Showing posts with label God's grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's grace. Show all posts

Saturday, September 10, 2016

By God's Grace: Surviving 9/11 from the 81st Floor - CBN News Mark Martin


By God's Grace: Surviving 9/11 from the 81st Floor
09-10-2016
CBN News Mark Martin

NEW YORK, N.Y. - September 11 is a time to remember the thousands of victims who died in the 2001 terrorist attacks. It's also a day to offer thanks for those who miraculously survived.
Jean and Dan Potter live a peaceful life in a quiet, suburban town in New York. It's a stark contrast to 15 years ago, when the couple was living in a Manhattan apartment just a few blocks from the World Trade Center.

Jean worked on the 81st floor of the first tower hit on the morning of 9/11.
Messages Amidst Chaos
"All of a sudden, this massive explosion rocked the building, and we literally swayed from side to side," Jean told CBN News. "And what first came to me is, 'This is not your time. We are with you. Your brother is with you.' I lost my brother in 1999."
Jean believes it was the voice of God -- loud and clear -- a message in the midst of chaos.
"You're thinking, 'Is this building going to fall? And I'm up 81 flights. How am I getting out of here?'" she explained.
Jean made it to the staircase as the floor became engulfed in flames.
"My heart was palpitating a mile a minute as I was going down the staircase," she recounted. "And what also came to me is, 'You and Dan will be blessed with a beautiful life. You will go north.'"
"And I saw like green trees. This is all while this is happening, and I'm in a very nervous state, but the messages were coming in," she said.
Jean believes God was reassuring her and prodding her to keep moving down the staircase.
Monumental Loss
"I would say in the 20s, we start seeing firemen, which gave us all a sense of relief," she continued about her trip down the flights of stairs. "One of whom was Vinny Giammona, who was my husband's lieutenant at Ladder 5, and I grabbed his arm."
"I said, 'Vinny be safe,' and I will never forget the look on his face that day," Jean recalled. "It would have been his 40th birthday, and he left behind a wife and four children, four little girls who are now grown. But I will never forget the look on his face."
Lt. Vinny Giammona was one of 343 New York firefighters who died that dark day. Jean's husband, Dan, a firefighter at the time, knew 60 of them.
When the terrorists struck, he was on Staten Island but quickly raced to Manhattan to make sure Jean was safe, not knowing that she made it out of the North Tower before it collapsed.
It wasn't until he was a block or two away that he realized the magnitude of the situation.
"There's different-sized body parts," Dan recalled. "There's big pieces, and there's small pieces, and it's all over the place."
Dan arrived at ground zero to help and had to take cover when the South Tower collapsed -- and later, the North Tower.
"It sounded like a freight train, maybe a hundred times more, and you just figure with that amount of noise, and you know it's coming down around you. It's just a matter of time," Dan told CBN News.
Debris and concrete pelted Dan, but he says God kept him alive, and "the big hit" never came. 
Praying for Help
Covered in ash, the battered firefighter refused to give up his search for his wife and went back to their apartment.
Dan pounded on the door, but no one answered. It was then he thought that he had lost Jean. The overwhelmed firefighter then left the building and sat on a nearby bench and prayed.

It was at that moment that an Associated Press photographer snapped a photo of him, a photo that would be seen around the world.
"I'm praying to Jesus, praying for clarity...  'What do You want me to do?  What should I do?'" Dan explained in reference to the photo.
Dan believes Jesus directed him to go back to the apartment. It was there the phone rang. 
His father was crying and called to check on Dan. He also told Dan where Jean was, and Dan was on his way.
"I saw her standing there, and she's all upset, and she looked at me kind of wide-eyed, 'What are you doing here?'  Like that," Dan said. 
"In he walks in his bunker gear, covered, and his eyes were blood red," Jean said. "There was just blood in his eyes, and I said, 'Where were you?'"
"He said, 'You don't want to know,' and we hugged. It was just unbelievable," she recalled. "We are so grateful for what Jesus has done in our life."
All Is Grace
Jean chronicles the couple's amazing story of survival in the book, By the Grace of God, A 9/11 Survivor's Story of Love, Hope, and Healing.
"He was with all of us that day, and I don't want people to think that we were so special because we were saved," Jean said. "I mean it wasn't our time, and He was with those who were passing over, and it's just a great privilege to speak about Him."
Life has been tough at times following 9/11. The Potters have dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder, and Dan had to retire as a firefighter because of the injuries he suffered on Sept. 11, 2001.
Yet, in spite of the attacks and the difficulties that have followed, the faith of Jean and Dan remains strong. They hope those who read and hear their story will also trust in God.
"God is a loving God," Jean shared. "If you turn over your pain to Him, He will pull you through it. He will heal your heart." 
"I trust Him implicitly, and I give Him my life with that...'Use me for Your glory, and whatever I can do for You,'" Dan said, praying at the same time.
After living in Pennsylvania for a season, Dan and Jean are back in New York, enjoying life in a small town.
"Once again, Jesus brought us to a new place of blessing," Jean wrote to CBN News. "We are finally home, and it feels wonderful."
Dan has done some emergency planning for residents there, and Jean is writing again.
She's writing about another example of the Lord's faithfulness during a time of tragedy. Jean's mother passed away in 2016. She survived surgery, but died 17 days later.
"(The Holy) Spirit guided me once again through the most awful, painful days of my life," she shared with CBN News. "At every turn, every moment I was guided with every decision. It was unbelievable."
Watch video here: Jean Potter

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Star Wars: God's Grace and Redemption - SHAWN A. AKERS - CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Josh and me at a Star Wars convention in Orlando in 2012.

Josh and me at a Star Wars convention in Orlando in 2012. (Akers family)

Star Wars: God's Grace and Redemption

Get Out of the Boat, with Shawn Akers
I was 11 when the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, came out in 1977. You can do the math on my age.
I instantly fell in love with the film and the ones that followed. Although I was 17 by the time the third one—Return of the Jedi—premiered in 1983, I hadn't grown out of it. They were all riveting, especially when we discovered that Darth Vader turned out to be Luke Skywalker's father and Leia turned out to be his twin sister. It was high drama at its best for a kid like me.
But oh how the years have passed quickly. With the stresses and responsibilities that come in life—marriage, children, bills to pay and so on—I sometimes feel as though I completely lost touch with my inner child a long time ago—in a galaxy far, far away.
Shed no tears for me, however. It's my son who has paid the price. He's now 11 years old and, through all of these years, I have not allowed myself to connect with him on his level. I can't begin to tell you how sad that is and how much I deeply regret it.
With God, however, it's never too late to repent. It's never too late for redemption. "In Him we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).
With the release of this weekend's newest adventure in the Star Wars saga, The Force Awakens, I have been afforded an opportunity to redeem myself with Joshua. He loves all the Star Wars movies, and he's still young enough to be smitten with Star Wars Lego. He has built many things—but that's another story.
This past weekend, Josh and I sat down and watched five of the first six Star Wars movies together. We had watched some together previously, and I had taken him to a Star Wars convention three years ago. But the excitement for me faded away. This, however, was a great time for us to bond and for him to ask me questions about the movies concerning things he didn't quite understand. I did my best to enlighten him.
Josh's passion for the Star Wars movies is obvious, but Josh is also a very godly young man, and he is aware of the biblical parallels between good and evil. We talked about how Satan wanted to be like God and how God expelled him from heaven, similar to Anakin Skywalker wanting to keep his wife from dying—something only God can do—in episode three. Anakin couldn't have those powers, so he turned to evil.
However, I like to believe that it was God who redeemed Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi. Of course Darth Vader never professed Christ, but he realized the dark side (Satan's kingdom) could be overcome. It's never too late.
And you know the rest of that story.
Despite my past behavior, I don't believe that I am or have been a bad father. I won't condemn myself because Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." But I also know I could do much better.
With the rekindling of the Star Wars saga, I have been given a second chance to connect with my son and to get to know him better. I cherish the opportunity and can't wait to take him to see The Force Awakens. Who knows what surprises—and thrills—lie before us?
I believe it also gives me a chance to connect with Josh spiritually and to help him become even more of a godly young man than he already is. I am very proud of him for his openness to the Word and his voracity in following Jesus.
Has your relationship with your children waned? Are you struggling to connect with them? Ask God to help you find something—a passion of theirs—that you can share. Like a good friend, get to know your child all over again and revel in their company. It will melt your child's heart and bring lasting benefits.   
"A wise son makes his father glad" (Prov. 15:20).
And as I always like to say, "there is that." 
Shawn A. Akers is the online managing editor at Charisma Media. He is a published poet and published a story about Dale Earnhardt in NASCAR Chicken Soup for the Soul. You can read his blog here. To sign up for his newsletter, "Step Out of the Boat," and other Charisma newsletters, click here. You can also listen to his podcasts, theJavelin Sports Show, on the Charisma Podcast Network.
For a limited time, we are extending our celebration of the 40th anniversary of Charisma. As a special offer, you can get 40 issues of Charisma magazine for only $40!
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Thursday, October 15, 2015

When Christians Use 'Liberty' as a License for the Flesh Dr. Michael Brown


 

But it's another thing entirely to be polluted by the world in the name of liberty and to exalt the flesh in the name of freedom.

But it's another thing entirely to be polluted by the world in the name of liberty and to exalt the flesh in the name of freedom. (Flickr/Creative Commons)

When Christians Use 'Liberty' as a License for the Flesh


In the Line of Fire, by Michael Brown



I could hear the shock and pain in his voice. He could not believe what he had just seen at a birthday party for a pastor's wife.
How could this be?
I received a text from this friend during my radio show, so I called him as soon as the show was over. What he told me brought tears to my eyes.
Please understand that the man calling me was no Christian prude.
He had lived a worldly life before meeting the Lord, and he knew the party scene well.
And he was no uptight, old-fashioned traditionalist, no fun-killing legalist.
He was simply a lover of Jesus who was mortified by the spirit of the world flooding into the church, and in a million years, he would never have believed that the party he attended was for the wife of a respected pastor.
He told me that the pastor functioned as the DJ, playing 30-40 songs over the night. Not one of the songs was Christian, and some of them were downright profane—meaning full of profanity and even celebrating pot and the like. These were the sounds that filled the room.
At one point, the wife of another leader climbed onto a chair, grabbed the ceiling to brace herself, then began to dance like a stripper.
This was at a party for Christian leaders!
But should we be surprised when we hear reports like this?
After all, to speak against sin today is to be "judgmental."
To call for holiness is to be "legalistic."
To live differently than the world is to be "religious."
Yes, this is the putrid spiritual atmosphere we find ourselves in today.
I don't know this pastor personally, but I do know that he errs on the side of "grace" and "liberty" and prides himself in not being "judgmental."
And so, as grieved as I was to hear the report, I couldn't say I was shocked, especially since this pastor openly celebrates his love for carnal entertainment.
You see, it's one thing to welcome the worst of sinners into our midst, showing them the love of God, introducing them to Jesus, and being patient with them as we grow.
It's one thing to show mercy to believers who fall, reaching out to them with compassion and gently leading them back to restoration.
It's one thing to preach against legalism, which I define as externally imposed religion, meaning, laws without love, rules without relationship, and standards without a Savior.
And it's one thing to extol God's grace, recognizing that He loves on our good days and our bad days and that our relationship with Jesus is not measured by our latest spiritual accomplishment.
But it's another thing entirely to be polluted by the world in the name of liberty and to exalt the flesh in the name of freedom.
Paul warned about this plainly, writing, "You, brothers, have been called to liberty. Only do not use liberty to give an opportunity to the flesh, but by love serve one another" (Gal. 5:13).
Peter warned about it as well, writing, "As free people, do not use your liberty as a covering for evil, but live as servants of God" (1 Pet. 2:16).
But there's something even worse than abusing the freedom we have in Jesus, which, for the record, is freedom from sin not to sin.
It's the fact that we cannot possibly have intimacy with God's heart and, at the same time, indulge the flesh so freely. Something very deep is lacking in our relationship with God if we can party like the world without shame.
It is impossible to be close to the Father of lights and to love darkness, just as it is impossible to be in a close, intimate relationship with your spouse while living in unrepentant adultery. If you're faithful to the one, you'll hate the other.
Take a moment and bathe yourself in these beautiful words from Paul, then go back to the scene of that party, which my friend could barely convey in words, and ask yourself if the two are compatible:
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 
For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret." (Eph. 5:1-12, ESV).
Do you want to be an imitator of God? I do!
Then let us walk in His life-giving, grace-filled light, loving what is good and hating what is evil. That is the life of a disciple of Jesus, and it is life indeed, life to the full.
But there's one more part to this story, and it's the most heartbreaking part of all: People will come flocking to hear this pastor preach on Sunday, loving his "no condemnation" message, continuing to live in sin and continuing to be comfortable in sin, deceived by this self-deceived leader. They love his message because they love the world.
May we all examine our own lives first, may we pray for this pastor and his family, and may we, as dearly loved children of the Father, "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1, MEV)
(I encourage you not to try to figure out which pastor I'm talking about, as it could easily be one of hundreds, if not thousands. Let's simply pray for him and examine our own lives.)

Michael Brown is the host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show The Line of Fire and is the president of FIRE School of Ministry. His newest book is Outlasting the Gay Revolution: Where Homosexual Activism Is Really Going and How to Turn the Tide. Connect with him on Facebook at AskDrBrown or on Twitter @drmichaellbrown.
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Friday, March 14, 2014

This Is Not How I Imagined Christianity by Stephen Mattson

This Is Not How I Imagined Christianity by Stephen Mattson

Identity Network
I imagined Christianity would be similar to what I read in the Bible: I would pray for people and they would get better, I would have intimate conversations with God and receive supernatural revelations, I would be an unstoppable force for good, evil would be overcome, and things would generally be good — or at least headed in that direction.

I pictured scenes of innocent happiness, laughter, and joy. I envisioned a world where the church would be a source of unstoppable kindness, encouragement, and love. Instead, I found a corrupted institution infested with infighting, sexism, racism, discrimination, exclusion, and legalism.

In my naïve immaturity I was inspired by how future spiritual leaders would lead revivals by revealing the nature of Christ through sacrificial service, humility, and grace. But in reality I’ve found that people are often more motivated by pride, power, success, fame, and fortune.

Believers and Non-believers

I assumed Christians would radically stand out from the crowd and be distinctively attractive because of their ability to love others as Jesus did, but in the real world nobody — including myself — can tell the difference between believers and non-believers.

Like the rest of society, Christians are infatuated with wealth, comfort, control, social status, and being right — they’re too busy to care about promoting peace, feeding the hungry, helping the poor, uplifting the needy, fighting injustice, and protecting the persecuted.

The stories I heard about Jesus as a child made me wonder how anyone could reject such a wonderful person, and I was excited to join Christians in declaring the good news of the Gospel. Unfortunately, the priority of sharing the story of Jesus has been replaced by the desire to push political agendas, engage in theological bickering, and gain worldly power.

The Bible was such a beautiful book, filled with redemption, reconciliation, and hope, but now it’s been turned into a weapon to serve a variety of horrid motives — to promote violence, exclusion, injustice, corruption, bondage, and hatred. God’s words have lost their luster and the original meanings — harshly debated among pastors and theologians — are becoming lost and ignored amidst the sheer volume of noise, distraction, and garbage that Christian culture has created.

Surprised by God’s Grace

I never thought I would become so cynical, skeptical, doubtful, and ashamed of my faith — something I once considered holy, righteous, and a source of continual joy, hope, and inspiration. I didn’t think Christianity would ever become associated with the Westboro Baptists of this world, the sleazy televangelists, the fear-mongering street preachers, the sermons full of apocalyptic accusations, and hate-filled propaganda — but it has.

Despite everything, I’m routinely — astonishingly — surprised by God’s grace.

Against all reason and logic, God is still working, moving, redeeming, and loving humanity! In the face of my utter sinfulness, Jesus continually reveals His goodness through small bits of revelation: a moment in time, an interaction, a prayer, a friend — and hope slowly grows.


As bad as I sometimes think Christianity has become, I’m routinely overwhelmed by the distinct holiness of the mess that I’m surrounded by. God powerfully works through the brutally honest community of my church, my small group, and the beauty of corporately living life together, united and strengthened through Christ.

The Wonder of Following God

Suddenly, in moments like these, I can see that the Bible was much closer to reality than I previously imagined. It’s full of complexity, suffering, and chaos — real life. Christianity was never meant to be a form of escapism, an easy journey, or a way to flee from reality. Instead, it’s about God deeply loving His creation.

In spite of all the negativity, disappointment, and pain, I never could have imagined how absurdly wonderful following God would be, how He could intervene in my darkest moments, or redeem the most awful things and transform them into something beautiful, divine, and holy — and by “most awful things” I mainly mean: me.


These are often the hardest things for us to imagine: God created us. God thinks about us. God gives us worth. God died for us. God loves us.

And once we imagine them, we often refuse to believe and accept them. But today, I pray that you will.

Stephen Mattson


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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Pink Hair by Kathie Walters

Pink Hair by Kathie Walters

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I had a "stunning" experience one time. God really used it to point out something to me. I had been away for a couple of days, visiting and praying with a close friend of mine who lives in Gainesville, My friends there had a great ministry raising up churches on the campuses of the U.S. and in many other nations. They had discipled and raised up thousands of young people, trained to take the Gospel to the nations. 


My teenage daughter, Faith, had stayed home with a girlfriend to take care of our house and pets. Like any other parent, I had given many instructions about the care of the house, yard, animals, and pool. Faith is very sensible and capable, so I didn't worry about anything. I had called a few times and everything was fine.  (Note Faith is a parent herself now). 


Faith's Hair 


Returning home, I was not prepared for the shock that was awaiting me.  As I turned the car into our driveway, the dogs came running to meet me as they usually did. I got out of the car and petted them, taking a second look at Faith's Chow, Koa. He was usually a pretty, beige color, but his coat had turned to a shade of pink, at least down his back and tail. I wondered if he had fallen into a strawberry patch! 


I entered the house, looking forward to seeing Faith, who being a home-schooler, was sure to be in the house. I went inside and began to ascend the stairs. At the top of the stairs was Faith. She greeted me, smiling demurely. I returned her smile, but my smile faded very quickly. Suddenly, I saw it! A bright pink, wide streak down one side of her pretty blond hair! Not a pale hint of color, but a peppermint pink! 


"Faith, what has happened to you?" I cried. I thought there must have been some terrible mishap. She was joined by Haley, my then secretary's daughter. Haley was grinning from ear to ear. Her dark hair was now deep green on one side and blue on the other! I freaked out! Faith laughed at my reaction - big mistake. 

I ranted and raved a while and she agreed to wash the pink out (dog too). A short while later, as I looked at her, I thought it didn't really look so bad. I let her keep it for a few days. I began to think about all this later and about my visit with Rose. 


While I had been with my friends in Gainesville, another friend had called to tell her about a book he had recently read. It was offering the reader reasons as to why we are not in full scale revival. Leaders who had made mistakes and had gotten off track here and there by over-emphasizing various truths were named as being a major part of the cause for our lack. 

My friends had been mentioned in this book, along with other people that I knew well. I understand that the writer was concerned about the Body of Christ, but still I couldn't stop weeping whenever I thought about the "policeman" trying to get us all straight. 


I couldn't stop thinking about Faith's hair, and my reaction to it. Her hair had gotten my attention and so my mind had to deal with what I saw.  It took my attention away from all the things she had done over that weekend. It had been a hard job to look after the pool, because our area had been badly affected by floods and it was full of muddy water. 


God's Grace and Patience 


Our house is a big house to clean, but it was neat and tidy. We have three phone lines with people calling all of the time. She had taken care of everyone. Our dog had been hit by a car a few days previously and needed a lot of attention. He was fine. 


Not only had my things been well taken care of, but a family in her church had lost everything they owned in the flood. What was left of their house was under two inches of mud, and she had been over to help them clean. She had brought home three large bags of washing to do for them. She took care of the office. I had missed it all because of the pink hair. We can be so blind. Thank God for His endless grace and patience. 


I then thought of the various books that had been written about the mistakes my friends and many other ministries had made at one time or another. They were obvious. Like the pink hair, most people could have seen them right away. But I thought, "What about all the thousands of young people who were saved and filled with the Spirit through their ministry on the campuses of America and many other nations? What about the thousands of kids who were dedicated to the call of God on their lives?" 

Thousands of young people received a very real sense of destiny in their lives because of the ministry and revelation of my friends who had given their lives for the Gospel. I wondered how it was that none of this was mentioned in these books. Maybe my daughter's hair is over-simplifying it, but it's the same principle to me. 


Jesus, the Great Shepherd 


When my friend, Rose told me about a very generous gift that had been given them for their China outreach, I felt so blessed myself. I wanted to write to the often maligned faith teacher that had given it and tell him, "You blessed me because you blessed my friends." When I heard about the negative things that were said in the book, I had a great desire to write to the author and say, "You hurt me because you hurt my friends." 

I don't know of a ministry that has been around for any length of time that hasn't goofed at some point, said some dumb things from time to time, or headed off in a wrong direction occasionally. But, Jesus is the Great Shepherd; He will shepherd His sheep. He knows what He is doing. 


It is the Holy Spirit who moves on God's people to convict and change.  There is one thing more miserable than people trying to change themselves, and that is when we try to change each other. I can point out what is wrong with you, but I don't have the power to change it.  When the Holy Spirit convicts, He does have the power to change it. Big difference! 


Next time you are tempted to see only the obvious mistake in someone, say to yourself, "Pink hair."   Maybe it will remind you that there are many wonderful things you have forgotten regarding that person or ministry. Jesus hasn't forgotten. He loves them so very much! 

We would put our hands over our mouths like Job, when God asked us, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" (Job.38:4), or, "Were you there when I brought forth My Son from the grave? Were you there when I brought forth the first fruits of THE CHURCH?" 


Kathie Walters





From Kathie's book The Spirit of False Judgment available from Identity Network.
The Spirit of False Judgment
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