Hugh's News & Commentary

As we approach Father's Day on Sunday, June 19, I am blessed to have two wonderful adult children: Greg and Stephanie.

There is a special relationship that develops between a father and his daughter. That is true with my relationship with Stephanie. She and I share similar spiritual values, we love to watch things grow in my garden. We visited the garden on Thursday afternoon and discovered that four or five tomatoes are turning red. We have small yellow crooked neck squash that will be ready in a few days. There are many other interests like good music, going on a cruise ship, enjoying a summer breeze on our front porch or back patio, going to camp meeting, and hearing stirring, anointed, and Spirit-empowered preaching.

As I was thinking of Stephanie and how her faith has developed since she was a small child (she was born again at the age of 6, and so was I--many years ago), I thought of something she had written me when she learned of spots on her liver.

I had shared with her the story of the woman from Canaan in the Gospel of Matthew 15, who was willing to eat the crumbs from the table that puppies are privileged to eat. You are desperate when you are willing to take the crumbs. It is true that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Apparently, this Gentile woman believed if she was not welcomed to sit at the Messiah's table, she would be satisfied with the crumbs from His table!  It seems that the key to her success with Jesus was that Matthew says, "She came and worshiped Him." The pathway to power and great faith is to worship.  Jesus responds to her faith and said, "Your faith is large (great), and your request is granted." And her daughter was healed right then.

How long does it take God to heal a person? Not long. In a split second He can do that. And we call that a miracle. However, most healings are progressive. Let us never rule out the supernatural and the miraculous.

Here was Stephanie's response in an e-mail to me:

Wow! What an amazing comfort this is to me. We know God is at work in me. I believe in Him and I know that somehow, someway He WILL heal me again. There will be a day that the doctors will say there is NO CANCER in your liver, in fact there is NO CANCER in your body. God will show Himself strong in me again. Until then I trust Him, Dad. He's got my back. There is comfort in knowing that His ways are higher than mine. He's God and He knows what He's doing. I just have to trust Him and believe.

You know, I was telling mom today about a statement Joyce Marie made to me yesterday. After I told her that I believe God to do anything I reminded her of the story of the trampoline. I said that I knew that God was going to answer my prayer and if I could believe God for a trampoline I could now believe Him for something bigger than that. She said, "How could you ask for something that big? Trampolines were expensive." I told her that I'd asked my parents and they couldn't afford it so I knew the only way I could get one was to pray. I knew God was the only answer and that if I believed, He could do it. I just simply believed He could.

Dad, the more I think about it the more I know that God has given me great faith, even as a child. I supported a missionary, Linda Stansberry, at age 12 and I believed God to provide the money I needed when there was no way I could do it without Him. He provided. But, deep down I knew He would even though I couldn't explain. I believe it was the gift of faith He placed in me. I believed God for small things then He trusted me with bigger things like getting $1000 for my Bahamas tour for Ladies of Lee. We didn't have it; but, I told God how excited I was about how He would provide that money. I had anticipation that energized me. He provided. Those things helped shape my faith so that 10 years ago my faith wasn't shaken a bit because I'd trusted Him before and I knew He was faithful.

Dad, He's still faithful. I told Him this afternoon, "God, You're going to do it again, aren't you? I can just feel it. I can't wait to see how!"

Love ya!!!!

[Editor's and Stephanie's Father's Comment: God used a man by the name of Dick Lovelady, a member of our church in Birmingham and a famous dog trainer, to give Stephanie the trampoline. I remember the night he and another man brought it on the bed of a truck to our home in Hoover, AL, over the mountain from Birmingham. When Stephanie saw the trampoline on the truck, she threw up her hands and exclaimed, "Praise the Lord!" Yes, indeed, God provided the trampoline.

The money Stephanie wanted to give to Linda Stansberry was a faith-promise commitment. She promised God that if He would provide the means, she would give a certain amount of money each month. Almost immediately, a couple in our neighborhood who played in the Birmingham Symphonic Orchestra came to see her with an offer to baby-sit their four children on Monday nights. That's where the money was provided. She tithed on the money she earned, and fulfilled her faith-promise commitment. The amount of money she gave was between her and the Lord. God honored her faith, and Stephanie followed through by keeping her promise to give as God provided the money.

What God has done for Stephanie, He can do for you. Don't be afraid to trust God in these economic depressed days. Plant seeds for your miracle. Oral Roberts called this kind of giving--seed faith giving. I believe in it. Do you?

God is ready to grant your request. Worship Him. His Name is Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy of our praise and worship.]