Student Invitation

Our visit to Washington, DC for the Awake East Coast conference was nothing short of spectacular.  Being around like-hearted believers stirs us to see even greater than we’ve seen before.  Hebrews 10:24 says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Being around wild believers who are passionate about seeing their college campuses transformed is fuel to the fire – spurring us toward love and good deeds.  Some believe these verses are meant to encourage us to have better behavior and stop being so rowdy.  When I reflect on the friendships I’ve had with believers who live to experience all God has called them to do and receive all that He has done, our conversations were dominated with testimonies, our lives flooded with miracles, and our time spent together was ministering to the sick and downtrodden.  Our very nature became supernatural because we constantly spurred one another towards love and good deeds. Good deeds/God's power without love are like a train without tracks.

During our time in DC, students from multiple campuses were planning what they could do to effectively see their campuses transformed. We were once students and experienced a movement on our campus.  We've worn a lot of hats.  So we asked ourselves, what do we love to do and how can we be an instrument of creative inspiration, reinforcement, encouragement, and sustainability with college students hungry for revival?  After much prayer and discussion, we arrived at the Mountaintop Experience.

It’s our desire to host students from college campuses around the nation and give them the opportunity to receive coaching, training and equipping in the beautiful environment of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Boone, NC.  We want to give students the opportunity to practice what they've learned and give them the experience they need to see God's power released on their campus.  You can't beat the setting and the family atmosphere.  If you are a college student, know a college student, or are about to become a college student, learn more, spread the word, and register to join us for one of the many weekends available.

We’ll see you on the mountain!

-Jonathan & Keeli Fawcett

Brink Fire Recovery

Rich and Linda Brink are good friends.  They are selfless, dedicated, joyful, and loving.  We love Rich and Linda like family.  We met them in Boston in 2011 at the Closer Conference for Ivy League students.  They have shown us continual love, support, and encouragement.  In 2012, Rich visited Boone, NC and ministered at the Fall In Love retreat we hosted and ministered to students and staff at Appalachian State University.  In April 2013, we visited their new home in Harrisburg, PA and experienced their outstanding hospitality.  After living in Maine for 40 years, they moved to Pennsylvania to help launch Global Celebration School of Supernatural Ministry.  It was an act of obedience to the Lord.  Their heart truly is for the kingdom of God. The Brink home received serious damage from a fire that began at the house next to them.  Their third floor is totally destroyed.  Their second floor was also severely affected.  Thankfully, everyone is safe.  Read the official story on ABC27.com and watch the news footage here:abc27 WHTM.

We have never once heard Rich or Linda ask for anything.  We have, however, seen their heart of service and generosity.  Now, it's time to give back.  Click on any of the images in this post to donate and support Rich and Linda in their recovery.  We love them dearly and desire to see them blessed beyond measure.    Please pray and give generously as you feel led.  Thank you.

Crumbs From the Table

"Jonathan! You've got to pray for Phoebe! She can't walk. Can you visit my office to pray for Phoebe?" Obviously, my first question: who is Phoebe? This poor, old woman must be in so much pain, frustration, and depressed. Well, maybe... if Phoebe was a woman. Phoebe just so happened to be this man's dog. This friend runs a local golf business and told me Phoebe would be waiting in his office. I agreed to pray for his pup. He told me he would not be there at the time I was available but to go on in and pray for Phoebe's healing.

I pulled into the parking lot and walked through the door to be greeted by the employees who were also college students. I felt embarrassed by what I was about to say. "I'm here to see Phoebe." Obviously, I was no veterinarian. They pointed the way to my friend's office. Phoebe was there next to the desk. Lying down with a funny contraption (perhaps a dog diaper?) around her two hind legs. I didn't want to close the door but I also didn't want to pray too loud. So I just started petting Phoebe's head and began (silently) speaking affectionately the way many humans do to their dogs.

I prayed over that dog, hoping none of the college students would hear me. I told Phoebe that we have been reconciled back to Father God and back to the garden where mankind had dominion over animals. If we expect to see people healed, we better believe for animals to be healed too.

I stood up and began walking out. Phoebe tagged behind me towards the door. "No Phoebe. You must stay in the office." After my rebuke to this elderly dog, I quickly returned to my car and drove off. Moments later, I received a phone call.

"Jonathan! Phoebe is walking! It worked!" I inquired further to discover that I had totally ignored the fact that this crippled dog was walking. It tried to follow me out the office door and I, in an attempt to spare further embarrassment of being compared to a spiritual dog whisperer, neglected to celebrate a miracle. Sickness and pain is such a disgusting, abominable thing to the Lord that He was even willing to heal the dog. You are not a dog. You are a child of God. How much more will He do for you?

Phoebe lived another year and a half after she was healed. If a dog can experience the tangible healing power of Jesus Christ, shouldn't everyone?

-Jonathan Fawcett

It's Been a Long Time... Then Texas

It has been a few weeks since the last blog post and I apologize for the delay.  Among other things, I was sent to Austin, TX for ten days in response to the floods that affected the community.  I was sent to train volunteers on a new computer system that the organization I work for launched and, before that, I was beta testing, training, and creating training materials for those involved.  But here we are. While in Texas, I was up before 6:30am and down after 11pm.  I shared a room with a fellow employee in a Sunday school room at the Baptist church that opened its doors to us.  During a disaster response deployment, one meets the most selfless people on the planet.  They take vacation time and travel (on their own dime) to volunteer in the country’s most devastated areas.  Floods, wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes… They prepare the way for these compassionate volunteers who are there for one main reason: to show people the love of Jesus Christ by cleaning up their home.  There is something to be learned by them.  Having worked for the organization for three years, this was my first deployment to a disaster.  Although I never enjoy leaving Anneli and Keeli behind, I gained perspective I otherwise would not have.

A camera lens cannot capture the smell, the feel, and the enveloping sensation of being at ground zero like being there can.  Each homeowner helped receives a Bible signed by the volunteers.  I was given the honor of presenting the Bible to the Austin family.  They were on their honeymoon when the floods happened and returned to see the first floor of their home destroyed.  They had been married for ten days when I first met them.  I was also given the opportunity to lead devotions for the volunteers.  The day before I left, one of the church members let me pray for his shoulder.  After we prayed, I asked him how his shoulder felt.  He said it felt great and that he couldn’t hold his arms out like he now could before we prayed.

In my absence from North Carolina, Keeli gathered with believers from UNC-Wilmington and Appalachian State University.  Our desire is to know the hungry, the passionate, the laid down lovers of Jesus.  The following Tuesday, we met at a house near campus where these students worshipped, prayed, and ministered to one another.  Keeli led the students in a prayer to receive the baptism of fire.  I love testimonies of the Lord’s power but I am anticipating greater than we have ever seen.

We often wondered why we didn’t feel the unction to reinstate Something More School of Ministry this year.  Now, we know why.  If we had, we wouldn’t have encountered these students who gather weekly the same night the school would have met.  Pray for these students.  They realize the campus, the community, and their classrooms are mission fields ripe for receiving the love of Jesus.

Jonathan Fawcett 

Flat Feet

One of the most memorable miracles I saw occurred twice.  Once, when Keeli was in graduate school at Lee University, I continued hosting Holy Spirit Parties.  But instead of hosting them in apartments, we were holding them in dorm lobbies.  We saw people come and go in those days and never see them until years later.  Normally, people would come, receive teaching from the Bible about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, receive it, and continue with life.  Many of them, when we're reunited, have been instrumental in advancing the kingdom of God.  Maybe they didn't come to meetings we hosted, but they held fellowship with other believers, encouraged many whom we didn't know, and had a great impact.  This was always an encouragement to see these believers steadfast in their faith. During these dorm lobby Holy Spirit Parties, Keeli's father, Kermit, would attend and help lead.  A friend of ours was a runner.  She was a rigorous trainer, ran for miles, and is, to this day, an expert in staying healthy, fit, and strong.  She did, however, have flat feet.  I remember Kermit slapping the soles of her feet while commanding arches to form.  For whatever reason, that night, she only received one arch.  We couldn't figure out why she didn't get a second arch that night but were thankful and excited that the Lord did something fun in front of our eyes.  Perhaps the Lord does things in a way that prevents us from making our own formulas for how He works.  I don't want to be presumptuous, but I believe her second arch came later.

Fast forward a few years later.  Immersion Church was in full swing.  A friend of ours who attended Immersion brought to our attention that she was also flat footed.  She had received healing for a couple of other major things... but I'll blog about that later.  Once again, Kermit commanded arches to form and, sure enough, arches formed in front of our very eyes.

Before our friends received arches, they were doing fine.  Why did Jesus decide to give them arches in the middle of college?  Because their is no limit to His goodness.  There is no limit to how much He wants to do for us and for others.  If we could grasp the revelation of the pleasure that Jesus has in us, we would never doubt His intentions to bless at every turn.

Jonathan Fawcett

Wrecked

Revelation 19:10 states that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.  In my experience, the testimony of what Jesus has done is sure to happen again and again and again because He is unchanging.  On April 19, 2007 (long before Keeli and I were even dating), she hosted a Holy Spirit party in her apartment.  Students were getting healed of stuff all night long.

Our friend Katie was praying for Hannah, a friend with a touch of scoliosis (curved spine).  Hannah laid face down on the floor as Katie prayed over her back while running her fingers down Hannah’s spine.  As Katie prayed, Hannah’s vertebrate began shifting into alignment.  Katie felt the bones move into place.

A couple of years later, I met a student named Margo.  She used to train horses in Georgia until she was in a car accident that happened two years prior to our meeting.  The car accident was so bad, she had to be rescued from the vehicle with the jaws of life.  In fact, a tire had actually impacted her back, leaving her spine curved.  She walked bent over with her neck stretching out.  When she shared the story, I couldn’t help but remember our friend Hannah who, at one time, had a curved spine.

As I retold Hannah’s testimony, without flinching, Margo insisted we pray for her.  Her unrestrained desire for healing was an action of faith.  First, I sat her down in a chair and we measured the length of her legs.  One leg was shorter so I commanded the leg to grow in the name of Jesus.  As I held her feet in my hands, her leg began pushing against me (I tend to push back to show that I’m not pulling, twisting, or altering her legs).  Her legs were even but her back was still bent.

I asked Margo to lay face down on the floor.  There was a group of approximately ten students that were also there.  Everyone laid hands on her back.  I stood off from the crowd and prayed in the Spirit.  The crowd of students began softening their prayers.  I shouted, “Pray in the Spirit!” Everyone began praying in tongues.

Let me digress for a moment.  Now this is the part where some would stop reading or even begin accusing me of risking a great opportunity by frightening Margo as a group of unknown students pray audibly in tongues.  I stand on the Word of God, believing that every good and perfect gift is from God, including the gift of tongues which has a plethora of benefits.  An interpretation of tongues is not limited to a translation but can be a manifestation of another gift.  If I am speaking mysteries but praying the perfect will of God with the Holy Spirit, I am building myself up in my most holy faith, stirring the gifts, and activating an intimate dialogue in the language of heaven, bringing impossibilities to its knees.  It stirs, strengthens, and edifies.  Jesus included this in the ministry of the believer in Mark 16 and each time people were praying or speaking in tongues, marvelous wonders followed.  As Paul said in I Corinthians 14:19, “But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.” But I pushed the envelope.  I used six intelligible words:

“Jesus!  You’re here!  Heal her!”

I slapped my hand on her back as the others continued to pray in the Spirit.  Sound intense?  Just wait!  All of us begin to feel her back muscles move.  Each vertebrate began to shift in its appropriate place.  Everyone was wide-eyed and began laughing.  In His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).  In His presence, there is healing.  Margo just stayed on the ground.  She just stayed relaxed and received.  When her muscles and bones stopped moving, she stood up.  She was taller, straighter, and had a much better posture.

She took off the ring from her finger and said, “This was the ring I was wearing during the wreck.  I want to throw it away.  I don’t want to hold on to any part of that wreck.” She flushed it down the toilet.  Then, we prayed for her to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  She wanted everything Jesus had for her!

She later told me about her visit to her message therapist (who, by the way, she told me was an atheist).  As soon as the message therapist saw Margo, she said, “What happened to you?” Margo shared the Gospel with her and the testimony of how Jesus healed her back.  Margo finished that semester at Appalachian State then moved back to Georgia to train horses.  She was finally able to do what she loved again.

Jonathan Fawcett

Disciple or Convert

In 2006, I not only met my wife, but I met her father, Kermit.  Kermit, to this day, is one of the boldest men I have ever met.  He preaches straight up grace, heals the sick, casts out devils, prophecies what he hears the Lord speak, and is an outpouring of constant revelation.  Every week, Kermit calls me after ministering at a local prison.  Each time, I hear about men believing in Jesus Christ because of the power of the Holy Spirit.  Cancers are dissolving, Hepatitis is disappearing, broken bones are being restored and new hearts begin beating in these men’s chests.  I dare say that to see miracles in a church meeting, one has to be arrested!  Kermit has been steady, obedient, and ever increasing in his boldness to see lives transformed for God’s glory.  I wanted to do the same.  Here is my question: Are you a convert or a disciple?  When I met Kermit, I became a disciple.

A disciple does not idolize the person who teaches them.  They make themselves available to learn from someone who has experience.  Don’t subject yourself to being a disciple of someone who is depressed, inconsistent, double minded, or doesn’t read and believe the Word of God through the lens of New Covenant grace.

Sometimes, discipleship will leave you in moments of shock.  If your way of thinking doesn’t change for your betterment, then you may want someone else to teach you.  I remember when Kermit sat across the table from me and said, “I don’t ask forgiveness for sins.” My jaw probably hit the table.  I was in shock.  You may even be shouting at the computer screen, “Heresy!”

We have been conditioned to believe that forgiveness is obtained by confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness.  If this is true, then why did Jesus never mention it?  Why did Paul never mention it?  I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” What you may not have known is that I John 1 was written to a sect known as the Gnostics.  This was a group that infiltrated the early church and was corrupted by believing that Jesus did not come in the flesh and therefore did not believe there was a need to be forgiven of sins.  (To watch a great teaching on Gnosticism and how it continues to infiltrate the church, click here.)  When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He was praying an Old Covenant prayer.

At the cross, we were saved by grace.  We were forgiven when He was on that cross.  Asking for forgiveness does not accomplish something that was not already taken care of.  Our transgressions are separated from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and our iniquities were thrown to the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).  Romans 6:11 (AMP) says, “Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.” As Romans 8:1 (AMP) states, “Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit.”

The statement that Kermit made, as contrary as it is to mainstream American church teaching, actually aligns with the Word of God.  Praise God for people who can read God’s Word with understanding through the lens of grace without compromising the finished work of the cross!

My challenge to you: If you have not been personally discipled by someone who is seasoned and experienced in the glory of God (hint: just because a person has been ordained and has a theological degree (or as my friend calls it: being "hermaneutered”), does not qualify one as a believer or expert in moving in the power of the Spirit.  Get with someone who is intimate with Jesus, hears His voice, demonstrates His power on a regular basis, reveals Christ, dreams big, and lives victoriously in the glory, for His glory, operating from the glory.  For me, Kermit was and is that person.  He has been a coach who has been patient with me as I went through seasons of striving, shadow boxing warfare, and silly attempts of trying to accomplish something Jesus already did.  He stirs me with testimonies and encourages me to do the same.  He has never neglected to recognize the call of God on my life.  Because of his investment in me, I have fallen more in love with Jesus as I continually gain an understanding of what Christ has accomplished for the entire world.

Jonathan Fawcett

Cure to Cancer

Cancer.  The word quickens fear in the hearts of many – including many believers.  I, with the rest of the world, abhor cancer.  I also know that cancer is a multi-billion dollar industry and business is good.  The mainstream treatments aren’t necessarily the best.  There are many alternative ways to treat cancer.  Did you know that Dr. Otto Warburg discovered a way to prevent and cure cancer in 1931 and received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts?  Not many do.  The only option people believe exists is chemo, radiation, etc.  I encourage you to read more about Dr. Warburg’s discovery and spread the word to those affected by cancer.  You can read more about his findings here. Jesus is not a solution.  He is the solution.  In the beginning, God created.  He is infinite in power and infinite in creativity.  What kind of God would He be if he had all power but no creativity in how to use it?  What if He had all creativity, infinite ideas, and solutions for everything but no power to make those things happen?  The inspiration that leads to discoveries like Dr. Warburg’s cancer cure is not by accident.  Jesus is the source of all creativity.  All mankind is made in the image of God.  God, being a creator, made us to be like Him: creators, inventors, innovators, discoverers of solutions.

So many say, “I’m not creative,” simply because they are not an artist, musician, performer, or writer.  Dr. Otto Warburg didn’t win a Grammy, Academy Award, or Golden Globe.  He won the Nobel Peace Prize for discovering a solution.  Creativity is inspired from the Creator.  Solutions are born of the Source.  Whether you are a chemist or painter, physicist or conductor of the philharmonic, mathematician or musician, rocket scientist or screenwriter, you are a creative being.

Before your loved ones with cancer make the decision for chemo, radiation, or even a simple diet change, pray.  One of our best friends, Aaron, gave me a call one day as I drove home from work.  His neighborhood friend, Crystal, had been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Surgeons were going to have to remove her breast.  She was 31 years old at the time of her diagnosis.  Aaron called so we could agree and pray together for her healing.

A week passed and I didn’t give Crystal a second thought.  Then Aaron called.  I’ll never forget the elation in his voice.  All cancer was gone.  The surgery was cancelled.  To this day, I never met Crystal.  But I will always remember how God healed someone I never met, never prayed with, and wasn’t in close proximity to.  It reminds me of the account from Matthew 8:5-13 (NLT).

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He healed all because good health was, is, and will forever be God’s will.  Now, He wants to use you to accomplish His will on the earth.

Jonathan Fawcett

Bathroom Breakthrough: Puppets Can't Subdue Tyranny... You Can

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKyU17b4DbQ&w=640&h=360] There is a term that is used loosely and innocently by many in the church.  The intentions of this phrase is good but it slightly misrepresents the truth of who God is, who we are, and the state of the world.  In fact, most believers, at some point in their life are guilty of saying it at some point or another.  It is a phrase used to bring comfort and assists in the justification of why bad things happen.  However, one must understand that God's will is not everything that happens and everything that happens is not God's will.  The phrase I am referring to is: God is in control.

When God made Adam and Eve, He did not create puppets.  God is not a puppet on a string.  Therefore, He could not truly create anyone in His image if they were under control.  Instead, He gave dominion to mankind (Genesis 1:26-28).  Psalms 115:16 states that the heavens belong to the Lord but the earth He has given to man.  But we do not have control over the earth.  We simply have what Jesus gave: authority.

There is a major difference between authority and control.  If God is in control, why is there racism?  Why is there war or terror?  Why is there murder and rape?  Why is there human trafficking?  Why are there natural disasters wiping out entire cities?  Why is anybody sick?  God is either in control and mad, or we are co-heirs and seated in heavenly realms with Him operating in His authority, and He is madly in love with the entire world.

I Timothy 2:4 and II Peter 3:9 tell us that it is God's will that all be saved and come to the knowledge of salvation.  The entire world was chosen, elected, and predestined to be in Christ.  However, we know that many reject His love and the knowledge of His salvation.  It still does not remove their inclusion in the finished work of the cross or mean that they were chosen by God not to be saved.  It just means they simply choose to reject.

When we walk in the authority of Christ, sickness becomes extinct, solutions come easy, divine inspiration and creativity change nations for good, poverty becomes a thing of the past, the hungry are fed, the lonely are loved, and the orphans and widows are taken good care of.  Heaven on earth is a utopia.  We can know God's will when we look at Jesus.  We can see what isn't God's will when we look at the absence of His authority.  But now, there is no absence of authority for the believer whose goal is God's kingdom on earth.

Jonathan Fawcett

Bathroom Breakthrough: I Like Big Buts

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY3ZGckmtt8]That's right!  Big buts!  When millions stop short with I Corinthians 2:9, Paul was bold enough in verse 10 to say, "But God".  That is a very big but and utterly destroys every excuse for not understanding the mysteries of God.  Jesus has revealed the mysteries of the universe by His Holy Spirit.  The beauty in hearing God's voice is that it requires us to be teachable.  It took time for me to arrive to the realization that Christ already accomplished what I was trying to in my own efforts.  To quote two statuses from this past week's Facebook activity:

"Who is guilty of using the phrase "standing in the gap"? I'm raising my hand. NEWSFLASH: There is no gap! Jesus is closer to you than you are to you. Gap: closed. Old Covenant vernacular: over. When we remain teachable, the Good News continues to get better and better because we can look back on the silly things we once believed and be glad that Jesus didn't keep a secret. Only people can take the upfront truth of God's grace and twist it to require more of our effort. With that said, if we continue to believe in our striving, the only gap remaining is the one between our ears and the one where our teeth get knocked out by the self-inflicted beating that accompanies religion."

And...

"Repent of your constant repentance! Even though the platform of some ministries is to get people to repent, the question is- of what?! The word "repent" means to change your mind. When you received the mind of Christ, your days of crying out in repentance were over!"

In other words, because of your union with Christ, you now have the mind of Christ.  His thoughts have become your thoughts and His ways have become your ways.  The mind of Christ does not need to be changed.  We are continually being made in the image of God.  We already are!  Your moments of denial are just the nature of the old, dead, zombie - the person you once were who was co-crucified, co-buried, and c0-raised.  You deserved hell and death.  But God... He made you a new creature - one that can never be separated from Him.  That old, sick, crippled zombie stayed buried.  The new you was raised in perfect union with Christ.

Don't let repentance and ritualistic religion (no matter how charismatic it might seem) keep you from experiencing the freedom of the rest that accompanies His grace.

Jonathan Fawcett

Hookah and Slackline

Two days prior to writing this blog, Something More School of Ministry went on a treasure hunt.  As we walked the campus, we stumbled upon a group of five guys taking turns smoking hookah and walking a slackline (think of a tightrope tied between two trees that hangs three feet off the ground).  Leanne, one of the SMSOM students approached these guys asking about their slackline and hookah.  After introducing herself, she related to them like a mother, striking up a conversation, asking about their majors, where they were from, and their interests. They asked Leanne if she wanted to walk the slackline.  I began encouraging her to give it a try.  Keeli (who must have been preoccupied with Anneli) did not hear them ask Leanne if she wanted to walk the slackline and, instead, thought they offered her to smoke hookah.  This gave Keeli reason to believed I was encouraging Leanne to smoke up!  I couldn’t figure out what the big deal was.  It was a total Three’s Company scenario – a complete misunderstanding and gap in communication that left us laughing when we finally got on the same page.

Leanne began telling the group of guys about the love of God and how He had an amazing plan for each of them.  With all eyes fixed on Leanne, they listened intently.  One guy spoke up and thanked us for not shouting at them and calling them pagans like the hellfire preacher does when he comes on campus.  Leanne’s response was inspired by the Holy Spirit:

“We just need to pray that he [the hellfire preacher] experiences the love of God too.”

Leanne’s words left everyone stunned.  They began nodding in agreement.  The young men started to see how limitless the Father’s love was for all people – even those who have a tendency to do us wrong – and how compassion doesn’t cut down someone many would consider a confused, misled enemy in disagreement.

Leanne asked if she could pray for them.  She and I sat in the circle around the hookah as she began to pray the most encouraging prayer for their futures, their spouses and families, and gave thanks for the great plans that Jesus has for them.  They lifted their heads and began thanking Leanne.  One of the guys hugged Leanne and asked if he could be sent one of the photos (below) to show his mother.  These students were blessed by the encounter but it blessed us to see the Holy Spirit pour out love and grace through Leanne.

As we left, Leanne said, “I’m excited for their future because God is excited for their future.”

Jonathan Fawcett

World Cup

Keeli, Anneli and I embarked on an amazing treasure hunt Sunday, April 7, 2013.  Watch the video to hear about the powerful encounter we had.  SPOILER ALERT: There is a world cup tournament competitor involved.  But for which sport?  Click to find out: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ9hdMLyVbo?rel=0]

Jonathan Fawcett

Pigeon Toed

Is there something that you have dealt with your entire life?  Is it hard for you to believe for your own healing?  Jesus asked people, “Do you want to be well?” The answer seems obvious but many identify with their own oppression, handicap, or sickness.  Whether you were born this way or recently diagnosed, God wants you well! I was a normal kid growing up.  I played sports as a youth and thought I was going to the Major Leagues or NBA.  However, I wasn’t that good.  I was tall for my class but I lacked the speed necessary to be of any significant value to a team.  My major setback: I was born pigeon toed.

I didn’t think much of it except when I tripped over my own two feet.  When I did, it was embarrassing, especially when another classmate pointed out that I “walked funny”.  So I just ignored it and lived to deal with it.  I wore insoles for my shoes that helped “correct” my walk.  I certainly didn't lose sleep over it.

I was raised in a home unaware of the availability of Jesus’ healing power to move in and through believers.  We went to church but it was pretty boring compared to what I see and experience now.  I never saw miracles, healing, signs or wonders.  I never heard a prophetic word or someone speak in tongues until I was a junior in high school.  Being saved was all there was.  Heaven was something we waited for, never something we bring to earth.  God's will was more of a guessing game rather than being realized through a relationship with Him.  Being raised in a church like this, I never had anyone in my life that was baptized and anointed with the Holy Spirit to pray for healing.  I, being ignorant of the power for God to heal today, never sought this kind of help from a believer.

When I finally learned what was available through the finished work of the cross (beyond the forgiveness of sin), I felt robbed.  I felt robbed that I had no teaching growing up about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  I was clueless.  It wasn’t my parents’ fault.  They were clueless too.  Nobody had ever taught them either.  When I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, a passion was stirred to make sure others who wanted everything God had for them were not robbed any longer like I was.  Ever since, the power of the Holy Spirit has wrecked me.  Now, I want it to wreck my generation, the next generation, and every generation to follow.  Our influence isn’t limited to our generation.  Our mission is to affect nations and generations.

By this time, I have seen many people healed.  But I never received healing for my pigeon toed self.  One morning, at Destiny Church in Spruce Pine, NC, my friend Aaron was healed of the opposite problem I had.  Rather than having feet that turned in, his feet turned out.  Our friend Richard spoke a healing word over Aaron and his feet began to straighten out.  Later that night at Immersion on Appalachian State’s campus, I heard the testimony.  If it happened to Aaron, I wanted healing too!  God is not a God of favorites – He loves us all equally!

I asked Richard to speak a healing word over me and I began to feel my feet turn out with sensations moving all the way up to my knees.  I stood up, moved around, began to walk, and my walk turned into a run as I thanked Jesus while getting used to my “new feet”.

The Lord wants your lost years restored.  He wants you stirred to believe for your own miracle, healing, and breakthrough.  Don’t be robbed another second.  Receive the fullness of His love now!

Jonathan Fawcett

Jesus the Matchmaker

Springtime means one thing for many couples… It's time to plan a wedding.  What happens if all the details don't fall into place?  What if the pieces don't fall into place where you want them to?  Maybe Plan B was God's original intention.  I want to share with you how God works all things together for good. One of my best friends (also named Jonathan) was getting married to his fiancée, Nikki. Jonathan was a roommate in college.  I wish I kept a book of quotes because every word out of his mouth has the power to drive away boredom and the blues.  I've never laughed so hard as I did with Jonathan.  We continually discover that Nikki is a great catch for Jonathan.  She is well rounded, very talented, and can do almost anything.  It's wonderful when you can celebrate the spouse your friend marries.

Jonathan had asked me to be a groomsman in his wedding.  I was honored but, unfortunately, I had to decline.  Our friends had been planning a conference for many months that we had committed to.  It was scheduled right in the middle of the wedding.  I was conflicted and didn't want to hurt my friend.

Months passed and the conference was cancelled.  Thankfully, we were able to attend the wedding but I was not going to be a groomsman.  Jonathan had found a replacement but I was happy to be able to celebrate with them as they were wed.

Over a year after Jonathan and Nikki had been married, we met up with them.  They were telling us about their two friends who were getting married.  One was a bridesmaid in their wedding.  The other was a groomsman…The same groomsman who filled my space!  They met at the wedding, fell in love, and tied the knot a few months later!

Had I been a groomsman, they may have never met.  For months, I had felt bad for declining the invitation to be in the wedding party.  That is, until I found how Jesus turned it around for the benefit of a man who met his wife.  Sometimes, Plan B was actually Plan A all along.

If you're planning a wedding, my encouragement to you: Don't sweat the details. Don't lose sleep. Press in and pray.  God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). That means you!

Jonathan Fawcett

PS: This tip is free.  If you're getting married, get help from these guys: www.coordinatedevents.net

Fun

It was the beginning of a new semester and every campus ministry is going all out to make sure students get plugged in.  Since meeting rooms on campus couldn’t be scheduled until classes began, Immersion Church needed a meeting space that was close to campus.  Our friend, a local television personality, offered his television studio for the first couple of Sundays.  This was a huge blessing – one we will never forget. Our friend unlocked the studio for us early one Sunday morning.  As we were setting up the sound equipment, he began to tell me that he hurt his leg in a skateboarding accident.  When I first met our friend, he was showing me photos of himself skateboarding.  In person, he always looked very professional.  In the photos, he was wearing a helmet, shorts and knee pads.  It didn’t seem feasible and I wasn’t sure if he was pulling my leg.  It wasn’t until later, I saw a video featuring him skateboarding.  Mind blown.  Now, his leg was injured and he expressed his fear that he may never be able to skateboard again.

I asked if I could pray for his leg to be healed.  We prayed and continued setting up the sound equipment.  This meeting, along with the others held in the studio, were phenomenal.  Our friend Staci ministered one Sunday and, at the end of another, a student was born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit.

The following week, he unlocked the studio and began telling me that he skateboarded that week and pulled some big tricks. “It’s really kind of a miracle,” I remember him saying.  His leg was healed!  Sometimes, we can blame the pain on our fun.  But Jesus wants us to have fun and do things we enjoy.  We don’t have to earn the healing, strive for the healing, or beg and plead.  There’s so much more we want to do to pay our friend back for his kindness in helping us launch another year of ministry at Appalachian State.  I believe one day we will.  Generosity like he had shown us is rare and made a lasting impression.  Had he not opened his studio for our use, I may not have had the chance to pray for his leg and maybe skateboarding would have become a thing of the past – nothing more than a fond memory.  But God…

Jonathan Fawcett

Turn-or-Burn Birthday

It was a beautiful autumn day and happened to be my 23^rd birthday.  What better way to start the day than going onto campus, shouting at students, picketing, and telling them they are all going to hell?  Well, that wasn’t how I started my birthday.  However, there was a group of turn-or-burn preachers occupying Sanford Mall outside of the Student Union.  Each time they come to ASU, they make a scene, start fights, stir dissension, and exchange heated words with students.  There was an absence of love, joy, and peace in their message and salvation was determined by good behavior rather than our righteousness being obtained by the finished work of Jesus on the cross.  While many believe it is their holy duty to change the minds of these hellfire and brimstone preachers, my friends and I decided to take another approach. Rarely will you ever change someone’s mind.  I like to let Jesus do that Himself.  How?  His goodness draws men to repentance.  His power yields fruit bearing witness of His goodness.  We leveraged the message these men were presenting as conversation starters with students.  We also didn’t “steal” from their audience.  Those who were engaged in the heated exchange were hot-tempered and looking for a fight.  Those outside of the ring were more approachable.  The Lord told me he had given us the angel of Victory as we went out.  Here’s what happened:

A couple of ladies on Appalachian State's female rugby team were passing out leaflets, advertising an event or game they were having.  One of them had a brace on their wrist.  My friend, Aaron, asked what happened to her wrist.  It had been sprained.  Aaron lightly touched it and simply said, “Wrist, be healed in Jesus’ name,” and removed his hand.  Almost immediately, she took the brace off and began turning her wrist to and fro.  Without us asking, her teammate confirmed that her wrist was unable to do that.  Just as a camera was being mounted on a tripod to capture footage of the preachers, Aaron grabbed the attention of the cameraman and told him that the real Jesus was doing miracles.  He glanced at us and the rugby players without saying a word and turned back around to complete the task he had started.

(If local or mainstream media don’t pick up on the stories, it could be, like this cameraman, they do not want to.  That’s why I encourage you to capture the healing on your phone or camera.  Document what The Lord is doing and give the world some good news!)

We later approached a student who broke his toe on a slack line (imagine a tightrope a few feet off the ground, tied between two trees).  This young man was not a believer.  We told him about the miracles we saw earlier that day and he let us pray for him.  His broken toe improved drastically and he was very shocked.  It may be hard to comprehend why some don’t receive all of Jesus right there on the spot, but sometimes we plant seeds and let the Holy Spirit take over.

Our other friend, Brennen, along with Aaron, saw someone on crutches and shot towards her to ask how they could pray.  This student was a runner and had ongoing issues with her knee.  They prayed for her and she hobbled off on the crutches.  Some would pose the question: Why didn’t God heal her?  The next time Brennen saw her, she was off the crutches and told him that there had been no pain since the day he and Aaron prayed for her.  Even if we didn’t see her throw her crutches down and cut cartwheels immediately, the truth remains: Jesus healed her!

The day ended with some mysterious aviator sunglasses (A birthday gift from Jesus?) lying on the top of my car, followed by a surprise party and a delicious cookie cake created by my amazing girlfriend at the time (Her name is Keeli... Maybe you’ve heard of her!).  The cake represented a revelation I had at the time: God’s love and power is like a train on its tracks.  Love is the way but without God's power you don't have a vehicle to get you there.  The power of God working through us is only effective through love.  I’ll never forget that birthday.

Jonathan Fawcett

Landmark

Friends,We are excited to announce an event taking place Friday, March 1 from 7pm-9pm in the Whitewater Lounge of the Student Union on Appalachian State's campus.  Campus ministers, local pastors, current students, alum, and residents who have been praying for revival and transformation to come to ASU are invited to pray as we worship with our friends, BJ and Lisa Sullivan.  Watch the video to learn more about Landmark: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGoqyMUgAO0?rel=0]

We will see you Friday, March 1st as we launch into 40 days of prayer and fasting.  Until then, Instagram this photo, tweet it, post it as your Facebook profile picture and help spread the word...

We love you and look forward to making a scene with you for the Kingdom of God.

Jonathan & Keeli Fawcett

Heart for Harvard - Part 2

I returned to Boone, NC from the Yale Institute with a fire burning on the inside of me that had been ignited by others with a similar passion for revival on college campuses.  At the Institute, I had met the President of Campus Renewal Ministries, Jeremy Story.  It was because of his message that my dreams were awakened.  I heard him share testimonies of what he had seen at the University of Texas and I wanted to see those same things at ASU.  When I heard him minister, it felt like my heart was going to explode with love and compassion for the college campuses.  In that moment, I knew my specific calling.  After hearing Jeremy, my passion to reach the nations through the universities and colleges became my purpose in life.  My life has never been the same since the first time I heard him speak. I was also captivated by the story of Gipsy Smith.  For the next several months I spent three to five hours everyday worshiping Jesus in my bathroom.  Why the bathroom?  Because Smith drew a circle around himself with chalk and asked God to fill the circle with revival and, in my apartment, the bathroom was the smallest room.  I asked God to fill that area with revival so it would pour out onto the entire campus and into the nations.  Worship music would play from the speakers I placed in the bathroom as I read my Bible and spent time with Jesus in the bathroom.  In those moments, I became confident in knowing that what God had spoken would come into being.

These are some of the words Jesus spoke to me in the summer of 2006:

“The Mountain Mission Movement coming out of Appalachian State University is greater than the Student Volunteer Mission Movement of the 1800s.” 

“Appalachian State will be known on the map for their football.  It will be a gateway for media coverage as my Spirit expands on the campus.” (ASU beat Michigan in 2007 and were back to back to back national champions).

On October 25^th, 2006, I met the man of my dreams at a prayer meeting I hosted in ASU’s Student Union.  After that meeting, several of us went out to eat at Dos Amigos.  That night at dinner my dad discovered Jonathan’s heart to host a meeting on campus to teach students on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  My dad encouraged Jonathan to meet up with me to plan the gathering, which we later called Presence: Out of Apathy…Into Power.  Jonathan and I began meeting the next week in the Student Union to plan Presence.  We would read over and add to the blue notebook Jonathan had written his dreams, ideas, and goals in.  It took several months of rejection until we finally had a time and place approved for the meeting: March 27, 2007.  In the meantime, we began Holy Spirit Parties that we intended to lead for only 3 weeks.  However, they continue to this day.

In the midst of continuing to plan Presence and hosting Holy Spirit Parties, we met several other friends who had the same heart for prayer and revival.  We truly lived a lifestyle of prayer and fasting.  Every week, I fasted with no food and only liquids from Sunday to Wednesday evening and again all day Thursday until after the Holy Spirit Party.  From that semester to now, we have seen thousands come to know Jesus and receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Many miracles, including physical and emotional healing have also taken place.

We continue to share what Jesus is doing at ASU because testimonies spread the goodness of Jesus!  An individual prayer for revival at Harvard expanded into a vision for the nations and generations to know Jesus.  What may seem like small beginnings are such sweet memories that set you up to change the nations!

Indulge in how good God is!

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.      -Psalm 34:8

Keeli Fawcett