A LIFE CHANGING ENCOUNTER WITH THE LIFE CHANGER

I was amazed to realize that as I grew up, attending church and doing all those things that are supposed to make you "good" really didn't. I knew in my heart something was missing inside of me. In 1970, while visiting my family in Monroeville, Pa.(just east of Pittsburgh), my sister asked me if I knew anything about the Holy Spirit. I certainly did not understand what she was asking but went to a meeting with her at an Episcopal Church where I first heard scripture songs sung by some people playing guitars. Weird, huh! Anyway, that night I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and had no idea what just happened. Neither did my dear husband John, who had been raised in the Catholic faith, but at that point in life, was not a very good one.

Four years later, late one night, John was flipping through the channels and stopped to watch The 700 Club (after passing by it several times). He prayed with Pat Robertson to receive Jesus as his Savior and Lord, called in and told them he prayed - at one o'clock in the morning. That man then read the Bible three times without stopping and decided this was it for him. Our lives changed. We lost 95% of our friends and his Irish-German-Catholic family thought we had lost our minds. He asked people to forgive him; got up at some ridiculous hour in the morning to pray for us - his family. No, we did not immediately or any time soon after that turn into perfection, but we had purpose and a different course to follow.

Looking back, this literally saved the lives of our family and turned our legacy from something negative to blessing beyond measure. All I have to do is look at my five grandchildren to see how the blessing is working in my dear family. My three sons dedicated their lives to serving the Lord fully and two are married to young women who also have dedicated their lives to Yeshua (the Lord Jesus Christ). How good is that! As you can see by this picture, we love each other and love to be together. I can only be filled with gratitude to my Father God for bringing us out of stupidity, darkness and ignorance into the light and truth of His Word, His Son, His Spirit and His love.

IT IS ALL FUTURE

Several years ago, I would not have believed that my life would be what it is today. Certainly, many people can say those same words due to those things that happen in this life, on this planet. Maybe, just maybe, the things that happened to me will have a redemptive value for someone else and then never be looked at as having no merit and being on the level of a tragedy.

Redemption is a great word. Webster says it means to buy back; to set free by paying a ransom; to make worthwhile and various other such phrases. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ whom I like to call Messiah Yeshua, I understand my personal redemption and am so thankful and grateful for it. But can a sad situation become redemptive? Can the Lord really take those things that bring so much hurt and turn them into something of value, not only for the one who hurts but others that experience like things?

As a mother of three wonderful sons and a wife of 42 years, I have experienced the normal joys and disappointments that come with marriage, children and family in general. My husband and I were really young and dumb when we were married. It was in the late 60s and "our song" was "A Groovy Kind of Love" by the Mindbenders. I am certain you really desire to listen to this amazing tune, with lyrics that describe our relationship. Lean back and enjoy the moment.

That was the era of leisure suits - yuk! Three assassinations of leaders in this nation, Woodstock and then there were the Jesus People. Oh yes, and something called the "Charismatic Movement" which began at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1969. That changed my life.