MBM: A Friend, A Book, and God

Today is Memorial Box Monday, which Linny over at A Place Called Simplicity created.  In the Old Testament God commanded the Israelites to build a memorial of stones as a constant reminder of
God's faithfulness and provision for His people over the years.  Linny has done the same by keeping a Memorial Box filled with reminders of all the times in their lives of God's faithfulness and provision.  All the times He answered their prayers.   She invites us to do the same.  Stop over and read her story for today~ Remember your own stories too....and be doubly blessed.

My story today brings together a friend, a book, and God's timing.  Just over a year ago I read a book by Pastor Paul Teske, entitled "Healing For Today."  In the book he shares his own story of healing from a stroke and how God guided him to move from being healed to praying for others to be healed.  The uniqueness of this particular story lies in the fact that this man is a Lutheran pastor.  Just like my husband Joel.  He was healed, just like Joel. And he speaks in tongues, just like Joel.  Being a Lutheran pastor and believing in physical healing as more than a rare occurrence, and speaking in tongues?  Very unusual.  It can be a lonely road.

As soon as I read the book I knew Joel needed to read it.  It was a gift from God for us.  I told him about the book, but he was into something else at the time, and he never got around to reading it.  A few weeks later I mentioned it again.  Nothing.  Then again.....at which time he picked up the book to read, but after two chapters put it aside due to the many distractions of working as an Interim.  I prayed about it but knew if I kept bugging him it would only cause an irritation so I let it go.  I recommended the book to three friends and decided to re-read it myself, sharing bits and pieces periodically with Joel.

Then my friend Katherine told me she had purchased the book.  She found it very powerful and we were able to share a bit on our insights while reading it.  Yesterday she wrote me an email sharing a paragraph from one chapter that mentioned expectancy.  Since God has been speaking to Joel and me on that very topic this past week I shared it with him.  He asked me to send a copy of the quote up to his office and I said, "Better yet, why don't we read it out of the book."  It was sitting right next to me!  Then I said, "Better than that, why don't we read the book aloud to each other?"  He liked the idea and ....................

That is how it began..............and last night we read five chapters out loud to each other.  Joel was so excited he could hardly put it down.  Today we have read two more chapters and plan to continue tonight.  At this rate we should be able to finish the book this week!

Katherine had mentioned to me awhile back that Pastor Teske was going to have his first healing conference this fall.  I mentioned this to Joel and we are now spending time in prayer to decide on whether this is in God's plan for us.  Either way, I know that this book is going to bring about change in our lives.  I just know that I know that I know.

All in God's timing.  In His faithfulness, when things came together at just the right time with Katherine's email, the book sitting on our end table, and the words on expectancy that spoke so loudly to us both? ~~we are right where God wants us to be.  He has answered my prayers and the deep conviction that I felt about this Pastor's story being so important to our lives, to Joel's ministry.

God provides for us in the small things and the big.  He works it out according to His timing and gently guides us along the way until we are in a place of surrender and readiness.  Even with something as small as reading a book.  A book that I just "happened to come across in a google search.  A book He put on my heart for my husband Joel and me to read. 

Only God.



I am linking up to Linny over at A Place Called Simplicity.