Here are the first two paragraphs:
"In some near-death experiences, people report they were drawn toward “the light.” But in this horrifying near-death experience for an atheist art professor, he was drawn into the darkness of hell, which dramatically altered the course of his life.
“I was a double atheist,” says Howard Storm, who became a tenured art professor at Northern Kentucky University by age 27. “I was a know-it-all college professor, and universities are some of the most closed-minded places there are,” he notes."
Z: Parents, when you think your kids have really lost their way, please remember what this new Christian said, at the age of 37 when this all happened:
His thoughts floated back again to himself as a nine-year-old in Sunday School, “I remembered myself singing “Jesus Loves Me,” and I could feel it inside me. As a child, I thought Jesus was really cool and he was my buddy and he would take care of me.”
When the atheist finally yelled "Jesus! Please save me!", he wrote.........
Immediately he recognized Jesus, the King of Kings, the Rescuer, the Deliverer. “His arms reached down and touched me and everything healed up and came back together,” he recalls. “He filled me with a love I never knew existed.”
Then he picked up Howard, like one football player picking up a fallen teammate on the field, put his arms around him, and Howard cried like a baby in His arms. “He carried me out of there and we headed to where God lives.”
The "double Atheist" now does missionary work in Beliz :-) And he's written a book MY DESCENT INTO DEATH.
"That everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life" John 3:15
Have a believing Sunday! As it says at the end of the article, Jesus told him to ".go back and live your life differently." Let's all try to do even better than we do.
Z
20 comments:
He leaves the 99 to go after the one. Praise God.
What an a uplifting story!
God is not hateful, he is merciful, and he gives us every chance to repent.
When I was in Germany, in a hotel room, I had an abdominal attack.
I had been raised Catholic and was familiar with the bible as an altar boy and lectorer, but I left God in my late teens.
During that attack in the middle of the night, I cried out to whatever god there was, if he would heal me, I would find him and serve him.
He did, I did. It was a long path through Eastern Mysticism, Black Magic, drugs, etc., but I read the Bible, not for spiritual reasons, but to be more culturally attuned.
Then I read a tract I was given, and saw the truth of God's word and submitted to Him as my Boss.
My world view flipped.
After a dealer I knew got saved, I asked him what convinced him.
He said he was sitting in his room with a .357 in his mouth when God spoke to him and reminded him that he was the God of his youth.
I ran with bikers. A few said the same thing upon their conversion.
Desperate people do desperate things.
There's no shame in being desperate for God.
Great story. BTW, did you notice the story about French healthcare? It's a bit true. My grandma passed on a January 1st at an hospital partly because it was understaffed that day.
Elbro...isn't that such love?
SF, I'm glad you liked it, too! I'm hoping more and more people do repent; and that they learn it's not some screeching evangelist yelling crazy things (something, are not)....it can be that, or it can be what it is for most Christians...a quiet 'sorry' and reviewing the sins in our life, and showing contrition and atoning...asking for God' mercy and love with gratitude that He's there to catch us.
Then when we make that leap into belief and start reading and praying...look at the differences in the lives of Ed and his friends
I wish people like those bikers would write about their experiences and it would be common knowledge somehow.
FB...I do remember that. I had EXCELLENT (and shockingly low priced health care, like a very delicate hand surgery, for $800!) medical care in France, but I have certainly heard of awful stories.
Of course, I hear REALLY awful stories, first hand, from patients at UCLA Hospital, too!! (I mean REALLY scary stories nobody hears about unless it's firsthand...in the GREAT GREAT teaching hospital, I know doc's families who refuse to be taken there by ambulance for anything!) yup
Z: That's a beautiful story. Thank you for linking it.
God's grace is a powerful thing.
"Divine Love always has met, and always will met every human need."
~ Mary Baker Eddy
Submitted by FreeThinke
God's work is indeed powerful. Some are in fact truly saved and blessed.
BZ
Please listen to what this Priest states immediately after his opening prayer.
Then you will know why this is being shared and hope is that you will share with your friends.
Stick with this thru the first few comments……you will be PLEASANTLY surprised... (some of you will anyway!).
http://www.stthomasmore.org/parish-clergy/video/invocation
Your Sunday posts mean a great deal to me. Thank you.
God speaks to us all the time; it's just that we aren't listening.
I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet know I how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.
I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were given.
~ Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
Submitted by FreeThinke
"I'm a Concervitive.."
I love that guy! I had seen it before and listened again...you do know he was deeply criticized..suddenly, it's shameful (in a country that needs to learn righteous shame again) to discuss socialism as a pejorative in America. GO figure.
Jack...I'm am honored..thanks so much; I've had some comments that made my day today, this is Numero Uno, my friend. xxx
Beak....I'd say you're one of the least non religious types I know, buddy. You have a huge heart and that, to me, says there's a lot of Godly faith in there. You may not live by RELIGION but you've got the flame burning!
FT...gorgeous prose, thanks.
All the different religions, over the past 10,000 years, and none of them have it right. No one can put a finger on God, no one can describe God. Yet God is there. Religion isn't the answer and never was. God is. If you want to talk to God, go do so. Leave the priests out of it, you'll have much better luck.
Black Sheep...thanks for coming by, but that's your opinion and I won't presume to dissuade you.
God bless you...whoever she is :-)
"God speaks to us all the time; it's just that we aren't listening."
Yes Mustang. We just have to be open to it. You are so right.
to email friends:
My Network Password on email is completely screwed up and I probably won't be up on email till my computer help calls Monday night after work....see you then!
From JAN..via email to me because it wouldn't post here for her:
I'm sending it to you, because I know you will enjoy reading it. It is a real testimony of the faithfulness, and the power of our God! If you could meet Debby, the one this happened to, you'd know what I mean.
Here it is:
Debby was from a nice, middle class family. An only child, born to middle aged parents.We met her when we first moved to Florida, and started attending a church, there.
We became close friends, and she told us how she had become a Christian, about five years before.
She said that she had been a drug addict, and a motorcycle 'mama' in a well known motorcycle gang. If I told you, you would recognize the name, immediately. It is a dangerous organization, which is hard to get out of, alive, if one ever chooses to leave.
She said that she, and one of the members had been caught, breaking into houses, in Alabama. While she was there, in jail, she said that someone with a jail ministry had talked to her, but that she paid no attention to any of it, and wanted no part of it, anyway. After serving time in jail, she returned to Florida.
CONTINUATION:
She said that her parents had done everything to try to get her off drugs, but that she was in so deep with the motorcycle gang, that she felt that she could never get out, that she did nothing but that, day after day, being passed from one guy to another in the gang. She said that she did whatever they said to do, whenever they said, and they supplied the drugs.
She said that during that time, that she had let herself go to the point that people who had known her, before, no longer recognized her, that she actually stank from her poor hygiene, and all of her teeth were loose from using so much meth, and cocaine.
A year or so, after being in jail in Alabama , she said that the guy that she was with, had been given a large supply of drugs to deliver to someone. Instead of making the delivery, she said that they had holed up in a motel, somewhere, and used all of the drugs, themselves.
Consequently, there was a hit out on the two of them, and they fled to another state to hide out. They had rented an old trailer, somewhere, and were living there. As time went by, and they could no longer get the drugs they needed, he became more, and more unstable.
One day, he was gone for awhile, and when he returned, he told her to get a paper bag to pack all of his things. When she opened the drawer, he pulled out a butcher's knife, there, and told her that after she had finished packing, he was going to kill her.
When she started toward the bedroom, he shoved her into the room, and locked the door.
She said she could hear him doing something, and he told her that he was assembling a pipe bomb, or plastic bomb...I've forgotten what she called it, now. He was the one who did that for the motorcycle gang, anyway.
She said that she realized then what he was planning to do, and that she was going to die, and there was no way out. She said that she was standing there, so afraid, and not knowing what to do, when suddenly, out of nowhere, the words to the Lord's Prayer, came into her mind, She said that she had not remembered ever learning it, and knew that it must be from God, and called on Him to save her. She said that as soon as she did this, she felt like two strong hands picked her up, turning her away from the door, into the corner of the room, at which time, the trailer exploded.
She said that it was totally destroyed, except for the one area where she was standing in the corner. At this time, she said that she heard the most agonizing scream she had ever heard in her entire life. It was the guy, who had been blown out into the yard, and had suffered terrible injuries. He was close to death for a long time, but survived.
Of course, she said that she had completely committed her life to God at that time, knowing that it was the hand of God that had saved her life.
After that, she lived in fear, thinking that they would eventually find her, and kill her, and she was always afraid of running into one of them, somewhere.
One evening, while she and a girlfriend were coming out of a restaurant, one of them was there in the parking lot, sitting on a motorcycle parked right next to their car. She said that she prayed that he wouldn't recognize her, but would acknowledge it, if he did, and as soon as he saw them, he struck up a conversation, saying something about how happy they seemed to be.
Part 3
Immediately, they started telling him that the reason they seemed so happy, was because they had something to be happy about, and began to talk to him about God, and how he could know Him, too. She said that they must have talked to him for close to an hour, and he never recognized her, at all.
My friend has a great burden for those people, and prays for them, always. She said unless someone had ever been involved in that, that they could never understand just how dangerous it is, and how committed the members are.
It has been several years since that happened, and she said that she got word, eventually, that the hit was no longer out on her life. Her friend was sentenced to prison, but she doesn't know where he is, now.
Her faith is stronger than ever, and she is still actively involved in ministry on the West Coast.
Great is the faithfulness of our God!
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:13 KJV
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