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Who I am – my personal testimony

on Friday, February 21, 2014

Recently one Sunday morning at church I was asked by a friend to give my testimony that night during our evening service.  I am always glad to share the assurance I have in Jesus and how God is working in my life, so of course I agreed.  I also had a few other things on my mind that I wanted to share with the church, so I asked our pastor what direction I should go with my talk.  He said to just tell why you are the way you are.  Well I think I know what he meant, but it really got me to thinking how I got to be the way I am.  Those who know me know that I am a bit different.  But then again – so is everybody else I know!

So how did I get to be the way I am?  The accounts that follow will provide some insight…

John collage2

I was raised in a Christian home, and my family was in church on a regular basis.  I grew up in a Methodist church, went through the Confirmation class at 12 years old, and at the end of the class we prayed to receive Christ into our hearts.  Was I saved at that time – I am not certain.  But I do know that when I was 18 years old  I went to FCA Camp in Maryville, TN and I knew God was working in my heart that weekend.  I also knew I could not give a certain answer of where I would go if I was to die that day of May 5th of 1984.  Through the message given by Rev. Jerry Upton, the Holy Spirit convicted  me that I did not have a personal relationship with Jesus, and I responded by coming forward during one of the services and knelt down at the altar to asked Jesus into my heart.  I knew then in my heart for certain that I had: repented of my sins, told Jesus I believed He died on a cross and was raised on the third day as a sacrifice to cover my sins, I asked Him to save me, and told Jesus I would follow Him with my life.

I have in no way lived a perfect or sinless life since then, but know in my heart that I can always ask God for forgiveness and it is granted.  And I know that because that night I received salvation, and by the assurance in His Word, that I will be forgiven of things I do (sin) that disappoint Him.

Now it was not long after I accepted Jesus into my heart that I realized satan was really tempting me in a lot of different ways that I had not experienced before.  I went to college and the US Army facing attacks from satan, and I hate to say it but he won a lot of those battles.  I remember carrying my little green Gideon Bible in my cargo pants every day I was in the Army uniform, but I did not make reading it a part of my daily life.  I was a worldly Christian giving way to Jesus and the world at the same time.  So of course I experienced failures and disappointments as I tried to follow Jesus.

My wife was the catalyst to bring me to a closer walk with Jesus.  I knew in my heart that Jesus connected us for her to be my mate and to bring me closer to Him.  I saw in her something I wanted more of in my life – an active growing personal relationship with Jesus.  I am delighted to say that since our wedding I have been on a slow path of growing closer to Him!

As I grow older my faith increases through the trials I continually face and how I am able to handle them.  You have to know that satan will not leave you alone if you are trying to live for Jesus.  I am slowly becoming more obedient to Jesus by daily denying satan and the attacks he sends.  I am not always successful, but slowly getting better as I grow in my faith.  I know I will never live a sinless life until I leave this body in the grave and enter into my eternal home in Heaven!

I am amazed and humbled by the way God has used me over the years.  I have enjoyed serving Him in many leadership roles such as a youth minister and Sunday School director.  He has molded me through the daily trials as a leader, husband and father.  I have been fortunate to lead individuals to receive Jesus as their Savior  in Guatemala, during camps and Bible Schools, even by phone with my cousin in Ohio.

Jesus has led me on so many adventures, and they all started with a single step of obedience of saying yes  –    I will follow You and I will go where You send!

Positive Attitude Wisdom

My thanksgivings

on Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thanksgiving table

It should go without saying that I am thankful, but then again sometimes it should go with saying that I am thankful and just what I am thankful for.  I find it healthy to verbalize these things and to give thanks to God for the rich blessings He has given me.

So today I made a short list of some of the things I am thankful for:

First off I am thankful for my Savior Jesus who came to this earth as a man, lived a perfect life as an example for me, and then sacrificed His life for my salvation.

To be able to see the variety of God’s wonderful creation and all the beautiful places I have been fortunate enough to visit.Guatemala volcano

To be able to tell my family “I love you” to their face, and be so open to them.  Also for the great family that surrounds me.

Friends who are truly friends no matter what, and will be there for me under any circumstance.  I count just a few people in the world with this description.  I also love it when I can call one of these guys up after a long break from seeing each other and start off cutting up like we just spoke yesterday.

The special friends who showed me what it was like to follow Jesus at an early age, and those who still do it today.

Those people who tell me they are thankful for me.

The mistakes I have made – now that they are behind me.  I have learned so much from them and they have formed me to be the man I am today.

The gifts and talents God has blessed me with and the times I am fortunate enough to use them.

I hope you will take some time today to give thanks for the blessings in your life as well.

Happy Thanksgiving yall!

Bible Positive Attitude Wisdom

The Rest We All Need

on Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.  Genesis 2:1-3

I read this scripture again a few weeks ago and realized something significant – God rested.  Wow!  The creator of our universe, who is without boundaries or limitations rested.  Why on earth would God do that?

I think he rested to provide an example for us to follow in our lives.  We have to rest or our body will shut down on its own.  Sometimes we think there is no time for rest because there is so much to do.  Or does that just happen to me?

I’ll admit, I have so much to do at times that I really feel rest is a waste of time.  It doesn’t get me anywhere.  It just lets me, well ……. wind down –  recharge  –   refocus.              Oh yeah … rest.

I need rest in my life for no other reason that to refocus at times.  I get so wound up with the things in my life I think must be accomplished.  I also am a bit of a perfectionist at times.  I think some things I do have to be absolutely finished and completely right before I can stop or let it go.  Now sometimes that is a good thing of course, but sometimes it just drives me to the end of my physical and mental usefulness.

River
Peace like a River

Three kinds of rest we need

Daily

I don’t know about you, but my body needs 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep every day.  It would be awesome if I could keep a consistent rhythm of getting that much sleep every day, but I usually don’t.  And when I get behind on a good night sleep it seems to affect me in a lot of ways.  I find it hard at times to just quit what I am doing and go to bed – I have so much more to do!  But what I make up in productive activity … I lose in rest.  My body will suffer as a result.  So only when I get wise do I lay things down and get a good nights rest.

Weekly

Here is the Biblical example we are given – to take a weekly rest.  Some call it a Sabbath day, the Lord’s day or even the day of rest.  For my family it is Sunday.  That is the day we set aside to rest from work and worship our Savior.  I will do everything I can to keep this day set aside and not work.  I don’t like to do business on this day if I can help it.  I also like to spend Sundays visiting with family.  We usually eat lunch with family members on Sunday and it is so good to recharge those relationships during those times.  I also like to get in a good Sunday afternoon nap.  For me that nap gives my body  that extra rest that I missed during the week.  It also gives me peace knowing all is well with my family that I can check out for an hour or so to just rest.

Yearly

One of the best ways we rest is with a good vacation.

Think about the best vacation you have ever had.  Was it a fun vacation?  Was it a restful vacation?  Usually the two are not the same.  During the season of our lives when we have young kids – rest is the furthest thing from a vacation.  However, I have felt the releasing of tension from work and my hustle/bustle life.  I may not have rested in the sense I would like, but my mind let go long enough to recalibrate the priorities in life.  Like spending time with family.

So for six days God worked.  I hope I showed you last week that work is actually a good thing.  Then God rested.  So let’s think about a couple of things.  God cannot be a part of anything evil.  So if God is in rest, then it must be a wonderful thing.  Notice that God blessed and sanctified the seventh day.  What God did was declare the seventh day good and set apart.  Since work was also good, God gave a separate time and weight to resting.

For me God speaks to me and says that I need that same time of rest.  I need a break from work to let my mind and body separate the activities.  Both work and rest are good and they both are something we all need.

Note to reader:  I finished this blog one night and thought I had it complete.  I went to bed and after resting had some more insight to this topic.  So I included it this morning before posting.  The overnight rest gave me a more clear picture to describe rest.  I hope this topic is as beneficial to you as it has been for me.