Jesus Changes Everything
By Josh Lombard on August 24th, 2018
More than a week has passed since I was asked to take part in this blog. I have continually asked God to show me what he would like for me to share. Never quite feeling comfortable that I am heading the direction he is sending me. Ephesians 6:19(NLT) “and pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the good news is for Jews and Gentiles alike.’
Let me just share a small tidbit of my testimony. Having grown up in an area where just about everyone was Catholic, I was no stranger to religion. I had been baptized in the Episcopal church as an infant. Beyond that, my immediate family was what I like to call “holiday Christians” showing up for Easter and Christmas services. The only other time I would be at church on a Sunday was if I had slept over a friend’s house the night before.
Fast forward to 2004. By this time, I had married my high school sweetheart, bought a house, and had a great job with all the benefits. I felt like I was on top of the world, having already achieved most of what one dreams of as a child. I never would have expected all of that to come crashing down in an instant. In August of 2004 our lives would forever change as we knew it. After working on a metal roof all day in the midst of a heat wave a group of us went up to a Boston hospital to visit a coworker that had been injured on the job a few days before and was recovering from surgery. After being in the room for a little while my stomach began to feel upset. I walked over to tell Tanya that I was going to step out for some fresh air. I tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention, next thing I knew I was on the ground. I had passed out. I immediately regained consciousness and pushed people out of my way, so I could sit in a nearby chair. Within seconds the nurses had rushed into the room. Apparently, my head made so much noise hitting the floor that they thought the T.V. had fallen off the wall. To make a long story shorter, I woke up 3 days later after being placed in a drug induced coma with a fractured skull. I had lost my sense of smell and the hearing in one ear from all the swelling within my brain. After months of recovery and physical therapy to learn how to walk properly, we decided that a change of scenery was needed, and we put our home up for sale. That’s when we moved down to FL to help take care of my grandmother.
Tanya soon took a job working at Suncoast Christian Academy as the VPK teacher. As a requirement, they asked that she attend church on a weekly basis. Since we were already going to church with my Grandmother every other week, we filled in the other weeks at Suncoast Worship Center. It was during this time that the Lord began to plant different people into our lives. After a few months they began to have a Saturday night service. Tanya and I were asked to assist in the media department for these services. During one of the services they had a missionary from Africa come as a guest speaker. At the end of service, they opened the alter for prayer. I had seen this done many times but never felt compelled to go (it was easy to hide behind the camera I was running). During his closing he asked if anyone needed prayer for a big change/job ect. I had just been offered a job that was going to require me to travel out of state and thought to myself, what do I have to lose?
I waited patiently as he made his way down the line of people. When he got to me, I told him why I had come up to the altar. He removed a prayer cloth from his jacket pocket. He began to pray over me and as soon as he placed the cloth on my head I was immediately overcome by the Holy Spirit and fell to the ground. I had seen this during other services but at the time thought people just did it on purpose. He had the ushers pick me up off the ground and continued to pray. Within seconds I was on the ground again. He had them pick me up again to continue to pray. I soon dropped for a third time, but this time remained on the floor as he prayed over me.
There have been times when I’ve questioned Gods existence. It’s as if He laughs and reminds me, 3 TIMES I put you on the ground. I recently overheard a guest ask if they were supposed to fall down at the end of prayer like the person they were with had. I thought to myself, if God wants you to hit the floor you won’t have a choice!
I pray that everyone has an opportunity to experience the Holy Spirit as I had that day. The Lord continues to prove himself to us on a daily basis for no reason other than to show His love for us. We are all truly blessed to have a heavenly father that cares so very much for us.
There’s definately a great deal to learn about this issue. I like all the points you’ve made.
Hi, I do believe this is a great website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to return yet again since i have saved as a favorite it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and the rest of the site is very good.
Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Many thanks, However I am encountering troubles with your RSS. I don’t understand why I cannot join it. Is there anybody having the same RSS problems? Anyone who knows the answer can you kindly respond? Thanx!!
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this write-up and the rest of the site is also very good.
I blog quite often and I genuinely thank you for your information. This great article has truly peaked my interest. I am going to take a note of your website and keep checking for new information about once a week. I opted in for your RSS feed as well.
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon everyday. It’s always useful to read content from other writers and use a little something from other sites.
It’s difficult to find educated people for this topic, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
You’ve made some decent points there. I looked on the net for additional information about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this site.
Hello! I simply wish to offer you a huge thumbs up for the great info you’ve got right here on this post. I am returning to your website for more soon.
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you ought to write more on this subject, it may not be a taboo matter but typically people don’t discuss such topics. To the next! Many thanks!!
When I originally left a comment I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I recieve four emails with the exact same comment. Is there a means you are able to remove me from that service? Thanks a lot!
I couldn’t resist commenting. Exceptionally well written!
Having read this I thought it was really informative. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this short article together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
That is a good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise info… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read article!
Your style is unique in comparison to other folks I have read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this web site.
Hello there! I simply want to give you a big thumbs up for your excellent information you’ve got here on this post. I’ll be coming back to your blog for more soon.
This site was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something which helped me. Cheers!
There’s certainly a lot to learn about this subject. I like all of the points you’ve made.
I blog often and I genuinely appreciate your information. This great article has truly peaked my interest. I am going to take a note of your blog and keep checking for new information about once a week. I subscribed to your RSS feed as well.
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve visited this web site before but after going through some of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m definitely delighted I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently!
Howdy! This article could not be written much better! Going through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I am going to forward this post to him. Fairly certain he’ll have a very good read. Many thanks for sharing!
This site was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something that helped me. Kudos!
I was very pleased to find this site. I want to to thank you for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it and I have you book-marked to check out new stuff in your web site.
I used to be able to find good info from your blog posts.
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I do think that you should publish more on this subject matter, it may not be a taboo matter but usually folks don’t talk about these topics. To the next! Best wishes!!
Everything is very open with a precise clarification of the issues. It was really informative. Your website is very helpful. Many thanks for sharing!
I was extremely pleased to uncover this website. I wanted to thank you for ones time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely appreciated every bit of it and i also have you book marked to look at new things in your website.
Hey there! I just wish to give you a huge thumbs up for your excellent info you have right here on this post. I am returning to your website for more soon.
You should take part in a contest for one of the finest sites online. I will recommend this blog!
I couldn’t resist commenting. Exceptionally well written!
I love it whenever people come together and share views. Great site, keep it up!
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this web site before but after browsing through a few of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Regardless, I’m certainly pleased I came across it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly!
Very nice blog post. I definitely love this website. Continue the good work!
I needed to thank you for this great read!! I certainly enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve got you bookmarked to look at new things you post…
A fascinating discussion is definitely worth comment. I think that you ought to write more on this subject, it may not be a taboo matter but generally folks don’t speak about such issues. To the next! Many thanks!!
Having read this I thought it was rather informative. I appreciate you spending some time and effort to put this content together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
I want to to thank you for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve got you saved as a favorite to check out new stuff you post…
Right here is the right website for anybody who really wants to understand this topic. You know so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a subject that has been written about for years. Wonderful stuff, just excellent!
You are so awesome! I don’t suppose I’ve truly read something like this before. So good to discover someone with original thoughts on this subject matter. Seriously.. thank you for starting this up. This site is one thing that is needed on the internet, someone with a little originality!
I wanted to thank you for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it. I have got you saved as a favorite to look at new things you post…
Having read this I believed it was really enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and energy to put this short article together. I once again find myself spending way too much time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!
There is certainly a great deal to find out about this subject. I really like all the points you made.
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thank you so much, However I am going through problems with your RSS. I don’t understand the reason why I cannot subscribe to it. Is there anyone else getting similar RSS issues? Anybody who knows the solution will you kindly respond? Thanks!!
You need to take part in a contest for one of the most useful blogs on the net. I am going to recommend this site!
Hey there! I simply want to give you a big thumbs up for your great info you have right here on this post. I will be returning to your site for more soon.
Greetings, I do think your web site could possibly be having internet browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in I.E., it’s got some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other than that, wonderful blog!
It’s difficult to find educated people in this particular topic, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
I need to to thank you for this good read!! I certainly enjoyed every bit of it. I have you book-marked to check out new stuff you post…
Next time I read a blog, I hope that it does not fail me just as much as this one. After all, I know it was my choice to read through, however I actually believed you would have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something that you could fix if you were not too busy looking for attention.
I need to to thank you for this very good read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it. I have you book marked to check out new stuff you post…
I’m impressed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is an issue that too few people are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy I came across this in my hunt for something relating to this.
Very nice blog post. I absolutely love this site. Continue the good work!
Hello there! I simply want to give you a big thumbs up for the great information you have right here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
You should be a part of a contest for one of the finest blogs on the net. I most certainly will highly recommend this web site!
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this article and the rest of the website is also very good.
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Well written!
You’ve made some decent points there. I looked on the internet for additional information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this site.