The members of the women's Bible study class who recently finished Beth Moore's "Stepping Up: A Journey through the Psalms of Ascent" presented their banner program again last night - and this time I brought a camera.
If you came here looking for the blog for the 2008 Ukraine Mission Blog, it's over at www.IllinoisHistory.com/Ukraine.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
15 Set to Go on Ukraine Mission Trip
Eight members of Second Baptist Church in Marion are set to take off on the 2008 Ukraine Mission Trip Tuesday, July 8.
We'll be joined by two from First Baptist Church in DuQuoin, one from First Baptist Church of Andulusia, Alabama; two from Southwest Baptist Seminary and two additional family members of the seminary students (a father in one case and a son in the other).
I'm going to try to post updates along the way. Like the last time in 2006 they will be found at www.IllinoisHistory.com/Ukraine. Click on this link for the latest posts as well as links to the 2006 posts and those from my visit to Chernivtsi last fall.
If this works, you will also be able to see all of the posts listed below by their headlines. All you will need to do is click on the headline to read it. However this may not be as up-to-date as the blog itself.
We'll be joined by two from First Baptist Church in DuQuoin, one from First Baptist Church of Andulusia, Alabama; two from Southwest Baptist Seminary and two additional family members of the seminary students (a father in one case and a son in the other).
I'm going to try to post updates along the way. Like the last time in 2006 they will be found at www.IllinoisHistory.com/Ukraine. Click on this link for the latest posts as well as links to the 2006 posts and those from my visit to Chernivtsi last fall.
If this works, you will also be able to see all of the posts listed below by their headlines. All you will need to do is click on the headline to read it. However this may not be as up-to-date as the blog itself.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Scripture by Tom Fields
PSALMS 96:
Oh, sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his wonders among all peoples.
For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Give unto the Lord, O ye kindred of the peoples; give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; fear before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations that the Lord reigneth. The world also shall be established that it shall not be moved; he shall judge the peoples righteously.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof.
Let the field be joyful and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the forest rejoice.
Before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
Oh, sing unto the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his wonders among all peoples.
For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Give unto the Lord, O ye kindred of the peoples; give unto the Lord glory and strength.
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; fear before him, all the earth.
Say among the nations that the Lord reigneth. The world also shall be established that it shall not be moved; he shall judge the peoples righteously.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof.
Let the field be joyful and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the forest rejoice.
Before the Lord; for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth; he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sandy Gibbon's Testimony
I've been a believer, of Jesus Christ, my precious Savior, since I was nine years old. I've belonged to many churches and have been surrounded by a great many witnesses of the power of Jesus in their lives. I have heard countless testimonies of people who have lived and suffered every kind of circumstances in their lives that has drawn them to Jesus. I've seen many have life changing situations that came because of Jesus' power. They accepted by faith in the fact that He came to earth as a person, lived and ministered to people here on earth, was crucified and raised from the dead on the third day and then was here for 40 more days and left earth and lives at the right hand of God. He's not just some figure-head but He sits there and talks to His Father about you and I and wants so desperately, as does, His Father, God to be in and among us and give us a life that is abundant and free and beyond what we could imagine. No fairy tale but a real life with the purpose to love Him more as He loves us more and prepares us to live with Him in a place that He is now preparing for us for all eternity. I am one of those witness, too.
I praise God because of all He has done in my life and has placed me in a church that is not only loving but seeks to draw others to God and build those who are part of the church for that time when all those who believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that He did die, was raised and ever lives to help us in our daily lives. On that glorious day when I depart this life however it may be I will be in the presence of my dear Savior and my lovingly Heavenly Father and will sing His praises forevermore.
It is a privilege for me to be a part of Second Baptist Church and I'm thankful for a loving God who has given me a church family to love and care for me. To Him be the glory!
I praise God because of all He has done in my life and has placed me in a church that is not only loving but seeks to draw others to God and build those who are part of the church for that time when all those who believe that Jesus is who He says He is and that He did die, was raised and ever lives to help us in our daily lives. On that glorious day when I depart this life however it may be I will be in the presence of my dear Savior and my lovingly Heavenly Father and will sing His praises forevermore.
It is a privilege for me to be a part of Second Baptist Church and I'm thankful for a loving God who has given me a church family to love and care for me. To Him be the glory!
Michelle Dorris's Testimony
One of my favorite verses:
He gives strength to the weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31
I like these verses because even when I feel I can not go any further God is there for me. When I put my faith in Him he will give me the strength I need to continue. Not just a small amount of strength, but enough strength to soar as an eagle.
What an awesome God we have!
He gives strength to the weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31
I like these verses because even when I feel I can not go any further God is there for me. When I put my faith in Him he will give me the strength I need to continue. Not just a small amount of strength, but enough strength to soar as an eagle.
What an awesome God we have!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Laura Palmowski's Testimony
It is a wonderful privilege to write out my testimony, but at the same time, somewhat difficult in knowing where to begin.
I too was raised in a Christian family. I remember as a little girl listening to and learning Bible stories written on little cards. We attended church all through my grade school and high school years, but my father had passed away when I was in the seventh grade.
Sometimes I look back and wonder why I did not receive Christ as my personal Savior during this time, but I didn’t. it wasn’t until I was thirty-three years old that I took that step to the altar and accepted Jesus as my Savior. It was a tremendous relief because I had realized for a very, very long time that I was definitely an “unsaved” person.
During my thirties and some of my forties my personal like was stormy and turbulent. Sometimes life seemed plenty stressful.
When I first read the poem, “THE FOOTPRINT OF GOD”, it seemed to apply directly to me and I quote,
“God…you said you’d stay by me in the good times and in bad.
Why then did you leave me each time my life was sad?”
“My precious child,” God answered “When your life had pain,
I knew;
the single set of footprints was the times I carried you.”
When I look back to those years, I now understand that God was there all along and he brought me through.
I feel very grateful for these past ten years. As my spiritual maturity has grown, so have God’s blessing in all areas of my life.
My husband and I joined Second Baptist in January of 2003 and we both agree that our Sunday school class and Second Baptist in general, has really enhanced and impacted our spiritual growth.
God offers the gift of eternal life to all. Pray to Jesus, acknowledge that he died for your sins and rose from the dead. Ask him to forgive you of your sins and to be your Lord and Savior. Ask him to guide your life from now on. God made the plan of Salvation so simple that even a child understand it.
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.
Tom Hartwell's Testimony
Tom Hartwell's Testimony
As I read the words of all the testimonies posted on this site a fact was reaffirmed to me that brought me to tears.
At 308 South Russell, stands an empty building. It is an attractive place, complete with steeple, stained glass windows, many new rooms and a huge gym. It was indeed built to be a house of God, but it is just a huge, empty, building, UNTIL, these dear people step into it! Then it becomes a CHURCH, -"OUR CHURCH"! Full of people we love, people we trust, people that we are always happy to see. There are people here that we have literally trusted with the lives of our children, trusting that they will be taught about Jesus in the way that they should be taught. We trust that when our child makes a commitment to Christ that their little minds are cultivated, watered and nurtured so they will grow stronger in the ways of the Lord.
We have so many loving, talented people that it's hard to list them all. We have teachers, preachers, singers, musicians, nursery workers, cooks, laborers, encouragers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, missionaries, someone to represent almost every skill that you can think of!
Most importantly, these people are here not only because the church has something to offer them, but because they have something to offer the church! The church doesn't EXIST without talented people who WANT to work for Jesus!
You are so grateful for your salvation and for all the blessing that God bestows on you that you WANT to work for Him so other people will experience the same thing. That is EXACTLY the way God intended it to be!! What if God gave His Son to die for us, and nobody cared?!! But YOU PEOPLE CARE!!
I've seen you all cry and suffer when one of our dear friends is called home but that is only as it should be. I've seen it written..."We enter this world crying while our friends stand around us smiling. We should try to live our lives so that when we leave this world smiling our friends stand around us crying."
You guys all demonstrate that kind of love, a kind of love that all churches do not have!I have felt this love grow stronger because of these revival preparations.While I think there is no better church than this one, I think God is in the process of showing us that we have become complacent about getting lost people here to hear the message that all of you are working so hard to share. I believe we will do better at that in the future. They are not here only because they haven't been asked.
I have been a member here for almost 60 years. I think about my CHURCH often, and always with pleasure.
As I read the words of all the testimonies posted on this site a fact was reaffirmed to me that brought me to tears.
At 308 South Russell, stands an empty building. It is an attractive place, complete with steeple, stained glass windows, many new rooms and a huge gym. It was indeed built to be a house of God, but it is just a huge, empty, building, UNTIL, these dear people step into it! Then it becomes a CHURCH, -"OUR CHURCH"! Full of people we love, people we trust, people that we are always happy to see. There are people here that we have literally trusted with the lives of our children, trusting that they will be taught about Jesus in the way that they should be taught. We trust that when our child makes a commitment to Christ that their little minds are cultivated, watered and nurtured so they will grow stronger in the ways of the Lord.
We have so many loving, talented people that it's hard to list them all. We have teachers, preachers, singers, musicians, nursery workers, cooks, laborers, encouragers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, missionaries, someone to represent almost every skill that you can think of!
Most importantly, these people are here not only because the church has something to offer them, but because they have something to offer the church! The church doesn't EXIST without talented people who WANT to work for Jesus!
You are so grateful for your salvation and for all the blessing that God bestows on you that you WANT to work for Him so other people will experience the same thing. That is EXACTLY the way God intended it to be!! What if God gave His Son to die for us, and nobody cared?!! But YOU PEOPLE CARE!!
I've seen you all cry and suffer when one of our dear friends is called home but that is only as it should be. I've seen it written..."We enter this world crying while our friends stand around us smiling. We should try to live our lives so that when we leave this world smiling our friends stand around us crying."
You guys all demonstrate that kind of love, a kind of love that all churches do not have!I have felt this love grow stronger because of these revival preparations.While I think there is no better church than this one, I think God is in the process of showing us that we have become complacent about getting lost people here to hear the message that all of you are working so hard to share. I believe we will do better at that in the future. They are not here only because they haven't been asked.
I have been a member here for almost 60 years. I think about my CHURCH often, and always with pleasure.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Rebekah McAnally
I was born into a Christian family and my dad was a pastor. When I was three months old my dad was diagnosed with a disease called Multiple Sclerosis. It is a disease that effects your nerves and most of the time it will get better and just sometimes you will have the symptoms. That was not the case with my dad. He got to the point where he couldn’t preach anymore when I was about one.
As the years went on my dad got worse. He went from walking, (which I don’t ever remember him to walk) to a walker, to a wheel chair, to just sitting in bed and not moving anything but his fingers on his left hand.
This was a very difficult time for my whole family, what was great to know was that no matter what happed we had God by our sides. God always managed to get dad out of the hospital or get him better when not even the doctors could. He would always be in and out of the hospital and I even remember one year my grandma had to be in charge of my birthday party because my mom and dad were in the hospital. It never seemed to bother me that much though. I knew that he would be out in a couple of days because that is what always happened.
My eleventh birthday was coming up in December and I was so excited because it was my last birthday in grade school and also I was excited because my brother was turning sixteen five days after my birthday.
November of that year was when we took my dad out of the second nursing home which was about forty-five minutes away from where we lived. That December my dad got sick. I thought it would be fine because he would go to the hospital and come back and he was always better.
On December 17, 2003 my dad went in to the hospital. The next day the 18th I went to see him in ICU and he couldn’t talk. When I came out of his room the doctor wanted to talk to my whole family, so she sat us down in a little room and told us that my dad had a 20% chance of living. By this point I was hysterical and was so upset.
The next day was my brothers 16th birthday and it was almost Christmas time and this was just not supposed to be happening. That night I prayed and prayed and I could just feel God just put me in his arms and say everything will be all right. The next morning the person I was staying with woke me up at like 5:30 a.m. and said your mom is going to come and tell you something. At that point I knew. I just started to cry and I knew, my dad had passed away. When my mom finally got to tell me I don’t remember crying. I was at a peace.
I knew what had happened had happened for a reason. At first I was mad and then I realized what God had done in my life. He always gives us two roads to follow and at that point being an eleven year old girl I had to make a decision. I could have gone down the road that would have led me to bad things but I chose not to.
Now four years later, I am able to tell others about how God has changed my life. I am not saying it is easy because losing my dad at eleven was NOT an easy thing. But because of those bumpy roads, I am who I am today. God does things in our lives to make us stronger and to make us have to lean on Him and I really don’t know what I would have done without him by my side.
Rebekah McAnally
As the years went on my dad got worse. He went from walking, (which I don’t ever remember him to walk) to a walker, to a wheel chair, to just sitting in bed and not moving anything but his fingers on his left hand.
This was a very difficult time for my whole family, what was great to know was that no matter what happed we had God by our sides. God always managed to get dad out of the hospital or get him better when not even the doctors could. He would always be in and out of the hospital and I even remember one year my grandma had to be in charge of my birthday party because my mom and dad were in the hospital. It never seemed to bother me that much though. I knew that he would be out in a couple of days because that is what always happened.
My eleventh birthday was coming up in December and I was so excited because it was my last birthday in grade school and also I was excited because my brother was turning sixteen five days after my birthday.
November of that year was when we took my dad out of the second nursing home which was about forty-five minutes away from where we lived. That December my dad got sick. I thought it would be fine because he would go to the hospital and come back and he was always better.
On December 17, 2003 my dad went in to the hospital. The next day the 18th I went to see him in ICU and he couldn’t talk. When I came out of his room the doctor wanted to talk to my whole family, so she sat us down in a little room and told us that my dad had a 20% chance of living. By this point I was hysterical and was so upset.
The next day was my brothers 16th birthday and it was almost Christmas time and this was just not supposed to be happening. That night I prayed and prayed and I could just feel God just put me in his arms and say everything will be all right. The next morning the person I was staying with woke me up at like 5:30 a.m. and said your mom is going to come and tell you something. At that point I knew. I just started to cry and I knew, my dad had passed away. When my mom finally got to tell me I don’t remember crying. I was at a peace.
I knew what had happened had happened for a reason. At first I was mad and then I realized what God had done in my life. He always gives us two roads to follow and at that point being an eleven year old girl I had to make a decision. I could have gone down the road that would have led me to bad things but I chose not to.
Now four years later, I am able to tell others about how God has changed my life. I am not saying it is easy because losing my dad at eleven was NOT an easy thing. But because of those bumpy roads, I am who I am today. God does things in our lives to make us stronger and to make us have to lean on Him and I really don’t know what I would have done without him by my side.
Rebekah McAnally
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Karin Turnbull's Testimony
Karin Turnbull
Revival time is an exciting time in a church. It is a time for the unsaved to come to the Lord, but it is also a time for long time Christians to renew their faith. I fall in that category. Some one made a remark recently that their testimony was not very powerful. Any testimony is powerful in the eyes of the Lord. I used to feel like that person. I was raised in a family that believed in serving the Lord. One night in a revival, I was saved as a young girl in my home church back in Granite City. I gave my heart to the Lord at that time and I have never regretted making that decision.
Having been saved at a young age and being raised in a strong Christian home, I never lived the wild life nor did a lot of things I would live to regret. But we all have sin in our lives. I am thankful to have a God that loves me in spite of my sins. He is always there for me and I am never alone, no matter what I have to face. God sent me my husband, Gary, who also loves the Lord. We have been so blessed to have the Lord on our side in our marriage and in raising our children.
Second Baptist has been my church home for 36 years now. I am so thankful for people like Bob English who believe in visiting. Everett Henshaw and Bob visited us and invited us to Second Baptist. We felt after attending here only one time this was where God intended us to be. There are so many people here who love the Lord and are truly caring. Not being from this area and having no family around, I am so grateful to have a strong group of Christian friends who have always been there for us.
My prayer is that as we prepare for this revival, each of us asks God to cleanse our hearts of anything that would be a barrier to our being receptive to his word and his will in our lives and in our church. May God continue to bless Second Baptist and may our spirit flow throughout the whole area.
In closing, I would like to share one of my favorite verses – one that has sustained me throughout my Christian life.
Hebrews 13:5
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
Karin Turnbull
Revival time is an exciting time in a church. It is a time for the unsaved to come to the Lord, but it is also a time for long time Christians to renew their faith. I fall in that category. Some one made a remark recently that their testimony was not very powerful. Any testimony is powerful in the eyes of the Lord. I used to feel like that person. I was raised in a family that believed in serving the Lord. One night in a revival, I was saved as a young girl in my home church back in Granite City. I gave my heart to the Lord at that time and I have never regretted making that decision.
Having been saved at a young age and being raised in a strong Christian home, I never lived the wild life nor did a lot of things I would live to regret. But we all have sin in our lives. I am thankful to have a God that loves me in spite of my sins. He is always there for me and I am never alone, no matter what I have to face. God sent me my husband, Gary, who also loves the Lord. We have been so blessed to have the Lord on our side in our marriage and in raising our children.
Second Baptist has been my church home for 36 years now. I am so thankful for people like Bob English who believe in visiting. Everett Henshaw and Bob visited us and invited us to Second Baptist. We felt after attending here only one time this was where God intended us to be. There are so many people here who love the Lord and are truly caring. Not being from this area and having no family around, I am so grateful to have a strong group of Christian friends who have always been there for us.
My prayer is that as we prepare for this revival, each of us asks God to cleanse our hearts of anything that would be a barrier to our being receptive to his word and his will in our lives and in our church. May God continue to bless Second Baptist and may our spirit flow throughout the whole area.
In closing, I would like to share one of my favorite verses – one that has sustained me throughout my Christian life.
Hebrews 13:5
I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
Karin Turnbull
John Otey's Testimony
Hello to all,
My name is John Otey and I would like to take a few moments to share with you how I met my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on 13 April, 1974. Let me start by saying that my decision to accept Christ was pretty basic and simple, yet with eternal life changing significance. At 14, I was really a pretty good kid that had been brought up in church all my life, and had a family that attended church regularly and loved me while providing me with a proper environment to grow up in. I did not have any desire to use drugs or alcohol, but still I had sins in my life and knew I was lost. How did I know that I didn't have Jesus in my heart? Because I had been waging a "white knuckle pew" wrestling match for about seven years. I had known inside of me that I needed to walk down the church aisle and had kept putting it off. Well on this particular Saturday I was about to experience the power of the Holy Spirit telling me that today was going to be my day of salvation.
This was Easter weekend and my family and I were visiting at my Mother's parents home in Crab Orchard. My Grandfather was a preacher and my Grandmother was a homemaker. In their home Christ was the head of their household and their lives. My Grandparents loved and cared for me more like a son than a grandson. They had helped Mom and I get through some tough times when my Father had died in 1962 and we spent quite a bit of time in their home. Please bear with me as I relate family information because it is very important, and relevant to my spiritual beginnings as a new Christian. Grandpa knew that I was lost and without Jesus in my heart. He had guided me by giving me Bibles with passages of scripture underlined, introduced me to "The Roman Road to Salvation," and generally loved me and encouraged me.
This particular Saturday, Grandpa had asked me if I wanted to go with him to Johnston City in the afternoon. He had to go see the funeral home director because he was preaching a funeral on Easter Sunday afternoon. So I rode along and we talked, as always in length, and the conversation turned to my spiritual condition. The further we drove, the more I could feel the Holy Spirit working on my heart and when we pulled up in front of the funeral home, it was there that I prayed and ask Jesus into my heart. Folks there is no doubting that at the point when I asked Jesus to forgive me for my sins and come into my heart-he did what he promises us in the Bible-HE SAVED ME! You must realize, that even as much as my wonderful family loved and cared for me, they could not save me, only Jesus Christ could, and did on that warm April 1974 afternoon, sitting in front of a funeral home in a little brown Chevrolet.
Later, when we returned home, the sharing of the good news began. I can remember my Mom, Step-Father, Grandma and Grandpa all rejoicing in my decision. The next day I went forward at church at the invitation time and that was a little intimidating because it was Easter and the church was packed. Here I shared my decision publicly and was encouraged by so many folks that had known me from my birth in 1959. The next Sunday morning found us back home in the Peoria area and I walked down our home church aisle to share my decision and present myself as a candidate for baptism and church membership. Let me share a very powerful, if not disturbing exchange I had with one of my Sunday School teachers earlier that morning. I had shared with everyone my decision of the prior weekend and I will never forget the look of shock, for lack of a better term on my teacher's face. Very sadly, she said to me, "John, I always thought you WERE a Christian." Those words hit me like a hammer that day, and as I have grown older I use that as a great realization, NEVER ASSUME A PERSON IS SAVED IF YOU DON'T REALY KNOW. The most important decision we make while on this earth is what do we do with Jesus?-accept or reject. Share Jesus with everyone and let God and His Holy Spirit do their work.
I am combining years of life experiences and bringing this to a conclusion. I have had times in my adult life when my relationship with Jesus has brought him grief and pain due to my sins. All of us experience disappointment, disgust, and discouragement. Some of us can add a fourth "d-word" to that list also-divorce. My first marriage ended in divorce and this was a low point in my life in all aspects. A few months after trying to be "intelligent" and get my life on track with all of my wisdom, I found that what I really needed was to get God back into my life and get on my knees and ask him to forgive me for my sins. One of the first steps was to get back into church. I started coming to Second Baptist and you know what? The people I met came at me with open arms of Christian love, not judgment and persecution, or telling me I was a "second class person" because I was divorced. They encouraged me to come back to God and to get back to work for him in His Church here at Second Baptist. That was 1989 and I can truthfully say that once I quit trying to manage my life, and let the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit set in the driver's seat-what a change it has made.
Please understand, I could not make it through my life without Jesus Christ at its center. I could share so much that he has done for me and my family to bring us through all times, good, bad, and otherwise. He brought me a loving, Christian wife when I just gave everything up to God one cold December night and looked up at the stars and prayed, "God, I have made such a mess of my life, I'm tired of doing things my way-please take over and take care of me, because I can't take care of me." You know one of the first things God did was force me to take inventory of my blessings and then proceeded to give me the strength to be the Father, Son, Husband, and Believer that only He could help me to be.
I leave you with this thought-God is ABLE! He is ABLE to bring us through diseases, sickness,
deaths, hurt, family struggles and pains, divorce, suicide, unemployment, and the list goes on.
I invite anyone who reads this and says, "You know I just don't know how I am going to make it much further in this life." Jesus tells us that: "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE, AND THAT NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME."
All you have to do is ask Jesus into your heart, and start living at that moment for HIM!
Thank you-John Otey
My name is John Otey and I would like to take a few moments to share with you how I met my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on 13 April, 1974. Let me start by saying that my decision to accept Christ was pretty basic and simple, yet with eternal life changing significance. At 14, I was really a pretty good kid that had been brought up in church all my life, and had a family that attended church regularly and loved me while providing me with a proper environment to grow up in. I did not have any desire to use drugs or alcohol, but still I had sins in my life and knew I was lost. How did I know that I didn't have Jesus in my heart? Because I had been waging a "white knuckle pew" wrestling match for about seven years. I had known inside of me that I needed to walk down the church aisle and had kept putting it off. Well on this particular Saturday I was about to experience the power of the Holy Spirit telling me that today was going to be my day of salvation.
This was Easter weekend and my family and I were visiting at my Mother's parents home in Crab Orchard. My Grandfather was a preacher and my Grandmother was a homemaker. In their home Christ was the head of their household and their lives. My Grandparents loved and cared for me more like a son than a grandson. They had helped Mom and I get through some tough times when my Father had died in 1962 and we spent quite a bit of time in their home. Please bear with me as I relate family information because it is very important, and relevant to my spiritual beginnings as a new Christian. Grandpa knew that I was lost and without Jesus in my heart. He had guided me by giving me Bibles with passages of scripture underlined, introduced me to "The Roman Road to Salvation," and generally loved me and encouraged me.
This particular Saturday, Grandpa had asked me if I wanted to go with him to Johnston City in the afternoon. He had to go see the funeral home director because he was preaching a funeral on Easter Sunday afternoon. So I rode along and we talked, as always in length, and the conversation turned to my spiritual condition. The further we drove, the more I could feel the Holy Spirit working on my heart and when we pulled up in front of the funeral home, it was there that I prayed and ask Jesus into my heart. Folks there is no doubting that at the point when I asked Jesus to forgive me for my sins and come into my heart-he did what he promises us in the Bible-HE SAVED ME! You must realize, that even as much as my wonderful family loved and cared for me, they could not save me, only Jesus Christ could, and did on that warm April 1974 afternoon, sitting in front of a funeral home in a little brown Chevrolet.
Later, when we returned home, the sharing of the good news began. I can remember my Mom, Step-Father, Grandma and Grandpa all rejoicing in my decision. The next day I went forward at church at the invitation time and that was a little intimidating because it was Easter and the church was packed. Here I shared my decision publicly and was encouraged by so many folks that had known me from my birth in 1959. The next Sunday morning found us back home in the Peoria area and I walked down our home church aisle to share my decision and present myself as a candidate for baptism and church membership. Let me share a very powerful, if not disturbing exchange I had with one of my Sunday School teachers earlier that morning. I had shared with everyone my decision of the prior weekend and I will never forget the look of shock, for lack of a better term on my teacher's face. Very sadly, she said to me, "John, I always thought you WERE a Christian." Those words hit me like a hammer that day, and as I have grown older I use that as a great realization, NEVER ASSUME A PERSON IS SAVED IF YOU DON'T REALY KNOW. The most important decision we make while on this earth is what do we do with Jesus?-accept or reject. Share Jesus with everyone and let God and His Holy Spirit do their work.
I am combining years of life experiences and bringing this to a conclusion. I have had times in my adult life when my relationship with Jesus has brought him grief and pain due to my sins. All of us experience disappointment, disgust, and discouragement. Some of us can add a fourth "d-word" to that list also-divorce. My first marriage ended in divorce and this was a low point in my life in all aspects. A few months after trying to be "intelligent" and get my life on track with all of my wisdom, I found that what I really needed was to get God back into my life and get on my knees and ask him to forgive me for my sins. One of the first steps was to get back into church. I started coming to Second Baptist and you know what? The people I met came at me with open arms of Christian love, not judgment and persecution, or telling me I was a "second class person" because I was divorced. They encouraged me to come back to God and to get back to work for him in His Church here at Second Baptist. That was 1989 and I can truthfully say that once I quit trying to manage my life, and let the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit set in the driver's seat-what a change it has made.
Please understand, I could not make it through my life without Jesus Christ at its center. I could share so much that he has done for me and my family to bring us through all times, good, bad, and otherwise. He brought me a loving, Christian wife when I just gave everything up to God one cold December night and looked up at the stars and prayed, "God, I have made such a mess of my life, I'm tired of doing things my way-please take over and take care of me, because I can't take care of me." You know one of the first things God did was force me to take inventory of my blessings and then proceeded to give me the strength to be the Father, Son, Husband, and Believer that only He could help me to be.
I leave you with this thought-God is ABLE! He is ABLE to bring us through diseases, sickness,
deaths, hurt, family struggles and pains, divorce, suicide, unemployment, and the list goes on.
I invite anyone who reads this and says, "You know I just don't know how I am going to make it much further in this life." Jesus tells us that: "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE, AND THAT NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME."
All you have to do is ask Jesus into your heart, and start living at that moment for HIM!
Thank you-John Otey
Toni Stewart's Testimony
Hi,
My name is Toni Stewart. I am so thankful to be a part of the Second Baptist family.
As a young child my family lived only a few blocks from Second Baptist Church. My parents were good and loving parents, but we did not attend church as a family. Back then it was safe for me to walk to church and I did. I am thankful for all those that touched my life back then, but I really wanted my family to be there. I was saved in the Pastor's office after the worship service one Sunday morning. I had been struggling with this decision for some time and was so excited to be forgiven and part of God's family. Leona Evans was my G A leader and she knew my parents and took me home from church that wonderful morning.
Leona came in with me and spoke to my parents. They were not happy about my news. I came to understand many years later that they did not understand and that they were wrong in their reaction, but as a child, well....let's just say this was a spiritual setback that took me years to recover from.
It was very easy for me to lose my way. My family spent weekends at the lake water skiing and boating and little by little I stopped attending church. I was never a bad person, but I did alot of things I am not proud of during the following years. No excuses, just facts.
Many years later I found myself dropping my son off at Second Baptist Church where he attended with his friends. History was repeating itself. My son was saved at a lock-in here on New Year's Eve 1989. During that time my husband and I were spending alot of time with his friend's parents. They were and are some of our closest friends today and are members here. They loved us where we were, they prayed for us, my son and his friends prayed for us, Christian family members were praying for us. Of course, we had no idea that anyone was praying for us at the time.
On the Thursday night before Mother's Day 1990, our Pastor and my son's Sunday School teacher came to visit him concerning baptism. I asked a few questions while they were at our home. After they left I made a decision that would change my life forever. Yes, I had been saved as a child, but due to circumstances that is as far as it went. That night I decided to live for Jesus and shared my decision with my family. On Mother's Day morning, May 13, 1990, I made a public profession of faith. I could not wait for the invitation to come forward! That evening I was baptized and became a member of the Second Baptist family along with my son! Before long my husband was there too, but his journey is his to tell.
I cannot begin to tell you everything that has brought me to where I am today on this blog, but I can tell you that if you need the Lord, if you want to be a part of a loving church family, if you just want some peace, come....as I tell my little ones in Sunday School..."Jesus Loves You."
Thank you for this opportunity to share and to all those working so hard so others can come to know Christ.
God Bless, As Always,
Toni
My name is Toni Stewart. I am so thankful to be a part of the Second Baptist family.
As a young child my family lived only a few blocks from Second Baptist Church. My parents were good and loving parents, but we did not attend church as a family. Back then it was safe for me to walk to church and I did. I am thankful for all those that touched my life back then, but I really wanted my family to be there. I was saved in the Pastor's office after the worship service one Sunday morning. I had been struggling with this decision for some time and was so excited to be forgiven and part of God's family. Leona Evans was my G A leader and she knew my parents and took me home from church that wonderful morning.
Leona came in with me and spoke to my parents. They were not happy about my news. I came to understand many years later that they did not understand and that they were wrong in their reaction, but as a child, well....let's just say this was a spiritual setback that took me years to recover from.
It was very easy for me to lose my way. My family spent weekends at the lake water skiing and boating and little by little I stopped attending church. I was never a bad person, but I did alot of things I am not proud of during the following years. No excuses, just facts.
Many years later I found myself dropping my son off at Second Baptist Church where he attended with his friends. History was repeating itself. My son was saved at a lock-in here on New Year's Eve 1989. During that time my husband and I were spending alot of time with his friend's parents. They were and are some of our closest friends today and are members here. They loved us where we were, they prayed for us, my son and his friends prayed for us, Christian family members were praying for us. Of course, we had no idea that anyone was praying for us at the time.
On the Thursday night before Mother's Day 1990, our Pastor and my son's Sunday School teacher came to visit him concerning baptism. I asked a few questions while they were at our home. After they left I made a decision that would change my life forever. Yes, I had been saved as a child, but due to circumstances that is as far as it went. That night I decided to live for Jesus and shared my decision with my family. On Mother's Day morning, May 13, 1990, I made a public profession of faith. I could not wait for the invitation to come forward! That evening I was baptized and became a member of the Second Baptist family along with my son! Before long my husband was there too, but his journey is his to tell.
I cannot begin to tell you everything that has brought me to where I am today on this blog, but I can tell you that if you need the Lord, if you want to be a part of a loving church family, if you just want some peace, come....as I tell my little ones in Sunday School..."Jesus Loves You."
Thank you for this opportunity to share and to all those working so hard so others can come to know Christ.
God Bless, As Always,
Toni
Message from Dr. Steve Hale
"According to researcher George Barna, 75% of American adults do not believe in the existence of absolute truth, and sadly enough, 88% of teenagers agree. Even in the Church, 62% doubt the existence of absolute truth". Add to this the fact that researcher Thom Rainer found that only 4% of today's youth are Bible-based believers, we can easily see the need for such efforts as our Winning for Christ crusade.
The messages that God has given me to preach are timeless truths for truthless times. As I travel the nation, the voices of cynics and skeptics are silenced as the power of the Gospel prevails in seeing lives changed, marriages reconciled, and teens finding hope for the future.
As we prayerfully and expectantly look to these days, "may God do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think."
Steve Hale
The messages that God has given me to preach are timeless truths for truthless times. As I travel the nation, the voices of cynics and skeptics are silenced as the power of the Gospel prevails in seeing lives changed, marriages reconciled, and teens finding hope for the future.
As we prayerfully and expectantly look to these days, "may God do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think."
Steve Hale
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
J. J.'s Testimony
Hi, My name is J.J. Woods and I attend 2nd Baptist Church of Marion Illinios. I am thirteen years old and I go to MJHS. I became a Christian when I was five. I was shy and did not go forward to publicly profess my faith and get baptized until at least seven months later, the Sunday before 9-11.
Since then, I have been active in church and attend regularly. God means a lot to me. As a matter of fact, I remember a time when some people from my church and I were going to Chuck E Cheese's. We were late leaving though, and it turns out that there was a wreck that was so big, it closed the bridge to Paducah. If we had not been late, we may have been in that wreck instead of being detoured back to Marion.
Our church is having a revival coming up. There will be a student night on Monday, March 17. There will be pizza and a give away for (2) I-PODS. It will be a great opportunity for outreach and a motivation for your non-Christian friends to want to come to church.
I would really like it if, by chance you are a non-Christian and my testimony convinces you to come to church just this once for the revival night, that you would tell the youth leader how you were informed about this event and he/she will point me out if you want to say hi. I would like to meet anyone who came because of my entry on this blog.
J.J. Woods :)
Since then, I have been active in church and attend regularly. God means a lot to me. As a matter of fact, I remember a time when some people from my church and I were going to Chuck E Cheese's. We were late leaving though, and it turns out that there was a wreck that was so big, it closed the bridge to Paducah. If we had not been late, we may have been in that wreck instead of being detoured back to Marion.
Our church is having a revival coming up. There will be a student night on Monday, March 17. There will be pizza and a give away for (2) I-PODS. It will be a great opportunity for outreach and a motivation for your non-Christian friends to want to come to church.
I would really like it if, by chance you are a non-Christian and my testimony convinces you to come to church just this once for the revival night, that you would tell the youth leader how you were informed about this event and he/she will point me out if you want to say hi. I would like to meet anyone who came because of my entry on this blog.
J.J. Woods :)
Pat Pulley's Testimony
Hello, my name is Pat Pulley. I just recently moved to Richmond Virginia with a new career opportunity but my wife Vicky, still lives in Marion and attends Second Baptist Church. I travel home on occasion to see Vicky and family but I always enjoy seeing my church family and friends at Second Baptist. I love to hear and read the testimonies of other Christians and their journey for the Lord.
This is my story. My spiritual journey began in a small church. Mom told me that she and Dad brought me as a baby and put me on a pillow on the church pew because there wasn’t a nursery. As I grew in that church, there were so many people who cared about me and the wonderful Bible stories and the Sunday school lessons will always be part of my memory. I started to understand that God loved me and He had a wonderful plan for my life. The Holy Spirit began to show me that I was separated from God’s Love because of sin and without forgiveness of sin; I could never be part of God’s family. The Holy Spirit taught me that I was a sinner but the Sunday schoolteachers and church family showed me the saving grace of Jesus and told me of His infinite love for me. As a 9-year-old boy, with a deacon’s hand on my shoulder, I prayed the sinner’s prayer and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I wonder sometimes where I would be today if not for the dedicated Sunday school teachers, deacons and church leaders who took the time to share God’s plan of salvation with me. But that’s not the end of the story.
The church began to grow and we as a church were following the Great Commission to make disciples. Many lives were changed, people were saved and that small church was making a big impact on the community. As I grew older, I began to take an active part in the church to serve wherever I was needed. God continued to bless. I met the love of my life at that church, we were married and together we raised our children there. Our daughter and son were saved and baptized in that church and later my grandson was saved and baptized there also. But that is not the end of the story.
Over the years there has been lots of troubles and heartache with the loss of work, physical illness and death of family and friends. But I can say that Jesus has never forsaken us and has always been a source of strength and encouragement. Our journey has been long but we have found His Word to be true. I remember our past and see where He was always there in good times and bad, and I can look to the future, with the assurance to know that He will always be with us.
That small church where I started my spiritual journey some 60 years ago was Second Baptist. The church is larger but the hunger to share the gospel is still there. One day this old body will return to the dust and that will be the end of this story. But I will be more alive then because I will be in Heaven with my Savior and with God’s Family. That time has not yet come, and I will continue to anticipate the wonderful plans God still has for me and tell others of His love.
If you are a Christian, I trust that you rejoice in my testimony. If you are not a Christian, there are many people at Second Baptist Church that would be glad to share the saving grace of Jesus Christ and His love for you.
The story continues and I am resolved to share the love of Jesus to those around me until He calls me home. Even though I am in Richmond, I pray for the coming revival that God’s people will reach out for the lost and we continue to tell the world of God’s Love.
Pat Pulley
This is my story. My spiritual journey began in a small church. Mom told me that she and Dad brought me as a baby and put me on a pillow on the church pew because there wasn’t a nursery. As I grew in that church, there were so many people who cared about me and the wonderful Bible stories and the Sunday school lessons will always be part of my memory. I started to understand that God loved me and He had a wonderful plan for my life. The Holy Spirit began to show me that I was separated from God’s Love because of sin and without forgiveness of sin; I could never be part of God’s family. The Holy Spirit taught me that I was a sinner but the Sunday schoolteachers and church family showed me the saving grace of Jesus and told me of His infinite love for me. As a 9-year-old boy, with a deacon’s hand on my shoulder, I prayed the sinner’s prayer and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I wonder sometimes where I would be today if not for the dedicated Sunday school teachers, deacons and church leaders who took the time to share God’s plan of salvation with me. But that’s not the end of the story.
The church began to grow and we as a church were following the Great Commission to make disciples. Many lives were changed, people were saved and that small church was making a big impact on the community. As I grew older, I began to take an active part in the church to serve wherever I was needed. God continued to bless. I met the love of my life at that church, we were married and together we raised our children there. Our daughter and son were saved and baptized in that church and later my grandson was saved and baptized there also. But that is not the end of the story.
Over the years there has been lots of troubles and heartache with the loss of work, physical illness and death of family and friends. But I can say that Jesus has never forsaken us and has always been a source of strength and encouragement. Our journey has been long but we have found His Word to be true. I remember our past and see where He was always there in good times and bad, and I can look to the future, with the assurance to know that He will always be with us.
That small church where I started my spiritual journey some 60 years ago was Second Baptist. The church is larger but the hunger to share the gospel is still there. One day this old body will return to the dust and that will be the end of this story. But I will be more alive then because I will be in Heaven with my Savior and with God’s Family. That time has not yet come, and I will continue to anticipate the wonderful plans God still has for me and tell others of His love.
If you are a Christian, I trust that you rejoice in my testimony. If you are not a Christian, there are many people at Second Baptist Church that would be glad to share the saving grace of Jesus Christ and His love for you.
The story continues and I am resolved to share the love of Jesus to those around me until He calls me home. Even though I am in Richmond, I pray for the coming revival that God’s people will reach out for the lost and we continue to tell the world of God’s Love.
Pat Pulley
Rick Stonecipher's Testimony
I grew up in a good home but we rarely attended Church and I never really understood what Jesus did for me. Throughout my teen years I struggled with an alcohol problem and it wasn’t until College that God placed someone in my life to share about Jesus. I felt God drawing me to him and after my roommate shared his faith with me I realized I too needed God in my life. I placed my faith in Jesus and asked for His forgiveness and mercy. I asked Him to come into my heart and be my savior.
Since that moment in my life He has completely set me on a new track, one that leads to Him. He took the desire for alcohol out of my life so I could draw closer to him. I am so thankful for how He has blessed my life.
I am also thankful for the time He allowed us to be a part of Second Baptist. My relationship with Jesus was strengthened so much because of so many Godly teachers and the preaching of Brother Bob. I know what Jesus has done for me and I know He can do the same for anyone, no matter what their situation. That’s the power of Christ!
In His service,
Rick Stonecipher
Since that moment in my life He has completely set me on a new track, one that leads to Him. He took the desire for alcohol out of my life so I could draw closer to him. I am so thankful for how He has blessed my life.
I am also thankful for the time He allowed us to be a part of Second Baptist. My relationship with Jesus was strengthened so much because of so many Godly teachers and the preaching of Brother Bob. I know what Jesus has done for me and I know He can do the same for anyone, no matter what their situation. That’s the power of Christ!
In His service,
Rick Stonecipher
Monday, March 3, 2008
Tammy Spees Testimony
Grief and loss. Two words that to some are just words, but for others, those same two words can trigger memories and feelings untold.
Praise God, I grew up in a Christian home, knew the Lord personally and always put Him first in my life. However, I don’t think it was until 2003 that I truly knew what it meant to completely rely on Him and to understand the meaning of being “at the end of myself with no answers or resources.”
On March 13, 2003, my life changed forever. It would be changed forever in more ways than one. It was this particular Thursday that I suddenly became widowed at the young age of 35 with a daughter 15 years old, and a son just a month away from being 13.
I have always been the type of person that has it all together and can fix just about anything. This time, I couldn’t “fix it”. I could not fix it for my children. I couldn’t bring my in-laws son back, couldn’t bring a best friend back, and Lord knows, I couldn’t even help myself. Even though, during hardship so difficult that I thought I couldn’t make it, God was there. I remember calling out the name of Jesus when I was sitting beside my husbands still body in the emergency room. Grief and shock was so devastating that I could barely walk (literally) and yet, there was an inner peace that settled on me. I just said, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” over and over.
In the draining dismal days following, there were times that all I could get out of my mouth was, “Help me God! Please, just help me!” I remember lying in bed at night, looking up at the ceiling with tears flowing down my face like rain and simply saying “Help me!” And He did!
God carried me through the rough times. He directed me to every scripture in the bible about being widowed and every scripture about Him being our “very present help in time of trouble”. It was truly the Lord that brought me through the grief and hardships. He has restored my family, comforted me, been a ‘father to the fatherless’ and a ‘defender of widows’. Psalm 34:18, 19 became vividly real. "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." I could state scripture after scripture that took on a new meaning and comforted me when I needed it. I would not be the happy, confident, carefree woman I am today had it not been for the Lord.
Was it all easy? No way! Were there moments of intense anguish? You bet! There is a natural progression of grief and loss that we in these earthly bodies go through. It’s been an adventurous five years, but I can tell you from experience, that the Lord comforts, lifts, and holds us in the palm of His hand. It was the Lord and those two precious kids of mine that got me out of bed each morning. Each time I felt as if I couldn’t make it, I would fall to my knees and pour my heart out to God. I would get up off of those knees with a new found strength and peace. Just weeks after our loss, God spoke to me and said that I would always be cared for and that I should never worry about anything. He would provide and take care of me. He had my back!
He has provided, and each time I’m tempted to worry about something and take it into my hands, God quickly reminds me of those words He spoke into my spirit five years ago.
Yes, joy and laughter are present in our house once again and I have two kids that love life and love the Lord. I am a blessed woman of God!!
Tammy Spees
Friend and Colleague of Tom and Rose Fields
Praise God, I grew up in a Christian home, knew the Lord personally and always put Him first in my life. However, I don’t think it was until 2003 that I truly knew what it meant to completely rely on Him and to understand the meaning of being “at the end of myself with no answers or resources.”
On March 13, 2003, my life changed forever. It would be changed forever in more ways than one. It was this particular Thursday that I suddenly became widowed at the young age of 35 with a daughter 15 years old, and a son just a month away from being 13.
I have always been the type of person that has it all together and can fix just about anything. This time, I couldn’t “fix it”. I could not fix it for my children. I couldn’t bring my in-laws son back, couldn’t bring a best friend back, and Lord knows, I couldn’t even help myself. Even though, during hardship so difficult that I thought I couldn’t make it, God was there. I remember calling out the name of Jesus when I was sitting beside my husbands still body in the emergency room. Grief and shock was so devastating that I could barely walk (literally) and yet, there was an inner peace that settled on me. I just said, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” over and over.
In the draining dismal days following, there were times that all I could get out of my mouth was, “Help me God! Please, just help me!” I remember lying in bed at night, looking up at the ceiling with tears flowing down my face like rain and simply saying “Help me!” And He did!
God carried me through the rough times. He directed me to every scripture in the bible about being widowed and every scripture about Him being our “very present help in time of trouble”. It was truly the Lord that brought me through the grief and hardships. He has restored my family, comforted me, been a ‘father to the fatherless’ and a ‘defender of widows’. Psalm 34:18, 19 became vividly real. "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." I could state scripture after scripture that took on a new meaning and comforted me when I needed it. I would not be the happy, confident, carefree woman I am today had it not been for the Lord.
Was it all easy? No way! Were there moments of intense anguish? You bet! There is a natural progression of grief and loss that we in these earthly bodies go through. It’s been an adventurous five years, but I can tell you from experience, that the Lord comforts, lifts, and holds us in the palm of His hand. It was the Lord and those two precious kids of mine that got me out of bed each morning. Each time I felt as if I couldn’t make it, I would fall to my knees and pour my heart out to God. I would get up off of those knees with a new found strength and peace. Just weeks after our loss, God spoke to me and said that I would always be cared for and that I should never worry about anything. He would provide and take care of me. He had my back!
He has provided, and each time I’m tempted to worry about something and take it into my hands, God quickly reminds me of those words He spoke into my spirit five years ago.
Yes, joy and laughter are present in our house once again and I have two kids that love life and love the Lord. I am a blessed woman of God!!
Tammy Spees
Friend and Colleague of Tom and Rose Fields
Mary Walters Testimony
Since I began having grandchildren, I have become very aware of the importance of a strong support system.
Along with the joy of grandchildren, there have been some heart breaks. My church family has prayed through these years and still today.
It has been wonderful to be able to share with people who really care and love me and my family.
Second Baptist Church has a great staff.
Mary Walters
Along with the joy of grandchildren, there have been some heart breaks. My church family has prayed through these years and still today.
It has been wonderful to be able to share with people who really care and love me and my family.
Second Baptist Church has a great staff.
Mary Walters
Shari LaChiana Testimony
Shari's Testimony
When I was young my parents would take us to church and I loved going. I knew about Jesus and knew we had a God but never really knew why we worshiped them. We had attended a few chuches in the area and never found the fellowship. My brother had been attending Second Baptist and kept urging me to attended and I finally did.
During that time my husband and I wanted children but like a lot of couples, things don't always workout the way you want. I was diagnoised with sever endometriosis; but we tried different procedures anyway to have a child. Nothing worked. Adoption was our best chance to fulfill that dream. After a year of hard work we received our adoption license in Dec. 2000.
I was still attending church almost every Sunday and enjoyed the fellowship and love that I needed during those times.
In the spring of 2001 I felt my heart open up to the Lord and I excepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and I am so thankful I did, because I would have been lost without him.
Then in Jan. of 2002 came a big bump in my road. I was diagnosed with M.S.. There were difficult times at first but God never left my side. He gave me the strength to go on.
I knew God still wanted us to have a family, so I never gave up on that dream. I prayed daily and put my worries in His Hands.
God led us to change the Social Service group we were with and to get a lawyer, so we could
network on our own. It was a lot of work, but with the help from family and friends we were finally led down the right path God had intended us to be on.
After all the prayers and I know there were a lot, we got a call in Jan. 2004 from our lawyer. "You have a baby boy". He was truely a gift from Heaven and I still thank God daily. God led us to renew our license again in Dec 2005.
Just remember don't ever give up on what you belive in because Gods greatest gift to us are His children. Psalm 127:3
Shari LaChiana
When I was young my parents would take us to church and I loved going. I knew about Jesus and knew we had a God but never really knew why we worshiped them. We had attended a few chuches in the area and never found the fellowship. My brother had been attending Second Baptist and kept urging me to attended and I finally did.
During that time my husband and I wanted children but like a lot of couples, things don't always workout the way you want. I was diagnoised with sever endometriosis; but we tried different procedures anyway to have a child. Nothing worked. Adoption was our best chance to fulfill that dream. After a year of hard work we received our adoption license in Dec. 2000.
I was still attending church almost every Sunday and enjoyed the fellowship and love that I needed during those times.
In the spring of 2001 I felt my heart open up to the Lord and I excepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and I am so thankful I did, because I would have been lost without him.
Then in Jan. of 2002 came a big bump in my road. I was diagnosed with M.S.. There were difficult times at first but God never left my side. He gave me the strength to go on.
I knew God still wanted us to have a family, so I never gave up on that dream. I prayed daily and put my worries in His Hands.
God led us to change the Social Service group we were with and to get a lawyer, so we could
network on our own. It was a lot of work, but with the help from family and friends we were finally led down the right path God had intended us to be on.
After all the prayers and I know there were a lot, we got a call in Jan. 2004 from our lawyer. "You have a baby boy". He was truely a gift from Heaven and I still thank God daily. God led us to renew our license again in Dec 2005.
Just remember don't ever give up on what you belive in because Gods greatest gift to us are His children. Psalm 127:3
Shari LaChiana
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Chris and Jacquelyn Blumenstock's Testimonies
Jacquelyn Blumenstock's Testimony
My name is Jacquelyn Blumenstock and I am 31 years old. I have been attending Second Baptist Church since I was 7 years old. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful husband and three beautiful children.
I was saved when I was 9 years old. I remember struggling during the invitation scared that someone would make fun of me, but felt the tug to go. This went on a couple of Sundays, the Lord tugging at my heart to accept him. Finally one Sunday I could not take it anymore and went down during the invitation and asked Jesus into my heart. I was so full after that. I have never felt alone since then. I really didn’t have a big change in my life at that time. I mean, what do you do horribly wrong when you are 9 years old.
As I got older, I wasn’t a bad kid. I attended church camps and youth functions. As I got into high school I went through a small period of time that I am not proud of. I was searching for something in my life, at the time I did not know what that something was. My rebellion did not last long because it did not bring me joy.
When I was 17 years old, I met this country boy. He actually went to church on Sunday mornings, Sunday nights and also on Wednesdays, who does that? He really slowed me down. God brought me into the lives of a healthy family. I did not know what that was until then. Disfunction, that is all I knew. It was actually suffocating at first, but I grew to love it, even if I did not want to admit it.
Well I married that country boy and we had been attending his church for three years, but I talked him into coming back to my church home at Second Baptist. I finally felt like I was back home again.
A couple of years after we got married God began to tug at my heart again. I was so confused wondering if I was even saved. We had attended a revival at a church in Herrin with some other family members and I remember that my husband and I were suppose to be the good church goers, the ones the other members were suppose to see as an example. Little did I know that God was going to break my heart that night and tell me that I have not been living my life for him, so needless to say, from that point on, I made a commitment to my Lord to change and live my life for him.
After that time I had two children only 19 months apart and could not get by on my own. I began to cry out to God for help and began to seek him more than I ever had. I would go for walks with my girls in the stroller and talk to him the whole time, 45 minutes sometimes rather than listen to music. I began studying the bible and began a bible study that my church was hosting called, Beloved Disciple by Beth Moore. I fell in love with the Lord through that bible study and have clung to him ever since.
I think of myself as a child hanging onto the leg of her daddy. That is how I am with my God. I hang onto to him and he leads me in the paths that he chooses for me. I cannot and will not stop singing praises about my God. Though I did not know what I was looking for during my teens and my early adulthood, I know now that I was truly searching for the one true joy in my life. I was surrounded with blessings but still empty because I had not allowed my God to be the first and number one joy in my life. I know that now and I cling to him because with that joy brings fullness in my family as well.
Thank you for the opportunity to ramble on, but I hope that this will help you come to meet the one true joy, Jesus Christ.
Jacquelyn Blumenstock
Chris Blumenstock's Testimony
Hello,
My name is Chris Blumenstock. I have been a member of Second Baptist Church in Marion, IL. now for 11 years. I am 31 years old and have been married 11 years. I have been blessed with a great wife and 3 wonderful children.
I would like to share with you just one of the many wonderful blessings I have been given by my Savior Jesus Christ, the blessing of my church family. I cannot put into words the help and love they have shown me over the years. I was hesitant at first going to Second Baptist because it was too big for me and I would not matter. I just knew that one more face in the crowd would not matter to anyone, I could not have been any more wrong. I have been welcomed and loved several times over since that day.
One way in which my church family loved me was to challenge me to become active in Christian service. I had never realized that I had been content to sit by and watch others do the work of the church. They also have been helpful in assisting me with discovering the talents and gifts God has given me to help me accomplish that work.
I have gained relationships through the church that are as dear to me as my own family. Another one of the blessings from God is people who you can share laughter, joy, hurt, sadness and all that life can throw at us. I know that my God loves me and one of the many ways I see that everyday is through my church family.
You may have read other comments on this site that have mentioned our upcoming revival services. I hope that people who read our stories are touched and may consider attending one or all of these services. Also, I hope that anyone who is searching for a church home and does not have one would come and visit us so that we can do for you what has been done for me by this congregation. Most importantly, it is my hope and prayer that if you are reading this and you do not know Jesus Christ, or have never experienced the love of our Savior that you would come and give us an opportunity to share Christ with you.
Thank you.
Chris Blumenstock
My name is Jacquelyn Blumenstock and I am 31 years old. I have been attending Second Baptist Church since I was 7 years old. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful husband and three beautiful children.
I was saved when I was 9 years old. I remember struggling during the invitation scared that someone would make fun of me, but felt the tug to go. This went on a couple of Sundays, the Lord tugging at my heart to accept him. Finally one Sunday I could not take it anymore and went down during the invitation and asked Jesus into my heart. I was so full after that. I have never felt alone since then. I really didn’t have a big change in my life at that time. I mean, what do you do horribly wrong when you are 9 years old.
As I got older, I wasn’t a bad kid. I attended church camps and youth functions. As I got into high school I went through a small period of time that I am not proud of. I was searching for something in my life, at the time I did not know what that something was. My rebellion did not last long because it did not bring me joy.
When I was 17 years old, I met this country boy. He actually went to church on Sunday mornings, Sunday nights and also on Wednesdays, who does that? He really slowed me down. God brought me into the lives of a healthy family. I did not know what that was until then. Disfunction, that is all I knew. It was actually suffocating at first, but I grew to love it, even if I did not want to admit it.
Well I married that country boy and we had been attending his church for three years, but I talked him into coming back to my church home at Second Baptist. I finally felt like I was back home again.
A couple of years after we got married God began to tug at my heart again. I was so confused wondering if I was even saved. We had attended a revival at a church in Herrin with some other family members and I remember that my husband and I were suppose to be the good church goers, the ones the other members were suppose to see as an example. Little did I know that God was going to break my heart that night and tell me that I have not been living my life for him, so needless to say, from that point on, I made a commitment to my Lord to change and live my life for him.
After that time I had two children only 19 months apart and could not get by on my own. I began to cry out to God for help and began to seek him more than I ever had. I would go for walks with my girls in the stroller and talk to him the whole time, 45 minutes sometimes rather than listen to music. I began studying the bible and began a bible study that my church was hosting called, Beloved Disciple by Beth Moore. I fell in love with the Lord through that bible study and have clung to him ever since.
I think of myself as a child hanging onto the leg of her daddy. That is how I am with my God. I hang onto to him and he leads me in the paths that he chooses for me. I cannot and will not stop singing praises about my God. Though I did not know what I was looking for during my teens and my early adulthood, I know now that I was truly searching for the one true joy in my life. I was surrounded with blessings but still empty because I had not allowed my God to be the first and number one joy in my life. I know that now and I cling to him because with that joy brings fullness in my family as well.
Thank you for the opportunity to ramble on, but I hope that this will help you come to meet the one true joy, Jesus Christ.
Jacquelyn Blumenstock
Chris Blumenstock's Testimony
Hello,
My name is Chris Blumenstock. I have been a member of Second Baptist Church in Marion, IL. now for 11 years. I am 31 years old and have been married 11 years. I have been blessed with a great wife and 3 wonderful children.
I would like to share with you just one of the many wonderful blessings I have been given by my Savior Jesus Christ, the blessing of my church family. I cannot put into words the help and love they have shown me over the years. I was hesitant at first going to Second Baptist because it was too big for me and I would not matter. I just knew that one more face in the crowd would not matter to anyone, I could not have been any more wrong. I have been welcomed and loved several times over since that day.
One way in which my church family loved me was to challenge me to become active in Christian service. I had never realized that I had been content to sit by and watch others do the work of the church. They also have been helpful in assisting me with discovering the talents and gifts God has given me to help me accomplish that work.
I have gained relationships through the church that are as dear to me as my own family. Another one of the blessings from God is people who you can share laughter, joy, hurt, sadness and all that life can throw at us. I know that my God loves me and one of the many ways I see that everyday is through my church family.
You may have read other comments on this site that have mentioned our upcoming revival services. I hope that people who read our stories are touched and may consider attending one or all of these services. Also, I hope that anyone who is searching for a church home and does not have one would come and visit us so that we can do for you what has been done for me by this congregation. Most importantly, it is my hope and prayer that if you are reading this and you do not know Jesus Christ, or have never experienced the love of our Savior that you would come and give us an opportunity to share Christ with you.
Thank you.
Chris Blumenstock
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Charlie McKenzie's Testimony
The testimonies on this site are wonderful. They take me back to my youth when I was a member of a small country church where we often had “testimony meetings.” It was exciting to hear many of the long time Christians give their testimonies. I was always struck by the sincere, thoughtful, and thankful expressions as they told how God had worked in their lives. Sometimes there was scripture included; sometimes there were tears, but always gratitude. As one would sit down another would be rising to their feet to share what was on their heart. Those of us who were younger also participated and the typical testimony went something like this—“I’d like to stand for Jesus and thank Him for saving my soul.” That one line testimony for me was always heartfelt, but also heart pounding and always followed by a flow of relief that I had not missed an opportunity. I was grateful that I knew Jesus Christ as my Savior, and I had been given the courage to take a public stand for Him.
Once again, decades later, I am taking this opportunity to take a stand for Jesus. “Thank you Jesus for saving my soul.” My life has not been perfect and sometimes I would not even describe it as good. I am forever grateful to take my stand for Jesus because He has always been with me through it all.
If you don’t know Jesus Christ or don’t understand what you have heard about Him, please consider this as a PERSONAL INVITATION to join us. Let us introduce you to Jesus Christ and help you understand His saving grace. Come and hear about Him. He will change your life.
We are getting ready for revival at Second Baptist Church. If you are part of us, we are praying for you and we hope you are praying for revival to happen. Please pray that God will do a work in many hearts in these coming days both inside and outside the church.
May God bless each and everyone who reads these testimonies.
Charlie McKenzie
Once again, decades later, I am taking this opportunity to take a stand for Jesus. “Thank you Jesus for saving my soul.” My life has not been perfect and sometimes I would not even describe it as good. I am forever grateful to take my stand for Jesus because He has always been with me through it all.
If you don’t know Jesus Christ or don’t understand what you have heard about Him, please consider this as a PERSONAL INVITATION to join us. Let us introduce you to Jesus Christ and help you understand His saving grace. Come and hear about Him. He will change your life.
We are getting ready for revival at Second Baptist Church. If you are part of us, we are praying for you and we hope you are praying for revival to happen. Please pray that God will do a work in many hearts in these coming days both inside and outside the church.
May God bless each and everyone who reads these testimonies.
Charlie McKenzie
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Rebecca Blue's Testimony
My name is Rebecca Blue. I grew up in Oklahoma, where we were always at church. I knew about Jesus and God for as far back as I can remember. I always believed in God, but I didn’t totally believe Him. At the age of 16, I started questioning my beliefs. It seemed that those at my church had a peace that I didn’t have. But, having been in church all my life, I was sure I was going to heaven, I just wasn’t sure why.
One Sunday evening, all the teenagers in the church came to my parent’s house to hangout. Later, a close friend came in and asked if we would turn the TV off so that he could tell us something important. He shared that he had accepted Christ as his personal Savior that night, and he told of the peace and joy he now had. He said, “I found out that salvation isn’t something you get along the way, it’s a time and place when you ask Christ to forgive your sins and take control of your life.” Now, this friend and I had talked about how we both had the same feelings; that even though we didn‘t remember it we must have become a Christian sometime. So his words that night shook me to the core.
After he left, I told my parents that I wasn’t sure I was a Christian. I knew that Romans 3:23 says that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. I could quote
Romans 6:23 that said “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God was eternal life.”
I knew “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” but I had never done just that.
That night, I knelt by our couch and ask the creator of the world to forgive my sins and asked Jesus to take control of my life. What a difference that made! Oh, not to those around me, because I always tried to obey and make people happy. But, for the first time, I was doing the right things to make my Savior happy.
My life has not been perfect since then, and there have been some major tragedies occur, but it is so wonderful to know there is someone else in charge of my life, and as long as I listen to His (Jesus’) spirit and obey, I will know a peace and joy not available anywhere else. If you are missing this peace in your life, please talk to someone listed on this page, we would all love to tell you about the Savior who is waiting to forgive your sins and give you eternal life with Him in heaven.
Rebecca Blue
One Sunday evening, all the teenagers in the church came to my parent’s house to hangout. Later, a close friend came in and asked if we would turn the TV off so that he could tell us something important. He shared that he had accepted Christ as his personal Savior that night, and he told of the peace and joy he now had. He said, “I found out that salvation isn’t something you get along the way, it’s a time and place when you ask Christ to forgive your sins and take control of your life.” Now, this friend and I had talked about how we both had the same feelings; that even though we didn‘t remember it we must have become a Christian sometime. So his words that night shook me to the core.
After he left, I told my parents that I wasn’t sure I was a Christian. I knew that Romans 3:23 says that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God”. I could quote
Romans 6:23 that said “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God was eternal life.”
I knew “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved,” but I had never done just that.
That night, I knelt by our couch and ask the creator of the world to forgive my sins and asked Jesus to take control of my life. What a difference that made! Oh, not to those around me, because I always tried to obey and make people happy. But, for the first time, I was doing the right things to make my Savior happy.
My life has not been perfect since then, and there have been some major tragedies occur, but it is so wonderful to know there is someone else in charge of my life, and as long as I listen to His (Jesus’) spirit and obey, I will know a peace and joy not available anywhere else. If you are missing this peace in your life, please talk to someone listed on this page, we would all love to tell you about the Savior who is waiting to forgive your sins and give you eternal life with Him in heaven.
Rebecca Blue
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Pam Rehbein's Testimony
I was in church at a very young age. When I was 10 years old, I went to a revival meeting with a friend. I remember being so broken as I knelt at the alter, realizing my sin was keeping me from God. I then asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life.
I wish I could say that my life was lived completely for Him after that, but that is not the case. I spent several years living for myself instead of living for the Lord, wasting opportunities that could’ve been used for His glory, and I failed Him. The fact is, we all fail Him in one way or another. That’s what is so awesome about God. He is compassionate and gracious, “slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” In Joshua 1:5 God tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us, and I am so thankful for that, because He has been there with me through some very difficult times. He has carried me when I thought I could not go on. He is always faithful.
In Isaiah it says that though our sins are “like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” We all have something “scarlet” in our lives, but we have a God Who love us the way we are, forgives us, carries us through difficult times and rejoices with us. That’s where revival begins, with each of us humbly bowing before the Father, realizing that we are nothing without Him. Then He can use us and burst forth His Spirit in an amazing way. I am excited to see God’s Spirit moving in our midst. He’s been waiting for us – and someday we shall see Him face to face. Hallelujah – what a Savior!
I wish I could say that my life was lived completely for Him after that, but that is not the case. I spent several years living for myself instead of living for the Lord, wasting opportunities that could’ve been used for His glory, and I failed Him. The fact is, we all fail Him in one way or another. That’s what is so awesome about God. He is compassionate and gracious, “slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” In Joshua 1:5 God tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us, and I am so thankful for that, because He has been there with me through some very difficult times. He has carried me when I thought I could not go on. He is always faithful.
In Isaiah it says that though our sins are “like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” We all have something “scarlet” in our lives, but we have a God Who love us the way we are, forgives us, carries us through difficult times and rejoices with us. That’s where revival begins, with each of us humbly bowing before the Father, realizing that we are nothing without Him. Then He can use us and burst forth His Spirit in an amazing way. I am excited to see God’s Spirit moving in our midst. He’s been waiting for us – and someday we shall see Him face to face. Hallelujah – what a Savior!
Pam Rehbein
Introducing Steve Hale, Revival Evangelist
As a young college student, Steve Hale accepted God’s call into vocational evangelism. Although his career path was pointed toward sports journalism, God had other plans when He led Steve to kneel in prayer with an open Bible and a surrendered heart. During that moment, the message in 2nd Timothy 4:1—5 quickened Steve’s spirit to “preach the Word…Do the work of an evangelist.” It was instantly obvious to Steve that God had arrested his attention and was applying those words to him personally.
For over twenty-five years, Steve Hale has been devoting himself to the pursuit of God’s high calling. While the evangelical landscape has changed over the years, Steve’s commitment and passion for God’s call is stronger than ever.
Having stood the test of time, Steve Hale’s ministry has been recognized as a standard bearer for integrity in evangelism. In the early ‘90’s he served as national president for Southern Baptist evangelists and on two occasions was one of a select few evangelists to meet with Billy Graham’s staff for eight hours. In 1992, he was invited by Dr. Johnny Hunt to base his ministry out of the 14,000 member First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia where he holds the title of Staff Evangelist. Through the years it has been Steve’s privilege to speak on numerous occasions at FBCW, but it was a special honor to recently conduct a major four-day evangelistic event in his home church.
We are happy to have Brother Steve in our church leading our revival, March 16th through March 19th. I want to encourage you to pray for him daily as he prepares to come and lead us in our revival.
Bro. Bob
For over twenty-five years, Steve Hale has been devoting himself to the pursuit of God’s high calling. While the evangelical landscape has changed over the years, Steve’s commitment and passion for God’s call is stronger than ever.
Having stood the test of time, Steve Hale’s ministry has been recognized as a standard bearer for integrity in evangelism. In the early ‘90’s he served as national president for Southern Baptist evangelists and on two occasions was one of a select few evangelists to meet with Billy Graham’s staff for eight hours. In 1992, he was invited by Dr. Johnny Hunt to base his ministry out of the 14,000 member First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia where he holds the title of Staff Evangelist. Through the years it has been Steve’s privilege to speak on numerous occasions at FBCW, but it was a special honor to recently conduct a major four-day evangelistic event in his home church.
We are happy to have Brother Steve in our church leading our revival, March 16th through March 19th. I want to encourage you to pray for him daily as he prepares to come and lead us in our revival.
Bro. Bob
Invitation to College and Careers
Around Second Baptist Church you can feel excitement and expectancy in the air. God is moving and we are so privileged to be a part of it!
In our College and Career Department, we have a wonderful, faithful group of young people who would love for you to join us on Sunday mornings for Bible Study and fellowship and to join us at our Revival.
Please, COME AND JOIN US!
Tom and Paula Hendrickson
In our College and Career Department, we have a wonderful, faithful group of young people who would love for you to join us on Sunday mornings for Bible Study and fellowship and to join us at our Revival.
Please, COME AND JOIN US!
Tom and Paula Hendrickson
Deanna Stonecipher
What a wonderful privilege it is to be able to share about my relationship with Jesus Christ. I serve a God who loves me and knows me by name. He cares about every little detail in my life, and nothing is too great or small for Him to handle. I wish I could say that realization happened the night I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, at the age of nine. Thankfully God is also patient and allows us to grow in our relationship with Him. The Second Baptist Church family has been very instrumental in that growing process.
Through solid Biblical preaching and teaching at Second Baptist, God has impressed upon me the importance of getting out of my comfort zone and being obedient to His will. God has shown me that we all have a responsibility to share His saving grace with others. Believe me, for years I thought that was someone else’s responsibility. I have two verses I claim each time the opportunity arises for me to share Christ.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power,
of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will
never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8
God knows that I am definitely a work in progress. It is my prayer that I will be totally focused on Him daily and aware of the divine appointments He has already set up.
I praise God for allowing us to have been members at Second Baptist. We have been away for the last two years; however, we believe that God has left the door open for us to be back. He has shown us so much over the last two years. Because of the firm foundation of preaching and teaching we received at Second Baptist and the prayer support of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we have been able to recognize the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives. We serve a Risen Savior!! I join you all in praying for revival in Marion and may it start with me here in Kansas City.
Thank you, Jon for starting the 2BRevived blog. It has been a wonderful encouragement and reminder.
Deanna Stonecipher
Through solid Biblical preaching and teaching at Second Baptist, God has impressed upon me the importance of getting out of my comfort zone and being obedient to His will. God has shown me that we all have a responsibility to share His saving grace with others. Believe me, for years I thought that was someone else’s responsibility. I have two verses I claim each time the opportunity arises for me to share Christ.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power,
of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will
never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8
God knows that I am definitely a work in progress. It is my prayer that I will be totally focused on Him daily and aware of the divine appointments He has already set up.
I praise God for allowing us to have been members at Second Baptist. We have been away for the last two years; however, we believe that God has left the door open for us to be back. He has shown us so much over the last two years. Because of the firm foundation of preaching and teaching we received at Second Baptist and the prayer support of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we have been able to recognize the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives. We serve a Risen Savior!! I join you all in praying for revival in Marion and may it start with me here in Kansas City.
Thank you, Jon for starting the 2BRevived blog. It has been a wonderful encouragement and reminder.
Deanna Stonecipher
Donna Martin's Testimony
I was born into a family that did not go to church, into a family of a periodic alcoholic father and mother weighed down by shame. A periodic alcoholic is someone who may be sober for years at a time, drunk for years at a time, and in our case, absent for years at time.
While my family didn't go to church, I think I was allowed to go with a neighbor. I don't remember going, but I believe it must have been there that I learned the song "Jesus Loves Me" and another simple chorus.
During sober years dad collected apartment buildings. Two of these were across the avenue from the Arkansas state capital. One afternoon dad got a call to go to one of these buildings. After much discussion between parents I got to go. I'm not sure how old I was, I guess 3 or 4. I know he was gone before I started kindergarten and didn't come back until the end of 3rd grade. And I was still young enough to do as I was told.
I stayed in the car while he went into the building. It got dark... and darker. People began to stop by the car and look in. The darker it got, the creepier the men looked. I began to sing a chorus to myself , sang it over & over; "Whenever I'm afraid I will put my trust in thee; Whenever I'm afraid I will put my trust in thee"
Eventually I fell asleep. I sang the chorus again whenever I'd wake up and a face would be at the window.
It was well into daylight before dad drove me home. I went home knowing that I had a safe place, a refuge, and that whenever I sang "whenever I'm afraid..." "THEE" was right there with me.
In October the year I was 9 the little church down the street had revival meetings. Mom and I went with someone. The music for the invitation began and I started to get out of the row. Mom said I didn't know what I was doing and wouldn't let me go. But the next night we went back. I don't know what the sermon was about, but "THEE" was there and nothing could hold me back from Him. Peace broke over me. I knew God was my Father. There was a man who sometimes lived in the same house, but God was my Father, my Abba.
Salvation is a church word that means you know you need Jesus to fill those hurt and scary places and you want His presence in your life so much you willingly give up anything that would keep you away from Him. Just ask Him to do that. Tell Him you want Him to be all the things He wants to be in your life. Let Him love you. Love Him back. You can learn church words later.
Donna Martin
While my family didn't go to church, I think I was allowed to go with a neighbor. I don't remember going, but I believe it must have been there that I learned the song "Jesus Loves Me" and another simple chorus.
During sober years dad collected apartment buildings. Two of these were across the avenue from the Arkansas state capital. One afternoon dad got a call to go to one of these buildings. After much discussion between parents I got to go. I'm not sure how old I was, I guess 3 or 4. I know he was gone before I started kindergarten and didn't come back until the end of 3rd grade. And I was still young enough to do as I was told.
I stayed in the car while he went into the building. It got dark... and darker. People began to stop by the car and look in. The darker it got, the creepier the men looked. I began to sing a chorus to myself , sang it over & over; "Whenever I'm afraid I will put my trust in thee; Whenever I'm afraid I will put my trust in thee"
Eventually I fell asleep. I sang the chorus again whenever I'd wake up and a face would be at the window.
It was well into daylight before dad drove me home. I went home knowing that I had a safe place, a refuge, and that whenever I sang "whenever I'm afraid..." "THEE" was right there with me.
In October the year I was 9 the little church down the street had revival meetings. Mom and I went with someone. The music for the invitation began and I started to get out of the row. Mom said I didn't know what I was doing and wouldn't let me go. But the next night we went back. I don't know what the sermon was about, but "THEE" was there and nothing could hold me back from Him. Peace broke over me. I knew God was my Father. There was a man who sometimes lived in the same house, but God was my Father, my Abba.
Salvation is a church word that means you know you need Jesus to fill those hurt and scary places and you want His presence in your life so much you willingly give up anything that would keep you away from Him. Just ask Him to do that. Tell Him you want Him to be all the things He wants to be in your life. Let Him love you. Love Him back. You can learn church words later.
Donna Martin
Pam Ward's Testimony
Months ago, on a Sunday morning, when it was first announced that a revival was scheduled for March, something quickened in my spirit. I knew God was in this.
In the days, weeks and months following, God has pointed me to the altar area of our sanctuary. He is comparing it to a garden. The soil is rich and capable of growing a crop and producing a good harvest. But I believe God has said that this fertile soil has lain fallow too long. Before it can be tilled and planted, the sod must be broken. Sod is made-up of the matted roots of grasses and must be cut and torn from the surface.
I am not a farmer but I know enough to say that “busting” sod is very hard work. Even so, it is worthwhile, valuable and profitable work, for beneath that sod is rich, fertile soil waiting to be tilled and planted. A crop will grow and this church will reap a spiritual harvest.
I believe the work has already begun, but are the “workers few”? Beth Moore says, when God gives you a handful of seeds, don’t eat them and enjoy a one-time meal for yourself. Plant those seeds and raise a crop that will bless many.
I do not claim to understand, in a spiritual sense, all that this analogy of the garden means. I do know God is speaking to Second Baptist church and He is moving. He intends for us to experience revival. Will you come work in His garden?
Pam Ward
In the days, weeks and months following, God has pointed me to the altar area of our sanctuary. He is comparing it to a garden. The soil is rich and capable of growing a crop and producing a good harvest. But I believe God has said that this fertile soil has lain fallow too long. Before it can be tilled and planted, the sod must be broken. Sod is made-up of the matted roots of grasses and must be cut and torn from the surface.
I am not a farmer but I know enough to say that “busting” sod is very hard work. Even so, it is worthwhile, valuable and profitable work, for beneath that sod is rich, fertile soil waiting to be tilled and planted. A crop will grow and this church will reap a spiritual harvest.
I believe the work has already begun, but are the “workers few”? Beth Moore says, when God gives you a handful of seeds, don’t eat them and enjoy a one-time meal for yourself. Plant those seeds and raise a crop that will bless many.
I do not claim to understand, in a spiritual sense, all that this analogy of the garden means. I do know God is speaking to Second Baptist church and He is moving. He intends for us to experience revival. Will you come work in His garden?
Pam Ward
The Great Commission
I have been appointed (anointed?) chairman of the Steve Hale Revival steering committee, and have been referred to in some circles as the “Revival Pope”. I profess no infallibility, but I do have some strong feelings about the revival, and outreach in general.
Churches, including Second Baptist in Marion, tend to do a credible job of ministering to their in-house flock. A good example is each week Sunday School class members volunteer the names of members with various illnesses or problems, and then we ardently pray for those suffering members. That is a good thing.
However, if praying for each others’ gall bladders is all we ever do as a church, we overlook the main mission of the church, which is the Great Commission Christ commanded his disciples to follow:
Matt. 28:16-20
19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age."
It occurs to me that God designed our gall bladders to wear out. God designed our souls for eternal duration. What should we spend more time praying about: our members’ gall bladders or our friends’ souls?
Although it’s certainly easier to pray piously for a friend’s gall bladder and then head out to Cracker Barrel for lunch than to talk to that same friend about his spiritual alignment, I can think of no good excuse why a follower of Christ should not be concerned with the eternal well-being of his friends, family and neighbors.
The Steve Hale revival is simply a good focal point to emphasize and then concentrate upon the church’s outreach ministry. That concern for our friends and our church’s outreach should continue well after the revival team has uprooted its tent and moved on.
Doug Dorris
(618) 997-2035
dandmdorris@verizon.net
Churches, including Second Baptist in Marion, tend to do a credible job of ministering to their in-house flock. A good example is each week Sunday School class members volunteer the names of members with various illnesses or problems, and then we ardently pray for those suffering members. That is a good thing.
However, if praying for each others’ gall bladders is all we ever do as a church, we overlook the main mission of the church, which is the Great Commission Christ commanded his disciples to follow:
Matt. 28:16-20
19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age."
It occurs to me that God designed our gall bladders to wear out. God designed our souls for eternal duration. What should we spend more time praying about: our members’ gall bladders or our friends’ souls?
Although it’s certainly easier to pray piously for a friend’s gall bladder and then head out to Cracker Barrel for lunch than to talk to that same friend about his spiritual alignment, I can think of no good excuse why a follower of Christ should not be concerned with the eternal well-being of his friends, family and neighbors.
The Steve Hale revival is simply a good focal point to emphasize and then concentrate upon the church’s outreach ministry. That concern for our friends and our church’s outreach should continue well after the revival team has uprooted its tent and moved on.
Doug Dorris
(618) 997-2035
dandmdorris@verizon.net
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Mary Baggett's Testimony
Mary’s Testimony
At Second Baptist Church we sing a song titled “ People Need the Lord”. I want that to be the theme of my testimony. All people need the Lord Jesus Christ and He is willing and able to give us what we need.
I don’t have a testimony of deliverance from drugs, alcohol or sexual sin. My siblings and I did have a dysfunctional childhood. I think that because of the addictions we lived through and the consequences that ensued, I wanted no part of those lifestyles. But, I was still a sinner. I needed the Lord. In March of 1974, during a revival, my husband and I were saved on the same night. I will never forget the feeling that flooded me. It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of me. I wanted everyone to know my good news.
I wish I could say that life was just perfect after my salvation. But, that’s not Biblical. The Bible says “it rains on the just and the unjust”. Circumstances of living cause a lot of different emotions. But the Joy of the Lord never ceases. God gives a peace that passes all understanding.
With this Joy and Peace and reading God’s word and Prayer, we can make it through.
Now I’ve said that I did not get involved in the “bad sins”. (To God, all sin is “bad sin”) But, what if I had? Or more importantly, what if you have? You are a sinner just like me. Without salvation from Jesus, sinners are headed to an eternity without the Lord in a devil’s hell. Are you stuck in the miry clay of bad choices and day to day living and feel like you can’t get out? Do you think that you are so far gone that even Jesus can’t or won’t help you? You just need the Lord. Please let me direct you to my Lord Jesus Christ. I promise you with all my heart that He is the Answer to all of your needs. He loves everyone of us and has a wonderful plan for your life.
I thank God for the life He has given me.
Mary Baggett
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV Translation
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
At Second Baptist Church we sing a song titled “ People Need the Lord”. I want that to be the theme of my testimony. All people need the Lord Jesus Christ and He is willing and able to give us what we need.
I don’t have a testimony of deliverance from drugs, alcohol or sexual sin. My siblings and I did have a dysfunctional childhood. I think that because of the addictions we lived through and the consequences that ensued, I wanted no part of those lifestyles. But, I was still a sinner. I needed the Lord. In March of 1974, during a revival, my husband and I were saved on the same night. I will never forget the feeling that flooded me. It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of me. I wanted everyone to know my good news.
I wish I could say that life was just perfect after my salvation. But, that’s not Biblical. The Bible says “it rains on the just and the unjust”. Circumstances of living cause a lot of different emotions. But the Joy of the Lord never ceases. God gives a peace that passes all understanding.
With this Joy and Peace and reading God’s word and Prayer, we can make it through.
Now I’ve said that I did not get involved in the “bad sins”. (To God, all sin is “bad sin”) But, what if I had? Or more importantly, what if you have? You are a sinner just like me. Without salvation from Jesus, sinners are headed to an eternity without the Lord in a devil’s hell. Are you stuck in the miry clay of bad choices and day to day living and feel like you can’t get out? Do you think that you are so far gone that even Jesus can’t or won’t help you? You just need the Lord. Please let me direct you to my Lord Jesus Christ. I promise you with all my heart that He is the Answer to all of your needs. He loves everyone of us and has a wonderful plan for your life.
I thank God for the life He has given me.
Mary Baggett
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV Translation
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Frances Van Horn's Testimony
As I start to write, I am not sure what I want to say. I am thinking—what is it about my relationship with Christ that makes it all worthwhile for me on a daily basis? I do not have a testimony of a dysfunctional childhood, abuse or addictions. In fact, it is just the opposite, I have been truly blessed. God continues to bless me each day—in spite of my many shortcomings!
Of course, there have still been times of great stress and/or trouble. However, I have always felt the comforting presence of my God. I think that is what I would like to convey as much as anything—no matter what comes, my God is able to carry me through it.
Our time here on Earth is very short when compared to eternity. I am so thankful for this great country we live in. However, by accepting the gift of salvation through Christ’s death and resurrection, my permanent citizenship has been moved to Heaven. Hallelujah!!
It easy to become complacent about what God has done. My prayer is that I become excited about the plans He has for me today, tomorrow and forever.
“THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE. I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.” Psalm 118:24
Frances Van Horn
Of course, there have still been times of great stress and/or trouble. However, I have always felt the comforting presence of my God. I think that is what I would like to convey as much as anything—no matter what comes, my God is able to carry me through it.
Our time here on Earth is very short when compared to eternity. I am so thankful for this great country we live in. However, by accepting the gift of salvation through Christ’s death and resurrection, my permanent citizenship has been moved to Heaven. Hallelujah!!
It easy to become complacent about what God has done. My prayer is that I become excited about the plans He has for me today, tomorrow and forever.
“THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE. I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.” Psalm 118:24
Frances Van Horn
Ron Ervin's Testimony
Some of my fondest memories revolve around church. I was fortunate to be born to parents that loved the Lord and was determined to raise me in such a way that I would also know and love the Lord. I attended church for the first time at the age of 11 days. From that time forward, if the church was unlocked we were probably there. I have often joked that I didn’t see the end of “The Wizard of Oz” until I was 15 years old (for younger readers, at one time “The Wizard of Oz” was only shown on Sunday night).
At around the age of nine, I began realizing that other people in our church had something that I didn’t. I didn’t know what that something was (I later learned it was a personal relationship with Jesus) but I knew that I wanted it also. I could not give you the exact date but I can tell you that on a cold winter’s night in 1961, I could wait no longer. When the invitation was given, I fairly flew to the altar and accepted Jesus as my Savior. I cannot fully describe the weight that was lifted from that nine year old boy.
Since that time, knowing that I am His and He is mine has meant so much to me. Yes, I’ve had my failures. Yes, I was a rebellious teen. In short, I am not perfect. But I have found that no matter how I fail Him, no matter how faithless I am, God is always faithful. God is always there and He always loves me. He loves you, too.
You can know Jesus as your Savior. You can experience His peace and love. Just accept the free gift of salvation that He offers.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Ron Ervin
At around the age of nine, I began realizing that other people in our church had something that I didn’t. I didn’t know what that something was (I later learned it was a personal relationship with Jesus) but I knew that I wanted it also. I could not give you the exact date but I can tell you that on a cold winter’s night in 1961, I could wait no longer. When the invitation was given, I fairly flew to the altar and accepted Jesus as my Savior. I cannot fully describe the weight that was lifted from that nine year old boy.
Since that time, knowing that I am His and He is mine has meant so much to me. Yes, I’ve had my failures. Yes, I was a rebellious teen. In short, I am not perfect. But I have found that no matter how I fail Him, no matter how faithless I am, God is always faithful. God is always there and He always loves me. He loves you, too.
You can know Jesus as your Savior. You can experience His peace and love. Just accept the free gift of salvation that He offers.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Ron Ervin
Carla's Testimony
Having been raised in a Christian home and in church, I was familiar with Jesus from a young age. It was not until I left home that i realized I needed more than just knowing about Jesus.
I had been provided the opportunity for a college education. I had a good job, a house, a nice car, and family and friends. I had the things that by society's standards indicated I was successful and thus should have been happy. Yet with all these "things" I felt lonely even when I was among people.
One day I understood that although I was a good person, I was still a sinner. I asked Jesus to be my personal savior. From that point, I have never been along and have been happy in both trials and joyous events of life.
I know that "things" do not bring happiness. I have seen people with abundant wealth who are not satisfied. I have also seen people with little according to society's standards, and have found them to be joyful because of the One that they do have. Jesus.
Carla Pulley
I had been provided the opportunity for a college education. I had a good job, a house, a nice car, and family and friends. I had the things that by society's standards indicated I was successful and thus should have been happy. Yet with all these "things" I felt lonely even when I was among people.
One day I understood that although I was a good person, I was still a sinner. I asked Jesus to be my personal savior. From that point, I have never been along and have been happy in both trials and joyous events of life.
I know that "things" do not bring happiness. I have seen people with abundant wealth who are not satisfied. I have also seen people with little according to society's standards, and have found them to be joyful because of the One that they do have. Jesus.
Carla Pulley
Monday, February 25, 2008
Krista's Testimony
First of all I would like to congratulate the publicity committee for creating such a professional blog.
My name is Krista Cartwright and I have attended 2nd Baptist Church since my existence on this earth. I feel very grateful to have been raised in a church that has always encouraged my spiritual development and allowed me to be surrounded with great examples of God’s servants.
As a person that has always been surrounded with bible truths and “Christian” people I feel like I have come to a place in my life were I am unexcited or unresponsive with many spiritual things. I don’t know if this is because of years of spiritual complacency or lack of faith. When talk of this revival first started I had many emotions and thoughts that came to me. I first thought that I would attend 3 or 4 services and after they were finished would see little lasting impressions made on our church or community. I also questioned the “tactics” that would be used to share the gospel. I quickly saw that some past experiences or this pessimistic attitude was quickly affecting my thoughts that a “revival” would do anything for me or the lost people in Marion, IL. My negative attitude came to a halt when I saw something different in some of His people. I saw a desire. I saw a desire to see God work. This was something that moved me from with in and has started a spark in my own life.
I have witnessed many people honestly fired up with the possibility of people in our community coming to know Christ. This has not only excited me but it has also given me the realization that revival is something I need for myself. I looked up the synonyms for the word revival and these are a few of the results: restoration, renewal, revitalization. I can easily say that these are the exact things I need to take place in my life.
I want to come to a place where I am totally dependent on Jesus Christ and continue to have a great desire to know Him more. I am ready to be a part of something great. I am tired of “going” to church and am ready to be the church that God wants me to be.
Thank you to everyone that has given time to the planning of the revival. I also want to thank God for giving us the opportunity to meet with you.
Krista Cartwright
My name is Krista Cartwright and I have attended 2nd Baptist Church since my existence on this earth. I feel very grateful to have been raised in a church that has always encouraged my spiritual development and allowed me to be surrounded with great examples of God’s servants.
As a person that has always been surrounded with bible truths and “Christian” people I feel like I have come to a place in my life were I am unexcited or unresponsive with many spiritual things. I don’t know if this is because of years of spiritual complacency or lack of faith. When talk of this revival first started I had many emotions and thoughts that came to me. I first thought that I would attend 3 or 4 services and after they were finished would see little lasting impressions made on our church or community. I also questioned the “tactics” that would be used to share the gospel. I quickly saw that some past experiences or this pessimistic attitude was quickly affecting my thoughts that a “revival” would do anything for me or the lost people in Marion, IL. My negative attitude came to a halt when I saw something different in some of His people. I saw a desire. I saw a desire to see God work. This was something that moved me from with in and has started a spark in my own life.
I have witnessed many people honestly fired up with the possibility of people in our community coming to know Christ. This has not only excited me but it has also given me the realization that revival is something I need for myself. I looked up the synonyms for the word revival and these are a few of the results: restoration, renewal, revitalization. I can easily say that these are the exact things I need to take place in my life.
I want to come to a place where I am totally dependent on Jesus Christ and continue to have a great desire to know Him more. I am ready to be a part of something great. I am tired of “going” to church and am ready to be the church that God wants me to be.
Thank you to everyone that has given time to the planning of the revival. I also want to thank God for giving us the opportunity to meet with you.
Krista Cartwright
Jennifer's Testimony
I gave my heart to Jesus when I was 13. I made that decision after a week of Bible School at Palestine Baptist Church. The pastor at that time was Seba Marshall, and for some reason he took a special interest in me. It was during that Sunday morning invitation that he reached out for my hand that was gripping the back of the pew with all the strong will I could muster. I was so afraid of what I was embarking on, but I knew I was a sinner and that Jesus was calling me to accept Him. I was baptized that same afternoon in Little Grassy Lake. I remember it like it was yesterday. I never knew that giving my heart to Jesus would reap such rewards for me in the years to come.
Since that tender age of 13, I have experienced trials and times of real sadness, just like everyone else. God didn’t say living the Christian life would be easy, but He did promise that He would never leave me or forsake me. He has always kept that promise.
God has blessed me with a great husband, 2 wonderful sons and 3 ¾ even MORE wonderful grandchildren. Blessing he has given me certainly out weigh the troublesome times.
God has been my comforter, my teacher, my friend, my deliverer, and many more names too numerous to mention. But most of all, He is my Lord and my Savior! I can’t imagine living without Him and the good news is because of His sacrifice on the cross, I won’t ever have to. I look forward to seeing all the things He has planned for my sons and their children. He truly is an amazing and loving God!
PROVERBS 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him and the will make your paths straight.
Jennifer Hartwell
Since that tender age of 13, I have experienced trials and times of real sadness, just like everyone else. God didn’t say living the Christian life would be easy, but He did promise that He would never leave me or forsake me. He has always kept that promise.
God has blessed me with a great husband, 2 wonderful sons and 3 ¾ even MORE wonderful grandchildren. Blessing he has given me certainly out weigh the troublesome times.
God has been my comforter, my teacher, my friend, my deliverer, and many more names too numerous to mention. But most of all, He is my Lord and my Savior! I can’t imagine living without Him and the good news is because of His sacrifice on the cross, I won’t ever have to. I look forward to seeing all the things He has planned for my sons and their children. He truly is an amazing and loving God!
PROVERBS 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge him and the will make your paths straight.
Jennifer Hartwell
Paula's Testimony
When I was 8 years old, I came to the realization that something was not right in me. At the time, I wasn't sure what it was. My Sunday School teacher, Betty Hanor, had been teaching about how God loved us all. But we were all sinners to Him and our sin kept us from being able to know Him. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. She said if we would ask Jesus into our heart and accept Him as Lord of our life, He would accept us. I knew that was what I had to do.
So on a Sunday evening in May, 1961, I asked Jesus into my heart. I can't explain the feeling that flooded into me when I made that decision. I only know I felt the void fill up!
Since that night, I have felt God with me in everything I do. He leads me when I need guidance, comforts me when I am sad, gives me peace when I am in turmoil, carries me when I don't think I can make it through another day.
I love Him with all my heart! You can too, if you just ask Him into your heart.
Paula Kelly
So on a Sunday evening in May, 1961, I asked Jesus into my heart. I can't explain the feeling that flooded into me when I made that decision. I only know I felt the void fill up!
Since that night, I have felt God with me in everything I do. He leads me when I need guidance, comforts me when I am sad, gives me peace when I am in turmoil, carries me when I don't think I can make it through another day.
I love Him with all my heart! You can too, if you just ask Him into your heart.
Paula Kelly
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Friendliness Attracted Me to Second Baptist
My first visit to 2nd Baptist Church, I was welcomed and the friendliness shown to me and my husband was great. You could feel the sincerity of the people. I have been a member of the church now for over 5 years and I haven’t regretted a minute of it.
We have an experienced, reliable and caring pastor, the music speaks to people of all ages, the Word of the Lord is taught, there is an outreach ministry of the church with the youth, upwards basketball, fellowship meetings and visitation. Sunday School classes are teaching and encouraging people to stand firm for God in this very troublesome time. There are bible studies for women of all ages, our senior members have many activities and programs and so much more.
There are so many things that are offered at the church that no matter who you are, you would find a place to meet God, learn of his boundless love and mercy and worship and praise the Lord with a loving church family.
I pray that the weeks leading up to this revival, during the revival and for a long time after the revival has ended that people give their hearts to the Jesus Christ, that Christians receive an over abundance of joy and such a burning desire to see people come to know the Lord that this revival will spread over the entire town and the surrounding areas.
In closing, my prayer for this revival and for myself and all who attend is not that 2nd Baptist Church, or the people, or the evangelist receives the glory….that only God will get all the praise and glory. God not only deserves the praise and the glory, He demands it.
Psalms 150:6: Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
We have an experienced, reliable and caring pastor, the music speaks to people of all ages, the Word of the Lord is taught, there is an outreach ministry of the church with the youth, upwards basketball, fellowship meetings and visitation. Sunday School classes are teaching and encouraging people to stand firm for God in this very troublesome time. There are bible studies for women of all ages, our senior members have many activities and programs and so much more.
There are so many things that are offered at the church that no matter who you are, you would find a place to meet God, learn of his boundless love and mercy and worship and praise the Lord with a loving church family.
I pray that the weeks leading up to this revival, during the revival and for a long time after the revival has ended that people give their hearts to the Jesus Christ, that Christians receive an over abundance of joy and such a burning desire to see people come to know the Lord that this revival will spread over the entire town and the surrounding areas.
In closing, my prayer for this revival and for myself and all who attend is not that 2nd Baptist Church, or the people, or the evangelist receives the glory….that only God will get all the praise and glory. God not only deserves the praise and the glory, He demands it.
Psalms 150:6: Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Introducing 2BRevived.com
Hello, my name is Jon Musgrave and I'm a member of Second Baptist Church, and more specifically, a member of the publicity committee for the church's upcoming spring revival set for March 16-19, 2008.
I'm the one who suggested the blog so it fell on my shoulders to set it up. Over the next six weeks different people from the church will be adding information about the plans for the revival and what different events will be taking place.
To be honest I used to dread revivals as a kid. I didn't see the point. Now with a few more years under my belt and a few mission trips later I can really understand the two-fold purpose of revivals.
First, I need it in my own life. Even as a Christian, life can be tough. Career demands can seem to eat away at every available minute — whether I'm at work or at home. For others it's the demands of family and other interests. We get busy and too often we let our spiritual life slide into second place (or even further back).
Organized revivals can jar our attention back to God, often when we probably need it the most.
Secondly, revivals, like mission trips, help can the church to focus on what God has called us to do — to reach out and tell people about Him and what He can do in their lives if they will believe in Him, confess their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Thus 2Brevived.com is not just for believers who need to refocus, but also for those still seeking salvation and new life as the apostle Paul explained in his letter to the believers in Rome:
It's a powerful concept Paul was writing about but I and others can testify that it is real both in the here and now, as well as eternally in life after death.
I'm the one who suggested the blog so it fell on my shoulders to set it up. Over the next six weeks different people from the church will be adding information about the plans for the revival and what different events will be taking place.
To be honest I used to dread revivals as a kid. I didn't see the point. Now with a few more years under my belt and a few mission trips later I can really understand the two-fold purpose of revivals.
First, I need it in my own life. Even as a Christian, life can be tough. Career demands can seem to eat away at every available minute — whether I'm at work or at home. For others it's the demands of family and other interests. We get busy and too often we let our spiritual life slide into second place (or even further back).
Organized revivals can jar our attention back to God, often when we probably need it the most.
Secondly, revivals, like mission trips, help can the church to focus on what God has called us to do — to reach out and tell people about Him and what He can do in their lives if they will believe in Him, confess their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Thus 2Brevived.com is not just for believers who need to refocus, but also for those still seeking salvation and new life as the apostle Paul explained in his letter to the believers in Rome:
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:3-7 NIV)
It's a powerful concept Paul was writing about but I and others can testify that it is real both in the here and now, as well as eternally in life after death.
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