Tag: witness

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Dealing With Pain Can be a Witness to Others

There is been a big  surge in subscribers to our RSS feed lately. We have had 12 new subscribers in just a few days. That is wonderful. Keep up the great work by helping us climb up in the Google Search Rankings. Just click on the icon right after the title to do that.

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Another shocking announcement! ( That got your attention!) “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, ” is now out in eBook form.  You can acquire it at all the eBook outlets. It is only $4.99 compared to $19.99 in the bookstores.  You can even order it right from this site by clicking on the Amazon icon on the right.

If you want a hard copy, with the autograph of the author on it, just click on the bookstore tab at the top of this page to order one. It is only $15.99 plus shipping compared to the $19.99 price in the retail stores.

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I have a podcast here that I did with John Kremer, the marketing guru. He invited me to share unusual places to sell books. Take a listen and hit those streets running: goo.gl/WGTF7

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I did an inventory of my book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” I have sold 367 books, through the book stores in my area; online through this site; through eBooks; through signings, and on the publishers website.

The experts say that you can officially call your book a best seller, when you sell 500 books. I need to sell 133 more to do that. I will not these tired bones until that happens.

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How do you deal pain? I have dealt with it for much of my life. I have had six major surgeries including quadruple by-pass heart surgery.

Pain seems to come to stay at my house like a long lost relative who doesn’t know when to leave.  

I have come to the conclusion that I have been chosen to service God through  my pain. I am not saying that I loved for pain to attack me so I can act like a saint and show others how tough I am. I would really rather not have the pain.

I can tell you that I have used my pain and suffering to witness to others that are going through the same things.

I met a man at a dinner party that had just had open heart surgery. He was distraught over the thought of how long it was going to take to recovery completely. I told him how I went through the same trial, and never thought much more about our meeting. I saw him again about six months later, and he was excited to tell me how much I had helped him through his ordeal. My little time with him was far more reassuring than meeting with the doctors after his surgery. I have many other stories just like this one.

You are probably saying: “It’s easy for you to say.” No it is not. Again, I would rather not have gone through the pain I did with each of my trials and storms, but I did, and God is using me through those trials and storms, in a wonderful way.

My favorite verse in the bible has been my pillar of strength for me during my down times, ” And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)

God has called me to help others who suffer by having “been there and done that,” myself.

Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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We are All Disciples Once we Accept Christ into our Hearts

Where Did all the People Go?

We had 2,500 people at my home church this last Easter Sunday. Many of the people were visitors. I always wonder where the people are the rest of the year? There a is great number of people in the world that only go to church at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter.

Some people think the church isn’t reaching out enough the other Sundays of the year. The members talk about Christ on Sundays, and about Duke beating Butler on Mondays.

We as Christians have been giving the title of disciples as soon as we accept Jesus into our hearts. Agreed that it takes a while to grow enough to speak to others about Christ, but we face people everyday that may be searching for the word we will be telling them about our journey to becoming a Christian.

It could be the mailman, the appliance salesman at Sears; your next door neighbor, or the person waiting with you for the bus.

God provides us with the opportunities, and we should use them as a vessel to share.

Many don’t. They feel uncomfortable talking about a man that was put to death, and then rose again. Who could believe that?

I placed a post on Facebook this week that said this, “People are upset because the stores are all closed. Some are putting jokes on that say have a nice hare day. Am I missing something… HE HAS RISEN!!!””

The second response I got from a woman said that I needed to know that there are many people on Facebook that do not believe like I do. The myth of Jesus’ resurrection comes from the word Easter meaning a day of egg hunts, and hares being celebrated.

I was very blessed by over 31 people responding to her remarks with, “Yes indeed, He has Risen!” Many supported my statement and went on further to praise God.

I made another post at the end saying, ” We all have a right to our own opinions, and I will use my right here. If you feel that Jesus is a myth, then there are choices to make. If He is a myth then you can live your life any way you please. But, if He really did rise from the dead, then you may want to seek atonement, and find ways to ask for forgiveness.”

I hope that wasn’t a slam of the woman that made her point. Like I said she had that right to speak, but when she said Jesus was a myth, I couldn’t  let it ride. That is when I stood up and gave my witness. I took the extra step to defend my belief, and hopefully helped others to see the truth.

What about you? Have you been faced with ridicule, and harassment? How did you handle it? Did you clam up right on the spot, or did you stand up for Jesus and share your beliefs with even more vigor?

When the next opportunity comes up, put on the armor of God, and be strong in your faith. God will reward you for each time you have had to “defend,” your beliefs. I put the word defend in parentheses because we aren’t really defending anything. We are sharing the truth, and it is up to the listener to discard or accept our thoughts.

March on Christian soldier!

HE iS RISEN!!

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Being meek and Mild will get you Farther Than Being Tough

Before I share an excerpt from the book: Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World, I have some exciting news:

On Friday the 15thof January, I signed a publishing contract with Winepress Publishers. The book will be coming out at the end of August or the first of September.

Much of the success is due to you my followers who have been telling others about the book on the social networks. The word is spreading, and now my dream is coming true. Follow the posts here to see the progress of the publishing of the book. You will be the first to know. Now for the excerpt. It is Chapter 64:

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Compassion Is Difficult to Give Away Because It Keeps Coming Back

 

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

 

I was warming up one day before playing a round of golf. I had been looking forward to a relaxing day, a chance to get away from it all, and was hitting a few balls at the driving range. I was hitting the ball well when a young man in his 20s to my right also started hitting balls. He was hitting the balls very far, which was distracting to me. I felt intimidated by his skills.

I continued to hit, but my shots started going in all directions. I was so distracted by this young man’s abilities that I couldn’t concentrate! I tried to regroup, and stepped up to the tee, saying to myself: I have to ignore the person to my right and hit the ball straight. I took a big swing, and the ball went directly right, hitting the young man on the outside of his left knee. He went down to the ground, grabbing his knee in pain. I was horrified!

I ran over to him, repeating how sorry I was, to ask if he was all right. He looked up at me.

“I’ll be OK,” he said. “And don’t feel bad—you weren’t trying to hit me.”

I could see he was in a great deal of pain, but his first action was to try to calm me down. Here was young a man who had every right to be really mad. God had given this young man the right things to say. That was another of my close encounters with God!

I couldn’t believe how calming his answer was. I was very upset, and I bet it showed! He, the injured party, calmed me by his loving spirit! He could have cursed at me, but he used the moment to show his Christian attitude toward another person.

How do you know he was a Christian? you wonder. Well, I really don’t know because our conversation never went to that subject, but if I were a betting man (and I’m not!), I’d say he was a believer because he never hesitated to show compassion for someone in spite of his own discomfort.

Can people look at you and tell you are a Christian by your actions?

I’ve always felt that you don’t have to grab a Bible and “preach” to a person to have a large effect on them. This young man had a tremendous effect on me, and he didn’t do much. He just forgave me, and let it go at that!

Have you had the opportunity to be a witness to someone by your actions, and let it pass you by?

We can be a witness to someone without trying to impress them with what we know about the Bible. It’s wonderful if you have that knowledge, but most people don’t care how much you know; they want to know how much you care. Many times a people will say, “I want to be like that person,” just by what they see us do. A calming spirit will win more people over than an angry, hateful spirit.

Aim straight for the heart with your love, and the feeling will become a part of those around you.

 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3

 

Further adventures

The next time someone is angry, try the gentle approach. You may be very surprised to see that it will calm them down much faster than yelling back at them. Your friends or family will really look up to you if you are consistent in your approach to stress and pressure. Your example may help them to also be meek and therefore be an example for the next person.

 

Something to ponder

Isn’t it funny that the more we show kindness to someone, the more we get back in return?

 

 * Excerpt from: Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World