Looks like it worked this time, yay! I guess it just got glitchy earlier.

Here is the entire seven and half minute video. See below.?
At about the 5:25 minute marker you’ll notice what almost looks like a shadowy figure passing close to their vehicle. What does it remind you of? It’s as if something was surrounding them, like a lion circling his prey. But I believe because the one fellow called upon the Lord they were all spared and the tornado passed over them.

It goes to prove that deep inside every human there is a vacancy that only God can fill. No one ever calls upon the name of Buddha or Mohamed, or anyone else when they are in the throws of desperation for their lives. No one else but Jesus can save!

'Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. '
I Peter 5:8

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””
Acts 4:12

'For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.'
Psalms 91:11

Testimony Tuesday

I have a crazy intense video for you today. Warning! Put your seatbelt on!
As always, I like to know the backstory of some of these videos and I also love to search for the entire video clip since this is just a snippet of the actual footage.

I did find the entire 7 min Youtube video and will post it at the bottom. And, I will post commentary to that video because I saw a spiritual relevancy to it…I can’t help it, I just notice things. Make sure you watch that one too!

This event these gentlemen went through though temporary, it was violent and terrifying. I can only image how they must have felt. (I personally think they are crazy, but then again sometimes boys do dangerous things?)
They found themselves in a dire situation, only to finally call upon the name of the Lord to save them.

Now don’t get me wrong, these young men had to have known the risks, and what they were getting into. They quickly found themselves in grave danger. But, whom did they call upon?…the name of Jesus!

“And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’”
Acts 2:21

The following is from the description of this shorter video. (I was not able to capture it in the video so I posted it below)
I found it very relevant, because this undoubtedly hits on a solid truth:

“The panic plea of this man to call upon the name of Jesus in a moment of utter terror and desperation just truly goes to show the condition of the human heart... Deep down, we all know the Truth, even if we're blind to it.

There is no other name people curse in frustration.
There is no other name people beg for in need.
There is no other name that is yelped in shock.
There is no other name that is thanked in relief.
There is no other name that is praised in victory.
There is no other name the elites want to ban.
There is no other name that makes demons tremble.
There is no other name that can save you.
It's Jesus.”

Missionaries Protected in the South Pacific

In his book Angels, Billy Graham relates the story told by Reverend John G. Paton, a trail-blazing missionary in the South Pacific in the New Hebrides Islands.  The story illustrates how God provides angels to protect and care for His believers. 
One night Paton and his wife found themselves threatened by hostile natives who surrounded their mission headquarters.  The Patons thought for sure that the natives would burn down the headquarters and kill them both.  They prayed throughout the night asking God to protect them from harm.  The next morning they were astonished when they realized that the natives had gone away.  They had no idea where or why they had left.  The missionaries again prayed and thanked the Lord for saving them.
About a year later, the chief of the native tribe who had threatened them became a Christian.  He came to visit the Patons.  When he was asked about the incident of that night of terror, the chief told the Patons that he and his men were too fearful to carry out their plans of attack.  They had seen an army of giant men in “shining garments with drawn swords in their hands” surrounding the mission grounds.  Paton and the chief agreed that there was no explanation other than that God had sent angels to keep the missionaries from harm.

This story is similar to the one told in 2 Kings 6:17

“Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’  And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Unseen Protectors

Diane, a young university student home for summer break, had gone to visit her some of her close friends. As they caught up on each other’s life, afternoon quickly became night time.

She ended up staying much longer than she had planned and now had to walk back home in the and she lived only a few blocks away.As she walked along under the tall elm trees, Diane began to pray and ask the Lord to keep her safe from harm and danger. Desiring to get home hurriedly, she decided to take a short cut through an alley. Halfway down the alley she noticed a man loitering at the end as though he were waiting for her. 

She became uneasy but continued to pray thanking God for always watching over her and surrounding her with His angels. As she prayed, a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped around her as though someone was walking with her. When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.

The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had walked through it. Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep and thank the Lord for her safety.

She knew she had to do something to help this young woman so she decided to go to the police station. She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story. 

The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify the man.  She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before. When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.

The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her. She asked if they would ask the man one question. Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her. When the policeman asked him, he answered, “Because she wasn’t alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her.”

Psalm 34:7
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and He delivers them.

Testimony Tuesday

Good morning friends.

Below are two stories of God’s protection using angels.
I always love to hear stories about how God protects people, and I often wonder how many times in my own life that He has used an angel unbeknownst to me for protection. I suppose we may never know, but in some cases like the following stories, there are situations that defy explanation except that it can be only one thing…God’s guardian angels are dispatched to protect us in miraculous ways.

Do you have a story to share how God’s angels of protected you?
Please feel free to share!

What’s going on here??

Part 4:
Life After Grace
I don’t tell you any of this for pity or for attention. My story is just one of the many testimonies of God’s enduring love and grace. I pray you know you are loved, wanted and adored by your heavenly Father. There is freedom through Christ Jesus.
Especially if you identify with my experience, I pray you know how loved you are. It was not your fault.
I am not walking in my past anymore, but that is not by my own strength. My traumatic memories often try to creep to my consciousness. I have to work to not let them affect my behavior, but God is always with me. The closer I get to Him, the more peace and comfort I find.  Every wound leaves scars, even after they have healed. But I choose to let my scars tell a beautiful story instead of a tragic one.
They are a part of me, but they have no power over me anymore.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

Your Sister in Christ,

Ashley H.

Part 3:
Running Into Hope
After my first year of college, I hit a low point and decided to transfer schools under the pretense of going to live with my best friend. In reality, I was trying to run away from myself and believed a “new start” would cure my feelings of restlessness and emptiness. 
That following summer, I ran into an old friend from high school who was a Christian. He genuinely surprised me with his kindness and Christ-like attitude towards me. This softened my heart and slowly pointed me back to Jesus. (Fun fact: This old friend would eventually become my husband).

We were close friends in high school and but had lost contact after graduation. God brought him back into my life right when I was desperate enough to finally listen to someone tell me I was worthy of the love and forgiveness that Christ had to offer me. He listened without judgment and extended invites to Church multiple times. My heart was softened by his gentleness (and I’m sure by a prayer or two from him) and I finally gave my heart back to Christ in the summer of 2011.  
Before he and I entered a dating relationship later that summer, I told him every detail of my past. His was response was to tell me how much God loved me. He reminded me that there was freedom and healing in my relationship with God if I chose to let him in.

He told me that all that mattered now was what I chose to do from that point on.

Choosing To Believe

My healing has been a long process and is one that is ongoing. But that summer, I found freedom. I finally believed the truth I had been too hurt to listen to for all those years.
I finally believed I was loved, free & forgiven. God saw me and all my sin and still called me beloved daughter. This was the first time I ever felt like God was real. 
I still felt that effects of the trauma I endured as a child and teenager, but when I let God come in and heal my heart, the effects lessened. Through a lot of prayers and Godly counsel, I came to believe that those young men were battling unimaginable sin and evil in their hearts. I found the strength through God to forgive them, not because they deserved it, but because I did.
Once I chose to forgive, I was able to overcome the power that trauma, anger, and resentment had over me.

I have had to do a lot of heart work since then and I am only now beginning to grasp the depth of Christ and His love and grace for me. However, I still have work to do. I am always going to be a work in progress. I will not “arrive” or be able to fully fathom and understand God’s ways in this life, no matter how much studying and praying I do.
But with a full heart, I am going to pursue Christ and His ways all the days of my life. It is only through His love that I have found healing and peace. His grace was and is sufficient to cover me, redeem me and use me for His glory.