90&9 - Testimonies

Ten Months in the Belly of the Whale

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 16:53:53 -0500

March 5, 2007
By Martha J. Jaynes

Jonah got off easy. Can I just be honest and say I never much liked Jonah? To me he was a coward and a con man. He didn’t want to do what God asked. He wanted a nice cushy job, but God gave him a tough assignment. And Jonah ran the opposite way. He was, in my opinion, too religious. A godly man would have seen the people of Nineveh as the lost sheep they were. He would have seen them like God sees them. Yet Jonah was a man full of religion; he saw the people of that town only as unredeemable sinners. I know how Jonah felt and I know what it took to change him. I know what it took to change me and it was a lot longer than three days.

Then the Police Raided Our Church

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 21:42:57 -0500

By Jonathan R. Harrah

A group of seven young people were gathered at our Apostolic church in Missouri on February 15, 2007 to rehearse an upcoming drama. The theme of the play was the importance of the Bible and how people have died trying to protect it. In the play, a militaristic group of men bust into a home where people are illegally studying the Bible. The two actors portraying these roles obviously needed to have realistic looking guns, thus we used pellet guns that a member of the youth group owned. As we practiced we thought it was a necessity to have all the lights in the church dimmed to create the dark setting of the drama.

Alone Time with Jesus—Priceless

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:21:47 -0500

February 19, 2007
By Sondra Jennings

Almost everything has a price. A commercial for a credit card company has attempted to show us that we can spend money on certain things to attain a priceless reward: maybe a ballgame, a hot dog, and a big foam finger can lead to priceless memories with a child.

Alone Time With Jesus - Priceless

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:55:18 -0500

Alone Time with Jesus—Priceless
By Sondra Jennings

Apostolics: The New Priesthood of Readers

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 17:35:17 -0500

February 5, 2007

By Lee Ann Alexander

Protestants have long championed the idea of the “priesthood of believers”--in essence, the idea that individual believers can interact with God directly, rather than funneling business through a priest. One of the more famous proponents of this concept was Martin Luther, and, of course, his radical thinking rocked the religious world and changed the course of history.

Here’s The Kicker--My Confession

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:30:40 -0500

January 15, 2007
By Rachel Clark

“Here’s the kicker…” This is a line that you would normally hear when a person is trying to prove a point or make a statement of emphatic impression.

That Annoying Commandment about Neighbors

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 09:39:58 -0500

January 1, 2007
By Courtney Ballestero

The Lord was moving. His presence was moving around the room blessing not only the regular parishioners (do we say that word in Pentecost?), but visitors I had never seen before were coming down to the altar with tears streaming down their faces practically dragging their burdens down the aisle like an overstuffed laundry bag. It was still in the midst of the worship service as the choir was singing a stirring song which I shall not name--really folks, it wasn’t about the song; it was about Jesus wanting to infuse the atmosphere with change. He had entered the room not to just attend, but to attend to the needs of the needy. It was incredible.

Retail Rudeness: Hope God’s Not at This Mall

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:50:46 -0500

By Rhea K. Liberty

December 18, 2006

Working in retail as I do, I could venture to say that the real reputations of people are evident in their shopping habits. For the past five years I have had the opportunity to come in contact with every variation of the “typical” customer--from the carefree browser to the demanding pain, many true identities have been revealed.

The Power of Writing Letters

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 15:12:39 -0500

By Christy Stenger
December 4, 2006

“And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words” (Hebrews 13:22).

Have you ever thought about the people Paul touched through his letters but whom he never actually met? Well, I have lately. My husband is in the Air Force and we move a lot. Since 1998, we have moved four times. That is a lot—but that also means a lot of friends. Sometimes my husband Bob and I feel like evangelists. Think of how many people we could touch and reach for God in our travels!

My “Moment of Faith” Testimony

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 20:07:16 -0500

By Summer Ratcliff

November 20, 2006

Growing up, I remember asking my mom, “Mom, can I please have a baby brother or sister?” I probably asked her this a thousand times, yet the answer was still always the same, “When God wants you to have one He will give you one.” Time went on and as I got older my hopes of having a little brother or sister quickly faded. We had decided in our minds that my mother would never be able to bare children.

Teaching the Truths I Didn’t Learn In Sunday School

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 20:56:40 -0500

By Kim Dudley

November 5, 2006

Growing up attending Sunday school my entire life, I thought I knew the Bible well. Recently I have realized that I do not!

Bound by Fear, Freed by . . . Ice Skating?

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 16:00:07 -0400

By Jessica Short

Have you ever had an experience that unexpectedly opened your eyes to who you are, and you found that you were sick and tired of yourself and completely ready to change? Recently I had that experience.

You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, But You Can Never Leave

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 01:16:03 -0400

By John White

“And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

-II Timothy 4:4

The Fatal Wreck That Wasn’t—A Highway Miracle

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 17:44:20 -0400

By Paul Records

(Editor’s Note: While this testimony is an amazing tribute to God’s goodness, we in no way wish to imply driving at night with little sleep will always result in a miraculous ending.)

God’s Scary Answer

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 17:56:19 -0400

By Christy Stenger

            When the Lord spoke to me on that hot summer day I really did not want to hear what He said. I even argued with the Lord. I was praying in the car while driving into town. (At this time we had been living in New Mexico for about a year and a half.)
            I have always tried to be honest with the Lord. He already knows my thoughts so why not be honest?
            I was praying about our move to California. We found out a year in advance that we would be moving so I should have accepted the move long before I did. There have been many times that I have been excited about moving, but this time I was not. The Lord and the Air Force did not give us a choice. If my husband wanted to go back to college and work on his doctorate, he would have to do it in Monterey, CA at the Naval Post Graduate School.