Healed & Transformed
Jesus walked this earth working many miracles of physical healing. We love to hear a modern story of God doing just that, but often we forget that some of Jesus’ greatest miracles were those when He healed in a non-physical way. Are we aware of and praising God for the healing He brings in our lives, both physical and non-physical?
Tony Campolo tells a story about being in a church in Oregon where he was asked to pray for a man who had cancer. Campolo prayed boldly for the man’s healing. The next week, he got a telephone call from the man’s wife. She said, “You prayed for my husband. He had cancer.” When he heard her use the past tense verb, Campolo thought that his cancer had been eradicated! But before he could think much about it she said, “He died.”
Campolo felt terrible. But she continued, “Don’t feel bad. When he came into that church that Sunday he was filled with anger. He knew he was going to be dead in a short period of time, and he hated God. He was 58 years old, and he wanted to see his children and grandchildren grow up. He was angry that this all-powerful God didn’t take away his sickness and heal him. He would lie in bed and curse God. The more his anger grew towards God, the more miserable he was to everybody around him. It was an awful thing to be in his presence.”
But the lady told Campolo, “After you prayed for him, a peace had come over him and a joy had come into him. Tony, the last three days have been the best days of our lives. We’ve sung. We’ve laughed. We’ve read Scripture. We prayed. Oh, they’ve been wonderful days. And I called to thank you for laying your hands on him and praying for healing.”
And then she said something incredibly profound. She said, “He wasn’t cured, but he was healed.”
Romans 12:2 Says “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” I believe that one of the miracles that God seeks to do in our life is a transformation of the way we think!
Every one of us carries preconceived biases and mindsets that are not true. All mindsets that don’t line up with the heart of God need the touch of God’s healing and transforming power. Sometimes we don’t recognize wrong mindsets because they were passed on to us from generation to generation.
Other times we have developed a process of thinking that isn’t correct because of what life’s experiences have thrown at us. Every day we make choices that can start to affect the way we think in both a positive or a negative way. What are areas where God might want to heal and transform your mind?
It is my heart that Loaves & Fishes could be a tool for God to continue to heal and transform minds. We live in a world with so much brokenness. This directly affects the way our human mind thinks. How we need to hear from God! How we need to allow Him to transform and heal our minds!
—Bryan Weaver, Executive Board, Secretary
Magazine Update
We were delighted to be able to ship Loaves & Fishes issue 48 on schedule, thanks to your generous support. On Saturday, March 11, a group of volunteers from Garbers Mennonite Church in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, helped our local staff prepare the shipment.
Our circulation for this issue was 81,418, including 79,116 bulk subscriptions and 2,302 single copies. We ordered 91,000 total copies for additional inventory. The printing cost was $25,132.57 and the shipping cost was $8,675.00. Including design and editing, the total cost for this project was around $36,500.
Each of our magazine issues represents a significant effort by many people, supported by the financial gifts of many donors. And this is only the beginning! Once the issue is published and shipped, our distributors receive the magazines and put them in the hands of those we are hoping to serve. May God richly bless each of you who are a part of this ministry.
The theme for Issue 49 is Repentance and Renewal, the next in the series of major Bible doctrines we are following. We plan to discuss topics of new life, confession, forgiveness, daily commitment, and faithfulness. The content is largely prepared at this point, and we hope to have the next issue ready to ship by July as the Lord provides.
—Mike Fisher, Manager of Operations
Reader Responses
“Your publication was a wonderful gift to me. Its contents are filled with hope and encouragement for a population mostly forgotten by family and the outside world.
“I was introduced to your magazine in 2014 while incarcerated. Thank you.”
—Theresa Musselwhite-Myers, Hartwell, GA
Distributor Responses
“Many refer to the devotionals and talk about them to me. It is obvious they are reading them.”
—Chaplain Dennis Dibert, Bedford, PA
“Thank you for your generous donation of Loaves & Fishes issue 48. Your ministry is a valuable tool for helping these men to cope with the situations that the prison environment brings.”
—Chaplain W. Gerhart, Okeechobee, FL
