Monday, April 30, 2018
Will You See Him?
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Is He Real?
I published this, originally, on Facebook, back in 2016, as an invitation to all. I am including it here, on this blog, for the same purpose:
In
advance, I apologize for the length of this post. I just felt that I
needed to share a few things that have been on my heart. in mind: Come unto Christ.
I have been a minister for over 30 years, and it has been THE most rewarding work I've ever been involved in. I have never been paid for ministry; not one red cent. Our church does not pay its clergy; one serves because of their gifts, not because of money. I mention this because many of my Facebook friends do not belong to the same church in which I serve, and I wish to make clear that my intentions have no financial basis. I believe that we are in the latter days. I believe that our Lord will soon return, and I cannot stand the thought that any one person in my association has not had the opportunity to be acquainted with our Lord, Jesus Christ. Within my Facebook family are those who are believers, those who are agnostic, those who haven't considered Jesus as their savior, and those who don't believe. I wish eternal life for all. Jesus himself said: "if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL men unto me". This is my intent; to point anyone I can in His direction. If I was to tell everyone on Facebook that my friend wanted to give each of us a million dollars just to love him, would you believe it? What if I then showed you the $100,000 cash down payment he gave me; would then consider it? I think you would. First, let us consider whether Jesus was a real person. The Roman scholar Josephus, and the historian Tacitus have entered the name of Jesus as an actual, historical person. I am saving space by not posting the references, but they can be easily found. While some people claim Him to be a myth, many historians actually see Him as an historic person. But this is the easiest claim to settle. The more difficult piece of His person to validate is the pronouncement He made that he was the Son of God. Was Jesus really THE Christ? Unfortunately, we have no first hand witness to his divinity. But, we do have the scriptures. And while we really have no way of testing the claim he made of himself, we can test the claims he made upon those who believe in him, primarily the promise that Jesus himself made that "signs shall follow them that believe". Why those that "believe"? Because the Lord wants to change us from within, not by an outward show, which he battled during his lifetime. If it takes a miracle to convert someone, it will take the occasional miracle to keep them converted. So, have miracles ceased, and what does this have to do with my invitation? The Lord stated through the prophet Malachi " I am the Lord, I change not". So, if He doesn't change, why should He stop creating the same kind of experience for the believer today as He did in days past? It's because of unbelief. Am I saying that the Lord only blesses those who are perfect? No. In fact, He is constantly reaching out to us. Every attempt to draw near to Him will be rewarded by his divine response. So, what subject can we use as a barometer? How about myself. In my 53 years, I have personally heard the Lord speak to me. How do I know? Because the things that I was told came true. I have witnessed miracles, both of healing and circumstance. I have had visions that came true. I have seen angels. I have conversed with those who have gone on before us, and have been in the presence of Jesus himself. Do I share these things in hopes of making a name for myself? No. Do I think these experiences make me "better" than others? Absolutely not; even less. I see these testimonies as a shelter. When my children were young, my daughter would walk, while I would hold her brother. Perhaps a stranger would come up to me and ask if I loved my son more than my daughter. My response would be that I love them both equally, but my son tends to wander off. This is how I see Gods dealings with me. I am still very good at obeying my own will and wandering off. Not only is God real, but he is also very involved in the lives of his creation, and he desires to have this kind of personal relationship with YOU. I know, after exposing myself in this manner, that there will be those that roll their eyes, laugh at me, and consider me a fool. But I will happily accept all of the jokes made on my behalf if only one person who never considered Him, would give Jesus a CHANCE to make Himself known to them, or if one person who has turned away will reconsider their walk with Him. I don't have much, but I have hope. I have my "downs", but I have amazing "ups". When Christ is alive in you, you begin to experience eternal life. John 3:36 tells us: "he who believeth on the Son HATH everlasting life". The word "hath" is present tense. We don't have to wait for death to take us before we start experience eternal life; His promise is that we experience him now, and that we might continue this into eternity. Please accept my invitation to test the Lord at his word. He will not disappoint. If you have questions, or want to talk, feel free to PM me, or call me; my number is on my page. I hope for you the best; and that is Jesus. God bless. |
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
My Testimony
My Testimony:
I was born in Midland, Michigan on July 2, 1963 to Ron and Frances Parker. My father was a big guy; six foot five, and a violent alcoholic. He frequently beat up my mom, and was a danger to the whole family. After my sister was born in 1965, my parents divorced. Being raised in a single parent family back then was not easy; many times we were looked down upon. We had teachers that didn't want to teach us. My own uncle told me that I would never amount to anything. We were always poor, and didn't have much to eat. In my personal life, I struggled with school, particularly reading and anything in the math field. I later would find out that I have dyslexia, but it wasn't as widely known back then.
Growing up in this way, it never crossed my mind that we were poor. It wasn't until I really started to "hang out" with other friends and families that I began to see that we were different. While the nice things my friends had that we couldn't afford was noticeable, the one thing that angered me most was the fact that I didn't have a dad. I often wondered if I had done something that caused him to leave, but this question was way beyond my comprehension. As a kid, I longed for the "family" that I saw represented in most of my friends homes, particularly in my church friends homes. There was something deeper in their relationships in contrast to my secular friends families.
By the time I reached junior high, I seemed on the edge of a great divide; shoving off into the world and it's vices, or exploring the possibilities of a hope in the eternal world. I grew up RLDS, so the family aspect was nurtured by all. Several of the older men were always willing to take me under their wing, and help me when possible. But, growing up poor, money is always the big draw. I did odd jobs, almost anything, that could make me a buck. But deep down, I knew that there was something that I was missing, and it always drew me back to "family". I remembered reading the "Lord's Prayer" one time, and the beginning provided a lot of light to me: "Our FATHER, who art in heaven". It occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, I did have a dad to lean on.
My desire to know my Heavenly Father came to head one day when, after school, I came home wanting to die. Kids can be brutal at this age, and would notice anything about you to use as a tool to tease. This particular case was over my socks-they all had holes in the heels. In gym class, you can't hide such a problem. I thought I had discovered a way to hide these holes by putting on my socks upside down, then folding the hole in on itself, and tying the shoes tongue down on top of it. But, this didn't work in gym class either. Not only did I get teased because of the holes, but now the teasing was turned up a notch because I was also too stupid to put my socks on correctly. Being the first part of December, I hoped I'd get some socks for Christmas, but this was no guarantee either, and, I didn't think I could wait that long either. As I lay on my bed that night, I began to think again about God being my Heavenly Father. I remembered hearing that, in the Bible, Jesus said "take no thought for the morrow, for your Father knows those things you have need of". I decided then to take this request to my Heavenly "dad"; for the first time in my life, I was going to pray and ask for something. With as much faith as I knew, I offered my simple prayer: "God, can you get me some socks?" To my surprise, within a couple days, I received an early Christmas card with $25 in it. I went right to K-Mart, and bought two bags of socks; over the calf with green stripes, the colors of Northeast Junior High. I went home and folded each pair and threw all of my old socks away. I was ready for gym class!! That Sunday, as I was sitting in church, the leftover $15 was burning a major hole in my trousers. All I could think about was what to buy. At some point, a man stood at the front of the congregation for offering. His words were simple: "If God has blessed you, be a blessing to someone else". I knew what I must do. As the plate came to me, I dropped in my $15, and, with a tear in my eye, I said "Thank you Father, please help someone else".
My joy at that moment was made full. I then knew what I wanted to do with my life: serve Jesus. I knew that this choice would never make me money, because our church does not pay its clergy, but I knew the joy that I had experienced, and wanted to make this my life's direction. I realized that my circumstances had prepared me to be the type of man that would be able to serve with compassion.
And so I labor, hoping to be the means of bringing someone to the joy that is available to anyone who is willing to take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ. I wish I could say that my life has been one mountain top to another, but, valleys have their place and lessons as well. It is my hope that through this blog, I might be able to reach that one person who needs help, and turn their sights upon "He who is mighty to save". God bless.
I was born in Midland, Michigan on July 2, 1963 to Ron and Frances Parker. My father was a big guy; six foot five, and a violent alcoholic. He frequently beat up my mom, and was a danger to the whole family. After my sister was born in 1965, my parents divorced. Being raised in a single parent family back then was not easy; many times we were looked down upon. We had teachers that didn't want to teach us. My own uncle told me that I would never amount to anything. We were always poor, and didn't have much to eat. In my personal life, I struggled with school, particularly reading and anything in the math field. I later would find out that I have dyslexia, but it wasn't as widely known back then.
Growing up in this way, it never crossed my mind that we were poor. It wasn't until I really started to "hang out" with other friends and families that I began to see that we were different. While the nice things my friends had that we couldn't afford was noticeable, the one thing that angered me most was the fact that I didn't have a dad. I often wondered if I had done something that caused him to leave, but this question was way beyond my comprehension. As a kid, I longed for the "family" that I saw represented in most of my friends homes, particularly in my church friends homes. There was something deeper in their relationships in contrast to my secular friends families.
By the time I reached junior high, I seemed on the edge of a great divide; shoving off into the world and it's vices, or exploring the possibilities of a hope in the eternal world. I grew up RLDS, so the family aspect was nurtured by all. Several of the older men were always willing to take me under their wing, and help me when possible. But, growing up poor, money is always the big draw. I did odd jobs, almost anything, that could make me a buck. But deep down, I knew that there was something that I was missing, and it always drew me back to "family". I remembered reading the "Lord's Prayer" one time, and the beginning provided a lot of light to me: "Our FATHER, who art in heaven". It occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, I did have a dad to lean on.
My desire to know my Heavenly Father came to head one day when, after school, I came home wanting to die. Kids can be brutal at this age, and would notice anything about you to use as a tool to tease. This particular case was over my socks-they all had holes in the heels. In gym class, you can't hide such a problem. I thought I had discovered a way to hide these holes by putting on my socks upside down, then folding the hole in on itself, and tying the shoes tongue down on top of it. But, this didn't work in gym class either. Not only did I get teased because of the holes, but now the teasing was turned up a notch because I was also too stupid to put my socks on correctly. Being the first part of December, I hoped I'd get some socks for Christmas, but this was no guarantee either, and, I didn't think I could wait that long either. As I lay on my bed that night, I began to think again about God being my Heavenly Father. I remembered hearing that, in the Bible, Jesus said "take no thought for the morrow, for your Father knows those things you have need of". I decided then to take this request to my Heavenly "dad"; for the first time in my life, I was going to pray and ask for something. With as much faith as I knew, I offered my simple prayer: "God, can you get me some socks?" To my surprise, within a couple days, I received an early Christmas card with $25 in it. I went right to K-Mart, and bought two bags of socks; over the calf with green stripes, the colors of Northeast Junior High. I went home and folded each pair and threw all of my old socks away. I was ready for gym class!! That Sunday, as I was sitting in church, the leftover $15 was burning a major hole in my trousers. All I could think about was what to buy. At some point, a man stood at the front of the congregation for offering. His words were simple: "If God has blessed you, be a blessing to someone else". I knew what I must do. As the plate came to me, I dropped in my $15, and, with a tear in my eye, I said "Thank you Father, please help someone else".
My joy at that moment was made full. I then knew what I wanted to do with my life: serve Jesus. I knew that this choice would never make me money, because our church does not pay its clergy, but I knew the joy that I had experienced, and wanted to make this my life's direction. I realized that my circumstances had prepared me to be the type of man that would be able to serve with compassion.
And so I labor, hoping to be the means of bringing someone to the joy that is available to anyone who is willing to take upon themselves the name of Jesus Christ. I wish I could say that my life has been one mountain top to another, but, valleys have their place and lessons as well. It is my hope that through this blog, I might be able to reach that one person who needs help, and turn their sights upon "He who is mighty to save". God bless.
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