Flash is fat. Barney is on bed-rest.

I've been doing a lot of praying lately, asking God to heal.

The people I've been praying for have not been getting healed. I realize that it's good to keep humble, but I hate praying again and again and not seeing results. And yet I feel that God wants me to pray, so I keep doing so.

It's not really accurate to say I'm not seeing results, it's merely that I'm not seeing results on people. But I've been doing better with animals. This is not exactly the spiritual gift I was asking for. And yet it is a blessing from God.

Remember Barney the Beagle? He was prescribed medication that was so expensive that his family was considering traveling to Canada to get a discounted prescription. Anyway, he did improve. And then when he had a relapse in Fall, and was hospitalized with pneumonia, I got a call asking me to pray. And God was gracious, and he recovered.

Last week, I visited Barney, because a planned dinner date with his family was re-located to keep him company, because he has hurt his neck and needs to stay in his crate for 6 weeks, to try to avoid re-injuring it. It's sort of the doggy version of bed rest.

While I was there, I mentioned that I needed to read my email when I got home, to check on the status of a cat I was praying for. Well, my hostess was eager to find out, and offered her computer. I logged in and found out that Flash's suspected abdominal tumor had been re-diagnosed as... fat.

My hostess was thrilled, and wanted to cooperate in getting the same results for Barney. So she asked if I needed a photo of him for the prayer to work. I said I didn't need a photo, but that it was sometimes helpful to touch a person I was praying for. She asked whether it would work through the crate, and I assured her that it would. So before I left, I sat on the floor and reached into the crate and laid hands on Barney, and asked for God's healing.

So now I need all my friends to also pray for Barney! [That's you guys.] His family is beginning to believe in this prayer thing, and I think we're finally at the point where they will ask me if they need healing for themselves, not just for their dog.

So while you are praying for Barney, please also pray that God will stir up and expand the gift of healing in myself and in our Church, and that we will see more and more people healed, in the name of Jesus.