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Post by elizabeth on Mar 29, 2015 1:07:45 GMT
I come from an unchurched background. In my young life I did have a few encounters with God.
I went to a secular school, but when I entered Grade 1, I mixed with children who went to Sunday School. They told me about a Father God Who lived in heaven, and Who loved everyone. Their narrative sounded so wonderful and like a fairy tale. I assumed this Father God would even love me.
So I zip on home to tell my family the good news, and find my father rather bemused. He then explains how there are believers, atheists, and agnostics, and what each one means. Apparently, he‘s an agnostic. This was the only time in my life I felt smarter than my father. I knew God was real and this made me feel like I was special to God, like He had His hand upon me.
In grade 2 I had a teacher who read us a Bible story every day after lunchtime. I lived for those stories; stories of Noah, Abraham, David, I loved them all. I wanted a Bible so bad. I didn’t understand that the teacher was reading from a book of Bible stories and not the Bible. So I thought I needed a regular Bible even though I was only 7.
Now I knew my father laughed at me with my ‘God fascination’ so I didn’t want to ask my parents for a Bible. Julian, the minister’s son from a neighbourhood church, was in my class at school, and I thought maybe I could trade him something for a Bible. My stuff was too girly, but my sister Colleen had an Indian head penny I thought Julian might like. I normally was quite an honest child, but I stole Colleen’s penny, and traded it to Julian for a used Bible.
Colleen never noticed her penny missing, and I thought I’d pulled off the perfect crime until one night Julian and his Dad appeared at our front door. Julian then had to explain to my Dad about our trade deal. Julian’s Dad was going to leave me with the Bible and Colleen with the penny, but my father laughed and insisted that Julian keep the penny - a deal was a deal.
This was the first miracle I saw in my life. My father was quite a violent man and I didn’t get in trouble at all for this. Normally, I would have been beaten to a pulp.
I didn’t stop believing in God, but in the teen years things changed. I started questioning God about pain and suffering, and why things were the way they were in the world. I still believed there was a God, but I didn’t believe He cared about me at all. My life circumstances had been quite sad, and there had been no one there to help.
I got saved when I was 18. A friend invited me to a church service, and I got saved that first night there. That was the first time I had ever heard the gospel.
It’s been a rocky road, and I’ve backslid countless times. Once I hit my 40’s, however, I learned sound doctrine. I began to learn from the painful times in my life, and I really started to grow. I am so thankful that I know the Lord, and I love Him more than I can say.
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Post by Leeza on Mar 29, 2015 5:03:57 GMT
Hahahaha! That made me laugh out loud. So out of character for you to be some sort of Bonnie Parker. But I thought it was so touching that you were so desperate to get that Bible that you came up with such a resourceful solution. Did Colleen ever find out that you traded her Indian penny for that used Bible? Thanks for sharing your testimony, Liz, I really enjoyed reading it. I can relate so much at the parts where you felt like the Lord was drawing you unto Himself at a young age. I do believe that the Lord brought that teacher into your life at just the right time in 2nd grade to plant some seeds with those Bible stories, especially considering that your father was an agnostic and you didn't receive any kind of spiritual teaching at home. I didn't either, so I can relate to that, also.
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Post by elizabeth on Mar 29, 2015 13:15:38 GMT
Leeza, you have highlited that this was not a victimless crime, and so I will fill you in on the victim. Colleen found the Indian head penny when she was 5. She had no idea what it was, and had little interest in it, so it soon found its way to the bottom of some old toy box or junk drawer. The person interested in the coin was my father. The fact he let it go in a trade makes me pretty sure the coin wasn't valuable. Colleen never was interested in history, or coins, and never brought up the topic after this episode.
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Post by Leeza on Mar 29, 2015 16:16:23 GMT
Well, Liz, the way I see it is that the one who could have been the potential victim was YOU, since you took a great risk in being "beaten to a pulp" for taking the Indian penny in trade for a Bible. It was a good thing that your sister Colleen didn't care about the penny, and your father gave it away because there was a good chance that it was not valuable like you said. If it was worth something, then no doubt that he would have punished you severely. So I see this entire incident as the grace of God on a little girl who so desperately wanted to know more about Him.
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Post by Gr8tful on Mar 29, 2015 17:48:40 GMT
Elizabeth I love your testimony!! How precious that a little girl wants to know more about the Lord and His Word! To commit a 'crime' to own a Bible, w/the thought of potential wrath of dad....now that's child like faith! Reading your testimony is so sweet, how the Lord drew you to Him like He did! Bringing the teacher to read stories, etc...that's God paving the way! Then to have you question Him in your teen yrs more than likely from your own pain and things you had seen, instead of being bitter and hanging on to it, you gave it to Him to take away! I find that amazing! The Lord anointed you at a young age, set you apart, and led you to Him at the age you are considered an adult! I think that's sooo wonderful! I know it isn't easy and probably hasn't been, but you were His from the get go! Has anyone else in your family come to Christ? Thank you so much for sharing this! It really is inspiring! It makes me realize that God is working on behalf of His own, even when we don't know it or see it!
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Post by elizabeth on Mar 30, 2015 1:23:52 GMT
Gr8tful, I'm hoping people in my family made decisions for Christ before they died. They all knew the gospel. They've either been to church with me, or I e mailed them the gospel, which caused them to think I was off my rocker. The rest, I'm continuing to pray for.
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Post by shiloh on Mar 31, 2015 2:09:28 GMT
Some of those Indian head pennies are worth a lot, but I you dad really cared about it. he would have tucked it away in a safe place and it wouldn't have been thrown in the toy box.
I have this feeling that the Lord loved that you hungered for His word and the Truth. I don't believe for one second that He held that against you. His Word is the treasure you sought.
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Post by elizabeth on Mar 31, 2015 3:17:49 GMT
I think you're right Shiloh, I think my father should have tucked it safely away for Colleen until she was old enough to appreciate it. Thanks Shiloh, it was God's grace that I was able to keep that Bible, even though I was a seven year old felon.
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Post by shiloh on Apr 18, 2015 2:28:45 GMT
And to top it all off with, if you were Catholic, you'd be spending time and Purgatory, girl... and we'd have to pray you out of there....or.....you can just tweet the pope b/c he said that if people follow him on twitter he can get ya out of Purgatory real fast.... I'm sorry but that is so sad what he said about that, that it's funny. I guess he's got some kind of special connections. I couldn't believe that when I saw that on the news and read the article. Don't worry. We'll light candles for you and especially at Novena time.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2015 15:59:54 GMT
Such a determination and hunger for God's word at such a young age. You risked bodily harm in getting a Bible, that need was strong in you. God was in charge of your life then as he is now. It is amazing you did not get beating with stealing or that your Dad did not throw the Bible away.
It is an amazing testimony Elizabeth
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Post by Gr8tful on Oct 18, 2015 21:16:48 GMT
I just reread your testimony Elizabeth. Man oh man, it is such a precious testimony! I just love it and to see God's having a hold on you at such an early age, is awesome! Looking back on it now, how do you feel about it? Do you stand in awe over the fact that He loved you so much, that He 'wooed' you like He did? I mean, you have to see now how He placed the right people at the right time in your life in order to find Him. Do you see how extremely special you are to Him? What a beautiful feeling huh?!
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Post by elizabeth on Oct 21, 2015 1:18:34 GMT
Gr8tful, I do see how God was influencing me from an early age, and I do feel very grateful.
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Post by shiloh on Oct 21, 2015 9:26:56 GMT
I loved all of it. Liz. God had His and upon you as He does wit all of us who seek Him. I love this part....
That's what I call child-like faith. We know even though we may not have understood at that time. He put that hunger there for you too. I think all of us can relate to that in some form. It's very hard to explain. He said "All the Father has given Me can never be snatched out of My Hand." I paraphrased that and made it short. But, that is sometimes a mystery to me in some senses.
I don't believe in Calvinism in the sense that some are born to perish and some are born to be saved. I think it has to do with when we know and cry out to Jesus, even though we may have not understood true salvation at that time.
...and that probably made no sense, so I need to go grab another cup of coffee.
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Post by elizabeth on Oct 23, 2015 5:14:30 GMT
What I think about is those children who told me about God, and the grade 2 teacher who read the Bible stories, how they will be rewarded one day. They probably have no idea what they said and did had such an effect on my life. You just never know huh?
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Post by shiloh on Oct 23, 2015 13:27:38 GMT
Yes. I believe that too. Some people never know how they have made an impact on our spiritual lives. It reminds me of how the apostle Paul aid that he did not even judge himself. No one knows what rewards they will receive from simple act in doing it in the Lord's name, even if it was at a very young age.
"He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. "And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward." (Matthew 10: 41,42)
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Post by mary on Nov 11, 2017 18:47:18 GMT
Loved it! When I was about 8, I saw a wonderful big 9 x 11 or so illustrated book on a neighbor's porch. It was about Jesus, with the most beautiful big watercolor paintings -- angels, Jesus in the carpenter shop as a youngster, wearing a yarmulka, His birth. I don't know what it cost, but I went home and found Daddy's collection of pennies which had lots of Indian Head pennies. I got one, and trotted back down to the neighbor's porch and asked if the boy would trade the book for the penny. I still have the book. It is A Child is Born by Baker and illustrated by Royt.
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Post by elizabeth on Nov 13, 2017 18:03:17 GMT
Wow, that's amazing that you still have that book, Marylou. Did you ask permission for the penny, or did you have to resort for thieving, as I had to?
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Post by mary on Nov 13, 2017 18:09:54 GMT
I'm afraid I just sneaked one out of the bunch. They were probably the most valuable thing we owned (well outside of Daddy's hunting and fishing equipment and the car). Daddy had in 1930s worked for CCC for $1.00 a day, building roads in Colorado, and came home (to Oklahoma). He and the other guys pitched pennies for evening occupation, and Mother told me his metal trunk had been just loaded with pennies, some of them Indian Heads. I'm sure I was asked about how I got the book, don't remember much else about it, but I didn't get into trouble, and I think it was because the book was about Jesus. I may have been told to keep my mitts off Daddy's pennies though.
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Post by elizabeth on Nov 13, 2017 18:47:30 GMT
That's very interesting Marylou. I'd love to read your testimony - please put it on a thread when you've the time. It sounds like you came from a Christian family.
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Post by mary on Nov 13, 2017 21:21:35 GMT
I'm anxious to write my testimony, but it will be awhile. I'm concerned that it will go on long, but I'm going to try to get organized. My parents were believers even during my earliest years, and there is more to tell about that too.
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