Triumph Today | The International Ministry of Jason and Kimberly Sciscoe

Here’s a warm welcome to my first blog. I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but here in the frozen Midwest it’s that time of the year when people run to the warmth. Whether it’s from the house to the car, the car to the school, or the car to the store, they scurry out and back in to escape the cold.

The last few weeks my family has enjoyed many nights with a crackling fire to give us added warmth and that woodsy aroma I love so much. We find ways to do our evening work, chores, study, even prayer by the fire.
There is simply no substitute for warmth.

Over the past few days, I’ve sensed God using this season of cold to speak to me. Cold is not just a degree of the weather but more often a degree of the heart. A cold heart is harder to bear than a bitter blizzard.

No one wants a cold heart, but sometimes life brings chilling circumstances that can leave us cold and numb. Tragedy, loss, rejection, sickness, financial pressure or betrayals are a few of the icy storms that can change the climate of our heart in a matter of moments.

Other winds such as unanswered prayers, lack of direction, even busyness, can leave our heart cold and indifferent. The good news is that we can choose the degree of our heart, despite the circumstances around us.

We can’t control the weather, but we can control the temperature of our heart. Here are a few ways I’m learning to kick out the cold emotions and to turn up the degrees in my heart.

• Surrender to God all the circumstances I cannot change.
• Daily ask Him to show me what changes I can make. Make them.
• Forgive others. Forgive myself. Then I do it again and release the hurt.
• Build space in my life for a rekindling fire in all my relationships.
• Create warmth by cherishing each moment with my friends and family.
• Keep a thankful heart by speaking my blessings, not my problems.
• Find someone stuck in the “cold” and share my warmth with them.

During this season of contrasts, I hope you and I discover some secrets to staying warm, both inside and out. Now, how about that fire?

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Monday is not typically seen as a spiritual day. Practical? Yes. Boring? Sometimes. Depressing? Maybe. Spiritual? Not usually. It is recovery day. Monday marks the beginning of the workweek for most people. The day when we try to put the pieces back together from the weekend and start being productive again. It’s the day we go back to the “real world.” After all, it can’t be Sunday forever, can it?

You’ve heard the lyrics “Just another manic Monday. Wish it were Sunday.” I suppose this is the reason Monday gets its reputation as, shall we say, less than hospitable. Puffy eyed, cranky, coffee-drinking drones grumble their way through the hallways after their busy commute to work. You can almost hear their thoughts: “Here we go again.” Mondays are the reason why people wish for Friday. TGIF is easy to understand. I have never heard anyone say TGIM. If Monday is so bad, why would I call my blog Meet Me On Monday? Maybe that’s when you need me the most.

Monday is different for me. Most weeks, it is the end of my workweek. Though I do speak occasionally on Monday evening, usually it is a “travel home” day. It’s when I feel the release of the heavy burden for a few hours, reflect on what God has done, rejoice in His goodness, and then recalibrate myself for what is coming next. Monday is the day I just soak in God’s presence. I pursue Him and wait to hear His voice. Through the years, I have seen a pattern. God speaks to me a lot on Mondays. Obviously, the Spirit speaks to us every day but those special intimate moments with God seem to happen more often on Mondays for me. This is the reason why I chose this name for my blog.

I want to share with you the testimonies, insights, and spiritual directives that God is speaking to me. I want you to stay plugged in to God so that you can have the best possible start to your workweek. Have a triumphant week and start today.

Since 2002 I have been dealing with fibromyalgia. For the first two years it had me in bed or in a wheelchair. My pain level got somewhat better when I got into the church in 2004. I could start walking with a walker and sometimes a cane. Learning to trust in Jesus and exercise my faith helped me so much, but I still battled with relentless pain.

Several wonderful ministers had prayed over me, and in each case my symptoms got better. I believed each one was the final healing from the Lord, but after a short time the pain would come back, putting me back in bed or in the wheelchair. Needless to say, I was saddened and frustrated, but like Jacob I was determined not to let go until God blessed me.

After the New Year’s Eve service, I shared this history with Jason Sciscoe. He concurred with what the doctors had shared with me about fibromyalgia, that it is partially due to mental and emotional trauma. Up until then I had tried to deal with my past issues of molestation, physical abuse, abandonment, etc., through pricey seminars, but I got only so far.

Brother Sciscoe said that when the others had prayed over me that only the symptoms were dealt with and not the core issues that kept causing the symptoms. He said that God wanted to heal those issues, then the symptoms would be healed altogether. Brother Sciscoe asked, “Are you ready for God to heal these past issues?” and I said yes.

Now the Lord has done the final work! In the past, I had never fully stopped taking my medications when others had prayed for me. I had cut back on the medications, but the pain always forced me back to full dosages. Now, for the first time ever, I am off all the medications I was taking for the fibromyalgia, such as Neurontin, Celebrex, and Oxycontin. I needed to wean off of them due to the high dosages. I have been medication-free since January 7, 2009!

Over the last week I have been walking two miles each day with my wife. Today I went on a long hike up and down a mountain with my wife and two daughters. God is good! Thank you, Brother and Sister Sciscoe, for all you do for the kingdom of God. It has blessed me in so many ways.