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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781532056031 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | iUniverse, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 08/30/2018 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 326 |
| File size: | 4 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
SAVED BECAUSE OF A LITTLE BOY
El Cajon, California 1965
I was staying with my dad during the summer of 1965. He was attending a Southern Baptist Church, which was sponsoring a summer camp, so he paid my way to go.
Every day they had crafts and various activities as well as a chapel service in the afternoon and evening. Every day during chapel, they gave the invitation to "get saved."
I watched. This is what I always did. For as far back as I could remember I had always been a spectator of life. I watched the kids in my school play games, I watched others play sports. I watched life go on around me but I rarely participated, especially in group activities. I never felt part of the people around me — it was "me" and "them" — not "us". So it never occurred to me to go forward with "them", even though I was in agreement that "they" should.
But as I was standing in the pew singing, the young boy next to me, who I had never spoken too, asked me a question. "Have you ever gone forward and given your life to Christ?"
Startled, I replied, "No." It seemed a novel thought to me.
"Don't you think you should?"
I pondered that for a moment as I did everything and came to a conclusion. "Yes!" So I moved past him and went forward. A lady counselor had me repeat after her the sinner's prayer: "Lord I believe you are the Son of God and that you died for my sins. I ask you to forgive me for my sins and save me." Then she quoted the verse, "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9). Then she told me I needed to tell someone I had gotten saved.
When I went back to the bunkhouse I shared with about eight other girls and got out my notebook and wrote a note to my mom in Montana and my dad in California and told them I had just gotten "saved" at camp. Then I mailed them off. There, I thought, I got that taken care of.
As strange as it sounds now, I thought that was all there was to the Christian life. I did not know it was a growing relationship with the one who had saved me. I did not know I should do any other thing. No one told me about making Jesus Lord of my life and asking him about His plans and purposes for me. No one told me I should read the Bible so it could teach and guide me through life. No one told me if I would pray God would hear and answer my prayers. So I went on as I was before for several years.
However God knew I was sincere in my decision. He also knew what I didn't know, and He was okay with that. He accepted my simple confession of faith and saw me take that step towards Him. Regardless of what I felt or didn't feel or what I did or didn't do — God wrote my name in His book of life that day.
Then He set about to teach me, and to transform me. It has been a lifelong journey and it won't ever end. He has always known me and everything about me, but now I am getting to know Him and everything about Him. As I do, my life becomes sweeter and better. I have put away my fears and worries as I learn by experience how faithful and dependable God is. Everything in this confusing world starts to make sense as you read His love letter to us and get to know His character, His power, and His great love for "US."
Yes, I emphasize "us" because God has also shown me that He has made us all to think and act and do things differently, not to separate and isolate us, but because He has different purposes and plans for each of us. He did not use a cookie cutter in designing us. But like a rare piece of art, He formed each one of us in a unique manner pleasing to him. We are all born His perfect creation. He desires us to live in unity and to respect and honor one another. It is only sin that mars us. Still, He is able to restore us no matter how damaged our lives have become.
What is your salvation story?
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Notice that God had a plan for Paul's life that he was unaware of. Do you think God has a plan for you? Do you know what is it?
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Note: If you do not have a salvation story, or are not sure about your salvation, please speak with your small group facilitator, contact a local pastor, or the author.
THEREFORE IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE: OLD THINGS ARE PASSED AWAY; BEHOLD, ALL THINGS ARE BECOME NEW
II CORINTHIANS 5:17
NOTE
You might notice that there is quite a gap of time between the year I got saved and my first prayer testimony. It is not because I can't look back now and see ways that God intervened or blessed in my life, as He certainly did. But during those years I was not praying. I didn't know that I was supposed to be communicating with God on a daily basis, and I certainly didn't know he wanted to communicate with me. When good things happened I did not attribute them to God nor give him the glory.
Just as an infant does not fully appreciate and recognize that in their early years they owe their very existence and survival to their mother, I was oblivious to all that God was doing behind the scenes even before I got around to praying or talking to God.
VERILY, VERILY, I SAY UNTO YOU HE THAT HEARETH MY WORD, AND BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT SENT ME, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE, AND SHALL NOT COME INTO CONDEMNATION; BUT IS PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE
JOHN 5:24
CHAPTER 2THE LOST TICKET
Seattle, Washington 1972
We were sitting in our living room one evening when we heard a commotion outside. Ed looked and saw that some bigger boys had surrounded a young girl and were taunting her.
Ed ran outside and made the boys leave. Then he asked the girl where she lived and offered to give her a ride home on his motorcycle. She gratefully accepted, but the problem was Ed only had one helmet. He decided to put the helmet on her and took her home.
On the way a policemen stopped him and gave him a ticket for riding without a helmet. So when Ed got home he showed me the $50 ticket. It seemed pretty unfair, when he was just trying to make sure the girl got home safely, but what could we do.
The other problem was we did not have $50 and didn't know when we would. Ed was attending college and was only working part time. So the fine kept getting put off.
A few months later we were driving on the freeway in Seattle when Ed got pulled over because his brake lights weren't working. For some reason the officer asked if Ed had any other tickets, perhaps referring to a fix-it ticket on the brakes. Ed replied, "Yes I have a ticket for driving a motorcycle without a helmet."
"One that is not paid?" he asked.
"Right."
"How long ago did you get the ticket?" he asked.
"Oh, it's been several months."
"Then there is probably a warrant out for your arrest," he said with sudden interest. Turning to me he said, "You might have to drive home." And he turned back to his car to run a check on it.
I immediately started praying. It wasn't just that we would have another fine to pay or that they might even lock up Ed that had me in a panic — what scared me the most was the prospect of having to drive on the free-way and find my way home. I hated driving in city traffic and couldn't find my way anywhere.
"Why did you have to mention the ticket?" I complained.
"Because he asked — and besides, they always check those sort of things anyway."
The police officer took a long time in his patrol car, while I waited nervously in the car begging God to intervene and give us mercy.
Finally the cop came back. "Well, we could not find any record of you EVER having a ticket. So I am just going to write you up a warning this time, but get those brake lights fixed right away. You are free to go."
Apparently the Lord didn't think it was right to get a ticket for helping a little girl get home safely either. It is nice to have a Father with connections.
Have you ever had a bill mysteriously paid off, or a ticket go missing, if so what happened?
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Have you ever received unexpected grace in a situation that could have cost you or gotten you in trouble?
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AND MERCY REJOICES AGAINST JUDGEMENT
JAMES 2:13
CHAPTER 3BLESSED SEEDS
Seattle, Washington 1972
Ed was attending the spring quarter at Puget Sound College of the Bible in Seattle. He found a job as a security guard. We were living in low income housing in White Center but to us it was great: The brick duplex was freshly painted and cleaned; nothing was in need of repair.
Six-year-old Kevin had his own bedroom for the first time since it was not acceptable to the state for brothers and sisters to share a room. Therefore our four year old daughter, Kim and baby Kandi had their own room too, and there was furniture provided for every room. It was the height of luxury for us and since the rent was based on our income we only paid $35 a month! We were oblivious to the crime rate and drug dealing in the area — and never had any major problems there — again a testament to God's watch care.
We found a nearby Christian church to attend and all was well. One day Kevin and Kim came out of Sunday school each holding a Styrofoam cup of dirt. They had planted some seeds in their cups and the teacher told them that if they took good care of them they would have some seedlings in about ten days. When we got home I instructed them to put the cups in our sunniest windowsill.
They were very conscientious, and I didn't have to remind them to water their seeds. This was especially true of Kim who checked on her pot constantly looking for signs of growth. I smiled when I heard Kim praying for her seeds to hurry up and grow.
However when Kevin heard her praying again for her seeds he corrected her. "You're supposed to pray for people not your seeds!"
"Yes I can!" Kim insisted.
Of course they both looked at me to settle the dispute. "She can pray for her seeds if she wants too. It can't hurt." So Kim continued to pray for her seeds but Kevin thought it was silly.
God expressed his own opinion when Kim's seedlings emerged in five days instead of ten. Kevin's seeds never sprouted at all.
Do you have or want childlike faith? How may you exercise that?
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Do you ever think God is too important or busy to bother answering such little prayers?
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WHOSOEVER THEREFORE SHALL HUMBLE HIMSELF AS THIS LITTLE CHILD, THE SAME IS GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
MATTHEW 18:4
CHAPTER 4THE SMOKING ENGINE
Seattle, Washington to Libby, Montana 1973
When the 1973 spring quarter ended at Puget Sound College of the Bible, we loaded up all our things and headed to Montana so Ed could work on the Libby Dam for the summer. We had our three young children in the back of our station wagon and I was expecting our fourth.
We were still a couple hundred miles away when the car started acting up. We of course started praying. The engine started making a squealing sound so we tried to drown it out by singing praise choruses to the Lord. It would stop squealing and we would relax for a bit and then it would start up again and scare us and we would all start praying and singing some more. Again it stopped and we all started smiling.
Then the engine light came on. As always, we had just enough gas money to make it to his sister Irene's house in Libby. Even a minor repair was not in our budget — so we kept up the prayer and singing as it coughed, sputtered and smoked.
"PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE LORD — just help us make it all the way to Irene and Al's house," I pleaded. All the kids were praying right along with us, and every mile post we passed became another victory.
We were never as relieved as when we pulled into their driveway. At just that moment the car sputtered one last time and died. Ed tried restarting it but the engine had locked up there in the driveway.
We looked at each other and smiled, "I guess we DID just ask the Lord to get us to Irene's house — and that's exactly what he did," Ed said.
When we went through our mail that had been stacking up at Irene's in our absence, we came across an unexpected check. God is so timely! We used it to get the parts to rebuild the engine and Ed's brother-in-law Al helped him do the work. Ed was able to carpool with Al till we had our vehicle up and running again.
By then we found a large two story three bedroom house we could rent for $175 right behind the Rosauer's grocery store — another of God's provisions.
Have you ever acted in faith and trusted God even when you couldn't see the outcome or answer?
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Have you ever been surprised by God giving you exactly what you asked for?
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THAT THE GENERATION TO COME MIGHT KNOW THEM, (THE WORKS OF GOD) THE CHILDREN WHO WOULD BE BORN, THAT THEY MAY ARISE AND DECLARE THEM TO THEIR CHILDREN, THAT THEY MAY SET THEIR HOPE IN GOD, AND NOT FORGET THE WORKS OF GOD, BUT KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS
PSALMS 78:6-7
CHAPTER 5THE NO FALLING PRAYER
Seattle, Washington, 1973
When we returned to Seattle, Washington for the next quarter at Puget Sound College of the Bible, we again took with us only what would fit in our station wagon. Since that included four children we arrived without much in the way of household goods.
Our apartment at 3921 S. Othello was pretty bare and the kids had very few toys and no yard. So it was probably only natural that Kandi, who was just over a year, made it her past-time to climb up and down the stairs all day long. The problem was she fell down them several times every single day.
We tried a baby gate but that did not work because she was small enough to squeeze through the stair railings. And no matter how many times I took her away from the stairs, sooner or later, while I was preoccupied feeding or changing newborn Kerry, she would be tumbling down them again.
The stairs were wood and she was fair skinned, so she always seemed to have at least one bump on her head or some bruises somewhere. Not only was it traumatic for us to have our toddler constantly getting hurt, but we also feared someone might suspect child abuse.
Finally we came up with a plan. Before we let her out of her crib each morning, we would pray for her safety and protection. We prayed specifically that she would NOT fall down the stairs that day.
The results were amazing! Day after day Kandi climbed on the stairs without incident. Not only that, she had no other accidents anywhere, at any time. We were marking the successful days on our calendar with happy faces and praising the Lord for his protection.
As time went on we weren't so consistent about our daily prayers over Kandi. Yet it only took another fall to remind us. We looked at the calendar and realized it had been thirty-four days since her last fall. What a lesson in the power of consistent prayer. It is not just something to do because we are told we should. God is actually waiting to hear from us and listening to our petitions. This is perhaps the most amazing thing of all! Just to ponder the fact that the God of the universe took the time to help a little baby down the stairs simply because we asked him to! What is it you need to commit to his care today?
Do you pray consistently for your request or are you more likely to just to lift it up to God once and then forget about it?
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Do you have a prayer request you pray for repeatedly?
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Note: Sometimes our persistance prayers break a spiritual stronghold.
FOR THE LORD THY GOD WILL HOLD THY RIGHT HAND, SAYING UNTO THEE, FEAR NOT, I WILL HELP THEE
ISAIAH 41:13
REFLECTIONS
THAT REMINDS ME:
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MY HEART TO HEART:
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I AM LISTENING GOD:
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PRAYER PROMPT:
Can you think of a person that needs extra protection: military, sports, job, etc.?
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PRAYER REQUEST:
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CHAPTER 6FAITH STRETCHER
Read 2 Kings 20:1-11 Hezekiah's' prayer testimony: 15 years added to his life
Hezekiah now became deathly sick, and Isaiah the prophet went to visit him. "Set your affairs in order and prepare to die," Isaiah told him. "The Lord says you won't recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall. "O Lord," he pleaded, "remember how I've always tried to obey you and to please you in everything I do." Then he broke down and cried. So before Isaiah had left the courtyard, the Lord spoke to him again. "Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people, and tell him that the Lord God of his ancestor David has heard his prayer and seen his tears. I will heal him, and three days from now he will be out of bed and at the Temple!
I will add fifteen years to his life and save him and this city from the king of Assyria. And it will all be done for the glory of my own name and for the sake of my servant David." Isaiah then instructed Hezekiah to boil some dried figs and to make a paste of them and spread it on the boil. And he recovered! Meanwhile, King Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, "Do a miracle to prove to me that the Lord will heal me and that I will be able to go to the Temple again three days from now." "All right, the Lord will give you a proof," Isaiah told him. "Do you want the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten points or backward ten points?" "The shadow always moves forward," Hezekiah replied; "make it go backward" So Isaiah asked the Lord to do this, and he caused the shadow to move ten points backward on the sundial of Ahaz! (2 Kings 20:1-11 LB).
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The God I Know"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Donna Varnes.
Excerpted by permission of iUniverse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
SESSION ONE,
Introduction, 1,
How To Use This Study, 4,
Personal Prayer Evaluation, 8,
SESSION TWO,
Faith Stretcher, 13,
1 Saved Because Of A Little Boy, 16,
2 The Lost Ticket, 22,
3 Blessed Seeds, 27,
4 The Smoking Engine, 31,
5 The No Falling Prayer, 36,
Reflections, 40,
SESSION THREE,
Faith Stretcher, 45,
6 Strange Double Healing, 47,
7 The Sweethearts Banquet, 52,
8 The Salesman, 56,
9 The Terrible Cough, 60,
10 Feeding The Eleven, 65,
Reflections, 68,
SESSION FOUR,
Faith Stretcher,
11 The Ear Infection, 76,
12 The Headache Prayer, 80,
13 Kerry Gets Run Over, 84,
14 The Frog Prayer, 90,
15 Is This Regular Food Or Do We Have To Pray Over It?, 94,
Reflections, 98,
SESSION FIVE,
Faith Stretcher, 103,
16 The Missing Finger, 106,
17 Accidents, Tornados And The Red Sports Car, 110,
18 The Song God Gave And Took Away, 113,
19 The Little Hotdog Prayer, 118,
20 Stretching The Last Gallon, 122,
Reflections, 127,
SESSION SIX,
Faith Stretcher, 131,
21 He Set Me In A Large Place, 133,
22 Our Daily Bread Isn't Practical Lord, 137,
23 The Diaper Prayer, 142,
24 The Prime Rib Story, 146,
25 The Milk Prayer, 150,
Reflections, 154,
SESSION SEVEN,
Faith Stretcher, 159,
26 The Blue Station Wagon, 162,
27 The Miracle Of The Stuff, 166,
28 Here — Will This Cover It?, 170,
29 God Speaks, 175,
30 The Heavy Weight, 179,
Reflections, 182,
SESSION EIGHT,
Faith Stretcher, 187,
31 Zig-Zagging On The Glennallen, 190,
32 The Hail Prayer, 194,
33 The Fur Coat Incident, 198,
34 The Great Physcian Makes A Night Call, 202,
35 Degenreative Disc Disease Reversed, 208,
Reflections, 213,
SESSION NINE,
Faith Stretcher, 217,
36 Jeff's Dog, 219,
37 Learning Spiritual Warfare, 224,
38 The Cockroach Prayer, 232,
39 The Christmas Dress, 236,
40 The Angel Surprise, 241,
Reflections, 245,
SESSION TEN,
Faith Stretcher, 249,
41 My Twenty Dollar Allowance From The Lord, 251,
42 Sleeping In Tornado Alley, 255,
43 The Wedding Blessing, 259,
44 The Forgotten Purse, 263,
45 The Forgotten Keys, 266,
Reflections, 270,
SESSION ELEVEN,
Faith Stretcher, 275,
46 The Teeth Prayer, 277,
47 The Praying Over Tires, 281,
48 Kevin's Harrowing Experience, 285,
49 Amanda's Wreck, 290,
Reflections, 293,
SESSION TWELVE,
Faith Stretcher, 297,
Conclusion, 301,
My Own Praise Reports, 302,
Personal Prayer Re-Evaluation, 306,
The God I Know Verse Index, 308,