“He will also do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24-” Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it. “
Won’t he though? This morning when I called to get the latest update on Ricky, his nurse told me, “He’s comfortable, he’s watching T.V., and moving his arms.” Confused, I said, “You mean his feet and legs?” The nurse calmly replied, “No, he’s been moving his arms all morning.” What?? We’ve noticed small movements in his arms before, but this is something entirely new and unexpected. That’s exactly what God will do. He takes all of our brokenness and transforms it, making it new and whole again.
Today, Brenda Lewis, a cherished member of our family, went into the hospital for a stent procedure after being told she had a blockage in her heart. But when the doctors went in, they discovered she didn’t actually need the stent—because God intervened. The clot that was causing the blockage was completely gone. Miracles like this happen, and we are truly blessed to witness such moments with Ricky every single day. Each day brings a new sign of hope. Today, Brenda’s body was the place where we saw God at work performing this miracle.
Last night I was truly blessed to attend the Addicts 4 Christ meeting. If you’ve never experienced it, you really have to make it a point to go. These powerful meetings are held every Tuesday night, starting promptly at 6 p.m., at the Rainsville Church of God. You can’t attend without feeling something deep inside—there’s a spirit and energy present that moves everyone there. Each time I go, the meeting leaves a lasting impact on my heart.
While I was there last night, I witnessed two incredible miracles that stood out to me. One of them was my dear friend Holly Holder being given a car. What makes this even more special is that Holly entered transition housing today after graduating just last week. Let me take a moment to tell you about this amazing woman, who I’ve always believed was destined to marry my brother someday.
I met Holly when I worked as the Court Clerk in Bridgeport. She owed fines and had been in and out of trouble for most of her life. I vividly remember the day she walked into my office. Her precious, bubbly smile immediately grabbed me by the heart. It was so obvious that it was fake—the pain of addiction was even more obvious beneath the surface. Over time, I got to know her each week when she’d bring in small payments, trying her hardest to stay off of the court docket, but she just couldn’t get clean. Holly had it pretty rough. Her mother was tragically killed in a car accident when Holly was still a young lady. Like many in Holly’s family, she turned to drugs as a way to numb the unbearable pain.
Throughout the years at Bridgeport, I was lucky enough to meet not only Holly, but also her brother, sister, and father. They were good people, down on their luck for years, but still good people at heart. Holly went to jail—several times, actually. She attempted rehab more than once, left rehab prematurely, and relapsed after finally getting clean. But God!
One day, I was at the courthouse, sitting in court when I noticed a familiar smile. It was none other than Holly Holder. As I sat there, I overheard an officer of the court make a completely off the wall comment, insinuating that Holly just needed to go to prison, like that was where she belonged because she supposedly liked “those women down there” anyway. I was irate. The comment sparked a vivid flashback to when my own brother was struggling with addiction. I remembered running into his parole officer in the courthouse hallway and hearing him say, “Heather, it’s time to draw a line in the sand. Let’s just send him to prison and be done with it.” I remember my heartfelt response without hesitation: “He’s my brother. I’ll never give up on getting him the help he needs.”
Anyway, after hearing the troubling comment about Holly, I decided to follow her attorney out into the quiet hallway and asked directly what they planned to do with her. Her attorney explained to me that Holly’s probation would be revoked and that she would ultimately be sent to prison. Without even consulting Holly first, I boldly asked her attorney if there was any possibility of getting Holly into a rehab program if the court allowed it. The attorney wasn’t sure but encouraged me to try. Wasting no time, I immediately called Katina. As usual, Katina answered the phone right away. I explained the situation in detail, and she quickly responded, “Of course we’ll take her back.” Within thirty minutes, Holly was back at the Jackson County Jail, but she was already preparing to leave that very night for The Father’s House. It’s important to understand that Holly didn’t get the chance to go to rehab because of anything I did—it was truly God working behind the scenes. Last night, watching Holly raise her hands and praise her Lord and Savior broke something inside me, yet at the same time, it made me whole. In Bridgeport, addiction runs deep through many families—it affects everyone involved. Holly was caught up in that cycle. But today, thanks to God’s intervention, Holly has broken that generational curse. Family members now attend church with her, and some are even surrendering their lives to God. Holly Holder’s journey has transformed her from a broken drug addict to a fierce warrior for Christ.
The second miracle I witnessed was my cousin—Bradley, Phillip, or whichever name you prefer to call him. I hadn’t had a genuine conversation with him in years. The Bradley I always knew was broken, not living right, and honestly, not caring much about how he lived. He was full of anger and sadness. When he saw Erik and me walk through the doors, he was visibly shocked. He acted like we were some celebrities making an unexpected appearance. To him, perhaps that’s exactly how it felt. He was missing family—our family—and now, he is no longer broken or consumed by anger and sadness. He is happy and whole. He has only been at The Potter’s House for three short weeks, but in that time, his entire outlook on life has transformed, and so has his appearance. Standing next to him, watching him worship God and pray, reminded me deeply that I could have been where he was—where he once was. God is working powerful and undeniable miracles in our family!
I was able to see so many people during the meeting that hold a special place in my heart. Not only these two but many more. Many who have hugged me when I needed it, prayed for me when I called, through their brokenness, they brought light during my times of darkness.
I have always had a heart for addicts, for those who have been affected by addiction. I’ve had to argue with people that “ Those people are worth the effort.” To me, they are. They’re worth every single prayer, every single let down through the fight, every single tear and every single worry. They are somebody’s child, brother, sister, aunt, uncle or cousin, but most importantly “Those people” are children of God and they’re worth getting your hands dirty to bring them back to Him.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and most importantly, pray for Ricky!
