Desperate Prayers Yield Miracle

One couple finds a reason to be thankful after doctors discover a mass in their infant daughter's brain.

Healing and a Second Chance

Typical. In his own words Shane Kampe was "typical" of many other kids that grew up in the suburbs. But typical wasn't enough, he wanted something "better" than a clean-cut lifestyle. Drugs, alcohol, women. All three drew Shane's attention and he more than complied. He chased them to excess.

10 years ago Shane had an appointment with destiny. His life hung in the balance, yet he was powerless to do anything about it. It was an impossible situation that only a miracle could resolve. 

Overcoming the storms of life

Toronto native, Cheryl Nembhard is an award winning Filmmaker, Playwright and Director who continues to make her mark in the Arts & Entertainment Industry. On Saturday I had the privilege to listen to Cheryl Nembhard speak at the Women's Conference at my church. Cheryl has an amazing story about overcoming pain and hurt in her life and finding freedom and healing through God. Cheryl Nembhard had a very difficult childhood. She was sexually molested by a family friend from the age of 5-12 and as a teenager she had become a very angry and bitter young woman because of all the pain she had gone through. Cheryl joined a criminal gang as a teenger which became a place for her to express her anger.

One day Cheryl was brutally raped by a group of young men and this experience left her completely broken. Cheryl later ended up living on the streets for periods of time and was rescued by the love of God through a street evangelist. The street evangelist would talk to Cheryl as she was living on the street and although Cheryl found him annoying he always reminded her of one thing: " You can run but you can't hide, from God's love for you."

Cheryl eventually decided to visit a church and when she became a Christ-follower she was able to heal from all the pain and hurt she had been carrying around for years. Today Cheryl is very successful in the Entertainment Industry, she is married and has three children. Cheryl is now using her story and her painful past to bring help, hope and healing to other people through her films and musicals and through speaking about God's love at different events.

Cheryl Nembhard talked about how we can overcome the storms in our life at the Women's Conference and I will share some of her tips in this post. Here's two of my favorite quotes by Cheryl:
"Hurt and pain unchecked will manifest into anger and bitterness."

"Do not mistake the presence of a storm in life for the absence of God in your life. He is with you and he will guide you through it."

Cheryl Nembhard talked about how each one of us will face many different types of storms during a lifetime. A life without hardships is a fairytale, it doesn't exist in this world. Storms will come but our God promises that He will be with us in the storm. The book of Isaiah talks about how much we mean to God and how much he loves us.

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.

I’ve called your name. You’re mine.

When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.

When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.

When you’re between a rock and a hard place,

    it won’t be a dead end—

Because I am God, your personal God,

    The Holy of Israel, your Savior.

I paid a huge price for you:

    all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!

That’s how much you mean to me!

    That’s how much I love you!

I’d sell off the whole world to get you back,

    trade the creation just for you."

Isaiah 43:2-4 (The Message)

Cheryl Nembhard also talked about how important it is that we check our posture in the midst of a storm. The "Why me"-posture will never lead to flourishing or to freedom in our lives. Instead we can ask God: "What would you have me learn through this storm?" Storms make great teachers. There is a lesson in every storm. Storms teach us about God, about ourselves and about other people. You will learn more about God than you ever did before during a storm. Storms can tell you what needs to be removed from your life and what areas you need to work on. Storms will show you who your friends are, you will notice who is for you and who disappears when your life gets difficult.

Storms will teach you valuable lessons about life but they will also make you a teacher to others. Once God has brought you through something very difficult you can use your story to help and encourage other people. You can now become "a lighthouse" to others.

Esther's Story

Esther Fleece grew up in an abusive home and as an adult she tried to run away from her past by staying busy and by being performance-driven. When her biological Dad was released from prison and started stalking her Esther's life got turned upside down. Esther eventually decided to go to counseling, which was the last thing she wanted to do. The path to healing wasn't easy but Esther had finally developed the courage to not hide from her past any longer.

Does God Heal Today?

When we read the Bible we see many different examples of Jesus healing people through miracles. It's stories like these that lead many people to assume that the Bible is untrue and "just a fairy tale". People can't be healed and dead people can't rise from the dead, we know these things to be true. You might be surprised to find out that God still heals people today. God has given people intelligence, knowledge and wisdom to help other people through medicine, but there is also another way that God heals people; miracles. We don't hear people talk about the miracles they have experienced that much, these people are fully aware that most will assume they are crazy when they start talking about the miracle they have experienced, so they keep quiet.


There is a lady in my church who has a son who was diagnosed with incurable cancer. After the doctors had done everything they could she asked if she could bring her young son home. The doctors agreed that she could take her son home for a few months. She told the doctors that she would bring her son home and pray to God for a miracle, the doctors laughed at her face. The lady prayed in faith and over time her son started to get better.


As the months went by the doctors wanted the lady to bring her son back to the hospital. The lady refused to bring him back because he was not sick anymore, all the symptoms of his cancer were gone. The doctors called in social services because they were convinced this mother was crazy. The social services did their investigation and found that there was nothing wrong with the woman mentally. The social workers asked the lady to bring her son to the hospital so that the doctors could do some tests on him and find out that he is not sick anymore.


The doctors ended up spending a whole day doing test after test on the boy, freaking out over the fact that something very odd had happened. In the end they came to the conclusion that the mother was right, the boy no longer had cancer. The lady brought her son home again and he is still a healthy boy today, although today he is driving his parents crazy with his typical teenage behavior, but that's the kind of "crazy" all parents get every now and then. :)

Lost and Found: Finding Hope in the Detours of Life

Sarah Jakes had big dreams and hopes for her future but after a series of bad choices she found herself in a place in life where nobody wants to be. When Sarah's marriage ended after a lot of hurt and rejection she could have let her pain dictate her future, but instead she chose to use her story to help others find healing and redemption in life. Sarah Jakes shares her story in a very honest and vulnerable way in her book "Lost and Found: Finding Hope in the Detours of Life". Sarah's story offers hope and encouragement and reminds us that no matter how lost we feel in life we can be found again.