The choice

If someone put a gun to my head and said “CHOOSE! Choose between death or rejecting Jesus”, I would choose death. I would make that choice, because my life wouldn't be worth living anymore without the one thing that brings me sanity. The one thing that has saved me from sin.

You see years ago, I found myself falling into masturbation again and again. Unable to stop myself and always feeling rotten after doing it. Married and with children, it still occurred. One night, as the urge was overcoming me again, I said a simple prayer, "Jesus, I'm going to do this... unless you stop me. 

(Read the rest of the story on Wtness.org)

Nick Vujicic on why he is happy with his life… without arms or legs

(this blog has grown up and is now a full website.  Please go instead to www.wtness.org.)
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Preacher Nick Vujicic.

“Do you know God? …Why is he interested in us?  Why would he ever have the time of day to listen to my prayer?  Who am I compared to God, the creator of the universe?... It’s a big thought. (smile)  For me, God is everything. (nods) For me, there were many times in my life where I did not have peace in my life. And seeking the answers to many questions and of course being born without limbs, I asked God “Why did this happen?” (furrowed brows)  You know, we always talk to God more on a bad day (heh!).  We ask God for things, we thank God for things, but if you get to know him, do you talk to Him apart from just asking him for things?  Because if I had a friend and I just called him up when I needed him, it’s not really a friendship.  (smile).  Do you that he is excited to hear from you?  Do you know that you were on his mind before the earth began and he formed you in your mother’s womb?  That was such an amazing peace that I had at 15 years old. To know that I finally have someone who is going to be with me through it all.  Who knows all my circumstances, who is BIGGER than my circumstances. 

Nick Vujicic speaking about how
 it's possible for him to be happy.

(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

Partial transcript of an interview with Nick Vujicic, the man who has no limbs, but is happy anyway.

This man has no arms and no legs. Why does he not curse God?

(this blog has grown up and is now a full website.  Please go instead to www.wtness.org.)
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Nick Vujicic was born without arms or legs.  Yet he loves God and Jesus Christ.  How is that possible? Nick tells his own story.

Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs

• If I fall and think I can't get up, I haven't failed until I stop trying. Only then will it be true that I can't get up. But if I keep trying, there's always hope, and the possibility that I will get back up.
• Sometimes you have doubts about what is going to happen in the future, and it scares you.
• But I found my strength in Jesus Christ.
• My victory is not when I stand up.  It's when I know I can't do this on my own. 
• If God can cause a man without arms and legs to smile, then God can cause us to be thankful, and to hang on to the hope that we have.

Nick Vujicic surfing with Bethany Hamilton

In February, 2012, Nick married this woman. They now live in California. They hope to become parents some day.

In February, 2012, Nick married Kanae Miyahara

(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

The Murderer who became a Nun

I have been part of a volunteer prison ministry for years at a prison in Washtenaw County, Michigan.  While there, I met a woman that everyone knew only as “Granny”.  She had been in prison for 42 years, and was serving a life sentence without parole for a murder she committed when she was a very young woman.  Only in the past year did I discover what her real name was, but for her sake, I won’t share it here.

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, in her waning days in office (end of 2010) introduced a program which commuted the sentence of certain non-violent offenders serving life sentences.  Their sentence would be set to equal their time served.  Only a small percentage of those who applied for commutation under their program were granted release  Granny was one of them...



(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

    
Dan Fedder

God’s Words inspire an ex married couple to turn their hate into friendship

My mother and father had a horribly messy divorce in 1985. Like so many others of their generation, the marriage was one of convenience, based far more on an exchange of services (e.g. housekeeping for a paycheck)  Never in my memory did they have what you could define as a happy or loving relationship.  There were many confrontations over the years, some of them violent.

Christmas day, 1984 was a fight for the record books.  My wife Pat and I arrived at my parents’ house mid-afternoon.  Usually Dad didn’t drink until the afternoon, which is one of reasons he got away with his drinking for so many years.  Uncharacteristically on this day, he was fully “in the bag” by 3pm.  He and my brother got into an argument over something that was truly silly:  whether my 18 yr old, college freshman brother, would eat his vegetables.  That was enough to set my mother off, and the fight that ensued was ugly and violent to the point that we felt that we had to get my mother out of the house for her own safety...  

(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

Deacon Dan Fedder

Quiet Heros Who Don’t Make the News

When I just live my life normally I don’t even notice them.  But when I pay attention, I see more evidence of quiet Christian heros than I expected I should.  Here are three.

Art by Julie Lonneman

 One day I was driving to work at 6:30am and passed by a Walgreens where the local blind beggar named Frank normally sits and sells pencils all day (yes, that is still done in some places).  What was different was that he was surrounded by all of his earthly belongings… two jammed suitcases, a wheelchair, and about 7 huge black garbage bags full of stuff.  I was concerned about what this meant, but had to make my car pool appointment, so I didn’t stop.  That night at 6:30pm he was still there.  The next morning and next morning at 6:30am he was still there with all his stuff.  I was sure he had been kicked out of his living arrangement because he couldn’t pay the rent... 

(Read the rest at Wtness.org)

She's a real Christian, and he noticed

I was in the Convenience Store just this morning at work, speaking to a guy who admitted to asking around about me because I was different.  I said I was a Christian he said ya I know (he laughed) and you may actually be for real.  I was stunned. “

(Read the rest at Wtness.org) 

Harry Lindback's small miracle

Harry Lindback, a resident of Dearborn, Michigan, is a systems analyst at a large corporation in the Detroit area.  In March of 1991, the announcement came that his department would be divested within the next 12 months, and all the people would either go along to the new firm or lose their jobs.  Harry is over 50, and has a family to support, so he was especially concerned about being able to find other suitable employment outside the company.  So he focused his efforts on transferring within his company to another department.

Before he knew it, it was January, 1992, and ten days remained before the divestiture.  In the previous ten months, he had been unable to find an alternate position. His last hope was a position in the Electronics Division, so he called the manager there on a Tuesday and left this message: “Whatever you do, please don’t lead me on.  If you have a position for me, that’s wonderful.  If you don’t, please let me know.  I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

The next day, the manager returned Harry’s message, saying, “Harry, I’m terribly sorry.  We did have two positions, but we filled them both.  I’m so sorry we couldn’t help you out”, and continued apologizing for several minutes...

(Read the rest at Wtness.org)  

Christ motivates single Mom to take in troubled girl

Friday a few weeks ago at work (Ford Motor Company), I had lunch with our Thursday lunchtime Bible Study leader, Carol T (omitting her last name – she’s concerned about revealing the drug problem of the woman in this story).  She had been asking for donations for girls clothing, girls shoes, an extra bed.  So I wanted to find out what the full story was. 

Carol is a regular volunteer at her son's high school in Michigan, and the counselors have known Carol as a caring volunteer for years.  So when the counselors found out that one of their best students, an African American girl, had been thrown out of her house for pointing out to her mother that her mother should give up drugs, they wanted to help the girl find a place to stay.  So they called Carol.

Carol told me that she prayed and prayed about it, and complained to God that she didn't want the additional responsibility, and felt like kicking and screaming no.  But she said in prayer she felt such a peace about it... a firm, grounded, long-lasting peace... that she knew God was telling her to do it.  Carol spends a lot of time praying and listening to what God wants her to do.  So Carol took the girl into her home.

For how long?  Here's what Carol told me:  "God knew when to bring her to me.  God will know when she's ready to leave."  Now THAT'S faith.

The girl's mother is paying for absolutely nothing.  Carol is doing this on her own as a single mother. Yet she said that it's working out well already.  

Only someone like Christ could motivate such selfless acts.

Man forgives murderer of sister, 4 children

In July 2011,  Tabasha Paige-Craido, 30, and her four children were killed.  The murder was allegedly committed by her estranged husband, Jordan Adam Craido, who allegedly started their house on fire to cover up the deed.

Jesse Adams, brother of murdered woman, telling the news media he forgives
the murderer because God forgave him what he did.  His wife is next to him.
Photo credit: Thomas Boyd, The Oregonian

Tabasha's brother Jesse Adams was quoted as saying, "We want Jordan to know that he's been forgiven. We want the community to heal and those who knew her to heal."
Adams spoke to reporters while clutching a leather-bound Bible. He said that the road to forgiveness was hard after losing a sister, a niece and three nephews.
"But at the end of the day, I got to remember what God did for me," Adams said. "He forgave when I didn't deserve it. So I'm going to forgive."

Community Bible Church Pastor Pete Slusher said he was moved by Adams' determination to offer forgiveness to the man suspected of causing such heartbreak.
Slusher had breakfast with Adams and heard him say 'I just want to forgive the guy.'  Slusher commented from his personal experience, "That's actually quite unusual."
Adams told reporters he was trying to forgive because of the Bible passage Ephesians 4:31, which he quoted:
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving."

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/07/brother_says_medford_mother_--_who_died_of_stab_wounds_--_lived_for_her_children_husband_still_in_tr.html.  Article written by Kimberly A.C. Wilson, The Oregonian

My commentary:  Jesse Adams didn't discuss what he was forgiven for in his own life.  But my guess is that this was no minor offense, and that the feeling of forgiveness he believed was offered by God was not a result of simply reading words on a page.  I'll venture that he felt a very real presence of a living being who offered the unusual love of forgiveness.  That is, God.  And he knew that it was important for him to show his appreciation by offering the same to another.

Why this poor, hungry man never considered stealing

It was about 1999.  I was taking a walk along Woodward, a large boulevard near my house. Also near Woodward is a motel that offers cheap monthly rates, and this is a place where people with no homes can stay.

An older black man with a shabby coat but dignified air was walking in the same direction as me, so we got to talking, and we found we were both going across Woodward to the McDonald's there.  After about 10 minutes of socializing, I discovered that he lived with his family temporarily in the motel, and was barely making it from week to week while trying to find a job.  He never did ask me for anything.  But he spoke of God. (He didn't know I was a Christian, but nonetheless spoke very comfortably and without embarassment; proudly even, as if he belonged to a royal family despite his current living situation.) 

Not the real man. I didn't have a camera with me.
But he looked like this, content and sure.

He said that some of his acquaintances at the motel use the approach of trying to scam people out of money, and some even steal to feed their families.  But he said that's not an option for him, because he didn't want to do anything to damage his relationship with his Lord. And he was not surprised that the Lord made things just barely work out week after week.

I was impressed.  I decided to help him continue working things out in this way for perhaps another week, and gave him some money.  He had given me something in return.  He gave me a memorable example of how strong faith can help you turn aside temptations to do immoral things for short term gain.

Would you correct a friend who is badmouthing someone?

Brian faced this situation.
He and his wife were having dinner with some friends of theirs.  The friends are Christians too, and generally very good people.  Brian enjoys being friends with them, and doesn't want to jeopardize that.

The friends started badmouthing some people in the neighborhood.  They were not only describing actions but moreso interpreting the motives behind those actions and besmirching characters.  It was uncharitable. 

Brian knew that God would not like this sort of gossip, and hesitated for a minute before saying something, because he didn't want his guest to dislike him. But he decided to say something anyway.  He said to his guests "Are you sure of the facts of this matter?  Would you like somebody speculating about you this way?  You might be right, but you might be wrong about them."  

Brian said that the male guest raised his eyebrows, and Brian interpreted that as meaning, "How dare you challenge me!?"   But despite that, the guests went on to other topics, and stayed just as long as they normally do, and still stayed friendly in weeks after that.  So no fallout.

Except that Brian noticed that the friends continued to engage in gossip after that, but just not in Brian's presence.  Was that a win?  Not in terms of getting the guests to rethink their actions.  So how was that a win?

Brian felt it was a win to him personally because he chose to be a representative of Jesus' message, even though it may have cost him friendship points.  He felt good that he was willing to take a personal hit in order to help promote the loving message of Jesus.

What makes a person tithe

This is not a chastisement to those who don't tithe.  I don't tithe.  It's not really even about tithing or money.  It's about how Jesus changes how we think, and rewards that.

A Deacon from a local church told this story about a man who had a family to feed and was on welfare who decided to tithe.  Yes, a man on welfare gave 10% of his meagre income to charity.

The Deacon at the time was without a paying job (Deacons have to hold down 9-to-5 jobs to make ends meet).  He was in a men's group meeting when the topic was tithing, and he was saying, rather, justifying that when you don't have much money to feed your own family, the priority has to be on feeding the family.  He was saying that he only gave $20 to charity in the entire prior year, and said it was the right approach. He was strongly stating that he didn't believe the church should require, for example, a man on welfare to have to tithe.

At that point one of the other men in the group offered out loud that he and his family are on welfare, and he was praying about the finances, and he was led to tithe.  His wife and he agreed to trust God beyond logic.  And he was happy to report that after they began tithing, they became very blessed by God.  Their mental burden reduced.  And in addition, the part time jobs he was able to pick up allowed him to feed his family adequately.

My commentary:  It seems that the welfare man and his wife were not making a decision they saw as primarily financial in nature.  It seemed to be primarily a faith decision; motivated by a desire to do what God wanted them to do, with the primary objective of pleasing God.  I'm sure that if their primary objective was to get something in return, the results (especially the part about the mental burden easing) would not have been the same.

Comments?  What are your thoughts?  Had something similar happen?

Unconventional Hope for a Heart Transplant Patient

An acquaintance named Craig, a man with grey hair and a low upbeat voice, told this story yesterday. Craig has a friend who has needed a heart transplant to survive.  He has been waiting for a judgement from his cardiologists at a renowned Michigan hospital, and finally had a visit with them.  They gave him what for anybody else would have been considered a death sentence:  "You are not a candidate for heart transplantation".

The patient's response was puzzling to me, but appealing.  Craig said that his friend said "Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus.  I don't know what your plans are for me, but I accept them.  I know you will continue to be with me the whole way."

What kind of man would react that way?  Either a madman, or a man who really trusts.

I don't pretend to know what went through his head.  But because my acquaintance Craig is not a madman, I suspect neither is the heart patient.  To me, he sees "the future" as having a longer time horizon than just the time spent here on Earth.

Took Risks to Follow Christ - Educated Women of Color in 1829

This story was told by Sister Mary Steven from the Oblate Sisters of Providence (Baltimore Maryland).  In 1829, when slavery was still legal in the U.S., it was against the law to educate slaves, and it was against Catholic precedent to allow women of color to serve as nuns. 

Father James Joubert was the only one of his noble French family to escape massacre during the French Revolution, and he fled to the US, where he decided to become a priest.  He became associated with an existing catechismal school which educated freed black girls.  Because of the poor support for educating blacks, these children often could not read their homework. He well understood that bucking social norms can sometimes end in death, and despite that, he risked his own safety to throw the support of his religious order behind this school.

Similarly, two black Caribbean women living in Baltimore, Elizabeth Lange and Marie Balas, risked their safety for the same cause.  They had founded the school 11 years earlier against stiff resistance from many parts of society. 

When Father Joubert offered his religious order's support, the women wanted to go out even further on a limb by wanting to become the world's very first black Catholic nuns.  They founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence in that year, and became nuns. 

During the 1830's, the group were under constant threat by anti-Catholic rioters in Baltimore.  They also persisted despite later losing the support of Joubert's religious order, despite poverty, and despite racism. 

The Oblates are still at work in Baltimore today. 

I'd like to comment that when you see such a strong willingness to bear great suffering for the sake of loving the vulnerable, there must be some very real and very meaningful motivation in those people.  In the case of Joubert, Lange and Balas, that motivation was Jesus.