Archive for the ‘Testimonies’ Category

CAN’T I LOVE HIM FROM A DISTANCE?

Posted: May 14, 2013 in Testimonies
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“…Forgive one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32b KJV

   There is a whole section of our society that refuses to grow up. Granted there are some who come from environments that didn’t spur them on to maturity. They probably had parents that also never grew up and maybe even grandparents. What we have then is a whole section of society that has lived their whole lives receiving aid in one form or the other. Not only that they have been brought up to believe someone else is suppose to take care of them. I’m not against helping others, but what if they never grow up? What’s the solution?

   Yesterday I spoke with a young man I first met in jail. He came over to me and started telling me about his stepfather and how he isn’t what he seems to be. He said, “He’s got the church deceived, but I know what he does.” He continued and finally came to his real problem. He tells me his stepfather always wants money from him and says to me “I know I have to love him but can’t I love him from a distance?” There is hurt and unforgiveness between them, and he seems stuck.

   As he talked and I listened the time finally came for me to respond. I shared with him how forgiveness wasn’t just for the stepfather it was for him too. Sometimes we withhold forgiveness from someone thinking they don’t deserve it. It’s as if we think if we forgive them we’re letting them off the hook and they’re getting away with something.

   At the root of unforgiveness really is a debt owed isn’t it? We don’t want to forgive others until we feel the debt has been paid. The problem with that is most of the time the debt will never be paid and it turns into a never ending cycle of them attempting to make things right and we just keep raising the stakes on them. What we’re really doing is holding them hostage.

   I’ll never forget hearing someone describe unforgiveness as “Drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” Forgiveness takes maturity. An immature person can’t do it. In fact only Christ himself can forgive and if we don’t learn to let him do it through us we will remain in conflict with one another. We have to choose to love others and forgive them, but when it comes right down to it we, in ourselves, have no ability to do it. This is where we have to look to God and say, “Lord, by myself I can’t do this but through you I can do all things.”

   When parents and step parents refuse to grow up we can’t expect their children to be any different. As always the answer is Jesus Christ. He is the only way to maturity or wholeness. If the truth is told, once the Spirit of God lives in you maturity has come. Our problem has to be either we haven’t learned how to walk in the Spirit or we are simply choosing to remain in the fleshly mind. Either way forgiveness will only come by way of letting God have his way in and through our lives.

   Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” I’ve heard many say what he means is we have to learn to love ourselves before we can love others, but I don’t think that’s what he’s saying. I think he’s saying, “We are to love others, as if they are ourselves…because they are.” We are one in Christ; we are the body; so in this sense my neighbor and I are one and the same.  

   My conversation with this man ended with him shaking my hand and saying thank you. When I find myself talking to someone about forgiveness there usually isn’t much to say. Either they are going to choose to forgive or not. Most know forgiveness is necessary yet they want so badly not to, and I think it is about control. If I forgive you then I’m giving up control of the situation and I don’t think I can trust God to take care of it. Oh no, I would never say that! I know you would never say it, but isn’t that really what’s going on here? We have to let God handle these things, and the only way is for us to release that person through forgiveness. Wasn’t it God who said, “I will repay, saith the Lord?”   

Written by Louie

 

     

LETTING GO OF THE BUTTER

Posted: May 13, 2013 in Testimonies
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   A young boy reaching into the shopping cart for butter demonstrated in a moment what I believe is the story of mankind. He reached up through the bars to grab the butter, in the child seat area of the cart, and found himself stuck. He had grabbed the box of butter, but couldn’t get it and his hand out from between the bars; so he screamed. Of course this sent mom and grand-mom into high alert. Grandma reached over and shook the butter loose from his hand, turned it a little bit, and out came his hand. The screaming was over; he looked around for a second and was onto another adventure.

   This little incident made me think about how we have all behaved at times collectively and individually. The whole history of Israel goes something like this: idol worship, sin and then bondage. Finally the bondage would get to be too much and they would cry out to God. Of course he would send a deliverer, and they would be free for a while. Then you guessed it. They would find themselves back in the same cycle of sin-idol worship-bondage-cry out-get delivered-freedom-sin-idol worship-bondage…

    With this little boy-he saw the butter, wasn’t suppose to have it, wanted it anyway, reached for it, got stuck, cried out to be delivered and he was set free. I would like to tell you he never did such a thing again, but I think we both know better than that don’t we? I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole scenario played out again in the very next isle.

   If we are honest we could all tell of our own similar story. The truth is this whole cycle is good for us in a way. After all, if we didn’t find ourselves stuck in something that required a savior we would never have gotten to know Jesus Christ and the cross which is the only real solution to our bondage. Without our trying and failing to achieve what we thought we wanted, and the inevitable consequences, we would never come to see he is what we wanted all along.

   Just like that little boy we have to learn to let go of whatever it is that keeps getting us stuck before we will ever be truly free. You see he had to drop the butter or he never would have been able to get his hand out. Sometimes I think we’re attempting to hold onto the very thing that binds us and want freedom too. It can’t work that way. If we’re going to cry out to be saved we have to turn from our sin and idols to the living God. That is true repentance and the path to real freedom.   

Written by Louie

LIFE IS A VAPOR

Posted: May 4, 2013 in Testimonies
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Life is a vapor here today and gone tomorrow. No truer words have been spoken. This is one of those things we all know in a subconscious way but every now and then we need to be reminded. The thing is sometimes we have to be shaken a bit to awaken us to the fact our lives really are lived in a very precarious and fragile state.

I left for work the other day just as I always do not knowing that within the hour I would be struggling to take a breath in an ambulance on the way to the emergency room. I know this kind of thing happens in people’s lives everyday but we never get the full effect until it is us.

The night before I spoke at our church and shared about how it isn’t just those we call addicts who are powerless and now I’m getting a real time lesson. For me I would say taking a breath is one of those things most of us take for granted, unless you have had this type of experience.

In James 4 our lives are described as a vapor, mist or fog that is just here for a little while and then it is gone. One of the enemies greatest weapons is for us to live our lives as if we’ve got time. According to the scriptures “Today is the day of salvation” so live in full awareness of how fragile our earthly existence really is. If you have anything unresolved between you and others I encourage you to make things right because you truly may not have much time left to do so. We all really are only one heartbeat away from our eternal destiny don’t go with unresolved business with others.

Written by Louie

C.S. Lewis: Why he matters today

Posted: April 30, 2013 in Testimonies, Uncategorized, video
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LOVE HOPES ALL THINGS

Posted: April 22, 2013 in Testimonies
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“Love believes and hopes all things.”

   Some think people will never change. The story of Saul/Paul comes to mind. When we first get introduced to this man named Saul in the early chapters of the book of Acts he isn’t a very nice man. The opening verses of Acts nine describe him as “Breathing out threats and violence.” All we know about him is he is actively engaged in tracking down everyone that claims to be followers of Christ and locking them up.

   The great thing about Saul’s conversion to me is how it happened even when he wasn’t looking for a change at all. He was filled with violence towards all that call on Jesus’ name and yet Jesus himself showed up. Jesus asked him “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?” Saul didn’t even know who he was he answered “Who are you Lord?” Isn’t that how we are sometimes? We make up our minds we don’t like someone even though we don’t really even know them. Saul was angry and looking for blood and yet when Jesus spoke directly to him he didn’t even know him.

   Some of the people Tracey and I spend time with have been given chance after chance to get it together. Many of the families have given up on them thinking they will never change and in many cases it does seem to be true. My question is how many thought I would never change either? I would bet most people who knew me before thought I would always be a partying addict. Thank God Jesus Christ intervened and transformed my life. If God can completely redirect my life why can’t he do the same for others?

   If you read a little further in Acts nine you will see there were many who didn’t trust or believe Saul was a new man either. After he had met Jesus and lost his sight a man named Ananias came and laid hands on him. Saul turned Paul regained his sight and immediately started telling others about Jesus Christ.

   Everyone who heard Paul preaching Christ was amazed and said, “Isn’t this the same man who destroyed all that calls on this name in Jerusalem and didn’t he come here to do the same?” They simply couldn’t believe what they were hearing. A few days later the Jews came together and planned to kill him. The very ones that were on his side, against Christ’s followers, were now against him. Better yet all the believers didn’t trust him either so he was a man without a country.

    Barnabas took Paul in and spoke well of him to others. I believe this is our job as believers. Somewhere along the line we have to take a chance on others. We cannot live our lives thinking “They’re never going to change.” Barnabas came along side Paul and introduced him to other followers of Christ and stood by him declaring “He had seen the Lord in the way, and he had spoken boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.”

   On a personal note let me say this. When Tracey and I were talking about getting remarried we went to see a marriage counselor. We sat for three hours talking with a “Christian” counselor as he tried everything in his power to convince Tracey I would go back to drugs. He was convinced when hard times came I would run back to addiction. I’m so grateful Tracey knew how to hear from God because if she would have listened to this counselor we would have never been remarried. Tracey saw a change in me even when a “Professional Christian counselor” held out no hope. That was going on twelve years ago and I am glad to say I haven’t gone back to drugs or alcohol for relief. I have instead learned Jesus Christ sustains me and he will continue to as long as I look to him rather than myself. Change can happen, and I am going to believe for others just as others believed for me.

Written by Louie

PRAYING FOR OZZY

Posted: April 21, 2013 in Testimonies
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  Recently I read an article that said Ozzy Osbourne admitted he had been drinking and doing drugs for the past year and a half. He went on to say he had been sober for forty four days, and I am thankful for that. To some this might not be such a shock because he does have quite the reputation for bad behavior. The article didn’t shock me either if the truth is told but it did cause me to sigh and feel sadness for him and his family. Ozzy has battled addiction for most of his life and just hasn’t completely defeated it. I know he has been in rehabs and twelve step programs yet like many others he continues to struggle.

   If I were given an opportunity to speak with him I would tell him how I came out of a similar lifestyle after 15 years. Twelve step programs and rehabs are wonderful, and I highly recommend them for those that are in need of them. The only problem I see is if you go there expecting just to learn how to cope better you’re in trouble, because that isn’t what’s going to set you free from addiction. While you may learn some valuable tools to help you in the beginning it is only Jesus Christ himself that will keep you clean.

   The Bible uses the term sin and sins when referring to things that keep people in bondage. Of course we like to clean up things and make them more clinical so we call them addictions, hang-ups and mistakes. For now let’s call it sin, so we get the full effect and understand the reason we need such a radical cure as the death of the one and only Son of God.

   Jesus Christ came here to save sinners. He didn’t come here for the religious or to make people religious. Now that’s some good news isn’t it? In fact the religious folks were the ones that said to the disciples “Why is your teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus came here for the ones that are sick and in need. This would include Ozzy, me and everyone willing to be honest with themselves don’t you think?

   I think Ozzy is probably like many others in that he formed an opinion about who Jesus is based on the attitudes and lifestyles of those that claim to know him and some that even speak for him. I have seen my share of hypocritical behavior when it comes to the Rock-n-Roll world, and I’m sure it doesn’t endear them to Jesus. I remember going to see an Ozzy concert when I was a freshman in High School. There was a group of people protesting outside of the concert passing out tracts and yelling at us “You’re all going to Hell if you go in there!” I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this didn’t encourage me to come to Jesus. If it did anything it just fueled my fire against the church and made me not want to ever go again. 

   I didn’t start writing this in order to rant about hypocrites or give anyone excuses to not trust in Christ, but somewhere along the line we, that claim to know Jesus Christ, are to exhibit his behavior traits. We too will be a friend of sinners. How else are we going to reach them? When it’s all said and done we have to come to Jesus Christ on our own. One way or the other; we receive him or reject him, so my prayer is that Ozzy, and anyone else for that matter, takes a good long look at who Jesus really is before rejecting him based on who you think he might be.

   Let me leave you with a few words from Jesus himself. In John 3 while talking with a man named Nicodemus he said, “For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” Many times those claiming to represent Jesus are judgmental, but right here we read Jesus didn’t come for that he came to save us from judgment. I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty good to me. Why don’t you ask God to show you the truth about it? I only have one request. Don’t be afraid to follow the truth where it takes you. I promise you will not be sorry.

Written by Louie

     

       

TAMMY STRADER’S TESTIMONY

Posted: April 15, 2013 in Testimonies
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Tammy Strader Photo by Tracey Lewis

Tammy Strader
Photo by Tracey Lewis

I was blessed to be born to Christian parents who took me to church and on July 23, 1978 at the young age of nine I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and was baptized that evening. What a great day that was!!!! I believed that God had forgiven all my sins and that when I died I would go to be with Him in heaven, but that was about all I knew to believe. Now everyone was telling me that I now had to strive to be as much “like” Christ as I possibly could be and so my 30 year cycle of trying and failing began.

I have always gone to church even during times in my life when I was willfully disobeying God and sinning against Him. I was bound by guilt and shame but always knew deep down that Jesus was the answer to all my problems.

I married at the young age of seventeen and had my two sons by the age of twenty-five. I was busy being a wife and a mother. The hustle and bustle of this natural world kept me pretty busy and I gave little thought to Spiritual things but thought that I was okay because after all I was saved and I was taking my boys to church. But I was a carnal Christian who was dominated by my emotions and feelings that were the result of my unrenewed mind. The guilt and the shame of my failure to be what I knew God wanted me to be made me a very angry person. Let me tell you, I could throw some fits and I did. I knew this was wrong and I tried to overcome it but I just couldn’t. I would do well at controlling it for periods of time but we just never knew when I was going to blow. I read in the Word where that since I was born again and had the Holy Spirit living within me I was suppose to be able to control my outbursts, but no matter how hard I tried, temperance eluded me. I hated myself for being this way and took it out on those closest to me. So went my life and the life of my family for years.

My life started to change as my oldest son began to come of age. While praying for him one day The Lord just showed me how delusional my thinking really was. I suddenly saw so clearly that I had no control over anything. Wow!! Then a few days later I blew up at my younger son and during my usual apology he looked at me with this blank stare and said ” I know, Mom, you are sorry” and when I tried to hug him he didn’t hug back. In disgust with myself, I went to my room and fell on my face before God and said “Lord, I can’t live like this anymore. I have tried everything I know to do to overcome this weakness of mine and have failed.” I also told Him that if I was ever going to be able to overcome this I knew that He would have to be the One who did it in me. That’s when I experienced a peace that I hadn’t known since the day I had received Him as my Savior. He spoke to my heart and told me that He had been waiting for this day and that He had always been willing to do this work of grace in me but He had to wait until I saw that I couldn’t do it myself and ask Him to do it. Finally, I was going to be delivered from this hell!! I realized that I knew nothing and that He knew everything and that if I was smart I would just listen to Him.

A few days later I passed a church sign that read HOW MUCH OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS THE TRUTH? This really got me to thinking, and I began to examine what I believed and why I believed it. After a number of days of self examination, I came to the conclusion that the only thing I was SURE that the Holy Spirit had spoken to me was that I was saved by grace through faith. So when I realized just how little I was sure of I prayed a simple prayer and asked God to teach me what I needed to know. I told Him that I was going to trust Him to lead me to know the truth by sending people in my life to teach me and I asked Him to somehow let me know that it was His truth that I was hearing. So a couple of days later, while I was cleaning my tub, He told me to go turn on the TV. He then led me to listen to a man named Andrew Wommack who was teaching on Spirit, Soul, and Body. The truth of this teaching somehow unlocked the truth of the Word of God for me. I was so excited!!!! I also saw a peace in this man that I desperately wanted. So I told God that I wanted to know whatever he knew that caused him to experience such a peace and that I wasn’t going to give up until I got it. And so my deliverance through the renewing of my mind began. Since then the Holy Spirit has used many people to teach me of Jesus and brought back to my remembrance things that He had already spoken through many others in my past. It was truth that had not profited me because I had not mixed it with faith. Faith releases God’s grace.

It has been about 6 years since I started this journey of mind renewal. Through this process He has slowly been revealing to me the truth of Himself and who I am in Him. I no longer see me as a self separate from Him. We are one spirit. The life that I now live is not I, but Christ in me living as me. I know that it is impossible to be “like” Christ but instead I must simply let Him be Himself in and through me. I used to know Him just as my Savior (which got me a ticket to heaven) but now I know Him as Lord (which has brought heaven down to me). Praise be to God!!! There is much freedom in Christ and I pray that each person reading this will know/experience the Truth, for He will make you free…..Just like He freed me!!!! I know I have much more to learn and experience of Him and that along the way sometimes I will stumble and fall, but when I do He will always be there for me. He is my soft place to fall. Thank You, Jesus for loving me so much!!!!

Written by Tammy Strader

SPIRIT LED DISCUSSION IN JAIL

Posted: March 8, 2013 in Testimonies
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Walking in the Spirit doesn’t mean you won’t have feelings of nervousness. It also doesn’t mean you will be sure what you’re supposed to do all the time either. For instance I go to the jail several times a month, and I still get the butterflies from time to time. Tonight wasn’t any different.

There were two subjects I thought to teach on tonight and I wasn’t sure which one it would be right up to the moment I started introducing myself. It turned out to be the S.A.P. guys tonight. For those that don’t know S.A.P. stands for substance abuse program. There were about ten of them and no doubt they were exactly the ones that were meant to be there.

As I started just chatting with them while they passed around the sign up sheet a guy in the front asked me about Satan and was a little confused about how he fit into God’s plan. I told him “You know I wasn’t sure what to talk about tonight but I think this is a good topic right here.” After I prayed I gave them a quick “Louie” version of the story of Joseph from Genesis. Finally arriving at my point found in chapter 50:20 where Joseph said to his brothers “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” As I shared with them about how God had orchestrated everything in Joseph’s life for the good of others they seemed to understand.

From there we looked in Acts 2 where Peter said, “Jesus was delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put him to death.” Once again we read where godless men meant evil toward Jesus, but God meant it for good. Whereas Joseph went through his trials to save lives by giving them earthly food; Jesus went to the cross in order to provide eternal life.

In between scriptures there was discussion and questions from just about all of the guys. This is why a smaller group is sometimes better. I love the interaction between each of them and they showed great respect to each other. They all genuinely seemed to want to help each other get through their difficulties. One of which is how to deal with other cellmates who get on their nerves.

Just living in the world brings with it a certain amount of challenges because of clashes in personalities but at least as a free person we can get away from them. In jail you’re in a cell with many others that sometimes just don’t care how you feel about things and they say and do anything they want to. The longer I do Bible studies in jail the more I hear the complaining about cell mates and the questions on how to handle them. One thing I’m quick to tell them is “I don’t have a magic answer, but God does have a way to keep you.” The best thing I know how to do is point them to Christ by sharing the Word with them.

As we were finishing up our discussion I read to them from John 21 where Jesus told Peter “Follow Me!” The Bible says, “Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved (John) following them…So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, ‘Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” When it comes to others and how they are serving or not serving God it really isn’t our business. These men in jail tonight are struggling with other men that profess to believe in God but everything in their language and behavior screams otherwise. I gave them the same answer Peter received from Jesus “Follow me!”

Just before I prayed I shared with them about how I have had times when co-workers didn’t seem to be doing their share and I thought to myself “I’m going to point this out to the boss.” It never failed though that this very story about Peter worrying about John would come to my mind. It was as if God was saying the exact same thing to me “Louie, what’s that to you? You follow me!” I closed in prayer and asked God to give them wisdom on how to deal with their cellmates and that he would grant them peace and joy even in the midst of the turmoil. As they were walking out every one of them shook my hand and thanked me. One guy came to me and said, “There’s this guy in my cell that came up to me and asked me if I could help him learn about the Bible, but I don’t know that much about it myself so what do you think I should do?” These are the nights I love the most when these men are truly engaged in wanting to know God and learn how to walk in the Spirit. I just told him “Well, just read the Bible with him and ask God to give you wisdom.” That may sound overly simple to some but that’s what I did and even now I continue to ask him for insight in order to teach others.

Written by Louie

LAWS CAN’T FIX THIS

Posted: February 28, 2013 in Testimonies
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While the Bible is clear no one can be justified by the law; and there is no law that can give life, nevertheless most are still living the lie. Most live with the idea that all we need is to create more laws as if you can somehow legislate better behavior. One example of this I heard about is so silly and yet there are some that think it will help.

Within our country there are some pretty strange laws in place. For instance in a few states you can now smoke marijuana legally. In a few more you can legally marry your same sex partner. In many more a woman can get an abortion without much trouble. These are all, in my opinion, very troubling things for our country to legalize and yet there is one more now that is even more unbelievable. In California I hear they want to do what New York’s mayor has already done. They want to limit our soft drink size to 16oz only.

That’s right you heard me! In this great country of ours we can now smoke pot, have abortions and get married to the same sex, but in no way are we going to let you destroy your life by drinking more than 16oz of pop at a time. Aren’t you glad these smart politicians and legislators are looking out for our best interests? I shudder to think what I would do without them. That’s just a little bit of sarcasm in case you couldn’t tell.

Sometimes I think to myself “You know Jesus already told us we are different than the world and it’s going to be tough,” but moments like these leave me almost speechless. Some things you don’t even need to bring the Bible into the discussion for, you know? It only takes a little logic to know pot impairs judgment and same sex marriage and abortion are both pathways to death. On the other hand my intake of soft drinks hasn’t done any damage at all. Let me end here with a quote….. “We have educated ourselves into imbecility” Malcolm Muggeridge

Written by Louie

GLORY DAYS

Posted: February 24, 2013 in Testimonies
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Listening to Bruce Springsteen’s song “Glory days” the thought occurred to me about calling the past “Glory” days. Why is it that we tend to think of the past as if they are full of glory when today is pretty glorious too?

Anytime I talk about my past it tends to involve three basic ingredients: drugs, alcohol and rock music; not necessarily in that order of course. It seems everything revolved around the party. There is no telling how many conversations I’ve had where remembering things we had done involved remembering what drugs or alcohol had been consumed. It would go something like this,

“Do you remember when we …?”

“No, I don’t think I do.”

“You know it was that night we drank all that …”

“Oh yeah now I remember.”

While those times were fun at the time they hold nothing compared to my life now that I have embraced walking in the Spirit. Now I have no problem remembering things I do and besides I’m sure the things I do now have more eternal significance. So I thought it would be fun to walk down memory lane just a little ways and think about all that God has allowed me to be involved in since being born again.

Early on in my Christian life I had the privilege of knowing a man, Willie Morgan, that had spent 14yrs in prison. He had been released before I met him, but he made an impact on me right away. He had finally given up all the way and knew his life was God’s life. Since I’ve known him he has owned his own business and became an ordained minister. Not bad for an ex-con huh? He’s the one who married Tracey and I the second time. God is so awesome!

Allow me if you will to back up just a minute here. When Tracey and I were married the first time we received wedding gifts that were appropriate for the life we were leading. We were actually given three different kinds of pot for wedding gifts and spent our honeymoon in a five star hotel on the beach in Clearwater Florida. The reason I’m telling this is because I want you to see the contrast. The second time we were married we spent it sleeping in separate rooms in a shelter in Atlanta Georgia.

The second time we were married I had been born again and my life was completely given over to what God had in mind for us. We went with Willie and about 14 others to stay for a few days in downtown Atlanta. It was sort of a mission trip. We ate at the shelter, helped feed homeless people and ministered to old and young alike. I can honestly say that trip changed my life forever. I have never been so thankful for my own car, house, food, family etc.

It wasn’t too long after our trip, Tracey and I became involved with the youth and children at our church; we worked vacation Bible school and taught youth weekends. Teaching the Bible to young men over a weekend set apart and doing scavenger hunts was quite a fun time and once again I came away thankful.

We were involved with a ministry called “Kingdom Core” involving youth age kids that leaned heavy on discipline and order. The youth would go out into neighborhoods and pick up trash. Then we would send them out two by two knocking on doors and telling people about Jesus. Since I was quite a bit older than these young adults I fell into the role of chaperone. Of course I hadn’t been saved all that long myself, but I was game for anything. The children were told “Do not go inside anyone’s house without talking to your chaperone first.” Of course I didn’t expect to have to do anything just sort of watch them from the street. What do you know the very first house they went to was an old man who wanted someone to pray with him and guess what? It fell on me.

As I approached the house the old man asked me if I would come in for a minute. I went inside and he told me his wife was in a nursing home and she wasn’t doing well at all. I asked him if his wife knew Jesus Christ and he said, “Yes.” I’m not sure what else I told him but I just asked him if he wanted me to pray with him. He said, “Yes” so that’s what we did. We prayed just a few minutes and as we left he seemed to have been comforted. Meanwhile I was flipping out because I had never prayed with a complete stranger like that before. What I walked away with that day was the knowledge that sometimes others just need us to agree with them and reassure them God is still in control.

Let me end with a few more quick stories. My Pastor came to me and asked me if I would like to go to the Prison with him. I didn’t have a clue what that entailed but once again I was game for anything. I thought if my Pastor thinks its okay then its okay with me too. Tracey and I went and I immediately felt like that was where I was supposed to be. At that time it was a men’s prison but since it has been changed over to women. Tracey said she would be kind of nervous standing in front of all those men but now it’s my turn to be nervous in front of all those women. Since then Tracey and I have been teaching an adult Sunday school class and have become involved in ministry in our local jail too. Of course at the jail only men minister to men and women to women so we don’t get to be together but that’s okay we enjoy every minute of it anyway.

From now on I want to think about these things as the glory days, at least until the real glory days arrive. You know the days when the whole world recognizes Jesus reigning in his proper place from the throne. At that time there will be no need of homeless shelters, nursing homes, jails and prisons. No, we’ll be living in an atmosphere where there will be no locked doors, fear, poverty, sickness or death. That is the Glory days I’m looking forward to. How about you?

Written by Louie

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