An incredible night

To say last night's Celebrate Recovery Inside at Love In Action was electrifying is about as close as I can come to describing it. What an incredible night!

From the moment I walked through the doors of the LIA Ministry Center I felt the Holy Spirit. The smiles on the faces of our volunteers serving dinner radiated throughout the place. Those being served smiled and expressed their thankfulness and happiness to be there.

When worship started, I knew it was going to be an awesome service. Alan Watson is so anointed and talented. I love it when he leads worship. With arms raised and people singing loud, our praise and worship rose toward Heaven and God responded by flooding the sanctuary with His Holy Spirit. It was one of the most incredible times of worship I've experienced, and I've been in some wonderful worship services. There's just something about it, though, when a room of nearly 100 people who are hurting at every level come together and worship God with all of their hearts.

Then Radica Quakenbos shared her testimony. You won't hear many like hers. Not that there aren't others who have experienced what she went through, but because not everyone makes it out alive. And, in many cases, people are ashamed. Never be ashamed to share what God has delivered you from.

I won't try to share everything she did, but in a nutshell, Radica was born in Yugoslavia (now known as Serbia), and her parents abandoned her. She lived on the streets as a child. She was raped, and then sold to a family in the U.S. by her own father. She was beaten and treated like a slave when she arrived in the U.S.

She didn't know God; they didn't teach about God in Yugoslavia. But, God showered His love upon her and when she gave her live to Jesus, she's never been the same. Through His forgiveness and her giving forgiveness to all of the people who hurt her, Jesus set her free.

I encourage you to purchase her book, "In My Father's Hands." It's available at bookstores and online at Amazon.com and Crossbooks. Her website is www.inmyfathershands.com

Tears flowed throughout the sanctuary as her testimony hit home with many people. Some who have experienced similar situations, and others whose family members have. The hurt, the pain, the unforgiveness ... it's all very real.

The response to the altar call revealed the hurt that was in that room. People hit their knees and literally cried out to God. At least five accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there may have been more. Others prayed for healing for their life that's been filled with hurts, and people forgave those who did the hurting.

Praise God for all of the lives He touched last night. Our job now is to continue teaching the people, in the church it's called discipleship. Jesus tells us to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20)


So teach them we will through CRI, Wednesday night Bible studies, and mentoring.


God is so awesome. Last night made me think of Lamentations 3:22-23, "Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!"

Indeed, great is Your faithfulness my God, my redeemer.