Posts Tagged ‘Compelled Church’

What an amazing day this was!

Learning To Fly

Welcome to our life party 🙂

Thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated with us – make sure to watch the videos, who knows.. you may see yourself

To others who want the full experience, hopefully this will help you get a feel for what our celebration was all about. I want to encourage you to watch every video in the order they are posted… they build on each other to show our life and our journey through the great, through the trails… Thank you for taking the time to share in our day even from your personal computer ❤

Those who don’t have the time to walk through this day with us, you can just view the pictures as you scroll down.

Life Party Getting Ready Set up, worship practice and getting ready for The Life Party to begin

Everyone Watching The Amazed Video (which is below) – Sam and I…

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Change is a part of the Christian walk.  Some change is sudden and some change comes slowly.  Last Friday our whole world changed but our hearts did not.  As The Lewis House website is no more I wanted to post this here.  The Lewis House is gone, a sudden death, and our lives have been turned upside down since this was recorded but our heart of ministry continues unchanged, building the Kingdom of God one relationship at a time…

 

 

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Continued record of selected entries from Allana’s CaringBridge Guestbook.  I have redacted most names though you can go to CaringBridge and see them.  I have started to add a few notes to some.  If you want to see the GuestBook entries in their entirety go to  Allana’s Page

Dear Allena .I have been reading about you in Believers.I have been praying for you and your family and will continue to do so .

Jesus is the same today as He was when He walked the earth in the flesh ,and He still perfoms miracles .I pray Jesus will give you and your family ,courage and strenght as you go through this ordeal .May He comfort you ,as He puts His arms around you .He loves you dearly ,you are His child .He will never leave you nor forsake you .

Much love to you and your family .

Entries like these are especially precious.  Believers is a FB group based in Massachusetts.  Brothers and Sisters all over who have never met us but learned about Allana through FB groups, churches, friends or who knows where have been praying!

Good morning. It is a wet raining one here today. I will take it and enjoy as I do every day.

I hope you feel my love for you in your presence. Please, keep fighting like a girl and kick that illness out the door. I am proud of you and your strength and determination.

Love you cuz. xoxo

My name is                     and I attended bible study with                      through a mutual friend several years ago.
I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in 1987 while 32 weeks pregnant.  I delivered 4 weeks later to a 6# 14 oz baby girl…completely healthy.  I started radiation immediately, this was April 1987.  In Feb 1988, it came back with a vengeance.  Started chemo.  Finished in Oct 1988 and have been in remission since.
I said all of that to say, I understand….
I would like to offer ANY help you may need to stay peaceful and in this fight.  I have my own cleaning company and would be happy to go to your home periodically free of charge.  I also love to cook and adhere to the “cook once eat twice” philosophy so I have some foods ready to eat now in the freezer.  They are not gourmet or anything but I would like your permission to drop them at your home.
Please know that this offer is from God….He wants me to do it.  Even as I am typing now I know He is in control of ALL!
I am praying for strength and healing for you Allana.  I also pray for you to have hope and stay positive.  Sometimes it will be all you can do but NEVER let the devil defeat you by feeling hopeless…if God is for us then who can stop us?
Heal quickly sister and please feel free to connect with me on facebook at                 or by calling                 .
God bless u and your family.

Was thinking of all these prayers going up to the Throne on your family’s behalf…and then got stopped thinking about our amazing Lord, who is the Great High Priest, constantly interceding on our behalf. Peace and grace. Thank you for always keeping it real and letting us walk along side you in this fight.

Blessings today! Strength for the big and little things that make up the hospital routine.  xoxo

Greta F

I left Greta’s name there because she is an amazing member of  The Bridge Metrowest Church where my brother Paul is pastor.  She created the CaringBridge site for us and in spite of my brain deadness!

Sam and Allana,

I am choosing life for Allana as I know you are also. I am praying for complete healing and a good report from the drs. I am praying for strength for each moment, God, our Father does know what He is doing, even when it seems so heart wrenching to us. I love you all. Allana and Sam, choose joy, choose life. I  love Allana’s  beautiful smile.

My husband, Darren and I, went to Houghton with Sam’s sister, Lisa and I just wanted to write a quick note to let you know that we are praying for you here in Landenberg, PA.  You must feel like you  are getting a crash course in something you never wanted to know about and we are praying for God’s grace,mercy and healing for all of your family!

Love you my friend, you are very important to me. Your fight is Gods fight keep strong and remember > Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” -Matthew 19:26

Lord, please give Allana your grace, strength and mercy to be able to endure this pain. I pray that these procedures will go smoothly. Most of all I ask for your complete healing. In Jesus name. Amen.

This wonderful lady has an amazing story of her own and has just adopted our family in prayer!

Hi, we are missionaries in Africa, we pray for you.

For all the ills that technology seems to bring it also has united the people of God in ways never before imagined.

Our family of 7 is praying for your family of 7. When you don’t have the strength for one more minute, we will pray that God continues to supply it, one minute at a time.

Families praying for families!  Amen

Allana I read your post on Laura’s FB page. I’m a friend of hers from Childhood at Bethesda Church. I was diagnoised with AML Aug 18 2009. I was told I had TEN days to live.. I flew from our home in Hawaii to Seattle to Fred Hutchinson. They pioneered the Stem cell Transplant over 30 yrs ago. I went thru treatment and received a Stem Cell transplant Dec 21,2009. I blogged daily on carepages. Go to carepages.com
Search

Like you I have a 18,15,9 yrs old children
Married 23 yrs
Was fine then bam out if the blue!!
Here’s the deal
“GOD WANTS YOU WELL”
700 club aired my miraculous healing look it up on YouTube just type in my name

This is I’m not gonna lie not easy but its doable. You got lots of reasons to live.
Keep that attitude. Keep declaring Gods healing promises over your body.
If you private message me I want to mail you a booklet of Every healing promise in the Bible. I declared that daily thru all 22 blood transfusion
All 9 bone marrow biopsies
All the chemo
I’m healed Whole living and well.
God bless you.
I’ll send you my cell if you like with questions you may have just message me. You have my email on your guest book I also gave it to                .
Be In Health
In Christ Name

Love the many testimonies we have heard of cancer, leukemia and other physical issues.
I’ve been thinking about you all night tonight, praying and thinking, praying and crying. Calling out to God to heal you to have you continue to do HIS work that you do so well. I pray for His will to be done. I pray that His will is to heal you, strengthen you to continue to run the Lewis House. You all have done amazing things with the kids there and all others important things your family does for the schools and the community. I don’t believe God is done with you yet. You still have so much life and love to give. You are such a giver  An amazing woman of God. I love you more than you will ever know Allana…nothing will ever lessen the love i have for my very dear friend that i’ve had for many many years,

As I do every morning. . . woke up praying for you all. . . actually woke up through the night praying for you.  As this chemo flows we are praying that the presence and power of the Holy Spirit flows in continuous and increasing measure. Praying that you will find a safe and peaceful refuge in His arms.  I ran across this old Scott Wesley Brown song yesterday. . .

“If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders, I know my Sister (Brother, Nieces, Nephews)  that He will carry you. . . ”

 You are loved! You are loved! You are loved! You are LOVED!!!
Dear, sweet Allana, you have been on my heart and in my prayers as you fight this fight against leukemia.  I thank God that your fight is not alone but that you have an army of spiritual warriors that have gone into battle with you and for you!  I pray for God’s peace and strength for you and your family during this difficult time.  Much love to you my friend!!
Praying for you!!   I am so sorry you have to walk this!!  Wish this bitter cup could be removed from your lips… Allow yourself to feel the full spectrum of emotions as you walk this out!  CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT SUCKS!!   JESUS in the garden prayed 3 times for the bitter cup to be removed… He was afraid and not looking forward to the next part of His journey.. The opposite of faith is not fear its unbelief….I know you have great faith and love Him, but please allow yourself to be human and feel all the emotions …. I pray He surrounds you with safe people that allow you to have your garden moments… Love, Like and respect you…!  Kerri
Kerri is a nurse, member of  Compelled Church and has been a tremendous blessing to Allana (and her husband ain’t such a bad guy either)

Allana and Sam,

We are lifting you and the kids up each moment of the day. There isn’t an hour that goes by that you are not fervently held up in prayer. We pray for strength, rest, peace, Christian nurses and doctors to bring healing and aid, courage and health. May God cradle you all in His arms today and give you rest. May your battle widen His kingdom as those whose lives you are touching physically and virtually experience your faith and grow their own. We love you.
This was a prayer that was answered!  We were so blessed to have so much of the medical staff not only treating us with the science of men but praying for us too!

Allana you don’t know me. I heard about you through a friend, Rae, on FB. What an amazing story you have and you are reaching out to so many people. I pray for you every day, and love the way you let The Lord lead and guide you. I love your testimony and I know God is going to bless you……..He already has. Be brave and lean on His everlasting arms!

Coppell, Texas
A Christian friend

Thank you Jesus for providing Your nurse to pray over that first bag, so overwhelmed by Your goodness in all of this.

Hey Little Girl, your babies at home have worked like champs at cleaning this morning and I got the floors cleaned – thank you mr hoover. We love you but of course you know that. Fight the good fight! Your kids and I and your brother are all cheering you on. YOU CAN DO IT! With God’s strength and love – of course.

Love you bunches,
Mom
Susan B

Grammy Sue has been such a blessing to us! 
The “ugly cry” ensued when I read that your precious nurse prayed over your first bag of chemo…God bless that woman! I continue to pray without ceasing Allana! God is good all the time!
Kathy has her own prayer need going on.  Her husband is currently hospitalized with blood clots.  Pray with us that these clots will resolve with no damage to his body!

Allana and Sam,

Praying for you guys continually..You are on my heart and mind constantly. Praying for comfort,peace,hope, and that you feel God’s constant presence. You guys are such and inspiration to me and many others. We love you so much:)
We sang “We still believe on Sunday”  Every time we sing that song I remember that awesome worship retreat we went on together:) I also remember calling you Allana Banana..Thank you for not hitting me for doing that..:)) I am believing with you guys..
Yep Allana is pronounced like banana (just in case you have been saying it wrong…though I am pretty sure God can figure it out if you have 🙂
Psalm 20:1-9May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices
and accept your burnt offerings. Selah
May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.
We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.

Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
he answers him from his holy heaven
with the saving power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but we rise up and stand firm.

I love this Psalm.  We sang it at a Happy T Ranch summer camp back in …well nevermind but we sang the last few verses as a worship song.

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This video clip is of Allana and I sharing about the ministry that God has called us to.  We are so thankful for Pastor Nate Elarton and the people of Compelled Church  ;For the opportunity to share our heart for The Lewis House and the Five Points neighborhood of Toledo and for their tremendous generosity!

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Wow, the Spaghetti Dinner is only hours away, the beginning of our full-time ministry is only days away and the doubts begin to creep in.  I am 48 years old. As I look around, urban missions seems to be a young man’s game, at least to start.  I am certainly past my “prime” in so many ways.  What a waste of years…

Then the Spirit gave me a very loud “Quit It!”  My mind turns to Owen Carr who felt called to pioneer a church in downtown Springfield Missouri at the age of 83, touched by the lack of godly impact in the very city that the Assemblies of God calls home.  Moses was 80 when God called him out of his comfortable middle class life in Midian.  The thing that matters is the call of God and our commitment to him, our commitment to love the lost.  Love, Love, Serve is our motto at Compelled Church.  Love God.  Love People.  Serve the World. We can do that!  It does not matter whether we are 9 or 90.  God has called my family and I to fulfill this in bringing his hope to the Five Points neighborhood of Toledo and he has made the way for us to do it.  He has already acted in so many miraculous ways to do this.  I look forward to watching his hand at work.  So I am 48 and starting a new phase in my life.  Who Knows maybe I will plant a church when I am 88…

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We had a week of prayer and fasting for Compelled Church last week.  I found myself pondering this thing we call prayer.  Prayer means many things to a lot of people.  Prayer can mean a lot of different things to me.  But the prayer that I found myself praying time after time last week and I think one that is going to be an ongoing part of my prayer life, devotional life and life.  It is a simple prayer.  It is a prodigal’s prayer.

Lord don’t let me blow it…again. 

It seems a little self-deprecating to me, but it is my heartfelt prayer.  It does not relieve me in any way of daily walking out my faith, but it is the cry of a man who knows beyond a shadow of a doubt how easily holiness and righteousness can slip away into the night when his focus wavers from the one who sacrificed so much to save him.  It is the cry of the man standing before Jesus, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.”  (Mark 9:24) when the fate of his son laid in the balance. It is the recognition that God is not the one that stands in the way of my spiritual growth.  My biggest roadblock is me.  It may not come in anything that I say or in any of the big things that I do.  It is the little stuff of unbelief that add up in our lives until suddenly we look around and realize that we have drifted far from where we want to be.  Perhaps it is part of the 12 step program for prodigals.  Everyday, Lord don’t let me blow it….again and Thank you for ALWAYS being their for me.  Keep me focused on Love, Love , Serve.  I lay it all at your feet, if I try to pick any of it up again do what it takes to keep my hands off. (as gently as possible 🙂

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November 2010

It has been too long since I last posted here.  School, family and ministry have kept me very busy.  However as the title states I am not here to make excuses.  I am here to tell a little about what God has been doing in my life over the last few months.  I started my Senior year of college at CBC online at the end of August.  It was going to be my Junior year 2nd semester but God is good and the Registrar at CBC took what I think are extraordinary steps to make sure that I received all the credit possible for my prior schooling.  The final result is that at the end of the Spring semester I will only have one course left to receive my BA in Bible and Theology.  This semester has been an awesome experience for me and not only with my classes.

We have had a great multiplication of ministry opportunities since our summer of ministry and travel.  God has been great at opening and closing doors of ministry, putting us where HE wants us to be.  The Lewis House newsletter describes some of those events.  We have also been blessed with many opportunities to serve at Compelled Church.  We are very blessed to have been accepted as Covenant Partners at Compelled during a very exciting time in God’s work there.  As the church prepares to open a campus in Toledo we find ourselves drawn by the Holy Spirit to the lost and hurting people of Toledo.  It is amazing how God is combining the vision and ministry opportunities at Compelled with the vision and opportunities at The Lewis House. Pray for us as we continue to pursue a move to the Lewis Ave. area.  I am going to try to attach the Lewis House newsletter to this post but here is the url if I fail:

https://sgfanintoflame.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/november-2010.pdf

I now have my WordPress account shortcutted on my school netbook so hopefully I will get back here a little more often.  Here are a couple of specific prayer requests:

1.  Allana is creating a Children’s Choir for Compelled Church.  The will be performing for the first time before the Youth production of Rudolf the Red-Nose Reindeer.  It will be presented as a dinner theater on December 10th and as an open performance December 11th.  All proceeds benefit Speed the Light.

2.  God’s provision as we look to moving into Lewis Avenue area. 

3.  God’s provision as Compelled Church looks to launch the Toledo Campus.  Specifically we are still looking for a suitable location. 

4.  God’s blessing on all those who came out for the inaugural launch team meeting, especially Pastor Kelly and Pastor Curtis!

5.  God’s continued grace and blessing on myself, Allana, Robert, Emily, Samantha and Chayla.

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