Bryan Clay's Path to Olympic Gold through Faith

Bryan Clay's Unlikely Path to Olympic Gold - CBN TV - Video

An anger problem almost derailed the career of this Olympic athlete, but a mother's prayers helped to turn things around.

Fr. Higgins: The Man I Saw Brought Back to Life

Fr. John Higgins - Photo Courtesy of St. Peter's List

Fr. Higgins: The Man I Saw Brought Back to Life | St. Peter's List

(Reprinted with permission from HHAmbrose and St. Peter's List.)

By Fr. John Higgins

Who doesn’t enjoy a good BBQ with friends? When I was asked to a young couple’s home for a Young Adult Ministry Home Mass and BBQ I packed my Mass kit and off I went. I arrived about 6:00 pm with a hearty appetite and was greeted by about 15 young people. Then the phone rang and everything changed. I had to drive about 10 miles to a hospital where there was an emergency call.

I drove quickly, thinking that the nurse in charge of the ER, Anne, would be waiting for me. I knew her and her husband and children from the parish. When I walked in I could see paramedics at the foot of the only occupied gurney there, so I hurried and walked in. “Sorry, Fr. John, you’re too late. He’s gone.” Anne said, smiling. She had a lot of compassion, but also understood that I’d come as fast as I could. They were removing wires from an older man. I noticed that he was wearing a Brown Scapular, one of the old cloth ones. I reached and said “He’s wearing an old fashioned Scapular”. When I touched it there was a beep from a monitor, then another. The nurse, Anne, said “What did you do?” I said “Nothing!” She and another nurse jumped to work, reconnecting wires and calling for help. The Paramedics stood with their jaws dropped. The patient opened his eyes and said (in an Irish accent) “Oh, good, Father. I’ve been waiting for you. I want to go to Confession.” I nearly fell over. I’d done nothing but seen and touched his Scapular. The next thing I knew they were working on him. He didn’t get to go to Confession, but I gave him an emergency absolution as they worked. One of the Paramedics asked if I was OK and sat me in a chair.

A couple of weeks later the man came to me for Confession and told me that the doctor couldn’t figure out what happened and had to tear up the Death Certificate he’d already started to fill out. The Paramedics had come to see him in the hospital and shown him their notes. At the bottom of the page they’d written the time and place of his death and then in big bold letters had added “BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE BY GOD”.

Miracles still happen. And no, I didn’t do it. It just happened according to God’s will. Why does He intervene in some cases and not in others? I really don’t know. I haven’t figured that out yet. But I do know that God has worked miracles in my life, the most important for me not being what He did for someone else, but what He has done over and over to bring me back from sin and death, through the Sacraments into His Covenant Relationship.

That man still had to die a natural death to be raised from the dead into eternal life. The resurrection Jesus offers all of us is eternal too. And that’s what we look forward to at Easter.
***

Fr. John Higgins

Fr. Higgins was born in Indiana. His mother brought him to California when he was about three years old. They lived in South Gate, Covina, Lynwood and then in 1965 they moved to Downey. Fr. Higgins attended Downey High School for two years and graduated from there in 1967. He attended Cerritos Community College, worked in Downey, Bellflower, and Long Beach before entering the Seminary in 1974. He was ordained to the Priesthood in 1981, has served as Campus Minister and Religion Teacher at Bishop Garcia Diego High School in Santa Barbara, and worked in seven parishes before his assignment to St. Raymond Parish in 2003. He also currently serves as the Chaplain at Downey Fire Department – serving both firefighters and victims.

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Billy Rivers: A Hardened Biker Switches Gears

Billy Rivers: A Hardened Biker Switches Gears - CBN TV - Video

Excerpt from CBN.com:

Biker Billy Rivers rode the motorcycle gang lifestyle all the way to prison. It was there that he began to question the love he saw from Christians.

After being released from prison, Billy says, “The Lord used second Corinthians 5:17 to let me know, ‘You’re not the same anymore. I own you. You are Mine. I have you under My wings. I love you. I forgive you of everything you’ve ever done. Old things are passed away and behold, all things are become new.’ And I said, ‘Lord, that’s me.’”

Billy lives a new life today. He still rides motorcycles, but no longer with a gang. He’s the chaplain for the New Orleans chapter of the Christian Motorcycle Association.

“I have never experienced anything like this and I would never give it up for anything that I would ever experience. Jesus Christ is the Way the Truth and the Life, so being a servant today for Jesus Christ is the most wealthy thing - it’s the most blessed miracle -that I could ever imagine in my life. God’s awesome.”

Read more: Billy Rivers

Encounter With God

Encounter With God | CBN.com

The video and following excerpt is from CBN.com

By Robert Hull

Jeffrey Thompson had developed diverticulitis, a painful condition causing inflammation in the intestinal wall. Months of natural treatments had failed and his condition was so advanced, he needed surgery to remove part of his intestine. What looked like a textbook operation left him suspended between life and death.

"I woke up to a surgeon pulling a sheet off of my stomach. As I looked down I knew immediately something was terribly wrong. I looked into the surgeon’s eyes and I could see concern on his face."

Madeline says, "He had been hemorrhaging for about 24 hours, and they had continually given him blood, but it was hemorrhaging into his abdomen. It was frightening. I’ve never seen anyone so pale. His lips were just completely white."

Jeffrey continues, "My internal clock told me that I was getting ready to die, that I only had a few seconds of consciousness left. I reached up to grab my wife. I just wanted to tell her how much I loved her and tell her that I was getting ready to leave her."

"I went to him and it was right after that that I lost him," Madeline says. "I could tell he left. He took my hand and then he was gone."

"My life came to my center torso," Jeff says. "I began to rise out of my body into that room. Everything was going haywire down below me. They were grabbing. They were saying, 'I’m going to lose him.'"

"They were doing everything they knew to keep him alive at that point," Madeline says.

"It looked like a disaster going on, but it was the sweetest day of my life," Jeffrey says. "I never had any pain, and I never had any fear."

As Jeffrey’s spirit hovered above his body, a light appeared in the room.

"It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. It started in the center toward the ceiling and began to filter out into that room. I was immediately drawn to it. As it began to hit objects in that room, color came flooding out like I’ve never seen before. I could see everything in that room with perfect clarity. There was an entire dimension that we simply don’t see on earth. I’ve never been more alive than I was at that moment. It was incredible.

"I suddenly had an overwhelming sense of God’s presence, of His love of His peace, of His joy. It was all around me and in me. Literally every bit of this penetrated my soul. The thing that was just so incredible to me was how the maker of this universe, who can make the sun the moon, the stars and this earth and us, can come down and hold me and comfort me and love me as if I’m the only person in the universe. I remember thinking about the prodigal son, that long lost son who had gone out and strayed. He had come back home and his father was coming out to hold him, to love him and to welcome him back. That’s what was happening to me. It’s the sweetest love there is.

"I told Him I wanted to go with Him and then I had a fleeting thought, what about Madeline my wife, and what about Will? Then God told me internally I was going to go back. I remember jolting in my bed, and I remember opening my eyes. When I opened my eyes, I’m looking at the surgeon and he’s saying, ‘I’m losing him. We’ve got to get him back into surgery.’"

He was rushed back into surgery where doctors stopped the bleeding. When he finally regained consciousness, Jeffrey had a new understanding of God’s amazing love and presence in his life.

"God loves you more than you’ve ever known," he says. "He knows your circumstances. He knows what you’re going through. I used to wake up with a knot in my stomach. I wake up with joy in my heart. I know He’s with me. You can’t go through something like that and not be a changed man."

Read more: Encounter with God

The Mighty Macs Opens in Theaters on October 21, 2011



The Mighty Macs Movie Poster


The Mighty Macs - About the Movie

Review By Loci B. Lenar

I am pleased to express my delight in attending The Mighty Macs pre-release, which by the way went beyond by expectations. The screening of this uplifting movie was held on August 9, 2011 at the AMC Clifton Commons 16, Route 3, Clifton, NJ.

The Mighty Macs is a movie that soars with inspiration and is an enjoyable first-rate sports flick, especially for basketball fans! I was pleasantly surprised on its cheery and good-humored approach in connecting with a general audience by integrating faith into the film and showing its effect on the woman's college basketball team.

Interesting Fact and Movie Trivia: Basketball coach, Cathy Rush is a Babtist; and her assistant, Sister Sunday is Catholic. The movie is based on a true story and is indeed a wonderful showcase for communicating on how Christians of various denominations can interact together for a common goal - Winning for God!

The women's basketball team at Immaculata College soars to a national championship for the first time in its 1971-72 season! The team also wins the National Women's College Basketball Championships in 1973 and 1974!

I highy recommend buying tickets and seeing this flick when it opens in theaters on October 21, 2011.

***

The following excerpt is from the website of TheMightyMacs.com:

It's 1971. Cathy Rush is a woman ahead of her time ... and she's about to embark on an adventure for the ages. A new era is dawning in the country and in collegiate athletics, where a national champion will be crowned for the first time in women's basketball.

In the lead up to this historical season, major universities are preparing their game plans to win that first title. Meanwhile a tiny all-women's Catholic college in Philadelphia has a more modest goal: find a coach before the season begins. Providentially, Cathy Rush is about to find Immaculata College.

Recently married, Cathy is dealing with the aftermath of a truncated playing career. While cultural norms would have her staying at home, she's willing to do the hard work necessary to help her new team reach their goals—or perhaps she's just trying to achieve her unfulfilled dreams through them.

From the beginning, her challenges are as imposing as the big-school teams Immaculata will face on the court. Cathy learns there is no gymnasium on campus, she receives little support from the school's Mother Superior, and the school is in dire financial straits. To top it off, she may not even have enough players to field a team!

While it appears the Macs don't have a prayer, all hope is not lost. With the help of Sister Sunday—a spunky assistant coach—and the support of a booster club of elderly nuns, Coach Rush creates a new game plan that just might bring the team—and the school—together.

THE MIGHTY MACS is based on the incredible true story of the 1971-72 Immaculata College team that started in obscurity but became the original Cinderella story in women's basketball. This team of pioneers went from barely making that inaugural tournament to the first dynasty in their game. And Cathy Rush, the woman that was ahead of her time, became immortalized when she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

THE MIGHTY MACS stars Carla Gugino as Cathy Rush; David Boreanaz as her husband, NBA referee Ed Rush; Marley Shelton as Sister Sunday; and Academy Award and Tony Award winner Ellen Burstyn as Mother St. John. The film was written, directed, and produced by Tim Chambers. The film's executive producers are Pat Croce, the former president of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, and Vince Curran, a successful businessman and former basketball star at Penn. Curran and Chambers are founders and partners of Quaker Media.

Read more: The Mighty Macs 

Experiencing a Double Miracle

Eric and Nancy Pierre: Experiencing a Double Miracle - CBN.com 

The above video and following excerpt is from CBN TV:

When Nancy lost her first baby, the Pierre's grieved. Years later another troubled pregnancy not only had their baby's life in danger, but Nancy was in critical condition too.

A Secret Communion on the Moon

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Take Communion on the Moon - Guideposts.com

The following excerpt is from Guideposts.com:

By Joan Wester Anderson

Americans will never forget the first time human beings set foot on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down on July 20, 1969.

Armstrong took the first step and said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” An entire planet probably trembled with a new awareness of God and His vast creation.

But more was happening during this amazing time. Shortly after the men landed, Aldrin radioed NASA and asked for a moment of silence so that “each person listening in (could) contemplate the events of the last few hours.” During this quiet period, Aldrin opened little plastic packages containing bread and wine, silently read a few verses of Scripture and received communion. “It was interesting to think that the first liquid ever poured on the moon and the first food eaten there were the Christian communion,” Aldrin said later.

Only the pastor at Aldrin’s Houston Presbyterian church—and a few NASA personnel—knew that communion was happening on the moon. To broadcast a private communion in a very public arena might create even more challenges. So Aldrin was asked to “keep it quiet,” which he did.

It was twenty years before the secret was revealed.

Read more: Communion on the Moon 

Saved by Prayer

Elena Popkov: Swept Away - CBN TV - Video

The following excerpt is from CBN.com:

By Jewel Graham Taylor

The Popkov children loved to play in the streets when it rained, that is until a flash flood swept Elena out of sight and into a drain pipe.

"I was on like a swimming tube, " remembers Elena. "I just sat on it and the water just kept carrying me until I got to the drain pipe."

Elena's brother Viktor remembers the terrifying ordeal. "There was like no air in there, so she couldn't, she had no chance of breathing or anything."

While the current pushed Elena farther and farther down the sewer line, one of the other children ran to the house to get help.

Elena's mother Olga immediately began praying. "I couldn't believe it at first. I couldn't believe it. And I started praying right away that God, please keep her alive, please keep her alive."

While struggling to surface, Eleven year-old Elena remembered what her mother taught her. "From the beginning I said, 'if you're alone by yourself,'" said Olga, "'and you're struggling, you can't, you know, find your way out, just pray. God, He's there for you, you know, He's listening to you'."

"'Jesus, help me.' That's all I said in my head," says Elena. "And then seconds later there was some sort of bright light and somebody , it was like some sort of power was like just dragging me out of there by my arms. I did not feel any pain or anything. It was like my body was already on shore and somebody was just dragging my soul from there."

Elena surfaced at a split in the pipe, two city blocks from her back yard.

"I don't really know how I got out," says Elena. "But I'm pretty sure it was God."

The entire family credits God for Elena's miraculous survival, especially Olga. "I told my kids that life is boring without God. If you live for Jesus, your life will be exciting and full of miracles."

Read more: Elena Popkov

Ted Williams: Homeless to NBA Announcer in Days



Ted Williams displays the sign he used to beg for money
along a highway in Columbus, Ohio.


Ted Williams: From Panhandler to NBA Announcer in Days - U.S. - Catholic Online

The photograph and following excerpt is from Catholic Online:

By James Penrice

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.. Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:35-36, 40)

We've witnessed a beautiful manifestation of this Gospel passage this week, as much of the United States and the world has responded with love and affection to one of "the least."

Just days ago 53-year old Ted Williams stood alone along an I-71 exit ramp in Columbus, Ohio, a homeless panhandler with a lengthy criminal record-including at least one felony conviction and prison time for theft. Addictions to alcohol, marijuana and cocaine helped evaporate interest in his career as a radio announcer, and he ended up living on the streets. While going through detox Williams ate food that should have gone to his grandchildren. His life had reached just about the lowest point possible.

"There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem." (Isaiah 53:2a-3)

A reporter from The Columbus Dispatch spotted Williams holding a cardboard sign reading: "I have a God given gift of voice. I'm an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard times. Please! Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you and God bless. Happy holidays." The Dispatch created a video report on Williams, in which his "God given gift of voice" was given the opportunity to be heard.

Twenty-four hours later, this homeless panhandler became the most sought-after voice talent in the world.

Just days after begging for change along an Ohio highway, Williams was at the announcer's microphone for NBC's "Today" in Manhattan, after having received countless job offers-including an announcer's position with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers that includes a house, work with NFL films, and several national commercial opportunities. He has been embraced by the nation and the world, as the Dispatch video has become an internet sensation.

Through it all Williams has been touched with a spirit of gratitude.

"I'm just so thankful God has blessed me so deeply," he told the Associated Press. "I'm getting a second chance. Amazing."

Read More: Ted Williams

Bruce Van Natta: Saved by Angels

Bruce Van Natta: Saved by Angels - Amazing Stories - CBN.com

The following excerpt is from CBN.com:

He was pinned under a massive logging truck. Bruce was certain he would die until the miraculous happened.

"I tried to pull my self out from under the truck. It was the most incredible pain you can think of. I got myself just to the point where my head is sticking out from underneath the front bumper of the truck. The very next thing, I just called out, 'Lord, help me.' I called it out twice."

Instantly, all of the pain left Bruce’s body.

"At that point, I became unconscious. My spirit left my body and floated into the ceiling, and now my spirit is looking at the accident scene from above.

"The man I had been working with was on his knees above my body. I can hear him saying things like, 'I’m sorry. I’m sorry.' But on each side of him, also on their knees were huge angels. They would have been about eight feet tall. They didn’t have wings, just very, very broad shoulders. Between the two angels and him, it took up the whole truck.

"There was a bright light shining around each one of them. They were matching bookends. They didn’t budge; I never heard them say anything. They just had their arms underneath the truck, not holding the truck up…but they had their arms angled in toward my body.

"There was no pain, just peace. I can’t even describe the peace I felt in the ceiling up in the garage."

Bruce knew he had a serious choice to make.

"I was definitely on the very edge of life and death. There were two thoughts in my head. One was, 'Shut your eyes and give up and die. You are just going to go to heaven anyway.' It was very loud. There was another voice in my head, much quieter. Much more of a whisper, 'If you want to live, you’re going to have to fight and you are going to have to fight hard.' The next thing I knew, my spirit went back down into my body just like a shot."

Bruce was conscious as he was flown on a life flight to the hospital. Doctors there doubted he would even survive the next few hours. His ribs were broken, his pancreas and spleen crushed, and several major arteries had been severed.

"We found out from doctors later that I had five places that major arteries were completely severed. I found out from doctors that were was a medical study done in 2001. According to that study, by the University of South California, they’ve used my case and compared it against that study. According to that, they can’t find anyone else in the world that has ever lived with five major arteries being severed.

"I should have bled to death in a few minutes. So, my thought is the angels were there to somehow hold me together."

Read More: Saved by Angels

Lenar to share Personal Testimony regarding God's Spiritual Gifts on Radio Maria



Signs and Wonders - Photograph by Loci B. Lenar


Lenar to share Personal Testimony regarding God's spiritual gifts on Radio Maria - Prwire - Catholic Online

Logo Courtesy of Radio Maria

Denville, NJ (September 17, 2010) - Kathie Duggan, host of Radio Maria has invited Loci B. Lenar as a guest to share his personal testimony on the topic of signs and wonders on her Catholic radio show, Sacred Treasures.

Lenar's conversion began in1990 and was followed by several spiritual events. As a result of the occurrences, Lenar searched for a spiritual advisor and later connected with Father Richard Tartaglia of St. Mary's Church. Fr. Tartaglia is Lenar's spiritual advisor for more than fifteen years. Lenar is also a parishioner of Saint Mary's. Father Martin Glynn is head pastor at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, which is located on the corner of Route 46 and Myers Avenue in Denville, New Jersey.

Lenar will discuss the spiritual presence of angels including the events leading up to a sign of a cross which appears annually on his property in Mine Hill, New Jersey. Lenar will share his story of being healed of several medical conditions with prayer and through the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

Hear Lenar's remarkable account of witnessing the Miracle of the Sun and his life changing spiritual encounter with Jesus.

Listen in and take note of Lenar's interesting discernment of God's calling for the church to move forward with Christian unity.

Learn more about Lenar's perspective on God's plan for evangelizing the world by tuning into Radio Maria on Monday, September 27, 2010. Radio Maria is an instrument for spreading faith related news pertaining to Catholicism and is a tool for evangelization and conversion.

Regardless of your geographical location, listeners can connect and hear Sacred Treasures by visiting Radio Maria's website at http://radiomaria.us/. The show is broadcasted weekly on Monday's between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm (EST).

Some of Lenar's testimony can be read by visiting his site at http://www.christian-miracles.com/. The website was created and launched in 2008 as a gathering place for all Christians and Catholics to renew their religious faith by reading inspirational news and using daily devotional prayers. With increased reports of the miraculous, Lenar embarked on broadcasting events in order to bring public awareness to signs and wonders arising from Jesus Christ.

Visitors to the website can also post prayer requests at the following link:
http://www.christian-miracles.com/apps/prayers/

Lenar's blog: Angels, Wonders, and Miracles of Faith, also provides updated news connected to Christianity and Catholicism with biblical insight. Keep informed by visiting the site at http://lenarpoetry.blogspot.com/.

Radio Maria Stations

Louisiana
580 AM - Alexandria
1360 AM - New Iberia
89.7 FM - Natchitoches
91.1 FM - Lake Charles

Mississippi
88.1 FM - D'Iberville

Ohio
1600 AM - Springfield
88.7 FM - Anna

Pennsylvania
88.1 FM - Hollidaysburg

Texas
1250 AM - Port Arthur

Wisconsin
91.3 FM - Peshtigo

***

Contact Loci B. Lenar: Christian-Miracles.com

Contact Radio Maria: http://radiomaria.us/contact/

In Good Faith: Store Manager Invokes Jesus, Dissuades Robber

In Good Faith: Store manager invokes Jesus, dissuades robber - Religion: News and debate about Christianity, Islam and values - baltimoresun.com

The following excerpt is from YouTube:

A remorseful robber left a Broward County, Florida cellphone store empty-handed after hearing what the redemptive power of Jesus Christ can do from the cool-headed manager.

The incident happened on July 23, 2010. To read the story about God's protection, please visit the following link: In Good Faith

Where Miracles Happen by Joan Wester Anderson

Where Miracles Happen - Joan Wester Anderson
Author of Books on Angelic Visitations

By Loci B. Lenar

Joan's updated book, Where Miracles Happen, is inspiring and touched my soul with God's spiritual presence. While reading Part One: Miracles through Prayer, I was captivated in Sue Markgraf's interesting testimony.

Joan writes that Sue had wondered if her hard work as a writer would lead to anywhere. After having the thought, Joan says, Sue saw an intense ray of light coming through the window in front of her.

Joan describes Sue seeing a figure in the radiance. Sue says, she felt the figure speaking to her, "Go back to your story." And then said to her, "Peace is coming."

Joan writes that since that time, Sue has continued to wonder about the meaning of the blissful vision.  However, she is now confident about her work and God's plan for her.

After reading the remarkable story, it was "perfect timing" for me to write a letter to my friend, Joan, and share my thoughts about Sue's vision.

Through providence and prayerful discernment, I believe that my testimony about the Miraculous Signs of Archangel Michael, which can be read on Christian-Miracles.com, sheds some light on God's plan.

In a spiritual locution I received on September 14, 2009, Jesus called all to join together and "pray for divine protection" in order to mitigate and extinguish violence throughout the world and to usher in an "era of peace."   The locution was also shared with my spiritual advisor, Father Richard Tartaglia of St. Mary's Church.

Our Lady of Fatima also spoke of an era of peace in her 1917 apparitions to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. For further information on Our Lady's message, please visit the following link: World Apostolate of Fatima, USA.

God indeed works in mysterious ways in connecting people at the appropriate time.

Joan Wester Anderson's book is certainly inspirational and Where Miracles Happen!

A Medical Miracle: British girl's two newly grown kidneys now do the work of the ones that failed

It's highly unusual for an extra set of kidneys to grow,

but a miracle happened for one British child.

British girl's two newly grown kidneys now do the work of the ones that failed

By Rosemary Black
Daily News Staff Writer

Three years ago, doctors caring for a British girl facing surgery made an amazing discovery: she’d actually grown two new kidneys to replace the failed ones that had caused the health problems she’d suffered since birth.

Surgeons at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in England found that Angel Burton's new kidneys had started doing the work of the diseased ones, according to Sky News Online. The youngster, now 8, is no longer facing kidney failure.

The doctors apparently did not see the new kidneys that were perched above the originals. On scans, which had been done for five years, they appeared as one kidney.

"It’s a real miracle," Claire Burton, Angel’s mother, told Sky News Online. "We’re just so grateful to have Angel back to her happy, healthy self."

The little girl had a rare condition called duplex kidney that causes the organs to be fused in the center. Even rarer, in Angel’s case, was to have both organs be duplex, which means she actually had four kidneys and four ureters.

From the time she was born, Angel’s health got worse. Doctors diagnosed her with bilateral reflux, meaning that urine was leaking into her kidneys and infecting them. Tests showed that the kidneys had been severely affected.

During an operation to craft an artificial valve in October 2007, the extra kidneys were discovered. Nearly three years later, Angel’s looking at a bright future and is on track to recover fully.

Duane Andrews: A Time for Believing in the Power of Prayer

View the inspiring story of Duane Andrews and his miraculous recovery from all his medical conditions!

Whatever difficulty you may be facing, hand it over to Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Believe in the power of prayer!  Trust that God will answer you!

Duane Andrews: A Time for Believing

By Audra Smith

CBN.com – Duane Andrews was relaxing at home when he suddenly began having severe stomach cramps. What started as pancreatitis became something more severe, and Duane wound up in a coma for a month and a half. In the face of grim reports, his wife Sharon decided it was time to pray.

U.S. Marine Walks Away from Shot to Helmet

Feb. 15: Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig shows the spot on

 his helmet where a Taliban bullet struck right above his eyes.

U.S. Marine Walks Away From Shot to Helmet - Afghanistan Map War - FOXNews.com

The photograph and following story is an excerpt from FoxNews.com:

MARJAH, Afghanistan — It is hard to know whether Monday was a very bad day or a very good day for Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig.

On the one hand, he was shot in the head. On the other, the bullet bounced off him.

In one of those rare battlefield miracles, an insurgent sniper hit Lance Cpl. Koenig dead on in the front of his helmet, and he walked away from it with a smile on his face.

"I don't think I could be any luckier than this," Lance Cpl. Koenig said two hours after the shooting.

Gunnery Sgt. Shelton, a 36-year-old veteran from Nashville, said he had never seen a Marine survive a direct shot to the head.

But next to him was Cpl. Christopher Ahrens, who quietly mentioned that two bullets had grazed his helmet the day the Marines attacked Marjah. The same thing, he said, happened to him three times in firefights in Iraq.

Cpl. Ahrens, 26, from Havre de Grace, Md., lifted the camouflaged cloth cover on his helmet, exposing the holes where the bullets had entered and exited.

He turned it over to display the picture card tucked inside, depicting Michael the Archangel stamping on Lucifer's head. "I don't need luck," he said.

Lance Cpl. Koenig put his dented helmet back on his head and climbed the metal ladder to resume his rooftop duty within an hour of being hit.

To read complete story, visit the following link: Fox News

***

For additional inspirational news and photographs, please visit the following link and read the Miraculous Signs of Archangel Michael 

Heavenly Sign: Rainbow Emitted from Statue of Archangel Michael | Guideposts

Joan Wester Anderson

Heavenly Sign: Rainbow Emitted from Statue of Archangel Michael Guideposts

Over the Rainbow

Michael offers a colorful sign just in time for Feast of the Archangels

By Joan Wester Anderson

Hi, angel friends,

You may know that, in the Catholic calendar, September 29th is the Feast of the Archangels.

In fact, the entire month of October is dedicated to angels. I doubt they are more active during October than any other time, but it’s nice to have an entire month to think about the joy and the mystery of these very special beings.

I especially love Michael the Archangel, who comes to do battle for us. I wonder how often he and his fellow Archangels prevent accidents, encourage us and even keep us away from temptations, and we don’t even know it!

A friend of mine, Loci Lenar, recently found himself at the Church of St. Michael in Netcong, New Jersey. Being an angel fan like me, he stopped in to say a prayer.

He was immediately taken with the beautiful stain glass image in the front of the church, depicting Michael holding his sword. Michael was in front of a colorful window, with an even more vibrant rainbow behind him.

Loci snapped a few pictures. “In order to capture the rainbow colors seen on the stained glass behind the statue,” he says, “I photographed the image without using a flash, even though the indoor lighting was dim. The only light was from some church windows nearby—best described as faint.”

Photo by Loci B. Lenar

But if you examine the photograph, Loci points out, it appears as if Archangel Michael is creating a trail of rainbow colors as he lands on top of the serpent and crushes its head.

And yet there doesn’t seem to be a source for this rainbow. He observes, “The Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways.”

Check out the window at Loci’s site, and see what you think. Where is the rainbow light coming from?

See why I love angels?


Joan W. Anderson has been involved with angels for many years and has authored numerous angel books, including Guardian Angels: True Stories of Answered Prayers.

Visit her website or, if you have a question about angels, you can email it to her at: janderson@guideposts.com.