Category — Stories of God's Faithfulness

In my new found relationship with God, David was one of my heroes. As I learned about him in 1 and 2 Samuel and read his prayers in the Psalms I wanted to imitate his love and passion for the Lord. David’s strong, masculine relationship with God also demonstrated for me what God wants to do in and through a man who follows him.

After God delivered David from those who were trying to kill him David wrote Psalm 18. There he credits God with the strength and protection that spared his life. I love the way he expresses his dependence and diligence as a man trusting God. In verse 29 (NLT) David shouts with joy to God, “In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.” I too wanted to be a man who is following Jesus Christ and trusting him for strength and leading.

Well, at 19 years old, we were still at war in Viet Nam and the draft was still in force. So when I received a letter from Uncle Sam informing me that I was being inducted into the military, I remember feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation. I knew that nothing like this could happen to me without God’s sovereign direction. The military was not something I had shown any interest in, but I took it as an opportunity to grow in Christ and serve my country. [Read more →]

Right after high school I attended Multnomah Bible College in Portland, Oregon. Now you might think, “Wow, Bible college, pretty holy dude!” But unfortunately, if it’s possible to hang out with the wrong crowd at Bible college, I did just that. I was neither serious with my studies nor with my relationship with God. You see, I had accepted Christ as my Savior, so I was “in”. I had my “ticket” into heaven. What more did I have to do? What more did God want from me? I had a relationship with God, but he seemed somehow distant and irrelevant to my everyday life.

Still, there were aspects of Bible college I really enjoyed—especially the relationships I had built with friends. So after the first semester, when my money had run out, I was crushed because I couldn’t continue. I remember wondering why God didn’t provide for my tuition like he had for other students. Having to leave school just didn’t make sense to me. Why would God allow this to happen? Isn’t going to Bible college a good thing to do? [Read more →]

Although at the time I did not recognize the danger signs of what I was doing I clearly see them now. In my junior and senior years of high school I became totally preoccupied with a sense of duty toward the Lord. In addition to being a full-time student, going out for sports, delivering newspapers daily and working another part-time job, I also carried a full load of Christian activities.

My Christian activities included: going to church, Sunday school and youth group weekly; serving as president of our high school Campus Life Club; functioning as a charter member of a Christian fraternity called Alpha Chi; singing competitively with a Christian music group; counseling at summer and winter camps for juvenile delinquents; participating in a national contest selling Campus Life Magazine subscriptions; and taking a leadership role at the Youth For Christ rallies. I rose early each morning to keep my quiet time with the Lord in which I prayed and read the Bible. (I had faithfully kept up that habit since the fifth grade.) [Read more →]

When I was 16 years old, I participated in a 1300 mile bicycle trip around Lake Superior. The trip took us through Wisconsin, Ontario and Minnesota. Twenty three of us embarked on this adventure. Although we had trained hard to get ready for cycling 100 miles a day, once into the trip we realized that the only way to really prepare for riding 100 miles a day is to ride 100 miles a day!

I was riding a 1968 Sears and Roebuck ten-speed racer with a hard plastic seat. Others rode heavy Schwinns and quite a few bought brand new Gitanes—a super light-weight French bike. But no matter what we were riding, by the third day our butts were sore! Past that third day mark we began to get into a groove in which we felt good and rode hard. [Read more →]

Others have a profound impact on us, whether for good or bad. The Scriptures remind us of this in a variety of ways. Proverbs 27:17 NLT says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” And the apostle Paul urged us, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV) But we’re also warned, “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

The other day I began thinking back over some of the key people in my life who had a profound impact in modeling Christlikeness for me. My parents played a huge role in demonstrating the lifestyle of a Christ follower for me. They were human, sinners and had weaknesses just like everybody else, but their lives were also on a continual upward trajectory of growth in Christ. Who they were in private at home was who they were in any and all other settings. [Read more →]

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8 NLT

Over the next few weeks I’ve decided to tell some of the stories of God’s faithfulness in my life. My prayer is that if you have never “tasted and seen” how good God is that you would begin to experience the joy of trusting him. Or perhaps in the past you have “tasted and seen” that God is good, but that experience seems foreign and distant. Take heart! God invites us:

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!

Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.

Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:1-3, 6 NLT) [Read more →]