Submitted January 24,2008

I would first like to honor God and thank Him for all HE has done for me. 

While I was on vacation during December, a member told me.. Get ready because Pastor Sam will be starting a fast soon. Oh my gosh, I don’t think I will be able to do this since I failed it in Inside/Out was my first thought. I thought about what I said immediately and turned it around. I prayed for help for my fast before the Pastor had told us the date. As I prayed for about a week, it was revealed to me. The fast is not all about the food, but WHAT you are fasting for. . .ok I thought. So I wrote down things I wanted God to do or help me with during the fast. I had my list long. Money, debt release, more this, more that.  The Sunday before the fast started. Again... I had to rethink. Wait just a minute.. I am already promised these things, what I need to be focusing on is OTHERS.. It's not about me, but what I want God to do for others. I prayed for friends and my family’s salvations. I prayed for people who have been ill. I asked God to let them see the light that shines in me. Let them know that through all the things I had been through in my life, that having faith in God has made me a better person, and that without Him, I would be nothing. I could not have handled the things that had been thrown my way without Gods grace and mercy.   Though I tell them this ALL the time, I wanted changes to happen in there lives, I wanted God to touch them like they had never been touched before. I wanted God to reveal Himself and let them know that He was there waiting with open arms, and all they had to do was receive Him just the same.

My fast has started, my prayers are continuous. My faith is in God. Things were being revealed to me left and right, some things that I had not even prayed about during the fast, but finally I was getting the answers. Questions that I had for some time, my past marriage, I got the answers, my hurts and disappointments, I got the answers. Do you know how much burden this lifted off me? FINALLY I AM FREE, and what a wonderful feeling I have. I am free from blaming myself for so many things that had nothing to do with me.  

The weekend came. I am still fasting, just as soon as the thought of chocolate or ice cream ran across my mind, so did the thought and reminder of WHY I was fasting. I called my daughter early that day, and asked her-like I do every Saturday-would you like to go to church with me? No, she says, I think we are going to another church tomorrow. Hmmm. They have not been to church in awhile, but I thanked God and continued to pray that THEY WOULD get up and go to somebody's church. Through my daughter being sick, and healed in the name of Jesus, she still asked for more test to be done, to verify, why a spot was no longer there, I was so aggravated with her. So many people had prayed for her and I could not understand why she would not believe God was her healer and not the Dr. Maybe it’s the fact she is a nurse. This brought a couple of arguments our way, I must say.

This same day, a friend came to me, depressed, full of hurts. We talked for hours. She told me that it angered her sometimes to see me going through so much and not being down about it... BOY SHE JUST DOES NOT KNOW WHAT I HAD ON THE INSIDE OF ME! I hid it well.  At the time, I started ministering to her, this was not the first time, and thought it would not be the last. When she left we hugged each other and she told me, I heard everything you said, and I thank you. The next morning, she called me at 9am., asked me if I was going to Sunday School, I asked her why, she said she wanted to go to church with me. PRAISE GOD!!!!!!. Sunday was a turning point for my friend of 20 years, and I thank God for this day more than anything. That is not the end of the story. My other girlfriend called me to get a phone number (of my friend who had just turned her life around). She needed business information. OH she says, I went to church this morning and rededicated my life to Christ. I yelled JESUS, I thank you right now.. I told her the girl she was calling, had made changes in her life that day also. She called her and they talked for sometime sharing there experiences. Last story of this day Sunday January 19. My daughter went to church, First assembly I think, loved it, talked about it so much. Her birthday was Tuesday-(28years old) and I still give them a birthday party-family only-with a character (superman, little mermaids, etc.) theme. We laughed and talked and about 1 hour later, her husband says, Hey Carmen, Crystal and I have been looking all over the house for our bible today, it has been packed away since we remodeled and we want to start studying at night, Do you have a Bible we can borrow.?. at this point I had to throw my hands up in the air, raised them like I just didn't care, ran through the housing screaming and praising God, because this was just to much for me to handle in one day. I give him the glory, I give him the praise, I thank him for my prayers being answered and truly realize it’s about others. Yes, I had some $$$ increases, new employees, and most of all more energy than I have ever had in 4 years which has been the number of year’s since I had Chemo. The energy alone says FRESH START-SMILE. But nothing has made me more thankful than the family and friends who now know Gods touch, his healing power, and most of all his goodness. I thank God for touching their lives and I know in my heart, he touched them just the way I asked, LIKE THEY HAD NEVER BEEN TOUCHED BEFORE. Fasting has really brought me closer to God, a feeling like no other, but most of all; friends and family are now closer to God, and can experience His greatness, and his OH SO GENTLE VOICE THAT SAYS, RECEIVE ME, LET ME SHOW YOU THE WAY. One more thing, every morning, I go to work, I start my day with Christian music, I ask that we keep the station there till around 11am.. For the 1st time ever I heard a employee singing the lyrics... I give God thanks in Jesus name

Carmen Murriel

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Submitted January 24,2008

- This was the first fast in Min George's Christian life where we did not have any caffeine at all; without jitters.

- Our family has been successful in having Family Bible study and family discussions; actual input from TEENS - Praise God!

- Sis Brown just received a call, 5 minutes ago, from the OJT program she participated in this summer. She did a survey & will receive $100.00 within the next 2 weeks. She also received a monetary birthday gift from relatives.

- Min George received notice of a retirement fund that was opened for him by the company he works for...as of today there is over $6000.00 in the account.

Brown Family "Daniel Fast Successes"

Submitted January 22,2008

This has been an incredible week for me.  I had to call Sister Debbie.  Initially on Sunday, I was stressing over this Daniel Fast, thinking how hard it would be to give up chocolate and especially caffeine and energy drinks.  I woke up Monday telling myself that I could and needed to do it.  I was doing it for my physical and emotional health, plus I was praying for God to take care of my final old bill that was hurting my credit.  This was the last one I had from years ago when I let some things go unpaid and now for the past 3 years I have been fixing my credit.  I was not sure how I was going to get this one paid and thought for sure it would be in payments, which meant more money, more stress, so I did pray that it was good to go.  This morning, I got an unexpected amount of money into my bank account, and it succeeded that amount needed.  I paid that bill off in full, with money left over, PRAISE JESUS...Not to mention the fact this Daniel fast has been a great experience for me, I have not thought of chocolate or caffeine, and no energy drinks have entered into my mind.  I have found these natural juices that I have been drinking and for some reason, my energy level is just been out there...Everyone has noticed that I am more hyper, and WOW, it is natural and I feel so good, right now, already, physically and emotionally.  When this is over, I still plan to continue, of course adding chicken or fish once in a while but I will not go back to junk food...It is too great feeling so good.    PRAISE JESUS....I can not really explain how this is making me feel, really but it is an awesome experience to have my mind so focused and God gave me the strength to do this and it has been easy....

My love to you Pastor Sam and Pastor Angela, and to Sister Debbie. My love to my church family you are awesome

Shannon S Jackson

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