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Reflections
: changes
Un-forgettable best describes the night that I found peace with God. I had been
invited to a Thanksgiving Dinner by a friend from work given at his church. The
afternoon was gray and cool. I arrived at the church to find a large number of
people in the Gymnasium, a stage was set up, instruments and microphones in
place. I anticipated a big event.
A female vocalist opened the affair with songs from her heart about Jesus. She
sang beautifully. She was a DJ from a local radio station. Following her was a
man who had been an NBC Sports caster. He told a story of how he had been
addicted to fame, alcohol and drugs. He eventually lost his job, wife and
family. Then he explained that someone told him about Jesus laying down his life
to rescue him from death and despair. Hearing this, the sports caster decided to
ask Jesus to come into his life. The man was changed and his desire to do drugs
and drink was gone! His life turned around and he began a new job. His wife and
family were restored to him!
The pastor of the church closed the event with a message that peace, hope and
everlasting life is available to anyone who calls on the name of the Lord and
believes in their heart that He is alive and ready to accept anyone who comes to
Him, no matter what has been in their past. Then my friend and his wife gave me
a video tape to keep and a little booklet called, "The Great Adventure". I was
strangely moved by the performance and the stories and the outpouring of love
from the people who were there. There was excitement in my heart about what was
on the video.
This surprised me. There was a lot of baggage that I carried. Growing up in a
churched family, I thought I knew all about Jesus. I felt that I was abandoned
at 13 because a drunk driver had killed my Mom. My heart seemed broken beyond
repair. I was angry and had denied that there was a God, after all, how could He
let something like that happen. I felt robbed. Mom wasn't there for my High
School graduation, my first job, my first apartment. What was the use? She'd
never
see me get married and raise a family. I just gave up all those dreams. It was
approaching thirty years since the tragedy, and I was still hurting and broken.
There was a lot of loss since then, too. My Dad had recently died and my best
friend, my landlady, had passed away. Now I wasn't even sure of where I would be
living. I felt so alone.
What happened next still amazes me. Something I never expected. I found out what
I had all wrong all those years. [ Next ]
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