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By Tim Hunt

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About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in add...  (More)

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God loves to heal his children

Uploaded: Nov 9, 2017
Progressives hit a new low this week when they complained bitterly about Congress holding a moment of silence and remembering those killed and wounded Sunday in the Texas church shooting “in their thoughts and prayers.”
Some complained that what good is praying doing when people are already dead. Most seemed to want to react to the shooting in their typical way—trying to tighten gun laws. Facts, of course, do not apply. The Air Force failed to report the shooter’s conviction and dishonorable discharge to the FBI, so the shooter could purchase weapons. If the Air Force had followed the law, he would have had to find a gun illegally.
The ignorance about prayer completely misses that God can provide healing to those who are wounded while comforting those who lost loved ones. God does answer prayer.
I saw that first-hand during the last week in October when I went to Brazil with Bill Dew, who has run his own healing ministry since the early 2000s. Bill lives in the San Diego area and we were joined by three other ladies from there. www.dewnamis.com
I saw countless miracle healings over the six days we were on the ground and praying for people in Brasilia. To single out a few:
• The first night, Bill asked God and the Holy Spirit to restore eye sight. One woman, who wore glasses with lenses as thick as coke bottles, received perfect vision. Her glasses were so strong that they hurt your eyes if you tried to see through them. Now, she has no use for her glasses.
• We prayed for a man who had knee and ankle problems. God healed his knee and then we prayed for his ankle where he had been shot. His ankle started working, but his right leg was 3 centimeters (more than an inch) shorter than his left leg. When our team member prayed for his leg, it grew so it was the same length as his other one.
• A young girl had a growth on her neck. After three sessions of prayer, God removed it entirely.
• I prayed for a man with pain in both knees. When we were finished, he could do a deep squat.
Typically, Bill would ask people suffering from pain in an area (neck, back, knees, legs, arms) and ask them to stand up and touch the painful area. He would call out people from the audience to be the prayer team and then ask them to move around the crowd and quickly pray for people standing (10 seconds or less) while he prayed. He then asked people to check their bodies. The number of hands that waved for total or near total healing was amazing.
He would single out a few for immediate testimonies that heartened everyone.
I have been privileged to see God move on several the seven mission trips to Africa I have taken, but never have been on a trip like this one. My takeaway: God loves his children and loves to heal them.


Community.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by Cholo, a resident of Livermore,
on Nov 9, 2017 at 2:34 pm

Thank You Tim. An interesting post.


Posted by Jacqueline , a resident of California Reflections,
on Nov 10, 2017 at 1:59 am

A very informative post.Thanks for sharing this valuable information.


Posted by Sam, a resident of Oak Hill,
on Nov 10, 2017 at 8:52 am

"I saw countless miracle healings over the six days we were on the ground and praying for people in Brasilia. To single out a few:
• The first night, Bill asked God and the Holy Spirit to restore eye sight. One woman, who wore glasses with lenses as thick as coke bottles, received perfect vision."

I have no problem with people finding spiritual comfort in prayer, but Tim Hunt cheapens God and religion by comparing God to some kind of carnival magician who performs "miracle" tricks and stunts on command. The miracle claims here are ridiculous.


Posted by Believer, a resident of another community,
on Nov 10, 2017 at 1:33 pm

I understand what Tim is talking about. Several years ago I went to Medjugorje, a small town in Yugoslavia where the Blessed Virgin Mary was appearing to three children from the town. The Pope advocated and approved pilgrimages to this holy place. While there I saw miracles for myself and felt one inside my own body and was never the same again. I agree that belief is a big part of this, but not all of it. God does have power in our world and for those who doubt, or adamantly refuse to believe, that is your choice. He will make His presence known to you sooner or later. You will see Him and answer to Him. For those who believe, no explanation is necessary, for those who do not, no explanation is possible.


Posted by Lydia, a resident of Vineyard Avenue,
on Nov 10, 2017 at 6:48 pm

WONDERFUL Post! I to am a believer. I was raised in a home where parents encouraged belief in God and miracles. My husband and I had been trying to have a child for 6 years. A pastor prayed over me at my parents home, told me I already was pregnant and it would be a girl. I only did this prayer to appease my parents. took a test the next day and was pregnant. Told everyone I KNEW it was a boy and it weeks later found out it was a girl. She is our miracle baby and my faith in God has never been stronger. We all have our own beliefs and journeys but this was to much of a miracle for be to ever deny my belief in Christ.


Posted by Steve, a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on Nov 12, 2017 at 6:33 pm

It's a shame that this garbage is allowed to appear in an otherwise credible news outlet. Faith healing? Really? This is the stuff you find in carnival tents and on late-night TV.


Posted by DKHSK, a resident of Bridle Creek,
on Nov 13, 2017 at 5:56 am
DKHSK is a registered user.

Sam,

No where in Tims' post does he mention, nor compare God to a carnival magician: YOU DID.

Project much?


Tim,

Regrettably I was not raised in religion, but I appreciate your faith and beliefs. Thanks for this post.


Posted by Sam, a resident of Oak Hill,
on Nov 13, 2017 at 7:02 am

@DKHSK

Dan = obtuse.


Posted by American, a resident of Danville,
on Nov 13, 2017 at 1:17 pm

I certainly do not pretend to have all the answers. But as a life long practicing Catholic, I do believe in God, in prayer, and in faith, and that God acts in mysterious ways. Miracles, big and small, do occur, every single day. God gives us free will, and whether you believe in God, and/or miracles, is up to you. The Bible is full of things that many would consider miracles. But you do not need to go to the Bible to find miracles, they exist, every day. The very fact that many of us are even still alive and walking this planet is a miracle.

Sam, I do not want to speak for Tim, but I certainly do not think he equates God with a "magician" or Genie granting wishes. Rather, things occur in life, that are unexplainable, and if you are open to God, things are explainable.

I highly recommend you read a fantastic book, "Proof of Heaven", by Neurosurgeon Eben Alexander. Dr. Alexander, a top Neurosurgeon, trained at Johns Hopkins, and like many, applied the traditional "science over religion" approach, until a tragic event occurred in his life. His book explains how science and religion are not adversaries, and in fact, actually compliment each other, and how miracles can and do occur.


Posted by Cholo, a resident of Livermore,
on Nov 13, 2017 at 4:33 pm

Tim...Shape Note singing is uplifting. I don't know how familiar you are with it but your followers may appreciate it:

Web Link

I believe that it's a healing music. Healing happens in many way.


Posted by Sam, a resident of Oak Hill,
on Nov 13, 2017 at 5:47 pm

@American: "Sam, I do not want to speak for Tim, but I certainly do not think he equates God with a "magician" or Genie granting wishes. Rather, things occur in life, that are unexplainable, and if you are open to God, things are explainable."

Explain to me then why all of the prayers to God aren't answered? Do you think that there haven't been young children with terminal cancer or some other terminal disease who haven't been loved enough or prayed for enough by parents who tearfully prayed throughout every waking minute for a miracle from God to save their precious child? Do you think that there aren't parents in this country and elsewhere who aren't praying for a miracle from God for their doomed child or loved one right now as I write these sentences? Where is God for them? Apparently, He has time to not only fix the man's broken ankle that Tim witnessed, but also the additional time to painstakingly adjust the length of one of the man's legs so that it matched the length of the other, but He doesn't have time for all of these other people who need Him so much? Or maybe the parents of a doomed child did not pray enough? Or maybe the parents aren't devout enough? Let's hear your explanation of why God is AWOL from all these people yet has so much time to spend with Tim in Africa engaging in relatively minor matters such as the fine-tuning of a man's orthopedic care?

The idea of believing in faith healing and reliable, instant results through prayer may superficially seem like a wonderful thing but it raises many disturbing questions. You said in support of Tim's faith healing testimony "if you are open to God, things are explainable", but are they? Go ahead and try to explain why faith healing works so wonderfully for some people (such as Tim) but not for all the other people in the world who are just as devout as Tim is. And don't give me any of that "God works in mysterious ways" stuff, because you already said that "if you are open to God, things are explainable" in support of Tim's account of faith healing. So go ahead and explain.


Posted by Sam, a resident of Oak Hill,
on Nov 13, 2017 at 5:50 pm

Correction: I see it was Brazil, not "Africa".


Posted by American, a resident of Danville,
on Nov 13, 2017 at 8:59 pm

Sam: As I clearly stated, as a preface, to my thoughts, " I certainly do not pretend to have all the answers". I am not a theologist, but a Catholic, who believes in God, prayer,faith, and miracles. It is my belief that God has a reason for everything, and often we as mortals will never understand why bad things sometimes happen to wonderful people, but God does. And that is enough for me.


Posted by Sam, a resident of Oak Hill,
on Nov 14, 2017 at 12:32 am

@American

OK, fine. So now it seems that you're going back on your earlier claim that ""if you are open to God, things are explainable". It appears that God's actions are not easily explainable - especially if you believe in faith healing. In fact, if one believes in faith healing, then God appears to be downright wacky, spending his time on relatively minor matters like removing some pain from a person's knees so that "he could do a deep squat" while deliberately neglecting to save people from murders, rapes, tortures, terminal diseases, etc.. There were a total of 17 million victims of the Holocaust including 6 million Jews. There were about 3 million killed in Cambodia by the Pol Pot regime. Hey, sorry about that, everyone! God was too busy fixing up a guy's knees so he could do a "deep squat" and also elongating another guy's leg by 3 cm so he could walk more smoothly. God has to keep his priorities in order, you know! Yes, take a good look at this God of the faith healers, and think long and hard about whether you like what you see here.


Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of Vintage Hills,
on Nov 15, 2017 at 9:45 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a registered user.

"God acts in mysterious ways." I've long felt this is the non-answer to all the bad that happens to the innocent (disease, famine, storms) when the miracles don't come. We are quick to give credit to prayers when they appear to be answered and are unquestioning when prayer fails. "It is God's will" or "S/he was called to heaven" also attempt to fill the void when prayers fail.

I am disappointed in the intolerance of many people of faith (any faith) for persons of any other faith (or lack thereof). We are raised, generally non-consenting, in religion A, B, or C as an accident of birth. Throughout all of time, extremists of "name that faith for this period" have tortured and killed, yet it has not unified us to one religion.

Let each person choose their own path . . . and please don't try to convert others. The curious will ask on their own.


Posted by Jen, a resident of Pleasanton Valley,
on Nov 15, 2017 at 10:44 am

Tim misses the point in his original article. Offering "thoughts and prayers" is frequently used as a substitution for actual action by those in power. If they believe they are powerless to take any action to stop gun violence, they should step down and go pray in Church.


Posted by Ken M, a resident of Danville,
on Nov 15, 2017 at 1:02 pm

Unfortunately, the people that "randomly" called out with pain or other health issues to get "healed" were in on the whole act (coke bottle glasses to perfect sight for example). It's sad in this day and age that people still believe in this sort of "healing", all while giving their money to tax free businesses.


Posted by BobB, a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on Nov 15, 2017 at 6:09 pm
BobB is a registered user.

Tim,

I don't get the point of what your saying hear. Maybe I read it wrong, but it seems confrontational to me to say things like "The ignorance about prayer ...". You also single out "progressives". Do you mean to invite people to learn the power of prayer in their own lives? Why the confrontational tone? It sounds a little like bragging.


Posted by BobB, a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on Nov 15, 2017 at 6:24 pm
BobB is a registered user.

I thought the was an interesting response from a great thinker.

Web Link


Posted by DKHSK, a resident of Bridle Creek,
on Nov 16, 2017 at 9:38 am
DKHSK is a registered user.

Kathleen,

Where does Tim try and convert someone in his post? People read, interpret and act as they are want, this is called Free Will.

You go on to say: "Throughout all of time, extremists of "name that faith for this period" have tortured and killed, yet it has not unified us to one religion."

That any religion is trying or should be unified is a ridiculous stance to take. In fact, if you as an educator speak of diversity, then does that not include diversity in religion or thought or...?

I don't understand "progressives" and their lack of belief in anything but conformity to THEIR thoughts and feelings. Tim has expressed his opinion and all you smart set attack him for his beliefs.

What on earth gives you the right to attack his or anyones' religious beliefs if they aren't harming anyone?

Go out and look at what the world of religion is doing in poor third world countries...heck...even in 2nd and first world countries and tell us what you see.

Hypocrites...every darned one of you.


Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger, a resident of Vintage Hills,
on Nov 16, 2017 at 11:08 am
Kathleen Ruegsegger is a registered user.

DKHSK, you misunderstand me. I am not stating Tim tries to convert or I would have started with his name. But you must know most religions seek converts.

No, religions do not need to unify and the world would be better for it, hence my last sentence about each choosing their own path. Are you not conforming to your beliefs?

Looking at the world, I see only the pain zealots cause. Thank (fill in the blank) most people of faith are not zealots.


Posted by Me, a resident of Las Positas,
on Nov 18, 2017 at 12:08 pm

I think Tim is mis stating why liberals mock thoughts and prayers in these situations. It is because that is all that happens, with no concrete action ever discussed by conservatives about how to try to curtail these shootings. Fine, you think gun control is a bad idea. The conservatives need to come up with some solid ideas about what might help beyond “thoughts and prayers“

I find it absurd to believe that there is nothing society can do, no way to prevent this from happening again, and that these are now inevitable parts of our daily lives. Something needs to be done now. If nothing changes, then the outcomes will not change,


Posted by DKHSK, a resident of Bridle Creek,
on Nov 20, 2017 at 8:39 am
DKHSK is a registered user.

Let's be honest: when liberals say they want more gun control, what they really mean is they want gun confiscation.

We all know that 100's if not 1000's of laws are already on the books regarding guns. There really is nothing to do other than require citizens give up their 2nd amendment rights to satisfy the liberals need for safety at all costs.

Be intellectually honest and say that's what you want and then we can have a discussion.

Recently a crazy man in Tehama county shot and killed 5 people with homemade weapons. The system of laws which were designed to prevent gun ownership worked in his case, however, when all is said is done he still killed 5 people because he was motivated by any means necessary.

Stop attacking religion and start talking about solutions. You want more gun control other than what is on the books, so just tell us what THAT looks like and lets discuss.



Posted by BobB, a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood,
on Nov 21, 2017 at 8:31 am
BobB is a registered user.

@DKHSK,

Something resembling what was done in Australia could be explored here.


Posted by addisonsophia, a resident of Walnut Grove Elementary School,
on Nov 27, 2017 at 9:21 pm
addisonsophia is a registered user.

Spirituality is the way to heaven, I agree. To get more assignment help, go to Web Link God is generous, as is said in this post, and he loves his children.


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on Feb 6, 2018 at 5:00 am

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Posted by ecindia, a resident of Amador Estates,
on Feb 7, 2018 at 1:19 am
ecindia is a registered user.

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