Happy Birthday to ME!

I'm legal. Today, I turned 21 years old in the Lord! I'm so thankful for Truth and the Lords patience with lost, stubborn and hungry souls!

In 1981, I repented of my sins and accepted Christ as my personal savior . It was a powerful experience, as I was coming out of a lifestyle steeped in the occult, drugs and all kinds of crud. However, I thank GOD ALMIGHTY that it didn't work for me!

I looked around at these other Christian-type people, and thought, "What is wrong with them? How do they live this way?" I was saved, and I could still smoke weed! Right ON!

In 1983, Laura and Mary Ingalls showed up at my doorstep. These two women were decked in the 80's hair and Gunney Sack dresses. I almost laughed. Anyhoo, they were at my place to see my roommate. Of course, they had to sit in my living room and testify of the goodness of God.

They asked me if I was saved. I said, "Um, yeah."
Then, they said, "Have you recieved the Holy Ghost?"
Blank look. "Sure. Yeah. When I accepted Christ."

I don't remember the rest of the visit. I was fuming. These women were part of some cult. Worse than Jehovah Witnesses. UGH.

Later in that year, my future first husband DRUG me to this church he started going to. Not only did I have to go with him, but, he made me sit in the second row. Right in front of the preacher.

"Did everone bring their Bibles?" (followed by "amens")
"You better bring your Bible to Church! Or, you're just foolish!" (he had my attention)
"Don't believe me! You gotta READ it for yourself! If you don't bring your Bible and read it for yourself, I could tell you anything!"

I was impressed until he started talking about men, women and relationships. I couldn't believe the archaeic audacity of this preacher! Male cheuvenist pig! But, the Word is the Word.

Regardless of the crazy people.I read the book of Acts about 5 times. Oh, boy. I got madder and madder with each reading, but, I couldn't escape the words in black and white.

"...baptized...Jesus' name..."

In May of 1984, I was baptized in Jesus name-as a declaration of my faith in Christ-NOT because I thought I HAD TO! (riiiiggghhhht...) When I came up out of the water, I was as light as a feather! It was amazing!

It didn't last long, though. My now husband wanted me to change into the women at the church. But, I couldn't wrap my brain around them. I didn't "get" the whole Holy Ghost concept, and, to be honest-I didn't think I wanted to get it.

Abuse, beatings, leaving. I ended up back in Ohio.

In 1987, I was bartending in a local bar. Great fun, great money, free alcohol and a drug budget. What more could a girl want?

I'm glad you ask...

One night, the end of May, I worked a double shift at the bar. I came home 2-3 sheets to the wind, but, wound up from work. I went to bed and decided to read for a while. That always helped me unwind.

I kept a pile of books next to my bed, all in various stages of readage. I reached down, rummaged, pulled one up and thunked it on my pillow in front of me.

Holy Bible.

I didn't think anything of it. I mean, afterall, I was saved. At least that's what I believed before I opened it. When I opened the Bible, it morphed into this verbal, living thing. It told me who I was, everything I'd ever done, all that I was doing now and that I needed the Holy Ghost.

I remembered those women, the church, the preaching and the committment of the people. Whatever they had, I wanted. Even if it was lunacy, it was something they considered worth living for: more than I had at the time.

At the end of my reading, I was stone cold sober, sobbing and repenting. I knew I needed the Holy Ghost and wanted it more than anything. But, how? Where?

The following week, I recieved a phone call from some woman who was from an Apostolic Church. She asked if there was anything she could do for me. Weird.

I asked if she believed in the Holy Ghost. "Yes."
One God, not the Trinity? "Yes."
"Ok. I need the Holy Ghost."

That was Wednesday, June 3, 1987.

On Friday, June 5, 1987, I closed my shift at the bar. Gathered my stuff and walked out.

Forever.

I went to a small church and met with the pastor and the lady that called me. We discussed my life. I repented and told them I wanted the Holy Ghost. NOW.

Ten minutes later, at 10:10PM, I was on the floor, speaking in tongues-FILLED with the precious Spirit of God!

No one can take that away from me!
Apostolic is NOT a denomination.
It is NOT a Non-denomination.
It is an EXPERIENCE!

Hallelujah!!

12:00:30

30 seconds after the rapture, nothing will matter.

No matter where we find ourselves: Heaven or Earth.

The things that kept us from serving God and following Truth will be meaningless.

"But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking,

marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away;

so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

Matthew 24:37-39

The valleys and mountaintops, trials and tribulations of the faithful will dim into forgetfulness.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;

and there shall be no more death,

neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:

for the former things are passed away."

Revelation 21:4

Nothing will matter, then.

But it does, NOW!

Overcoming the 'god' in Me

Recently, I received an email that linked me to a website that encouraged people to alter their universe with positive thoughts. It said if you think things that make you feel good, then you're on the right track, and vise-versa. The writer went on to say that our human thoughts can create: think illness, create illness; think prosperity, create prosperity. It was a testament to human god-ness.

Years ago, I was lost in a muddle of circumstance and chaos. Counselors taught me the power of positive thinking, self esteem, power of self and creating my own destiny, etc. I have to be honest, it helped me DEAL with my circumstance, but it didn't HEAL me. I put my trust in cards, astrology, psychic powers and karma, readings, numbers and I even believed in the spoken word as power over my situation. (spells???)

When I ceased to be my own "god" (meaning that I no longer believed that I was the creator of my own universe-destiny), things began to change. This happened when I was introduced to a Creator; the ONE God, the true Creator and Redeemer. When Jesus Christ manifested Himself in my life in a real and tangible way, it rocked my universe!

Immediately the meaning of right/wrong, yes/no, bondage/freedom, sin/forgiveness, free will/pride made sense to me. I understood that my life would NEVER change unless I released myself to the Creator, Jesus Christ.

My life has changed. I have changed.

When I repented of my sins-He forgave me. I felt amazing. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. Then, according to the Word of God, I was baptized in Jesus' name. This washed me clean-again, no experience up to that point had made any kind of impact on me. After being baptized, I was DIFFERENT. It was at that point that I allowed Jesus Christ in to my heart and He came to reside in me according to His promise. I was baptized with the Holy Ghost, with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. This wasn't something I DID...it just happened. It is a gift.

Since then, God has been faithful and AMAZING!

Do I still have choice? Yes, of course. But, I know a better way. I could continue doing those things I did before, but, I've been given a REASON not to!

Do I still have free will? Yes. It wasn't until I received the Spirit of Christ that I had the power to utilize it.

Can my universe be recreated? It has been through the power of Christ-the True Creator.

Do thoughts and words affect my spirit and soul? Absolutely. The Bible says so! Prayer is spoken. Praise and worship are spoken!

Consider Christ. Why is it that He is the ONE thing that all forms of religions and secular beliefs want to dispute/refute? Even among the "Christian" population, there is discord and contention about WHO HE is. Yet, being a God of all and smarter than any of us-He left a map called His Word. It says that man's wisdom is foolishness to God. So, when people say, "I don't believe God meant that for today" or "That isn't what God really meant" I wonder at their arrogance and am amazed that they would think themselves wiser than the Lord!

I encourage all to seek Truth, not religion.
There's just one thing: You must believe.