WHEN I WAS 17, I WAS

DIAGNOSED WITH PSORIASIS OF

THE SKIN AND THE BONES.

THEY SAID, YOU HAVE ALREADY

LOST FOUR OR FIVE LAYERS OF

THE SKIN IN YOUR HANDS AND

FEET, AND YOU COULD BE

PARALYZED.

IT GOES TO THE JOINTS AND IT

DWIERPBEGINS TO EAT AWAY AT

THE BONE MARROW, AND THE

TISSUE GETS INFECTED AND

AFFECTS EVERY JOINT IN YOUR

BODY AND THEN FREEZES THEM.

I COULD BARELY GET OUT OF

BED WITHOUT TAKING THE

MEDICINE.

THEY WERE JUST HOPING THAT

THE MEDICINE WOULD TAKE THE

PAIN AWAY AND EASE THE

SWELLING.

BUT IT WASN'T.

IT WAS A FRIDAY AND I JUST

REALLY WANTED TO GO TO

CHURCH.

THE SPEAKER GOT UP TO SHARE

WITH ME, AND HE SAID, I FEEL

LIKE THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE

WHO NEED TO BE RELEASED FROM

BITTERNESS.

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY HEART

IS RACING AND I'M STANDING

UP.

MANY MOMENTS BEGIN FLASHING

IN MY LIFE.

IT WAS REJECTION, AND STUFF

I CARRIED DO FOR MY

FAMILY.

AND I START HEARING THE LORD

SPEAK TO ME.

HE SAYS, MELISSA, WHAT ARE

YOU DOING?

I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE COURAGE

AND AUTHORITY TO STAND UP

AND FIGHT AGAINST THIS

THING.

WHY ARE YOU LAYING DOWN AND

DYING IN IT?

AFTER THAT I THREW AWAY ALL

OF MY MEDICINE AND WENT ON A

30-DAY FAST AND WAS

RADICALLY HEALED.

THE FIRST TIME I MET

MELISSA, I REMEMBER THINKING

TO MYSELF, WHOEVER THAT IS,

AND THE WAY SHE LOVES GOD, I

WANT TO KNOW HER.

WE GOT MARRIED IN 2000,

AND THEN A YEAR AFTER THAT,

WE GOT PREGNANT WITH CADEN,

AND A YEAR AFTER THAT IS

WHEN EVERYTHING CAME BACK

PRETTY INTENSELY.

WITHIN ABOUT A YEAR, 70% TO

80% OF MY BODY WAS COVERED

IN PSORIASIS.

ANY LITTLE THING THAT ANY

NORMAL PERSON WOULD DO, LIKE

OPEN A JAR, ALL OF THOSE

LITTLE THINGS YOU USE YOUR

HANDS FOR WERE CONSTANT,

CHRONIC PAIN.

EVERYTHING THAT A MOM NEEDS

TO DO, JUST TO BE ABLE TO

HOLD THEM AND LIFT THEM, TO

RUN, TO PLAY, WAS PRETTY

MUCH IMPOSSIBLE.

MY HEART WAS JUST, LIKE,

LORD, HEAL MELISSA.

COME ON, I KNOW YOU CAN DO

IT.

IT IS NOTHING FOR YOU.

IT IS SO EASY.

AND HE JUST WHISPERED IN MY

EAR, I WANT HEALING FOR

MELISSA MORE THAN YOU WANT

HEALING.

WILL YOU TRUST ME?

AS THE YEARS WENT ON, IT

GOT HARDER AND HARDER TO

JUST DO LIFE, TO BE A MOM.

SOMETIMES YOU FEEL LIKE

YOU'RE LOSING IT BECAUSE IN

ONE SECOND YOU'RE DECLARING

THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD,

AND IN THE NEXT SECOND

YOU'RE THINKING, HE HAS

TOTALLY LEFT ME AND I DON'T

EVEN KNOW WHERE TO FIND

HIM.

I MADE CHOICE AFTER CHOICE

AFTER CHOICE, I'M NOT GOING

TO GET BITTER.

I'M NOT GOING TO BE

DISAPPOINTED IN THE LORD.

I'M GOING TO LOVE MY LIFE.

WITHOUT TENSION, YOU'RE NOT

REALLY GOING TO MAKE MUSIC.

IF YOU TAKE THE TENSION OUT

OF ANY INSTRUMENT, IT WON'T

MAKE A SOUND.

I THOUGHT, I'M BECOMING

NEW.

I'M BECOMING LIKE THE LORD,

EVEN THOUGH I'M IN THIS

CRAZY TENSION WITH MY BODY.

DO I BELIEVE THAT THE LORD

WON'T TIGHTEN ME SO MUCH

THAT IT WILL BREAK ME?

I REMEMBER, LIKE, SMILING

VERY BIG AND SAYING, OH, MY

GOSH, I'M CHANGING.

I REALLY BEGAN TO KNOW HIM

IN MY DESERT.

THAT'S WHERE HE PROVED HIS

LOVE TO ME.

WE LITERALLY WATCHED

SONGS CHASED AWAY THE LIES,

EVEN IN THE TENSION OF HER

NOT BEING HEALED, MUSIC WAS

MADE.

AND THE SONGS THAT SHE WROTE

I KNOW CHASED AWAY THE

FEARS.

* WHISPER MY NAME

* SO ONLY I CAN HEAR

WHAT I WANTED WAS FOR

ANOTHER SUPERNAL

SUPERNATURAL HEALING.

* CALL TO MY HEART

* CHASE AWAY MY FEARS

I HADN'T BEEN ON MEDICINE

SINCE I WAS 17 BECAUSE IT

DID SO MUCH DAMAGE.

THE LORD WAS ASKING ME TO

LET GO OF ALL OF MY

EXPECTATION.

HE SAID, I SEE THE FAITH AND

THE HOPE AND THE BELIEF

INSIDE OF YOU, BUT I'M GOING

THIS WAY.

I NEED YOU TO GET UP AND GO

THIS WAY.

AND WITHIN THREE OR FOUR

WEEKS, I STARTED GETTING THE

FULL FEELING BACK IN MY

HANDS AND FEET.

I REMEMBER THE FIRST DAY I

WALKED UP THE STEPS AND IT

DIDN'T HURT TO GET CADEN,

PULLING HIM OUT OF THE

CRIB.

AND THE FIRST TIME I FELT

BEAUTIFUL AGAIN.

THE FIRST TIME JOHN AND I

WENT ON A DATE AGAIN.

HER BEAUTY HAS NEVER

FADED IN MY EYES.

THE WAY SHE TRUSTS THE

FATHER'SGOODNESS EVEN WHEN

THE DISEASE IS STILL HANGING

ON.

I'VE WATCHED HER LOOK IN THE

FACE OF THE GIANTS THAT ARE

LYING, AND SAYING WHO ARE

YOU TO SAY MY FATHER IS NOT

GOOD?

*

A LOT OF PEOPLE LOOK AT

ME AND THEY'RE, LIKE, YOU'RE

NOT HEALED.

AND I SAID, YOU DON'T

UNDERSTAND.

HE ABSOLUTELY GAVE ME WHAT

HE PROMISED.

HE GAVE ME HOPE.

HE GAVE ME LIFE.

HE GAVE ME LOVE.

HE GAVE ME GRACE.

THE PROMISED LAND FOR ME HAS

BEEN THE OPENING OF MY EYES

TO SEE THE LORD FOR WHO HE

REALLY IS.

WHICH IS A GOOD FATHER, IN

SPITE OF ALL OF THE

SUFFERING THAT I'VE WALKED

THROUGH, AND THE SUFFERING I

STILL WALK THROUGH.

IT IS THE PROMISE OF HIS

GOODNESS.