While listening to the Bible study on May 29th on I Corinthians 1: 3-7, I realized where the Lord has placed me as a Barnabas. 26 years after choosing an abortion for an unplanned pregnancy, I found healing and restoration in a Bible study for post-abortive women at a pregnancy care center. Through that experience, I began to volunteer at a local pregnancy care center. About a year ago, I had the blessed experience of co-facilitating the same post-abortive study (Forgiven and Set Free) with the woman who was the facilitator when I went through the study. I rejoiced in seeing the participants transform as they accepted God's forgiveness and embraced freedom. I still volunteer at our local center and always come home feeling blessed by the clients the Lord brings my way. Not all are post-abortive, but all are on the road I once took. God is so awesome in the plans that He has for us!
ReadAs young adults, Derek and his girlfriend chose to abort four pregnancies. Then they both came to know Jesus as their Savior. “And that’s what literally changed the course of…
WatchAs I grew up, I knew my grandma as a saint. She didn't just get her bible out of the closet on Sunday, go to church and then come home and do her own thing the rest of the week. She went to church every Sunday morning and night, every Wednesday night, until they passed, she did ladies hair for church every Saturday. She was also on the prayer chain at her church. And every morning, she read Our Daily Bread (which is why I started reading it too :) ). But I went too church when I had too, at her house on any weekend. I was baptized at her church at the age of 9, but nothing changed. I kept living the same (not sinful, but not saintly), kept watching the same shows, sleeping in on Sunday mornings, normally, etc. But, at the age of 16, I was in a bad accident that almost, should of, killed me (fell off a bridge off a motorcycle 30 ft; shattered pelvis, broke a leg, arm, a finger and my collarbone and sustained a traumatic brain injury. Spent 4 1/2 months in the hospital, a year in a wheelchair and shattered dreams (Air Force Academy was no longer an option.) But then God orchestrated events that brought me closer to Him. Met a kid in High School at lunch who inspired me to read the Bible, at CU met my current best friend (who's currently a missionary in Spain to North African Nations) who led a Bible Study and with whom I started attending church regularly. Baptized in 1984, bad accident in 1991, started reading the Bible in 1993, attending church regularly in 1994. (Also started reading Our Daily Bread in 1995.) Maybe, not the right way, but better late than never!
ReadMy husband was involved in a vehicular accident March 2010. A sleepy motorbike rider collided with Fier from behind and they both crashed in one of the busiest sections of EDSA. It was the first miracle that he had that day, no other vehicle was behind him and he had a chance to get up and walked to the side of the road. Second miracle of that day was he never lost consciousness - he was fully alert of what was happening and even had the chance to call and inform me of what happened.
He underwent surgery to put a metal plate to support his shattered right collarbone.
The other guy fled the scene and the third miracle that day was that a fellow motorbike rider helped my husband and they were able to get the license plate of the guy who collided with my husband. After a few months, I was able to trace the guy who collided with him.
We met with him and his mother. He explained that he was up partying all night and fell asleep on the wheel.
If you know who I am, you would expect that I will burst out throwing expletives to the guy for all the trouble that he'd caused. We were neck-deep in hospital bills and my husband wasn't able to work for 2 months. Everyone who knew me back then would expect me to file a lawsuit and wrung-dry the guys family for moral damages.
But lo and behold, I was able to keep calm and let God do all the work. My husband and I agreed to forgive him - which I think surprised both him and his mother. We just told him to be careful next time and that he should not be behind the wheel if he's not in a condition to be. We parted ways and my husband and I both had this heavy weight lifted from us because we have given forgiveness.
The Lord indeed moves in mysterious ways. His love and mercy can soften even the hardest of hearts. There is blessing when we forgive just as the Lord had forgiven our sins.
Thanks be to God!
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Pastor and author of The Mercy Prayer Robert Gelinas tells how his grandmother's question--"You mean to tell me that a mafia hit man has just as good a chance to…
ListenI AM OVERJOYED AND OVERWHELMED BY THE POWER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND WHAT HE HAS DONE IN MY LIFE.
I WAS A DRUG ADDICT, LUST IN THE WORLD , COMMITING CRIMES ON DAILY BASIS. I WAS IN AND OUT OF JAILS FOR OVER TEN YEARS.
SEVEN YEARS AGO I ENDED UP IN A CELL, ALONE, CONFUSED , EMPTY, AND DESPERATE.
WERE I FOR THE FIRST TIME OPENED A BIBLE, AND THE LORD SPOKE TO ME IN JEREMIAH 33:3,
AS MY EYES WENT STRAIGHT TO THIS VERSE I STARTED TO CRY DESPERATELY AND FULL OF JOY KNOWING THAT GOD WAS SPEAKING DIRECTLY TO ME. "CALL ON TO ME, AND I WILL ANSWER YOU, AND SHOW YOU GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS YOU DO NOT KNOW" (JER. 33:3) AS I STARTED TO READ THE BIBLE I COULD'NT
STOP CRYING AND TO KNOW I HAD A SAVIOR THAT LOVED ME SO MUCH, AND I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT HIM.
I FELL IN LOVE WITH JESUS.
I WAS FACING 25 TO LIFE , AND YET THE LORD HAD SET ME FREE. I HAD SURRENDER MY LIFE TO JESUS.
I REMEMBER ASKING HIM, THAT ALL I WANTED WAS TO COME OUT DIFFERENT, TO SERVE HIM, AND IF IT MEANT FOR ME TO STAY IN JAIL FOR LIFE, TO USE ME FOR THE GLORY OF HIS NAME.
AS TIME WENT BY I WAS SENTENCED TO PRISON WERE I ENCOUNTER TO LIVE WITH LIFERS. JOYFUL AND TRUSTING IN MY SAVIOR I WAS RELEASED AFTER SERVING 17 MONTHS.
IT HAS BEEN A HARD WALK AS HE HAS TAUGHT ME TO GROW IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF MY LIFE, BUT I HAVE SUBMMITTED TO DO HIS WILL.
TODAY I VOLUNTEER IN JAILS AND I ALSO SPEAK ON THE RADIO IN A MINISTRY THATS CALLED
"I WAS IN JAIL, AND YOU CAME TO ME"...
THE LORD HAS RESTORE MY CHILDRENS ,AFTER SPENDING TEN YEARS WITHOUT THEM, HE HAS EQUIPT ME TO INSTRUCT THEM IN THE WAYS OF THE LORD, THEY ARE ALL SAVED, AND FOR THE GLORY OF GOD, ONE OF THEM IS GETTING BAPTIZED.
ONE THING I MUST SAY AS I STARTED MY WALK WITH THE LORD IN JAIL, RBC MINISTRY WAS A GREAT PART OF MY WALK. AND WHEN I CAME OUT IT KEPT ON LEADING ME TO MY DAILY SCRIPTURES AND WALK WITH THE LORD.
I MAY NOT HAVE MUCH MY BELOVED BROTHERS AND SISTER, BUT I HAVE A LOT OF LOVE FOR YOUR MINISTRY AND GRATITUDE FOR YOU WERE A GREAT DEAL IN MY WALK. BY GRACE I RECIVED, AND BY GRACE I GIVE WHAT THE LORD HAS STORED IN MY HEART. GOD BLESS YOUR MINISTRY, YOU TOUCH A LOT OF HEARTS IN JAILS, AS I GO TWICE A WEEK, ONE THING I NOTICE IS THE WOMANS IN THERE ALWAYS HAVE A DAILY BREAD FROM RBC. MAY MY TESTIMONY FOR THE GLORY OF GOD ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO CONTINUE IN THE WAYS OF THE LORD. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE MY TESTIMONY, AND MAY THE PEACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ALWAYS BE WITH YOU...
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