God Says... "I forgive you."

By Nick (My Experience As...)

So often we say we believe one thing, but live another.  It’s easy to see in the “party Friday and Saturday but show up to church Sunday” Christians. I mean, come on, we have a great acronym for them, pfasbsutcs. So memorable isn’t it. We see it in some big ways in our own life.  We say “reading the Bible and praying is important” but spend more time on Facebook than we do in the Book.  I could go on and on, but instead of focusing on all that stuff, lets dig a little deeper.

I think we all struggle with living our belief that God is the biggest of the big.  I mean, God is infinite, He is omnipotent, He is eternal, and there are literally no limits on Him.  When, I was 16 we went on a trip to Montana.  Back then they didn’t have speed limits, but there were limits.  The sign said “safe and reasonable” but the police would pull you over and give you a reckless driving ticket if you went too fast.  I had in my mind “no limits” and got kind of excited.  Time to find out what this Dodge Caravan with a family of four and a ton of luggage can do. Then my dad explained the whole reckless driving thing and I ran into the limit.

I think we are looking for God’s limits. Can he really heal this disease?  Can He actually reach my lost loved one? Is my sin too big for God?

That’s the big one.  Right now you are thinking of that sin.  Maybe it is some past thing, maybe it is this ongoing struggle, but you remember, and you feel guilty.  The truth is, I know I am.

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The Storms of Life

By Pat

Another thunderstorm rumbled through early this morning, about one A.M., and right on cue, the bedroom door flew open and in dashed our six-year-old granddaughter, Kendra. As always in these situations, she hopped into bed with us, snuggled up in between us, and went back to sleep, safe and secure in the knowledge that we would protect her from the storm.

God tells us very clearly to run to Him during the storms of our lives, no matter what kind they are. He is always there, waiting for us, just as we were waiting for Kendra to seek our protection. Kendra came to us immediately, but I have to admit that sometimes I wait and try to weather the storms myself, refusing to admit my fears and worries. Whereas Kendra's first instinct was to run to our arms for safety, sometimes running to God is my last choice; it's the one I make after nothing else has worked and my own attempts have failed.

God wants us to have "childlike" faith and trust, and I know what He means! I need to learn that even though the storm may rage on, the winds continue to howl and the thunder crash, God is a God of promises, and I must run to His arms first, trusting in His protection and garnering courage from His strength. Perhaps if I do, the storms won't seem so scary after all...

"Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." (Mark 4:38-39)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

God Says... His Grace is Sufficient

By Dusty (Reflections on the Life of a Christian)

Have you ever been at the point of saying "I can’t go on?"

I have. What follows is my testimony…

Suicidal

I have been to that place where darkness surrounds and despair overwhelms. I have lived and breathed it.

I have tied the knot in a hangman’s noose and climbed on to a chair. I have secured the far end of the rope to the steel pipes lining the roof of a maintenance tunnel under my college dormitory. I have placed the noose around my neck. I have committed to kicking the chair out from under me… and so end my misery.

It was a place and time when I had lost all hope for a successful future. It was a time when I felt abandoned and abused by all I had held dear.

It was a time when there seemed to be no other way out…

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Faith Through Times of Struggle

By Pat
 
My husband and I are struggling financially right now, a situation we didn't think we'd find ourselves in again after many years of our business doing well. We are worried about how to pay certain bills, and we realize that at 51 years old, it will be difficult to find new work, possibly even new careers. And yet, despite the current hardships, I cannot help but continue to feel blessed. I see the world around me, and I am made aware how much worse it could be. As I look around the dinner table at family, smell the food I have prepared, I feel blessed. I feel rich.

I am forced at this time to re-evaluate myself, my gifts, my talents, and for this time of reflection and seeking God's guidance, I am grateful. Perhaps God will lead us into something which provides greater service to Him. Perhaps our business will pick up. We don't know. But what we DO know is this; God is in it, and blessings abound! We may be struggling now, but the love of family, the caring prayers of friends, the faith that wavers but yet remains, and the promises of God in the Bible remind us daily that we are, indeed, very rich!

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Are You Wondering?

By Pat

I recently went through a very difficult, emotionally trying time, and although it's over now and the outcome mostly favorable, spiritual questions remain for me. We all know, as Christians, that we are to trust in God and give Him our cares. We all know that God has our best interest at heart. But we also know that sometimes things don't go the way we want them to, and that even God's faithful followers don't always get their way. Well, what then? During the five months of the difficult period I went through, I prayed fervently.

Desperately. I prayed for God to make sure that the outcome was as I requested it to be, for I knew that was what was needed, and I knew that God knew that, too. But after a time, I began to also pray for God to enable me to accept whatever happened; not only accept it, but continue to trust God and not allow anger, pain, bitterness and resentment to affect my faith. And quite honestly, I wasn't sure what I would do, how I would go on if wrong decisions were made. What would I do? A horrible way to feel.

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