ccm Cross 0121
Sunday September 25, 2016
Cornerstone Church
Walker, Minnesota
ccm Cross #0121
GPS/DMS 47.0419° N, 94.5388° W
Additional Pictures after the Testimony
4162 cdd The Purpose of Life
Cyber Daily Devotion
Volume 17 Number 194
Today’s Author: Pastor Bill
Scripture: Exodus 9:16
“For this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth” NKJV
Hello, my name is Pastor Dawn Lundgren of Cornerstone Church in Walker, Minnesota, and this is my Cross testimony of how the Lord healed me of Alzheimer’s Disease for His select purposes. And those purposes have led me around the globe to more than 20 countries telling of the love of Jesus Christ.
I’ve been married to my husband Ed for 58 years. We have five children, 14 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.
My Christian beginnings started before I was born. My Great, Great, Great, German Grandfather, a theologian, came from Germany to Ohio and founded the first German speaking Lutheran Church. That was in Canton, Ohio. A simple, log structure, in the woods. It would take many decades before this heritage became real to me.
In the early 1970’s, I was attending an Evangelical Free Church in Delano, Minnesota. It was through the love of Christ shining through the believers there, that I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ. I attended Bible studies ever week with some wonderful Christians who discipled me and introduced me to what it meant to be a Christian.
Later in the 1970’s I became involved in Real Estate eventually becoming a broker and opening my own Real Estate Company. We focused on Sales and Marketing of upper bracket single family homes, townhouses, and condominiums. In 1976 I was named “New Construction National Sales Person of the Year,” the first time a woman had even been considered in this field.
Business prospered and in 1983 I began to suffer some strange memory problems. At the time I was managing the sales of a condominium project on Lake Minnetonka. On one particular morning I drove into the underground parking garage and suddenly became totally disoriented. I didn’t know where I was, or why I was in this building, driving around in circles, trying to figure where I was. Actually, I was in the garage where I had an assigned parking area right by the elevator into the condo project. I finally parked in the garage. I found the elevator and started searching the names and floors of the building to see if anything looked familiar. Unfortunately, nothing was. So I went up to the main floor, hoping something would jog my memory.
As I exited the elevator I heard a woman’s voice coming from an office across the hall. She was calling a name that seemed familiar. “Dawn, I’m glad you’re here, people have been calling for you, and I have all the information you asked me to gather for your meeting this morning.”
Since this lady apparently knew me, I followed her into what was apparently my office. She handed me a file, as she went over phone messages with me. Nothing was familiar to me, I simply followed her lead, hoping something would trigger my memory.
I learned there was an hour of time before a meeting “I had called,” would begin. I spent most of that hour, struggling with my memory. Just before the hour was up, a man (that I apparently was supposed to know), entered my office, laughing and talking. Just as suddenly as my memory had disappeared, it returned, and I was aware of my surroundings, the people, and the meeting.
Episodes of this kind continued to occur over the next few weeks – including my getting lost driving to and from work — calling a phone number that would come to mind — usually a family member, asking them to find me. Needless to say, this was becoming a serious issue in our family.
Finally, after many episodes, I was hospitalized for a few days. I underwent all types of mental tests, as well as physical testing, brain scans, etc.
(Later in 1983 — To preface my story, I was not attending any church at the time, and had no Christian friends. So there was no Christian influence in my life. Everything that follows was strictly from the Holy Spirit (although I didn’t understand all this, then).
My husband Ed and I were seated by the doctor’s desk as he proceeded to speak to us of their determination of diagnosis. As well as the prognosis for the future.
“Dawn and Ed, after going over all the tests results, I’m afraid I don’t have any encouraging news. All the tests point to the fact that you are in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. You will need to sell your business, and stay home, because stress aggravates the situation — blah, blah, blah.”
My brain shut down, and the doctor’s voice seemed to be coming from miles away. Upon hearing the news, I had a moment of panic, since my mother had died of complications from Alzheimer’s, and I was very aware of this devastating disease. Then, suddenly, a peace settled over me. A peace I could never describe to anyone, along with the thought that there was something God wanted me to do, before it was too late.
When we arrived home, I went searching for my old Bible — believing that the answer of what I was to do would be found there, somewhere. The next day, I began reading the Word — at first only for about 15 minutes a day.
Before I would begin my reading, I always said a simple prayer: “God, please bring your Word alive in me today, I’ve heard people say it’s alive, but it’s not alive to me, please show me what you want me to do before it’s too late.”
When I finished reading each day, I closed the Bible and prayed another simple prayer. “Thank you God, for bringing the Bible alive (even though it hadn’t happened yet!).”
In later years, when I had more understanding of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, I became amazed at how He leads us, and teaches us right where we are.
And so, the daily reading continued, growing from a simple 15 minutes in the beginning, to one half-hour, to an hour, to two hours, then four and five hours a day. A few months later I was reading sometimes as long as six hours a day! Then one day, I realized, the Word had become alive! I can’t point to a specific time — all I knew was — God had answered my prayer and this was the most exciting book I had EVER read!
Later in 1983 I didn’t know God actually would speak to us — then one day — I had just finished my reading and I was deciding what to read next. So I prayed, “God, what should I read now?”
#1: Imagine my surprise to hear an answer in my heart — “Search Acts”
I didn’t know what “Acts” was — so I poured through my bible and found “Acts of the Apostles.”
That was the first time I heard God speak to me. When God speaks, your heart leaps and desire for more of Him grows. Later, I began to realize, Acts is all about the Holy Spirit’s work.
Beginning of 1984: It was 10:00 pm as I was driving home from dinner with friends, on a lonely country road. I was very excited because I had shared with my two friends, that I had rededicated my life to God, and they had received my announcement with such encouraging words. They didn’t think the disease was actually progressing, causing me to be a little ‘off.’
On the road, I was singing praises at their reception of my news. When suddenly, a presence entered my car and I began to shake so hard I couldn’t drive. I had to pull off onto the shoulder of the road. What is this, God?
#2: I heard God’s voice for the second time:
“You are my daughter, whom I love. I am the one who took it all away, I am the one who emptied your mind, because you would not listen to me. (suddenly I saw several incidents in my past where God had directed me one way, but I went MY own way.) “But now, I have healed you, and I’ve called you to the multitudes to heal them physically, spiritually, and emotionally. But FIRST, study, search and pray.”
With that said, the presence of God left my car. I now sat in the emptiest car I have ever been in. I sat on the side of the road for quite some time, trying to absorb what had just happened. One thing I DID understand, I WAS HEALED!
Finally, feeling I could drive, I continued home. Upon arriving, I headed for the phone to call my friends and tell them the most amazing thing that had just happened. But my husband was on the phone, so I was going to have to wait. I proceeded to my den bowing my head to pray before I used the phone.
#3: Then I heard God’s voice for the third time: “Tell no-one.” WHAT?! “Tell no-one.”
I now understand why the direction to tell no-one. Possibly they would have attributed my testimony to my disease, and not to the miracle of God healing me. So I told no-one, for nearly three years. I didn’t even tell the doctors on my regular visits and check-ups. The doctors were simply puzzled at why I wasn’t getting worse during those days.
My life took on a new purpose through the leading of the Holy Spirit:
I attended three years at Living Faith Bible School and attended Cathedral of Praise Church in Eden Prairie. During those years I listened to people return from ‘short term mission trips’, I began to proclaim how glad I was that God did not call me to missions!
Never say never to God 1984 – 2016
Since then my life has been enriched through foreign and domestic Crusades, Teaching Pastor’s and Leaders Conferences in more than 20 countries.
Here is a list of what the Lord is doing when I am obedient to go:
* Prophetically calling out a tribal man who had come prepared to slash people to death at an outdoor meeting. He had a sword hidden under his clothes prepared to cause mayhem. God had other plans and instead of mayhem he came to the Lord Jesus Christ.
* God used my hands to raise a dead baby to life
* God used my hands to correct bones in broken legs, arms and backs
* Preaching the Gospel and seeing thousands come to salvation
* God has opened the door to deliver prophetic Words to leaders of countries, particularly in South Africa
* Satan has tried to kill me three times:
#1: What appeared to be a brain aneurysm disappeared
#2: God spoke to me through Psalm 46:1-3, warning me of a storm and danger coming as we ministered on Lake Tanganyika in the Congo. The enemy tried to drown me in that storm. BUT GOD!!!!!!
* While preaching to the Masaai tribe in the bush of Kenya I suffered a burst appendix. But God took me to safety 3 hours away in a hospital. I only had about 30 minutes left to live. Because He said, “I’m not done with you yet.”
* Seeing the Holy Spirit set hundreds free of demonic spirits all at one time at a crusade in the Congo
* Seeing the lame get out of wheelchairs and walk, in an African country
To God be all the Glory — God had a purpose for my life and it took years in the making as I had to get out of the way and let Him do His work.
Pastor Bill, thank you for the Cross planted here. When we first opened our church building God showed me a vision of a large Cross. I called in a few contractors and when I saw the cost I knew there was no way we could afford it. But GOD! Here you showed up with a free Cross and it stands right where the vision foretold and is the exact size. To God be all the Glory!
Prayer: Father thank you for fulfilling my life with Your select purpose. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
George and Pastor Bill setting auger in place
George making progress
Craftsmanship in progress
Team Cornerstone volunteers for lifting duties
Walking Cross into position
Luke enters with heavy duty equipment
Preparing Cross
Lifting
Everyone has a job
“FIRE IN THE HOLE”
Protecting the Cross from insects and critters
Team Cornerstone work crew
Pastor Dawn Lundgren at 78 years old has her church on fire for the Lord
and will be traveling to Kenya, Uganda and India in the next six months
carrying the Good News of Jesus Christ
Plaque installation
The Glory of the Lord showed up
as we Declared God’s Glory
over Walker, Minnesota
and surrounding areas.