God’s Continuing Provision
by Rich Kauffman
My Journey To The Foot Of The Cross
Last October I had the wonderful privilege of attending Desert Stream
Ministries East Coast Leadership Training Seminar in North East
Md. While there, participants had the opportunity to receive training
in the Living Waters curriculum, as well as additional training
in Salt, CrossCurrent and The River programs.
It is difficult for me to put into words the incredible blessing that
this seminar was to my life. My reasons for attending were twofold.
First, I desired to go deeper in my own healing in the area of sexual
addiction. Secondly, I wanted to become better equipped as a facilitator
of that healing process to others. I had participated in Living
Waters and CrossCurrent through Greater Hope Ministries
in Harrisonburg, VA and had received tremendous insight and healing
in my life. I wanted more.
The training started on a Sunday evening, with an introductory session
by Andy Comisky, the founder of Desert Stream Ministries and
author of the Living Waters and CrossCurrent materials.
It then continued for the next five days. We went from 9:00 A.M.- 10:00
P.M. each day, with 15-minute breaks and time off for lunch and dinner.
Andy, Desert Stream Ministries leadership and other leaders
throughout the Eastern Region actually led us through the Living
Waters material. We were the recipients of the incredible healing
touch of the Holy Spirit as we received these words of truth. This in
turn opened up the wounded areas of our lives to the gentle touch of
Father God through the cross and resurrecting power of Jesus Christ!
Each session started with a time of praise and worship, with morning
and afternoon sessions concluding with one-hour small group interaction.
I was blessed with a great small group leader and four other men who
were ready to get open and honest. We formed a bond of trust and honesty,
which allowed us to get real and receive the freeing power of God’s
healing in our lives. James 5:16 came alive in our small group of men
that week.
One of the unexpected blessings of the week
started with listening prayer. I spent some time each day just listening
to what God was trying to teach me. About the middle of the week I
sensed Him telling me I needed to go see my 89-year-old father who was
in a retirement home about an hour away in Lancaster, PA. (I had worked
through some unforgiveness issues concerning my father while going through
the Living Waters class earlier, but had never actually spoken
to my father about those issues or my sexual brokenness. I reasoned
that dad was too old to understand; besides he was also hard of hearing
and I feared he would not hear me right.) I had not originally planned
to do this, but felt prompted to reconsider and shared this with my
small group.
After the small group ended that day my leader asked me to stay for
a minute. He also sensed it was right to go by and see dad. He said
I should share with him what God was doing in my life in regard to my
sexual brokenness, let him know God was calling me to help others and
also ask him to pray a prayer of blessing over me in this regard. I
thanked God for that confirmation and the rest of the week I prayed
for strength and wisdom as I anticipated my visit with dad.
Later in the week I called dad and told him I was coming to see him.
That Saturday morning as I drove to Lancaster, I had a peace in my heart
knowing that God was going to take me another step in the healing process.
As I shared with dad that morning he listened intently. I never had
to repeat a single word and he began to tell me some of his own doubts
and fears and also some of the amazing things God had done in his life.
It was a wonderful time of sharing together and at the end I asked him
if he would pray a prayer of blessing over me. He gladly prayed that
prayer and as he laid his hands on me and prayed, I sensed it was as
healing for him as it was for me.
This was a very fitting end to a wonderful week of allowing God to
reveal Himself as a loving Father who can be trusted with every aspect
of my life. He surely can take the impossible and make it possible.
He takes the broken areas of our lives and heals them, and out of the
weakest areas of our lives, He says “give them to Me” and then in turn
gives us strength to minister out of those very areas of weakness.
“May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.
May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He
will do it.” (I Thessalonians 5:23-24) I thank God for this reality
in my life. I thank Him for this promise.
— Rich has continued to minister to others in the way that he has
received ministry by serving as a teacher and small group leader within
Greater Hope’s Living Waters program. Rich also developed and
oversees a men’s accountability group within his own church.