Online Book Club-Apologies From a Repentant Christian Book Review

Official Review: Apologies From a Repentant Christian

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Unread post by T_stone » 05 Dec 2019, 17:25

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Apologies From a Repentant Christian" by Donna L. Young.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Apologies From a Repentant Christian: Is Jesus Christ Real? is a non-fiction book by Donna L. Young, written in the first-person narrative. This book is for anyone struggling with questions about what the Bible offers when pain, suffering, despair, and confusion overshadow the feeling of grace in one’s life. It’s the first book in the Apologies From a Repentant Christian series. This book tells of a repentant Christian who got a brand-new identity in Christ after living a life that’s pleasing to God.

On October 20, 2008, the author had a personal encounter with Christ while in a jail holding cell based on a false accusation by her husband. While in the holding cell, an inmate and a jail officer ministered to her; they gave her assurance and comfort. After her bail was granted, Donna felt the need to change her bad attitude, and to seek forgiveness from everyone she offended in the past. She realized how ungrateful she had been to God, and how her behavior had affected the people around her negatively.

Despite being raised in a Catholic Church, Donna was never connected with God. She described herself as a proud and arrogant woman before her encounter with Christ in the holding cell. It never occurred to her how far sin had separated her from God. She had the urge to confess her sins to God after learning about its value through Proverbs 28:13, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them, will have mercy.” However, Donna apologized not only to God,but she also sought apologies from everyone including her parents, her son, her stepson, and her sister.

In chapter four, From Undeserving to Grateful: My Apology to God, the author compared Christ’s final moments to the incident of October 20, which she described as the worst day of her life. She realized God was very good to her. In her comparison, she noted that Jesus was arrested at night and was abandoned by his disciples. She was also arrested at night, but she had her family and friends to console her. Jesus suffered accusations from many people, but it was her husband who stood against her. While she was shown compassion by a jail officer, Jesus suffered humiliation from people who spat on him. Donna also mentioned that she was offered blankets while Jesus had his garment torn up by soldiers. This chapter shows that God's ever ready to show his mercies, even when we don’t deserve His grace.

Apologies From a Repentant Christian gives an insight into the transformation of Donna into a humble and God-fearing Christian through the redeeming power of Christ. The author also encouraged people not to let sin have a hold on them, thereby confessing to God and asking for His mercies. This book is inspirational with relatable themes like faith, forgiveness, humility, and happiness. In a friendly tone, Donna explained the importance of confessing sins and seeking forgiveness. It brings peace of mind and draws one closer to God.

Donna wrote this book to talk about her freedom from sin. She also used this book to tell the world that Christ is real. As clearly written in the title, this book is mostly recommended to Christians. However, in all sincerity, anyone can enjoy this book. A non-Christian can practice the act of confessing sins to friends or family members. The purpose of this is to have a guilt-free mind. I liked how the author included a Bible passage at the beginning of each chapter.

This is a technically solid book with well-organized chapters. However, I noticed a couple of missing commas and a few punctuation errors. There were no grammatical errors in this book. I also found the editing to be fairly done; many spacing errors deterred the flow of the book. Apologies From a Repentant Christian deserves a perfect rating, but I’ll settle for a 3 out of 4 stars rating. The language the author used is simple and easy to comprehend. Whether or not you’re a Christian, the concept of forgiveness applies to everybody – it’s delightful.

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HONEST REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED!

Have a Happy Resurrection Day! 

God loves YOU! 

In Christ Jesus alone, 

Donna

YOU are in every Chapter of the HOLY BIBLE!

Oh, How God loves us!

Recently, I felt an overwhelming desire to attend a crusade. "What an incredible opportunity! How often can a believer witness others accepting the biblical message of the Gospel on such a large-scale?" I thought as my Pastor spoke about the upcoming event during one Sunday service." I strongly recommend that you attend at least one crusade during your life." He urged. Then, he proceeded to recount memories from his first Christian crusade. "Perhaps, I should attend." I thought. "After all, I have been calling myself an Evangelist lately."

Soon after returning home from church, I sat at my computer and searched online for more information about the event. Right away, I noticed that my favorite Christian bands were scheduled to perform. What's more, the entire event was free! "I'm going!" I thought.

As the next few months passed, I encouraged my young son and husband to attend the crusade with me. My heart grew with excitement each time my son and I visited the Harvest Crusade website  http://www.harvest.org/. I couldn't wait!

On the day of the event, my husband, our youngest child and I packed our car with sunblock and baseball hats. We left hours before the gates were expected to open. I wanted to be certain that we would get seats.

Harvest Crusade 2012

We were right to arrive hours before the event began. Long lines of eager believers and unbelievers waited to enter the stadium. For hours, we waited patiently, sometimes impatiently in the hot sun. I passed the time imagining that we were all eagerly waiting to enter the gates of heaven. At 4:15p.m the gates opened.

After wandering around for 15 minutes, we took our seats, off to the left of the stage and under an awning. We still had another hour and a half to wait before the event would begin. To pass the time, I looked around the stadium. I noticed that the outside temperature had remained warm and comfortable, even as the sunshine turned to starlight. I also prayed silently. Next, my husband and I enjoyed eating polish sausage dogs while our young son devoured two regular hot dogs.  Then, in the moments just before the event started, I shared my personal testimony with the couple sitting to my left. Time passed quickly!

Soon, the first Christian artist began to play. I had never heard of this band. Yet, I tried to sing along as the worship lyrics appeared on the stadium sized television screen. Then, after three or four songs, the next band began to perform. Once again, several unfamiliar songs! Some people sitting around my seat tried to sing along, while others stood in silence, arms raised to heaven. Could they have been waiting for just one familiar worship song too?

Suddenly, a third and more well-known band took the stage. "Certainly, I'll know their songs." I thought. But, the first two songs were unfamiliar to me. By now, I figured that I was ultimately there to worship God. So, once again, I sang along to the notes of the song the best I could.

Suddenly, a new song began to play. Within the first few notes of this song, I felt my heart leap with joy. A familiar melody! Others must have recognized the song too, because soon and in almost in complete unison, the stadium echoed with thousands of voices singing praise to God. Such perfect harmony!

Then, that same warm wind carried the sound of our voices singing the words, "Oh, how He loves us so. Oh, how He loves us. How He loves us so." The melody flowed through me as my eyes welled with tears. Simultaneously, the giant sized Angel's Stadium sign caught my eye. As I sang, I started to wonder if real angels in heaven could be singing along too." Overwhelmed, the tears rolled down my cheeks. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and turned to my right to look at our young son. I noticed that he too was sharing an intimate moment of worship with God. Quickly, I grabbed for my camera and did the best I could to capture the moment on film. Wow!

A few days later, I found myself reminiscing over the entire event.  Surprisingly, I realized that my favorite moment of the entire night wasn't the moment that I had expected. I had thought that witnessing thousands of lost and hurting people accepting Jesus Christ into their hearts would forever refine my heart. But instead, my favorite moment occurred the second I first heard thousands of voices singing a song of worship to my Father in Heaven! Oh How He deserved to hear such praise! And Oh, how He loves us so!

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! To read this author's personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html

Why does God command us not to Gossip? Because it tears others down instead of building them up!

FROM GOSSIP TO

FAITHFUL SPIRIT

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Proverbs 11:13 The talebearer reveals secrets,

But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals matter (NKJV).

           

           I loved to gossip. I couldn’t resist sharing my opinion and judging others for their behavior. I used

gossiping to build relationships with others and get attention. Mostly, I gossiped out of revenge. If I was

hurt by something someone did and felt powerless to speak directly to the person about it, I spoke behind

their back. Other times, gossiping made me feel superior. I spent many hours trying to rally people to take my side of an argument, and quite frankly, I felt that I was convincing. I read once that gossip is anything that you say which causes another person to think negatively about someone else. I realize now, I behaved in a manner contrary to what Jesus taught. I was to walk in love and edify others with my words. Instead I used words as a divisive tool and to tear others down. When I fully realized what I was doing was not pleasing to God, I began to start down the road of stopping myself. I committed to no longer participating in gossip. I refused to listen to gossip from others. Through Scripture, I was learning another way to handle being hurt. Forgiveness!          
         Because I never knew how to offer forgiveness to others, I had to learn. The experience with my husband was a perfect opportunity to teach me. It caused me to examine my choices. I could forgive him, save my marriage, and offer him the grace that God gave me through His Son’s death, or I could divorce him, hold on to the pain and become even angrier and more resentful. Unlike in the past, this time, I chose to follow Jesus’ example and offer forgiveness. For awhile, I struggled daily with not gossiping to others about my perception of the night in October 2008. I felt entitled to compassion and sympathy. I had to pray daily for God to help me forgive my husband. At the time, I had no idea how forgiveness would later bless me and my children as well as my husband. I believe it was choosing to forgive that eventually led my husband to go to church and begin a relationship with Christ.       
         A nun once taught me her understanding of the concept of forgiveness. She said, “If you can remember what it was that you were supposed to forgive, you haven’t forgiven the person yet.” Perhaps this is partially true. Through my recent experience with my husband, I have learned that even after you have let go of a hurt and forgiven the person, the memory remains, but the pain goes away. In my case, when I talk about the night of October 2008 today, it’s as if I am describing something which happened to someone else. I remember the event in detail, but I am not ashamed, hurt or angry anymore. To my surprise, I am grateful for the lessons God taught me through the experience. The bible helps me to remember that I am a sinner who just three years ago loved to put others down in conversation. I also try to pray for understanding as to what someone else may be going through. This keeps me humble and continually softens my heart towards others who hurt me. And I pray for grace. For me, forgiveness is not just a one prayer occurrence, but a process. It takes time to let God graciously heal the heart. I have been blessed in learning to forgive. God has shown me great mercy and has healed my heart as He promised.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

To read this author's personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html

Sometimes it's Hard to be a Believer & Mother at the Same time!

     Matthew 5:12, "Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  

Romans 5:3, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;" 

James 1:12, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."

     During times of trial and testing, I run to scripture for comfort. "There is joy in the midst of the trial!" God quietly whispers to my heart. Still, there are those times when I feel my heart shattering inside, mostly when the devil uses my own children against me. Sometimes it's difficult to be a believer and mother at the same time!

      My son instantly loved his new kindergarten class and teachers. He made several new friends and couldn’t wait to go school each day. For the first time, he was returning home from school happy. He was interested in what he was learning and talked about friends he had played with during the day. Unfortunately, my son also brought home, new sayings and a very challenging attitude.
      During the second month of school, my son began to act out.  It started one day, just after he woke up. My five-year-old was talking back to me! I was quite surprised since this behavior was contrary to his normal respectful attitude. Rather than hug me good morning as usual, with his baby blanket in arm, he walked straight past me and sat on the couch. His ugly attitude continued as I walked him to his kindergarten class. And, as soon as he returned home, he appeared rejuvenated with an even worse tongue. He repeatedly said, “You can’t make me,” to simple requests like, “Please put your lunchbox on the counter.” In one day, I had sent my son to more disciplinary timeouts than in an entire year. I retreated to think, “Where is my son, and who is this little person?”
The next day, he started throwing his toys and had a tantrum when I instructed him to get ready for school and eat his breakfast. His anger was escalating. By now, so was my frustration. Normally he was obedient. I couldn’t believe we were having a power struggle.
On the third day, around bedtime, my son asked if he could sleep with his shirt off. I told him he had to wear his shirt to bed because the apartment was cold at night and I didn’t want him to get sick. Unexpectedly, he said, “I want a new mommy!” His words shattered my heart. I was stunned and walked out of his room without finishing our normal bedtime prayer and routine. I cried, feeling lost.
        By the fourth day, I struggled to keep my adult head together. My son continued talking back and saying hurtful things, such as, “I want to go live with my daddy.” I told him I didn’t like the way he was treating me. He was acting downright mean. I asked about his school day and how the other kids behaved in class. “Are you copying someone in class who acts mean? Are you being picked on? Did someone hurt you?”  He just shook his head, “No” to each question. He even seemed confused by his behavior.
I began to sing, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand, against the devil’s schemes… be strong in the Lord.” My son sang the first part with me as he loves and knows the song well. During the song, I took a washable marker from the kitchen table to draw muscles on his arms and a shield on his chest with the word “GOD” across the shield. In my best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, I mimicked, “Oh you have big muscles for God.” He laughed his normal laugh.
         But then my son looked down at his chest, took the darkest colored marker from the table, and drew a big “X” across the word God. I sent him to bed, feeling very discouraged.
        After he fell asleep that night, I went into his room to pick up his clothes. The pictures of our family on his dresser were lying face down. I left his room feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. What was going on?
My first thought was to consider the impact of his father’s absence. But, then, we hadn’t lived with my husband in over a year and a half. Was he was feeling lost in public school? Finally, I excused his behavior as a result of being tired and adjusting to a new schedule. I reinstated naptime.  However, when he woke up from naps just as cranky and disrespectful, I ran out of excuses.
       Feeling discouraged, I confided in a friend for help. This particular friend holds a special place in my heart. She was the one I called upon my release from jail. Even though it was late at night and she had never driven without her husband at such a late hour, she insisted on being there to comfort me. I will never forget the gift of her sitting by my side and holding my hand in the lobby of the jail. She remained by my side as I waited for my parents to arrive. That night, we became more than work associates. Later, she would teach me about Scripture and encourage my walk with Christ. I came to rely on her for spiritual guidance as well as friendship in my life.
         So naturally, I called this friend to discuss my youngest son. She listened quietly as she had always done. Then she spoke about spiritual battles. She asked if I thought my son was battling against me because I was writing this book to worship the Lord. In her usual sweet demeanor, she offered to pray for my son. She called on the Lord and asked Him to visit my son in his dreams. I cried as she spoke. Her prayer was comforting and instantly eased my anxiety. She also prayed for God’s protection for me.
When she finished praying, my friend suggested that pray for my son while he slept.  After we ended the call, I took my bible to my son’s room. He was fast asleep. I made a cross on his forehead and chest and then prayed a very simple prayer, “God, please help me to help my son.”
The next day, my son woke up and he was silent. Although he was not acting his usual jovial self, he was no longer acting disrespectful either. As he dressed, I erased all of the names on my prayer board and put my son’s name across the board in large letters. I told him what I did. He lit up! He hugged me very tightly around the neck as he questioned, “What about the others?” I replied, “You need my prayers right now.”
My son put his jacket on for school. He then looked at the prayer board. He erased his name and wrote it again in even larger letters. Then he threw the hood of the jacket off his head, and said, “I am so mad right now.” I thought, here we go again!
I calmly asked, “What’s wrong?”  He said, “I am so mad at the devil for using me to say mean things to my mommy.”  My five-year-old son: so insightful. My eyes welled with tears.  I put my hands down, palm side up. He quickly slapped me “five.” In that moment, we were back to normal.
      We drove to school, and there he asked the other children if they believed in God. One child said he believed in dinosaurs. My son told him about God as they rolled their hula hoops around the blacktop. In the car, I silently thanked God for protecting my family from the devil’s schemes.

 Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! 

 To read this author's personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html

God doesn't need a translator! Another bad Christian habit.

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 

and the Word was God." (NJKV)

 

In the darkest hour of my life, on October 20, 2008, I cried out to God. http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/my-personal-testimony.html God heard my cry and immediately responded! Then, God created a new heart in me. As a result, over the past few years, my hardened heart has begun to melt and I've regained sensitivity to others. Now, I feel an instant sorrow and regret when I act ugly. Recently, God revealed another ugly behavior!

The Holy Bible

It was a peace-filled Sunday morning during church service. My husband and I sat enjoying a quiet moment by each others’ side. A calm come over me as I heard us turn the pages of our bibles together. What Joy!
 
Suddenly, my husband began frantically scribbling with his yellow highlighter over a passage in his bible. Something had fired him up! With one thunderous move, he plopped his bible on my lap. I felt the weight of his bible pressing down on top of my own. Startled, I shook my head from side to side, as if to say, "What is it?" That's when he began to tap his highlighter over the section he had just highlighted. "Read!" he said. I began to read the highlighted paragraph. Not thinking much of it at the time, I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Uh huh." Then, my husband pulled his bible back toward himself. Even though I was a little bothered that my husband had diverted my attention, I quickly disregarded what had just happened and returned my focus to listening to the Pastor's sermon.

Then a few days later, my husband called his father on the telephone. During his call, my husband spoke in a clear and loud voice as if he were trying to grab my attention. At the time, I was keeping myself busy with household chores only a few feet away from where he was sitting. I was in clear earshot of their phone conversation. At once, my husband began to speak about that moment in church. "I was feeling annoyed at how Donna had become pushy about God again. I didn't know how to tell her. Then all of a sudden, I read my bible. It was like God was speaking directly to her. So, I showed her what I had just read!" Then, my husband bellowed a laugh a pride-filled laugh. 

Instantly, my heart sank deep into my chest! I was red with embarrassment. "What had I done?" I questioned. I couldn't see my ugliness until it was directed towards me. Yet, I had used God's Word pridefully against my husband many, many times over the past few years. My heart cried out! "Oh Lord, please forgive me!"  Tears overflowing.

When my husband ended the call, I immediately went to his side and sat down. I grabbed his hand and said, "I am sorry for all the times I used God's Word against you. I know now how you must have felt. Certainly, God doesn't need a translator. From now on, I will let God speak for Himself. I am sorry."  He sighed a great big sigh of immediate relief, sweetly smiled and said, "Thank you."


A few days later, I became curious about the passage my husband had shown me in church that day. So, I asked my husband if he would find the scripture for me. Hard as he tried, he was unable to do so! Had the Lord orchestrated that moment just for me?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! 

To read this author's personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html

Footprints in the Sand: 1st Timothy 4:12

1 Timothy 4:12  "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

My Son walking along the beach Not too long ago, I walked along the beach with my youngest son. As the wet sand squished between our toes and we stared at the horizon together, I began to speak with my son about how to inspire others by his faith. I said, "Son, all you have to do is possess good moral character, strong faith and endless amounts of loving kindness. Just show them the light in you." My son replied, “I know Mom. I try all the time to talk about God and how much I love Jesus.” My heart felt warm. We continued to walk together along the shore. Later, I looked down at the sand in an attempt to find seashells. I noticed that with every step, my son was pressing each foot into the sand. I grabbed his hand asked him to pause for a moment. Then, I placed my hands on his shoulders and gently turned him around. Now, we were both facing in the direction we had just walked. The sun was shining on the trail of footsteps my son had made with each purposeful step. I just knew that had the perfect opportunity to share the following poem with my son.    Footprints in the Sand-Mary Stevenson         One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.              Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.                   In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.                        Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,                            other times there were one set of footprints.                                   This bothered me because I noticed                                 that during the low periods of my life,                              when I was suffering from                          anguish, sorrow or defeat,                      I could see only one set of footprints.           So I said to the Lord,       "You promised me Lord,          that if I followed you,              you would walk with me always.                    But I have noticed that during                           the most trying periods of my life                                  there have only been one                                        set of footprints in the sand.                                            Why, when I needed you most,                                           you have not been there for me?"                                  The Lord replied,                           "The times when you have                   seen only one set of footprints,           is when I carried you."                                                                After I had finished summarizing the poem, I said, “Son, remember this, “God is always by your side, no matter what!” My son grabbed my hand and we turned around. We began to walk along the shore together again. With his head still bowed, my son replied, “God is always by your side too, Mom!” I began to cry.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!  To read this author's personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html

When is it time to get a divorce? When God says, "It's time!"

 Matthew 6:9-10 (NKJV)

^" In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. "

      

MY HUSBAND WANTS A DIVORCE

       One day, I filed my income tax return jointly with my husband and discovered that he had been lying to me about money. Because of the compounding and painful lies I had already endured throughout most of our eight year marriage, I was now faced with an enormous decision and felt forced to examine my choice to remain married.
        Over the past year, I had confronted my husband regarding several issues in our marriage. Each time he overspent, chose his work over his family, or was caught in another lie, I shared my pain and frustration with him. Most of the time, my husband apologized and committed himself to changing his hurtful behavior. With an understanding of God’s values for marriage, I was determined to make mine work! Time and time again, I convinced myself that I was choosing to follow Jesus’ example by offering him forgiveness.
       However this time, for some unknown reason to me, my feelings of pain and frustration consumed me. One night in a heated argument regarding the lies I had currently been told, I gave my husband an ultimatum. “Either get help for your addiction, or have the compassion to once and for all let us go!” I never could have anticipated that in his anger, my husband would respond the way he did. He said, “Honey, I just don’t want to be married anymore.” Those sudden and cruel words left me feeling pure anguish. I started to sob!
             Later, after I tucked our young son into bed then crawled into bed alone, I started to blame myself for my failed marriage. Doubt overwhelmed me. My heart ached! My husband’s rejection and the idea of becoming a single-mother caused a type of anxiety I hadn’t expected. Pain overwhelmed me and the tears began to flow. How could I have repeated the same story of my parents? I wept!
      The next day, I allowed the idea of divorce to sink in. I felt the pain. Then with every ounce of compassion I could muster, I carefully packed my husband’s uniforms and other scattered belongings in plastic containers. All the while I prayed, “Lord, thank You for the trails I have experienced with my husband. Without the trials, I may never have fully accepted the gift of Your love. Please hold me close. I need Your loving embrace through this difficult time!”

     As the hours went by, doubt and confusion took over. I cried out to God. “Divorce seems so contradictory to Your Word!” I fell to the floor of my bedroom closet. For several minutes, I laid with my face to the carpet. Jesus lovingly listened as my tears turn to silent heartfelt prayers. Then suddenly, I felt strong again. I got up from the floor and wiped my tears.
      I acted on the urge to reach out to my church Pastor, a godly man who had prayed for my struggling marriage for over three years. My Pastor prayed with me over the phone. He prayed for God to provide me with heavenly discernment and strength. His words brought me comfort and soothed my hurting soul. After only a few more hours, I was determined to obey God’s will, come what may! 

Please feel free comment in the section below! 

To read my personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html

Christians are not Perfect!

1 John 1:8-9 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (NKJV)

This past week, I shared my personal testimony with one of the mothers from my son's little league baseball team. Afterward the woman said, "I know the Lord too!" Soon, we began to speak to one another during our son's weekly baseball practices. "How exciting to know another like-minded believer," I thought. I even shared with my husband,"Honey, one of the boys on Travis' team has strong and mature believers for parents! What a precious gift from God!"

Then, one afternoon during practice I told the woman about my conversation with my husband. I felt surprised when she appeared to walk away feeling upset. Later, the same woman approached me. With a serious look on her face, she said, "Donna, I want you to know what you said to your husband bothered me. You should know that I am only human. I will disappoint you!"

As I took a deep breath and felt my head tilt to the side, I softly began to explain how God had transformed me from a judgmental and self-righteous social worker to a full-time evangelist. I said, "Each day, I purposefully share the Gospel with unbelievers. So, meeting you and listening to you talk felt like a fresh breath of air. What a blessing it is to hear you unapologetically speak about your love for our Lord Jesus Christ." The woman appeared relieved to hear that I had not placed her high upon a pedestal. 

A few hours went by. Then as if out of nowhere, I started to giggle. I shook my head as I thought, "What a mature Christian thing for that woman to say. Of course, she is not perfect and is only human. No Christian is perfect. We are all human and we are bound to make mistakes." The situation called to mind a verse from 1 John 1:8-9. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (NKJV). As I read the verse, I began to wonder, "Where would I be without You Lord?" Once again I felt humbled by the gift of His love!

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! 

To read the first written and published Christian personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html

God opened my eyes a little wider!

This past week, I wrote the following post, Apologies From a Repentant Christian: I prayed, "Please God use my life to bring others to You!"  In the post, I shared with my readers how God had answered my prayer of using my life to lead others to Him. I mentioned how still today, I stand in awe of God's glorious plan for my life. Amazingly the following Sunday, God opened my eyes a little wider.

It was Sunday, early morning, when I picked up my bible. Just as I usually do, I allowed the pages of scripture to fall open. This time, the pages landed on Jeremiah, chapter one. As I read how God laid out his plans before Jeremiah, I started to think about the past three years of my life. God had used me to build and to plant. What joy! Afterward, I thought, "I wonder what God has planned for me next?" 

Then, I read:

"Therefore, prepare yourself and arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them. ...They will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you." ( Jeremiah 1:17-19 NKJV) 

I contemplated, "What if I was promising God that I would walk closer to Him even as He was preparing to lead me through another trial?" I placed my bible down and began to get ready for Sunday service at church. We arrived a few minutes late. We took our seats just as the worship team began to sing the next song. Unbelievable! They sang, "Greater things have yet to come and Greater things are still to be done." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk

Later, the Pastor began to lead us through the bible. During his message, he pointed to Romans 8:18. He said,"Troubles don't last and can't ever compare to the glory that follows." Then, he added, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NKJV).

I found myself lost in the moment as my thoughts returned to that post from earlier in the week. Could I have focused on only what I could see?  I started to marvel at what might still be unseen and the plans that are still unknown to me. A calmness came over me!  I was ready for what was yet to come because finally, I walk by faith, not by sight! (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV).

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

To read the first written and published personal testimony,

please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html

Merry Christmas!

Mary and Baby Jesus

Merry Christmas From our Family to Yours! 

Thank You God for Answering my Prayers this Christmas!

          Exodus 20:12 (NKJV) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."

            For over one year my mother's name remained on my prayer board while I prayed, "Please Lord, won't you provide my mother with an opportunity to boldly profess her faith in You?" 

I started praying this particular prayer one morning after my mother had called. During that conversation, my mother shared a concern over losing her license to practice as a therapist. She said, "I want to talk about Jesus Christ with my clients but I am restricted by my license." I knew first hand the worry my mother felt. I too had felt God’s tug on my heart to share His message of hope with those who were hurting and in deep emotional pain. And like my mother, in the past, I faced worldly consequences for proselytizing. As a result, I knew just how to pray for her!

In each subsequent conversation, I graciously reminded my mother that God would protect her and watch over her as she spread the Word of Christ. Surprisingly one day, at the end of a phone call, my mother hesitantly asked me to add one of her client’s initials to my prayer board. She was careful to protect the hurting woman’s identity. Still, I assured my mother that God would know who the woman was, even if I only prayed using her initials.

Immediately, after saying our goodbyes, I went to my prayer board and wrote the client's first initial in the center of the board. Then, I instantly began to pray. "Please Lord, comfort this hurting and depressed woman."

            Next, I prayed for the remaining names on my prayer board. When I came to my mother's name, I prayed, "Please Lord, give her courage. Help her lead this hopeless woman to You even at the risk of losing her license. Father in Heaven, please help my mother boldly proclaim, 'I am a Christian therapist' so that others will know to come to her in order to find peace. In Your mighty name, Amen.”

            A few weeks later, I called my mother to catch up on the ins and outs of our daily lives. She listened patiently as I spoke about all the ways God had used me to reach out to others. Then, she said, "I was thinking about you yesterday. I don't know if I can tell you this story without crying." She continued, "This past week, when I met with my client, the client I had told you about, we prayed together." Speechless, I remained quiet.  Then my mother added, "This time, when my client started to weep over her sadness, I said to her, 'I want to share the hope I found in Jesus Christ.'” Amazing!

            My mother told me how her client simply listened as she spoke about the power my mother found through repentance.  Together, the two women prayed the sinner's prayer. I could hear my mother's joy resonate through the phone as she tearfully spoke about leading her client to Christ. Quietly, I praised God.

            After my mother finished her story, I told her I was proud of her. In response, my mother said those beautiful and sweet words I had been praying to hear her say. She said, "Well after all, I am a Christian Therapist!"

         Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

And to read the first written and published Christian personal testimony 

please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html

Why would I think buying Christmas presents brings Joy?

My husband & Son golfing together

As a Christmas gift to my husband this year, I wanted to buy him a round of golf. I thought, "It has been while since he has been able to spend time with our now 23-year-old son. Maybe they can resume that old tradition of playing golf together on Christmas morning."

However, a round of Golf is expensive, especially where we live. In fact, I figured I would have to spend around $100.00 on this gift. I wondered, "How am I going to generate this amount of money when I haven't worked since March 2011?" http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/unemployed-mother-turns-down-needed-to.html. I decided to sell some of my belongings to afford the gift. So, I listed items I knew would sell on Ebay.

Perhaps, I became too focused on buying Christmas presents this year. Because, this morning I found myself setting my closed bible aside to curiously inquire about my Ebay Seller account. I noticed right away the bids for the items I was selling had increased. This meant that I would be receiving more money. I would have thought this would make me feel happy. Yet, for reasons unknown to me at that moment, I was feeling a little let down.

As a result, I grabbed my bible and walked away from the computer desk. As usual, I allowed the pages to fall open and land as they may. As God would have it, they settled on 2 Kings Chapter 5. Right away, I wondered, "What does leprosy have to do with my day?" Still, I kept reading. It took me a little while to digest the story. I had to pause frequently. Then when my eyes finally caught verse 26 I knew what God was communicating to my heart!

2 Kings Chapter 5:26

"Then he said to him, "Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?" (NKJV)

My eyes welled with tears as I quietly whispered to my Lord, "It is time when You say it is time!" Then, the most loving and caring voice spoke to my heart, saying, "Don't you have everything you need?" I simply and humbly replied, "Yes Lord." Then, He said, "Then what is it you need money for?" I thought about how Christmas wasn't about buying presents for others. So, wiping the tears from my eyes, I replied, "Nothing Lord."

The Word of God-A love Story

After that, something happened that had never happened to me before! I heard the Lord say, "I love you, my sweet daughter." Sobbing, I replied, "I love you too Lord!"

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! 

To read the first written and published personal testimony 

please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html