I feel the need to log & share what I've been experiencing. I will continue to add to this thread for two reasons:
1. Create an online diary to log events of my walk with GOD that I can review anywhere with internet access.
2. I also feel the need to share this with others.
Please understand that I need to lock this thread so there is a clear flow of entries through the diary. If you have comments or questions, please feel free to send me an email, PM/Private Message or start a new thread under this section and refer back to this thread.
Last edited by BrianLaws on Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:56 am; edited 2 times in total
I want to get up to the current events as fast as possible, but it's only right that I give some history before my salvaton.
As a student in Caledonia Elementary School I remember my last year there most. My mother has my report cards that show I was an A+ student until my brother was put in the "special kids" group for slower learners and as a result I received verbal attacks from other kids. I allowed that stress to cause me to loose focus of my studies and it was not long before I had missed so much material/instruction in class that I didn't understand how to complete my assignments and fell behind in my work. My teacher had a class to run and I was left behind. My missing or unfinished assignments caused my name to be put on the board which caused me more shame. It was not long and I had so many missing assignments from every subject I could never see myself ever catching up. Because my name was on the board, I could not go out to recess which made it even worse so I gave up! I would then start to just sign my name and refuse to do anything else. I was taken out of the classroom and was made to sit in the school office all day with my books and list of assignments to do as I continued to sign my name and refuse to do anything more.
Neither my mom or dad were happy with the way things were and yes I did receive spankings at home, but I still didn't understand how to do my homework and both my parents worked. My mom pulled both my brother and I out of the public school system and enrolled us in Calvary Baptist School in Belvidere. She signed the required waver to allow my brother and I to be spanked which every students parents had to sign or their child could not attend the school.
Every Wednesday during school the whole school would attend a church service in the chapel. Most of the time, the services were given by the principal, pastor flemming. I was held behind one grade my first year and no I never received a spanking but I'll admit I did deserve some. During every church service I attended during school, they always would ask anyone who didn't have SALVATION and wanted to receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour to raise their hand during prayer. While still in prayer they would then ask those who raised their hand to come forward and an elder would take them off to a classroom to show them what they needed to know and do to receive SALVATION. Here is a good link if you question your SALVATION:
At first, I didn't know what SALVATION was so I didn't raise my hand and felt no guilt about it either. As I learned more about what SALVATION was, I knew I did not have it. I then sat through many school church services too scared to raise my hand, but the guilt and loneliness I felt after I didn't was almost unbearable. I remember feeling, "What's the big deal, nobody else knows I don't have SALVATION and is this stuff real?" GOD knows and I believe He will not let you lie about it either. What do I mean? Well, all I had to do was put my hand up, walk up and then go off and talk with someone about GOD. As easy as that sounded, at that time in my life I still would not have believed and therefore I feel GOD wouldn't let me do it until I truly believed in Him.
I have always remembered a school play that we did, in fact He has reminded me of it several times through the years. My teacher selected the parts we would play and can you guess what part I was given to play? You guessed it, I was pastor Laws. If I remember correctly, playing the part of the pastor, I had lines to say from start to finish of that play which all had to be memorized and yes some of it was scripture too.
I know those of you that know me well are laughing about the previous sentence because you know I love to talk, the rest of you are just now figuring that out
Now some might think that in a church school, playing the character of a pastor would have been considered a cool thing to be but it wasn't. Much like the real world, I believe this church school had more children that did not truly know the Lord (unsaved / lost / lack of salvation / unchurched) which included me playing a part a part in the school play I was not worthy of playing.
Last edited by BrianLaws on Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:12 am; edited 2 times in total
Unlike some, I do not remember the date I received SALVATION but I do remember that day clearly. I can still point out which classroom I went in when I received SALVATION. My life changed from that day on and I felt better about myself and moved forward with getting my grades in order again. Don't get me wrong, I was not a Bible banger or what I'd consider a Jesus freak then. I was just a kid that received SALVATION with the grace of GOD. It was only with this change in my life that I was able to get back on track with my life/grades and after finishing 8th grade I returned to the public school system. Returning to the public school system was not my parents idea, but rather mine. My parents made me promise that if I didn't get good grades, I'd have to return to Calvary Baptist. My reason for wanting to return to the public school system was because I wanted to take classes like Metals, Engine & Electricity which were not available through the small private school. I wanted to return to the public school starting in 9th grade, because many other freshmen would be starting from different schools too and I wouldn't standout as the "new kid" in school. I am very thankful that I went to Calvary Baptist when I did, GOD's timing is always best. My time at Calvary Baptist was a blessing from GOD and I thank Jesus for my SALVATION I received while attending. I have also thanked my mother who I remember as a child pushed so hard on the home front with my father to make this move to Calvary Baptist School happen. Calvary Baptist Christian School was the road that helped me find the rehab/SALVATION I needed for my lost soul which in turn had created such a poor and misguided attitude. Looking back, I can't see any other way that I might have changed direction. Thank you again GOD, in Jesus name, AMEN.
Last edited by BrianLaws on Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:16 am; edited 1 time in total
During my time in high school I became a drifted Christian, but my grades did not suffer. In fact, I could have graduated early but my parents wouldn't let me. I remember speeding and driving crazy to school almost daily and a thought sometimes would pop in my head from nowhere telling me, "Slow down, there's a cop ahead" which I would mostly listen to and did slowdown. I would share this thought with my passengers and most of the time there really was a cop ahead. The few times that I didn't find a cop, I just assume the cop was there and I didn't see him. When people in the past or present have said that I've made good choices in my life but they are wrong. I tell them that the choices I've made in my life have mostly been really easy. GOD has opened the doors for me and He has guided me through them only because I have allowed Him to by listening. I try not to second guess GOD, or what most people people understand it to be "themselves" I want to share something I have been directed to on the internet from another testimony which will focus on this very point. The learning lesson here is, don't 2nd guess GOD and when prompted, acted now!
Quote:
I was thinking to myself that my son and I ought to have our seatbelts on..... No sooner than we had both clicked our belts on, then 3 wild deer hopped out along the side of the woods into the open grass near the side of the road, causing me to swerve slightly in case they kept coming on their present course. We both looked at each other and said, "WOAH!" "That was close!" We were then very glad we had our seatbelts on.
My wife and I became HS sweethearts and have been a couple since October of '88. We had our first/current house built and closed on it in '94 which is the same year we were married. Looking back, I have not followed the Lord as I should have. We should not have lived together before we were married "acting like we were married". We started having kids in '96 and GOD has blessed us with six children. Like many other honest parents, I can make a list of things I did growing up that I don't want our kids to do. Rather than "Don't do as I do" it's more like "Don't do as I did"
When we married my wife was not a born again Christian (didn't have SALVATION). GOD tells us to that we should be of the same faith, but there is nothing GOD can't fix when we screw it up. My wife has been born again for sometime now and I thank GOD for that!
TO BE CONTINUED......
Last edited by BrianLaws on Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:27 am; edited 1 time in total
As I study this more with GOD, I understand that this is more like a spiritual oxymoron.
Why you ask? It's because to pray would mean that we want GOD's help and trust him, yet if we trust Him we will give our worries to him. For us to prepare for the worst, we can't trust him fully.
When and where did I get this revelation from GOD?
I know it's been a longtime since I've replied to this thread, sorry for those that care. GOD has been doing so much in my life, I don't have enough time to list it all here. I'm trying to build this thread in a timeline of my walk with GOD and what He has done for my family.
GOD does still heal people today through prayer just as he did in the Bible! One example I'd like to share is our son Alex. Alex was born with a hole in his heart. He was our only baby to be born blue and as a result got the lowest birth score of any of our other (6) kids. Alex is our third child. His hole was so large that the doctor said it was large enough to do surgery, but he wanted to watch Alex close to see if it would close on it's own.
The doctor said if the hole became any bigger or did not start to close, surgery would have to be done. While we waited and prayed for the hole to close on it's own, Alex developed sleep apnea and had to sleep with an apnea monitor every night. It was so scary to be woke up in the night by that loud alarm and know that Alex was not breathing. We were sent with Alex for many tests in and outside the state of illinois. I thank GOD for all the blessings (my wife, kids, health, jobs) He has given me.
The bottom line is that after all of those painful and costly tests, they never found a cause. When the hole in the heart closed on it's own (thank you GOD) Alex's sleep apnea disappeared too, but the doctors said that was just by chance/coincidence/lucky because the sleep apnea and hole in the heart are both unrelated with each other. They were not unrelated! They were both healed at the sametime by GOD through continued group prayer and fasting, it was a MIRACLE!
I remember our church pastor during services reading off all the congregations prayer requests (including Alex's) and pausing between each for all the congregation to follow in prayer.
I dug up an old webpage I made back in 2001 to announce the healing miracle to others and to give GOD the glory. I know it's very basic, but it serves it's purpose. You can see it here:
Well, my wife was not looking for a job or even mentioned getting one but out of the blue my wife was told by our preschool daughters bus driver that there were some bus driver job openings and that my wife should sign up for one. My wife found this very odd and after telling me, I told her maybe God is setting something up and that she should apply. Without even questioning the work schedule, pay, insurance, vacation, max/min hours available or daycare for our young ones, she applied. Long story short, she got the job and we received a confirmation that it was from God!
Check out our church logo vs. the bus company logo:
Having a 1 year old at home and another child in half-day preschool not just any job will fit in our schedule, but this one does. Go figure, it's from the Lord and His timing is perfect!
My wife took several tests at the state drivers office to complete her CDL class license for driving bus. All of these tests were NOT taken at the same time, same day or even the same drivers office. The state tests she took were all on computers and each computer station was numbered. She was directed which computer to use as a free/open one became available.
On the same day that she completed all of her state computer tests and she received her permit, we (my wife, me & our oldest boy Matthew) were talking about numbers. This conversation came up after my wifes ending Wii bowling score was 217, our home address. Our son Matthew said he likes number "7" because he always wins on number "7" at cakewalks. My wife then said that her test from the state she took today and received a 100% was on computer number "7". Remembering the bowling score she just finished with, our home address, I asked if she remembered the other two computer numbers she used to take the state tests. After some thought, she got a big smile on her face and said, "2" and "1" were the other computers. Some people would just call this a coincidence, but I don't. I've seen God reveal Himself too many times in this type of way for them to be just chance or coincidence.
As I read/study more of the Bible and seek God more, I see more examples of how God revealed Himself to people in the past and He continues to do so today.
Here is an example:
Quote:
2 Kings 8:1-6 (NLT)
The Woman from Shunem Returns Home
Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Take your family and move to some other place, for the Lord has called for a famine on Israel that will last for seven years.” 2 So the woman did as the man of God instructed. She took her family and settled in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
3 After the famine ended she returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to see the king about getting back her house and land. 4 As she came in, the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had just said, “Tell me some stories about the great things Elisha has done.” 5 And Gehazi was telling the king about the time Elisha had brought a boy back to life. At that very moment, the mother of the boy walked in to make her appeal to the king about her house and land.
“Look, my lord the king!” Gehazi exclaimed. “Here is the woman now, and this is her son—the very one Elisha brought back to life!”
6 “Is this true?” the king asked her. And she told him the story. So he directed one of his officials to see that everything she had lost was restored to her, including the value of any crops that had been harvested during her absence.
God reveals Himself to so many people, but they too often rule it as just chance or a coincidence.
Many people in the plant have been asking each other about the buy-outs that have been offered on & off for sometime now. I have been asked if I have considered the buy-out and my answer is "YES" I have considered/prayed about it. The answer I received through several different confirmations was a clear "NO" but this don't mean that I will not loose my job. It also does not mean that I'll make more money by staying rather than taking the buy-out. I do know/trust that in the long run by following God's direction by NOT taking the current buy-out, my family and I will be better off. I don't know how, I just trust God and the direction He has given me.
Of course, just because taking the buy-out for me would be the wrong decision, does not mean that it's not the best decision for others to take.
My wife and I for sometime now have (since we started attending www.CrossroadsCN.com in Freeport) drove both our car & van (45+ min. one-way) from our home in South Beloit each weekend to service in Freeport. Many feel it's CrAzY to drive to Freeport for church from South Beloit with one vehicle, but to take two vehicles is SUPER CrAzY!
We take two vehicles because all our kids invite their friends from school. My wife and I can't turn away any of these children from going with us and we feel God is using our our kids as little missionaries. We feel that our family is being used to out reach people looking for a relationship with Jesus Christ. I know there are many churches in and around South Beloit, all of which are closer than Crossroads in Freeport. The fact is, God has directed me to attend Crossroads and I've never experienced God working in my life like He has since we started attending last October. Trust me when I say that there will be a Crossroads campus in the South Beloit area sometime down the road, I really believe this will happen.
Every year Crossroads has a KidzLink lock-in for 1st - 5th grade. This lock-in is open to the public and they do this as an out reach event. This year it's on April 9th which just happens to be our oldest daughters birthday. My wife and I are going to be volunteers helping out the church staff for this all night lock-in event. The church has allowed us the use of their bus (pictured below in our driveway) so we can haul all the kids from our area that are attending the lock-in. My wife would be unable to drive this church bus if she didn't have the CDL bus license that she received from the recent job God directed her to when she was not even looking for a job.
Here are two videos taken during the KidzLink program at the Freeport campus:
The KidzLink Lock-In 2009 was such a success and I'm so happy I was able to attend as a volunteer. It's hard to believe that my wife Suzie and I just started attending Crossroads in October of '08 and they gave us the church bus Thursday to drive kids from South Beloit to Freeport for a FREE kids lock-in! The Crossroads leadership truly is doing just as they quote in their vision statement: "Helping Every Person We Can, Find Their Place in God's Plan!"
Here is a picture of crew we took:
It's clear to see that God is really working hard at Crossroads. Watching the kids come to receive SALVATION through Jesus Christ during the alter call Thursday night was so special. To see all of the kids later that walked up with prayer requests was equally amazing. When the alter call for prayer requests was made, a child near me got up to go and another boy ask him if he was really going to go up there. The boy replied boldly telling the other child, "Yes, my Dad is dead!"
Here's a picture why you always want to pre-register:
Well I signed up for the temp transfer to Kenosha WI. I have not yet heard anything official that I'm going, but everything points in that direction.
I have in the past said that I'd never transfer, but we have to be careful of what we say. As a Christian it was even worse for me to make a statement like that because it does not leave room for God to guide me in His direction. God should be my GPS and I shouldn't worry about the turn I'm to make beyond the next turn He gives me. To truly follow God, I need to be open to any direction He sends me.
Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:27 (NIV)
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life.
I know for a fact that my wifes bus job (more info previously in this thread) was given to her by God and our churches logo vs. the logo of my wifes company is such a great sign for me. Of course while considering the Kenosha transfer and looking for any signs that might point in favor of making the transfer, we checked to see if her company had an office in Kenosha. Yes they do. No she has no current plan of working at the Kenosha office, but I did take it as a "YES" sign to sign-up for the transfer.
When we recently took a road trip to Kenosha (our first time ever there) we did not have a GPS unit. While in Kenosha following the MapQuest directions we had printed out to find the engine plant, my wife said our next turn would be a right turn a few blocks ahead and she then instructed me to get in the right lane to be ready. I did as she asked and shortly after that the right lane became a turn only lane, but it was too late for me to change lanes so I turned. After turning right I pulled in to the nearest business lot to turn around and get back on the main street when I noticed there was her companies office and a lot full of school buses. I told my wife, "look, this turn was no mistake". We returned to the main street and continued on looking for 52nd street only to find out down the road that the previous road we had "mistakenly" turned on was in fact 52nd street. Her companies office is on the same street we needed to get to the engine plant.
I recently listened to a sermon called "GO DEEP 1" from www.DayStarChurch.tv and it talked about how if God's working in your life and your following Him, change will always be happening. God is not happy with us just sitting still and maintaining a simple comfort level, He always wants us to move forward. Too often we fail to understand that what might seem like two steps backwards for us (if following God) is really two steps forward to glorify Him.
If I am allowed to go, I see this Kenosha thing as an answer to prayer for financial security for me and my family during a time of employment unrest.
Following God is like the GIANT DROP ride at GREAT AMERICA for me. Every time it's fun, but it also causes nervousness that I need to always fight away with prayer.
I appreciate your testimony!!! I to have been seeking the LORD on what direction to take. I recently was able to purchase the house I first lived in when I got married!!! I to left it in the LORDS hands. We made a offer that I knew was just to low, but the next day we get a call saying they had accepted the offer. When my wife and I prayed about it I asked the LORD that if it was HIS WILL we would get the house. My wife and I had discussed how we could use it to bless somebody in the future. You see when we first got married I couldn't even afford a house but GOD made away then and He has made away now.
Working for Tony - Congrats on the home offer! Thank you for your uplifting share and your testimony is another perfect example to others how God reveals Himself. Only so many of these type of coincidences can happen and still be ruled out by just chance. It's sad that so many people fail to realize it when God reveals Himself and dismiss these as just coincidences or luck. I like to say that luck is just a worldly term used to avoid giving God credit for His blessings.
It was hard for me to first start this thread, because of the fear of man but I felt directed to overcome that fear (we know where fear comes from) and praise God publicly. I continue to pray that others will read this Christian testimony thread and (secretly if they wish) pray to God and ask Him to reveal Himself in their life too. In JESUS name, AMEN!
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Unlocked: Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:25 pm by BrianLaws
