Playing with some of the great guitar players of all time, Mike McCarthy knew that living in the world came with a price. After fighting with drug and alcohol addiction for many years, he was captivated by the love and mercy of Jesus. He accepted Jesus as Lord in 2002 and was delivered from drug and alcohol addiction in 2003. Freed from these chains, he strummed with purpose and passion for Jesus on the worship team and began serving in his cell group as an assistant cell leader. While his spirit soared, his physical body still suffered ailments and signs from his former days. In 2003, his doctor gave him the diagnosis: "You have Hepatitis C." The doctor explained that Hepatitis C, while manageable, is not curable. There would always be enzymes in his blood from the disease, even with treatment.

Holding on to the promises of Jesus, that "by His stripes we are healed," Mike prayed and asked others to pray for his healing. He declined the doctor's offer to put him on the newly popular drugs Interferon and Pegasys. While they claimed good results, there were many negative side effects. Steve and Mary Prokopchak, John and Kim Henry, and Mike's cell family all prayed for him- believing for his healing. "There came a point where I just had to stand in faith and thank God for my healing," Mike said. "I just believed that I was healed, even though I didn't see it in my body yet."

In November of 2009, Mike visited his doctor for one of his regular blood tests. His doctor stood in unbelief as he delivered the news, "You do not have Hepatitis C. You never did." Mike told him to pull his old records and he would find the diagnosis. "I can't explain it," his doctor admitted. "Even if you had been healed medically of the disease, you would still have detectable enzymes in your blood." While medically unexplainable , Mike knows the source of his healing. Now, as Mike strums songs of praise on the worship team, he has yet another reason to worship Jesus- the one worthy of all praise.