Dill Rummel, a woman from the church where I pastor, once told me the story of how a colleague of hers was hospitalized for ten weeks. Her name was Colleen, and she had broken her back in two places. Despite the doctors' efforts, her back wasn't healing. Dill was very busy, but she knew God wanted her to visit Colleen. In fact she felt God wanted her to lay hands on Colleen and pray for healing—something that was pretty "out there" for Dill at the time.

When Dill finally got around to going to the hospital, she and Colleen chatted for quite some time about real estate and everyone they knew. Over the course of her visit, Dill eventually summoned up the courage to say, "Would you like me to lay hands on you and pray for you?" Colleen readily agreed. Dill told me, "I did not feel warmth dribbling down through me or anything, but I did what God wanted me to do."

About three weeks later, the doorbell rang, and there was Colleen standing on Dill's front porch. She explained that the day after Dill had visited her, the doctor sent Colleen to the lab for some X-rays. They showed where the two breaks had been, but they were completely healed.

Colleen eventually started coming to Dill's Bible study. One day, when they were talking about that famous painting of Jesus knocking at the heart's door, Dill explained that the artist didn't put a door handle on the outside of the door, because we must open our hearts from the inside. Later that day Colleen prayed these words: "Lord, I guess if you're out there and I can open the door, I want you to come in." That day Colleen was born again.