Never Lose Hope

 My mom often told me the story of how I came to be born. 

She was scheduled to have her ovaries removed the very next day, when she went out to pray. She often went to an old stump to be alone with God. This day she went out with tears in her eyes crying out to God. She expressed her desire to have a daughter. A voice came to her that seemed to say, "you lack hope". She also remembered the verse in Hebrews 11:11, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. She had lost hope of ever having a baby. 

When you went back to the house, the phone was ringing. The nurse was frantically trying to reach her. Apparently, someone had finally thought to test if my mom was pregnant. It turns out that she was 3 months pregnant. The nurse explained to my mom that the surgery had to wait until after the baby was born. The nurse also scheduled my mom for an ultrasound. 

Time passed quickly as she prepared for my arrival. When she was 7 months pregnant, the unthinkable happened. She was involved in an accident. Someone rear-ended her. She was driving a 1961 Ford Pick-up truck. 

This truck didn't have seatbelt. The Steering wheel is solid metal. Her stomach hit the steering wheel.

Upon examination at the hospital, it was determined that the baby was dead. There was no fetal heartbeat. There were no signs of life. No movement. 

The doctors did their best to explain to my mom that I was dead. They explained that the impact had been too much. My mom only cried, "No, No, you are not taking my baby!"

The doctors scheduled the procedure anyway. They had decided to give my mom 3 days to come to terms with her lose. They instructed my dad to take my mom home and make her understand. They explained that if the dead baby was not removed, she would set up infection and die. 

This time my mom refused to lose hope. On the appointed day, at the appointed time, she went to the hospital. She demanded another ultrasound. The doctors agreed on 1 condition. The condition was that if no signs of life could be found, the procedure would take place. 

During the ultrasound, the technician not only found my heartbeat she saw my mom's stomach move when I started kicking. The technician called for the doctor. The doctor agreed to cancel the procedure.

Two months later, it was finally time for me to be born. I was jerking in the birth canal. I was jerking so badly that the doctors thought I was in distress. They called in the specialists. The specialists were waiting for me to come out. 

When I come out, everyone burst into laughter. They were so relieved that the specialists were not needed. I only had the hiccups. 

My mom has told me this story many times over the years. She always ended with "If God gives you a promise, Never Lose Hope!"   

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Short Prayer

 

I had just turned 16 years old. My mom and I were on 16th avenue in Laurel, MS. We were in a 1977 Ford Maverick that we had recently bought for $100. It barely worked. You had to use both feet to drive even though it was an automatic. The car would die at the red lights if you didn't keep gas going to it. So, you held the brake while tapping to gas at red lights. This was the best car we could afford at this time. 

We were stopped at a red light when an 18-wheeler was making a right turn. We could see that it was turning too sharp. There was a car beside us and a car behind us. There was nowhere for us to go. We screamed, "God help us" Our car turned sideways and the car beside us slide over. We heard the screeching of car wheels.  It took two light changes with us figuring out how to turn the car back straight. Not one car honked at us. Everyone waited patiently for us to move. Later we heard people talking about this event. It turns out that they were in too much shock to honk or yell at us. The people 1 month later were still trying to figure out how the car turned sideways and how we did not get hit by the 18-wheeler.

God does hear Prayers. Prays don't have to be long or eloquent. Prayers only have to be sincere and from the heart. Having a relationship with God before you need help is important.    

God Sees

   

  When I was about 7 years old, I got a beautiful pair of white boots. I really liked those boots. I wore them everywhere. One day I even wore them outside to play. I liked to ride my bike. I would ride my bike all over the yard. This day was no different. 

    My mom had been inside doing housework all morning. I had been outside playing all morning. She had gotten to a stopping point and came outside. She had not gotten far from the front porch when she froze. She saw there on the ground a rattle snake. It was about 10 inches long. It was laying in the well-worn path that I had make with my bike. She also saw my boot print on its head. 

    My mom called me over and asked me about the snake. I asked, "What snake?" She then showed me the snake with my boot print on it. It is amazing that I had apparently killed the snake before the snake had a chance to strike without me ever seeing the snake. 

Thankfully God is always watching. He looks after his children even when we are unaware. I was too busy having fun to notice the danger, but God is faithfully watching at all times. 

God Will Provide

 

When I was growing up, we never had much money. My parent’s divorce was finalized on my 4^th birthday in September. Then in Oct of the same year, my dad was involved in an 18-wheeler accident. A car had drove under the flatbed trailer. His neck was broken. He was out of work with no where to go. My mom let him come back and sleep on the couch. In December, my mom fell and broke her back. She was in the hospital through April of the next year. Now neither had a job.

The house note was only $200 a month, but it might as well have been a million. Neither one of my parents could work. My dad tried to work hauling pup wood, but with having to take care of me with no help, it was hard. We didn’t have any family to come help. We could not afford childcare.

Somehow even during this time, we paid the house note, had lights, and ate.

At the end of April, my mom was able to come home from the hospital. However, they had waited too long to do the surgery. Her sciatic nerve in her left leg was dead. The doctors said that she would never walk again, but she was determined to prove them wrong. An older gentleman in our town was kind enough to give her two walking sticks that he had made from wood. She practiced everyday dragging her leg. Over the years she did improve.

Because my dad was now well and my mom was out of the hospital, my dad went back to work as a long-haul truck driver. He now paid child support of $175.

So, we had a $175 and a few food stamps coming in every month. Unfortunately, the house note was still $200. My mom was not able to work. So, she prayed. It took another year the approval for her disability SSI to come. During this year, we paid the house note, had food, paid the light bill, and even had a phone.

My mom would pray. After she prayed, money would appear near the car that was in the driveway. We lived out in the country on seven acres of land. We do not know how the money got there, but it was always enough.

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Psalm 37:25

A Life Saved by Prayer

   

  Many years ago, my dad was coming down the side of a mountain in an 18-wheeler. He as a long-haul truck driver. It was late at night. He often drove at night to avoid getting stuck in traffic. You did not get paid for sitting still in traffic. 

    My mom was at home with me. We were both sleeping. She was awakened from her sleep. She felt that something was terribly wrong, but she could not have imagined what was wrong.  So, she started fervently praying for my dad. 

    My dad knew exactly what was wrong. The load had shifted and the straps securing the load had broken. The trailer was in danger of pulling the truck off the side of the mountain. 

    From the moment that my mom started praying, an angel appeared that looked similar to me with long blond hair. My dad said that he could see her in the side mirrors. When the trailer tilted one way, she would hold it up. When it started to tilt the other way, she went to the other side and held that side up. All the way down the mountain she flew from one side to the other keeping the trailer up. 

    When my dad reached a place to get off of the road, he stopped and called home. His 1st two questions were, "Were you praying and where is Janie" My mom answered, "Yes! I was praying" and "Janie is asleep in bed." The replied, "Thank you" and then explained what had happened. 

    Prayer works. Prayer at the right time can save lives. If you ever feel a strong urge to pray for someone, please pray. You may just save that person's life. 

Remember what James 5:16 says. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Never too Late

My great-grandpa Berry did many things in his lifetime. Such as being a son, a husband, and a father. Berry served in the army. In addition, he worked as a farmer, sales representative, and a night watchman. In addition, he worked to start a church. Berry and his family went to church. He went to the same church for more than 60 years. He married a lady and they were married for over 60 years. He was sick off and on much of his life.

He was a good bench warmer all of these years, but he was not saved. Outside of the church is where he showed his true colors. Some of the other things he did included making, selling, and drinking white lighting. White lighting is a type of illegal whiskey.  Later, he moved up to taking and selling drugs. He even injected the needle that over dosed his neighbor. This neighbor died from the over dose.

By being a hypocrite, he hindered his family and community. Everyone knew that he was at church every time the doors were open. They also knew what he did outside the church doors. This gave a bad testimony.

In his upper 80’s he seemed to start to change for the good. Then one day he had a heart attack and was in the hospital for a few days. He seemed to be improving. However, he asked to see his whole family. They came and he told them that he loved them. He also talked to his pastor privately. After doing all of this, he got quiet for a few minutes. Everyone thought that he was getting tired and needed some rest.

In Church, he loved the Song “Beulah Land”. At this time, he raised his hand and pointed to the ceiling. Berry then started singing, “Beulah Land, I am longing for you”. His hand fell and he was gone.

No matter your life, it is never too late until you stop breathing.

Related articles

• Beating Out the Fire (christianresources-janie.blogspot.com)
• Confessions of a hypocrite (examiner.com)

Delivered from Cocaine

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 from cocaine and alcohol. Pastor Roy and Annabel stayed with him. They held him and offer support. They also brought him food and water.


After he went home, he was a changed man. He stopped being abusive to his wife and daughters. He started holding down a good job. However, there were still times that he felt cravings for cocaine and or alcohol. Every time this happened, he went and lived at the church until it passed. Pastor Roy and Annabel always went with him to support him. Over time, the cravings got less and less, but the cravings never fully went away. However, with the help and grace of God, Marvin never gave in to the cravings. About 30 years after his 1st trip to the alter, the Lord called him home. Annabel stayed by his side the whole time.

Flying High

When I was a child, I went to a church that sung songs from a Hymnal. We sung songs like “In the Garden”, Sweet Hour of Prayer”, “Victory in Jesus”, and “I’ll Fly Away”. This songs had special meaning to the people. The songs were always sung with such emotion. The emotion was never sad, yet many times the people had tears in there eyes and a smile on their faces.

I loved these songs and would often sang them as I played outside. Sometimes I would swing in the swing. One day while singing “I’ll Fly away”, I closed my eyes while singing and swinging. I could see angels. They were coming from and going to heaven. After that I almost always closed my eyes when swinging. I would try to swing just as high as I could. It seemed that I was flying with the angels. My mom would see me and say don’t swing so high. I would just giggle. I felt safe, warm, and loved.

Later I read about Jacob and his dream of the Angels Ascending and Descending from heaven. I believe that those who open their spiritual eyes and close that natural eyes could see amazing sites like what I saw. However, you must have faith like a child in order to do this. Even Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them from coming to me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Mathew 19:14).

Going to Heaven

When I was about 5 or 6 years old, I begin to learn about Jesus, heaven, and hell. I was told that Jesus loves me so much that he came and died on the cross for my sins. I learned that 3 days later he came back to life. Later he went to heaven to create a home for everyone who believes in him. In heaven, there is no sickness, pain, or suffering. Someone said that hell is 10 times hotter than Georgia is in the summertime. I had been to Atlanta, Georgia in December and it was hot then. I did not want to go anywhere that it was hotter than Atlanta, Georgia.

During this time, I was also very sickly. There were many foods that I could not eat and playing with animals caused me to have an asthma attack. Someone said that there were animals in heaven. Therefore, I got it in my head that I wanted to go to heaven. You have to understand, I was tired of always being sick. I wanted to play with animals. The preacher had said no one is sick in heaven. Therefore, I got a few toys together. Then I sat in a corner and told Jesus that I was ready to go to Heaven. I did this every day for about 2 weeks. My mom thought that I was playing either school or church. She did not know that I was waiting on Jesus to come get me and take me to heaven.

Finally, one night I had a dream. In the dream, Jesus came and took me to heaven. It was wonderful. I was able to eat all of the food that grew in the garden. This included tomatoes and butter bean. Both of which normally made me sick. I was also able to drink milk from a cow. In addition, I was able to play with the dogs, cats, lambs, horses, and goats. I had so much fun. Just being able to run in open fields without having an asthma attack gave me great joy.

Then Jesus talked to me. He explained that I still needed to live on earth. However, things would get better. He said that I could come back to heaven to live one day.

With time I outgrew my childhood food allergies. Now I am able to eat whatever I want to. In addition, I no longer have the server asthma that I had as a child. Yes, it was several years before I outgrew these problems, but Jesus was right things did get better.

As a child, I did not have perfect understanding of the Bible, but I understood enough to know that heaven is where I wanted to go. Hell is too hot, but heaven is perfect. I also understood that I had to talk to Jesus in order to go to heaven. Therefore, I persistently ask Jesus to take me to heaven. He answered my prayer in the best possible way. I know that whatever you may want or need, if you persistently ask Jesus, he will answer. The answer may be wait, yes, or no.

Freezing Children

In the 1960’s Marcus and Ann started to church. They had two children, Paul who is 4 years old and Karen who is 6 months old. They lived about 50 miles from the church.

One cold Sunday morning, they got up early and drove to church for Sunday school. Then they stayed until after church that night.

Marcus drove a truck made in the 1940’s. It did not have a heater in it. It had been freezing all day. On the way home that night, Ann had the children wrapped up with homemade quilts. However, they were still very cold and crying. Marcus and Ann were freezing too. That is when Marcus said, “We are going to stop at that house up ahead.” Ann asked, “Do you know them?”. Marcus replied, “No, but I see smoke coming from there fireplace. We are going to stop there and get warm.” Therefore, they stop at the house. It was about 11 pm, but somehow the lights were still on.

Everyone got out of the truck. Marcus went and knocked on the door. An old man and lady came to the door. The couple could plainly see that Marcus, Ann, and the children were freezing. Marcus explained that they did not have a heater and it was very cold.

Surprisingly the old couple welcomed Marcus and his family to their home. At this time in the south, blacks and whites normally did not visit each other. The old couple was black and Marcus and his family was white.

The old couple got Marcus, Ann, and Paul something warm to drink. They also made sure that Karen got warm. They warmed up the quilts before wrapping the children up in them.

This story has been passed down in my family. No one remembers the name of the old couple, but I am sure that God knows their names. It was a miracle that they were still up at 11pm. I know that God blessed that couple because Jesus says, “ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:34-40).

Child-like Faith

Real faith always has a child-like aspect to it. The follow story tells about my mother's child-like faith during before, during and after Hurricane Camille. Like most five-year olds, she did not know theology. She simple trusted in Jesus. My mother told me this story a few years ago. It illustrates what Jesus was talking about in Mark 10:13-16, “…Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.” Every one that comes to Jesus must come as a child. God the Father is our heavenly Father. When we come to him through Jesus, we are adopted into his family.

Because she had been listening to the word of God, she had some faith. According to the word of God, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Do babies and young children have enough knowledge to have faith in God? Read the story below. I think that you will come to the same conclusion that I have. This is why I try to tell my son about Jesus daily. I am also working to instill the idea of praying to God every day. This story is written from the viewpoint of my mother


I, Karen, started going to church when I was about 6 months old. My daddy, Marcus, worked but he was also a Preacher.

When I an about 5 years old, my parents start going to a Bible school at night. They did not have any money for a babysitter. Therefore, my brother, Paul, and I go with them. We are given crayons and paper to play with. Paul colors, but I just sat and listen as the Bible is taught.

I begin to understand some of the Bible. Everyone said, “God writes your name in heaven”. Every time I ask, “Where is heaven?” I am given the same answer. They would always point to the sky.

At this time, we live out in the country in a ranch style house. It has a porch that goes across the front of the house. At the end of the porch was where I would go to alone to talk to God. I picked a spot in the sky to be my spot where my name was written.

We did not have a television or radio at this time. One day I went to talk to God at my spot. Looking up at my spot, I saw that it was very dark. This greatly disturbed me because it was so dark. I thought that God must be very angry with me for blotting out my name. I told God that I was very sorry for everything that I had ever done wrong. Nothing happened. My spot was still very dark.

I started crying and saying, “Please God, what have I done so bad? You have always cleared my spot before. Please God, don’t be mad at me!” With tears still rolling down my face, I asked, “Why?” I then said, “Fix it, please!” The whole sky was dark, but my spot cleared. I thanked God. He loved me. I was now happy.

Later that day, daddy came home from work. He said, “Hurricane Camille is coming. It is going to hit the Gulf Coast. This is going to cause very strong winds and rain.” I did not get upset or scared, because I had talked to God early and he had cleared my spot.


Later that same night, we loaded our car and left because of the storm. The storm hit our house. It took off the roof and porch. Most of the windowpanes were blown out. Everything in the house got soaked. The American Red Cross came. They gave us new beds and a new sofa. People came from far away to help fix the roof and windows. The man that we rented from paid for the materials. People that I did not even know was there helping and giving to us. God had heard me! He cleared my spot.

I continued talking to God for many months looking up into the sky. Later, we moved to a new location. By that time, I knew that I could talk to God anywhere. At the darkest times of my life, I go alone and talk to God. He always clears the way for me.


My mother told this story to me. This is a true story. It illustrates a very important principle. Babies and young children can understand in their own way. They can talk to God. However, it is often in a child-like way with child-like understanding. This child-like “Talking to God” helped Karen to know that everything would be o.k. God cleared the spot. He heard Karen.

Is not this kind of child-like faith we should all have faith. Jesus said, ““…Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.” (Mark 10:14-16).

Cattle Gap

In the late 60’s my grandparents moved to an oilfield town with their two children. My grandfather in the oilfields in that town. The family rented a ranch style house. The house was sat back about ¼ of a mile from the main road. On Sundays the family went to church. At church they were taught about Jesus and never to lie. In Sunday school, the children were taught to ask Jesus if they needed help, and he would always answer.

When my Uncle Jerry was about 10 years old and in the 5th grade, his sister Karen starts 1st grade. This is going to be the 1st time that she will be going to school, so their father gives Jerry the job of looking out for her. They walk to the end of their driveway where their ride will pick them up. At the end of the driveway is a cattle gap. (A cattle gap is made out oilfield pipe. With the pipe running long ways, about twelve pipes with three inches between that is welded to a pipe on both ends laid flat between two ditches. The ditch is about 12 inches deep.) They had to go across the cattle gape to get to the main road. Karen at this time had never walked across the cattle gap before in her life. Jerry walks across the gap with no problem. Now it is Karen’s turn. She looks at it and is so scared, but there is no other way. Jerry comes back over and gets her by her hand and starts helping her over. Karen’s foot slides in. She is in a mess with one foot on the ground in between the pipes. The pipes come up to her thigh. Her thigh is now jammed in between the pipes with no way to simple pull her out. She screams, but no body hears her but Jerry and she knows that there is no way that Jerry will be strong enough to bend the pipe because oil field pipe is very strong. Therefore, she says, “Jesus please help us”. Jerry then squats down, takes hold of the pipe with his hands, and spreads the two pieces of pipe apart. They then thank Jesus for his help.

When their ride comes, they go on to school as if nothing has happened. That night Marcus, their father, asks about Karen’s first day of school. She shows him her leg and then tells him how she fell in the cattle gap and how Jerry bent the pipe to get her out. Marcus calls for Jerry. He then reminds both of them what will happen if they lie to him. Marcus ask Jerry what happen to Karen’s leg. Jerry tells him the same story as Karen told. Now Marcus is getting upset because he believes they are lying. He works with oil field pipe almost every day and knows that it is impossible for a 10-year-old to bend the pipe. However, he does not feel like walking to the cattle gap to check their story.

Marcus gets the whole family up early and they all go to the cattle gap. On the way to the gap, he tells them if they lied, he would teach them a lesson they would never forget. At the gap, they all get out of the car and Karen shows her father where she fell in. Marcus looks at the bent pipe. He replies by saying, “Something sure spread the pipes apart”. He then turns to Jerry and asks, “how did you spread the pipe apart”. “Well,”, said Jerry, “I got scared that I would get a spanking for letting her get hurt and I had no other choice but to make the space bigger and Karen asked Jesus for help. So, I guess Jesus gave me the strength to pull the pipes apart.” Marcus looked again at the pipe and back at Jerry while shaking his head. Marcus bent down and tried to pull the pipe apart. You know what? He could not. They all went back to the house. Ann said something had to have helped Jerry and Karen. Karen now knew that Jesus would answer her prayers as she had been taught in Sunday school. She was surprised that her parents did not understand how the pipes were pulled apart. She wondered why her parents did not they were remembering the lessons from church.

Beating Out the Fire

In the winter of 1963, my grandparents moved from Winston, MS to Starkville, MS. My Grandpa Marcus Paul, who had never been a pastor of a church before, was now the assistant pastor to a new church. The lead pastor Carol and my grandpa were building a new church. They had cleared the land and built one room of the church house. Now they were working to increase the membership of the new church and finish building the rest of the church. My grandparents lived in a 2 bedroom and one bath small 10ft x 32ft trailer behind the church.  They had two young children and one on the way.

Grandpa Marcus Paul was tongue-tied. This caused him many problems with public speaking. However, he was able to compensate for this. He had an interesting way of making a point. Many times people had to wait until he finished speaking before they understood what he was trying to say because he would start with the most interesting statement. Normally it was also the most unusually statement. This useful strategy caused many people to stop and listen to him.

My grandpa Marcus Paul and Pastor Carol would take turns giving the sermons. Pastor Carol never knew what my grandpa would preach on, but he trusted him. One very memorable Sunday, my grandpa was to give the sermon. After the praise and worship was over, Grandpa Marcus Paul quietly walked to the pulpit and calmly asked the congregation a very disturbing question. Without any major emotion in his voice he asked, “Is it wrong to beat the fire out of your wife?” Everyone in the congregation gasped at such a ridiculous question. Everybody knew that beating their wife was wrong and you most certainly did not ask that question at a small church in a small town. Remember this is the 60’s and you simply did not speak of things like this. Lead Pastor Carol looked at Grandpa Marcus Paul with a questioning look in his eye. Then my grandpa further shocked everyone in that small church house. Grandpa Marcus Paul said, “The other night I beat the fire out of my wife and I did right.” Now everyone was looking around wondering why he had been selected to be assistant pastor. Not only was he tongue-tied, he was a wife beater. They also wondered how he could even think it was a good idea to beat his pregnant wife. Pastor Carol started to get up and take the pulpit away from Grandpa Marcus Paul, but grandpa said, “Let me finish explaining.”  Pastor Carol requested that the congregation let Grandpa finish. After a few minutes, everyone got quiet and sat back down. Grandpa Marcus  Paul started to explain. The only reason Pastor Carol allowed Grandpa Marcus Paul to continue is he personally knew that Marcus Paul had an unusual way of making a very good point. Unfortunately, he was baffled as to how anyone could stand there, confess to beating their wife, and firmly believe that he was doing what God wanted him to do.

Grandpa Marcus Paul continued by saying, “It is not what you do but why you do it. I had a very good reason for beating my wife the other night. By beating her, I saved her life.” Now everyone in the church was scratching their heads and asking each other how beating someone can save their life. Grandpa Marcus Paul continued, “It has been cold lately. We put a space heater in the bathroom. My wife went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. While in the bathroom, her gown caught on fire. She screamed for help. I ran in and grabbed a towel. I then grabbed her arm and commenced to beating her with the towel. After putting out the fire that had engulfed her nightgown, I made sure she was not injured.  Then I calmed her down and helped her finish getting ready for bed. After getting her to bed, I reassured the children that all was alright. I then reminded the children to be extra careful around the space heater.”

She is here today because I beat the fire out of her literally. Therefore, it is not what you do, but why you do it.” After church, many people asked my grandma, if this was true. She answered that it was and explained how scared she had been. Many members of the congregation later expressed regret for their first reaction. If Pastor Carol had not requested that Grandpa Marcus Paul be allowed to explain, the congregation would have thrown, my grandpa out of the church.

My grandpa has told this story at many other churches. Those congregations likewise had the same first impression. They also later expressed regret for jumping to conclusions.  Since my grandpa told me the story, he has past away; however, he lives on through his words and actions. I am sure that no one who was there that day and is still living has forgotten my grandpa’s words. When I am baffled by what someone has done, I remember the words of my grandpa. I also remember an old Proverb that says a wise man listens to the end of the matter, but a foolish man speaks quickly. My grandpa took that proverb to heart. Because of the lessons that my grandpa taught me, I try to listen completely before I judge anyone. It is possible that their actions were based on love or good intentions.  I wonder how many times people hear part of a story and jump to the wrong conclusion. I hope that more people could learn to listen to the whole matter before jumping to conclusions. My grandpa Marcus Paul spent his life trying to teach people to listen to the whole story instead of simple jumping to a conclusion.

Car Trouble

When I was about 7 years old, I lived about five miles outside of a small town with my mom. It had one post office, one gas station, an elementary school, and a small meat market. There were no sidewalks, traffic lights, or streetlights. We did not even have a police station or cell phone towers. There were several churches. In addition, a train track went beside the town. My dad was a long haul truck driver; therefore, he was always gone. Therefore, it was normally just my mom and me. Every Sunday my mom and I would go to church. In own community, all of the churches had two different services on Sunday. There was one in the morning and one at night. Most people, including us, went to both services.

There is one Sunday night that I will remember for the rest of my life. However, it is not the sermon or the singing that I remember about it. I cannot even remember the songs that we sung that night, but we normally sung “Victory in Jesus”. This particular Sunday night stands out in my mind for a different reason. It is the night I first really started comprehending the power of short prayers. I knew that Jesus heard long thought-out prayers, but I did not really know that he heard and answered short, disorganized prayers that are screamed at him. Until this time, I believed that it was wrong to scream at Jesus and expect him to help. Thankfully, I was wrong. I have since learn, that sometimes it really does not matter how you ask Jesus for help as long as you are sincere with your request. I also started comprehending that Jesus controls many things other than wind and rain. I learned all of this after we left to go home on that Sunday night.

Our drive home started out as it had many other times. All of the other people lived a different direction from our home so we said good-by and was on our way. We had to cross the train tracks to go home. We always tried to get across the tracks before the nightly train came through especially in the fall because it was dark outside and everyone knew that it was only a mother and her child in the car. We came to the tracks and started across. The train had not yet come, but it would be coming soon. The car died on the tracks. It would not start. We are the only ones on that road and it is dark outside. The car refuses to start. My mom gets out and tries to push the car. She is not strong enough and I am no help. This is our only car and we live 5 miles further on a dark lonely country road. There are no pay phones around. If we leave the car, there will be a train wreck. If we stay with the car, the train will kill us. I had heard my mom pray many times before, but never like she did that night. She screams for Jesus’ help with fear in her voice. She tells him that we have just come from church, not a bar. She tells him that the train will be here within the next few minutes. She explains what will happen if the train hit the car. All while trying to calm me down. By this time, I have comprehended that we are in trouble. My idea is to leave the car and walk back to church. My mom knows that this will not work because no one is at the church. My mom then calmly tries again to start the car. The car starts. We quickly got off the tracks. After we get off the tracks, we see the headlight of the train. We then thank Jesus for starting the car and ask him to keep the car going until we get home.

When we finally pull into the driveway, the car dies. We are simple thankful to be home. The people that tried to fix the car could not understand how it started back up and then went all the way to our house before dieing again. I knew that it was the answer to a very simple yet very different kind of prayer. The car never started again. It cost more to repair the car than it was worth. It was about a month later before we got another car. At the time, I wondered why my mom just did not ask Jesus to fix the car since the car apparently obeyed him.

About 4 years later, my mom and I were coming home from buying groceries and we heard a loud sound from the car. I did not know what it was, but my mom had a really good idea because the steering wheel no longer worked. I noticed that she could turn the wheel all the way around, but it had no effect on the car. There are still no cell phone towers and whom would we call anyway. My dad was working. So, we prayed. I had already learned that Jesus could control cars and make them work. Jesus answered our prayer. He caused the car to go around all of the curves and make all of the turns between there and the house. Later, a mechanic was able to fix the steering column there in the yard because you could not steer the car.

Now I know that Jesus is there to help, and he answers our prayers. Sometimes he answers them immediately and sometimes it takes a little time. Jesus did not just simple fix the old car, he provided us with a newer better car. He also started teaching me to trust and wait for him and his timing. I saw that when there is no one else to turn to he is always just a prayer away regardless of how you prayed.


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