At a conference not long ago, God did something that took my breath away.
in a teaching session on the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit, Jack Deere asked us to try our hand at healing.
We spent less than 2 minutes in silent prayer, asking the Lord to reveal to us any illness or pain in the room and any specific persons who needed healing.
Revealed
Jack then asked only people who had never done this to raise their hands and share what the Lord revealed.
Immediately, a man raised his hand and said he felt a pain in his neck. Jack said, “Is there anyone here who is dealing with a pain in their neck? If so, would you stand?”
A dozen or so people around the room stood. The rest of us were invited to go to someone standing near us and pray for their healing.
We soon tried another round. After silent prayer, we were asked to share what the Lord revealed.
Penny
Jason, a pastor friend of mine, raised his hand and said, “I think God was saying to me a woman named Penny has a pain in her shoulder.” He touched his left shoulder as he spoke.
Jack quickly replied, “I need to say that receiving someone’s name is usually reserved for people who are more experienced and mature in hearing God’s voice. It is not something beginners often have success with, but let’s give it a try.
“Is there someone here named Penny who has a pain in her shoulder?” We held our collective breath and heard…crickets.
First Time
Jack asked Jason, “Is this your first time doing this?” Jason said slowly, “Yeaaah, and probably my last.”
Jack said, “Well, let’s try it again. Is there anyone here named Penny who has a pain in her shoulder?”
After a long pause, a woman stepped forward from the back of the room. “My name is Penny, and I have a pain in my shoulder.” An audible gasp rippled through the room.
Jack asked, “Is it your left shoulder?” She reached up and touched her shoulder just as Jason had. “Yes, it’s my left shoulder.” People around her were invited to go and pray for her. Jason came from across the room to join them.
He Knows My Name
That was late Wednesday morning. On Friday afternoon, we were pulling out of the parking lot to head home when a friend in our car received a text with this post:
God spoke my name to a pastor during Jack Deere’s teaching session, and I was healed from a shoulder issue I’ve been having for years. He knows my name <3. Praise God
There are times in our lives when we may feel forgotten, as if no one knows or cares about the pains we carry.
But God does. God knows where you are right now and wants to heal you.
In fact, you are loved so much, God knows you by name.
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Roger Ross
A native of Cambridge, Illinois, Roger has served as a pastor in Texas, the British Channel Island of Guernsey, and Illinois. While in Illinois, he led teams that planted two new churches and served for 10 years as the lead pastor of one of the largest United Methodist Churches in the Midwest. It was his privilege to serve as the Director of Congregational Excellence in the Missouri Conference before coming into his current role with Spiritual Leadership, Inc (SLI).
Roger now comes alongside pastors, non-profit leaders and their leadership teams as an executive coach, specializing in leadership that inspires change. As a side gig, he loves teaching evangelism and church planting as an adjunct professor at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas.
Other passions of his include SCUBA diving in warm blue water, Krispy Kremes, and board games with family and friends. He also has a weakness for golf.
Roger is the author of three books, Meet The Goodpeople: Wesley’s 7 Ways to Share Faith, Come Back: Returning to the Life You Were Made For, and Come Back Participant Guide, all through Abingdon Press. Roger’s new book on Being and Making Disciples of Jesus releases August 2025.
Now for the best part. Roger is married to Leanne Klein Ross, and they live Bloomington, Illinois. God has blessed them with two adult children, a son-in-law, several tropical fish, and one adorable granddog.
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