Anonymous Everyone has an inner vault, a place that securely holds our secrets. As I prayerfully considered my topic for this essay, God impressed upon me to unlock my vault and share a piece from inside that I’d kept hidden for many years. The point in sharing isn’t about the item itself but about how God worked with it in my life. “Don’t tell,” she often quietly hissed as my 8-year-old body ached where the purple marks would soon erupt [...]
by Ron Schelin I was raised in a home where God was not allowed. The only mention of God that I can remember was when I was 10 years old or so. I asked my mom, “Where does the thunder come from?” She replied, “That must be God bowling again.” A little later a Christmas card came that said, “Merry Christmas.” My folks did not like that. They explained to me that the CHRIST in the word Christmas refers to [...]
Kathryn Motl I grew up the fourth child of six on a dairy farm in Central Minnesota. It was an idyllic setting, surrounded by hills. Our family was quite isolated from the outside world. Both my parents taught country school, so my grandparents would come over every day to care for us. Grandma would cook and bake and rock us and sing to us. When I started school, it was a one room school house two and a half miles [...]
by Wendy Stromberg Bruce loved God, loved his family and friends, loved to run, and loved to talk—he REALLY loved to talk![1] He also took pleasure in many other things such as watching the wild animals and birds; the beauty of each sunrise or sunset; and the change of the seasons. He tried to capture all of it on his camera and often, when he was working outside, our front door would suddenly burst open and he’d run through the [...]
by Steve DesMarais I count it a privilege to share with you this testimony of my salvation. The Lord used many details and circumstances in my life to bring me to the point of trusting in Jesus Christ as my Savior in 1986, right around my birthday of March 1st. These are some of the key words the Lord used to get my attention and lead me to salvation: death, football, and Ruth. I was raised in a somewhat dysfunctional [...]
by Katie Morrison “Nothing must ever be added—not the weight of a feather—to that precious blood which has perfectly satisfied God as a Judge, and which perfectly shelters every soul that has fled for safety behind it.” C.H. Mackintosh I don’t remember a time before I knew the gospel. Growing up as a pastor’s kid (PK) in small town Pennsylvania, I heard over and over again that Jesus, God the Son, had died for my sins and rose again. Like [...]
by Lisa Leveille Growing up in Wisconsin, I attended Catholic grade school from kindergarten through eighth grade. Through these years, I had a tendency to make bargains with God. I would propose that if I attended church and really tried to listen, God would help me get a better grade on my test or make my day go better somehow, someway. If something went wrong, I would figure it was because I didn’t go to church or listen hard enough. [...]
Dr. Richard A. Seymour I first heard of Dot in the summer of 1969 when I was in northern Minnesota for a week of meetings. This is what I learned. When Dot was born, his mother had wanted a daughter so badly that she named him Dorothy, and from infancy she let his hair grow long and dressed him as she would a little girl. She even sent him to school dressed as a girl. As a result he was [...]
by Wade Lillegard For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). Born on a ranch in central Montana, I was exposed at a young age to the sounds, sights, and overall magnificence of God’s creation. I knew early on that there must be a creator but it would be nearly four decades before [...]
by Jayne Lillegard Have you ever been told to “Go to Hell”? I have. Usually the person saying it is angry or frustrated with you and is letting you know it. When this expression was directed toward me I was insulted, hurt, and maybe even angry; but I never took the actual words to heart. I suspect the other person didn’t literally mean for me to go to the place known in the Bible as the lake of fire. Ironically, [...]