March 31, 2016

Two Thursday Testimonies

March 31, 2016

My day at the office was busy in the morning but the afternoon was slow.  Ron was out of the office much of the day.  I started working a little on the end of the month stuff.  It was a good day, and other than the nagging headache I had, all was well.  This headache was different than the one that is always present, but once I had supper, it let up.

We had supper with Mom at Luby's and then she and I went to the church for a service they were having.  This week a group of 70, students and sponsors from a church in Louisiana, had come on their Spring Break to do mission projects at our church.  They spent their days on construction projects and painting at our mission center  (dorms for work groups that come).  Then they passed out invitations to a giant block party at the church Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 4-6.  Those were followed by church services on those evenings from 6:30-8:30.

The group of young people were amazing.  They were well trained, happy, energetic, and obviously they love the Lord.  They presented music, a drum line, a stomp team, and a drama team as well as several praise teams.  Then one of their young ladies gave her testimony.  The home she had grown up in was filled with many of the wrong choices people can make.  Her parents' lives were filled with illegal choices while they loved drugs more than they loved their daughter.  In time, the daughter gave her life to the Lord, and God gave her a new home with loving Christian parents and brothers.

 Drum Line

 

Then the man bringing the message gave his testimony and there were a lot of similarities to the early life he had lived and the young lady had lived.  Their stories started in such horrible circumstances, and sadly, too many young people are living in similar situations today.  I have always believed that children think their home setting is normal.  It takes a while for them to find out that not all homes are like theirs.

I remember a friend and I who had grown up in loving Christ centered homes had listened to several you people tell of the terrible homes they had grown up in.  The friend and I later were telling the pastor that we didn't know that we were the only ones in the group who had normal homes.  He said, no, their homes were normal and ours were the exception.  I see that more and more.  Adults with broken lives because of the abuse they faced as children.  Christ can change the course of those lives, but many scars will last a lifetime.

The service ran very late, but life changing decisions were being made and I pray that new directions are being set for many who were there.  After the service I took Mom home and then headed to my house, while I chatted with our oldest son on the phone.  He will be giving a talk soon at his work place, to people from several sections.  He just gets busier and busier.  Later I talked to his wife.  She got more rest yesterday.