Sensation

Testimonies are powerful.  So is communion.  This involves both.  Our friend was lactose intolerant and gluten intolerant.  Her diet was very limited.  Keeli and I met in our friends’ apartment for a Holy Spirit Party.  We prepared communion at the end of our meeting and broke bread.  Our friend couldn’t have bread.  What was she supposed to do?  What happened next was an illustration of pure, unadulterated faith. Faith is activated through our action.  Our friend made the decision to take communion with the bread.  Keep in mind that the slightest amount of gluten would throw her digestive system into a state of turmoil for the next few hours.  We prayed, cursed the gluten and lactose intolerance her body had suffered, and released healing from heaven in Jesus’ name.  No lightning bolts lit up the sky.  No thunder was heard overhead.  No gold dust or angel feathers fell.  We just took communion.

Soon after, our friend went to Macado’s, a restaurant in downtown Boone.  She ordered the infamous Cinnamon Sensation.  Imagine a giant cinnamon roll topped with vanilla ice cream with more gluten and lactose than you can handle in a month!  She wasn’t acting out of presumption.  She believed she was healed, received it when she took communion and ate the Cinnamon Sensation without any consequences.

Why is this blog dedicated to testimonies?  The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).  Prophecy is what is to come.  When we shared this testimony to a group of Ivy League students, a friend from Harvard who suffered from lactose intolerance was instantly healed upon hearing.  What happened in the past builds hope and faith for miracle multiplication in the future.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

Jonathan Fawcett

School Of Ministry

It gives us great pleasure to announce Something More School of Ministry (SMSOM).  Since 2007, we have dreamed about starting a school where we could equip believers for a Spirit-empowered life that glorifies the Son and builds identity in the Father’s love, transforming nations and generations for the Kingdom of God. For those interested and enrolled, SMSOM will host an open house 6:30pm August 21 at Appalachian House of Prayer (151 Howard St. Suite 1, Boone, NC).  The deadline for applications is September 18.  The first day of class is Tuesday, September 25 at 6:30pm at Appalachian House of Prayer (AppHOP).

If you believe this is where the Lord has called you, we encourage you to complete an application at somethingmoreinc.org/school.  If you have any questions before enrolling, email us at somethingmoreinc@gmail.com.

Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Jonathan & Keeli Fawcett

Angel

One day, as I carpooled from work, Keeli called to tell me that the car was out of commission.  She informed me that she was fine.  Being five months pregnant, they were taking her to the hospital for precautionary measures. As I met her at the hospital, the state trooper walked in a short moment after.  Keeli, as always, looked beautiful and didn’t have a scratch.  He proceeded to tell her that she flipped two or three times and took out three pear trees and a fence.  My eyes got as big as softballs.

We discovered that day that we were having a girl.  She was healthy, strong, and unharmed by the traumatic accident that totaled Keeli’s car (May it rest in peace.).

Let’s rewind and observe Keeli’s reaction in the accident:

She was on a straight road with no distractions.  She wasn’t talking on the phone, texting, drinking a beverage or applying makeup.  In fact, Keeli is a wonderful driver – a compliment I pay to very few.  Suddenly, the car pulls sharply off the road.  As the car began to flip through the air, she began to do what many in the Body of Christ resent, renounce, avoid, and excuse.  She prayed in tongues.

When the dust settled, a man approached the destroyed vehicle, trembling with fear that he would find a dead passenger.  Keeli opened her door as he came closer, telling him, unashamed, she was praying in tongues through the wreck.  Often, the church finds tongues offensive but it is a life giving gift from the Holy Spirit.  What’s to be ashamed about?  In an attempt to not stir fear, she walked from the vehicle and didn’t look back.

Weeks later, I told Keeli that we should expect angelic visitations as they occurred frequently in the Bible.  Her back, still in pain, withheld her from having full rotation.  One morning, I woke up to get ready for work.  Keeli said, “You rubbed my back last night.” I told her and am telling you that I did not.  I am a heavy sleeper, waking up in the same position I fell asleep.  Keeli continues to describe how her back was rubbed where the pain resided and how she felt fingers go from the top of her spine down to her tailbone.  Thinking that I was being sweet, she just enjoyed the massage and didn’t say anything.  Sure enough, her back was healed and she regained full mobility and rotation.  Whether the Lord or an angel, a miracle happened and I slept through it.

Jonathan Fawcett

Father and Son

Will is a friend.  We met him when Immersion Church began to meet in the auditorium on Appalachian State's campus.  He is a part of the custodial staff and is on duty during our weekly gatherings.  After one night of the meeting, he began to tell us about his son.  In his 20s, Will’s son had a brain tumor that derailed him from having a normal conversation with his father.  Lacking focus, Will’s son had trouble engaging and interacting. Upon hearing the circumstances, Keeli asked if we could pray for his son.  Will agreed so we prayed with him, agreeing for complete healing.

Weeks passed and we didn’t see Will.  About three weeks after we prayed, he caught me on my way out of the auditorium.

“Hey!  I meant to tell you…”

The tone in his voice was promising.

“The week after you guys prayed for my son, he got better and better and better.  I can talk to my son again!”

Following up with this testimony, he later told us that doctors have since not been able to find the tumor.  The same week we prayed, he began cutting back on his medicine.

Will has since been known for throwing up his hands and coining the phrase, “Weird things happen.” Is this stuff weird?  To some people, yes.  Is it good?  Is it good that a father can talk to his son again?  Is it good for brain tumors to heal?  Is it good for people to know that God loves them unconditionally?  Without a doubt, yes.

Jonathan Fawcett

The Good Life

From her new blog, Awakened To Dream, Keeli blogs about life as a wife and mother... Every morning I get to wake up to the sound of Anneli Grace rustling in her bed and talking.  As I go to pick her up she always greets me with a big smile while continuously reminding me how blessed I am!

While pregnant strangers, family and friends told us to sleep while we could because once the baby came there would be no sleep.  We have proved them wrong!  We simply prayed for a baby who would sleep.  Anneli slept so well when we brought her home from the hospital we had to wake her up to feed her.

Everyday I am amazed by how cute she is and how much fun she is!  I love to watch her whether she is laughing, sleeping, eating or playing with her feet.  Everything she does is so sweet.  Having a baby has made me realize the love of our Father to a greater depth.  As a parent I only want the absolute best for Anneli and if I could give her the most magnificent castle in the world I would.  Jesus has extravagant plans and gifts for us.  It is up to us to receive them.  We should always choose to receive God’s perfect gifts!

Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse]. James 1:17

Keeli Fawcett

Vacation

Ever since our honeymoon, Keeli and I have not been on a vacation with just the two of us.  Now there's three!  We strapped the baby in the car for a 6 hour drive and headed from the mountains to the beach.  Normally, vacation time was taken for mission trips, conferences, speaking engagements, etc.  This time, we were going to relax, rest, and enjoy ourselves. It's nice to see the Lord intervene in the moments we pull off the front lines to rest.  It was our first long distance trip with Anneli... Six hours to be exact.  On the way there, she whimpered a couple of times when she was hungry.  On the way back, she scuffled a little in her sleep and let out no more than a sigh.  She slept well at night, behaved on the beach, laughed at the pool, and seemed to relax when her feet were dipped in the ocean.  Good baby?  Yes!  Thank you, Jesus!

The island we were staying has alligators.  I wanted to see one that wasn't an appetizer.  We returned to the condo, Keeli prayed I would see one, and, less than five minutes later, I spotted an alligator in a waterway behind the condo.  Alligator?  Yes!  Thank you, Jesus!  (See photo below)

That wasn't the end of Keeli's simple faith at work.  We wanted to bring nice seashells back as a souvenir marking Anneli's first beach trip.  Two big Conch shells were in the sand being photographed.  First by a girl, then by an elderly couple.  As the elderly couple brought the huge shells to the ocean, we asked if we could take them.  Seashells?  Yes!  Thank you, Jesus!

Keeli had never seen sand dollars on the beach.  She asked the Lord for sand dollars.  As we walked along the beach we found two sound dollars side by side.  Twenty yards later, two more were laying side by side.  Sand dollars?  Yes!  Thank you, Jesus!

Neither of us had ever found a shark's tooth.  Can you guess what happens next?  As we walk on the beach, Keeli asked the Lord for a shark's tooth.  Seconds later, she pointed her foot to a nice seashell.  I picked it up and looked about twelve inches from where it was.  Shark's tooth?  Yes!  Thank you, Jesus! (See photo below)

If God cares so much for the small things, doesn't it make sense that He cares for the big things?  As Keeli said as we walked on the beach, "His gifts are right in front of us.  We just need to receive them!"

Jonathan Fawcett

Well

I work alongside a number of volunteers in the office.  Pam is among those volunteers and is an asset to our team.  She does a wonderful job and makes a mean chocolate cake! One morning, I spoke to Pam in the front office.  She begins telling me how she had been learning how to teach those who had chronic illnesses.  I smiled and said, “That’s great!  You’ll be able to see people healed!” When you’ve seen what we’ve seen, you feel an excitement when you know how capable and willing God is to move in the lives of those experiencing pain.

I began sharing testimonies with her about people Keeli and I have seen healed from years of chronic illness.  She proceeds to tell me about her high red cell blood count and the pain that went straight to her ankles.  On top of that, she had arthritis. She expressed her thankfulness for doctors.  Without medication, she would have been in a wheelchair.

“Pam,” I began. “Jesus asked a certain question to many people He ministered to: Do you want to be well (John 5:6)?  It’s hard to believe, but I have encountered people that didn’t want Jesus to heal them because they delight themselves in the pity and sympathy of others.  They relate to the sickness as a part of their identity.  That’s not who we are and that’s not who Christ created us to be.”

I proceeded to ask, “Pam, do you want to be well?”

She jumped from her seat like she was sitting on a spring and said, “I’ve always wanted to be well!” I gave her my hand and we began to pray and agree for her healing to manifest in her body.  I rarely “feel” anything when I pray for the sick, but I actually felt the heat of the Holy Spirit move through my arms and hands as He surged into her body.

When the prayer ended, she was in tears.  She began to describe that she literally felt the pain leave her ankles.  Hours later that day, I asked how she was feeling.  She had no pain.  Since there was no pain, she didn’t need to take her medicine that day.  The doctors have since been weaning her off her medication.

The next week, she visited my cubicle and said, “Jonathan, since you prayed, I have had less pain, more energy, I’ve lost weight, and I have been waking up better in the morning!” Jesus also healed her of arthritis!  Jesus brings radical transformation for our good because He loves us!

Jonathan Fawcett

Promotion

Memorial Day weekend of 2011 began with amazing news. I worked late and, after the long drive back home (over an hour) from the office, I was greeted by Keeli. "I missed you!" she smiled. "I even made you a card!"

"You must have been feeling lonely," I joked as I received her card. The card revealed that she was not as lonely as I may have thought. I opened the card and it read:

"We live in a little round house and soon you'll see a little round belly!"*

Tears and laughter followed as we prayed over the womb where our baby awaited her birthday. One week later, we were in Asheville, attending a conference with the organization in which I worked as an associate. Keep in mind that we had no health insurance.

I received a call from Keeli. After researching the procedure for monitoring the baby's health, the medical world's role, and the bills that would follow, she expressed her concern for financial coverage.

Keeli prayed, "Father God, this is your child. You need to provide for this baby."

One day later, as I was scrambling to complete a last minute request, I reported to the vice president of our department. "Thank you, Jonathan. You know you've been promoted to full time, right?" Wondering if the comment was in jest, I told him I was not aware. I immediately contacted Keeli and told her the great news! Not only did my salary increase, but Keeli and I were eligible for benefits, including health insurance. Through this insurance company, a pregnant woman is only eligible for coverage within the first trimester. We made the deadline by three weeks!

When you are blessed, you are equipped to prosper. God is good and will bless you with the unexpected when we ask, believe, and receive. Until I said, "Yes, I accept," I did not receive my promotion. The same is true in the Kingdom of God. With thankful hearts, we must say, "Yes, I accept and receive," to Jesus. Position yourself in His grace, knowing He is good, to receive blessings from the Lord. We are blessed to be a blessing. Why? Because He loves us!

*To listen and download the song inspired by Keeli's card, written in honor of our daughter, click here.

Jonathan Fawcett

Spiritual Warfare

Combat boots.  Fatigues.  War paint.  Spiritual warfare is perceived in numerous ways in the church.  I used to believe that the authenticity was found in the intensity – the volume of my voice, the way I moved as I worshipped, and the manner I shouted and screamed at the devil.  The devil is not intimidated by our performance.  He is intimidated by Christ in you: the hope of glory!  What does spiritual warfare look like? First, we must ask: What do we war for?  To advance God’s Kingdom on earth.  Jesus came to reveal and demonstrate the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven and give authority to us to advance His Kingdom like He did.  So do we pray until heaven hears us?  No.  Heaven has heard!  A vital part of spiritual warfare is praying the prayer of faith.  The prayer of faith is not lost in a state of confusion that questions the good, perfect and pleasing will of God (Romans 12:2).  The will of God is found in Jesus.  His will is for all humanity to be saved (I Timothy 2:4) and for you to live an abundant life (John 10:10).  The finished work of the cross was finished when we were crucified, buried, raised, and seated in heavenly realms with Christ (Romans 6:4, Ephesians 2:6).

How did Jesus “war”?  First, He loved and was moved with compassion for the hurting.  Then, He healed the sick, raised the dead, cast out devils, and cleansed the lepers.  I don’t recall a moment He did something to help someone without it being a supernatural occurrence.  Even feeding the hungry was supernatural.  Like Jesus, you have a weapon of power to dispel darkness and bring Light.  He commanded us to heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out devils.  In doing so, the Kingdom of God becomes our atmosphere (Matthew 12:28).

Is the devil our equal?  No.  He is a defeated foe.  Jesus has already fought and won the war.  He is the blueprint for victory.  Now, in Christ, we carry out our authority and dominion by faith, knowing that Christ made a public spectacle of the enemy, disarming them by the power of the cross (Colossians 2:15).  When we engage in spiritual warfare, we tend to credit the devil (who has no authority) with more than our God (who has all authority).  Personally, I don’t converse with the devil.  Focus your eyes on Jesus.  The overflow from your intimacy with Christ is like raining hell on the devil’s camp.

I have met a number of people that put much of their focus on warring in the Spirit.  Seldom have I seen them rested, joyful, and full of peace.  If we are worn out after we war, it was out of our flesh and not in the Spirit.  The Kingdom of God is righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost (Romans 14:17).  The Kingdom of God is on the inside of us (Luke 17:21).  We should have an abundant, infinite flow of righteousness, joy, and peace when we have the source of our victory living on the inside.  The Holy Spirit does not leak out of us.  He gushes out and continually fills us back up!

What about the armor of God?  I sleep in my armor.  The armor of God – aka Holy Spirit – does not run off and need to be summoned every time I go to sleep and wake up.  Did we forget that He is with us always (Matthew 28:20)?  There is not secular Jonathan and believer Jonathan.  When the Holy Spirit sealed my salvation, there was only believer Jonathan.  It doesn’t mean I am perfect.  It’s revelation that all my sins – past, present, and future – are dead.  The old man died and I count myself dead to sin (Romans 6:11).  It is out of intimacy with Him that my awareness of His presence grows.  When we become aware of Him, we grow sensitive to our assignments.

So how do we war?  First, we approach every matter from a position of victory, rest, righteousness, peace, and joy.  The devil is defeated, not us.  We are more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:17).  Next, grow in your intimacy with Jesus.  When you receive a revelation that the finished work of the cross has given you access to every blessing so that you can bless others, compassion unlocks living faith that is activated by your action.  Faith works by love (Galatians 5:6).  Your assignments, birthed from your intimacy with Christ, will lead you to opportunities to supernaturally advance the Kingdom of God with an unfair advantage over the enemy.

Your arsenal is love.  Rest well in your armor.

Jonathan Fawcett

Click on the photo to hear an outstanding 3 minute teaching on this topic.

Renewed Minds

A friendly couple from California came to my office for a tour of the headquarters where I work in North Wilkesboro, NC.  As we were wrapping up, I mentioned that my wife and I pastor a church on Appalachian State University’s campus.  I continued by telling them we see the Lord work in miracles, signs, wonders and healing.  As I sat across the table, I offered to pray for them if they had anything that needed to be healed.  The husband had been waking up with back pain, was contemplating a knee replacement, and disclosed a confidential health issue that needed to be dealt with. I love testimonies.  They excite me, stir me, and reveal the character of God to me and hopefully to others.  I began to share how we saw students healed of similar conditions.  As I ended one of the testimonies, the wife voiced the common sentiment, “We’re praying for healing if it’s God’s will.  But if He wants to bring glory to Himself through this then that’s okay too.”

“Let me stop you there,” I interjected. “When did Jesus ever encounter someone that was sick and say to them, ‘You haven’t learned your lesson yet,’ or ‘I’m not going to heal you’?  Acts 10:38 says that Jesus healed all who were oppressed by the devil.  God is never the oppressor.  Jesus is the unchanging Word – the same yesterday, today, and forever.  If He healed all then, He is willing to heal your husband now.  God is not a God of favoritism.”

They asked, “What about the man who was blind from birth?”

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind?  Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.  We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us.  The night is coming, and then no one can work.  But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes.  He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing! – John 9:1-7 (NLT)

“Jesus said the man was born blind so that God would receive glory,” the husband said.  When I asked him when, in that testimony, did God receive glory, he paused and replied, “In the healing.” If God’s glory and power was found in the sickness rather than the healing, then Jesus put an abrupt end to the glory of God – not only on this occasion, but throughout His entire ministry.

If Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8), the one who came to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), then why does most of the church believe God is putting the devil to work?  It is our position as joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), to delegate His authority and Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10, John 14:12).  Jesus is the blueprint to a Spirit-filled life.  He was baptized in the Holy Spirit to reveal the will of the Father – that all mankind may be saved, healed and delivered (I Timothy 2:4) – and demonstrate the Kingdom of God by healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out devils, and cleansing the lepers (Matthew 10:7-8).

After hearing their preconceived understanding of the uncertainty and confusion of God’s will, I didn’t refuse to pray or tell them that they lacked the faith to be healed.  These are two people that love the Lord with all their might.  Often, we blame the level of faith in a person when all they really need is a renewed mind (Romans 12:2).  Faith accompanies hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).  Now that they’ve heard the Truth in love, we could agree for a miracle (Matthew 18:19).

I prayed for his body.  His wife watched as his leg grew about an inch.  His body came into alignment.  The wife in tears and the husband wide-eyed in amazement, he stood up and began to walk around, testing his back and knee.

“I don’t feel any pain!” he exclaimed.  We thanked the Lord together and they blessed me by encouraging and praying for me.  That was the end of their tour.  Just another day in the office.

Jonathan Fawcett

Unity

"I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me." - John 17:21 (NLT) There's rarely any middle ground on unity.  There are those who wish to fly solo and those who want to accomplish great things together.  To recap on agreement, we can see great things when we join forces in the name of Christ.  The majority of the church can agree on Jesus.  The dividing line comes with the Holy Spirit and the power He pours out.  Christ is not Jesus' last name.  Christ means "anointed one." Jesus the anointed one.  Anything opposing the anointing that comes from the Holy Spirit is the spirit of the anti-Christ.  Anti-Christ equals anti-anointing, anti-power, anti-Holy Spirit.  How often are we persuaded in many churches that the power of God that the apostles experienced is not for the body of Christ today?  Never subject yourself to teaching that tries to move you towards a position of unbelief.  We can now do all things in Christ who strengthens us (Phillipians 4:13)!

"And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." - Acts 10:38 (NLT)

We too have been made eligible through Jesus to receive empowerment from the Holy Spirit.  Jesus' prayer in John 17 reveals a key to unity. "I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one." How were the Father and Son one?  We find our answer in Luke 3:21-22:

^"One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy." (NLT)

This was the moment Jesus' ministry began.  When He was baptized in the Holy Spirit, He was empowered to openly display the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.  The sick were healed, the dead were raised, demons were cast out and lepers were cleansed.  The supernatural became the dividing line that set Jesus apart from others.  Even Jesus told His disciples to at least believe Him for the miracles He did (John 14:11) and that those who have faith will do the works He did and greater (John 14:12).

God is love (I John 4:8) and love rejoices in the truth (I Corinthians 13:6).  Compromising does not lean in favor to unity.  It taints it.  As a good friend once told us, "Never forsake Truth for the sake of unity."

We will never have unity because of big meetings, programs, events or meetings that are driven by our striving.  We experience true unity by being one as the Father and Son were one: through the Holy Spirit as we advance the kingdom of God in power and love - not abandonment of truth and tolerance.

I believe the church eagerly desiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 14:1) are the ones walking in true unity as He intended the church to be.

Agreement

"“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”” - Matthew 18:19-20 (NKJV) "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" - Amos 3:3 (NKJV)

Agreement has the power to transform your realm of influence.  My life has been shaped by the people I have surrounded myself with.  As Paul quotes the Greek poet Menander in I Corinthians 15:33:

Do not be mislead: "Bad company corrupts good character." (NIV)

How do we avoid bad company and walk in agreement with others?  It begins with an understanding of who we are in Christ.  As we deepen our intimacy with God, He speaks and, as we purpose ourselves to become aware of His presence, we hear His voice.  In those moments, we discover who we are as He confirms what His written Word already says.  The more we believe, the less chance there will be of compromising what He has called us to.  We avoid bad company, but not by fleeing from opportunities to reveal God's love to them (though others often lean to the other extreme, justifying worldly lifestyles as a routine of evangelism by means of "relating").  The term "guilty by association" comes to mind.

Just because we are seeking those we can agree with, it doesn't mean we purpose to discredit, embarrass or backbite against those we don't.  All things must be walked out in God's love.

When Keeli and I first met, a friendship immediately sparked from the love we had for believers receiving the fullness of God's promises.  We began to meet weekly on campus to plan a conference that would share what I didn't know about until my junior year in high school: the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Our agreement grew, we met more frequently, and the following March, we hosted Presence: Out of Apathy...Into Power - a conference ministering to 200 students about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  That night, eight people received.  After that night, hundreds.  It became easy.  It happened outside of the four walls of a church building.  At lunch, on road trips, on hikes. An outpouring of the Holy Spirit had begun in North Carolina.

Since, our agreement has taken us to places we only dreamed.  As Keeli once said concerning our relationship, "We can dream together." And in doing so, we put action behind the vision to see God's kingdom advance.  Together.

Jonathan Fawcett

Remember

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord;yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago." - Psalm 77:11 (NIV)

October 26, 2006 changed everything.  I attended a prayer meeting with my bride to be (though neither of us knew it at the time) that sparked the beginning of something I had never seen before: the real, tangible power of God.

I was baptized in the Holy Spirit my junior year of high school.  Being raised in church, I never knew anything about this empowerment that was available to believers who wanted to receive.  After I was baptized in His Spirit, intimacy with the Lord replaced routine and religion.  My sophomore year in college, however, was when I met Keeli.  Before we traveled down that road, I met her dad.

After the prayer meeting that night in October, we sat for dinner.  Keeli's dad, Kermit, sat to my left and my friend (the only familiar face at the table) sat across from us.

"Jonathan?" Kermit started. "When were you baptized in the Holy Spirit?" I could hardly believe it!  Of all the people I knew, this stranger was asking me the question nobody had cared to ask before about the most monumental experience of my life.  I told him the story, excited for my friend across the table as I had spoken often of this baptism.  Suddenly, he asks the same question to my friend.  Five minutes later, my friend is baptized in the Holy Spirit and praying in tongues.  I was astonished!  It was then my discipleship began.

Before meeting Keeli and her family, the desire had been stirring in me to host a Holy Spirit conference on campus.  At the slight mention of it, Kermit announced to the entire table, "Hey everyone!  Jonathan is going to plan and host a Holy Spirit conference on ASU's campus!" He then turns to me and says, "You need to meet with Keeli to make this happen." Best advice ever.

Jonathan Fawcett