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| Featured Story: Is God Yoo-Hooing You Too? | ||
Is God Yoo-Hooing You Too? Shelly Miller Lark Fiore is proof that no matter how distorted a life becomes when living outside of God’s will, the distance one strays is never beyond His loving redemption. Raised as the daughter of a Southern Baptist minister, Lark lived a sheltered existence, her view of life confined to the religious atmosphere created by her father’s vocation. Though his short tenure as a missionary to Africa brought exposure to cultural differences, she found herself mostly surrounded by people whose lifestyles matched those of her family. Perception of life was shattered, when as a young girl, she witnessed racial prejudice from parishioners toward an African minister visiting their church in the early 1960’s. “They wouldn’t let him in because he was black,” says Lark, “and that deeply affected me.” Suffering grave disappointment in such prejudice displayed among “God’s people,” she became estranged from the church. Driven by repressed anger, she sought relationships with people typified by troubled behavior. “I was so angry as a teenager that I found kindred spirits in rebellious people. I began to be characterized by being in turmoil,” Lark explained. Rebellion against God led to years of alcoholism, sexual promiscuity, drug use and multiple divorces. Though her outward life was in decay, a consciousness of God’s presence was never far away. “He would not let me go,” said Lark, “no matter how far down I got.” Acknowledging who she had become, Lark surrendered her life to Christ in the quiet of her bedroom. “I had completely lost my sense of humor which was a screaming alarm that I was desperate.” A journey through spiritual, mental and physical recovery would follow Lark’s submission to God, and it took a long time before she began experimenting with church again. A spiritual expedition landed her in a Pentecostal church where she felt comfortable until God revealed unhealthy teaching by some of the leadership. Later, a friend extended an invitation to attend a “Call to Discipleship” class hosted by All Saints Anglican in Morehead City, NC. “I was hesitant to go,” said Lark. “I knew the church was formerly Episcopal, and my previous experience found that denomination to be too stylized for my personality. I was stunned to find the people warm and hospitable, with evidence of the Holy Spirit at work.” A warm and accepting encounter with one of the pastors, John Grayson, brought peace to her as he shared his own testimony of encounters with the Holy Spirit balanced with the liturgy. She started attending church regularly, feeling at home at All Saints. Profound transformation came for Lark when she attended a prayer seminar at All Saints, with guest speaker the Rev. David Saunders and his wife Linn. “Until then, I had an unbalanced view of prophecy and other gifts of the Spirit, and the practical teaching of the Saunders made me feel like it was as normal as eating corn flakes,” she described. On Sunday, after spending the weekend saturated in prayer and Bible teaching, she pulled into the church parking lot feeling that something was amiss. Then the revelation came – she was no longer carrying the shame and guilt of her past because God had healed her. “It was like I was Rumpelstilskin. I suddenly woke up from being asleep all those years.” With a second chance at life, Lark is flourishing in the gifts God has given her, leading intercession at All Saints and finding myriads of ways to express herself in service to Him. “All I know is that God has been “yoo-hooing” to me for a long time! Now I can say with unreserved sincerity, that you can be fully healed and completely released from bondage.”
Testimonials from Journey to Wholeness in Christ Conference Lives were dramatically changed through the healing ministry of the Rev. Conlee Bodishbaugh and wife Signa at the Journey to Wholeness in Christ conference held at New Covenant Anglican Church in Winter Springs, FL the last weekend in February, 2008. Approximately two hundred and fifty people attended the conference representing states from across the country. Conlee, Rector of Christ Anglican Church in Mobile, AL and Signa, author of two books; The Journey to Wholeness in Christ and Illusions of Intimacy, have been married 45 years with three sons and seven grandchildren. Together, they have been leading Journey conferences nationally and internationally since 1992 and are ignited with a passion for His ministry of wholeness. Through worship, Biblical teaching, testimonies and healing prayer the conference provides an opportunity to step out of everyday routine and receive healing, restoration and refreshment. The following testimonials tell the story of how God uses the Journey to impact lives.
First time attendee of the Journey conference, Sue Kranz, has attended New Covenant Anglican for two and half years and is a member of the worship team. “A major theme throughout my life has been God putting the pieces of my past back together, restoring what the locusts have eaten. I am 48 now and my healing journey started 16 years ago when God revealed unhealthiness in my family of origin. Though my parents were church-going people, they were very legalistic and lived with secret sins involving sexual perversion and abuse that I found out about later as an adult.” “Signa Boodishbaugh prayed a specific prayer for healing of memories, and as she was praying I saw, in my mind, an image of myself in the pre-natal stage of my Mother’s womb. My Mom was counseled while pregnant with me to have an abortion, and I appreciate knowing that she chose to protect me. Then, as if there were a giant microscope on myself in the womb I saw that every cell of my mother’s body was saturated with shame. I realized through the vision that God was showing me that I was birthed into that shame and it covered every part of me as well.” “Several years ago I became separated and later divorced from my husband; two years later we remarried. Now I can look back and make sense of why I responded to things the way I did. I can let go and walk in freedom. I continue to have less and less fear about revealing myself to other people, sharing my story without shame because God is washing it all away as I go through the healing process.” “I remember that when I first attended a healing conference like the Journey, I was afraid that God would expose something I could not handle. I realize now that the way He works in our lives is so gentle, He would never do anything to hurt us.”
“The first time we attended New Covenant we knew we were home. The worship and liturgy and the meaning in them really spoke to us.” “When my wife and I made the decision to attend the Journey conference, we were both at a spiritual low as well as drained from having a new baby, lack of sleep and the stress of struggling to find enough work to support the family. God used the conference to bring up issues rooted in the past for both of us, recognizing that they were affecting our reactions to each other in the present.” “The topic shared at the Journey that impacted us most was misogyny, a cycle that has affected our families for generations. We recognized that our wrong perception about male and female roles based on societal pressures was the root of tensions between us.” “Attending the conference has made a monumental impact on our marriage and given me renewed energy both spiritually and practically. As a Christian counselor, I have been inspired to go deeper into spiritual healing with my clients, using the spiritual gifts He has given me to help others.”
“My wife and I decided to make a change in where we were going to church when I heard about the Anglican Mission and their desire to maintain Biblical integrity. We value being able to serve in the context of community, enjoy the freedom expressed in worship and the ability for men and women to play integral roles in the service at New Covenant Oviedo.” Experiencing the Journey for the first time, the Lord surprised him in powerful ways. “I have walked through a difficult season of life and God answered my prayer for the gift of brokenness over sin in my life to be expressed in a tangible way. He gave me clarity about my own sinfulness and His great mercy and compassion.” “Conlee and Signa, as well as their prayer team, always pointed me to the cross and away from myself to receive forgiveness and pardon.
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