1978 Feb. ("Can you Keep A Secret?" - "NO!")
Evie - Hi to you and the family.
Remember how we used to sing "Rescue the Perishing" and laugh like mad? Well, I've got news for you! We are now one of THEM! You know - those Bible Bashing Christians we used to ridicule! How hilarious! We're on the inside! WE now have that "fanatical" gleam in the eye. WE have the holy enthusiasm!
You and I know the love of the Lord and want to draw others into the same blessing. It seems quite different on the other side of the tracks, doesn't it?
I wonder how it was that we had such scales on our eyes. (*No I don't!)
The old priest who used to pray for me - what a fool he seemed then - is now a wise mentor. He comes to my house to hold Bible studies for my friends - at least, the ones I've still got after telling them Jesus loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives! - Yes, I've lost a few friends just as you have, but I'm so excited still about the free gift of Heaven and friendship with God that I can't stop telling them! I don't want any of my friends to go to Hell, and I love them too much to care about my standing with them. If they don't want to know me now, at least they know how to get to Heaven, and maybe they'll come across something to change their views as they go on through life.
Someone told me that the average person needs to hear the message seven times before they'll take the Good News seriously. Prayer should bring that ratio down though. I'm beginning to realise how important prayer is, when you witness to someone. There is also a need to
(2 Cor 10:5) "- destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ"
People need to be open to hear your message. What you say will not necessarily be what they hear. They have "world coloured" (not "rose coloured" ) glasses on. The words that you use may mean something different to them. It all depends on their world view.
* "Satan has blinded their eyes" 2 Corinthians Ch 4 v4. I believe in praying for people's minds, ears and eyes to be opened to the truth. Someone prayed for me.
The friend who kindly agreed to be godmother to my first child said recently
"I take being a Godmother very seriously. I thought that the best thing I could pray for my godchild was for her mother to become a Christian."
Obviously I was so backslidden that my previous commitment did not show. It is wonderful that the Lord can take a wrecked life, and turn all the mistakes and unhappiness into tools to help others.
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1978 (April) Finding Father.
Eve - I have a GREAT story to tell you! Isn't it amazing how God answers prayer, especially in those who are new to his family.
One of my friends was a foster child. On my return from the UK, where I was "converted" (read that story at the end of this book), she was one who noted the change for the better, and hung in to find out more.
Anne came to lunch once a week with my friend the Rev. the wise Anglican (Episcopal) priest, the one I mentioned in my last letter. And we asked many questions and studied the Bible with him. My friend received Jesus as her Saviour. The Rev was very good at answering all her - sometimes rather odd - questions. She remembered a miserable childhood, and we prayed with
her to find her father. She went through all the usual channels, even the specialized "Jigsaw"* with no result.
Several weeks later, Anne and her husband were vacationing in another state, and tuned in to a local station on the car radio. Anne heard her name come over the air! Her father had put in a request that day, asking the host to announce that he was trying to find his lost daughter. She is now reunited with him. AWESOME isn't it. In the fullest sense of the word.
Their holiday was one week only. Her father had an impulse to put his request out just then. They just HAPPENED to be in the car with the radio tuned to the local station. She is ecstatic!
God is real! - He knows her! - He fixed it!!
Phillipians 4 v 6-5 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God: and the Peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Note: New Christians are not "religious", and do not understand the religious words we may use. Like it or not, we are now a subculture in our society. They may ask questions that long-term members of the Body may find offensive. It is good to remember that being offended is not part of the armour of God, nor is it required as part of our evangelistic weaponry!
* Jigsaw - an agency helping children to find their parents and vice versa.
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1978 - She Could Have Danced All Night
Hi Evie!
Here's your monthly letter. Always something new and unusual to report these days!
This morning, I looked through the front window, and noticed a young woman sitting on the bench in front of our house. She looked as if she'd been up all night. I shouted across the road to her.
"Hoy ! Would you like a coffee?"
When I saw her at a closer range, I could see that she wasn't my sort of person at all. Her appearance was rather unusual, and her attitude was not reassuring. I was glad to be able to give her breakfast. And she needed it.
We got chatting, and I told her God wanted her. That He was looking for her. That He actually knew where she was, but she had to make a move so that He could put his arms around her, and show her how much He cared.
"I know that" she said softly. "My mum used to tell me".
It must have been just the right thing to say. She went away thinking about her next move, taking one of those "Four Spiritual Laws" booklets with her... It is so easy to follow, and you really know that you've done something after you've followed the instructions.
If you want to try this approach, you may like to purchase salvation tracts from your Christian bookshop. They are very inexpensive to buy. Some are:- "The Bridge" (Knowing God Personally) "Good News" (one for children which includes the gospel glove), "Why Jesus" by Nicky Gumble ( this one goes with - but can be used without - the Alpha course).
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1986: Meet the Artist -
Hi, Sister!
Do you remember that I told you I got chatting on a local bus, to a mother with two small ones the same age as our little girls? I said Hello, and that I was new to the area, and looking for friends for my daughters. She said, "How amazing!" - the same thing was true for her. As we exchanged addresses we discovered that we lived within a five minute walk of each other. We have been close ever since. The girls played together often, and made best friends of each other. The day that we first met was a blessed one. Both new to the area and without family nearby, we became family to each other .
When a car ran into their combi van one afternoon breaking Yvonne's hip, she needed someone to go up every day and help out with the children. By then there were two new ones, one a babe in arms. (Or should I say in mattress- as that was the place where poor Yvonne had to spend all her time, lying on a mattress on the floor of the living room, directing operations).
I had no idea that it was at that time that she accepted Jesus as saviour. She said "Oh yes, you were there every day, and talking about Jesus all the time, what else could we do but think about what you were saying. You were being Jesus to us by serving and helping us. You told us how to pray to accept Him".
I really did not think that I was being like Jesus, just doing what any friend would do in the circumstances. But, praise the Lord, He was able to use me. Sixteen years later my friend is still a full - on Christian witness, bringing people to the Lord and also witnessing in the artwork she produces for her final exams at University. She has completed a BA in Fine Arts. And got High Distinctions too!
Yvonne's beautiful drawings of her sculptures are on pages 16, 31 and 64 . She is also responsible for most of the other pictures in this book. ( You will find instructions directing you to some of Yvonne's artwork without buying the book when you reach the bottom of this page.
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1991 - Phoebe and the New Age
Evangelyn! This is a funny one! But only funny if you trust the Lord , "to work all things out for good to those who love him and are called according to His purposes". Romans 8: v 28
I had a visit a couple of months ago from a very nice lady who is new to the neighbourhood. She is a helpful soul, and came to ask me if I had lost anything. She said she had a Spirit guide named Yang who was very good at finding things, and she liked to share him around. The spiritual antennae went up immediately. It was a lovely day, so we sat in the garden under the honeysuckle arbour and had coffee.
Phoebe had an orthodox background in one of the main line churches, and she took the Bible seriously. This enabled her to listen to me when I pointed out that Deuteronomy 18 v10-12 stated that one should have nothing to do with talking to spirits. She was open enough and humble enough to accept what I was saying without getting angry. I really respected that. It is not easy to be told you are doing something which is possibly dangerous and wrong. Especially when you have altruistic motives and only want to help.
Phoebe was unable to tell Yang to go, although she did receive Jesus. I found it very difficult to be so open with her. She was a nice woman, and I did not want to hurt her feelings. We prayed to ask Jesus into her life, and then I suggested that she should "renounce" Yang. It might seem a bit soon for that, but she needed him out of the way in order to grow. "I couldn't do that" said she "How can he be wrong if he only wants to help people? I cannot believe he's evil. He has helped me so much. It seems ungrateful to tell him to go."
"Would you be able then, to ask Jesus to remove anything evil from your life?"
"Yes, I think I could do that." So that was how we prayed next.
As we talked to the Lord, a strange thing happened. I seemed to sense a malignant presence standing at her left shoulder. It was very nasty indeed! And it seemed to "huff" at me!
Immediately I was enveloped with overwhelming love. It did not come from me.
Any fear that could have arisen from the evil I was sensing immediately left.
I think that perhaps that might have been the Lord's protection for us......
This scripture comes to mind. "Perfect love casts out fear."(1 John 4:18)
Phoebe went home after this. But she came again, and we talked about repentance, and Ian led her in a prayer to be forgiven for any sins she might have committed. I had not been able to do that before. She had a New Age world view, and believed that there was no such thing as sin.
We took her to our church, but it did not suit her. She joined a group Bible study in the local area. The middle-aged ladies in the group took her under their wing. She seemed to be doing quite well, so we left her in their care.
A few months later I heard that Phobe was selling occult objects by party plan! How could this be? I went around to see her with some books and information dealing with "crystal magic" from the Christian point of view. She told me of her new spiritual path, studying a course in Reiki healing.
"Is Yang still with you?."
"Yes but I don't talk to him any more, I only talk to Jesus."
It was not really surprising that Phoebe was all mixed up and syncretic in her faith.
Drastic measures were necessary.
I phoned up two of the ladies who led Phoebe's weekly Bible study.
"I have tried to explain that she is moving into dangerous waters, but I can tell that she really does not believe me. Could you say something to her?"
"What's wrong with selling crystals? They are only rocks, they cannot do any harm!" I tried to explain, but these ladies were from a branch of the church that did not really have much experience in the supernatural. They had no background to help them see that if miraculous protection is sought from anything apart from Jesus, a door may be opened for evil. The next step was to call the minister of the church attended by most of the ladies in her Bible study. He was a good friend of mine but there was little he could do as the study was an independent one, and not under his jurisdiction. "But I will teach a sermon series on the Occult". He suggested that I talk to the area co-ordinator of the studies .
I rang her. My opening remark was rather unfortunate.
"Do you have any studies on the occult ?"
I could hear intense revulsion in the reply "Certainly not. We only study the Bible"
It took me a while to realise that this person thought I was requesting studies on Witchcraft!
"Well, I think perhaps it might be a good idea to incorporate some, because...." To put her properly in the picture I told the story of Phoebe and the party plan for selling Crystals. "I'm quite sure that this lady will not be the only new convert who has syncretic ideas, and has her Christianity all mixed up with a New Age world view. I think that we need to be ready to help these people find the truth."
After that, there was not much else that we could do, except pray for Phoebe, who has since moved away. I did not see a satisfactory ending to this story, but we can only do what is our portion to do. The Lord has his hands on the lives of his children, and the Holy Spirit is the teacher. I trust that it may take many years for this to be worked out, and hope that we did as much as we should have done for Phoebe. His commitment to us has to be far greater than our commitment to Him. His Word says that none shall snatch us out of His hand.
( John 10: 28)
Deut. 18 : 10 There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer,an auger or a necromancer.
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1993 - A Boy on a Bike
Eve -
I've been trying to help a teen I know find the Lord. He gets on his bike every Sunday, and seems to be scouring the area for a church that will tell him about God. I think he's tried a few and found them wanting. I've been lending him some tapes by a Christian Comedian, and also a computer game called "Captain Bible in the Dome of Darkness". Holy Spirit inspired Computer games and music tapes seem to be a good way to reach the young. What do you think?
Koorong Books have it for $19.95. It runs on our computer, 496 - Windows 3.1 You need a cd rom drive.
Write to Bridgestone Multi Media (300 McKemy Avenue, Chandler,AZ, 85226-2618 . Phone (USA) (603) 9405777 to find out where to get a copy of Captain Bible in the Dome of Darkness, and whether or not it will run on your computer. You can probably also find out by asking your local Christian bookshop to get it for you. There are other similar games available for more recent computers.
2000
Hi sister!
A lovely thing happened today. I don't suppose you would remember me telling you about a young lad who took himself off on his bike on Sundays, looking for something; he wasn't sure what? He's all grown up now, and a member of the Armed forces. Today he came to visit us. He sat down at the kitchen table and opened his Bible (which he had with him), and began to tell us how he's been witnessing to some friends. It is more exciting than that. His story has been an interesting one. He found a lively church, made his commitment and was baptised. Shortly after that, someone at church let him down a bit, and being young it hurt him very much.I think he decided everyone was a hypocrite, and therefore it was all "humbug". He tore his Bible up, and left home to go to college (grades 11 and 12). He made friends with some people who were into the occult. He also told us he was going to seances, which were "more real than church".
All I could think of to say to Him was, "Never mind about the church, you just keep on talking to God". The end of the story goes like this :- When he left the area to take up work two years later, he found himself in another lively church, was released from a spirit of rejection, and jumped into the arms of God. Hallelujah! Now he is doing a course in ministry, and planning on a future career as a Pastor, if that is what God wants for him. The last time I saw him he had a new angle on the hypocrite thing. He says, when a cynic asks him if he is a Christian, he replies, "Yes, I'm a hypocrite." He says that knocks the wind out of their sails, and then he explains that we are all hypocrites, for no one lives up to what they think they should be. And then he tells them about a God who loves them with an unconditional love!
TO SEE YVONNE'S ARTWORK WITHOUT BUYING THE BOOK, CLICK HERE
THEN PRESS THE LINK TO GOSPELTRAINERS ON THE RIGHT OF THE PAGE. (You will
find the illustration for "Boy on a Bike", and many others for your enjoyment.)
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