It is truely amazing hwo God works. I lvoe it. -- I would rather live my life as if there is a God, and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't, and die to find out there is IN GOD WE TRUST -KC- Ministries -------------- Original message -------------- From: MV <[log in to unmask]> > What. You are a glutton for babble punishment? lol. Well in short, it was I > think in May of 1996. My wife and I were this far *pinching fingers within > a hair's width away*, from calling it quits. As a CEO Christian, Christmas > and Easter Only *smile*, not born again, not ever having looked at God as > anything other than a lightening bolt bully which had no real purpose in > daily life but rather a point of focus in church I ought to attend to be a > good guy, which was filled with a bunch of hypocritical fakes, I remember > half way down my steps to my office in the basement my will broke and I > stopped and began praying to God saying "God? I'm tired of fighting for > this marriage. I just simply cannot and will not do it anymore. So > please, either give me the strength to just tell her and let me go my own > way, or the strength to get this thing back where it belongs. Either way I > can't stay as it is anymore." Soon after that we had another blow out, you > know, one of those normal garden variety fist clenching, rage building > refrigerator punching disagreements? lol. She then packed up her bags and > was headed for a hotel. Evidently God had a different plan because as he'd > have it, there wasn't a room in this town or the nearest one either. Not a > one room. She came back and said basically she felt it was a sign we ought > try to work things out, give it another go, a real try this time. Of course > with all the damage that had been caused in words to each other and etc. > we both knew it wasn't just going to be come out from the corners and shake > hands. We decided to go to church that Sunday, so riding around Sunday > morning going "Eenie meenie, mie-nee mo" we happened along a Methodist > Church, only due to the fact that we were running out of time and if we > kept riding much longer, we'd have missed every service in town. Wouldn't > you know the preacher there was talking about marriage? Funny isn't it? > Well. The next week or so we attended a church a friend of my wife > attended. In fact this woman was part of the ministry there. Her and her > husband were children's ministers, who later started their own church in > which I helped with praise and worship, and who are the same couple that > unfortunately divorced after various issues. That is a sad story but > anyway. So we attended this church. This was a tongue talking Holy Spirit > walking jump in the isles when you sing kind of church. Wow! I thought > hmmm. That kind of church was not unfamiliar to me as my wife and her > family attended a similar one in Marinette years back and I'd attend just > so I'd get an extra day with my sweetie as it didn't count against the > three she was limited to spending with me per week then. lol. Shifty > character eh? Anyway at this church there was due to be a drama ministry > called... hmmm. what was it called? lol. Stopping to think here, grab a > coffee and I'll have it when you return. Hmmm. The same drama wrapped under > a different name the year before was "Glory In The Fire", they change the > name every year and I keep thinking it was something like Scared Straight > lol. Although that was a movie about drugs when I was in school years > back, the idea was the same. OK. I admit I had to ask my daughter the name, > the drama was called "Final Destiny". Basically had several drama scenes > depicting varying real life situations from a garden variety mom who didn't > accept Christ to a drug deal gone bad with teens, to born again Christians > who were called home in an auto accident or something. Basically showing if > you aren't right with God? You is BBQ and if you are? You is alright. It > was done exquisitely. At the end they of course have an alter call. I've > been to churches who had alter calls before then and I've never had a > problem standing there with both feet flat to the floor and dry palms. This > time? This time was different. When they had the alter call, and I knew one > was likely to be coming, I felt convicted, I felt torn inside. As I stood > there people moved to the front, and I had no concern for anything else > going on around me. I heard the man say something to the affect of... "I > know God is tugging at a few of you who are suppose to be up here but you > are standing there with sweaty palms". My God! I felt he was talking > directly to me, I believe my wife was to my left and two kids to the right. > I did not grab my wife's hand to come up with me, I just began walking out > to the right, my wife followed and so did my two kids and the lot of us > gave our lives to Christ right then. Well my wife rededicated her life as > in high school she attended a teen event and accepted Christ. But myself > and both my kids accepted Christ at that time and our lives began to change > big time. We still had some struggles but there was an underlying peace and > sureness and we all began to grow. So that's about the size of it. > > Brad