Stand and Testify, Part 5

I want to thank all of you who submitted testimonies. It has been wonderful to read the many ways God has blessed your lives. Unfortunately, I could only use 5 of them. If I didn't use yours, please do not be offended. I enjoyed them all. I'm going to finish the week with this wonderful example of how God's love affected the life of one of our co-workers. Today's writer is Charles.

"Thank you for the opportunity to tell others how God has, in the words of your email, “transformed my life”. I suppose the word “transforming” is more appropriate than “transformed”. I’m still listening and learning and being transformed. And sometimes I listen more than others. I had a wake up call a few years ago when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. There couldn’t be any more frightening words in the English language to hear than “You’ve got cancer.” I heard those words on February 8, 2002.

I had surgery in St. Louis on May 21, 2002. As they wheeled me down to the operating room, I closed my eyes and I prayed. I remember waking up afterwards, being back in my room and my wife, Kay, telling me that the doctor felt good about the surgery – although he would not know for sure until he got the pathology report, he felt like all the cancer was contained in the prostate and there was no lymph node involvement. I began singing at the top of my lungs – Jesus Loves Me – and asking my wife and a couple of the nurses to join in and sing with me. That had to have been a sight. But I guess I was so in touch with my spiritual side that it truly felt good. Then I crashed and burned. At 10:00 that night, the nurse came in and said we were going to walk to the door and back. I just about couldn’t make it – I’m the guy who had bicycled the French Alps the previous July – and I just about couldn’t make it from the bed to the door. It was at that point that my goal became one of being able to run and to ride my bicycle as soon as I could.

My surgery was on a Tuesday – I was released from the hospital on Friday – but the doctor told me to stay over in a local hotel on Friday night. We did – and I got Kay to buy the most expensive bottle of wine she could find at the local wine store – and we toasted to my good health and thanked God.

We got back to Dothan, Alabama on Saturday afternoon. I got out of bed on Sunday morning around 5:30 and went in the bathroom to shave. Kay came running in wanting to know what I was doing. I told her I was getting ready for church -- not going to let a little surgery on Tuesday keep me from going to church on Sunday. She tried to protest – thinking that my body just probably wasn’t up to doing that. And she was right.

But I said we’re going anyway – we’ll go to the 7:30 a.m. service -- get the children up. This was not about me trying to be macho and show my strength. This was – to me – about showing those around me where my strength came from – and my way of expressing my thanks to God for a successful outcome.

And so there I went – catheter and bag hidden from sight by some baggy sweat pants. I didn’t have a lot of spring in my step as we all walked up to the altar to receive communion – but I wouldn’t have had it and other way. There we were – this is what got me through to the other side of this journey – my God and my Family.

Well the bag came off, the pathology report came back great and I set about walking and walking and walking. I went from walking to fast walking to a slow run to a jog. I started out only able to jog about a ¼ of a mile and kept adding the distance. In October, 2002 – just barely 5 months after surgery, my son and I ran in the Army Ten Miler in Washington, D.C. – for our 6th time. And while I was getting back into running, I was salivating to get back on my bike. I started out slow and kept adding miles and miles. And on the Friday before Thanksgiving, 2002, I flew from Dothan and our son, Charles III, flew from Washington, D.C., where he was going to school, and we competed the next day in the 108 mile Tour de Tucson in Tucson, Arizona – our third time to do this. As I came across the finish line, I shouted THANK YOU JESUS – and proclaimed myself totally recovered from surgery.

Now, here’s the amazing part. I had not been to a doctor in over 10 years – and when I went to the doctor it was for something totally unrelated to the prostate. I told the doctor that since it took over 10 years to get me there, then he should run every test on me that he could bill to Blue Cross under our insurance program. As a result my cancer was discovered. I believe with all my heart and soul that my cancer was cured by the healing hand of God – working directly and through the hands of some great doctors. I am searching to find what God wants me to do with the balance of my life, because I truly believe He has given me a second chance. And I believe that part of what I am being called to do is to witness to what a great God we serve – how HIS healing hand worked directly in my life – and to let others know how screening and the earlier detection of cancer can save your life. I have shared my story with groups from 2 to 2,000 and just one on one to anyone that will listen.

I truly believe this is part of what God wants me to be doing with the rest of my life. Look at this example of how HE worked through me. I have a great friend that had heard about my surgery and called to check up on me. During the course of the conversation, I gave him my spiel about getting checked. Several weeks later he called me to tell me he was going to the doctor for a complete physical – his first in over 5 years – just because I had told him to.

A few weeks later my friend called and in his normal joking way asked me who was that doctor I went to in St. Louis. You see, he had just received the results from a prostate biopsy and he had cancer. Coincidence? Or God’s hand working through me. My friend had surgery and is doing fine.

With cancer, the obvious question is: How do you get through it? For me it was all about God working in my life – all about HIM giving me the “peace that passeth all understanding; all about HIM picking me up and carrying me at times; it was all about my children praying for their Daddy and letting me know how much they love me; it was all about my Business Partner and my Life Partner (one and the same) looking after me – showing her love to me – holding me close and holding the business together as well; and it was all about attitude – no more bad days – just good days and great days. For some folks Cancer is the end of life – for me, it was the beginning of a whole new one. Thanks be to God.

The name of our company that holds our some of our franchises begins with BBG. We name it that in recognition of all the many ways that our lives have been Blessed By God – BBG – Blessed By God. We named our other company with GGG. GGG stand for Give God the Glory. Being cured of my cancer is yet another one of the ways that my life has been blessed by God. Being able to tell others about it is another of those Blessings. And for that I Give God the Glory.

“…Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)"

Thank you Father for your many blessings. AMEN!!

Blessings all,
Bill

Stand and Testify, Part 4

Today's writer is Stefany. Here's another blessing:

"My husband and I had only been married 3 months when our world got turned completely upside down. It was February 8th 2004, and we were headed home to San Antonio after visiting my in-laws in Corpus Christi. It was 3:00pm and a perfectly clear day when I noticed some strange things on the highway… There was a white SUV pulled over on the right shoulder, and there were 2 pedestrians walking northbound on the left shoulder. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why there would be people walking next to such a busy highway. As I was trying to determine which lane was safer to be in, I suddenly noticed there was a white Toyota truck stopped in front of me, in the left lane of Hwy 37. At 70 miles an hour, I had to react quickly. I swerved to avoid hitting the truck, and our Explorer rolled 4 times.

I was in and out of consciousness. I remember seeing my legs hanging out the driver’s side window and that I couldn’t turn my head to look at my husband nor would he respond to me when I spoke to him. There was a lady named Tiffany, a trained EMT, who stood outside my window talking to me. (I believe she was an angel sent by God to protect us.) She called my parents and let them know there had been an accident. My parents live in Dallas so it would take them a minimum of 8 hours to get to us. Tiffany stayed with us until we were taken to the hospital in Corpus and later came to visit us in the hospital.

I didn’t get to see my husband that night because he wasn’t stable enough. I finally got to see him the next morning in ICU. In addition to external injuries, he had also suffered a trauma-induced stroke, which caused severe right-sided weakness. I, on the other hand, was extremely fortunate and only had a broken collarbone and sprained ankle.

What a way to start out a marriage, right? Not what either of us expected. But I can honestly say that I now see this traumatic event as a blessing. We would not be where we are now (physically, spiritually, and emotionally) had we not gone through this trial.

Before the accident, I believe my faith was “luke-warm” or “on the fence”. Despite my efforts, I never could fully give my life to Christ. Now, however, I know that God is my strength and my savior. I thirst to learn more of the word of God and I seek every opportunity to share God’s love with those around me and to share my story. God used this experience to pull me closer to Him and to show me that I am not the one in control. (What a relief!)

As a result of the accident, Shawn and I have been through many challenges including a month-long hospital stay, intense physical therapy, numerous medical bills, career changes, moving to Dallas, and many many others. God has carried me through each and every part, and I know He will continue to lift me up as His daughter. I feel very blessed to have such a powerful story to share with others, and I pray that God will use it to speak to you as it may apply to your life."

Blessings,
Bill

Stand and Testify, Part 3

Today's writer is Kelle . Enjoy the blessing:

Isaiah 25:1 (NLT)
O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

"My son was in the Army and fresh out of boot camp. When the war in Iraq broke out he was in the first wave of soldiers to be deployed. I was not so worried about what would happen because I knew it was God’s will, what I was concerned about was the fact that he himself had not been Saved. During his time in Iraq communication with my son was limited so when his father (my ex-husband) became ill with cancer, I had to contact the Red Cross for him to be brought home for 10 days. During that time, I requested that my son attend Church with myself and my youngest son (who was saved by this time). He hesitantly said yes only after I told him I spoke with the Pastor and requested the “snakes and potions” be omitted from this service. During invitation I received the greatest gift when my oldest son went to the alter and my youngest son ministered to him. My son was saved and I knew even though he had to return to Iraq, no matter what happened he would forever walk with our Gracious and Merciful Lord."

This one means a lot to me as I have a brother who has completed 3 tours in Iraq and is not saved. Praise the Lord Kelle can enjoy the peace that comes from knowing her son is saved.

Blessings,
Bill

Stand and Testify, Part 2

I'm glad you were blessed by yesterday's testimony. Yesterday's writer chose to remain anonymous, but today's writer is our own Bread Baker, Mark. Enjoy the blessing:

Matthew 6:19 (ESV)
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, "

The day after Thanksgiving is usually a time of family celebration and, in our American culture, a day of shopping. Not so for my family in 1998. We were in between houses and most of our worldly possessions were in a storage facility. Early that morning a three alarm fire destroyed the warehouse including our belongings and those of some fifty other families.

We were so blessed by this event. What? Does that shock you? It should, just as it did us. Immediately we knew we were under His protection. Firstly, no one was injured in the blaze. Secondly, the fire was not at a house forcing people to flee for their lives. Finally, we had insurance, well not enough to cover the entire loss but we had enough for what God intended.

Immediately He used this event to bring glory to His name. God even introduced humor into the scenario. Our tax records were about the only thing that survived the flames and water. As we sorted through what was left, media outlets interviewed various victims. We were able to share our faith in God during this difficult time with words that made their way into newspapers and onto people’s TV sets.

Did we understand why this had happened? Not immediately. As the years have gone by, the reasons have become clear. This was an opportunity for the community of faith to share with us. I still have the toy car that a six year old boy thought that I might want to play with. There were boxes of toys sent to my nine year old daughter. This was an opportunity for glory to be directed to God. This was an opportunity for God to get my attention and to focus on Him.

Victims. That is what we were called. Blessed is what we really were. I have an entirely different perspective on things now. Possessions are not so important, people and relationships are. With God’s help, my attention is on his kingdom, not mine.

This experience is not unique. You have had and will have instances like this in your life. You must decide if you will listen to what He has to say to you and be obedient to his calling for your life."

Thank you Father for situations that, while they may seem tragic at first, help us to focus on the things that truly matter. We praise you for your love and mercy.

Blessings,
Bill

Stand And Testify, Part 1

Greetings Brothers and Sisters in the Lord. After a wonderful Revival week at my church, I'm so blessed to be sharing stories of personal spiritual revival with you this week. Thank you to all of you who took the time to reply to my request for a personal testimony. Let me tell you the truth…nobody puts broken lives back together better than Jesus! You will be blessed by the stories I'm going to share with you this week. I apologize that some of them are a little long, but I'm sure you'll be blessed to hear how God is still in the healing business. This story, figuratively speaking, is right out of the Prodigal Son verses in Luke:

Luke 15:31 (NKJ)
“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

"I started a Christian Heavy Metal band in 1986. We wore eye liner and toted songs such as “Fighting The Beast” and “Blood of the Lamb”. There was simply nobody else doing it that hard and wild back then. We paid a huge price for the style as every club and organization laughed at us and the youth groups and churches boycotted us saying we were “satanic”. One youth group actually held a prayer vigil praying that we would fail.

I met my girlfriend who eventually became my wife at the time. I gave in to the pressure of everyone misunderstanding our group and decided God did not have a calling to me in ministry and decided I was just a rock n roll guy, keeping my Christian beliefs internal. I vowed to always keep the original band name since it came from God, and nobody needed to know that part. I switched the band to secular heavy metal music and we enjoyed some quick fame. Through the years however, I lost my faith, I lost my wife, and while I avoided drug use, I became a fan of drinking alcohol. Life was a struggle with a few highs, a lot of lows, and I felt as though I was just always down on my luck.

A year and a half ago I met my ex “life partner”, an LA blonde from the world of Hollywood who appeared to be everything I ever wanted. As drugs took her down a dark path, and I continued drinking, everything started caving in. As we walked down my street together after a weekend of drinking, a man (later finding out he is part of one of the churches founding families) came out of his house wearing a “Fender” guitar shirt. He started testifying to us about God and telling us about Celebration Covenant. When we got home we joked about it saying that “Jesus freaks like that, Christian nuts, just make you want to drink more” as we guzzled down more alcohol.

The drugs and drinking of my life partner and my drinking took control and with it came lies and deceit about her party habits. We were shattered, and I was broken from her lies and hidden drug use as it got worse. Then one night, when it became too much for me to handle, I fell to my knees and said “God, I won’t go through this. I won’t lose her! I am sorry! I need you! I can’t do this alone anymore”. I got in my car and headed to Celebration Covenant that Sunday night to find it void of an evening service.

I remember saying “I knew it; God doesn’t want me in church”. I said “God… I’m going to pass several churches along the way to the bar and either call me into one of them or I’m going to the bar”. So I drove past a bunch of churches, one after the other and didn’t get a calling into any of them. I went to the bar instead, ironically, the same bar where there were the group of people who supported my ex-life partner’s drug problem hang out. I sat down and ordered my first of what was planned to be many drinks and began talking to the girl next to me.

It was then that I got the shocking message… God had brought me there that night, to the same place that was destroying us, to meet someone who would help save me… the girl at the bar was actually with Celebration Covenant that night and picking up pizza for their once a month Sunday night home group studies. I explained to her what had happened, why I ended up at that bar, how I had searched for God that night and basically given up, and she demanded that I go with her to the group that night. I left with her, hurt, broken, and very confused… to her home group, which was the beginning of my rebirth back into the arms of Christ, and left my tab still open at the bar.

God showed himself to me that night and from that point on, I was back with The Lord. I began going to Celebration Covenant, almost every service, began tithing, and got plugged into servant leadership immediately, asking about the “stage crew” at my first service (which lead to me joining The FEW Manovation, parking crew, and media team). From that point forward I quit drinking and haven’t touched it since. My ex life partner went back out, doing more drugs and eventually stumbled into church on a Wednesday night. She asked as she walked into the foyer with two bags, hung over from a drug bender “Can I come in your church” telling me that she put the drugs down because nothing was worth loosing me.

I thought we were back together and things would be perfect! It was then that I realized that I couldn’t any longer, Christian or not, be a part of a rock band which supported the exact things that had almost destroyed the only relationship with a woman that had made sense to me. I immediately decided to recommit my band back to God and I prayed that my band mates would be okay with it. I found that my band mates had been praying for the same thing, so the decision was an easy one.

The rest wasn’t easy, in fact, the battle had just begun. My ex-life partner found her fellowship in a local Alcoholics Anonymous group who assisted her in slowly and very painfully ending our relationship as she met fellow AA people to be intimate with instead of me, eventually ending all of our communications, and ultimately leaving our church as she became “one” in the body of AA. I even started reducing my church and group participation to attend AA meetings as an alcoholic, in hope that I would win her back. The loss of her in my life was heartbreaking, and thankfully the “Crazy Christian” who testified down the street from us and his family have since become like my own in helping me to give my ex and the relationship back to God through the heartache and the faith wounds.

I didn’t get to hear my original dream of my ex and my birthday love greetings to each other this September (both September birthdays), but on my birthday, September 17th, I got to hear something even better. That was the cheers of my family as our pastor read my name as a one of the new members of Celebration Covenant church. And similar to the Abraham and Isaac story, while I paid the sacrifice of giving my ex-life partner and that relationship back to God, He has blessed me by bringing my brother, his wife, their daughter, and my parents back into the arms of Christ and into Celebration Covenant as a family (all planning to become members). This is the first time since we’ve been kids that we are going to church again.

Onward I go, with Xceleration, Favor, and Breakthrough, into a new world with Christ in my life, and for once…in my whole, entire life. As I grow as a warrior through Him, I know he will someday bring someone special into my world… someone who I will call my wife in Christ’s name, not a life-partner in mans name, and I will rejoice and lead that relationship. The band will be releasing our first Christian demo CD since 1987 within the next few months with 6 newly written songs in Christ’s name. Big things are happening and I know this is just the beginning. It all started with my surrender to God, and my deliverance to Celebration Covenant Church."

Thank you Jesus that you love us so much that you'll take us back when we venture off on our own. We praise you for this soul that was lost, but now is found!

Blessings,
Bill