See LINKS for Concordance
Acts 22:15 - 'For you will be a witness for Him to all men of what you have seen and heard.
Acts 26:16 - 'But arise, and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;
Rom. 9:1 - I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,
Be ready with your witness as to why you believe:
My Testimony (6) as to:
He Answers Prayers
by Roger Lainson
Winter of 2008
Getting things done in Tucson can be a long drawn process. One can call twenty contractors, three will call back and one will show-up. The one that shows-up will listen to the problem, take a down payment and disappear, forever. Repair or replacement is almost non-existent. So, after listening to: Don Gossett’s “The Power of Your Word”, I decided to use God’s method; i.e. “Man doesn’t live by bread alone but by every Word from the mouth Of God”. Now before you correct me, that statement is said two different ways in two different books of the bible.
Gossett’s message is that when you pray, use God’s words/promises and He will, “Give you the desires of your heart”, “Whatever you ask the Father in Jesus’ name He will give it you”. In other words, what you say is what you get by using His Words like Jesus did. (It’s been estimated that there are over 7,500 of God’s promises in the scriptures.)
“And now; the rest of the story,” A few years ago we had a watering system installed in the backyard. It never worked from day one. I prayed, “Father I confess Your Word, Whatever I ask in Jesus name you will give me. I pray; for a handyman that knows irrigation systems to fix the system in the backyard, so that it works.
One of the reasons that I was pushed to do this is that Joey’s dog bit one of the sprinkler head pipes off. I went to Home Depot and as I was looking for a replacement part, a young fellow came up behind me and asked if he could be of help. I ask if he worked there and he said that he worked at a local shopping center and that his job was irrigation maintainer. He then said that, “I didn’t that need a new part. All I needed was to trim off the broken piece and get an easy-out to remove the broken piece from the ground.” Then he asked if he could fix it for me. I looked within and said, “Thank you father.” The young man followed me the five miles home, fixed the problem and gave me a lesson on the system and how to set the controls. To top it off he asked if he could come back in a week and work on the system to unplug the lines that weren’t being used.
After that we spent twenty minutes talking about Jesus and sharing experiences in the Lord. Again I lived by the Word and, “Gave thanks in all things.” It also says to, “Give thanks for all things.”
My Testimony (5) as to:
He Will Be WithYou Always
by Roger Lainson
Summer of 1996
While attending a Kenneth Copeland SW Believers Convention, in Ft. Worth, TX, an unusual event happened. After a long drive from Tucson, we got a room on the south part of Forth Worth (FW). We hit the sack early so as to get an early start, the next day. The following day we headed to the convention center (cc) looking forward to a day of sermons and prayers.
Coming into the center of FW we headed down an entrance ramp to take the loop around to the cc. The long ride showed it's evil head when I got a major spasm, in my back and bottom, from the long ride. It caused me to stand up and push away from the wheel.
Heading down a ramp, on to a busy freeway loop, at 55 mph in heavy traffic, with cars in front and back of us, caused somewhat of alarm in the van, especially with no one at the wheel, brake or gas.
My son Ryan was riding shotgun. He was probably the only cool head in the van. I yelled at him to grab the wheel and keep us going straight until I could relax the spasm.
He quickly grabbed the wheel and did just that.
At the bottom of the ramp I had regained a relaxed position behind the wheel and looked up to see a deserted freeway. No cars were in front and no cars were behind us. The only thing I could say was, "Where did all the cars go?” It was like ghost town. The freeway was empty and no cars were in front or behind us. Where had they disappeared to.
I looked at the kids and the only thing that was on my mind was said. I reminded them that God promised us that He'd always be with us, and that He would protect us. A visual witness is a good witness.
My Testimony (4) as to:
One of many Prayers Answered
by Roger Lainson
Spring of 1998
I was on my front porch praying to God because I thought I was going to die. I was weak, tired all the time and had lost a lot of muscle mass. Transferring from the bed to the wheelchair by my self was not possible. I fell asleep about every hour, while eating, watching TV and reading, to name a few times. Recovering from the chronic urinary track infections took weeks instead of days.
During this period of time I had visited the VA for a monthly routine exam. The Nurse Physicians Assistant sternly said: ““We” have a problem. You are as white as this sheet of paper. You need blood.”
She arranged for the transfusion of 4 pints of blood. After which I literally felt like I had woke up from a deep sleep. I had more energy than I could remember was possible. I felt great, minus the muscle mass lost during those years of blood lose.
My prayers included supplication for money to pay off the mortgage, on the house. (I didn’t want to leave Sue with a mortgage.) I said to God, if I do get well, do you want me to have the small church, Chapel of the Prodigal Son, for the programs I am involved in? If so I need money to pay off the mortgage and finish the building for the chapel.
About a month or so later a check came in the mail for the exact amount needed to pay off the mortgage and finish the church. I won't mention the source, just that it was from an unexpected and long over due group of people that were determine not to pay their due. This was money that was written off as not collectable and not available to collect. Coinsidently, if you will, it was also the exact amount that I was cheated out of from a bad investment, in the 80's. Even though the two were different and from a different part of the country.
I don't look at God as a sugar daddy, but He is as generous as His promises say He is:
Matt. 6:33 - But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and “all” these things shall be added unto you.
Matt. 19:26 - But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, “With men this is impossible; but with God “all” things are possible.”
Prayer is powerful, patience is necessary and belief in God comes first.
My Testimony (3) as to:
Why We Go Through Hard Times
by Roger Lainson
May 8, 2005
In the cold winter of 1972, I attended a Bible study at a friend’s house in Council Bluffs. During the evening some black folks stopped by to share. They invited us to attend a service of theirs the following week. I drove over, from my home in Omaha, at the remembered time. The church was dark except a small light in side. I just thought that it must be prayer time or something for the church not to be lit-up. I transferred out of the car and proceeded to jump the curb, in my chair. To make a long story a little shorter, I ended up on the ground. There I was 15 degrees below zero, in the street, no one around. After some prayer an older couple, obviously from another part of town, stopped to offer assistance. They helped me roll back into the car and put my chair into the back seat area. They then disappeared around the corner. (I later realized the anointing had kept me from freezing and angels had assisted me back into the car.) I then drove to my friend’s house and after a chuckle; he said "wrong night, how about some hot coco.”
We talked about what the Lord was showing me... Are you ready for this? We don't appreciate the warmth of a 75 degree spring sun, until we experience 15 degree freezing weather. We don't appreciate the 75 degree cool of the spring air, until we experience the extreme heat of a 115 degree Phoenix summer day. We, the fallen didn't appreciate the perfect conditions of Heaven until we, the Prodigal Sons, left out Father's perfect environment for earthly habitation.
The only conclusion could have been that God is teaching us to appreciate His glory and love by allowing us to experience the conditions that pride and self glory can produce. He lovingly gives us the Bible/Word to show us the way home.
My Testimony (2), as to:
Even the Dogs get the Crumbs from the Table
by Roger Lainson
April 7, 2005
In May of 1997, my wife, Sue, took my daughter to Prescott for a soccer tournament. She left on a Friday and returned on Sunday evening. On returning she let the small dogs in for the evening. The female Papillion had a head the size of a grape fruit. Not to bad until one realizes that the normal size of her head is half that big. A rattler had hit her in the face.
We adopted the wait and see approach, cause the vets were all closed anyway. By Wednesday, her head was three times normal and Sue was feeling very bad. Her eyes, the dogs, were so far back in her head from the swelling, that they looked non-existent. So I took her to our vet, about 15 miles north east.
The vet assistant weight her, 7 lb. took her temperature, above normal. In comes the vet with the diagnostics, snake bite. He explained, "The snake doesn't measure venom and gave her enough poison to kill a big dog. Anti-snake venom does not work after 6 hours." This only caused me to agree with the wait and see approach.
I ask him what we should expect. He very graphically explained the ways of rattler poison. The animal would continue to swell until her shoulders, legs, etc. were very big. If she didn't die, her skin and muscle would fall off and leave big holes, then infection would set in and she would most likely die from that. They could keep her, make her comfortable, give her a liquid I-V for the dehydration and call us.
I told him I could keep her comfortable and save the $500.00 bucks. He asked how I knew how much it would cost and I told him about the Labradors being hit 5 years ago. The rest was a guess. He excused himself and when to prepare an antibiotic for infection. As he gave it to her he explained that it was only for infection not the venom. (Rattlers have dirty teeth?)
I hesitated then laid my hand on her. "God will heal you, Muffin, in Jesus' name. Let's go home". On the way home I prayed, explaining to God that I was very hesitant to pray the healing prayer for a dog. A little voice reminded me of the verse, "Even the dogs get the crumbs from the table." Then the voice reminded me of the Scriptures in Deut. the Lord will protect you, you and your household . . . livestock . . . animals." I knew then that I had done right. When God talks to me, He does it mostly by causing me to recall verses from the Scriptures.
When I got home I told Sue what the vet said. She was not happy and blamed herself for not taking the dog to Prescott. I told her in my wise voice, "Muffin would probably have been run over by a car if you took her to Prescott". I told her of the verses that were recalled when I prayed. Let's just see what she looks like tomorrow.
To make a short story longer, by 10:00 p.m., Muffin's head was reduced down to a minor swelling and she would eat and drink. By morning she only had a Roman nose. By Friday she was back to normal. Thursday the kids said they had seen a dead rattler in the road. Psalms 36 - came to recollection. "You will see your enemies fall."
Sue remembered that a few days before she had pronounced loudly that her faith had increased to a sizable amount and she could handle anything. I could just see Satan saying, "Let me sift her."
My Testimony (1) as to,
When I Knew I was Born Again
by Roger Lainson
March 13, 2005
Most of my life was spent wondering if there was a God. I read the Bible, but so what, it didn't seem to mean anything. I considered myself an agnostic. "If you are real then prove it."
That which did appear to have meaning was quickly extinguished when I asked the Army chaplain or the priest, from the neighborhood church, to explain what I had just read. Their answer was always "you really don't understand" or "what you think you just read is just beyond your understanding", or the best ever, "we may never be shown the real meaning".
The more I read the scriptures the more it seemed to make sense and the more my programming told me that someone must be confused, probably me. After the military I worked for a while, got married, had a son and broke my neck. My wife at the time left me, a year after the incident, for better things, taking my son.. During rehab, I was harassed by a Baptist evangelist, my physical therapist. He kept telling me about Jesus and His sacrifice for us. My constant comebacks were, "how do you know the Bible is true?" or "it was written man and it was a big ploy to create a program to keep churches in business." When he gave up his last words were: "I'll go on believing as I do and if I'm wrong I have lost nothing, but if go on believing as you do and you're wrong you've lost everything."
The seed was planted. During rehab I ask the chaplain at the hospital for the location of the Ten Commandments, in the Bible. He didn't know. He did however share with me a copy of Man's Search for Meaning.
My rehab was hard, as I tried to reason that maybe I could overcome the problem. I did 3 hours a day physical therapy and 3 hours of occupational therapy, figuring that I if I did not become healed, at least I would be as rehabilitated as possible. I would be ready.
About a year of just surviving, I started going to a Penticostical prayer meeting with an ole high school friend, Brother Hodge. Healing prayer came up but didn't seem to affect me. I was in the search mode.
Someone told me about a preacher named Copeland that was holding a meeting at the Hotel Fontanel, downtown Omaha, that night. I debated until the last minute. Then I decided to go.
I found a place to park the car three fourths of a block away. At night the streets in downtown Omaha are empty, as they are in most cities. I reached over, opened the door, pulled the back of the passenger bucket seat forward and pushed my wheelchair out.
Then I slid over to the passenger seat reached out and assembled the chair, complete with a heavy water cushion. It was 1970, I know because I was driving a '70 Duster.
With the chair assembled, I stopped long enough to take stock of the situation. As a quadriplegic, about 95 percent paralyzed from the chest down, with no triceps, I finally took stock of the situation. I realized there was no way I could get my body up into the chair. The curb was about 12 inches high, up to the door seal. The chair seat was another 20 inches up from the seal. Plus the 4 inch cushion. To top it off, the top of the door frame was about a foot above the cushion.
As for me, on a good day it is very difficult to transfer across from bed to my chair, but transferring up is out of the question. The position that I wanted my body was 20 inches above the bucket seat. To add to the difficulty, the area my body had to go through was only a foot. I thought to myself, why did you go to this extreme just to realize you can not transfer to the chair. A good gymnast would have to do a difficult iron cross to perform what I was about to do.
I said to God, hoping He was there, "if you're real and I'm supposed to go to this meeting then I need some help. I'll try." I put one hand on the chair seat and on the car seat rocked forward on my shoulders and heaved. Then I looked down on the car seat and told myself, "it must have been one of those things where, like when a woman lifts a car off her kid, super adrenaline. Ya, that's it."
I started pushing up the hill to the meeting, the street was empty, after about 20 feet and my arms turned to cement. I could not push. I held on to the rims as tight as I could, knowing that if I let go I would spin around, race back down hill and go off the curb smashing my head in the street. I said, "Lord, if you’re real I need some help." The words were no sooner out of my mouth, then someone was pushing me, up hill around the corner to the front of the Hotel, complete with front steps. I sat there thinking, what a coincidence that someone would come along just as I said, I needed help. I looked around and I was alone.
"Now there are steps," I said, "Why? If I'm supposed to go to this thing and you're real then I need some help." Again I said, "I need help." This time, 3 or 4 big guys came out of the hotel, asking if they could help. They each looked like Rosy Greer. Don't get me wrong, they were not giants, but I seemed to remember them being so big, they blocked out the light from the over hang and street. Again I said, "What a coincidence, they would come out at that time." They picked me up, put me on the porch, and then pushed me to the elevator and up to the auditorium.
I sat there thinking, what a beautiful singer, Copeland was, but I could see this kind of thing on TV, in my front room. Why was I there. After his service he called forth those that wanted to be healed. I sat there thinking that I didn't want to make a fool of myself so I'd just sit right there. About that time a very big woman started pushing me forward, "You are going," she said.
"No, I'm not," I said. She won.
I sat there while Copeland laid his hands on me, saying "you are healed." I looked around wondering who was looking at the dumb quad. Seeing no one, I pushed out of the auditorium and down the hall. About that time Reverend Copeland walked passed me, I said, "Do you need to fast to see God?" He said, "No it's a free gift."
I found the elevator, down to the east door, which was straight out, no steps. I transferred into the car from the driver’s side. It was straight in, how brilliant to use the driver's side. I sat there thinking of all the coincidences, turned on the ignition and listened to the car come to life. The radio came on, very loud, like when you are alone and you need company. The very first note, then the very first word of the song by Chris Kristofferson, as if set up by Angels, "Why me Lord, what have I ever done, to deserve even one of the blessings from you . . ." Then it goes on, "maybe Lord I can tell someone else, what I've been through myself on my way back to you . . ." I sat there with big tears streaming down my face. "You are real, aren't you Lord."
From that day on I've believed in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. With in the past year I've come to totally believe that the Bible is 100 percent true and I will use it accordingly.
