Nicest Guy in Hell

          Gary was always known as the good kid and the nice guy. He didn’t do any of the big sins. He knew right from wrong. As a young adult he started drinking and partying, but never thought he did anything that bad.

         His brother, Robert, became a Christian, and wanted Gary to have a relationship with Jesus as well.  He tried to get Gary to go to church with him. Gary told him no. He thought being a good person was good enough. Like so many people he thought as long as he didn’t kill anybody or do anything really bad, that being a good person would get him into Heaven. His brother finally said, “It’s not about being a good person. It is about having a relationship with Christ.” Then he said something Gary would never forget.

“Gary, you are going to be the nicest guy in Hell.”

         Many years later, after he was married and had a teenage son, his co-worker, Kristi, invited him to church. He and his wife had some problems and they had problems with their son. They went with Kristi to a mid-week service called Living Free. They connected there and knew that was something they needed.

         Gary says, “Kristi invited us to try the Sagebrush Church close to our house. We met her there and she introduced us to Pastor Vince. I hit it off with him right away. My family life was not going well. My wife had her own struggles, and my son was getting into trouble. Pastor Vince asked me to meet him for coffee. I poured out my troubles to him and told him how bad things were.

         Pastor Vince said, “Gary, you can’t fix your family until you fix yourself. Until you are right with God, you won’t be able to lead your family.” He asked if I had considered asking Christ into my life. I said no, and he asked if I wanted to.

         So, right there in the middle of Flying Star Café, in front of the whole restaurant, I prayed and gave my life to Christ.

         Pastor Vince asked if I felt any different. At first I didn’t, but about an hour later, when I got back to the office, it hit me. I was overwhelmed with knowing how much God loved and forgave me. I called Pastor Vince and told him, “I felt it and I got it.”

         After that, everything changed in my life. Everything was better with my wife and son. I finally understood that Christianity was not about being a good person, it was about what Jesus did for me and how He wanted to have a relationship with me. My life isn’t perfect, and my family isn’t perfect, but things are much better. I am a different person and my wife is too. I am grateful for my brother, who still sends me scriptures everyday, for Kristi for inviting me to church and for Pastor Vince for leading me into a real relationship with Jesus Christ."

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. Titus 3:5

 

Have you ever wondered if you are good enough? Have you heard someone say they think they are going to heaven because they are a good person?

                  (If you would like to read more stories of Changed Lives, click here.)

 

Stuck in the Desert

         My friend, Becky’s story:

“A wrong turn down a 25 mile dirt road on our way to a secluded national park left me and my kids alone in the middle of the desert, miles from any signs of life. What was Lola (my GPS) thinking? She tried to get us back on track, but suddenly I was faced with crossing a dry river bed to continue on the dirt road on the other side. I'm adventurous, have four-wheel drive and it was only about a hundred yards across, so why not? Besides, there was no easy way to turn around and go back the other way on the rutted road.

Halfway through, I realized I made a terrible mistake. The car was slogging through two feet of dry sand, gradually slowing down. If the car stopped, we would never gain enough momentum to get going again. My kids and I frequently travel alone and I've never been fearful, but this time I was afraid. I desperately pleaded with God to give us enough momentum to keep the wheels turning and get to the other side. He graciously granted my petition and we made it across and continued on our way.

This experience reminded me of another woman stuck in a desert 4,000 years ago. Hagar was a young woman in desperate circumstances not of her own choosing. She ran away and found herself scared and alone by a spring in the desert.

BUT GOD... met her in that place. He comforted her with words conveying these thoughts:

"I see you. I know how you got here and I know where you're going. I care about you and I have a plan for you."

After he told her what to do, Hagar gave him a new name because she had experienced him in a new way:  

El Roi...the God who sees me.

There is a new generation of women in our churches who are walking alone in their faith journey and need to know there is a God who sees them and loves them. They need to know their church loves them and values them and that there is a place for them in the body of Christ. They need to know that, even though their family may not look like a traditional two-parent church-going family, there is a place for them to connect and build community and grow in their spiritual walk. They need support and mentoring to learn how to gracefully navigate the desperate trials they are facing.

May El Roi, the God who sees, give you His eyes to see those who are hurting so you can encourage them this week.”

                                                     

         What I admire about Becky is she didn’t stay stuck in the desert. She did something about it. She started a ministry at her church for women walking their faith out alone. Now she no longer walks alone, but is building a community to encourage each other as they walk out their faith.

You can find her ministry at www.facebook.com/womenwalkingingrace  

Have you ever found yourself in a difficult or uncomfortable place in life?

Has God used it for good in your life?

Has it changed you?

To read all the 31 Days of Change stories, click here to access the whole list.

 

Called Out In Class

         Everyone else was practicing their typing skills. Hands on the home row, typing    A S D F G . . . H J K L ;. Todd was sitting in the back of the class trying to flirt with the pretty blonde next to him. Actually, he wasn’t flirting, he was being crude. He was telling her things he would like to do with her. Basically, he was being a jerk.

         Overhearing Todd’s comments, a football player, named Bill Hill, sitting in front of him, turned around,

         “Todd, you need Jesus. Do you want me to tell you how you can become a Christian?” he asked.

         Surprised by his boldness, Todd immediately replied,

                          

                           “I don’t need that. I already am a Christian.”

         Then Bill Hill said something that rocked Todd’s world.

                           “Then why don’t you act like it?”

         The truth was Todd grew up going to church. He was there every Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. He did not pay much attention to the preaching. He mostly sat in the back playing hangman and goofing off with his friends. He thought that was enough to put him in the category of being called a Christian.

         That day he went home from school and asked his Mom for a Bible. That rocked his Mom’s world! He began reading the book of John. When he reached John chapter 14, he read:

Verse 15 – “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.”

Verse 21 -- “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

Verse 23 – “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.”

         Todd got on his knees in his room and gave his life 100% to Christ.

         Some time after that a good friend of Todd’s was killed in a car accident. Todd realized in all the hours he spent with his friend they talked about everything in life . . . except God. He sat in the funeral service wondering if he would see his friend in heaven or not.

         Todd made a commitment to always tell everyone he knew about God’s love and forgiveness. At 15 years old he committed his life to God and said he would do whatever God wanted him to do with his life.

      

         Today Todd pastors a large church in Albuquerque. His heart is to share God’s love and forgiveness with the city and the state. He is a gifted communicator, passionate about sharing the love of Christ, because he knows “there really is a heaven and there really is a hell, and people are going to spend eternity in one place or the other.”

         He is honest about his flaws and people relate to his humor and authenticity. What people say most often about Todd’s preaching is they feel like he is talking directly to them, as if they are the only one in the room, and he knows their situation personally.

     Perhaps that is because God spoke directly and personally to Todd, through John chapter 14, and miraculously CHANGED his life.

**If you would like to hear teachings from Todd, you can find him at www.sagebrush.cc.**

     How about you? Have you had an encounter with God that changed your life? We would love to hear it!  

 

 To read all the 31 Days of Change stories, click here to access the whole list. 

 

He Did What?!

     I love a great story. I think I started writing so I could share great stories with others. I love the amazing stories of regular people in the Bible doing extraordinary things for God. If the book of Acts didn’t end, but continued to be written today, there would be an abundance of stories, because God continues to Change people’s lives.   

     God is still in the business of rescuing people, saving them, and filling people with his Holy Spirit . . .  and an encounter with God changes people.

     The stories where God showed up in someone’s life and did something miraculous, brought them out of their bad circumstances, repaired their relationship, healed them, provided for them when there was nothing, forgave them, and gave them peace, purpose and love are the most exciting. Hearing the person tell how God changed their life is inspiring. In the last seven years, since becoming a Pastor’s wife, I have had a front row seat watching God change people’s lives.

 

     For this 31-day series, I am sharing some of those stories. Many of them would make great movies. So, grab some popcorn or a drink, and get ready to read some life changing stories. I pray you are inspired and your faith in God is awakened as you read.

     One last thing, -- every year my husband asks me why this month long writing challenge isn’t in February, when there are only 28 days, instead of 31. Because every year around October 25 I panic and don’t know if I will have enough stories to continue all the way to day 31! If you or someone you know has had their life changed after an encounter with God, and you would like to share it, as an encouragement for others, I would love to include it in this series. You can email me at robyncarrillo10@gmail.com.

     Tomorrow, our Senior Pastor, Todd, gave me permission to tell his story. He certainly was Changed for the better. (No, I didn’t intend for that to be a “Wicked” reference! LOL!)  

To read all the 31 Days of Change stories, click here to access the whole list.

Baptism, Then Jail

     Our church is big on changed lives, and baptisms. We celebrate baptisms once a month. Several times a year we have an outdoor cookout in the courtyard of the high school we meet at and have an outdoor baptism celebration.

There is a microphone outside the baptism tank and after each service several hundred people gather around to hear the “God stories” from those being baptized. It is inspiring to hear what brought them to this point and how their lives have changed because of choosing to follow Jesus.

People are nervous about talking in front of a crowd. But that is the special part, hearing how God has changed their life and seeing their excitement to start a new life following Christ. Last Sunday brought several of these stories:

* One man was agnostic his whole life, didn’t know what he believed, until some neighbors invited him and his family to church. He had a huge smile and such joy when he came up out of the water. He had been lost and now is found.

* One high school student had never been to church before. Her parents did not believe in God, but allowed her to come to church when a friend from school invited her. After attending the High School student ministry for several months and the student camp, she knew she wanted to be a Jesus follower. None of her family came to watch her get baptized, but her new church family cheered her on.

* Another man heard about how God loved him and forgave him while he was in jail, through our jail ministry. When he was released he could not wait to get baptized and start his new life following Jesus. Because he was still on probation, he was wearing an ankle monitor, which could not be submerged in the baptism tank. No problem, my husband and another man filled a cooler with water and drenched him. He was so happy!

Then a quiet teenage girl came. She made some bad decision in her life regarding drugs, but desperately want to leave that lifestyle and have a real relationship with Jesus. Her Mom, who had prayed for this day and had been through a lot with her daughter, stood in the baptism tank beside her, tears of joy streaming down her face.

Yesterday, that Mom came to me at church, her eyes red and swollen, filled with tears again, but no joy. She said the Monday night, after the baptism celebration on Sunday her daughter was arrested. 

My heart went out to her. I prayed for her and told her, who her daughter really was, who God created her to be, was who she was last Sunday. The temptations and evil of this world are so great for teenagers, it is difficult to break away and follow Jesus wholeheartedly.

I hope to visit her this week and tell her, reconfirm what she already knows, that the God of the universe loves her, has forgiven her, and has an amazing life planned for her, if she will choose to follow Him.

                  Her baptism was real.

                                    Her jail time is not too difficult for the God who loves                                                              her to use it for good in her life.

Will you join me in praying for her and her Mom?