There Is Only One Truth: Testimonies & Stories

Finally Back

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:12:15 GMT

I'm finally back after a long and tiring school term. I'm assuming I will be busy this term as well but I will try to post on there as often as I can. I've been going through a lot of bumps lately in my faith and I'm trying to get back on track. It is so easy to fall off but much harder to get back on. I have to remind myself of what I used to have in order to motivate myself, which is a sad reality. But I refuse to stray away. I refuse to be defeated. I refuse to forget that I was bought at a price and my life is not my own. So I will continue to struggle. God is always by my side and I heard Him speak a prophesy over me a few nights ago. It is still a blur because it hit me so hard. Bust I just wanted to mention that for myself later when I read back on this. I have a purpose.

So onto the post! I recieved this in an e-mail the other day and I thought I found it quite interesting. I will not give in my two cents. I will just post it on here so that you can read it and think about for yourselves. Take care everyone, and thanks to those who continued to check up on me and leave me comments. Thank you for your prayers.

ALLAH OR JESUS?

It's a strange coincidence, but I was reading selected verses from the Q'uran Sunday night in my friend's office and there was not a single line about killing infidels. In fact most of it read like Christ's preachings in the New Testament.

So I have no idea where the militant side of Islam originated. Maybe it is a reaction to the Crusaders or maybe to the more recent Israeli and US mis-adventures.

By Rick Mathes
Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance. During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim faiths, who explained each of their beliefs.

I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say. The Imam gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam complete with a video. After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers.

When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Imam and asked"Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imamsand clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against theinfidels of the world. And, that by killing an infidel, which is acommand to all Muslims, they are assured of a place in heaven. If that's the case,can you give me the definition of an infidel?"

There was no disagreement with my statements and without hesitation, he replied, "Non-believers!"

I responded, "So, let me make sure I have this straight. Allfollowers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can go to Heaven. Is that correct?"

The expression on his face changed from one of authority and commandto that of a little boy who had just gotten caught with his hand in thecookie jar.

He sheepishly replied, "Yes! ."

I then stated, "Well, sir, I have a real problem trying to imaginePope John Paul commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith or Dr.Stanley ordering Protestants to do the same in order to go to Heaven!"

The Imam was speechless.

I continued, "I also have a problem with being your friend when youand your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me. Letme ask you a question. Would you rather have your Allah who tells you tokill me in order to go to Heaven or my Jesus who tells me to love you because Iam going to Heaven and He wants you to be with me?"

You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame.

Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the "Diversification"training seminar were not happy with Rick's way of dealing with the Islamic Imam and exposing the truth about the Muslim's beliefs.

I think everyone in the U.S. should be required to read this, but withthe liberal justice system, liberal media, and the ACLU, there is no waythis will be widely publicized.

Please pass this on to all your e-mail contacts. This is a true storyand the author, Rick Mathes, is a well-known leader in prison ministry.

Inspiring People

Tue, 23 May 2006 00:22:23 GMT

I attended two events recently that has given me a lot of inspiration and perspective on my own life. The first was a Holocaust Seminar. A man (I think his name was Bob) told us his story of enduring the struggle and turmoil of being a Jew in Hungary during WWII. His talk was amazing. It was just the fact that people can go through such a horrible time, but also that their faith grows from it. It seems like an oxymoron to go through all of that and still praise God. Even though He is worthy of our praises, from a human perspective it doesn't make sense to praise the being that let us go through such hardship. That's why it amazes me when I hear stories like Bob's.

Even though during my own hardship I have turned to God rather than cursing Him, my hardship is meagre compared to so many people like Bob. Stories like Bob's give me a sense of security in knowing that it is possible to hold onto God all the time. It brings validation to the story of Job in the Bible because so many people will read the story and think it's impossibly for a person to go through so much hardship and still love God. But it is possible, and it's great to see modern versions of it because it proves that God is everlasting and His word applies to all generations.

The second event I attended was a performance by the Watoto Children's Choir at my home church. They were amazing and their testimonies made me bawl. These children are from Uganda and are orphans due to HIV and AIDS. They tour around in order to create awareness of the AIDS epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as to raise funds for the housing, education and salvation of the thousands of orphans in Uganda. It's simply amazing to hear how Jesus saved these children; not only their soul, but their lives. By just seeing the joy in these children's hearts, it makes you understand how amazing our God is. He loves and cares for each one of us, especially the rejected and forgotten. Please check out their website when you have time, and also if you wish to, please support them in their calling.

The Rope

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 14:39:38 GMT

I just read this story in an e-mail my mom sent me. Here is the link for it. It reminded me of myself in how I sometimes trust in the rope rather than God. Thankfully my outcome has not been as tragic as the one in this story. I hope you all like it. ^_^

THE ROPE

The story tells about a mountain climber, who wanted to climb the highest mountain. He began ihs adventure after many years of preparation, but since he wanted the glory just for himself, he decided to climb the mountain alone.

The night felt heavy in the heights of the mountain, and the man could not see anything. All was black. Zero visibility, and the moon and the starts were covered by the clouds.

As we was climbing, only a few feet away from the top of the mountain, he slipped and fell into the air, falling at a great speed. The climber could only see black spots as he went down, and the terrible sensation of being sucked by gravity. He kept falling...and in those moments of fear, it came to his mind all the good and bad episodes of his life.

He was thinking now about how close death was getting, when all of a sudden he felt the rope tied to his waist pull him very hard.

His body was hanging in the air.. Only the rope was holding him, and in that moment of stillness he had no other choice by to scream: HELP ME GOD!!

All of a sudden, a deep voice coming from the sky answered:

- What do you want me to do?

- Same me God!!

- Do you really think I can save you?

- Of course I believe You can

- THEN CUT THE ROPE TIED TO YOUR WAIST...

There was a moment of silence; and the man decided to hold on to the rope with all his strength.

The rescue team tells, that the next day a climber was found dead and frozen...his body hanging from a rope. His hands holding tight to it...ONLY 10 FEET AWAY FROM THE GROUND...

And you? How attached are you to your rope? Will you let go?

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,

Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ [Isa 41:13 NKJV]

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What is your rope? What is preventing you from having an intimate relationship with the Almighty God? Is it a theory? A philosophy? False god(s)/ goddess(es)? Faith in yourself? These things will not support you in the end. Only God will be able to save you. You cannot bribe God with your good deeds, your money, your kind words etc. God is God and what He asks for is faith in Him. So let go of your rope before death creeps up on you and steals your chance to accept the Truth.

What Is Love?

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 20:56:37 GMT

Hey everyone. It's finally reading week, which means I have the week to catch up with school =P. I just got back from visiting my boyfriend in New York last night. It was great. I got to spend a lot of time with his family, who are really awesome people. It's unfortunate that there is a language barrier between his parents and I, but they still show me that they care about me. It's nice ^_^. Anyway, I got this in an e-mail over a year ago and re-read it while I was organizing my e-mails. So here it is for all of you to enjoy. God bless.

WHAT IS LOVE?

Children say it best!

For those who misuse the word love, even kids have a better
understanding than some adults. The last one is the best!

A group of professional people posted this question: "What does love
mean?" to a group of 4-to-8 year olds; the answers they got were
broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you
think?

When my grandma got arthritis; she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa does it for her now all the time, even when his hands have got arthritis too. That's love. (Rebecca - age 8)

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When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouths. (Billy - age 4)

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Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving Cologne and they go out and smell each other. (Kari - age 5)

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Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French Fries without making them give you any of theirs. (Chrissy - age 6)

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Love is what makes you smile when you're tired. (Terri - age 4)

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Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK. (Danny - age 7)

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Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss. (Emily - age 8)

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Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen. (Bobby - age 7) (wow!)

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If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate. (Nikka - age 6)

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Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday. (Noelle - age 7)

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Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well. (Tommy - age 6)

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During my piano recital, I was on stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore. (Cindy - age 8)

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My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night. (Clare - age 6)

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Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken. (Elaine - age 5)

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Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt. (Chris - age 7)

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Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day. (Mary Ann - age 4)

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When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you. (Karen - age 7)

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Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and doesn't think it's gross. (Mark - age 6)

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You really shouldn't say "I LOVE YOU" unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget. (Jessica - age 8)

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And the winner?
A 4-year-old whose next-door neighbor, an elderly man, had just lost his wife. When the little boy saw the man crying, he went over into the man's yard, climbed up on his lap and just sat there. When the boy's mother asked him what he'd said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

Geoff's Testimony

Sat, 28 Jan 2006 00:51:04 GMT

I love reading testimonies. They remind me of why Jesus wants us to spread the gospel. So many souls are unsaved for various reasons, and it us our job to spread the good news of salvation through our Lord Jesus. When I read this I was deeply moved. It is such an amazing and personal letter. I'm tickled inside when I think of what his future children will say when they read this for the first time. Oh, so amazing! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

TO MY FUTURE CHILDREN
by: Geoff

Today is Sunday, January 22, 2006. It was a wonderful day, and when you’re old enough, I want you to be able to read about it as it was still fresh in my mind.

Although I live in one of the highest concentrations of Christians in the country, I didn’t grow up as one. I understood the concept of God.. but I didn’t figure I’d ever want to be involved. Besides, I wasn’t hurting anyone, I was generally nice. No harm, no foul… right?

I went through school, high school, college, not really worried about God or his plan for my life. And I succeeded sometimes, and I failed sometimes. I went into my twenties… and then toward my mid-twenties.

When I was about 23, I moved out of an apartment I had held with a friend. He was newly in a fraternity, and so he was having the typical fun that a kid starting in college in a fraternity would have, and I yearned for my own place. I got hired at my current job, and suddenly I could afford it, so I did it…

And I was happy.. for a little while. Then the Saturdays sitting home alone started to add up a little. And 9/11 happened.. And to some extent my innocence in the world was lost. I wondered about what it all meant, where it was all going.

At my previous employer, we worked with Mountaintop Community Church, doing DNS, mail, web site, that kind of stuff. Larry Cochran would always call me… and when we were done working he would always invite me to come to church. I always blew him off.

But the loneliness and insecurity and this tugging feeling.. this sense that I was missing something huge… which turned out to be God, kept coming. Finally, one Saturday night, I decided I’d get up and go to church.

There are a few things I remember vividly about that day. The place was different. The music was lively, the pastor was more professor than what I knew to be a preacher. And there was a blind guy standing in the back of the sanctuary.. and when I stopped.. unsure, he turned in my direction and said ‘Welcome, have a seat over here!’… Paul will remind me what his name is… but he sensed my insecurity… then the message. The message spoke to everything I was feeling. God used Bill as a conduit to me that day, and whacked me over the head with a 2×4. That was the day I first changed.

I’ve screwed up a lot since then, and I’ve done some good. But today was big. You see, children, today I was baptised. This was the day that the Lord made for me to profess my faith and my love for Him.

I prayed all morning.. and it was a weird prayer, but it made a lot of sense. I prayed for simplicity. I study and read a lot, and I try to dig into the Word.. and sometimes, honestly, I get so wrapped up that my head is pretty much spinning from it all. Today I prayed for simplicity. Me and Jesus. No analysis. No grid. That’s all I wanted.

I arrived at church, and met up with my buddies.. then I went to change. Everything was kind of a blur. I remember the clock counting down until the start of the service. And Chris making jokes. And the other singers congratulating me. And the high schoolers doubling as the Brady Bunch (yes I am perhaps the only person ever baptised at the same service in which a song sung by the Brady Bunch was performed) congratulating me… and joking that they were just dancing, to which my reply was ‘Hey but we’re all here for the same reason’. That was a good reply, they all smiled. I was glad.

Then Bill and I went over what was going to happen. And we prayed. And I’m not sure I heard him because I just had goosebumps, and was just asking Jesus if it could be just me and Him for a few minutes, simplicity… and then I said my only word behind the door.. ‘Wow!’

Then we went out, and my video started playing. When we filmed it, I had planned on not coming up with anything.. and letting God speak through me. It was difficult, and I honestly thought I didn’t do a very good job of conveying my story and making it compelling to someone who was visiting. As I stood in the pool listening, I realized I was wrong… that I had done ok after all… in fact, I think I started to realize I had indeed let God speak through me, because I heard stuff I do not in any way remember saying. Then Bill asked me why I had come, and I answered ‘To follow Jesus’.

Children, you probably know me as a little clumsy. Well.. this was no exception. :-) I was supposed to sit on the edge of the pool, and go straight back.. but as Bill took hold of me, I couldn’t find the edge… and so I was just floating. Word has it that my feet popped out of the water. :-) I’m in no way embarassed by that!! Ok maybe a little. :-)

Kids… I do hope you come to the belief that I have, and let me say that there’s no words in the English language that properly describe when you go into a pool and then you come out and realize that you have been made new, that you have died to the old and are reborn to the new. I think it might have been the first (no second) time I had really felt and knew the Holy Spirit was there…

I made my way to the back… and was totally surprised to see Paul had left the booth to come back and just attack me with a hug. :-) It was awesome, and although I can’t prove it, I’m pretty sure there was a tear or two mixed up with all that water. It was raw and without pretense and natural… short moments in time when we absolutely live as God intended us to live every second of every day. Kids, when you find a friend like that, make sure and hold onto them.. and always do everything you can to be there for them and help them. I really couldn’t breathe it was so amazing.

I sat in the green room after changing for what seemed like 30 minutes, but it was probably only 3 or 4. Then I went to hear the message. I still have goosebumps 10 hours later… maybe they will never go away.

Quite a few people that I invited came… some I knew of and expected, and some who completely surprised me (Troy and Meredith). That meant an awful lot to me, you guys are wonderful..

It went so fast. Everything goes really fast. I pray for you guys that you won’t have to wait 28 years to know what it feels like to make that decision. I’ll do my best to show you the way, to be an example, to be a father, and friend. Obviously since I’m writing this before I was even sure you’d ever exist, I must care an awful lot.

I will be going to bed soon… and I’ll be one day old. I’m really glad you could read this story… it means an awful lot to me, and I hope it always means an awful lot to you. You and your mother are the greatest blessings from God I could ever hope for.

Love,
Dad

TAKING THE RED PILL - A letter to my future children

Jason's Testimony

Mon, 02 Jan 2006 04:05:27 GMT

I finally get to post JASON's testimony on here. I asked him a while ago to make an entry about it and only now have I had the time to sit down and post it. So here it is.

- - -

MY TESTIMONY - Almost is not Good Enough
By: Jason

I was born in a Christian family. In fact I am the 9th generation in a line of Christian heritage... So as one would imagine, I had the privilege of being surrounded by Christian values and godly people since young. I grew up going to church every Sunday since I was a baby. It became natural for me to associate myself with Christianity. I understood the concepts of God and His love for me since Sunday School. At church I was heavily involved in ministry - in music, in youth groups, etc..

However it is not since about 18 years old that I truly considered myself as a Christian. It was my first year in medical school. In my university one day, there was a speaker (Tony Campolo) who came to speak to the students during one of the lunchtimes. Thinking that since I am already a "Christian" I didn't need to go, but yet something drew me to the meeting. I was late.... and I sat in a dark corner in the back row. Shortly after, the speaker was introduced. His topic was "an almost Christian". As the words came out of his mouth, I suddenly realised that he was talking about me. And as I sat in that lecture hall for the next half an hour, every word pierced into my heart... it was as if there was no one else in that packed hall except for God and me... and God was stripping away every false notions I had about Christianity. One story he told will stick with me for the rest of my life.

A man and his son was out swimming one day in a small lake. This place was known for crocodiles but it was such a hot day. After a while, the man went back to the bank to dry off whilst the son was still gleefully splashing around in the middle of the lake. As the man turned around to wave to the son, his eye caught a shape in the water a short distance behind his son. His heart skipped a beat, he recognised the shape of a crocodile heading towards his son. He shouted to his son to swim for the shore... The son realised the danger and began to swim as fast as he could. It became a race... the son to safety, the crocodile to his next meal... All the man could do was keep on shouting and waving his arms... the son got closer and closer to safety... 100 m... 50 m.... 25 m... 10 m.... 5m..... then suddenly, the son was gone. Just as he was about to climb into safety the crocodile got him. He was ALMOST there.... but ALMOST IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH

In the same way there are many people out there who are ALMOST Christians... people like myself who grew up in a strong Christian environment, with abundant knowledge of who God is and what He has done for me... but I haven't made that real commitment to Christ... God stayed in my brain but not in my heart... Suffice to say as I stepped out of the lecture hall, I was stunned, I felt numb. So many questions went through my mind... was I an ALMOST Christian? If Christ were to come right now, would he say ... You were almost there... but ALMOST IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. That night, as I knelt before God, tears streaming down my face, I re-dedicated my life to Christ. I realised that I confined God in my head... and had not allowed Him to be Lord of my life. Even though I may have been close ... I wasn't there yet... and it didn't matter whether I was 100 m or 50m or 5 m or 5 cm or 5 mm away... if I had not reached the shore of safety... and I was ALMOST there... it is not good enough...

Since then, my life had been transformed... having Jesus as the Lord of my life has turned my world upside down, inside out... it has been an exciting adventure... now I have purpose and direction in life... now I realise the abundance and blessings of living a life that was meant to be... a life restored and returned back to its creator... now I have a unlimited resource in God as I face the problems in life... now I am free from the wrath of God... now I have a guarantee of eternal life in heaven...

Stan's Testimony

Tue, 08 Nov 2005 02:45:59 GMT

I have decided to start posting testimonies on here because they are so powerful. People can debate between faiths, or whether God exists, or why they don't want to follow God etc.. But what can a person say to a person who has had a personal experience with God that has impacted them so much that they have decided to follow Jesus with all their heart? Sure they may be hostile and sceptical, but that's probably because they don't know what they're missing out on. I find testimonies simply amazing. Nobody has the same testimony. It accurately depicts how our God is a personal and faithful God. And many times He brings his lost children back to Him through the testimonies of His saved children. God please use the testimonies that I post on this blog for your purpose.

Since I don't know how to use the trackback function, I'll just repost this entry. It was made by Stan on his blog. You can check that out by clicking HERE.

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MY STORY
By: Stan

I wasn't always a christian. I wasn't saved until I was 44 years old. I smoked dope. I drank like a fish. I chased women. I did it all. Eventually I began to realize how empty and worthless my life had become. All of the things I thought would be all fun and freedom had turned out to be all misery and bondage.

I began to seek God. I prayed and prayed. It seemed like my prayers were going nowhere. I had been close to God when I was 14. That had lasted about a week. I had decided that I wanted to party instead. Now that I wanted..., needed God, it seemed like he didn't want me. I grew desperate. At one point I pulled into a church parking lot and fell on my face crying. The church was closed and it seemed heaven was, too.

A couple of days later I found myself in a christian book store, still praying silently....still seeking. I prayed, "Lord, if there is no hope for me.... If I've gone too far and can't be saved, take me out of the world now. But if there is hope... If you will take me back... PLEASE... let me know...give me some kind of sign".

At that moment I saw a bible on the shelf with a book mark in it. I opened it to where it was marked and this was what it said.

"For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the LORD your Redeemer. "To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again. Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. [Isaiah 54:7-10]

Since that day God has poured out his love on me in a way that is so wonderful I can't put it into words.

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity." [Jeremiah 29:12-14]