I prayed a lot about what my life in San Francisco was going to look like. I figured since the Lord was so clearly sending me, He must have a pretty good reason for doing so. I would really like to know what that reason was...beforehand.
Unfortunately for the planner side of me, He didn't say much. I did have an unusual amount of peace for someone about to move with no job, a month's worth of rent, and murky/no direction--but that was about it.
One thing was highlighted though, and that was the name "Lindsay Nelson."
One thing was highlighted though, and that was the name "Lindsay Nelson."
I had met Lindsay briefly during an internship I had done at Youth With a Mission SF several years back. We had overlapped only a couple weeks before I went back to school, so I had never gotten the chance to know her. It seemed pretty random, but I slid it in my back pocket to investigate later.
Find Lindsay Nelson, I scribbled in my journal.
That task was easier than expected, as the day I move to the city I ran right into her on the sidewalk.
A little thrown off, I asked her to meet and we sat down the next day. Turns out, she is pioneering Lindentree Outreach, a ministry focusing on creating space for the Holy Spirit to meet with people and transform hearts as a result. Renewal prayer, inner healing, prayer ministry... call it what you will. The goal is connection with Jesus. Leading people into deeper knowledge of God and our truest selves. Letting the Lord heal each part of their hearts and bring them into wholeness and unity with Himself and each other.
That meeting with Lindsay was an answer to a prayer I hadn't been able to formulate into words. The ministry, the focus, the goals all fit me like a glove. I couldn't sign up fast enough. I found myself in an inner healing training the next day before boxes were even unpacked.
Let me just interrupt right here with a brief history lesson:
I was a Psychology major at Westmont College. I went through every possibility of what I could do with that and tried them all on for size. Some avenues of the therapy world got close, but still seemed to lack something I couldn't quite put my finger on. I interned with Christian counselors, picked the brains of Child Life Specialists, and was counseled by some of the most gifted MFTs. Yet, I could not understand or see healing methods as fully effective without the help of the Holy Spirit. (I am not in any way discrediting therapy or psycho-therapy. On the contrary, I see the incredible value and role they play in the healing world. But what became more and more apparent was that all real, lasting, and complete healing comes from God. He is the only One that can change hearts at their core, completely redeem our experiences, and heal us of pain/trauma.)
During my senior year of college a mentor referred me to a man by the name of Joseph Dalton with Healing for the Heart Ministry (HFTH). Joseph uses an approach to healing that focuses on allowing the Spirit of God to speak peace and love back into damaged hearts. A picture of this approach is beautifully described in Joseph's bio:
"...the Spirit of God kept revealing to Joseph that the healing of hearts and the mending of hearts and lives would be done through this heart whispering approach with people – that love is what heals people...He realizes now that this approach isn’t taught in schools or found in books, but rather it comes from and through the Person of Love. When Love Himself encounters the human heart, the healing that can occur far exceeds anything man can produce in his own resources."
Receiving this inner healing ministry from HFTH was the most transformative experience in my relationship with the Lord to date. I encountered the Person of Love as Joseph describes, and learned of His love for me. He healed parts of my heart that were in deep pain and addressed the numbness I had used to self protect. He revealed where He was in some of the darkness moments of my life, and brought true restoration there.
He also planted something in me during that time; a hunger for that same depth of healing and intimacy for other people. I knew that what I had received was not a typical counseling experience, but in some way far surpassed the length that any amount of therapy could have reach. I was ruined for anything less. The Healer himself healed me. [Hallelujah]
--End of history lesson--
So with that in mind, you can see why this seemingly casual encounter with Lindsay was kind of a big deal for me. Up until this point, I had yet to find an outlet or training ground in which to practice and learn more about heart healing. And all the while, the Lord was preparing a place for just that.
