Julia Ward Howe    

  "Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,

Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

Bob Dylan 

  I waited for the train while writing in a little notebook. With the Bible in one hand and the pencil in the other, I mad a sketch for a sermon. Having understood that it was necessary for ma to act quickly, I realized that the faster I got ready the better I would do. It was preferable to start preaching before going back to the city than to wait for another favorable occasion. Back in my home, at the city I would find any kind of obstacle to achieve this intention. I had just declared victory on one of my hardest adversaries, so I needed to make it real.

With approximately other twenty passengers I got up the train when it arrived to the station. It was delayed but it usually it came late. I paid my fare and took a sit in the first car. I as excited, so I prayed for strength and wisdom, for courage to stand up and deliver the message of salvation. I took many pieces of paper and used them as bookmarks in the Bible, in order to make easier finding the verses I had chosen to support the preaching. After I made up my mind, I walked through the hallway till the last car. I was looking for the person in charge.

When I found the one who gives the tickets, I asked him whether I was able to preach aloud or not. He made me some questions concerning the content of what I would like to express. After thinking about it for a moment , he said, "I think it's okay," he said.

"Good morning," I started, "God has sent me to tell you something important." Opening the Bible, I read the verses found in Mark 1:16, "Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news." Then I added an explanation of what were the good news and what they meant for us all. I read another passage, the one that is in Acts 4:10-12, which finishes with the following declaration, concerning Jesus Christ, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Supported in this assert, I exposed the falsehood of the diverse ways manhood has elaborated attempting to reach heaven, such as religions and philosophies.

The initial hesitation I had started to grow dim. Since there was a varied audience before me, I went gaining confidence to deliver the message. Most of the passengers listened attentively, such thing made feel okay. After the speech was over, I asked them to consider all the words I had spoken unto them. Also I recommended to read their Bibles, when they were back home, and analyzed carefully the message of life that God has given unto us in Jesus Christ. I thanked them their attention and I went back to my sit. I praised God in prayer for the ability he gave me to bring out the gospel's message. Then I got my breakfast.

I ate quietly some food I bought in the station. When I finished, I went to the second last car. In the hallway I stopped for a while to pray. Entering, I stopped near the middle of the car and I addressed the people in similar way to the first time. Since in this car there were more children than in the first one, I developed in the fly some illustrations targeting them, that they might understand better. When I finished, after telling them thanks, I went out to take a break.

I was between the cars, where the wind refreshed me, when a man approached me and asked me a word. I assented and asked him whether he had heard the message I had given. He acknowledged it as the reason to talk me. From the Bible directly I gave him some answers, I urged him to accept Jesus Christ as Savior.

He did not feel ready to have a commitment to God. Instead of that, he asked me to pray for him that when he got home he would be willing to attend church and understand batter in order to make his decision. He had been out of his home for seven months and now that he returned he expected to have a different lifestyle. He had heard about God and also he knew some people of the local church. He has some sympathy to the church and God's stuff but now he felt compelled to take it more seriously. I told him he had pray and I would support his petition unto God. He prayed quietly. Also, I prayed.

I was glad I could see how God had started to work in me and through me. (...)

With my friends it was different, a little bit harder. However, praying before talking with someone always gave good results. Specially I remember when I witnessed one of my friends of the College. She majored Biology. She knew I was a Christian since I had had to say it as explanation when I restrained in certain issues. Even though I never tried to proselytize, I had shared some elements of the the message with her, but trying not to confront her.

That day we met in the hallway which bridged The classrooms to the laboratories. We started, after greetings, talking about classes and schedules. "Did you have a great time during the break?" trying to have a better topic to talk about, I said to her. "It was cool, and what about yours," she asked me, "was it good?" "Yes, it was a sort of strange adventure because I came back preaching in the train." I answered. That was enough for her to throw me a lot of words questioning my believes. I tried an explanation, then another one, and it worked. I was amazed that every time she interpose an excuse to not believe I could elaborate and developed and idea which fitted well in the discourse.

When we arrived to the evolution issue, I thought, momentarily, to share with her the experience I had had in the countryside days before. However, instead of telling the whole story, which would have taken a long time, I came with a simple explanation. Since I have seen God's power to create a full plant, in a short time, out of a separated branch, I realized that the problem of the evolutionist scheme is the character of the presuppositions involved. "If you see a stone, threw by your friend, coming through the window and landing in your desk. Are you able to know where the stone was thrown from?" Well, in the case that you can fully describe the trajectory inside your room, you can really know the place at the level of the ground outside by making a projection in the time, backwardly." Nodding, I asked her again, "Is this the same sort of time projection that is performed in evolution?" Smiling, she affirmed. "Because of this you think that, since by reasoning we have this power of time predictability then, the evolutionary story is right?" I waited for her answer. "Sure, but always based in the evidence of the fossil record."

After a pause, I finally inquired, "If, instead of a stone landing on your desk, you see a butterfly coming though your window and finishing its flight on your computer, would you be able to describe its trajectory before it entered your room?" She laughed at me, and said, "Oh no, that's impossible, a butterfly is a living creature, it has will and flies wherever it wants."

Trying to see how well we understand each other I said, "Why you can affirm that for the stone you can get the info you want? Why you reasoning works in that case?" She deemed a moment, "Because the stone is only subjected to Physics' principles of movement. And Physics' laws are valid everywhere." Near to the conclusion I said, "Precisely, that is the weakest link of this theory. The assumption that the Principles of Physics (and Chemistry and Biology) are valid everywhere and every time is very strong, but unfortunately, it lacks of a solid ground. The extrapolation of the observed data has fallen outside from any verification. It has reached the point of mere speculation."

"Basically the problem is in the principles. When the theorist starts his work denying God's existence, he shortens his own vision and understanding and is trapped in his own argument. When he says that everything happens by hazard with no any will involved, in order to solve the problem, he is giving the same treatment to the stone and to the butterfly." I ended, asking, "Can you see this clearly?"

(...)

We talked for almost two hours, till we had to attend our first class. She said she needed to think it over before to commit in such a decision. She understood very well that it was a personal lifetime decision. It was not an easy resolution to take in a moment. We said bye each other. I walked away praising God for his wonderful work.   

"I Am The Resurrection And The Life."

Jesus Christ

That day in the countryside I had to turn to God looking for direction and I felt the reproof of the Holy Spirit for my break of loyalty to Him. I repented myself for my dissipation and I asked to the Lord forgave me and gave another opportunity to serve Him. I took the decision to follow Him earnestly. Then God showed me a miracle when He made a plant to sprout up a new shoot from night to morning! Thus God showed me His Great Power to transform anything and I understood that He would fulfill His purpose on me, despite my wandering. I repented from my lack of wisdom and I decided to follow Christ Jesus with all my heart.

When I came back to the city I made a great pile and I burnt all my works (poems, writings, paintings, sculptures and pictures). I started a new way of living: I closed myself to worldly books and music (Philosophies and Ideologies of this world). And as a result God moved me to decide to be baptized. Soon after I led an evangelistic group preaching the gospel in parks and the subway for several months. It was then that I understood that God wanted me to dedicate full-time to His work but I also had the drive to finish my academic career. I worked for 2 years in the Children's Ministry. At the same time I was an itinerant street preacher. Accepting Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior is the most important decision I have made in my life. It happened when I was 14 years old, I remember it as the most glorious experience I have ever had because it was passing from death to life, and also because of the emotions I experienced the day in which I become a son of God. Since I was born and raised in a Christian family, I had knowledge about God when I was just a child. I knew that all of us were separated from God’s glory because of sin. Also, I realized that it was necessary for me, in order to be saved, to accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as an atonement for my faults. Otherwise I would share the unbeliever's destine which is eternal separation from God’s presence.

We used to attend church every Sunday. In most of the sermons there was an invitation to accept God’s gift of salvation in a public confession of faith. Sunday after Sunday I was watching the time pass by while thinking that maybe next time or in another opportunity when the sermon was special and I would be able to make my own decision. However I really knew that no one had the power to preserve his own life, and that at any moment I could leave this world and if I hadn’t accept God’s gift before, the place I would go would not be heaven. This thoughts kept me going to Church with expectancy every week. We had an invited preacher that day, the pastor Pat Carter.

Indeed I remember neither the date when it happened nor the sermon’s theme but the facts are lucidly engraved in my memory. As it is common after the message it was a time to reflect on the words spoken and make a decision. When the preacher made the Invitation I bowed my head in prayer. The situation was clear, I was a sinner who needed God’s forgiveness. I required to be born again in order to enter the heavenly kingdom, but I hesitated. Suddenly I felt my heart moved. I wondered what it was. Surprised I acknowledged God was inviting me to become part of his kingdom, to be saved. I could not resist the impulse that led me to the front. It was as that light and gentle touch pulled onward.

I stood up and let God lead me to the front. When I got to the altar my heart was being softly pressed and surrounded by a special warmth. I just had to say yes to Jesus Christ, to accepted God’s grace by faith. I knelt having inexpressible feeling. I felt so close to Jesus Christ. He was asking me to surrender my life and to receive his glorious favor. I was just unable to say, "No," to him, so I started to pray asking him to forgive all my sins and to give me eternal life. I was aware of my situation, just at the threshold of Heaven and knowing that Christ Jesus was willing to receive me. I begged, "Jesus Christ, please save me," don’t let me go to the hell, give me life.

I supplicated, "Make me born again! Please, God! Save me!” And then the certitude came suddenly to me, like a lightning. My sorrow became joy, my pain went away and I began to praise the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was a wonderful feeling of assurance which filled me up with an ineffable gladness. I was forgiven. I was saved by Christ Jesus. Songs of praise sprang up within my heart but externally I was still crying, unable to say any word!

For a long time I stayed in that state of commotion. When I recovered the calm the service was over and everyone was preparing to leave. After I left the Church I was still plenty of joy, singing inside my heart and mind while tears were pouring out of my eyes in abundance. My mom asked me what had happened with me but I couldn’t say any thing because every time I opened the mouth my voice was broken. Nonetheless my inner expression overflowed with happiness! This emotion lasted more than an hour after the service.

Many songs in my heart and many tears in my eyes were mingled in the feeling of my brand new eternal life because of the great love God had lavished on my soul. I was already a son of God! I felt no more fears for the future, no more expectation but the complete certainty of God living in me.

The Holy Spirit had come to dwell in my heart. Jesus Christ had became my Lord, my Owner,and my friend forever! And all of this by grace, praise be our Lord Jesus Christ now and ever! Amen.

Since I was born again I have had many different kinds of experiences in which clearly I have seen the care of God and his love for me. I acknowledge his presence and his continuous help to make me better every day of my life . The things are not the same as before I became a child of God. Now a have a neat relationship with God, He is my Father and I am his son. Daily we are in contact. I can talk to him in prayer and He speaks to me in the Bible. And even more than that, He lives within my heart!

One wonderful aspect of Christian life is God's family, all those who accept Jesus Christ as His Savior form the Church, the family of God. The relationship among the believer is in love because the Holy Spirit is living in our hearts.

"If the sky above you

grows dark and full of clouds

And that old north wind begins to blow.

Keep you head together"

Carole King, You've Got A Friend   

  The beautiful bride, God has chosen to live with, and within, is the Church. Spiritually, there is an eternal union between God and his people. Every believer is a dwelling place of the Spirit of God. When a person is born again becomes a child of God. By faith we receive the gift of God's grace that is salvation through Jesus Christ. Accepting Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior means to surrender our lives unto Him. To give God the throne of our heart.

There is nothing in all creation that can separate a true believer from God since they conform a unity by the Holy Spirit. The original communion Creator creature is restored by the new birth, which is spiritual. Being born again lead to have many different kinds of experiences in which is evident the care of God and His love for his own.

The things are not the same as before we became children of God, now we have a neat relationship with God. He is our Father and I we are his children. Daily we are in contact. We can talk to him in prayer and He speaks to us in the Bible, and through His people. One wonderful aspect of Christian life is the family. All those who accept Jesus Christ as His Savior form the Church, the family of God. The relationship among the believers is a love based communion because the Holy Spirit is living in our hearts.