Christian Resources

My grandparents loved to go to the coast. This was in the mid 60’s. They went to the coast about every two weeks during the summer and fall. Grandma liked to look for shells, and Grandpa liked to fish. While Grandpa fished, Grandma would walk up and down the shore looking for special shells. One day she was blessed and very happy. She found a lovely big shell. This shell was not broken. It is about 10 inches long and about 5 inches in diameter. She took the shell home and placed it beside the heater in the living room. At night, she would use it to keep the bedroom door open. Everyone who saw the shell wanted to it. Many people offered her money. She would not sell it. I saw it many times and loved it. Years later, I had a daughter. When she saw it, she also loved it. I had always told my grandma, “When you die, I want the shell.” After my Grandparent’s 60th wedding anniversary, my daughter, Janie, and I were visiting them. She asked, “Janie, do you want the shell?” Janie said, “...

Nerodia rhombifer, Animal courtesy of Austin Reptile Service. Photographer: LA Dawson (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) My family lived in a Ranch style house that was in the middle of a bid field.  On the ranch were many ponds to water the horses and cattle. There was a large pond in front of our house. We had a long cement porch that reached around the whole house. The bad part about this house was there were three large rooms, but you had to go outside to get to the next room. I am 6 or 7 years old. One day my mother, my 10-year-old brother, and I were in the living room. I wanted something to drink.  I had to go outside and down towards the pond to get to the kitchen. Right there on the porch was a 5 or 6-foot diamondback rattler. The snake was hissing at me. I started yelling. My mother and brother run out to see what was wrong. They see that the snake is way to close to me and it seemed to be charming me. My mother comes up behind me and Paul, my brother, goes around t...

Poison-oak (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) When I was about 2 or 3 years old, my daddy, Marcus, worked for a seismograph company. He was the head leader. Therefore, his job was to cut the trail. We went to church 4 times a week because daddy was in training to be a preacher. While cutting the trail, Marcus would come across many bad things. He had a machete that helped. Daddy wore long sleeves, long pants, and boots. All of this helped to protect him. Marcus had a wife and two babies at home. He needed to work and this job paid top dollar at this time. However, Marcus was allergic to poison ivy and poison oak . The trails were covered with both. Marcus would come home covered in a rash. Only his eyes did not get any poison ivy or poison oak in them. Marcus would go to church. While there, he would be prayed for. He always prayed for God to clear the rash up. The next time Marcus cut the trail the poison ivy and poison oak rash would return. Marcus was badly tongue-tied. This ma...

This little church sits about halfway up Cedar Valley near Winona, MN. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Grandpa told stories about bloopers that happened inside the church. Here are a couple of them.  1. Announcement Blooper: The pastor was telling what was going on in the coming up week. He said, “A fun outing will be a taffy party. There will be a peter pulling at Brother Candy Smith’s house on Tuesday night.” A man in the back of the church stands up and says, “I don’t know about you, but I will be there.” This man’s nickname is Buck. The pastor was supposed to say, “There will be a candy pulling at Brother Peter Smith’s house on Tuesday night.   2. Revival Blooper: One night in a revival the power of God was falling. Many people were being to stand up. Now this was a new church in the 1960’s. The pews were made of small long slats. All over the church people were standing. On a certain pew a large lady, who was very well dressed and very well to do, was still sitting...

O' The Joy No more weeping No more sorrow Jesus is alive. Alive forever more. The Stone was rolled away. O' What Joy Jesus walked away. Death could not hold him. The stone could not block him. The guards could not stop him. O' The Joy No more weeping No more sorrow Jesus is alive Alive forever more.

Christian cross (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) I recently heard the story of a man that I believe is a wonderful testimony to the grace and love of God. The man has now gone to be with the Lord. Therefore, I am going to tell his story for him. Marvin was a man of 6’4”. He was addicted to cocaine and alcohol. His wife, Annabel, was a Christian. She went to Pastor Roy’s Church. Pastor Roy suggested that she leave her husband because he was abusive to her and the children. She said, “God is going to change him.” Pastor Roy said, “Yeah to the grave. This man is down to 90 pounds. He is nothing but skin and bones.” Annabel just kept praying. One night not long after this conversation, Marvin came to church. He was high on cocaine. However, the power of God still got to him. He went straight to the alter and fell down. He did not get up until he had been filled with the Holy Ghost. He stayed at the church for 3 days and 3 nights. He prayed and was prayed for during his withdrawals f...

The Bible is the best-selling book in America, yet it remains one of the least read. This presents a paradox as one might expect the most popular book to be the most read. It raises the question: why do so many own multiple Bibles but seldom read them? Bibles are ubiquitous, found in hospitals, waiting rooms, nursing homes, and hotels. Many display a large family Bible prominently in their homes. This leads to the query: do people believe that mere possession of a Bible garners favor with God? If so, they may be greatly mistaken. The Bible does not claim that ownership leads to salvation. It states that salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone. Thus, it is advisable to become acquainted with Jesus, which involves spending time with Him daily. In doing so, He desires communication and deeper understanding, which can be achieved by reading the Bible. Hence, it is time to move beyond merely showcasing the Bible to actively reading and understanding it.