White House Turns Into 'a House of Prayer' as Faith Leaders Mark First 100 Days with Worship Event

SEARCHING FOR A FATHER

Tim Johnson grew up in Sarasota, Florida. The only male figure in his life at that time was his grandfather Butch. While Johnson’s grandmother was very loving, his grandfather was an angry alcoholic. When he was drunk, he took his anger out on his wife and not the kids. Butch did provide for them financially but when Johnson stayed at their house, it was like walking on eggshells. Confused by his love and fear for Butch, Johnson was looking for direction because his own father wanted nothing to do with him.

His mother loved him and his siblings and tried to provide for her kids by being both a mother and father by working multiple jobs to make their lives better. While she was working, the kids stayed with their grandparents. Times were tough growing up, but when Tim started playing football, he found something he was good at.

Football gave him a built-in community. It also served as an avenue to explore his identity until he found clarity in his faith during college. In 1984, facing a personal crisis during his sophomore year, Johnson was hospitalized with a suspected case of spinal meningitis. While lying on his back in the hospital, he looked upward and prayed, asking God for help. This was a pivotal moment in Johnson’s life that sparked his search for deeper meaning and purpose. After that, he began reading the Bible and attending church gatherings, eventually leading to his full commitment to Christ. This faith gave him clarity about his life's purpose: to fulfill God's plan rather than his own. As he continued to mature and learn about God as a father, Johnson no longer questioned his identity or where he belonged. Johnson knew he was a child of God and no longer fatherless. As his time at Penn State ended, he describes a powerful moment when he was touched so strongly by the Holy Spirit where he began to cry uncontrollably. In that moment, he sobbed with every part of his being. He explains, “I was sitting on the floor around a small table, and suddenly, I felt as if there was an outpouring of fresh oil. There was a presence. I was captivated, completely immersed in this feeling of love. It was the most life-changing, deepest experience. It was pure love.” This event marked a significant turning point in his spiritual journey and personal healing.    

Selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round (#141 overall) of the 1987 NFL draft, Johnson played for three seasons. In 1990 he began playing for the Washington Redskins for five seasons. In 1991, Johnson played with the Redskins which became the World Championship team, earning a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl XXVI. In 1992 he was selected to the Pro Bowl, and the following year he was elected the 1993 Redskin of the year. 

In 1996, after playing football for almost a decade, he retired. In 1996, Johnson transitioned into ministry, becoming an ordained pastor in 2000. He founded the Orlando World Outreach Center (OWOC) in Florida and has since dedicated himself to serving communities in need. His ministry emphasizes unity, healing, and proactive service to address societal divisions and crises.

In his book, Fatherless No More, Johnson outlines a three-step pathway to freedom centered on spiritual identity and reconciliation:

1. Acknowledging the need for a father: Recognizing the void left by absent or flawed earthly fathers and accepting the necessity of a paternal relationship for emotional and spiritual wholeness.

2. Confessing the impact of fatherlessness: Identifying how the lack of a father’s love has shaped behaviors, self-worth, and relationships, including tendencies toward performance-based validation or emotional withdrawal.

3. Forgiving earthly fathers: Releasing resentment and "debts" owed by absent/abusive fathers, which Johnson describes as critical for breaking generational cycles of pain and embracing divine love.

The ultimate freedom comes through embracing a new identity in God, described as an "unshakable love" that replaces earthly insecurities with purpose and belonging. Johnson emphasizes that this spiritual fatherhood, realized through Christ, provides the security and validation humans inherently crave.

THE FATHERLESS NO MORE INITIATIVE

The Fatherless No More Initiative focuses on helping those whose fathers were absent or not positive role models for their children. Particularly focusing on incarcerated men, its mission is to guide participants toward discovering their identity and value through a relationship with God as the Heavenly Father, empowering them to overcome trauma and abandonment and pursue personal transformation.
Key Features of the Initiative include:

1. Spiritual Foundation: The program emphasizes connecting participants with the Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, helping them understand their sense of belonging, beliefs, and behavior regardless of their earthly father relationships.

2. Work at Rikers Island: In 2022, Johnson expanded the initiative to New York City's Rikers Island correctional facility, offering mentorship, hope, and faith-based guidance.

• Correction officers chose participants based on their readiness to embrace change.

• The program fostered a sense of family among inmates, helping them overcome abandonment and trauma.

3. Impact: The initiative has helped men at Rikers Island build trust, discover their identity, and find hope for a new life through faith. Former participants have credited the program with transforming their lives, enabling them to pursue education and work in criminal justice reform.
The Fatherless No More Initiative continues its work by investing in humanity, believing in individuals’ potential for change, and offering them tools to rebuild their lives spiritually and socially.
 

For more information on Tim Johnson click the LINK! 

CREDITS

Author, Fatherless No More (Zondervan, 2024); Senior Pastor, Orlando World Outreach Church 
(OWOC); President of Orlando Serve Foundation; Founder, Fatherless No More initiative; NFL Super 
Bowl champion (Washington Redskins, 1991); Sports Illustrated All-Pro; NCAA Football All-American, and Penn State national champion; Previously named National Faith-Based Leader of the Year by John Maxwell; BA from Penn State; Married w/ four adult children. 
 

Most of the money that Laxman made as a daily wage laborer was spent on his alcohol addiction. His wife, Meenu, could barely pay for their children’s schooling and other essential items.

“There were days I had to borrow money just to buy food for my children.” Meenu reflected. 

Then Meenu heard about an after-school program run by Orphan’s Promise that not only helped children with their studies but also provided hot meals and told them about God. Their youngest daughter often shared with them what she was taught.

“I learned about prayer. For the first time, I prayed to Jesus for help. I prayed that my husband would stop drinking.”

“It was like a miracle! My heart changed. I began to hate alcohol, and I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.” Added Laxman. 

Even though Laxman was now bringing home his pay instead of spending it on alcohol, they still struggled to make ends meet. So, they prayed for a way to make a better income. Not long after that, Orphan’s Promise helped Meenu open a vegetable stand.

“We sell only the freshest vegetables, and people trust us.” Meenu continued. 

“Our life has transformed completely! We even saved enough to buy a brand-new rickshaw.” Laxman continued. 

“To all who helped us, “Thank you! You gave us a new life filled with hope and dignity.” Meenu added. 

At first sight, one would think Olivia is just your normal teen who loves her dog. But there’s an exception.  See, for most of her life she hasn’t been able to smell or taste…anything.

“I didn’t really realize that I couldn’t smell or taste, just because that was just how things were for me.

People would always say, ‘Oh, wow, this smells so good,’ or ‘Oh, this smells really bad.’ And I would kind of never know what that was like,” says Olivia.

Olivia also had asthma. Her parents, Will and Ailie were so focused on managing those symptoms, they had no idea their daughter could not smell or taste until she was about five.

“We would start talking about, ‘Can you smell that, can you taste that?’ She’s like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t smell anything.’ When you’ve never smelled anything, you don’t know you’re not smelling anything. And we didn’t realize at first how much she didn’t taste. And so, all she would eat was Mac and Cheese,” Will says.

Olivia says, “I just really liked the texture. And that was kind of my only critique about food was… texture. Just give me my Mac and Cheese.”

Then, one of the several specialists they had gone to, discovered that olivia’s olfactory nerve was not connected to her brain, and there was nothing the doctors could do to fix it. But the family focused their prayers elsewhere.

“And you realize wow, she can’t smell or taste, but I was not praying for healing for that…still praying for the healing for the asthma and thinking I know that God can heal this because I’ve seen it in my own life and I know that He will heal it,” says Ailie.

That’s because Ailie was healed of terrible migraines in 2004 through a word of knowledge while watching the 700 Club.

Gordon says, “God is healing that headache now, it’s being lifted off of you now, in the name of Jesus it’s not ever going to come back.”

Olivia knew this, which made her believe all the more she could be healed too. “When I was younger, I would look up the segment that she was in to watch it because I just thought it was so interesting and so astonishing that God could do that,” she says.

Although asthma and olfactory issues kept Olivia playing certain sports, they didn’t keep her from being extraordinary. Ailie says, “Olivia has always been using those things to push her forward and to push her to do other things, specifically writing. God has really gifted her with a true gift.”

“I guess I was just really sympathetic for other people’s struggles and I wanted to convey those feelings in fiction. So, I started writing stories and I really loved it,” Olivia says.

The years went by, more mac and cheese was consumed. Then in 2017, the day after Thanksgiving, will and Ailie were watching the 700 club, as they did so many times before.

Will recalls, “It was the Thanksgiving Day show, and I had recorded it, and was watching it and all the sudden Terry said, ‘Well, somebody’s olfactory nerve is being healed…’”

Terry says, “Someone else, I don’t understand this, but you have some kind of an olfactory nerve damage. You can’t smell so you can’t taste your food well. But God is restoring that joy to you again, just receive it in Jesus name.”

Will says, “And I was like… ‘Huh…’”

“And I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, that is amazing!’” Ailie says.

“So, I called Olivia and said, ‘Hey Olivia come here for a second.’ And she came in and goes, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘Watch this.’ So, we watched it again and she goes, ‘Huh…’  And then just walked out. Didn’t say anything, nothing happened,” says Will.

Olivia says, “And as I was leaving I was like, ‘What if that was for me, what if that wasn’t just for some other person…’ And so my dog happened to be right there and I remembered my mom was always complaining about his stench, and so I smelled him and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, he stinks.’ And then it kind of hit me, ‘Oh wait! I can smell!’”

With new found senses, Olivia went on to explore the wonder of smell and taste.

Olivia says, “I would smell a lot of things and ate a lot of leftovers from the day before. And found that the food I that I hadn’t liked, just the day before, that I actually really enjoyed now.”

“We were just so excited; I mean it was such a super joyous occasion and the Lord just really reminded me how thankful we need to be in every instance of our lives. He saw us and He saw something we didn’t even think needed healed and He healed it,” Ailie says.

Since then, a new medication came out that successfully treated Olivia’s specific type of asthma.

With a grateful heart, Olivia expresses the joy of one who has truly tasted and seen that God is good.

Ailie says, “After the healing she just had a confidence; she had a confidence in the Lord, a confidence in what He had done for her, a confidence in sharing things with her friends, and a lighter countenance.”

“Experiencing that for myself, it really just strengthened what I know about Jesus’s healing; that He really does, and that He can really do it for anyone,” says Olivia.

In the bustling country of Thailand, a young boy named Napakorn faced a frightening health challenge. During a routine check-up, doctors discovered an abnormal sound in his heart, prompting them to schedule an echocardiogram to investigate further. The news was alarming for Napakorn and his family, who anxiously awaited the procedure.

In the days leading up to the echocardiogram, Napakorn and his family turned to prayer, asking God for healing and strength. Their faith was unwavering, and they believed in the power of divine intervention. Napakorn especially believed his God had the power to heal because he had seen the Superbook episode “Miracles of Jesus.”

On the day of the echocardiogram, the family received astonishing news. The doctor reported that the abnormal heart sound had disappeared, and a previously detected hole near the heart's upper wall was now nearly closed. Napakorn's heart was deemed normal, and no further treatment was required. The family was overjoyed and believed this miraculous healing was a gift from God.

Napakorn's faith was deeply strengthened by this experience. Upon returning home, he shared his gratitude and excitement with his mother, saying, “God healed me. I will share this story with others, how God helped me, just like in the Superbook ‘Miracles of Jesus’ episode where Jesus performed miracles and healed the lame.”

This miraculous healing not only brought relief to Napakorn and his family but also reinforced their faith in God's power and love. The Superbook episode “Miracles of Jesus” played a significant role in helping Napakorn connect with the Word of God and understand the importance of faith and prayer.

As we celebrate Napakorn's journey and God’s miraculous power, we invite you to join this mission. Your support can help extend the reach of Superbook to even more children and families in need of hope and transformation. Whether by donating to CBN Animation’s Superbook ministry through the link below, sharing this story, or accessing Superbook resources for your own family, you can make a difference. Together, we can continue to bring the light of God's Word to young hearts across the globe.

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