Great Faith Stories Top 10 Stories

9-11 Trucker

Have you heard about the trucker who has painted his cab and trailer with the names of all those who lost their lives in 9/11?

The trucker's name is John Holmgren from Shafer, Minn. He has been 'pulled over' numerous times just so the troopers can get their picture taken with the truck.

As you look at these pictures and remember 9/11, remember what Jesus did for you as well.

Prop Us Up

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side.

After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently.
He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this...I got an old barn out back.
It's been there a long time, it's withstood a lot of weather, it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years.

It's still standing. But one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit.
So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall.

Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time.
I've withstood a lot of life's storms. I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times,
and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the
Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning, at times.

Sometime we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning
toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't. So we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on
our leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.

If you stare at this barn for a second you will see who will help us stand straight and tall again.

Recognizing A Sign From God

Have you ever just wanted confirmation of something that would cause there to be no doubt left in your mind? Perhaps a sign that is so unmistakable that there would be no question, you would know the answer as clearly as if it were tattooed on your forehead.

Let me back up for a moment and fill you in. I have been a believer all my life. I have never doubted God's existence, his love, or his plan for my salvation. I accepted Christ at a young age and even though I strayed for a little while I came back to him, recommitted my life, was baptized and strive daily to live a life in accordance with his will. Now that you are caught up with me, allow me to explain my dilemma and God's amazing answer to my prayer.

When I was very young my mother took me to see a film about the Rapture. It scared me to death! I was convinced that I would wake up and find my family gone and be all alone. This terror stayed with me well into my teenage years. After that I didn't really like to speak of the Rapture or the end of our days. I knew I was saved but there was always this fear that if I had missed something I would be left behind.

Recently my husband became very interested in the book of Revelations and in Bible Prophesy. He really peaked my curiosity so I began to read the ^Left Behind^ series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. This stirred up all the old feelings of doubt that I had carried through much of my life. I began to pray for God to open my eyes if I had missed something or to show me how to have faith that I was truly saved and not let the devil put doubts in my mind that my salvation was not real. That maybe I was doing something that would cause me to miss the big party in the sky.

One morning I awakened before I really needed to (and I try to sleep as long as my children will let me) and began to pray. Once again I asked God to help me see clearly and shared my fear with him. When I finished praying I opened the Bible and it opened to Isaiah 56. As I read the passages I began to truly feel like God had given me an immediate answer to my prayers. To summarize, it basically said if you have bound yourself to the Lord and hold fast to him he will give you an everlasting name that will not be cut off. It goes on to say that those who serve him, worship him and love his name will be given joy in his house of prayer. Wow, I was amazed! I thanked God for his answer to my prayer and marveled at his majesty all day. Then the doubt crept back in. What if I had misunderstood, what if I was interpreting his message wrong?

Fast-forward 3 days. Our church was hosting a wonderful evening of worship & praise on Sunday night. Our family attended and I was blessed beyond measure. During the time we were given an opportunity for silent prayer. I went to my knees and asked God yet again to either open my eyes to any areas I have been blind in or to somehow assure me of my place in his kingdom. I begged for the faith I needed! At the close of prayer I rose to sing another song of praise. To my jubilation, God did it again! We began to sing ^Till I See You^ by Hillsong United. Check out the words of this beautiful song below and you will understand why I stood weeping at the amazing love that my Master poured out upon me. I believe he gave me my answer, healed my doubt and caught every tear!

Till I See You

The greatest love that anyone could ever know
That overcame the cross and grave to find my soul
And till I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I'll trust in You

With all I am I'll live to see Your kingdom come
And in my heart I pray You'd let Your will be done
And till I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I'll trust in You

I will live to love You
I will live to bring You praise
I will live a child in awe of You

You are a voice that called the universe to be
You are the whisper in my heart that speaks to me
And till I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I'll trust in you

You alone are God of all
You alone are worthy Lord
And with all I am my soul will bless Your name

With God, Nothing is Wasted

God is not going to waste anything He can use! Before he was Paul, Saul had tremendous credentials, which he used against the church. Once Paul was committed to Christ, God was able to use Paul´s gifts to advance His kingdom. When God needed a strong leader in the early church, when God needed a man to write down the theology for His church, when God needed a man to stand up to Caesar yet talk straight to ordinary, hurting people . . . He used Paul.

How can God use your life? Even before you were saved, God already knew all your traits. God wants to sanctify the things that are already part of you so He can use them to advance His Kingdom.

Are you in a situation right now wondering how to turn it around for good? God is preparing you, positioning you and enabling you to do what He knows you can do most effectively.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Psalm 51:1-13
2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Ephesians 4:1-16
John 15:9-17; Psalm 138; Psalm 139:13-18

Visit The Urban Alternative at www.tonyevans.org

This Is My Motivation

By Kevin Schott, KIDS Inc volunteer/board member

In 1998 my good friend Jerry Barnaby invited me to come to KIDS Inc for a Tuesday Boys Night just to see what it was all about. God had other ideas.....I was hooked! I started out playing basketball with some of the guys week after week, then something happened that I never expected. Some of the guys actually started talking to me about their problems and situations at home. This opened up an awesome opportunity to present Biblical principals and why Jesus came to this earth.

In today’s business world you account for every dollar spent and try to do everything that you can to squeeze every penny out of that dollar. This is obviously done to maximize the profit margin and if done right can contribute to a successful “business plan.” As a member of the board of directors at KIDS Inc, we have a different business plan. Are we continuing to lead kids to Christ? Is Jesus being lifted up in every program that we have throughout the week? Are we being good stewards of every penny that comes into God’s ministry? He has entrusted us with His children. He has a plan for His children. We must continue to teach, preach, guide, pray with, and listen to his children. This is God’s “business plan” for KIDS Inc!

The following is a copy of a letter from a young man named Nick that I received from the staff of KIDS Inc a few years ago.

“Before God came into my life this is what it was like: My parents got divorced when I was nine and I didn’t have a father figure in the house so I didn’t respect authority. My mom got a boyfriend that was a main thing that messed me up. He yelled at my mom and he came home drunk. That made me not have respect for women because I thought that was what being a man was about. My friends- they were Goth and didn’t believe in God. I tried to be cool and not believe in God. This lead to me quitting school because I didn’t see the point in going. When I skipped school, we would run around and vandalize stuff and do drugs. I ended up in juvenile for a month and on house arrest. I was diagnosed with depression and felt that I had no reason to live. My lowest and scariest point was when I thought I was going to fail my drug screen and get sent to Boy’s School for 6 months. Nothing made me feel valuable then, but I tried to make myself feel valuable by getting girls. I now feel ashamed for how I was using them to make myself feel better.
After I got off house arrest, I started going to KIDS Inc. every chance I had and I don’t know why. I just felt the need to be there. Even though I had gone to KIDS Inc. before and gotten kicked out, when I went back this time I kept thinking about God and how He had to be real. I knew if I didn’t change my life, I would be like my dad and be lazy and smoke pot all day and have no reason for life except getting high and getting money to get high. I had to change if I wanted to get closer to God... so I changed. But I still knew I wasn’t exactly where I needed to be.
Then one day, Shalin, my friend that works at KIDS Inc., called and told me that In Pursuit had an opening in an Alpha trip. I was reluctant to go because I didn’t want to leave my mom alone dealing with my troubled brother. Everybody at KIDS Inc. kept bugging me about going because it was an amazing opportunity. I finally gave in and said yes. I am glad I went on the Alpha trip because everybody was kind to me and I felt free to be a Christian. My counselor, Chad, was cool and I looked up to him. The day that we were leaving In Pursuit, I asked Shalin if there was any way I could come back. She begged Rich to let me come back and he found a scholarship to put me in a 3 week TST. I love TST! Being in TST meant I had responsibility which made me feel relieved to be doing something important. Working didn’t just have to be for money, it could be for God. TST helped me to respect other peoples’ feelings and helped my relationship with God. My relationship with Jesus started during TST. I felt loved by Jesus and by the people around me. I finally felt valuable and loved, and felt like I had a reason for living. My favorite part was learning more about Christ and making Christian friends. I could share a lot of my feelings with my new friends because they believed in God. My counselor, Bill, was great because he understood me. At the end of 3 weeks, I didn’t want to leave.
Now I am in a better understanding of God and Jesus. I pray for my family, my friends, and for my relationship with God. I seek Him by reading the Bible daily and praying. In the future, I want to work at In Pursuit so I can help people to see that God is real by showing them the same Christ-like love that I received. I feel that God also wants me to work for Him in my neighborhood by showing them that I was the same way and that if Jesus can save me, He can save them too.”

I could’ve written an entire article on how God has blessed my life since He brought me to KIDS Inc ten years ago, but nothing says it better that this testimony. If you would like to volunteer or support KIDS Inc in any way please call or email Paul Velazquez at (317) 917-0451. This is what it’s all about. THIS IS MY MOTIVATION!

God is Faithful

The book of Habakkuk is a four-chapter conversation between God and the prophet. Habakkuk had lots of questions for God. First, he couldn´t understand why God would use an evil empire to punish His people. Can you identify with Habakkuk? You may also struggle with God´s timing or ask what on earth He is doing. Yet Habakkuk provides a powerful lesson about God´s faithfulness and faith in our Creator.

The secular world view offers several options to cope with trouble: first, resign yourself to your fate with no hope for change; second, distract yourself with alcohol and drug abuse, promiscuity or an unhealthy quest for wealth; third, put on a false bravado, holding your chin up while you´re really falling apart internally.

Habakkuk chose to trust in the reliability of God. God calls us to act in faith and remember His character, believe His Word and trust the testimony of believers, including yourself. Just as you trusted God yesterday, you can trust Him today.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Psalm 119:1-16
Psalm 119:49-64; Psalm 4
Habakkuk 3; Habakkuk 1

Visit The Urban Alternative at www.tonyevans.org

Putting My Daughter to Bed Two Hours After the Bridge Collapsed

At about 6 PM tonight the bridge of Interstate 35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed. I am writing this about three hours after the bridge fell. The bridge is located within sight of Bethlehem Baptist Church. Most of us who minister at the church cross this bridge several times a week. At this point I don’t know if any staff was on the bridge. Desiring God offices are about a mile from the bridge.

There are no firm facts at this point about the total number of injuries and fatalities. When we crossed the bridge Tuesday on our way out of town, there was extensive repair work happening on the surface of the bridge with single lane traffic. One speculates about the unusual stresses on the bridge with jackhammers and other surface replacement equipment. This was the fortieth anniversary of the bridge.

Tonight for our family devotions our appointed reading was Luke 13:1-9. It was not my choice. This is surely no coincidence. O that all of the Twin Cities, in shock at this major calamity, would hear what Jesus has to say about it from Luke 13:1-5. People came to Jesus with heart-wrenching news about the slaughter of worshipers by Pilate. Here is what he said.

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, ^Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.^

Jesus implies that those who brought him this news thought he would say that those who died, deserved to die, and that those who didn’t die did not deserve to die. That is not what he said. He said, everyone deserves to die. And if you and I don’t repent, we too will perish. This is a stunning response. It only makes sense from a view of reality that is radically oriented on God.

All of us have sinned against God, not just against man. This is an outrage ten thousand times worse than the collapse of the 35W bridge. That any human is breathing at this minute on this planet is sheer mercy from God. God makes the sun rise and the rain fall on those who do not treasure him above all else. He causes the heart to beat and the lungs to work for millions of people who deserve his wrath. This is a view of reality that desperately needs to be taught in our churches, so that we are prepared for the calamities of the world.

The meaning of the collapse of this bridge is that John Piper is a sinner and should repent or forfeit his life forever. That means I should turn from the silly preoccupations of my life and focus my mind’s attention and my heart’s affection on God and embrace Jesus Christ as my only hope for the forgiveness of my sins and for the hope of eternal life. That is God’s message in the collapse of this bridge. That is his most merciful message: there is still time to turn from sin and unbelief and destruction for those of us who live. If we could see the eternal calamity from which he is offering escape we would hear this as the most precious message in the world.

We prayed during our family devotions. Talitha (11 years old) and Noel and I prayed earnestly for the families affected by the calamity and for the others in our city. Talitha prayed “Please don’t let anyone blame God for this but give thanks that they were saved.” When I sat on her bed and tucked her in and blessed her and sang over her a few minutes ago, I said, “You know, Talitha, that was a good prayer, because when people ‘blame’ God for something, they are angry with him, and they are saying that he has done something wrong. That’s what “blame” means: accuse somebody of wrongdoing. But you and I know that God did not do anything wrong. God always does what is wise. And you and I know that God could have held up that bridge with one hand.” Talitha said, “With his pinky.” “Yes,” I said, “with his pinky. Which means that God had a purpose for not holding up that bridge, knowing all that would happen, and he is infinitely wise in all that he wills.”

Talitha said, “Maybe he let it fall because he wanted all the people of Minneapolis to fear him.” “Yes, Talitha,” I said, “I am sure that is one of the reasons God let the bridge fall.”

I sang to her the song I always sing,

Come rest your head and nestle gently
And do not fear the dark of night.
Almighty God keeps watch intently,
And guards your life with all his might.
Doubt not his love, nor power to keep,
He never fails, nor does he sleep.

I said, “You know, Talitha, that is true whether you die in a bridge collapse, or in a car accident, or from cancer, or terrorism, or old age. God always keeps you, even when you die. So you don’t need to be afraid, do you.” “No,” she shook her head. I leaned down and kissed her. “Good night. I love you.”

Tonight across the Twin Cities families are wondering if they will ever kiss a loved one good night again. Some will not. I am praying that they will find Jesus Christ to be their Rock and Refuge in these agonizing hours of uncertainty and even loss.

The word “bridge” does not occur in the Bible. There may be two reasons. One is that God doesn’t build bridges, he divides seas. The other is that usually his people must pass through the deadly currents of suffering and death, not simply ride over them. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you” (Isaiah 43:2). They may drown you. But I will be with you in life and death.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ^For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.^ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-38)

Killed all day long. But not separated from Christ. We go through the river. Not over it. He went before us, crucified. He came out on the other side. He knows the way through. With him we will make it. That is the message we have for the precious sinners in the Twin Cities. He died for your sins. He rose again. He saves all who trust him. We die, but because of him, we do not die.

Jesus said, ^I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25)

Talitha is sleeping now. But one day she will die. I teach her this. I will not always be there to bless her. But Jesus is alive and is the same yesterday today and forever. He will be with her because she trusts him. And she will make it through the river.

Weeping with those who weep, and those who should,

Pastor John

Psalm 71:20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again.

The Lesson of the Cucumber Tulip

I want to share a story with you that I heard this past Sunday. Actually, it was the ‘rest of the story’ that was shared after the service by our guest speaker, Bud. During the sermon, he told how he and his wife had stopped at a house while on a walk to check out a somewhat rare Cucumber Tulip tree. The owner of the tree eagerly talked about it and about his life, but it wasn’t until after church that I learned the lesson of the Cucumber Tulip.

Around the lunch table, Bud shared how the guy they had been talking to suddenly burst into tears and told them that he should be dead right now.

Bud went on to tell the old man’s story of how one day as a child he neglected to do one of his chores and how furious his dad was with him. As a punishment, he was not allowed to go with his father and five brothers to town for a soda later that day and watched as they drove down the road without him.

Minutes later, while still in sight, there was a terrible accident. The old man, who was then a small boy, ran to the gory scene of the accident to find that all five of his brothers had been killed and that his father who had a broken neck died when they attempted to move him.

I’ll never forget Bud’s observation, “That man carried the guilt and grief for fifty years because his dad left mad and hadn’t restored his relationship with his son.”

I’ve thought about that since then and wondered how often I get mad, hurt feelings, and then leave without restoring the relationship. I guess I sometimes assume that I’ll be able to ‘make up’ later.

After hearing Bud’s story, I know that isn’t always the case.

So, Dad, learn the lessons of the Cucumber Tulip, the little boy who would become an old man, and the power of an unmended relationship. Let me encourage you, if you have some unfinished business with a child or your wife---to make it right, TODAY! You don’t know what might happen just down the road. You need to keep relationships right because no amount of time can heal a broken father/child relationship.

Dry Bones Dancing

Today, many of God´s people feel stranded in a desert of hopelessness and emptiness. In Ezekiel´s day, the children of Israel were in tragic desperation, but God planned a spiritual miracle to demonstrate His power over any circumstance. Ezekiel watched God supernaturally restore a valley of dry bones into an army of living human beings . . . just as He promised.

In their day of despair, God focused their spiritual eyes on a brighter tomorrow when their relationship with Him would be better than ever. The God who made dry bones live again is all-sufficient for our every need.

When our disobedience distances us from God, our spiritual lives become like dry bones. Yet these bones can thrive again. These bones can dance! God promises a miracle of spiritual renewal in a place of hopelessness. God´s Word, living and working in you, restores life.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Isaiah 49:5-13
Philippians 3:12-21; Psalm 23
2 Corinthians 1:1-11; Psalm 6; Ezekiel 37:3-6

Visit The Urban Alternative at www.tonyevans.org

The Purpose of Life

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal.

God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, ^which is my problem, my issues, my pain.^

But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal my wife or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.

Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better ...

God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD