God's Little Miracles (book)

Darrin

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God's Little Miracles
Written by Christians of Anderson County


Always
By Winona Galloway

 There's always the morning after the night,
There's always the darkness followed by light.
There's always the sun after the rain,
There's always the comfort after the pain.
There's always the laughter after a tear,
There's always God who is ever near.
There's always the friends among an enemy or two,
There's always some one who remains true.
So as we travel life's weary mile,
Let's always travel with a smile.

I found this handwritten poem in my grandmother's dresser drawer after she died. This book is dedicated to this wonderful woman who walked with God ninety years on this Earth and never lost her faith in Him. She was an example to all who knew her and especially to me.​


Chapter one-​

How It All Began


Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. (I John 2:7)
 
How do you begin a book, especially if you’ve never written one before? I know what I want to say, but how do I start? Do I introduce myself? Nah, to formal. Doesn’t matter anyway, this book isn’t about me.

If it were about me, it would be a sad tale, one filled with bitterness and regret. A life wasted for lack of a true direction. At least, that’s how it would sound if given from my perspective.

I don’t know exactly why, but I always see the negative side of everything. More truthfully, I obsess over the negative side of life. I think a friend of mine summed it up best when he said, “You know, some see the glass as half full and some see it as half empty, but, YOU….you are the type that will wait ‘til nobody’s looking, and then pour the water out of the glass just to have something to complain about”. I can’t argue with that. I’m a born pessimist, the quintessential “Doubting Thomas“. I question everything.

That being said, I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t aware to some extent of the existence of God. As far back as I can remember, I knew of the Lord. I was baptized when I was seven, but looking back on it I’m not sure that I genuinely made a commitment in my heart. I certainly never trusted God. Look at all He let me endure as a child. Look at the afflictions He lets me suffer today. Intense chronic depression, overwhelming anxiety, insecurity, etc. Not to mention the constant physical pain. There’s not a day of my life that I don’t hurt and ache all over, so much that I sometimes despair of life itself. That’s just the way God wired me, I guess. So why would He wire me that way, especially if He loves me so much? And while we’re on the subject, if He loves me and wants me to trust Him, why would He allow me to be the victim of that horrible lie?

What lie? The lie I’m referring to was told to me in my early formative years. A person whom I loved dearly told me many times that none of us will know whether God will accept us into His kingdom until the day of judgment. To consider one's self already saved would be a display of arrogance, and to do so would be the same as claiming to know the mind of God. All we can do in this life is do right and be good and hope that we are saved.

That simple misguided statement has caused me so much grief and distrust in my relationship with the Lord. I have spent a lifetime believing that I'm not good enough for Him. No one could tell me different and make me believe it. That lie had been drilled in deep. Think about it. I have a conscience, I know right from wrong. I have the ability to judge myself and my actions. Why would God want me after the things I've done? Surely, I am most certainly, without a doubt, doomed with a capital D.

Looking back on it now that I’m finally beginning to get the Truth planted in my heart, this person completely missed the point of the sacrifice of Christ. It’s taken me 38 years to finally begin to understand and trust that.

So how did it all begin? I said before that this book isn’t about me and it’s not, but it helps if the reader can get some sense of the writer and where he’s coming from; after all, I am your narrator. Also, in any journey, there is a starting point. What I’ve written above is my starting point. God has gotten my attention in so many ways this last year. Some I can’t talk about, things that made me sincerely wish that I could leave this world, having never known my purpose for being here in the first place. But God used those experiences to get my attention and although I’m still saddened by what’s happened, I am starting to see that He does have a plan. God used those experiences to show me that without Him, we are ALL wandering aimlessly. Without Jesus, we have no hope. John 14: 6 is the truth. Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. It is of the utmost importance, imperative even, that we be counted among His sheep. There’s just no other way for anyone to truly succeed in this life, or in the next.

So how did it all begin? Well, as I said, God really got my attention. On a very dark day when I was searching for hope, God showed me a book. My wife and I were in the church library and I saw a book about the Apostle Paul. I knew enough about Paul to think, “This is something I should read. This is a person who surrendered himself to God’s will. That‘s what I have to do.” It’s all about surrender.

I learned so much from the story of Paul. How he suffered for Christ and yet, never let anything steal his joy. He knew where that joy came from. The whole time I was reading, I was thinking, “God is showing me a model of what a true Christian should be”. I also noticed that Paul obviously loved writing for our Lord.

God gave me a love of writing, but I never thought of giving that gift back to Him, at least not until earlier this year. Back in the spring I started wishing that I could write for God. It doesn’t matter what led me to that desire, but what happened planted a seed. I even opened a separate email account last June under the name followthelamb. I didn’t know what it would lead to at the time, only that I wanted to write for God in some capacity. I prayed that God would give me a direction, some wonderful way to glorify Him. I believe He has now shown me what I should do, and I believe it’s His will that I do it. If I could pray for one thing only, it would be that He will lead the way and help me as I struggle to have faith and be patient. Neither virtue comes easy for me.

Since I’m not limited to one prayer, I’ve also asked that He will show me something, something big and beautiful (a miracle?) that will change my outlook on life and help me to better trust Him. To always have faith!

I believe God will do all of that and more, but that’s not what’s most important to me. What does matter most is that He has sown a seed and now I believe He wants fruit. I hope and pray that I can give Him fruit. I’m going to need a lot of help, though.

So, I’ll ask again, how did it all begin? We should all know the answer. God. In the beginning, God. That’s how and that’s who. This is God’s story. This is God’s book. A book about the many ways He provides for us on a daily basis. I will be writing a portion of it (as will my wife), but the rest is up to God and who He calls to write for Him. May His will be done.

Anything we have, we have because of God. Our world, our country, our lives, our so-called possessions; none of it is our own. We belong to Him. We can accept Him or deny Him, but the fact exists that He is the One in control, and He is the One we answer to. He is also the One we should hope to please. The fact that our country is in it’s current state of decline is a direct result of our diminishing recognition of God. I mean, look around you. The Truth has become hate speech.

I once heard the late Paul Harvey say that this nation was founded under God and has prospered because of God; but, if we as a nation fail to honor and recognize God and begin to say that we no longer need or bow to any God, then we can no longer expect God’s protection. Amen, Mr. Harvey. We must honor and remember God, always. Moreover, we must glorify Him daily; or rather, constantly.

Now, as for when my wife and I realized that God wanted this book written, I’ll have to let her explain that in her own words, since the idea occurred to her a year before I even got involved.


It was in the fall of 2010 when I felt God calling me to write a book. I had been wanting to write a book for a long time. I didn’t know what to write or how to put it all together, but God did. He knew just how to work it out.

I was going through a very difficult time in my life. I felt like a wandering Israelite in the desert. Wandering around in a big circle called life. I had no direction. The only one who got me through this was God.

I had been out of church for a long time. I knew God was leading me to go somewhere to find some healing. God is our healer and our comforter. He can send us people to help us heal, as well. A church body, for example. God gave me a church that brought me where I needed to be; humble, faithful, and to depend on God for everything. To trust God no matter what difficult things happen to me in life.

Last fall is when God was telling me about this book. I was in a Sunday morning praise and worship service when I felt I heard God’s voice, “Write a book”. I do not remember anything else other than that.

I kept it to myself for a while. It wasn’t until I was in a women’s Bible study group that this book idea really took off. I got the name of the book from a lady who shared in a testimony that we cannot forget about God. Summer of 2010 was very hot and we were in a bad drought. This woman was reminded about God, His grace, and His miracles when she saw birds playing and enjoying themselves in her birdbath. She got such joy from seeing this out her window. She said, “We can’t forget God’s little miracles, they are always there”.

When she said that, it was as if God had hit me with a lightning bolt. God’s little miracles! I thought, “That’s it. That’s the name of the book. God, thank you!”. I knew then that God wanted me to write about the miracles in people’s lives. There is always a miracle somewhere. I felt that people need to be reminded about what God can do in their lives. He is always there, faithful and waiting for us to come to Him.

As the days passed, I began to share about this book idea with a few people in the church. Everyone seemed to like it. So, I began to really pray about it, asking God for help. I knew that if this book was going to get written, that His timing had to be in it. I prayed in church one Sunday morning and wrote down my prayer. This is what I wrote-

God’s little miracles-

God, as I look around in this church today, I see each person with a miracle. I see each person with a story to tell. What a wonderful gift to share. For people to feel God, to see God’s work. You can save us from anything. Each person here was in chains of something or was lost and now saved. People have a story to tell. There are thousands of Christians who need help with day to day struggles. I can help. We need tools to help us. We need answers to life’s problems. You are an awesome God. For your grace. You give us grace, freedom, joy and life. To know God’s little miracles can be anything from life-saving to birds bathing in the hot summer. God, you are everywhere. Know, we need to know you are there. If reading a book can do that, then we can do this. We need to know that you are always going to be there. God, I pray that this book will be to your glory. I pray that God’s Little Miracles will save lives. What a blessing for people to read of your miracles. A book of people’s miracles, to help grow our faith in God. To give a testimony to how God can help us in anything.

As I look around I see a miracle in each person here today, each one of us here. Thank you, God. Thank you. I feel that this book will happen. I will pray about it each day. Thank you, God. I pray that the door will open on it. God, I can start today. Thank you, God. Thank you.

Now, this was last year. It took a year for God’s timing. I needed more time to grow, to be at a place where God wanted me as a person. I began to seek God and go through more pain and more turmoil in my life. I struggled with fear, loneliness, and a broken heart. I needed to be brought to a place where I could solely rely on God for everything in my life. I needed to have joy in my heart when darkness would creep in. For a whole year I went through horrible things, but God was there.

So, on the morning of September 11th, I was at church hearing a message called “Why does God allow”. In my mind I knew why God would allow. To bring us into a closer relationship with Him. Pastor was talking about this. God allows us to struggle to make us stronger Christians, so we can grow and be more mature. To have joy when the hard times come. And did they ever on that day. The pastor was speaking about an elder of the church, who’s wife had had a massive aneurism early Friday morning. She was given a 1% chance of survival. The doctor said that they could TRY to operate but that the operation would most likely kill her, or at best she would be a permanent vegetable.

But, the family of this woman were faith-walking Christians. They prayed and prayed. Fifty people from the church prayed with them. As the doctor was giving his grim prognosis, the woman’s three daughters were standing behind their dad, openly praising God with their hands in the air. Praising Him in the storm, glorifying His name. They had joy, no matter what was going to happen to their mother. Her husband had joy. Everlasting joy, through suffering.
 
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Darrin

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So what did God do? He gave them a miracle. The doctors operated, and early Sunday morning she opened her eyes and wiggled her toes. She knows her family and her husband and is now getting stronger every day. When I heard the pastor tell us about it later that morning, I wept more than I ever have in church. I felt God telling me now was the time to write a book called “God’s Little Miracles”. I also felt that more and more people need to know that no matter what happens in their lives, God is always there and can provide a miracle. People need this book in their life. I came home and told Darrin what happened that day.


When Sheila came home and told me about the elder’s wife, it really made an impression on me. Let me explain how God set this up for me, because it was beautiful how He did it.

I had met this elder once or twice, but never really talked to him. I did get a chance to hear him preach one Wednesday night when the church was between preachers.

He walked up on the stage, this man who seemed very quiet and reserved on the surface, and just stood there looking at the floor. After a few moments, he began his sermon with a simple quiet statement, “Lemme tell ya ‘bout my passion”.

Fifteen minutes later, he’s bellowing into the microphone at the top of his lungs, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5: 16-25)

Needless to say, this man made an impression on me. But, God wasn’t done.

A couple of weeks later, Sheila and I were in a local restaurant and had just finished eating. Our waitress walks up and reaches in her pocket to get our ticket. As she’s about to lay it on our table, the same elder came walking by and grabbed the ticket from the waitress’s hand, smiled at her, waved at us and walked away. I told Sheila, “You know, he did that on the spur of the moment, without even really thinking about it. Almost like God told him to do it. I wonder why.”

So that’s how God set it up. Seriously, looking back it was a chain of events orchestrated by the Great Choreographer of life. When Sheila came home and told me about the lady who had an aneurism and told me who it was, I knew EXACTLY who she was talking about; whereas, a month before, I wouldn’t have had a clue. As it was, when she told me, I said, “Oh, you mean that nice guy who bought our supper on a whim two weeks ago”. Therefore, I was much more affected by the story. I kept thinking, “Wow, they had faith. They praised God during the storm. God rewarded that faith with a miracle”.

After she told me what happened, Sheila said, “Oh, I wish I could write a book. A book about miracles”. I had heard her say that before, but this time it really struck a chord with me. Feeling a spark of interest within myself, I started asking questions. I asked what she would write about. She said, “God, miracles, what He does for us. But I don’t want to write the whole thing. I want other people to add their stories to it. I want their stories about miracles.”

The idea already beginning to form, I said, “Well, they’d have to write those stories and send them to us, wouldn’t they? They could send them to my followthelamb email account I started a few months ago.”

We talked about it off and on for the rest of the day and slowly formed a game plan. First, I would have to write a flyer explaining our idea. It took several days to get it right, but this was the final result-


"God's Little Miracles"

We want your miracle stories!

"A lady spoke up in Sunday school class recently and said, 'We are in the middle of the worst drought we've had in years, and yet I looked out the window this morning and saw birds playing and drinking from my birdbath. We can't forget God's little miracles.'"

My wife and I are hoping to put together a book and have it published. We are requesting stories from people all over Anderson County about the miracles they've witnessed in their lives; big or small, doesn't matter. Anything that you've seen and thought, "That is a miracle of God". Tell us about it. Write us a story. Make an observation. Long or short, ten pages or ten words. Anything that you perceived as being a miracle or thought could only be made possible by the divine work of the Lord. We'll try to compile them all into a book. The final product will be a collection of personal testimonies of the awesome power of our Lord and indisputable proof of His presence in the world and in our lives.

Send your stories, comments, or any questions via email to:
(this website won't allow me to post my email yet, sorry)

Send Hand-written or typed submissions to:
Darrin & Sheila Galloway
1725 Bassett Rd.
Palestine, TX. 75803

Be sure and specify whether you wish to have the story or comment credited to you or would prefer to remain anonymous. Thanks in advance and to God will go all the glory for your efforts.

He performs wonders that can’t be fathomed,
Miracles that can’t be counted. (Job 9:10)


We decided our best course of action would be to hand deliver one of these flyers to each and every church in our county. First, we had to get it printed. That in itself turned into quite an ordeal.

Once I finally got the flyer exactly like I wanted it (only after numerous revisions), I told Sheila it was ready to print. She said we were out of printer ink, but she could take it to Office Depot and have them print it. It was two days before payday, or I would have told her to just get an ink cartridge for our printer.

The next morning I was at work and this lady’s car wouldn’t start. I offered to take her to Wal-Mart to get a new battery. After we got the battery, we were pulling up in the parking lot at my work and she said, “I hope this fixes it. Oh, Lord, be with me.”. I responded, “Oh, yes ma’am, He will be.”

The battery was installed, she cranked ’er right up, and insisted on giving me twenty dollars. Later in the afternoon, I thought about that money and what I should do with it. It was free money in my opinion. I decided that since it was given to me freely, I would do something for God with it. I thought maybe I’d stick it back in my wallet and give it to the next person who asked me for spare change or somebody like that.

Less than an hour later, Sheila called me and said she had been trying for four hours to get that flyer printed. Apparently Office Depot couldn’t use the same program that we had used to write it. Nobody in town could. She said, “The devil’s doing everything he can to stop this”.

I asked her what could we do and she said, “If I just had twenty dollars, I would go buy an ink cartridge and solve all of this”. With pleasure, I informed her of where she could quickly acquire twenty bucks. We both gave thanks to God for what was obviously a gift meant to help us along.

After we got the flyer printed, I started passing them out. I gave one each to a couple of church-going co-workers. One of them had a story for me right there on the spot. I came home that night and wrote down what she told me, along with some personal observations-

She said she knew this guy who decided to take his son's motorcycle around the block for a little spin. Somehow, he wound up in a wreck. He ran into the back of a car, was thrown off the bike and into the back window of the car, landing in the back seat. He looked down and noticed his knee was busted and beginning to swell. He clamped both hands on his knee and started to rebuke it. Within minutes the swelling began to go down and his knee was fine.

We have that power. All we have to do is believe. We must believe in our heart and have faith. If we truly have faith, we shouldn't even be surprised when God performs a miracle. Our teacher told us tonight in Bible class that he saw a miracle once and someone else who was there said, "Wow, can you believe it?". David said, "Well yeah, I believe it. I was praying for it.".

A few days later, a dear friend of mine approached me and said, “I’ve got a miracle for your book”. She suffers from fallen arches and I had watched her limp around at work for weeks. She said, “You know my foot that was bothering me? Well, I was in church Sunday and the pastor was saying, ‘If there’s any part of your body that is hurting you or causing you grief, you need to tell it to get in line with the word of God’, so I thought, ‘Let’s test that theory’ and guess what? My foot doesn‘t hurt anymore”.

She hopped on the foot a few times to demonstrate. That was two weeks ago and I haven’t seen her limp one time since that day.

I delivered the first flyer to Bassett Rd Baptist Church on the evening of Friday, Sept, 30th. I delivered 5 or 6 that night. I taped them to the front doors, along with a post-it note saying, "Please place this on your bulletin board or give it to the right person. We are doing this to glorify God and pray He will bless our efforts. Thanks."

The next Tuesday, we delivered 35 in six hours, zig-zagging all over town in our ‘71 Dodge Dart. By Thursday evening we had been to 76 churches.

Thursday was also the day we got our first reply. It was at that point I realized that the best way to write this book would be to write it like a journal, as it happens. People experience things, and then they write a book about it. I don’t want to do that. This is going to be a journey, a walk of faith. Right now I’m still standing on this side of what’s to come, and therefore have no idea where we are going, but still I’ll make the offer- Let’s take that journey together, in a matter of speaking. Let’s all see what beautiful stories God has planned for His book. I have no idea how many people will respond to the flyer. I do know that I’ve prayed repeatedly, “Just one person from each church, Lord. That would be enough. Five would be even better, but one would suffice. Please Lord, speak to their hearts. If they have something to tell, urge them to trust our sincerity and share it with us. We need as many stories as we can get and I pray in Jesus’ name that if it’s your will, you will make it so. Amen.

 
 
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Darrin

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We received our first reply this morning. It was in the form of a letter and was a real blessing. God is most definitely watching us and answering our prayers.

I was up last night ‘til 2 AM working on an email . I want to send an email or letter to each church we visit, just to tell them, “Hey, we stuck a flyer on your front door. Please consider putting it on your bulletin board.”.

Any time I stay up past midnight, I wake up feeling like I have a hangover. This morning was no exception. Consequently, the day didn’t start off good at all. I grumped about all morning in a foul mood and couldn’t seem to find my direction or get motivated. Sometime around 11 AM, I told Sheila, “I wonder how I’m supposed to get anything done feeling so poorly. I mean, I was up most of the night trying to do something to glorify God and now today I feel downright sick, in the body and in the mind. How does God expect me to function like this?”

Fifteen minutes later the mail came. Sheila handed me a letter and said, “Looks like you’ve got an answer to your prayer.”. I looked at the envelope and noticed the address was written in blue ink, by an arthritic hand. I smiled my first smile of the day and opened the letter-


Oct 5, 2011
Palestine, Texas

I read this request on my church door and I thought I would write you this. I’m a member of the United Pentecostal Church and I have been with the Lord some 40 yrs now. I was raised Catholic as a young boy by the family that adopted me as a 3 yr old child. They were Catholics and tried to raise me as one but somehow that mess they call a mass didn’t take. I obey Acts 2:38 and when I was baptized in that mighty name of Jesus Christ I came up out of the water speaking in tongues as the spirit of God gives the utterence. One day when I was praying I saw in a vision a man’s back that had been beaten or whip. The man’s back was cut to pieces from the shoulder to his waist, blood was pouring out of every cut. It was an awful sight to look upon. The Lord showed me that this was his back and he did it so I could be healed of any sickness that would come on me. I know there is a sickness until death and no one will be healed of that but anything else his stripes will take care of. I have been healed of cancer, four heart attacks and so maybe times I quit counting at 24 times. For 33 yrs I have not went to a doctor or have not took any medicines of any kind. I am 78 yrs old and I will kept believing God for my health, salvation, and anything else I ask him to do, if it is his will to do so. I hope this will help someone to believe like I do. It will work if only a person will believe it and stand on his promises in the bible. My church is here in Palestine, Texas. I moved here 15 yrs ago from South Texas. I married a lady from Grapeland, Texas some 32 yrs ago. She died almost 3 yrs ago and now is in heaven in her mansion and with her Lord. I miss her but one day I will be back with her for all eternity and I believe this is going to happen. I hope this does someone some good. There is nothing better than trusting Jesus in life or death.

Thanks
Jerry W. Brown

P.S. I want JESUS CHRIST to get the credit for what I wrote to you. Acts 2:38 works today just like it did 2,000 yrs ago. It has not been done away with, only to people that don’t believe it or haven’t obeyed it. Tell them to try it (Acts 2:38). It works and it is real and they will receive Power they never knew was possible.


Well, this was not only an answer to my fervent prayer for a response to the flyer, it was like a direct response to my complaints about sickness. I was reminded of what Paul said in II Corinthians 12: 9-10.

Mr. Brown wrote, “I know there is a sickness until death and no one will be healed of that but anything else his stripes will take care of“. Hmmm, thatsounds a lot like My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Coincidence? I think not. A message from God? No doubt in my mind.

My bad morning was instantly transformed into a glorious afternoon. We delivered twenty-three flyers that day. That’s seventy-six churches we’ve been to in the last week. We also delivered one to the activities director at the local Meals on Wheels senior activities center. She was very excited and said she would make copies of the flyer and give them to her Sunday school class and anyone else she could think of. Word’s already getting out and looks like it could spread quickly. I pray that God will make it so.

 
October 8, 2011

As I was reading Mr. Brown’s letter the other day, it reminded me of another letter I received more than 25 years ago. It came from my grandmother. Since I’m still waiting for my second reply, I think I’ll include it here, along with a little background.

My paternal grandmother was a saint. I live in the home I inherited from her and have for 10 yrs now. I love this place. Peace and love always greeted me at the door. I wasn’t allowed to come here as a small child because my mother didn’t trust or like her mother-in-law at all, preferring to leave me with her mother. Once I turned eleven or so, my mother begrudgingly relented and let me come over here on Sunday afternoons, due mostly to my dad’s persuasion.

During one of my first initial visits, my grandmother at some point mentioned that she was saved. Considering the lie I was told as a child, my natural response was, “How do you know?” She gave me the strangest look and said, ”Well, you are too, Darrin. I was there when you got baptized a few years ago. Don’t you know that when you accept Jesus that’s just all there is to it and you can count on that and believe it, knowing you’re forgiven?”.

So began a wonderful friendship that lasted more than fifteen years. There were times when she was my only friend. I spent many a Sunday afternoon sitting in what is now my living room, learning about God, His word, and His precious gift of salvation achieved only through acceptance of His beloved son Jesus Christ.

She made the Bible fun. She saw the humor in everything. She saw the humor in Peter cutting off a guy’s ear and Jesus then picking up the ear and putting it back on. She saw the humor in a little short man climbing a sycamore tree to see our Lord over the crowd, only to have Jesus walk by and say, “What are you doing in that tree? I’m going to your house today.” She especially saw the humor in Jesus telling a fig tree to wither and die because He was hungry and it had no figs to offer. I hafta admit, I think that’s pretty funny, myself.

One night I was at home looking through my Bible and I found a piece of folded notebook paper I had never seen before. However, I instantly recognized her distinctively arthritic penmanship and that trade mark Bic Stick blue ink. Apparently my grandmother stuck the letter in my Bible one day, unbeknownst to me. Twenty-six years later, I still remember how excited I was as I unfolded the paper. Here’s what she wrote, just as she wrote it; excessive hyphens, misplaced capitalization and all. That may seem cruel, but Mammow would see the humor in it. Trust me.


For My grand Son that I Love- Winona Galloway

In a little white church house when I was 14 years old I Accepted christ-

it was in the summer at a Revival Meeting. I did Not hear a voice speak to me- I did Not see Visions- I just had a feeling that I should do it.

About a week after I was babtized I begin to have doubts- I begin to wonder if I really was saved- the doubts grew to the extent that I believed I wasn't saved. Then one Nite I had a dream. -I believe God sent me this dream, because after 58 years later why would I rem. that dream in every detail?

I dreamed I was walking on a country road, it was narrow & weeds grew on both side- there were rock & deep holes in the road. it was strange my being out in the country, because I lived in town with cement walks, & paved roads- it was hot & I was very, very tired- up in front of me on the road was a steep hill- at the top of the hill beside the road stood a very large green tree- Another strange fact, because in West Texas where I Lived there were no Large green trees-

I was thinking "if I can make it to that tree I can rest"- at that moment a cool breeze blew across my face & I felt the touch of a cool hand on my hand (I rem. it was my right hand) I looked & there beside me stood Jesus- He looked more like an image all in white, but I Knew it was Jesus. together we walked up that hill, no words were spoken- I wasn't tired any more- when we reached the tree He was gone- I said out Loud- "I Walked with Jesus" "Wait till I tell all the kids I walked with Jesus"

I have never had any doubts again about my salvation- as the years passed I almost believed I actually walked with Jesus-
 
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We have now been to 84 churches in the last two weeks. After cross-referencing the phone book, a list from the newspaper, a list from 1st Baptist Church, and Google maps (which can be misdirecting at times); we are fairly certain that we have been to every church within the city limits of Palestine (by the way, that‘s pronounced pal uh steen). I have emailed 22 of those churches with a follow-up letter, but so far no replies from anyone.

Soon we will start mapping routes all over Anderson county. We estimate there are at least 120 churches out there and we want to hit every one. We want so much to get the word out. Tomorrow the Palestine Herald Press is going to run an ad of our flyer in the “Church News” section. Ads are free for churches. We have no church, but somehow it was free for us, too. Thank you, Lord.

Today at lunch time, one week after my first reply, I walked out to the mailbox and lo and behold- another letter. This one was from Sue Hardy and simply said, “Give me a call, I have a miracle story for you“.

Later that evening when Sheila called, Mrs. Hardy invited her to her house. Come to find out, this lady’s story was shown on the 700 Club, KLTV 7 News, and was written about in a book about angels. She didn’t write us a story, but she offered DVDs and a copy of the book. I read the story, and it is nothing short of a miracle.

In 1981, Mrs. Hardy and her family went to Houston to visit relatives. Her three year old son Jason was playing outside in the front yard. He had been told not to go in the back yard because there was a swimming pool.

At some point Mrs. Hardy lost track of Jason and couldn’t find him. After looking in the front yard, she went out back to check the pool. She thought that if he had drowned he would be floating. When she checked the pool and didn’t see him, she figured maybe he had wandered down the street. By the time she realized he was at the bottom of the pool, he was already blue. Her niece then called for an ambulance.

Mrs. Hardy called her church and asked an elder to pray with her. I heard his prayer on the 700 club video we watched. He said, Spirit of death, leave that body; spirit of life, enter that body: to be made every wit whole- spirit, soul and body, in Jesus name!

Paramedics got his heart started after forty-five minutes, and he was taken to the hospital. The human brain can’t last more than 3 to 6 minutes without oxygen. He was dead for forty-five minutes.

At the hospital, doctors gave her a grim prognosis. Twenty percent chance of survival. He could have brain damage, could be paralyzed, or could still die.

Mrs. Hardy had faith and spoke up with conviction and told the doctors that Jason was going to be fine. She said that God had given him back his heartbeat and she knew that He hadn’t given her this child at age 40 only to take him away so soon. She said, “You watch, Jason’s gonna walk out of this hospital“.

Jason was in the hospital, in a coma, for four days; then, on the fifth day he developed pneumonia. Doctors told Mrs. Hardy that he was on the verge of death. Mrs. Hardy didn't accept their diagnosis. Acting on her faith, she called a local group of elders and they came to the ICU and prayed over him and anointed him with oil. After a few minutes, one of the elders came out and told Mrs. Hardy, “Ma’am, I believe your little boy is trying to open his eyes”.

Twenty days later, Jason walked out of the hospital. A few months later, he was given a clean bill of health. God gave this child back to his mother just like he was before he fell in the pool. Today he is a living 33 year old testimony of the awesome power of God.

Mrs. Hardy told Sheila that she acted on what it says in James 5:14-15: Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.


Jesus had much to say about faith-

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (John 14:12)

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (Mark 11:23-24)

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (Matthew 17:20)

If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. (John 14:14)

Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 18:19)
 
 
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Today I can’t write, so I’ll attempt a prayer-


Oh, My Dear Father in Heaven,

Please forgive me for my lack of faith. I am so filled with doubt. I am weak and the devil knows exactly how to attack me. I feel…….raw inside. Like I’ve been rubbed raw by the devil. I am convinced what I was told by my friend is true. I am committed to writing this book if it’s your will that I do so and I believe that’s why I’m being subjected to such a debilitating attack. Please help me to get a grip before I drive all my friends away. Please help me to shine your light and help me to find my joy.

I lost all my fervor, Lord. We finish delivering flyers here in town over a week ago and now it’s time to move on to the county. Please help us to get motivated, to find a starting point. I am so sorry that I allow what I don’t understand to kill my joy and almost destroy me. Help me to be aware that the enemy is using all these things to keep me from doing Your will. I see the results of his devilment clearly. Please forgive me.

Thank you for the two replies today. They are both beautiful. Please help me to find joy in them. I want to send them each a thank you letter. Please help me to find words that will give them joy.

In light of my deplorable actions today, I am so ashamed to ask this humble prayer in Jesus’s name, but I know there is no other name. Amen.


The first reply is a beautifully written letter from Burke & Gloria Murdock, telling us of how they spend their days.

Early Each Morning, We Sit Out On Our Front Porch & Watch The World Come Alive With Gods Creation, & Seeing the Moon & The Stars Shining Brightly in the Blue Sky With its Fluffy White Clouds.

The Many Different Shades of Green in All The Trees, & The Birds Singing So Sweetly As They Fly To The Bench With Fresh Bread For Them To Eat & Drink Their Daily Water. They Fill Our Hearts With Joy!

The Squirrels Come Scattering About Busy Burying the Pecans For Later Winter Snacks, Another Pleasure From God For Us to Enjoy.

We Have Devotionals & Always Play A Hymn Praising the Lord For Each New Day That He So Generously Provides.

We Feel Priviledged To Be Able To Greet Those Walking By With A Friendly Hello. Gods Blessings Overflow Each Day in Our Hearts, & We Shall Forever Praise Him!

Burke & Gloria Murdock


The second reply is also a letter. I am so glad we chose to include our mailing address on the flyer. I have yet to receive an email.

This letter comes from Barbara Colvin. She writes-

Dear Darrin & Sheila,

My mom passed away in Aug. 2002. She had planted a lilly bed and 10 yrs later they still never bloomed. She said they did not get enough sun. The day after she went to be with the Lord one lilly on each end of the bed was in full bloom. And also on that same day a white dove was perched in the large oak tree next to the lilly bed. This was truly one of Gods miracles.

My father passed away in Aug. 2006. The day after he passed I saw the white dove in the same tree just for a few moments.

By the way, the lillys have never bloomed again. Now I live in my parents home and take care of the lilly bed and I see miracles of God quite often. I live on the 2 acres in the country by myself. At least once a week a beautiful doe will walk up in my yard and look right at my front door then leave. It makes me wonder if God has a way of checking on me to make sure I am okay.


Sincerely,
Barbara Colvin
 
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Darrin

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Today at work, a friend gave me a letter she had promised to write.

My dad didn’t grow up in a Christian or believing home. His mom and dad were heavy drinkers & smokers. His parents got a divorce when he was a teenager. My dad, nor his parents, had no desire (from what it looked like) to follow Jesus. My dad and his father weren’t close at all, but in the last years of my grandfather’s life they started building a relationship. My dad gave his life to the Lord 9 yrs after my mom and dad got married.

Not Ten years ago, my grandfather (or Pops, as we called him) was diagnosed with stomach and pancreatic cancer. The doctors estimated his life expectancy at six months. My Pops did not run from death. He took care of all of his funeral arrangements, and most importantly, gave his his life to the Lord! There is a belief that one can’t be saved if they are faced with a traumatic or life-threatening experience. My Pops was proof that this is not so. We are not to adopt traditions and doctrines of this world. In his last days, Pops slipped into a coma and my dad went to go be with him. There was always someone in the house. Either Pops wife, my dad, or the hospice lady. The house was always busy. Coincidently, one day my dad was alone with Pops. My dad walked out of the bathroom to go to the living room to watch the Cowboys game and was stopped when he felt the spirit of death. He knew it was time. He went to his comatose father and held him in his arms and put his fingers on his pulse. He started fading slowly and right before it stopped, my unconscious grandfather squinted (as if to see a bright light), then a huge peaceful smile showed on his face. After this, his heart faded to a stop. My dad says it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. I wish everyone could have an experience like my Pops did. He was sure in faith and was not scared of death. If we have Christ why should we be scared of death? The Word says not to be. We are to fear the One who can cast us into hell. (Matthew 10:28)

We should be sure of ourselves. We should be building up treasures in Heaven and not dwelling on earthly things. This body and life will pass away. Our God is an everlasting God. Mighty and just. He cares for us. (I Peter 5:7) We are called to have a Christ-like boldness. Knowing that we are not under judgment to this lost world, but to the one and only just God. Ruler of all.

Peace be with you.


A very good letter.As I was reading it, I kept thinking about when my grandfather died. I related the story to Sarah in a thank you letter-

He was a very quiet man, never said much at all. I would come over here on Sunday afternoons as a child and my grandmother and I would talk for hours, but Papaw would just sit there. Sometimes he would go hours without saying a word. Sometimes my grandmother (who spoke at least 170 words a minute) would talk about him like he wasn’t there. Some people even wondered if he was slow.

They couldn’t have been more wrong. The man was amazing. He built what is now my home, by himself, before the days of nail guns and power saws. He could build anything. He knew how to do anything. He could do long division in his head. When he did talk, he would say things that sometimes left me speechless.

I realized early on that he WOULD talk , but you had to wait for him to think very carefully about what he was going to say. Sometimes for 30 or 45 seconds. Most people can’t or won’t wait that long. Instead, they just start talking again. With Papaw, if you didn’t wait, he would just clam up and let the moment pass. He never felt that he had to be heard, that his opinion had to be known. Consequently, most people acted like he wasn’t in the room. They basically left him out of the circle of conversation because he refused to try and keep up with their "high-speed, say anything, get it out fast" pace. When I think of my grandfather, I think of Matthew 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

The fact that the man even made it to adulthood was a miracle of God. He was born very premature and his mother died during the delivery. HER mother, who was right down the hall in the same hospital, died ten minutes later. His daddy didn’t want him, so the doctor who delivered him took him home in a shoe box, not expecting him to survive the night. When he was a little older he had polio and it left him with a bad limp and a withered leg. When he was fourteen, the doctor and his wife divorced, so he was forced to go make it on his own. He got a job delivering telegrams on his bicycle for Western Union. At sixteen, He was adopted by the Galloway family. Before the adoption, his last name was Pinkerton. I wish my last name was Pinkerton. Oh, well. I’m certainly not going to go change it. Why confuse people?

Anyway, one month shy of his Ninetieth birthday, this humble quiet man that everyone had always overlooked and barely even noticed, went into the hospital for the last time. He had smoked for 64 years and, although he had quit thirteen years before, his lungs were destroyed. When it became obvious that he wasn’t going to recover, they moved him to a nursing home. A few days later, my dad called me and said I better come see him, because he was failing fast.

We all sat there in the room with him, my dad, stepmother, and grandmother and I. I guess we were there for two hours or so. I got to tell him goodbye and that I loved him. My dad would get up every now and then to check on him and adjust his oxygen mask. Then, after a while, the same thing happened that always happened. THEY FORGOT HE WAS IN THE ROOM. My stepmother struck up a conversation with my grandmother and soon my dad joined in and away they went, talking about all kinds of things from church to the weather, completely losing focus on the fact that the patriarch of the family was laying over in the corner slowly choking to death. I don’t blame or judge them, but I didn’t participate. I sat there looking at Papaw, and he was looking at me. I never said a word and he couldn‘t talk, but for probably ten or fifteen minutes we looked at each other and I tried as hard as I could to tell him with my eyes how much I cared and that I was aware of his suffering. I confess that I kept thinking, “These people have forgotten you are even in the room, just like they always have, but I’m not going to do that. I’ll be right here until it’s over.” I’ve never had any doubt whatsoever that he appreciated my gesture.

After it was over, I politely waited for a break in the conversation and said, “Uh, he’s gone”.
 
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Darrin

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So far, it seems like almost every letter we get reminds me of a story. One week ago, on a dark day when I could find no joy, I prayed that God would help me to find joy in the two letters we received. He more than answered my prayer. He did it with two words. One word from each letter, in fact. God is so amazing in the clever ways He answers prayers. Makes me chuckle sometimes.

Two words- squirrels and doves. That’s all it took. Mrs. Murdock’s letter mentioned squirrels. Ms. Colvin talked about a white dove. Both of those words really hit close to home. They were a reminder for me that “we can’t forget God’s little miracles.”

When Mrs. Murdock talked about the squirrels in her yard, it made me think about a wonderful gift God bestowed on us last year. A little acrobatic bundle of joy that will forever be known as Squirrelly Joe.



Sheila and I have no children. We do have pets, two dogs and a cat. We consider them precious gifts from God. A well mannered, well trained dog that knows it’s place in the family is a blessing.

Charlie, our golden retriever, growls and acts all big and bad when people come to the gate, but I swear the dog wouldn’t hurt a flea. I saw a gopher stand up to him once. Charlie could have swallowed the gopher in one bite, but he just pawed at the ground and looked like he was trying to figure out how to play with it.

None of this has anything to do with Squirrelly Joe, but if it were not for Charlie’s gentleness, none of it would ever have happened. See, the thing is, golden retrievers are bred to retrieve ducks and small game. They’re bred to gently carry things in their mouths. So, it really wasn’t beyond belief the day he brought us a baby squirrel.

We were sitting in the living room one day last year. It was late summer. All of a sudden, I heard a high-pitched squeal coming from the porch. We jumped up and ran outside and there was Charlie, with a baby squirrel hanging from his mouth. He walked up to us and I told him to give it to me. When I reached for it, he shied back in his usual way, as if to say, “No, I don’t think I’m quite ready for you to have it just yet”, but then he heard the seriousness in my voice and laid it at our feet. What a good boy.

The squirrel couldn’t have been more than six inches long, tail and all. We figured he fell out of a nest. He was old enough that he was covered in hair, but one of his eyes was still shut. We checked him over and couldn’t find anything wrong with him. Still, we never thought he would live through the night. Were we ever wrong….

Not only did he live, he eventually thrived. We went to the pet store and bought a can of kitten formula and a small baby bottle. It took a little while to get him to nurse, but once he began to eat and get some strength, he did very well.

We started him off in a pet taxi, then soon after moved him to a rabbit cage. I would take him out in the evening and bottle feed him, and then I would set him in my lap and cup both hands around him. He would curl up in my hands and go to sleep, warm and safe. I wish I could express in words what those moments were like for me. I’ve always been fascinated with squirrels, since I was a child. I never dreamed someday I’d be sitting in my recliner bottle feeding a baby fox squirrel.

I took him to the vet clinic where I work when he got a little bigger. Everyone got a big thrill out of this little fellow standing in the palm of my hand and gripping the nipple of the bottle with both front feet as he chugged formula. I was happy that God had given me something that could brighten people’s day. That’s always such a good feeling. Try it. Go out of your way to make someone’s day brighter. You get such a good feeling in return.

Anyway, it wasn’t long before this precious little baby became an adolescent, and just like a puppy or kitten, he became very rambunctious and animated. He learned to climb in our living room, scaling the furniture and jumping from chair to chair. I’ll never forget the first time he jumped from the chair to my shoulder as I walked by. This little guy obviously adored me, and I him.

We eventually moved the cage outside and sat it on the lower limbs of one of the pecan trees in our backyard. We had decided that the only hope for him was to someday leave the cage and go free. The cage was obviously not big enough for him. He would run and climb all over the inside of it, in a frenzy, unable to release his energy.

He was very attached to Sheila and I; so anytime we opened the cage door, he would run right to us. He would treat me like a tree, climbing all over me. Then, he would jump five feet and land on Sheila’s shoulder. I gotta say, those claws are like needles, and they use those claws to dig in deep and get a good grip on the tree bark that they normally climb on. I made sure to wear a jacket anytime I was around Squirrelly Joe. He was my buddy and a fine friend, but he was no respecter of the tenderness of human flesh.

Finally one day I decided he was big enough to come and go as he pleased. It took him a while to learn how to get back to his cage after he went exploring. I would let him out in the morning and that evening I would find him in a nearby tree. He wasn’t hard to find. How many times have you ever walked out in your backyard and seen a squirrel, only to have him run to you instead of running away? When he would see me, he would start looking around to find the best limb he could use to get close enough to jump on my shoulder. One day, I was walking across the yard and I heard footsteps running up behind me. Just as I turned to look, he leaped onto my leg and climbed up to my shoulder. He had run 30 feet across open ground just to catch me as I walked by.

He went missing overnight several times, but he always turned up. Once, he left for three days and I thought we had seen the last of him. On the evening of the third day, I walked past his cage right at dark and he was curled up in his box asleep. I closed the cage door and went to bed. The next morning, Squirrelly Joe was mad. He was a man of the world now, totally unwilling to be confined. I told Sheila that the time had come to put him in God’s hands and let him make his own way.

About a week later, I was walking around out back and heard a rustle above my head. I looked up in the small oak tree I was standing under and there he was, sitting on the limb above me. I stretched my hand up to beckon him, just like I had so many times before, and he leaped onto my arm. I walked inside with him on my shoulder and told Sheila, “Look who I found”. We got to spend a little time with him and then took him back to the pecan tree.

He never came to us after that day, but many times after that I would walk out back and all the squirrels would see me and scurry away, all but one. One of them would just stand there looking calm while all his buddies ran away in fear. He didn’t see what the big deal was. Why were they so scared of his daddy?
God gave us a gift, temporarily. He let us raise a baby fox squirrel and watch him become an adult. When he left us, I think the feeling I had must be like a scaled down version of what parents feel when they send their kid off to college. You don’t know if they’ll succeed. You don’t even know if they’ll survive. All you do know is that you’ve raised them best you could and they are at least on the right track. After that, it’s all up to God.



Ms. Colvin said she saw a white dove after her parents died. It reminded me of something that I witnessed earlier this year.

There are doves all over my backyard. I’ve been noticing them for a long time now. Seems like every year they increase in number. I have some oak trees that line my South fence. Not long ago, I walked under those trees right at dusk and stirred up what must have been 20 doves. I love the fact that they have chosen my back yard as a safe haven. I don’t really know why. It just comforts me in some indefinable way.

One morning, I walked outside and saw a young dove walking around out back, unable to fly. I had to rush to put my beagle up. She doesn’t share my sentiments about the local wildlife. To Dani, anything that hit’s the ground is fair game.

Anyway, after putting the dogs up, I went back outside to see if the dove was still there. Sure enough, he was hopping around behind our picnic table. I got a large bucket and sat it on top of him, then raised the bucket enough to reach under and grab him.

On close inspection, he seemed to be unhurt. I think he must have fell out of the nest a few days too early. He just wasn’t quite ready to fly yet. I decided that since I couldn’t leave the dogs inside all day, the only logical thing to do was put the dove on one of the lower limbs of my pecan tree and pray for the best.

As I walked over to the tree, I noticed another bird land in a nearby oak. It was also a dove, and it was watching me very intently. When I reached up and placed the little guy I was holding on the limb, the other dove flew over and landed in the pecan tree, way up high on another limb, still watching us.

A little while later, I walked back out to the tree to check on the dove. He was still where I had left him, still looking unsure of himself. To my surprise, I saw the other dove (undoubtedly his mother) sitting about six inches from him. She didn’t even move when I walked up to them. It was more important to her that she be there watching her baby than to escape any potential threat from me. I was amazed by her devotion. I walked up to within ten feet of them and she never even flinched.

Periodically, throughout the day, I would walk over to that tree and check on them. They remained there all afternoon and into the evening. Next morning they were gone. I have no idea if he gained confidence and flew away, or if God scooped him up in the night and lovingly placed him back in the nest. All I can say for sure is that I never saw any evidence of his demise, so I assume he lived. I really hope so, for his momma’s sake.


Here I’ve been writing about animals and then a letter comes in the mail.

This afternoon as I walked out of our Walmart I saw an older Golden Lab (a male with a scared head) wandering outside. He was calm and looking around. As I walked to my car I tried to figure out how to add him to our household- no ideas. Then as I entered my car I saw a young woman with him. I asked her, “Are you taking him?” She replied, “I can’t leave him here.” As I drove down my parking row I saw her open the back of her SUV. He loaded up without any help.

This simple act of kindness made the day very holy.
Anonymous
 
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Darrin

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We delivered 19 flyers on Saturday. That’s 103 churches we’ve been to now. I pray that the letters will keep coming. We finally got an email, but the sender just wanted to make sure he had the right address. I told him we definitely want his story.

God has shown us much this month. I pray that November will be eventful as well. For now, here’s a list of miracles Jesus performed before His resurrection.


He turned water into wine at Cana. (John 2:1-12)
He healed a possessed man in Capernaum. (Mark 1:23-28, Luke 4:33-37)
He healed Peter’s Mother-in-law. (Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31, Luke 4:38-39)
He cleansed a leper. (Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-16)
The miraculous catch of fish. (Luke 5:2-11)
He healed a paralytic. (Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:18-26)
He cured a man with a withered hand. (Matthew 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:6-10)
He healed the official’s son in Capernaum. (John 4:43-54)
He healed the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:2-10)
He raised the widow’s son at Nain. (Luke 7:11-17)
He calmed the storm at sea. (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25)
He sent demons into a herd of swine. (Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39)
He healed a paralytic in Bethesda. (John 5:1-47)
He cured a woman afflicted with a hemorrhage. (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48)
He raised Jairus’ daughter. (Matthew 9:23-26, Mark 5:35-43, Luke 8:49-56)
He healed two blind men. (Matthew 9:27-31)
He healed a possessed mute. (Matthew 9:32-34)
He fed 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:34-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14)
He walked on water. (Matthew 14:22-23, Mark 6:44-52, John 6:16-21)
He healed many people in the land of Gennesaret. (Matthew 14:34-36, Mark 6:53-56)
He healed the possessed daughter of a woman of Canaan. (Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30)
He healed a deaf-mute. (Mark 7:31-37)
The feeding of the 4000. (Matthew 15:32-39, Mark 8:1-9)
He restored sight to a blind man of Bethsaida. (Mark 8:22-25)
He healed a man who was born blind. (John 9:1-41)
He cast out a dumb demon. (Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43)
He healed a possessed stooped woman. (Luke 13:11-17)
He healed a man with dropsy. (Luke 14:1-6)
He cleansed ten lepers. (Luke 17:11-19)
He healed Bartimaeus, a blind man of Jericho. (Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43)
He restored sight to two other men as He was leaving Jericho. (Matthew 20:29-34)
He raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:1-44)
He healed the servant’s ear during His arrest. (Luke 22:50-52)

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. (John 15:7-8,16)
 

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God is always with us, and He loves us very much. He shows me that more each day. No, that’s wrong of me to say. What I should say is, I am becoming more aware of God’s presence and His love each day. God is always there and He is always the same, yesterday, today and forever. The question is whether or not we are paying attention and looking for Him. Seeking His face. Wanting to know Him. Wanting to feel His love.

If we will only take time to look around us and believe what we see, we should plainly see that God is right there in front of us, leading the way. If we will follow obediently, He will sustain us during our walk. If we choose not to follow, we will inevitably stumble and fall. Without God, the day will come when there will be no one to catch each of us as we fall, nor minister to us after we’ve fallen.

I can’t see God. None of us can. I don’t have to see Him. I can’t see the wind, either; but I can feel it cooling my face on a hot day. Just as I can look out the window and see the trees swaying and know that there’s a wind, so is the evidence of God’s work around me.


Doves seem to be a recurring theme lately. I read somewhere that Christian tradition depicts doves as being winged messengers of God. I really like the sound of that.

Yesterday, a friend said that she was standing outside and a dove landed ten feet in front of her. It stood there for a moment and looked at her, then flew away. I told her that I had just written a story about doves. She expressed an interest in reading it, so I sent it later in an email. I was astonished by her reply-

That is so encouraging to me at a time when I really need it. I'm so tired. But, I have to stand strong and believe the time will come when I can fly just like that dove did and I have to believe there is someone perched directly above me, cheering me on and keeping me safe. Thank you SO much for that story. About 10 seconds before I got your email, I had decided to quit what I used to affectionately call my home church. Every time I do, God shows up and whispers "Not yet".

Ten seconds later. God’s timing is impeccable. You can see evidence of His work so clearly, if you’re paying attention and watching for it.


November 4, 2011

We’ve had such a bad drought this summer. It’s not over yet, but at least it’s cooler and we have had some rain recently.

My reason for mentioning the weather is because of the trees. They’re dying. Everywhere. Mostly what I’ve noticed is the number of oak trees that are dead. I have four right here at home and they are quite dead. All the leaves are brown and have been since August.

God has blessed us though, because the trees that have died are not really important to us. They won’t affect shade for the house or anything like that. They are, for the most part, small enough that felling and removing them shouldn’t be too much trouble, and they are all located where they won‘t affect anything if they fall. God never gives us more than we can handle.

I’m praying that He will bless us further. The other day, I was walking around out back and saw a sad sight. Right in the middle of my back yard is a big oak tree. It’s at least thirty years old, if not forty, and it’s dying. When I walked up to it, I thought it was dead. After walking around to the other side, I realized only the side facing the house is dead. The other side is still green. I prayed, “Oh, Father, please no. Not this one. Please don‘t let this tree die. You can save it, Lord. You and only You can save that tree. I pray in Jesus‘ name that you will, Father.”

At that moment, I heard that voice of doubt in my mind that I have heard all my life. It said, “That tree’s a goner. It’s gonna die. Why would God answer my prayer?

Then, something happened. A scripture came to me. I thought for a second, then finished my prayer-

“Father, Jesus said, ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them‘. I have accepted the death of these other trees, but this one is not yet dead; and I have faith and believe that it WON’T die, because I have asked in Jesus’ name that You will save it. I pray Your will to be done, but I really don’t want to lose this beautiful mighty oak tree and I have faith that you can save it”.

Day before yesterday, I led Sheila to the tree and showed it to her. I said, “You see this tree? It’s dying. I don’t want to lose it. Now….. I have prayed in Jesus’ name that God will save it, and Jesus said ‘That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven’. So, my question for you is, ’Do you believe like I do that God can and will save this tree?”

She looked up at it and with no hesitation said, “Oh, absolutely. No doubt. He’ll save it.”

Only time will tell, but I have faith that God will save that tree. You just wait and see.
 
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Darrin

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Sheila is writing the details of a story that someone recounted to her on the phone. While I’m waiting, I would like to take a moment to brag about something that happened to her yesterday.

Sheila is a gifted artist. The whole time we’ve been married, I’ve watched her free-hand and color one picture after another. I just asked her, and she says she probably has fifty or so that she’s kept. I’m no art critic, but some of them are very good. She even entered a picture in a local art exhibition a couple of weeks ago. It was the first time she had ever entered her art in a show and she didn’t expect to win anything.

The art was being judged by the public. Yesterday was the last day of the exhibition, so Sheila said that she had to go find out if she won. She said, “I hope I don’t run out of gas. The truck is empty and we are broke.” She added, “At this point, I’m hoping to win just so we will have some gas money.”

When she went downtown to the exhibit, the first person she saw was a long-time friend. The lady asked how she was doing, and Sheila said, “Well, right now I need a miracle. I’m really hoping I win.”

Sheila got her miracle. Third place, twenty-five dollar prize. I hate that we had to put it in the gas tank, but the point is, we needed help and God was there. Also, the owner of the business that provided the location for the art exhibit said that Sheila can put her art up for sale in his store anytime. He was very impressed and didn’t even want a commission. I feel that a door was opened for her. Who knows what it might lead to.



Here is another miracle story, as told by my wife-

A few days ago, we received a phone call from Mrs. Mary Jobe. She goes to Grace Bible Church. I believe she saw our flyer in the church bulletin.

She said she was in a car accident about Forty years ago. Mrs Jobe is 92 now. The accident happened on her way from California to New Mexico. She and her husband were moving there. She had her two dogs in the car, a large piece of marble, and some parts to a grandfather clock.

Mrs. Jobe fell asleep at the wheel, ran off the road and flipped the car. The roof was crushed all the way in. Her husband was following her and saw the wreck. He ran up to the car, trying to figure out how he was going to get his dead wife out of the car (this was what Mrs. Jobe said to me).

All the windows were broken in the car. The slab of marble got wedged under the seat. If it had not, she would have been crushed by it.

Her dogs also survived. The Santa Fe Police Ranger told Mrs. Jobe that she would have died if she had been wearing her seat belt. As it was, her only injury was a small abrasion on her little finger.

Mrs. Jobe didn’t die. She is still here. Ninety-two years old. At first, she told me that she wasn’t sure if this experience was a miracle. I said it was God who had saved her life. She agreed and said that, miracle or not, forty years later and she will never forget this story and how God saved her life. Amen.



As I’m typing this story, I’m recalling a little incident I witnessed a week ago. I was on my way to work. In front of me was a tanker truck hauling liquefied petroleum. I was probably two car lengths behind, following him. As I watched, he drifted that big truck up onto the curb going fifty mph. The minute his passenger tires hit the curb, the truck bounced up almost on two wheels (well, more than two, but you know what I mean) and he began to lose control. I had just enough time to think, “That truck is going to wreck right in front of me and there’s no way I can stop in time”.

Almost as if God reached down and said “Easy there, big fella”, the driver miraculously regained control and all was fine. Like Mrs. Jobe, I don’t know if that was a miracle or not; but I can tell you that from my perspective, there was no way that truck wasn’t going to crash and yet it didn’t crash.

I hope the other driver thanked Him, too.
 
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Darrin

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I witnessed the power of prayer firsthand today.

Remember my coworker with the foot pain? She told me that her pastor asked her to step up and tell the congregation how God had healed her yesterday. She said, “The ironic thing is- today, I’m limping again”.

I walked away confused. I prayed, “Father, I know that you are faithful, and your promises are true. I would think that if You healed something, it would be healed indeed and would remain that way. I have even made a record of the experience in the book. Should I now go back and omit this miracle? Lord, I pray in Jesus’ name that You will please heal that foot.”

Five minutes later, I said, “I don’t understand. You testified to everyone what God did for you, so then He revokes His miracle? That makes no sense to me.”

She said, “You know, funny you should say that. Right after I told you about it, my foot quit hurting again”. I smiled and said, “Wow, the power of prayer!”

We talked at length about it and both came to the same conclusion. God allowed that to show me something, to give me an undeniable firsthand experience in the power of prayer and to bolster my faith. It certainly did that!


November 10, 2011

Sheila sold one of her drawings two days ago. God seems to be rewarding our faith, which in turn strengthens and reinforces our faith. I am beginning to see how that helps in building a relationship with Him.

I changed the wording on the flyer, only slightly though. I began to worry that people might be misunderstanding the criteria. The flyer asks for “Miracle Stories” when what we really want are testimonies, stories of God’s love for His people and the many ways He demonstrates that love. That would, of course, include stories of miracles.

I also abandoned the post-it notes and decided to include a letter with the flyer-

Dear Fellow Believer,

Please consider placing the attached flyer on your bulletin board; or, give it to someone who might be interested. We are hoping to collect personal testimonies from people in this county and compile them into a book.

We plan to deliver this flyer to EVERY church in Anderson County. We want to get the word out to as many people as we can. We truly believe that God is calling us to do this. I love to write, and I really want to use the gift to glorify our Father. I want input from as many people as possible about how God has blessed their lives.

For some, the word Miracle signifies something BIG and EXTRAORDINARY, but God is so much more than that. Jesus said, "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" God gives us all these things. He is our constant provider of all things, big and small. We hope to show example after example (as seen through the eyes and words of many) of God doing just that- protecting, guiding, and providing for us. For those who believe, it will serve as a reminder of why we must have faith. For those who question our faith, it will be a great collective testimony as to why we believe and why we so love and worship our Lord.

I pray daily that God will speak to people's hearts when they read this and if they have something to offer, that they will follow through and do so. If one person is led to the Lord by this book, then our effort will not be in vain.

For more information, please write or email us.

Sincerely,
Darrin & Sheila Galloway

We were seriously considering doing a county-wide mail-out, every residence in Anderson County, 22 thousand people. Then we found out it would cost three thousand dollars. I pray that God will provide another way.

I keep thinking about Jesus telling Peter to go catch a fish and in it‘s mouth will be a coin to pay the temple tax (Matthew 17:24-27). God will make a way to get the word out. I don’t know how He will do it, but I have faith that He will.

We did receive another letter, albeit a short one.

During my life I’ve seen many miracles.

Give me some time to get back with you when I can decide which one to tell.

But the greatest miracle is knowing and understanding what God’s Word is saying. That has kept me on the narrow way and not being deceived. I’ve seen a lot during my life and I will be 77 on my birthday which is December 24.

Sincerely,
Dixie Wright

Amen, Ms. Wright. I am so glad that I’m beginning to better understand God’s Word. I know people twice my age who say that the Bible makes no sense to them and that it is full of contradictions. Why do they insist on making crooked the straight ways of the Lord? I am so eternally grateful I am not one of those who scoff at God‘s word.
 
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Darrin

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O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?
Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.
For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.
Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.
The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer. (Psalms 6:1-9)

Sometimes, I want to write and the words just won’t come. I copied this psalm of David, and was going to add my own prayer. I guess some prayers are between us and God, because every thing I tried to write went nowhere and was deleted. I didn’t delete the psalm because it’s my favorite, and it says so much.


November 15, 2011

We received mail today from Angela Grauke. She sent three pamphlets.



Trust in the Lord


This is the love that sought us,
This is the love that brought us
From the darkness
To the joys of life.

As He gave His life
out of love for us,
may we live each day
out of love for Him


Sometimes it seems as though life doesn’t make sense. Circumstances and situations cause us to wonder about God’s love for us.

My Testimony


Abandoned at the age of ten months, by my grandfather because I was an illegitimate child, I was institutionalized for the first seventeen years of my life.

At this time, we orphans were told that we belonged to the English Government. Since there was an over population of orphans in England after World War II, The English Government decided to ship a bunch of us off to other parts of the world. The group I was in was shipped to Sydney, Australia. This was my first chance to see the outside world. The world beyond the walls.

We were on the ship with other children from other parts of England for six long weeks. When we arrived in Australia, the children were lined up, separated, and transported to different institutions.

I remember being physically and sexually abused before I was twelve years old. I was hospitalized for a while, then sent to another much larger and different institution.

By the time I was fifteen years old, my real mother found out that I was still living, after her father confessed what he did prior to 16 years ago. She now lived in America and had a family. She wanted to have me with her. She made arrangements and I was in the states within one year after receiving my first letter from her. One week after our reunion, her husband was found shot in the head, dead. She told my brothers and sister that I had killed their father. This guilt stayed with me for years, till God set me free. This started her on the road to becoming an abusive alcoholic. I was abused once again, put on the streets by the time I was 17, put into another institution, Juvenile Home, and ended up in a hospital with a nervous breakdown.

By the time I was twenty-six, I had been married twice and had three babies. The first one was born with brain damage. Since I was not educated, I worked as a waitress in a restaurant at night. I began to associate with the wrong crowd. Drinking and medical drugs took charge of my life. Before long I became a bar waitress and a dancer because the pay was better. Instead of my life getting better, it became worse.

About this time, the American Government discovered that I was not an American Citizen, and wanted to send me back to England. My children would have to stay in America because they were American Citizens by birth. It was during this time my real mother renewed contact with me and I found out she was trying to find my real father in order to keep me in America. He was an American. Their romance had started during the war, while he was stationed in England. (Read the book, “Cry Within”)

My real father and I met for the first time in the late 1960’s. I then moved to Texas, where he and his wife lived with no children.

I didn’t realize until 1975 how much God truly loved me, when I met my grandmother, my father’s mother, for the first time. She gave me a book called “The New Testament”. On the inside of the cover, she wrote, “To my grand-daughter. Read a chapter a day and your life will get better”. Since then, God not only made Himself real to me, but He also allowed me to reunite with my whole family. He then sent me a Christian husband and father for my children. We were married for twenty years and both worked in the Ministry. Because the trials were so sever spiritually, emotionally, and financially, my husband abandoned me about one month before our 20th anniversary. Our last two years ended up with bad reports of health, mental and physical, in our families. Even in my own life, I had several different doctors say I had a tumor blockage in the cervic area. Some reported cancer because of the way it affected my body. It was during this time that I had a death experience. While I was in church praising the Lord in 1998, I was carried out of the church lifeless. God raised me up from death to life, not only in the spiritual sense, but also in the natural. God performed, not only one, but many miracles for me. This is not a closure of my life, but an opportunity.

Our disappointments are His appointments in our lives. He is my maker, husband, lawyer, councelor and my great physician, Isaiah 54:4,8,17.
 
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Darrin

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The second pamphlet contained her son’s testimony-


Dreams Come True


The light of God
surrounds me,
The love of God
enfolds me,
The power of God
protects me,
The presence of God
watches over me;
Where I am,
God is!


I was born July 14, 1961. Though I struggled from birth with brain damage, and also had physical problems with my bronchial tubes, bladder, and kidney problems all my life, God had His hands on me. As a child and a young adult, I struggled with my learning. At four years of age, I had been sexually molested by an uncle on my Dad’s side. At an early age I had been put on medications, both for emotional and physical problems. I was put into a Head Start program at school at the age of four. I then stayed in Special Education. I was classified with borderline retardation. I was slow at developing, also with my learning. My first pair of walking shoes came from the Cripple Children’s Association. Because I had weak ankles, I had to wear high boots. I began to walk when I was around two years old. I had a sister when I was fourteen months old. We were like twins. Growing up, she grew ahead of me. Before I was two years old, my Dad left my Mom. She married when I was four years old. He became an abusive person towards me. He didn’t understand my past problems. School was hard for me. I didn’t go past the fifth grade level, even though I was a teenager. By the time I was thirteen, my Mom’s second husband left. She was having to take care of three children, now that I had a brother also. It was during this time that I came to know Jesus Christ as my personal saviour. This led to my Mother, sister, and brother’s salvation. We were all baptized in a Baptist Church within a month. By the time I was 17, I began to struggle even more. School was hard for me. At this time, kids would be cruel and call me [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]. This was when I got rebellious and became a fighter to defend myself. I even started going against my sister and brother. I was really having a hard time spiritually. Christians call it “Spiritual Warfare”. My Mother tried to get me into several programs to try and help me. I was put on medications to control my mind. I was also receiving medications and shots for my body. I was allergic to all kinds of food and things. I started to get angry with God because of my struggles. In my late teens, when I was 17, I went to a boarding school. It was a Christian place, but I kept rebelling and would fight. I became uncontrollable. I started to smoke, do drugs, and drink, especially when I would go and live with my Dad, and left my Mom’s house. This took me on a road to a messed up life, until I was 32 years old. I was in and out of drug programs. I had Cirrhosis of the liver before I was 21. My Mom tried to help me, but I kept running here and there. I was consumed with bad spirits. Only my Mom knew where my help was going to come from, the One I met when I was 14 years old. God never gave up on me. Though I struggled with a lot of addictions, I remembered words that were given to me the first time by the Spirit of God when I was 17. This was the first door that opened up to help me, not only in my education, but also spiritually. This word my Mother kept in her heart till God healed and delivered me, Psalms 107:20 “Things have not come easy to you, and learning comes hard, but the learning of my word will come easy. Though I see you sometimes like a little mouse going here and there, from corner to corner, but the Lord would say, ’Slow down, there is no hurry. Slow down, there is no hurry. I have put you here for a purpose. For you are to grow in me, not only spiritually, but mentally and physically, and you are going to grow into a giant of a man. All your life, you have worried that you have been small and little. That’s only in stature. It’s the Spiritual Man that the Lord is concerned about, and that Spiritual Man will stand strong. Never be ashamed. Just remember, He made you exactly as He wanted to. He made you to look as He wanted you to look. Be proud of the way God created you. Stand tall for in Me you are a big man. The Lord would say do not fight instructions and do not fight discipline. The Lord has put you here to teach you not to fight discipline. The Lord has put you here to teach you to be disciplined. Quit fighting it. The Lord said that all your life if you wanted something, and you threw a temper tantrum enough, you would get it. Today ends those tantrums. Today you become a man. Today you will grow up saith the Lord’.

These prophecies have come to pass sixteen years later. After being in and out of programs, through much fasting and prayers on my Mother’s behalf, God has brought His deliverance and healing to my emotional and physical being. God has been faithful to me being His son, and He has fulfilled my needs. After my last stay in the phyciatric hospital, God remembered me once again, Just before this last episode in my life, I had roamed the Houston streets and was put into the hospital for several months. God made a way for me to make contact with my Mother. We went to a meeting in Dallas, Texas, October 21, 1994, and a man there, that I didn’t know, gave me a word from God Almighty by the Holy Spirit. “Surely, saith God, my hand is upon thee. Yea, for a new way and a new day. Yea, I shall even cause thee to know what it is to come out, yea, from among the thickets. Yea, to come out from among the stuff, saith God. And I do even come. I am mighty to deliver and mighty to save. Yea, I say that which hath bound thee shall not bound thee any more. I say that which has even bound thy mind at times and even brought thee down, I, the Lord, do come. Yea, to even lift the torment off thy mind, to lift the torment out of thy life, end even that thing that has been scarring in thy mind and thy life. Am I not a God that is very near, I am not far off. Yea, I brought thee here tonight, saith God, that I might deliver thee and I might set thee on a path of life and a path of light. Yea, thou hast cryed out in thy own agony, yea even heard thou saith that no man doth understand me. No one understands what I have gone through, but I, the Lord, thy God, do know thee. I created thy very spirit and do call thee mine! Saith the Lord, my hand is upon thee. I shall even break the yoke of oppression off thy neck. It shall no longer hinder thee. It shall no longer haunt thee. Yea, I tell thee thy past shall be past from this night forth. In Jesus name, we break the torment off thee. I tell this night that which has been spoken in thy ear, that foul spirit, that foul unclear thing, I say come off of him, in the name of Jesus. Lose him right now, in the name of Jesus. Father I thank you o hallehijah, hallelujah, lift your hands brother. God is setting you free right now. See “Spiritual Gifts” I Corinthians. Lord we just touch his lips. You create a new appetite in him right now. You take out the old, in the name of Jesus. You bind every power of uncleanness in the name of Jesus.

You put a new appetite in Lord. Let him drink of you Lord tonight, in Jesus’ mighty name. Father God, that you will cause him to know what it is Lord God, to have an overflowing of the river of life, in the name of Jesus. We speak to this well that has been stopped up, and we say, spring up o’well, in the name of Jesus. Right now brother, that which hast even warred in thy body. The Lord has even come to touch thee, in the name of Jesus, we speak healing to you. Right now, I thank you Lord that you care, taking all the poisonous Lord out of this man’s head. I, in the name of Jesus, thank you Lord God, the creator, him, you are touching him right now. Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you Lord. Bless you brother.”

I’m back home with my Mother, and God has provided for both us a new home and most of all, a new spirit.

Beneath his testimony, at the bottom of the pamphlet, Mrs. Grauke wrote-

2004-2005 Bobby got colon cancer had chemo treatments. And because of his physic meds, it messed up his mind. He couldn’t function right. His mind went back to a 2-3 year old. Couldn’t dress, bathe, and was under the care like a 2 yr old. His mind went completely out that he ended up in Rusk State Hospital. He was there 3½ months. Through prayer, grace, and mercy, God brought a mighty miracle in my son’s life. He has no cancer in his body and his mind has been restored in the natural and God is still working on the spiritual.

The third pamphlet said-
Jesus Loves You
This is how I know…

He had a purpose for my life. I was born in England during World war two and was called an illegitimate child. My mother had thoughts of abortion. Then at ten months I was dying, but God spared my life. I was taken from my mother, she thought I died. Years later my grandfather confessed on his death bed. My birth father was an American GI. When he came back to England after the war to find us, he was told that a buzz bomb hit the place we had been staying.

When I was eight years old I was told that nobody wanted me, so the Government was shipping the orphan children off to other countries to populate their land. I was among the hundreds of children that went to Australia. Feeling lots of rejection and fear of what was happening to us. I was nine years before I saw pass the gates and put onto the ship for six long weeks. Years later I was reunited with my parents in America.
{Scripture to use in square Jeremiah 29:11}

Jesus Will Heal Your Body!
This is how I Know….

I was a sick child, in and out of infirmaries. I had puss ossing from my head that my hair had to be shaved off my head. My nails had to be wrapped with hot compresses as puss would seep out from under my nails. When I started school I looked forward to learning how to read. I loved the stories of Dick and Jane it gave me hope for my family. When I was eight years old I heard the stories about Jesus. He became apart of me. He was the only friend I had. I needed physical and emotional healing when I was a child. Jesus was my only hope though I didn’t know of a Bible. I looked forward to hearing the stories about Him. I came down with rheumatic which affected my heart and my joints. In my early fifties I got reports of cancer and had a death experience. I was also diagnosed with fibromyalga after my oldest son had colon cancer.
{Scripture to use in square Exodus 15:26}

Jesus Will Set You Free From Torment
This is How I Know…

I had been in bondage most of my life, because of my past, even after I had gotten Saved and filled with His Spirit. I had been trying to raise three children on my own at the time I attempted to take my own life, but God for the third time came to my rescue in the time of weakness. I had a lot of inner issues that needed to be dealt with. My outward addictions which were many God had delivered me from. As the Holy Spirit began to talk with me in His word, I began to understand why all the curses had taken effect not only in my life, but also my children’s lives. He first took me to Leviticus 26:40-42 about confession and His covenant, then to Deuteronomy 28 about the Blessings and curses that operate in our lives. Then He took me to 2 Corinthians 4:1-2 to renounce all the hidden things of darkness in my heart. He led me to a Deliverance minister as I had some deep roots to set me free. Thank you Jesus!
{Scripture to use in square Psalm 107:20}

Jesus Forgives Our Sins
This is How I Know

Because his word tells us, that God gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. And He said “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I had that confidence in Him when I came to Him just as I was and made a public profession when I got saved. It was then that I knew that I had a relationship with Jesus and it wasn’t a religion. As I would read the word Of God, His Holy Spirit would convict me when I came to places I had been dealing with or came out of my outward sin of Adultery or Drunkenness, is outward and the other two are inward. He still wants to forgive us either way.
{Scripture Psalms 32}
 
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Darrin

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God is humbling me in so many ways. Mainly through scripture; such as, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 14:11). I am so guilty of that. Just six days ago, I wrote that I don’t scoff at God’s word. Correct me if I’m wrong, but every time we break His commandments we are disregarding His word, or are at least making light of it, right? I guess what I should have said is that we all fall short of the glory of God, but I’m at least grateful that He is opening my eyes to the sin in my life, no matter how much it may hurt. I am also very grateful that I’ve spent my entire life acquainted with His word. Mrs. Grauke stated that as a child, she didn’t know of a Bible.

Every time I am tempted to exalt myself, I am reminded of this fundamental truth- we are nothing without God. A generation of vipers, wicked, perverse, heathen, chaff, tares, goats, sinners, fools, lost souls, condemned; some of the many words Jesus used to describe our condition and our status in life if we fail to hear and believe the truth of His word and accept His gift of salvation.

I’ve found myself unable to write recently. I pray that it is temporary. However, I do want to make note of something that happened today.

Sheila and I were discussing our dismal financial situation this morning. It’s hindering our progress, making it harder to deliver flyers and such. She said maybe we should buy a lottery ticket. I had all kinds of thoughts about that.

First of all, it’s gambling. I didn’t think God would approve. Then I got to thinking about it. We could give half of our winnings to charity or use it to help someone, maybe even a lot of people. We could use it to pay for a mail-out. We could feed the poor. We could finish remodeling our kitchen (which is taking forever) and I could cook massive amounts of good food and deliver it to the hungry along with a message that God loves them and Jesus will save them (I love to cook). Let me tell you; I was building all sorts of air castles with that money.

That evening, we went to the store and as Sheila stepped out of the car, she looked down and saw a lottery ticket beside her foot. She took it as a sign and said, “I think maybe we should buy a ticket”. Still thinking about Jesus, Peter, and the fish God used to provide the tax money, I thought, “How do I know God hasn’t led her to that conclusion?” and therefore agreed.

I prayed, “Father, I don’t know if it’s Your will that we do this, but I do know that if we win, we will use that money to glorify Your name. Also, it will make a great story for the book AND, I will have the pleasure of informing everyone that it is YOU, our loving Father, who has blessed us with financial security.”

Long story short, we spent three dollars…..and that’s exactly what we won. I took it as a response from God- “No, it is not My will that you resort to gambling so as to fund My work; but because you have acted in faith, here’s your money back”. The idea of God shaking His head in exasperation over our folly, but then reimbursing us because our intentions were good makes me smile.
 
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Darrin

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Today has been the best Thanksgiving I’ve had in a long time. God provided a turkey. Seriously, I walked to the store around the corner and on my way back home my neighbor stopped me and said that he had bought a smoked turkey, but now plans had changed and he and his family were going out of town, so he had no need of it. He asked if we could possibly take it off his hands. I was more than delighted. I myself don’t care for turkey, but Sheila loves it and now has enough to make sandwiches for the next week. God always provides, faithfully.

The day has ended well, also. Tonight at eleven-thirty, I found an email from a Mr. Larry Shirey. Mr. Shirey and I have corresponded several times over the last month. He expressed an interest in submitting his story, but said he spends a lot of time on the road as a truck driver and doesn’t know how long it will take him to write it. I assured him that there is no rush since the book is still in it’s infantile stages. The other day, just as I was beginning to lose hope of receiving his reply, he sent me a short message telling me that he hasn’t forgotten us.

Today, Mr. Shirey took time out of his Thanksgiving Day to send this-


Don't ever think for one second that the children in the church are not watching you. yesterday God sent an angel to sit with me since I was sitting alone and this is how the conversation sort of went.

Little girl: Hi
Me: what is your name.
Little girl: Prairie but you can call me Danielle.
Me: why should i call you Danielle if your name is Prairie.
Danielle: my first name is Prairie but my middle name is Danielle
Me: my name Is larry but you can call me henry.
Danielle: your name is Henry?
Me: No, but you can call me that if you want to.
Danielle: giggles
Me: when the preacher starts the preaching you'll have to be quiet are you'll wake me up.
Danielle:You don't sleep in church.
Me: how do you know that.
Danielle: cause I've been watching you.

Yes, she has been watching me, this little angel is 5 years old, I lost my composure my eyes filled with tears, we was told what hymm to turn to and I found it somehow but i couldn't see the words as we shared the song book. we sang three songs and I was jelly and she would pat me on the shoulder now and then and after we quit singing I had to go somewhere and try and get my composure back and I did somewhat and while i was gone the pastor told us to turn to luke something and when I came back she had went to where the pastor told us and handed me the bible, I lost what
[composure] I had went and gatherd up. I was a total mess.

here I am an x drug dealer, x drug addict, x convict, x this and x that but that little angel didn't no and didn't care cause what she knew about me was what she had learned by watching me and that's all she cared about. Praise the Lord.



Indeed, praise the Lord. I memorized a scripture recently. One that reminds me that someone is always watching us; so we, as Christians, should conduct ourselves in a way that provides a good example to all.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Sometimes God sends little angels to remind us, “Hey, I’m watching you and so are my children. Be an example to them, just as Christ is an example to you.”

 
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Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- his good, pleasing and perfect will.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans Ch. 12 NIV)


I read that yesterday morning. I had read it before, but it didn’t sink in until yesterday. I’ve read it five or six times since then. I wish I could memorize every word of it. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) Sometimes I wish that every memory I have of what’s happened in my life would be washed away, forever blotted from my mind; leaving behind nothing but the word of God.

A dear friend once demonstrated to me the importance of knowing scripture and committing it to memory. Now I wish I had a scripture for every occasion and circumstance in my life. That way, no matter what happens around me, I would be able to speak up as Jesus would and say what He would say. Paul said, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27 NIV) I wish I could do that.

Paul also said, “I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” (Romans 7:15 NLT) That’s exactly how I feel. I keep doing things I hate and that I know are displeasing to God. Consequently, I am overwhelmed with a guilt that I can’t describe. I get little joy from the good things that I do. Instead, all I see is my sin.

Sheila and I met our goal. We delivered flyers to every church in the city and county. I wanted to finish before Christmas and we did. I have no doubt we missed one or two somewhere along the way, but we’ve been to 186 churches in less than three months. “Phase one complete“ as they say. At the moment, I have no idea what phase two will consist of. We’ve received less than a dozen replies. We have to do something to reach people in the up-coming year. I am beginning to lose faith in people’s desire to participate in our endeavor. If the truth be known, it probably is due to the Christmas fervor.
 
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Darrin

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We did get a four page letter from Mrs. Wright-

He was born August 25, 1955 and while sitting beside me in church, my son said, Mama, I don’t feel good so he laid down on the bench beside me. A friend came over and she asked me what was wrong and I told her that I didn’t know, he keeps running fever.

This was on Palm Sunday in 1960. Later on in the evening I laid down across my bed to rest and then I had a dream or vision. In the dream I was so burdened down I could not lift up my head, but then I was urged to look up when I caught a glimpse of one who was wearing a long robe and a Bible was placed in my left hand and I raised the Bible up and over my head, the burden was gone and I was fine.

That night at church I testified about the dream and I said, I don’t know what it means but I know everything is going to be alright.

During the coming week my son wasn’t getting any better so Wednesday morning I carried him back to my doctor as I had done so earlier during the month. I told the doctor the boy wasn’t eating and still running fever. Everything he tried to eat would come back up. The doctor prescribe aspirin.

Wednesday night the boy went completely out of it, didn’t know what he was doing so my husband called the doctor and the doctor said to carry him to the hospital.

I had to stay with our other two sons. So early Thursday morning I went to the hospital. I found my son tied hands and feet to the hospital bed, breathing hard and fighting for every breath.

On Thursday, we agreed to call in another doctor. As that doctor and I stood by my son, the doctor you can see the boy is in the woods and it’s going to take all I can do and a higher power to bring him through.

So they went to work and everything was doe that could be done and still no answer to what the problem was. He was put in ICU and monitored closely. I stayed right there in his room most of the time but on Saturday around noon, I went to my husband’s dad’s house since it was neared to the hospial for a short nap.

No more had I gotten there that this grandpa walked in and went straight to the telephone, then he said to me, I just asked the doctor how was the grandson doingt and the doctor told him the boy is dying, then he started calling the family and friens.

Then I received a call from my daddy and he told me he had questioned the doctor and the doctor told him the boy is standing in line to die and my daddy told me the I needed to be preparing myself for it. I told my daddy the boy is not going to die.

I sat down in a chair and waited. That Saturday evening the nurses brought my son to me and sat him down in my lap and said the boy just snapped out of it and he’s O.K.

For the first time since Wednesday, My son looked at me and said, Hi Mama but then he looked straight down at the floor and screamed, Daddy, I see a snake.

Three or more nurses ran into the room and I told them what he was seeing.

They left but one nurse came back and told me what the boy was seeing was real that he came so close to dying, he saw the other side and that she had experienced this before but usually they pass on over. She then told me that she was there when my husband brought my son into the hospital and she thought then that he would be going out in a box, that this truly is a miracle, a miracle.

Saturday night the doctor came and he said, I don’t have to tell you, you know that God healed this child that he could spend Easter Sunday in the hospital and go home Monday.

As my son was walking out on Monday, some were lined up, standing and telling him bye.

I do thank God for our good doctors and nurses who are there to help us.

Amen

After getting home a few months later as he was looking through a magazine, my son saw a picture of an angel and he turned and said the angels he saw in the hospital looked like men.

A number of years passed when my son was grown that he told me that he was above looking down at me and the doctor as we stood by his bed in the hospital. I ask him why he had not already told me about that and his wife standing there said he has tolded me over and over.

This is only one of the many, many times I’ve seen the hand of the Lord and yes you can credit this to me.

All in the name of Jesus,
Dixie Wright


On the 27th, we received another letter from Mrs. Murdock. I just love her handwriting. She capitalizes almost every word. I do the same thing when I write long-hand. I don’t know why. I’d like to ask Mrs. Murdock if she knows why, but I don’t dare.

Our Family Miracle,

My Husband, Burke Murdock Had a Cancer Behind His Ear. We Were Very Concerned About it because We Are Tenor Banjo Players.

He Was Scheduled For Several Treatments & Then the Doctor Said That He Had Done All He Could, But Would Recommend Him To Another Doctor. So After The New Doctor’s Examination, He said That The Ear Would Have To Come Off; So off It Came. Because of All The Bandages He Could Not Shave, So He Grew A Beard. He Looked Great & You Could Not Even Tell That He Had Had His Ear Cut Off; In Fact He Looked Like Santa Claus. All The Children Would Give Him An Extra Special Smile & One Little Child Came Over To Him While He Was in the Grocery Store, Held Out a Piece of Candy to Him Which Made Him Smile & Feel Very Happy. A Lot of the Grown-ups Commenting on How Much He looked like Santa. The Miracle to us was that Having His Ear Taken off, Did Not in Any Way interfere With Us Playing The Banjo!

The Lord Has Been With Us Each Step of The Way & Our Praise is of Him & His Caring Ways For Each of Us!

Burke & Gloria Murdock
 
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Darrin

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One might notice that the entries for this month are not dated. That would be due to the fact that my faith is crumbling. I have lost my way. I have not given up on God (or the book, for that matter), but I don’t even know where to begin to describe the turmoil in my mind and heart. I have spent an entire month trying to write something worthwhile. I keep going back to the same idea. Unfortunately, it’s an idea that I can’t quite articulate. I said from the start that this book is not about me. That is still true, but I want to say something because it might help somebody else who is struggling.

Christmas has always been a hard time for me. It always becomes a time of reflection; a time to look back at the year and analyze everything that’s occurred. I don’t do this consciously, it just happens. This Christmas, the prevailing thought in my mind is this- It seems that everything that made me happy and gave me joy was all a lie, but the things that cause me to sob uncontrollably and live in constant grief are all too real.

Jesus said, “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal“. I have always hated my life in this world. This place is so full of disappointment. There is so much heartache and frustration, sparsely seasoned with fleeting moments of joy.

Most of my life, I’ve wanted to leave this place. I don’t like it here. I feel so alone, even being married to a wife whom I love. I know that God is with me, but I can’t feel Him there most of the time. The times that I do feel Him are like those fleeting moments of joy I spoke of. Plus, as He reveals my sin to me, I can’t help but question why He would even want me to write a book for Him.

I am struggling with my mistakes in life. I have come to realize a cold hard fact. I may live with these mistakes for the rest of my life. That’s how life works. If you cut your right hand off because you were acting stupid with a chainsaw, you spend the rest of your life without a hand. If you go to prison for a crime, you stay there until your sentence is done. God is under no obligation to deliver you from your circumstances or the consequences of your mistakes.

I wonder how many people have rejected God because they were under the mistaken notion that He was going to deliver them from their suffering or make their life easy. He doesn’t promise us any such thing; at least, not in this world. My grandmother taught me that when I was a child. Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) I find it so hard to be of good cheer. I know it’s a trust issue. The root of my problem is my struggle with faith and patience. I doubt Him. I question Him. Then I beat myself up for doubting the Lord.

I am reminded of what Sheila wrote a few months ago- I was at church hearing a message called “Why does God allow”. In my mind I knew why God would allow. To bring us into a closer relationship with Him. Pastor was talking about this. God allows us to struggle to make us stronger Christians, so we can grow and be more mature. To have joy when the hard times come.

I have questioned many times why God would allow. He has allowed things in my life that I don’t understand, things that have caused me much pain.

I remember last year on Thanksgiving Day, I walked out in my backyard and started crying, feeling the most heartbreaking pain I have ever felt. I couldn’t understand why God would allow me to feel an overwhelming happiness in my heart, and then take away the cause of it.

After I stood there sobbing for a moment, I remember looking over my left shoulder at the church next door. Over the roof of the church, beside the steeple, coming out of the clouds, I saw a bright, well-defined beam (not a ray, a beam) of light shining down from the solid dark grey cloud cover, shining as if with God's own light. I’ve never seen anything quite like it before or since.

I prayed, “Please don’t let me have to go through all this suffering without a good reason, even if I don‘t understand the reason today. Please Father, please don't make me have to spend the rest of my life feeling like it's all been for nothing. Please don't make me live with this pain unless there's a bigger purpose."

When I finished my prayer, I heard a voice in my head. Not my own voice. It almost sounded aggravated, or frustrated. What I heard was, "Well, then have FAITH that I won't".

I would like to be able to say that I’ve never doubted God after that day, but it would be a lie. Unfortunately, I still have days when I am so filled with despair that I pray for Him to take me, even if my work isn’t done. Then I hate myself for doubting Him, and I hate the devil for filling my head with lies.

What I can truthfully say is that since that day I have gained a better perspective on things and can clearly see that these experiences, however painful, have caused me to draw closer to my Father than I have ever been before and to embrace and cling to Jesus as my only hope. I am not the same person I was before. Paul said, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (II Corinthians 5:17) I can testify that he was right. I can also perfectly relate when he states, “though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” (II Corinthians 4:16) Though I still sometimes want to leave this place that has caused me so much pain and disappointment, now I wish to die for Christ, with His holy name on my lips; for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21)

I heard a good piece of advice the other day. It is simple and straight-forward, yet full of great wisdom. I will carry it in my heart for the rest of my life. Everyone should. I just Googled it and apparently books have even been written about it. You have probably heard it. I can’t believe I never had. Since I didn’t know it before, I feel that I should share it here- DON’T DOUBT IN THE DARKNESS WHAT GOD HAS SHOWN YOU IN THE LIGHT.

With God, ALL things are possible, and He always has a plan. Don’t think He can’t free you from your struggle when the time is right; but it has to be His timing, not yours. He has a plan for each of us, your life is no exception. Look at what He did for Paul and Silas-

And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. (Acts 16:23-34)

God can deliver you from any situation or circumstance, but that may not be His plan for you at the moment. Could be that He has you right where He needs you to be. In Paul’s case, God allowed him to be cast into prison so He could add another family to the book of life.

No matter what your circumstances, always remember that God loves you and wants what’s best for you, but "best for you" may look much different from His perspective. Surrender your will and desires to Him and realize that He knows more about best than we ever will. At the same time, rejoice knowing that we'll understand more as we grow in Him, and things which make no sense to us today may look totally different with the aid of 20/20 hindsight.

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
 
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Darrin

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Lord, rather than me continue to show You why I can’t; You show me how I can, please. That is my prayer for the day.

January 16, 2012

Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest. (Revelation 15:3-4)

Have you told Jesus thank you today? Have you thanked Him for what He did for you? He died for us, for all who would come to Him. They nailed Him to a tree after they literally ripped the flesh from His body, and for what? What reason? What crime? All He did was tell the truth to those who would have rather heard a lie.

I got up this morning determined to focus on my Lord all day and thank Him for everything I could think of or see in front of me. I thanked Him for the beautiful day He gave me, even though it was overcast. I meant it, too. It was a beautiful day for me because I know that Jesus is the light of the world, not to mention I like cloudy days because the bright sun hurts my eyes.

When my car started, I thanked Jesus because His Father has blessed me with the most reliable $500 car I could ever hope for.

When I got to work and the dogs in the kennel started barking so loud that I felt like blood would come running out of my ears, I said, “Thank you, Jesus. I am so grateful that I still have some of my hearing!”.

Every time I moved and felt the burning pain in my joints, I thanked Jesus. Oh, the pain He must have felt. Nothing I will ever experience could compare with what He endured for me, and for you. Again Lord, thank you for your gift. The gift of life. John said, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life“. (I John 5:12) So, the very fact that I live at all is because God wills it to be so. I’ve heard it said that the only thing I truly own in this world is the breath in my lungs at this moment; but I am reluctant to accept ownership of that, because if I own it, it is only because God gave it to me.

I must have thanked Jesus five hundred times today, possibly even a thousand. I thanked Him again and again, all day long. The number isn’t important. What matters is the effect it had on my day. I can’t really find the words to describe it, but I can say that I felt an abundance of peace that I’m not accustomed to. I tried to think, “What would Jesus do?” all day long and at the end of the day I am pleased with my actions. I feel like maybe, just maybe, I was salt and light.

What a beautiful Monday. Thank you, Jesus.
 
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Anyone who doesn’t believe in the idea of spiritual warfare has never experienced it. So much has happened in the last month. It’s been hard to focus on writing. We haven’t gotten a response in over a month, despite all the flyers we put up.

After much prayer and pondering, I realize that we have to do more. Much more. In this day and age where iniquity abounds and the love of many has waxed cold, it is foolish of me to expect people to come out of the woodwork, bearing stories of God’s love. Especially so, considering they would be sending the story to an unseen stranger they have never met.

I Googled “God’s Little Miracles” and discovered to my dismay that the name is very similar to the title of a book that’s already been written. A book that’s all about “God intervening in the lives of ordinary people“. I wondered if I should just scrap the whole project, but came to the conclusion that I can’t quit now. I’ll just have to come up with another title. I wonder how many people who read the flyer laughed at the idea, knowing that it’s already been done.

I do feel that I have to walk away for now. I am a worrier, despite the fact that Jesus specifically told us not to worry. I worry because I see the sin in my life and wonder if I’ve pushed God too far. When you knowingly sin against God, why should you expect anything from Him? I feel that I have failed Jesus again and again. Every promise broken, every good intention unrealized and unfulfilled. This weekend was the worst-

I’ve suffered with a horrible nicotine addiction for 23 years now. I am quite certain that God has been talking to me about it for the last few months now. Friday evening, I asked Jesus to heal me of that addiction. I reminded Him that He was able to cleanse lepers, give sight to the blind, and raise people from death. I asked Him if He would please take away my addiction. I believe that He did. I felt Him telling me, “If only you will trust and believe, and do not doubt that I have healed you…”.

I managed to abstain from it from 4PM Friday until 11AM Sunday. A whole 43 hours, tobacco free. Saturday, I was free from it, no cravings at all. The only thing that bothered me was the emptiness that comes from removing something from your daily routine. That is not a physical craving.

Sunday morning, I gave in to the temptation, due to the fact that I tried to eat everything in the house Saturday night. I feel horrible about it. I have once again given up on Jesus and taken the easy way out, or that’s how it feels. I had such great plans of how I could tell everyone that Jesus healed me of my addiction. How I had no cravings that were stronger than Him. How I was strong enough to fight temptation only because of His strength. I would proclaim to the world and all who would listen, “Jesus healed me and set me free, and if Jesus makes you free, then you are free indeed!”. Instead, I went to work today feeling like a total failure. Worse yet, it’s the kind of failure that I can’t share with anyone around me. They would never understand my bitterness.

This account is only one of many. I feel that I am failing my Lord over and over, in so many ways. If I am allowed inside the gates of Heaven, I feel that I shall be the lowliest of servants in all of God’s Kingdom. I deserve nothing.

So much guilt. I feel that I can relate to the pain Peter must have felt after the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] crew. The Bible says he wept bitterly. I have certainly done that. Never mind that I am human, and a creature of habit, and very much a “so called” obsessive-compulsive. None of those things should matter. What is important is that I know better. God has given me the ability to see sin around me and in myself. So, if and when I sin, I do it knowingly. A choice is made. Also, anytime I unknowingly do the wrong thing, I can feel and sometimes hear the Holy Spirit bringing it to my attention. This is indeed a war of spirit and flesh. The pull of the flesh seems monstrous and unmanageable. And yet, I am reminded repeatedly that God is greater than that. There is nothing that is insurmountable to God.


Not all of life is bad, of course. Sheila and I have been working for God more than ever before. She has really come a long way with her photography. While I was taping flyers to church doors, she was taking pictures of steeples, crosses, stained-glass windows, anything that caught her eye. She has given pictures to many people and sold a few. We’ve decided that if publication of this “book” ever becomes a reality, it will include many of these pictures. They are all of a religious nature anyway and would be a wonderful addition to any book about God.

We went to a live nativity scene at a local church just before Christmas. She took some pictures and put them in a nice frame with a border. It looked very professional and beautiful, I might add. She hand delivered it to the pastor and his wife a few days later. It must be a real joy for her to do that. Her thinking is, and I agree, that the church went to a lot of trouble to put on a live nativity, so what better way to repay them than with a framed picture of the event.



I heard a wonderful idea on the radio the other morning. Bruce Wilkinson wrote a book called “The God Pocket”. I heard him explain the idea to Dr. James Dobson.

He basically said to take a certain pocket, be it in your coat, wallet, purse or whatever, and designate it as being your “God Pocket”. Then, take some money (the amount isn’t important) and put it in your God pocket, along with a prayer for God to direct you to the person who needs it.

Later that day, I put twenty dollars in my God pocket and told God, “Lord, I’m giving this money to You. It’s Yours to do with as You see fit. All I ask is that You lead me to the person who needs it and bring it to my attention when I meet them. Also, give me the strength to glorify Your name at that moment. I want them to know that the money is from You.”

That must have been two weeks ago, and I’m still wondering who I will meet in the near future that needs a blessing from God. I started thinking maybe the person needs more than twenty, so I’ve been adding more money to the God pocket. Who knows, maybe over time I’ll have $500 there. That could be such a blessing to someone. I hope God uses me to help them. I owe Him so much.



My desire to write for the Lord hasn’t diminished, but has taken new directions. A friend showed me a website the other day that I found very interesting. It pairs you up with a random stranger, for chatting purposes. At any given moment, there are between 15,000 & 25,000 random strangers out there on this same site, all talking to each other one on one. If you don’t like the person you’re talking to, disconnect and start a new conversation, simple as that. I start all of mine the same way- “Hi. Jesus loves you. : )”

One can easily imagine the plethora of diverse replies I get in response to this warm greeting. Some people really hate Jesus. They say things I won’t repeat. One guy said, “Oh, great. A mythical desert superhero loves me”.

Most people don’t even respond. They just disconnect immediately. Sometimes I type it 20 times in a row- Hi. Jesus loves you. : ) It makes me think of what Jesus told Peter and Andrew. He said He would make them fishers of men. I think of this website as a lake, and I just keep throwing my bait in the water again and again. Like fishing, I never know how long it will be before I get a bite, or what will be on the other end, or how long I will have to fight to bring it in.

Seriously, sometimes I may spend two or three hours talking to someone, once I find a person who wants to talk. But, it never fails that the person is out there. Every night, there is a person who either wants to argue with me or who is desperate for advice. I have discovered that I have no gift for swaying the opinion of the unbeliever, but I can find good advice for my fellow Christians, taken directly from God’s word.

More than once I’ve been told “Hey, you give good advice!” Those are such wonderful words to hear, or rather, words to read. I’ve talked to so many people, reminding them that God loves them. I’ve listened to their stories of pain and shared my own to show that someone understands. I can see how God is able to use my pain to give me sympathy towards those who feel the same loneliness I feel. I can honestly say, “I’ve been there. I know your pain. And if I, an anonymous stranger, know your pain, don’t you doubt for a second that God knows your pain and that He loves you very much!”

This has been such an experience for me. I have a new respect for the apostles and for all who publicly proclaim Jesus as the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. He sent them out as sheep amongst ravenous wolves. In a sense, I can understand. I have met people on this website that I honestly believe would kill me with their bare hands if we were talking face to face, only because I tell them the Truth as given to me by God through His Holy Word.

Also, I can see that there are so many in this world that are lost, and so many saved who are hurting and suffering, not to mention starving for the word of God. It gives me so much joy to give them His word; to be the voice in the wilderness, reminding them that God is still here, still with us, still loving us and wanting us to turn to Him. I get the impression that out of thousands that use the site, I am the only one on such a mission. That kinda made me feel special, until I realized how it must grieve Jesus to be seemingly forgotten in many sects such as this.

I am so grateful that God has given me an outlet so that I can glorify His name. I hope I am doing right by Him in all that I say to people. My intentions are good and honorable. I am reminded of something else Jesus told Peter. He said to Peter, “If you love me, feed my sheep.” I pray in Jesus’ name that I am doing just that.


As I said, I feel that I have to walk away for now. If the book formally known as “God’s Little Miracles” is to be finished, I have to put it aside for now and let God work in my life. I find it so hard to write these days. I’m having trouble putting my thoughts in order and I believe my writing suffers because of it. I began this entry in late January, but I am finishing now on February 13th.
 
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