of you who do not know Beth Moore, she is an outstanding Bible teacher, writer of Bible studies, and is a married mother of two daughters.This is one of her experiences:

April 20, 2005, at the Airport in Knoxville, waiting to board the plane,I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I had had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego.I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long,clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face.As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I had just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead.

So this man in the airport...an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere?

There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while,my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him. Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man. I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I have learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. In addition, it may be embarrassing.

I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please, no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man.Not right here and now. Please. I will do anything. Put me on the same plane but do not make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!"

There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane."

Then I heard it... "I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair."

The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top.Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I am on this Lord. I am your girl! You have never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man."

Again as clearly as I have ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said, Beth. I do not want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair."

I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hair brush. It is in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hair brush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works."(2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair? He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?" "May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that."

At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?"

At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Long locks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face,and say, "If you really want to." Are you kidding? Of course, I did not want to. Nevertheless God did not seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. However, I have one little problem. I don't have a hair brush." "I have one in my bag," he responded. I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and un zipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted.I do not do many things well, but must admit I have had notable experience un tangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I had done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull.

A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed, I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair.I know this sounds so strange, but I have never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's was.

I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him.I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees and said, "Sir, do you know myJesus?"

He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures, I thought. He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I have had open-heart surgery, and she has been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride."

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we are completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I will never forget it. Our time came to board,and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I had acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft.

I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man is sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?" I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!"And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you are exhausted,you are hungry,you are serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you are hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you are sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. On the other hand, He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way. . . all because I did not want people to think I was strange. God did not send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me. John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly shouting, "Wow! What a ride! Thank You, Lord!"

Be Blessed!
"My business is not to remake myself, but make the absolute best of what God made."

"Our Family's Easter Miracle"

I must begin by saying that our mother has always told us that God had promised her she would live to see her son return to the Lord. She would tell how he was called to the ministry as a very young child, and that he would return to his call.

Early in 2002 our Mom suddenly became very ill and swiftly her ability to speak, as well as her motor skills left her. We later found out she was suffering from deterioration of the brain, her brain was shrinking in mass and she was losing the ability to fully function. Dad did everything he could to keep her at home with him, caring for her every need, feeding her, turning her often to avoid bed sores. Before Mom lost her ability to speak she kept telling us that she would be healed on Easter Sunday, knowing what a close relationship she had with the Lord, we totally expected that to be true.

On Thanksgiving weekend of 2003, she became so ill that we had to hospitalize her, this was the beginning of many trips from hospitals to a nursing home, then back to the hospital; but, never to return home. Although God had blessed us with a precious time with our mother, filled with laughter and memories, we also had many tough decisions to make. After a great deal of prayer, we agreed to let God have control of her life. However, we all felt impressed to continue to pray and believe for a miracle; we had been impressed that for her to die this way without the family pressing into the throne room expecting a miracle was like we were failing both our mother and the God of miracles because His Word tells us, we have not because we ask not. So we extended our faith, we sought God through prayer and fasting, only asking God to fulfill His promise to her, that she was not finished in ministry.

While in Nashville at Judy Jacobs' "Press, Push, Pursue Conference" the three sisters and our brother's wife had seen the prayer shawl's that had been requested in advance, but, we hadn't heard in advance, so we knew we couldn't get one, and we didn't think too much about getting one; until the last night of the conference, when in the middle of worship I saw my mother lying in a hospital bed with a prayer shawl wrapped around her head and shoulders, then I heard the Lord speak to me to "wrap her in prayer". I opened my eyes and looked at the other three girls, but I couldn't speak, one of the girls said they could tell I had heard from the Lord. Then my sister, Melody looked at me and said, we have to find a prayer shawl, we all started crying and rejoicing, when I could finally share what I had heard and seen.

The next day the Lord spoke to Melody in much the same way, he had instructed her to gather the family together at our father's church on the afternoon of Easter Sunday; each member of the family was to be anointed and prayed over, we were to pray over the prayer shawl (which we still had not found), finally we were to anoint Melody's daughter, Jordyn, for ministry, then all go to the hospital to put the shawl on our mother, and pray for her healing.

When we went to purchase a prayer shawl at the conference we were told they were sold out, but, we weren't ready to give up that easily, at the end of the conference we went to Judy Jacobs to see if she had anymore shawls in her personal supply. They weren't able to supply us with a shawl, but we continued to search, because we knew what God had spoken to us.

As Easter approached our family became more intent on hearing from God, we fasted more, and prayed more. Although we were not afraid for her to die, we all knew that was her final reward, and no one would begrudge our precious mother the relief from her suffering on earth, or the opportunity to finally be with her Lord. We just knew that we were to be obedient to what we felt God had instructed us to do.

At 3:00 Wednesday morning prior to Easter, I was jolted awake by the Voice of God, not an audible voice, yet so undoubtedly strong within me. He spoke a Word to my heart, then He told me to get up and write it down, I rolled it over and over in my head several times, and said, "I'll remember it, I can write it down when I wake up". "Get up, and write it down!" I had heard it again, this time firmer and more urgent. I did get up and this is what I wrote: "Oh, my children, am I not God, am I not your Creator? Can I not do all and more than you can even ask or think? I am here, in the midst of you, call on me, seek my face and I will give you the desires of MY heart for you. Thus sayeth the Lord, your God." I knew immediately that she was not going to be restored to us in the way we had desired, but, that God was prodding us to keep pursuing His will and seeking His face. I had grabbed the closest thing I could find to write in that early morning, when I got back out of bed the next morning I realized I had written God's Word to me on a page of my Journal from "The Purpose Driven Life". God does some awesome things to remind us of His plan for our lives.

When Easter Sunday arrived I was concerned that we hadn't yet found a prayer shawl, yet, I still felt hopeful that it wasn't over. I began to ask God what we should do in place of the shawl, He answered me, "ask Susan Beckford", Susan was a wonderful sister in the Lord, we had attended church together since 1988. I argued back, "but, God, these shawls are very personal items, I can't ask Sister Susan to borrow it". Three times he told me to ask Sister Susan to borrow her shawl. It was too late, I was already on my way to church, I reasoned with God, if Susan has her shawl with her at church, I would ask her. You can imagine how shocked I was when Susan walked into the church wrapped in her prayer shawl. At that point I knew God meant business, today.

When I explained to "Sista!" what I wanted to do, she had a little more confirmation for me. She had intended to wear her prayer shawl with her outfit on Easter, but, had walked out the door and forgotten it. When she realized it she was already away from home. She told me she had said that she wasn't going home to get it just because it matched her outfit. Then, of course, the Holy Spirit instructed her to go back and get it, not knowing the importance of the shawl, she was obedient. And now we know why.

When we arrived at my dad's church that afternoon, I told of the little miracle of the prayer shawl, I watched the eyes of my family well up with tears. We all knew something very special was in store for us today. We thanked God for his concern for us, even in what seemed to be such a strange need.

Later that afternoon our family gathered at the alter of the sanctuary of our father's church. There was my father, three of the four Crank kids, our three spouses, ten grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and three cousins. We had an amazing time of prayer, each of us being anointed with oil and prayed over, the Holy Spirit moved in an awesome way, prophetic Words spoken over several of us. The air was charged, and we were refreshed. Just as we were about to pray over our father, then the shawl, as we had felt led to do, my husband, Randy stopped us, he said he felt impressed that all of us had a desire to pray for our parents, then he spoke of James 5:16, the prayer of the righteous avails much. If all of us were to be effective we had to become righteous, he then gave an invitation for anyone present who knew they weren't living the righteous life to which we were all called, to come forward and give their hearts to the Lord. He was under a strong anointing, and allowed God to use him in a way that none of us had seen him do before. But, then it happened, my brother John and his daughter Stephanie stepped to the middle of the circle made by our family, confessed their sins, and started their lives in a completely new direction. The promise God had made to my mother was fulfilled.

We went into that hospital with a whole new faith, and hearts overjoyed. We went in to her bedside, and her son whispered his blessed announcement into her ear, I know I saw the flicker of understanding in her eyes. Even if her physical ears couldn't have heard, I know her spirit leapt. He promised her that his life was changed.

We had wrapped her in the prayer shawl, and begun to worship the Lord and call on Him for His blessings. While we were all gathered around her praying and singing, the nurse called my father from the room. She explained that we should all spend some time saying our goodbyes, Mom's lungs were saturated with pneumonia, she was not on any life support other than oxygen, and they couldn't understand what was keeping her here. He came back and told us what the nurse had said, but, we all knew what had kept her here.

God had promised her she would see her son's salvation, no matter how ravaged her body was by sickness, she was held here by a Promise. When she saw her promise fulfilled she was no longer held here by sickness and disease. Exactly one week after God woke me from a sound sleep, only three days after seeing her promise fulfilled, my mother quietly slipped away to the waiting arms of her loving Father, she was healed. God honored His Word to us; we sought His face, we believed for a miracle, and we all saw the Glory of waiting on the Lord, and seeking His will.

If we had not been obedient in prayer and fasting, had we not ministered to each other throughout this whole struggle, had we not gathered to pray for each other with the intention of "wrapping our mother in prayer", I shudder to think how this story might have ended, but thank God we did.

We were all changed on that Easter Sunday, and we will never be the same! Through our mother and father many ministries were birthed. We may not all be where we're going to be, but we're all aiming toward God's direction in our lives. Our mother's ministry will still go on through us, her children, her legacy; God's Promise!