Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside-down. I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there. I’ll tell you how Kings River Church changed my life through love and prayer.
Before I do that, here is a little background information. Kings River Church is nondenominational and was formed in my hometown, Berryville, Arkansas, in 2012. There is no dress code implied. You want to wear shorts and a t-shirt? Go for it. You prefer to dress up in your Sunday best? Go all out. We can worship our God the same way no matter how we look. Just as we call out to Him in our highest of highs and lowest of lows. Worship comes straight from the heart, nowhere else.
We are a young church with plenty of room to grow: in Christ and in number. We are not perfect—far from it. But we are a family of believers filled with the love of Jesus Christ, and I feel that love every time we get together. Something else happens when we meet as a church, and it is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen or felt. And that is the invitation of the Holy Spirit and the overwhelming presence of God comforting every broken heart and mending every damaged soul. Kings River Church lives out Francesca Battistelli’s song, “Holy Spirit”.
I began to attend this church faithfully in December of 2015. After my third brain surgery in 2014, I was told that my Chiari-related headaches would go away. And they did! But a different type of headache took their place. When the barometric pressure reached 29.90 or above, an immobilizing pain took over my head. My skull felt like a balloon that was ready to pop. I was thankful that my Chiari headaches were gone, but these headaches weren’t much better.
As I began to attend Kings River Church, I started to learn what it meant to fully rely on God. Human hands can only do so much and get you so far. As Pastor Doby asked those who needed prayer or healing to come to the front of the church, I heard God calling me. So I went. And I continued to go every time I felt God tugging at my heart (which was for the next six months). At first, nothing really changed. My headaches came a few times every week. They were so bad that I couldn’t even stand. But through the pain, God kept bringing me closer to Him.
Weeks went by with no change in my physical well-being. Then months. But my relationship with God continued to grow. Then one day at the end of July I realized something. I hadn’t had a headache in two weeks. And it was so strange to me. Not only because I was used to having them regularly, but also because there had been severe storms and the barometric pressure had been high several times in those two weeks. And in that moment I broke down on my knees and began to praise my loving and All-Mighty God. A month has gone by since that day, and there have only been two instances where my head has ached even a little bit. Which is nothing compared to the pain that I had been feeling in months prior.
This is just one account of God's work. How many more must there be? The power of prayer is miraculous. My God is sovereign. And there is no doubt in my mind that He is at the head of Kings River Church. He is the head, and we are the body. If you do not have a home church, or if you just want to experience what God is doing at Kings River Church, I encourage you to join us on Sundays at 10 a.m. and Wednesday nights from 6-7. We are located at 769 Highway 221 North, Berryville, AR 72616. You can visit their Facebook page "Kings River Church". For more information, contact Pastor Doby Williams at 870-654-0750.
