My Testimony – Part 3.

Well, it’s time for me to add a little more to my story.

As I said, when I left that job I was spiralling down that long dark whirlpool of despair.   In the end I ended being able to get 6 months sickness benefits (govt assistance) to enable me to try to get back on my feet so to speak.   In the end, one night I was spending some time with a good friend and after us talking for some time she was able to lead me back to the Lord Yeshua, my redeemer.   As is His way more often than not, He used my very despair to get me to turn to Him.   From that time things began to look up.   I started to go to church and have some good fellowship.   The unfortunate thing was that though the church I was going to had many well meaning brothers and sisters in the Lord, it was also a church that was and still is into the ‘hyper faith’ rubbish.   You probably know what I mean – ‘name it and claim it’ etc etc.   At that time some friends of mine, a married couple who are both friends and brother and sister in Christ whom I love dearly, were also going to the same church.   The funny thing is that this same brother was living at the same place I live now before he became a Christian and got married and we had spoken from time to time when he was a caretaker here.   So anyway I was going to this same church for a while, not realising that some of what they taught was poisonous heresy.   At this same time my friends were realising that a lot of what they were receiving there was not feeding them, so they were literally crying out to the Lord asking Him to show them the truth – because they only wanted to know what His truth is.   The prayers were answered.   My friend describes looking for books at a local Christian bookshop one day and a particular book “The Seduction of Christianity” by Dave Hunt (www.thebereancall.org) practically leapt off the shelf at him.   This and similar teachings by Jacob Prasch (www.moriel.org) on studying scripture with a view from the Hebrew perspective using Midrashic understanding of prophecy ended up convincing them that they had to ‘come out from among them’.   As they were finding these things out they were passing along this same info and these same books to me and, like them I found I could not get enough of it.   We did not accept it at face value.  We did check out whether this lined up with scripture and found that it certainly did.   For a time we all went to another church that was quite good in keeping to the scriptures, but in the end we have all of us ended up being not interested in churchianity and do not at present attend any formal gathering.  

After turning to the Lord as my Saviour this time I have been astounded from time to time how the Lord has just shown me so many different evidences of His Lordship and confirmed to me in so many ways His truth as written in the Bible.

I was sitting here one day a few years ago reading the Bible and praying and worshipping the Lord, when I was suddenly enveloped in what I can only describe as a tremendous flow of the Lord’s love.   It was not a feeling or even physical thing as far as I know.  I find now I can’t describe it.  It was just a tremendous knowing of His love.   I would not be able to tell you how long I sat there.   I just sat there, tears pouring down my face.   I don’t tell this to many, but I know telling you my brothers and sisters out there that I’m not throwing precious pearls before swine.   This is one of those things that I could not prove happened to me, but it was as real as anything you can touch physically.   I have no idea why the Lord would do this for one person and not another.   It doesn’t pay to try to figure out God’s reasons for doing or not doing a particular thing in a person’s life.   He sees beginning from end and knows exactly what He’s doing, after all.
Well, at this time I will consider this testimony closed.   When I remember things that may be encouraging to fellow Christians I will share them.

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Hate-Crime Laws & Evolutionary Tyranny

by Selwyn Duke.

This is an excellent article on the recent rise of hate crime laws.

Excerpt:

“Ironically, while part of the supposed purpose of hate-crime legislation is to combat prejudice and discrimination, it is the very embodiment of it. After all, there are seven deadly sins: sloth, gluttony, lust, envy, pride, greed and wrath (hate), and this legislation discriminates by placing an undue onus on those who exhibit the one that is most out of fashion.”

Asking for a favour

My friends, I’m going through a bit of a dark time at the moment. I’m not looking for sympathy.

I would ask though that you pray for me.

Thanks.

‘I Will Eat Your Dollars’

This is an excellent insight into the thinking of Nigerian scammers.

“Kovacsics said victims can’t believe that a scammer would spend months of internet chat just to net $700 or $1,000, not realising that is big money in Nigeria and fraudsters will have many scams running at the same time.”

I’ve been on the internet for quite a few years now, and most of you probably don’t need me telling you what you already know, but if there’s anyone new to computers or the net reading this – remember this: If something sounds too good to be true, then there’s an almost 100% chance that that it IS too good to be true.

My Testimony – Part 2

In my previous post I was saying how lonely and bitter I became.   Except for the necessary interaction with others, I became a recluse for the most part, and even now I still have that tendency to want to withdraw when life gets too painful – which it often can.    Some use alcohol or drugs – my addiction has always been food, the sin called gluttony.  I use it to stuff my feelings down so I don’t have to face them.   I’m aware the Lord could help me with this if I trusted Him more, but as yet I do not.

In any case, on with my story.    During these years I developed a bad nervous condition and was put on a drug called Serapax, much akin to Valium, and over a period of time became addicted.   At the time I realized I had a problem I was sharing a house with another guy, and it became evident that that he was an alcoholic.   After a couple of incidents of shared money being used for his drinking I managed to get him to go and get help at a drug and alcohol treatment centre called Holyoake.   I had myself already been going there for help for myself.    After a couple of weeks of going there I was told by one of the facilitators to ‘get off the fence’ and make up my mind whether I wanted to get off the drug or not, otherwise get out and make room for someone who did want to.   I went home that night angry and resentful and struggled with myself till 2 am.   But I came away from that with a determination to do whatever it took.   Now here’s the amazing power, grace and mercy of our Lord.   From that time I completely lost the urge to take the drug.    The urge was taken; just like that [snaps fingers].   For the next 3 weeks as my emotions (which had been suppressed by the drug) returned, I was like a bear with a sore head and very difficult to be around.    Fortunately, the guy I was sharing the house with also got sober.
It was not long after that I shifted into a place on my own, and what a blessed relief that was.    I should probably back up a little here and say that not too long before I stopped living in boarding houses (got tired of living in tiny rooms in which a cat didn’t have room to swing a mouse) I got interested in CB radio, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.    Because I was able to start talking with people and making friendships over the airwaves, it caused me to be able to gradually start to trust people a little again.    A married couple I got talking to from time to time ended being a couple of the best friends I had at that time – a friendship that lasted several years.    In the end though they shifted back to the other side of Australia and I lost contact with them.   So over a period of some time my emotional health started to return.   Also during that time my sister had moved east, met a good man and got married and had five children.   My parents went over to visit and fell in love with the Queensland country and decided to move over there to live.   As they found a place to buy in the same town my sister lived it worked out well for them.  

Anyway, after moving into my own apartment (flats or units they’re usually called here) I was for many years a truckie.   Nothing as big as a semi-trailer big rig, it was just doing delivery work mainly.   So, several years ago now, I was rung by a relative on a Friday night with the bald statement that my sister had just been killed in a car accident.   I don’t remember much of that evening except for about 15 minutes walking around in a circle repeating to myself “This can’t be true, this can’t be true!”    I knew I was going to lose it, and so called my dear friend who I’ve now known for over 20 years asking her to come over, which she did with all speed.   She can never know the help she was that evening.    I was very close to my sister and this happening knocked me backside over teakettle.   The remainder of the weekend was a fog.   My employer of the time was very kind in helping me get over there to Queensland in a hurry by plane.   From the time I got the news until I arrived in the town in Queensland the next Tuesday I did not sleep, and so when I got there I slept the sleep of exhaustion on a bare mattress in my nephews place.   One of things that blew me away at her funeral was just how many people attended from around the area.   She was a believer and had for many years been quietly doing well for may people.   So many came up and told me of the help she had been to them.   There was at least 500 people attended the funeral.

Upon returning to Perth and resuming my job, things started to go downhill.  By the end of the next year I had had enough of the job which had got to the point of me driving all day with lunch being a sandwich or some such in one hand and the steering wheel in the other.   Non-stop in other words for often 10 hours a day.    That might not seem a huge amount of overtime, but as any truckie can tell you, that type of work is very stressful.   Anyway our manager, who was a Richard Cranium of the first order, came over to see me one day and started hopping in to me over something trivial, and pressed the wrong button and I lost it, giving him a month’s notice.  When I left there I walked away literally not looking back.  From there I quickly slid into depression, which I saw later had been a long time coming after my sister’s death as I had never allowed myself to fully grieve.   I was in no fit state to work, so a local doctor got me put on sickness benefits for 6 months, allowing me time to get help for not only for my mental state but also the ‘frozen’ shoulder condition I had developed on that job.    

Well, it’s late at night and I’m out of puff, so this is to be continued soon.

Prisoner sues God

Let’s file this one under category: “Looney Toons”

A Romanian prisoner is suing God for failing to save him from the Devil.

The World Oil Crisis: Implications for Global Security and the Middle East

This is a good article on the world oil situation.

An excerpt:

We are seeing the beginning of a new era in the Middle East where other players, particularly China, will move in and want to cut deals and alliances. The U.S. and Europe are trying to curb Iran’s nuclear program, to stop it from developing the bomb, but the Chinese have signed a $70 billion energy deal with Iran, and it will be very difficult to get them on board at the UN Security Council.

One of the main causes of friction between China and Japan involves access to oil and gas deposits in the East China Sea. The Chinese are also developing a strong foothold in Pakistan, where thousands of Chinese workers are building a new port in Baluchistan at Gwadar, which sits right at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

Testimony Part 1 – early years

Well, it seems that quite a few of my  brothers and sisters in Christ in the blogosphere are having the courage to give their testimonies on how they came to believe in the Messiah – Jesus Christ the Saviour of the world and God in the flesh.

So, here is the beginning of my story.

I was born here in Western Australia in 1948 to a mother and father who were both troubled people.  Dad, I’m told, was in the beginnings of his alcoholism and mom was having trouble dealing with that, so neither of them was able to give my sister or I the love and time we needed.   When I was about 5 yrs we shifted into the country so dad would have a better chance of getting work.   For many years  we shifted from place to place as dad was able to get work and then eventually lost them.    Nevertheless, those years are probably the best memories as far as my childhood went.   I was a child who was always quite withdrawn from most of the other kids, often preferring to sit in the lunchroom reading comics at lunchtime instead of joining in with the other children on the playground.   My mum, because of the religion (a ‘Christian’ sect)she was in at the time, disapproved of my being involved in rough sports, any social activity that was considered of being of ‘the world’.   So, to have any kind of peace with her I would conform.   So, except for a few friends I grew up a lonely kid and got used to being a loner.    My sister was more rebellious against such restrictions, and that actually probably helped her in many ways.   Dad’s alcoholism was less evident in these years, as he found it hard to get hold of the booze in any regular supply, and I think he was actually glad to have it so.   Poor mum – she didn’t handle those years in the country too well, and a few times went to live with her brother in Perth, as he was of the same religion.   It enabled her to carry on, at least, after being with them for a while.    At such times, I think I remember going and staying with my dad’s brother (who later became redeemed by the Lord, and was a fearless witness for Him).

At the time I turned 12, it was decided to return to Perth so that I would be able to go to high school (around 1960).    The same pattern happened in Perth where dad was concerned, as we moved from place to place as dad got and lost jobs.   During these early teenage years I was going on a regular basis to my mom’s religion’s meetings.

By the way, I should put a bit of an explanation in here.  Her religion were basically Bible believing people, and the reason I labelled them as a sect is because they believe they are the only ones amongst Christians going to heaven.   We know of course that the Lord says “whomsoever will believe shall be saved”

In any case I got a good knowledge of the Bible in those years.   At home however things were pretty bad.   So bad I have blocked out some of those years.   Our last shift as a family we ended up in a suburb called East Guildford.    At this time dad had got to the point where he was drinking methylated spirits in the morning because he was not able to get to the pub till later in the day, and he would more likely than not have run out of his hidden stashes.    Mom finally got to the point where she left him and took me with her.   It brought dad up with a jolt, because he did love us, despite everything.    He went to a local doctor, who more than coincidentally knew a fair bit about alcoholism.    At the doctors’ advice, dad started going to AA, and after slipping off the wagon a time or two, got hold of the program of the 12 steps.   From then until he died 20m years later, he never had another drink.    During these years (about 20 yrs of age) I went to a Billy Graham crusade here in Perth and was (I believed so at the time) saved.   I began to attend an Assemblies of God church and enjoyed the fellowship there.    However, the church became divided over some matter and ended up splitting, with a lot of bitterness.   I went to the split off part of the church for a while, but they ended up getting weird, so I left there.     After some other things happened (which strangely I can’t even remember) I turned my back on the Lord for many years, and became more and more of a loner and ever more bitter.   From my early twenties to my early thirties I was living in boarding houses for the most part.   I cut myself off from having any friends, and I’m not sure even whether I was quite sane.    It was 10 years of self-imposed hell.    

Ok, I’m having trouble here staying awake, so I will continue soon.

More on the Hate Crimes bill

Here’s a commentary from CNS News.com.

Can Hate Crimes be Cured?, By Stephen M. Lilienthal

The last couple of paragraphs make good points.

Hate crimes laws, whether at the federal or state level, undermine our most valued legal principles. All lawful Americans oppose crimes, particularly premeditated acts, whether they have occurred because of greed, passion, hate or thrill-seeking.

We have state laws to deal with murder and assault. There is no need for federal “hate crimes” legislation, which is “thought crimes” legislation, given its destructive impact upon one of our cherished ideals

S 1145 – Anti Christian law in disguise about to be passed in USA.

Billy D has put up a post on his blog about a law about to be passed that will make it a punishable federal crime to speak out against homosexuality and other perversions. At first glance it would appear to be a good bill to stop perverts from preying on children, but there’s more to it than that. Read more at Billy’s blog.

It’s important for you Americans to put a stop to this, especially if you’re a Christian. Don’t delay – put a buzz in your Conressmen’s ears and don’t let up till they listen. Being here in Aussie there’s not much I can do to help except support Billy with this post. Other bloggers please do the same – get the word out. There’s a lot of you out there and if you work together on this there’s a fighting chance of getting this stopped. Go read Billy’s post. This IS important.