Kingdom Connections

I went to the doctor in 2018 for something I can’t even remember.

He told me, “Your issue was nothing—but we found something else.”

Then came the words no one wants to hear: “We have to assume it is follicular lymphoma.” Incurable cancer.

They ran more tests, but told us we would have to wait for confirmation.

So, as Trace and I were faced with someone handing me a possible death sentence, we did what any full-gospel, tongue-talkin’, faith-walkin’, devil-stompin’ couple would do.

We went to Dollywood.

We had never been there. We just needed some encouragement and good entertainment rather than entertaining bad news.

We drove a few hours to Dollywood—and walked through the gates right into the middle of Gospel Week.

People were singing about Jesus. Singing about hope. Singing about God’s power.

Then we discovered that our friend Mark, a well-known Christian comedian who had been to our house for dinner years earlier, was performing at Dolly Parton’s Celebrity Theater.

That already felt like a gift from God—a familiar connection and some much-needed laughter.

But then Mark sang a song he had written. It has been a gift to millions of people, but that night, I think he sang it just for me.

He began with the familiar words: Mary, Did You Know? Then he came to the bridge:

The blind will see.The deaf will hear.And the dead will live again.

I went home declaring those words along with words God had already given me from Scripture:

“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.” — Psalm 118:17

And:

“

He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.” — Psalm 107:20

When we got home, the diagnosis was confirmed. But God had more Kingdom connections waiting.

The men of Wednesday Warriors—my group of Spirit-filled, faith-filled prayer warriors and Kingdom partners I had met with for years—surrounded me and prayed. My church prayer group prayed. Friends stood with us, prophesied over me, encouraged us, and believed God with us. We weren’t standing alone.

And today, there is no evidence of that humanly incurable cancer.

The physicians couldn’t cure it. But the Great Physician did.

So today I can say exactly what I declared in 2018:

“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.”

And I’m declaring it now. 

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I’m thankful for how God used Dollywood to connect us to Jesus and God’s Word in a time of great need.

And Dolly Parton’s recent passing reminds us just how much influence one person can have when they are available for God to use.

Dolly built businesses—and used them to build people. Through her Imagination Library, hundreds of millions of books have gone to children. When devastating floods struck, she gave generously and rallied resources to help families rebuild.

And throughout her career, she sang openly about her faith through gospel recordings, hymns, and songs about prayer, grace, and Jesus.

She created places where gospel music didn’t just entertain—it penetrated hearts.

Around the time we visited her theme park, Dolly Parton recorded the Grammy-winning song with Zach Williams, There Was Jesus.

And when Trace and I showed up at her business, waiting to find out whether I had incurable cancer, those words became more than a song—they became our story.

There was Jesus.

Dolly didn’t know we were coming.

Mark Lowry didn’t know what we were facing.

But God knew. He made the connections.

And that’s not just how God worked in our story. It’s how He has been working from the beginning.

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When Paul writes to the Ephesians, we see that Kingdom connections are woven into the way God forms His people and fulfills His purposes through them.

Before God connects us to the work He has prepared, He first shapes us into the people who can carry it—and fit together with the others He is shaping.

Before Paul tells us what we are supposed to do, he reminds us who we are and what God has already done.

He says God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.” — Ephesians 1:3

He says we have been adopted into God’s family through Jesus Christ.

That’s identity.

Then Paul reminds us that although we were dead in our sins, God made us alive with Christ:

“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith.” — Ephesians 2:8

God doesn’t merely give us a better assignment. He gives us new life.

That’s transformation.

Then Paul shows us that God does not form us in isolation. He joins us to His people:

“You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.” — Ephesians 2:19

That’s connection.

And woven into all of this is our assignment:

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” — Ephesians 2:10

Identity. Transformation. Connection. Assignment.

God establishes who we are.

He transforms us by grace.

He connects us with His people.

And then He works through us—together—to accomplish the things He prepared for us in advance.

God connected me with Mark years before I needed to hear that song.

He connected me with Wednesday Warriors, my church prayer group, and friends before I knew how desperately I would need people to stand with me.

And there may be people God has already placed in your life because someday they will need what He has placed in you. Or you will need what He has placed in them.

What if some of the people around you aren’t merely friends, coworkers, neighbors, customers, business contacts, church acquaintances, or chance encounters?

What if they are Kingdom connections?

Dolly didn’t know a couple waiting on a cancer diagnosis would walk through the gates of Dollywood that week.

Mark Lowry didn’t know when he wrote wrote the lyrics to Mary Did You Know? that years later its words would become a declaration of faith for someone he had dinner with.

My prayer partners didn’t know when our relationships began that one day I would need them standing with me against cancer.

But God knew.

He had already prepared the works.

He was already preparing the people.

And He was making the connections.

So pay attention to the people God puts around you. You may not be carrying the whole answer—but you can carry your part.

Bring what He has given you.

Encourage someone. Pray for someone. Make an introduction. Share your wisdom. Use your influence. Use your gifts. 

Bring healing, hope, and Jesus. 

Sing your song.

You don’t have to do everything.

Just faithfully do what God has given you to do—and trust Holy Spirit to make the connections.