The Word Among Us

August 2010 Issue

Publisher's Letter

Fifteen years ago I began praying with people for healing with Francis MacNutt and the delightful people at Christian Healing Ministries in Jacksonville, Florida. More »

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Savior and Healer

When I hear the phrase, “Jesus saves,” I think of poorly lettered billboards on many a country road. I also remember an unpleasant incident when I was buttonholed by a street evangelist who asked: “Are you saved, brother?” But these unhappy experiences of insensitivity cannot change what is central for me, as for every Christian: Jesus does save. More »

Sickness and Sin

The first and deepest kind of healing that Jesus brings is the forgiveness of our sins. He died for our sins and took them away, provided we do our part and repent. More »

For the most part, we need encouragement to believe that God does heal people. But after we do summon up the courage to launch out and start praying, we may get discouraged when we realize that people are not always healed through our prayers. This is especially puzzling to those who have been exposed to a very simplistic approach to healing: “All you have to do is claim your healing.” More »

In the Name of Jesus

So if you have the faith that the Lord still heals people as he did two thousand years ago, launch out and learn to pray for the sick. For although physical healing may stretch your faith (have you ever prayed for a blind person?), it is also the simplest kind of prayer. It is much simpler and shorter, say, than praying for inner healing. More »

Special Feature

Praying to the God Who “Remembers”

Most of us know how it feels to desperately want something that we know is good but that we simply can’t have: good health for ourselves or a loved one, perhaps, or justice for a wrong, or mastery of a bad habit. More »

Sweeter than Revenge

It’s one thing to meditate on “love your enemies” when life is going smoothly. But how relevant is Christ’s command when you are consumed with anger, surrounded by aggressive attorneys, and wish you could throw someone in jail? Can you even hear his call to forgive? This is the question that confronted me in July 2009. More »

No Shrinking Violets

Recently I attended a seminar where we were given the opportunity to test our skill at a variety of physical and mental challenges. The intellectual tests were sort of fun, but the physical tests were much more difficult for me. More »