An inspirational story from Guideposts: Joel Osteen, a Texas pastor, wrote the story. Among other things, he told about his mother who got very sick with liver cancer in 1981. She was very yellow and lost a lot of weight. The doctors didn't have any hope for her. "But my mother never gave up. She didn't complain about how sick or weak she felt or how hopeless the situation looked. She spoke only positively of her situation. And she filled her mouth with God's words. We'd hear her going through the house speaking aloud, 'I will live and not die. I will declare the works of the Lord.' She was like a walking Bible. Something powerful happened. Her appetite came back, she started gaining weight. Her natural color returned. It has been nearly 25 years since my mother received that death sentence, and today she is completely free of cancer."

Another story from a travel TV show about Germany, I believe: Hundreds of years ago, when the the plagues were raging, one town prayed to God to spare them. They promised Him they'd act out the crucifixion/Passion every ten years if He did. God spared the town, and they have been doing what they promised every ten years, even to the present time! I saw a blurp of it--there was a man up on a cross, and it looked realistic! I guess the men even grow their hair and beards out for months and months beforehand to make it look more authentic!