"Actions," the saying goes, "speak louder than words." Ungodly actions can muffle the sounds of righteous words. That's what happened in Stephanie's home.

Stephanie grew up in church and regularly heard the claims of the gospel, but never experienced a life transformation until she was eighteen. She didn't just need to hear the gospel, she needed to see it. She couldn't see it, at least not at home. During the week, her Mom went from one man's bed to another, but on Sunday she would get dressed up and sit in church, pretending to be something she wasn't.

Personally, I'm glad Stephanie's Mom attended church-that's where she needed to be. Sinners need to hear the gospel. But I don't think that was Stephanie's point of view.

Unfortunately, Stephanie made a choice to emulate the Mom she saw at home-the real Mom-not the Mom she saw at church. Stephanie's promiscuity wasn't her only problem, she became rebellious and starting running away from home and spent most of her teenage years in and out of trouble.

When she reached the bottom, she turned to Christ. "All these things [the gospel] I heard, but never quite experienced them until I was desperate and cried out." Stephanie said. "When I did, He was there."

After Stephanie "cried out to God," her life was transformed. Her spirit of rebellion was gone, and so was her foul mouth. Her attitude changed too. She went from roughness to sweetness overnight. Today she is twenty-six and is still walking by faith and serving the Lord. In her desperation, she found hope-she found God.

Charles was one of the lucky ones. He had fine Christian parents who saw that he attended church with them regularly. But when he turned eighteen, his luck ran out. He was hanging out with a couple of younger buddies when he stole a car to take it on a joy ride. Because they were minors, his friends got off easy, but not Charles-the prosecution tried him as an adult and he got jail time. Because it was his first offense, he only got a couple of months, but it was still jail time.

Sitting behind bars, the only thing Charles had was time. He had plenty of it, to sit and to think. As he sat on his bunk staring at the cinder block walls, he thought about what he did, his future, and he thought about the things he learned in Church. He knew he had a decision to make.

Sometimes, that's how it happens. People grow up hearing the truth, but don't apply it to their life, for whatever reason, until they don't have any other options. Then they turn to God.

For more information on Transformation, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

"Gail" didn't think the gospel applied to her at all, and didn't think she needed to listen to it. Because of her Scientology background she didn't believe in hell, and since she didn't believe in hell, she didn't feel a personal need for salvation. But she did enjoy attending the prayer meeting for Spiritual Awakening held every Tuesday night at Grace Church. She enjoyed the people, the atmosphere, and oddly enough she enjoyed listening to the passionate prayers of the Christ followers that gathered for the meeting.

Whenever Pastor Cliff would present the gospel to her, she'd remind him that she didn't believe in hell and didn't need Salvation from anything, but she didn't seem the least bit offended by his persistence. She kept coming back.

Before long, Cliff began praying out loud for Gail's salvation at the meetings. Not only did he long for a spiritual awakening in the nation, he wanted one in his friend's heart.

One Monday, Gail stopped by Cliff's office to talk. Patiently, Cliff listened for almost an hour as she spilled her problems. Finally, Cliff asked, "How miserable are you going to have to get before you give your heart to Christ?" "I don't know," she said. "Are you ready to take that 18 inch journey from your heart to your head and accept Christ as your Savior now?" Gail said yes, and Pastor Cliff prayed with her to receive Christ.

The next night, Gail couldn't wait to come to the Tuesday prayer meeting. When she did, she told the group that their prayers were answered for her salvation. Then she joined them as they prayed for the spiritual awakening that happened in her heart to happen across the nation.

Romans 10:17 KJV "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

For more information on Transformation, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

Who could that be at this hour? William thought as he slipped on his house shoes. William flipped on the light in the living room and walked to the front door. With his hand on the deadbolt, he looked through the peep hole. When he recognized the man outside, he turned the deadbolt counterclockwise, and opened the door.

"Well hello, 'John.'" William said. "Come in." "Thanks, Preacher," John said, "Sorry to come by so late, but I didn't know where else to turn.

John's wife, "Mabel" was an active member at William's church, but not John. John was an alcoholic that would go on drinking binges for several months at a time. Mabel was always requesting prayer for John's salvation, and the church was faithful to pray for him whenever they gathered.

William could smell liquor on John's breath-he'd been drinking again, but this time, something was different. John talked a while and sobbed a while. He had hit the bottom, and was ready to turn to the Lord for help.

William listened. And when the time was right, he shared the plan of salvation with John. That night, John placed his trust in Jesus.

I wish I could tell you he never drank again, but I can't. "After I made that decision, I went out with the old buddies again." John said. "But it never left me, I knew I had to get back to God and be baptized."

With time, that's exactly what he did. He relapsed back into his old lifestyle after his Salvation, but finally, with the help of the Lord and the support of his church, he got it right. And when he did, John was able to defeat a sinful habit and became a vital part of the church that didn't give up on him.

For more information on Transformation, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

A Jew, raised attending the Temple, Nikki wanted absolutely nothing to do with church. She agreed to attend church with her friend Dana, but just once. The next week she was back. "I never stopped going," she said, "the energy that was present around me was all consuming and actually addictive!"

Nikki was captivated. She wasn't seeking for God, but she did say, "God was constantly seeking me out. I was asking for proof, and finding it everywhere I looked."

She had plenty of questions and went through a lot of confusion, but suddenly realized that "In 27 years of 'being' Jewish, never was I 'being' with God, much less in any sort of relationship with Him." On August 18, 1998 she realized that Jesus was the Messiah and her Savior-by God's grace, she became a completed Jew.

Her life radically changed. "Today, I experience God all around me," Nikki said, "because the hole in my heart is now full of ever-flowing love for God."

Romans 1:16 NASB "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

As Scott settled into his new office at Warner Brothers Studio, he knew he'd arrived professionally, but he still had some personal struggles. Scott spent his young adult years as a "roady," a sound engineer traveling with a rock-n-roll band. Like many others in this profession he sank deep into the drug-culture lifestyle.

When he arrived in California to continue his work in the entertainment industry, Scott, a Jewish man, began to realize that his past years were wasted in a sinful world and began to seek answers about the meaning of life, particularly his own. He tried several new-age groups and a Guru.

Ingel, a co-worker, was living a transformed Christian life before Scott. Ingel shared his faith with Scott and assured him that he was praying for his salvation, something Scott didn't understand. Ingel had not only become a Christian, he truly had a heart for souls. In particular, he had a burden for Scott. Eventually, Scott prayed to receive Christ and his transformation began.

While listening to Christian radio, Scott decided to call one of the programs to ask for help in finding a reliable church in his area. They referred Scott to First Baptist of Beverly Hills. Scott attended and soon made a public profession of faith, and was baptized, becoming an active, ministering member. Among other things, he is the sound engineer for the church, makes visits with the Pastor and drives some of the elderly members of the church on their errands.

Scott's story does not end with the transformation of his own life-he's become a transformed witness for Jesus Christ with a deep concern for the souls of others. Scott has shared his experience with co-workers. Some of them mock and ridicule him, but Scott remains rooted in his new found faith, church, and family.

2 Cor. 5:17 KJV "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

For more information on Transformations, go tohttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

Eric was a popular guy in High School. He was funny, charming and a star athlete, in fact, he was a state champion wrestler. Eric only had one problem-he was ugly. But that didn't keep him from being a "player." The girls all seemed to fall for his charm and before long, he'd use them, dispose of them, and move on to the next conquest.

At the prodding of his father, Todd, Eric's friend, asked him to come to church with him. Todd was surprised by Eric's response, he was happy to come.

The first thing Eric noticed was that there were some good looking girls in the youth group-it was, in his opinion, "a target rich environment." Naturally, he wanted to come back.

And he did. His primary motive was to hit on the girls, but while he was there, he did hear the gospel. He finally zeroed in on who he would ask out and was surprised when she turned him down. "I know the kind of boy you are," she said to him, "and I'm not interested in going out with you."

Eric didn't know how to take rejection. Not wanting to make "no" his final answer, he attended church for another year or two, but never got a date with the girl that turned him down.

One afternoon, Todd got a call from Eric. He was in trouble. "I have no one else to call." Eric said, "I got caught drinking and driving and I need some help."

At the county lockup, Todd looked at Eric through a Plexiglas window and talked to him through a tinny speaker. For the first time in his life, Todd shared the gospel with someone and that day, Eric accepted Christ. Eric said, "I'd heard about Jesus being a Savior, but until I was in jail, there was nothing that I needed saving from. That's when I realized I needed a Savior."

Eric's jail house conversion was as genuine-It changed his life forever. He got clean and sober and sought counseling for his problem of being a sexual predator. He enrolled in Bible College and started working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Today he is a Christian counselor, helping sexual predators turn their lives around. Eric is no longer a player, he is a devoted family man. Loving his adopted daughter and her mother-his wife. His life forever transformed, by the power of God.

Oh, did I mention that the woman he married was a rape victim? Once traumatized by a sexual predator, she now is safe and secure in the arms of a man who without Christ would have tried to take advantage of her, but now, because of the transforming power of God, Eric is her knight in shining armor.

For more information on Transformation, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

Frank must have thought, what part of "no" doesn't this guy understand? Every time I see him, he keeps trying to shove religion down my throat. When is he going to stop? After a while, Frank became so enraged by John's constant witness that he'd curse at John when he'd share his faith.

For John, it wasn't personal with Frank, he loved the Lord and talked about him with his truck driving buddies at breaks and stops. John wasn't trying to force anybody to do anything, he was just excited about his faith so he talked about it.

Sometimes, John would only talk to a person once and they'd make a decision to follow Christ. That's the way it was with the guy he met while picking up canned apple sauce in Yakima, Washington. John was waiting to be loaded when he saw the big guy out of the corner of his eye. The guy was 6' 5" if he was an inch.

John walked over, and began talking about his family, before you know it, he was talking about his Lord and the big guy was choking up and starting crying. That day, beside a loading dock in Yakima, Washington, the man found Christ. John never saw him again.

That's not the way it was with Frank. They drove for the same company and saw each other several times a week. And every time they saw each other, the conversation would turn to matters of faith.

Frank never listened, that is until his family began to fall apart. This time he sought John out, after hearing the gospel again, placed his faith in Christ. Today, Frank is still having conversations with truck drivers about Christ, but this time, it is him doing the talking.

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

For more information on Transformation, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

Israel moved away from Daylight Savings Time a few weeks early in 1999 to allow her people to more easily participate in a week of pre-sunrise prayers. Sounds reasonable, right? Well it created more than a little confusion in the region. Palestinians refused to live on "Zionist Time" so for the Jews it was one time and for the Palestinians it was another.

The confusion caused some minor inconveniences for some, but it costs three terrorists their lives. The car bombs they were driving were set to go off at 5:30 p.m. Daylight Savings Time, but the terrorists thought they were set to go off at 5:30 p.m. Standard Time, so en route to try to kill others, their cars exploded.

Usually the only problem that being a hour late creates is frustration and anxiety, but sometimes being too late is deadly.

2 Cor. 6:2 NASB “for He says, ‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the DAY OF SALVATION I helped you’; behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the DAY OF SALVATION’

Joseph, a 12-year-old boy from Egypt is from a Muslim family. His immediate family, on his mother's side, live in Italy, but Joseph came to Southeastern Arkansas to visit his Anglo grandmother one Summer. His first experience with the Christian faith came in Vacation Bible School in a small country church alongside Lake Chicot.

Joseph enjoyed the entire experience. He loved the Bible stories, the crafts, even memorizing scriptures. What impressed him the most was what he saw in the lives of his teachers Ray and Susan. He saw their joy!

Three weeks after Bible School, Joseph's mother called the church from Italy. She had many concerns about the impact of the World Trade Center explosions on the life of her family. She did not complain that Joseph had been in a Christian environment. She was not the least bit upset over her son coming to Christ. She saw the joy of salvation in her son's life. A true transformation had taken place. She expressed her thanks to the church for the new hope Joseph was enjoying and the joy he expressed.

Psalm 32:11 NASB “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones, And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.”

For more information on Transformations, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

Leaders of America’s Roman Catholic Church and leaders of Reform and Conservative Judaism have issued a joint statement affirming that Jews should not be targeted for conversion to Christianity. Though similar declarations have been made in the past, the latest document is the product of two decades of biannual meetings between the various leaders.

The document known as “Reflections on Covenant and Mission,” states, “ While the Catholic church regards the saving acts of Christ as central to the process of human salvation for all, it also acknowledges that Jews already dwell in a saving covenant with God.” The document also reads, “ Jews are also called by God to prepare the world for God’s kingdom.”

—Associated Press, (www.usccb.org), August 13, 2002, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

It doesn’t matter if a person calls himself or herself Catholic, Jew, or Baptist; there is only one way to know God. God is calling all men to Himself, not through religion, but a relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.

John 14:6-7 NIV “Jesus answered: ‘I am the way and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Roy regularly attended church as a child, but was raised in a bazaar, legalistic church family. At church, his dad was a pillar, active in the church and even served as a deacon, but at home he was an abusive monster.

As soon as he could, Roy bolted from the church and wanted nothing to do with it. He was a crude, rude man who looked out for number one. He didn't pretend to be one thing at church, while he was something else at home, he didn't pretend at all. Roy was a scoundrel and a cheat, and he didn't care who knew it.

When he turned 60, Roy started coming to church again. He'd walk in late, sit on the back row and listen for a while, but would always leave before the service ended. Bro. Scott would try to witness to Roy, but he wouldn't have anything to do with the gospel or those hypocrites down at the church.

But he kept coming to church. Listening and watching, but mostly watching the people. Within a couple of years, God got a hold of him, and changed Roy's life. "The people loved him to Christ." Bro. Scott said, "today he is a sweet loving man."

Roy's transformation took sixty years. It doesn't always happen in an instant, sometimes it takes time.

For more information on Transformation, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

Sometimes, God turns a person's life around instantaneously. That's what happened with Craig.

Actually, Craig's name could have been named Leroy Brown, because he was the baddest man in his whole town. Craig didn't just use drugs. He didn't just sell drugs, Craig was a drug enforcer-the guy that collects money from dealers who don't pay the supplier. He was one bad dude.

Craig lived on the outskirts of town with his wife and three children in a 24-foot travel trailer. When his children made a decision for Christ, Pastor Richard came out to his trailer to see if he could baptize them. Craig refused to come outside to talk to the preacher, so Richard asked if he could come inside.

Craig was wearing dirty blue jeans, had long greasy hair, tattoos all over his body and a permanent scowl on his face. This has got to be the meanest man I've ever seen, the pastor thought, what am I doing here? There was no place for the Pastor to sit. Craig sat in his chair and the preacher stood.

Pastor Richard worked up his courage and said, "Your children made a decision for Christ down at the church this week and we'd like to baptize them." Craig's answer was short, but not so sweet, "No, we're Catholic."

We'll, that's that, the Pastor thought as he left the trailer. But Richard didn't give up. Instead he developed a friendship with Craig.

A few weeks into the friendship, Richard shared the plan of salvation with Craig. Craig's answer was "no," but he did agree to let his kids be baptized.

It took some doing, but Richard convinced his buddy Craig to go to a Promise Keepers event with him in Stockton, CA. Under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, "bad, bad Leroy Brown" gave his life to Jesus. That was on a Friday, the next Sunday, Pastor Richard baptized him.

"Everybody knows what he was," Richard said, "and now nobody can believe what he's become." Today he's clean and sober, has a legitimate job and always has a big smile on his face. Everywhere he goes, he talks about Jesus.

Romans 10:9-10 NIV "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

For more information on Transformation, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

Sonny's transformation came during a period of deep tragedy. Christy, his wife of less than a year suffered a fatal stroke just two weeks after the birth of their much-wanted child. Christy professed and lived a close relationship to God through Jesus Christ. Sonny was a good son of Christian parents but he had chosen to live outside the faith. Shortly after their marriage a deacon in Sonny's parents' church provided some basic marriage counseling for this young couple. A relationship between the deacon, Sonny, and Christy grew through the months.

Sonny and Christy spent many hours together at the local stock car track. Sonny and his family built cars and drove in the Nevada Race Circuit. Much of what Sonny knew about life came from the pits. Not the best place to learn morals many in the racing community have little time for God.

Early Monday morning, after a weekend at the track, Christy suffered a brain aneurysm. For all practical purposes her 21-year-old life ended that morning. In the emergency room her bodily functions were kept in motion by the life-support equipment. About 3:00 p.m. the neurosurgeon explained that the brain damage was irreversible and Christy would not survive. The family would need to make a decision to remove the life-support systems and allow for her death.

In the waiting room, nearly fifty people came to pray and support Sonny and the rest of the family. Pastor Mike, Christy's deacon and many others from the church were joined by an equal number of Sonny's friends from the track. They talked, prayed and expressed hope.

The doctors asked Sonny to approve the donation of Christy's organs. He agreed. (A few weeks later a letter of thanks from the Nevada Organ Transplant Institute arrived. Sixty people benefited from the donation of Christy's organs.)

When the doctors left the room, Sonny and the deacon had time to talk. After prayer, the concerned deacon shared the one thing Christy would have wanted most, the transplant of her faith to her unsaved husband. After hearing the Gospel presented in such a delicate situation Sonny prayed to receive Christ. He left the room, went directly to his mother and announced, "Mom, I now have the Lord in my heart, we can get through even this."

On December 9, Kylie, a 4-month-old child was dedicated to the Lord by her Christian father. It would have been Christy's 22nd birthday.

Sonny's story has not ended. He has been faithful in church and personal study since coming to know the Lord. Several other "race track" friends have also been attending Sonny's church. The witness of God at work will certainly touch many lives for the kingdom.

One day before Christy's aneurysm, Sonny's parents stopped at In-And-Out Burgers for lunch. A friend pointed out a scripture on the bottom of the cup, Nahum 1:7. During the long hours in the hospital that followed their deacon shared the passage with them. It says, "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him."

For more information on Transformations, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

On December 9, Kylie, a 4-month-old child was dedicated to the Lord by her Christian father. It would have been Christy's 22nd birthday.

For more information on Transformations, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

The gun shot rang through the school yard. The bullet missed Pat and lodged in the doorpost. Pat ducked into the classroom as Reuben, scattered with the rest of the kids. Reuben found a place to stash the gun and went back into class. That night, he snuck out of his house, retrieved the gun and put it back in his family's gun case.

No one squealed and Reuben was never caught. But from that moment, something inside him wasn't the same.

Reuben was a good kid, he worked hard to make good grades in school and he was; no wonder the school never suspected that it would be him that tried to kill Pat. Neither did it surprise the administrators that someone was trying to kill Pat, he was a known gang member and shootings, though not an everyday occurrence at West Mesa High, weren't unusual either.

The next time Reuben saw Pat, he told him, "Next time I won't miss, you and your gang members better back off."

Pat's gang had been trying to recruit Reuben to join with them the whole school year. When Reuben wouldn't go along with them, they began harassing him. Finally, he had enough and packed a gun with him to school.

One of the Security Guards noticed the pressure Reuben was under and guessed that it was him that fired the shot. He knew Reuben was a good kid that just needed a break so he told him he could use his address to get into a better school district where he could get away from the gang activities. Reuben transferred and a few years later he graduated.

When Greg invited Reuben to come to church with him, he didn't know anything about his background. They were coaching a little league team together and the invitation was natural.

Reuben didn't trust Greg. For one, he was white, and for another, he was on staff at the church, but Reuben's wife was interested in going to church. So they did.

And with time, Reuben's life was transformed by the power of the gospel. It's a good thing, because he was about to come face-to-face with the man he once tried to kill.

Reuben got a call to do some work at the Intel plant across town in Rio Rancho. As he was walking down the hall he saw a face he hadn't seen in years-a face he would never forget-he saw Pat. Instead of the old hatred welling up inside him, Reuben felt conviction.

"Can I talk to you a minute?" Reuben asked. "A lot has happened since we were kids in High School, and I wanted to tell you that not long ago, I became a Christian and I wanted to ask you to forgive me for trying to kill you."

Choked up, Pat responded. "Me too. Three weeks after you shot at me, I made a decision to follow Christ."

In the weeks that followed, Reuben went to Pat's church to tell the story, and Pat went to Reuben's church-each testifying about the transforming power of the gospel. A gospel that changes lives.

Romans 1:16 KJV "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

For more information on Transformation, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

Contemporary Christian Music artist, Tracy-Dawn was introduced to witchcraft by experimenting with ESP (extra sensory perception) in grade school; by adulthood she was involved in sorcery and tormented by dreams about demons. She was ready to do anything to escape her nightmares.

At her lowest, she remembered the faith of her grandmother, and began reading a Bible. She called upon Jesus Christ to drive out the demons. Jesus answered her prayers, drove out the demons and saved her soul. Today she has turned her back on the power of the darkness and is living each day in the power of God.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16

Tuesday, June 12, 2005 was a busy morning for police assigned to the Midtown area of Little Rock, Arkansas. Four different shooting incidents occurred at practically the same time. It is not surprising that crime is an issue for police in a major city, but four separate shootings in such a concentrated area is. What is even more surprising is that one of the shooting victims refused treatment even though he was shot in the head.

—http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0605/236615.html Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Now, I like to think that I'm as tough as the next guy, and I hate to go to the doctor too, but come on—who in his right might would refuse treatment after getting shot in the head? Some needs are so pressing they need to be dealt with immediately.

Hebrews 2:3 (HCSB) "how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him."

Hinduism would say there are three paths to salvation: works or rituals, mystical intuition, or devotion to a Hindu god or goddess. Buddhism, a religion that began as an offshoot of Hinduism teaches that salvation occurs when a person realizes Nirvana, which is "the extinguishing of continual rebirths." In Islam, salvation comes from performing good works.

(http://www.4truth.net/site/c.hiKXLbPNLrF/b.786353/k.A7EE/World_Religions.htm) (http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ISLAM/ISLAM1.HTM)

Are these other paths valid ones, or is there only one way to salvation? "Dirk Ficca of Chicago, a Presbyterian minister who heads an inter-faith organization, told a PCUSA peacemaking conference that salvation through Christ was the norm for Christians but that there were other valid faiths. Ficca asked rhetorically, 'What's the big deal about Jesus?'"

—http://www.layman.org/layman/news/news-from-pcusa/division-ducks-controversy.htm Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Rev. Ficca, let me answer that question for you. The big deal is that in Jesus, God became man, dwelt among us, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead on the third day and ascended into heaven 40 days later to sit on the right hand of the Father on high.

During a unique time in human history, Jesus was born of a virgin, and throughout his entire earthly life was fully man and was fully God. It wasn't that "the divine" dwelt upon a man, or that as a man He did divine things, it was that Jesus was fully man and fully God. And He said, he was the only way.

John 14:6 (NIV) "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

Authorities recently arrested and deported one of Mexico's most dangerous criminals 19 years after he participated in a spectacular armed escape from a Mexican prison courtroom. When Alfredo Rios Galeana was arrested at his home south of Los Angeles, his neighbors were surprised. They described Rios as a religious man who lived with his wife and three teenage children and operated a janitorial service. Pastor Melvin Acevedo of Ebenezer World Ministry said he had known Rios as Arturo Montoya for 12 years.

Neighbor Carmen Ramos said the community knew Rios as a man who often sang religious songs in his home and once put up an outdoor movie screen and showed religious films. His record shows that Rios was once a very different man. Rios was featured on Mexico's list of most wanted fugitives for his alleged role in a series of violent bank robberies in Mexico City during the 1970s and 1980s. He was wanted on eight felony warrants including charges of murder, kidnapping and robbery.

When he arrived in Mexico City, Rios told reporters he had fled to the United States to put his bloody past behind him. Asked about the crimes he allegedly committed, he said, "I regret it with all my heart." Rios admitted that the money from the robberies had all been spent, and then added, "Let me tell you that Jesus changed my life, and that's why I left all this. God forgives even the worst criminal."

—www.cbsnews.com, Born Again Bank Robber?, July 13, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

2 Cor. 5:17 KJV "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Changes to the Baseball Veteran's Committee method of voting to send players to the Hall of Fame has raised doubts as to whether anyone can be elected under the current system. The Committee recently failed to elect any new members to the Hall of Fame. It was the second time the revamped committee which includes all the living members of the Hall, its writers and broadcasters wings, failed to give anyone enough votes to enter the prestigious Hall of Fame.

The old Committee faced charges of cronyism after a disputed decision in 2001, and a new system was implemented. The first time the committee voted in 2003, they failed to send anyone to the Hall of fame. Now, after two elections, it is not clear if the current group can reach a consensus to elect any candidate.

Hall of Fame Pitcher Tom Seaver said, "I'm of the opinion it's going to be awfully hard, and maybe that's how it should be." Seaver said he voted for three or four payers and felt the process was working. Asked about the process, he said, "Will somebody make it out of this committee one day? Absolutely, I'm convinced they will." Jane Forbes Clark, the chairman of the Hall of Fame defended the process and said no changes were planned for the next ballot in 2007. Clark added, "We feel the process works by upholding the Hall of Fame's very high standards for election."

—Associated Press, Veteran's Strike Out in bid to enter Hall, by Ronald Blum, March 2, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Good works, no make that outstanding, unbelievable works are the only way a player will ever make it into the Hall, and as Clark intimated, perhaps that's as it should be. Aren't you glad that your entrance into Heaven is dependent on God's grace toward you and not your good works? If it wasn't for the grace of God, no one would make it in.

Matthew 19:24-26 NIV "'Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' [25] When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?' [26] Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"

After Sam finished his first tour of duty as a Navy Seal in Viet Nam, his next billet was stateside pulling shore duty in the San Diego area. That's where he met Mark.

Mark was going through seal team training at the time, and would eventually end up on the same team with Sam, but they didn't meet at work, they met at church. Because Mark was training to become a Seal and was a new believer, Sam took a special interest in him and they became friends.

Mark made it through the program and became a BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition Seal) instructor. He was making a success of himself, that is, until alcohol got the best of him. When his problem became disruptive at work, the Navy put him in rehabilitation, but it didn't take. His problem got so bad, that he lost his career and had to get out of the Navy. But his career isn't all he lost, he lost his family too. After a while, his wife had enough and she left him.

For the next two years, Mark would stop by to chat with Sam but was continuing to live out of God's will. Sam patiently encouraged Mark to return to the Lord, but Mark would always say something to the effect of, "If God will do this or that, then I'll follow Him again."

One afternoon, Sam got fed up with Mark's rationalizations. He sprung out of his chair, grabbed Mark and threw him up against the wall. "When are you going to get your act together?" Sam yelled. "Get out of here, and don't come back until we have something new to talk about."

When Mark left, Sam prayed, "God, this guy doesn't deserve to breathe your air. Why don't you do us all a favor and just beam him up?"

Mark had grievously sinned against God and his sin was destroying every relationship he had. He'd lost his career, his wife, and now, he was losing his friend.

Mark couldn't blame God or the Navy for losing his career. The Navy isn't going to let a drunk be a BUDS instructor. Neither could Mark blame God that he lost his family. His wife deserved better, and she moved on. It wasn't God's fault. Mark designed his own nightmare.

When Sam finished his prayer, he fell under conviction of the Holy Spirit for losing his patience with his friend. He began meditating on the transforming power of the resurrection, visualizing Jesus raising from the dead. And when he thought about Jesus coming out of the grave, he realized that for a time, he wore grave clothes.

That was Mark. He had experienced the power of the resurrection, but he never took off the old grave clothes.

Sam prayed again, "God, I'm sorry, I still think Mark is a sorry individual, but I know your transforming power and I know you can transform him." From then on, every time Mark came to Sam's mind, he prayed for him to take off the grave clothes and live in Christ's transforming power.

About a year later, Mark came by to see Sam again, but nothing had changed. He said the same old stuff, "If God will just…then I will…" This time, Sam didn't throw him against the wall, instead he looked him square in the eye and said, "Mark, God is God and He will only accept an unconditional surrender from you." And then Sam asked Mark: "Are you willing to surrender your life to Him now?"

Mark said, "yes." And he did. He took off the grave clothes, and began walking in the transforming power of the resurrection.

Today, Mark has remarried and is actively serving the Lord. His life radically transformed, by the power of God. And he is living his life wrapped in the armor of light, without grave clothes!

Romans 13:12 b "So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light."

"Judy" slipped into the service late and took a back row seat in the small church on Hilton Head Island. Her cheeks were hollow, her skin was leathery and she had a distant look in her eyes-like nobody was home. Judy looked old for her age. Years of drug abuse robbed the twenty-six-year-old of her youth and vitality. She needed help, so she turned to the Lord. At first, she fidgeted in her seat, but soon, she sat still and listened.

When Christ saved her, He turned her life around. She didn't just forsake her past lifestyle, she began ministering to those she knew from her former life. The first person she led to the Lord was someone she introduced to drugs in her "other" life.

I wish, I could tell you that Judy is busy spreading the gospel today, but I can't. Eight months after her conversion, she died in a tragic accident. She shared her small bed room with her Saint Bernard dog. The dog, and her space heater used up all the available oxygen in the room and she died in her sleep.

Her death, tragic as it was, was not it vain. "At the funeral," her pastor said, "homosexuals and drug addicts attended. Her death opened the door for us to minister to her friends at the funeral and afterward."

For the eight months Judy lived after her conversion, it was for Christ, and when she died, she gained an inheritance that was fit for a child of the king.

Philip. 1:21 KJV The Apostle Paul wrote: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

For more information on Transformation, go to http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966177851/fm082-20

His name means "Mohammed is the Greatest," but Mohammed Akbar doesn't follow the teachings of Islam, at least not anymore, today he is a follower of Jesus Christ.

When the Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan in 1979, Akbar fled to Iran. He didn't find peace there. That was the same year that the Shaw of Iran abandoned his throne and the Ayatollah Khomeini began his reign. By December, the revolutionary police were patrolling the streets to enforce the "accepted code of behavior."

It was in that environment that Akbar ducked into a movie theater to watch a movie. That film-the Jesus film—changed his life.

As the story climaxed, Akbar thought, "This Jesus is going to call down fire and destroy all these people who are hurting him." When Jesus forgave them instead of destroying them, something happened to Akbar. "At that instant I said in my heart, that's for me." Akbar said.

God changed his life, and Akbar changed his name. Now he is Akbar al-Masiih-"The Messiah is Greatest."

—the Commission, January/February 2002, p. 7; 11 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

2 Cor. 5:17 KJV "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Try as she might, Janet couldn't focus. She tried to listen as Dan explained to her what it meant to be a Christ follower and how she could have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but she just couldn't get it.

But she didn't give up. She returned week after week to the "New Beginnings" class at her Church and listen as Dan patiently told her again how she could know Christ, but it just didn't register.

There was a fog she couldn't get through. And then there were the headaches and the fainting spells. What was happening?

The doctors explained to her that her friend found her, unconscious on the floor and rushed her to the hospital. After extensive testing they believe she has a brain tumor that needs to be removed.

Janet signed the permission form and the doctors cut a hole in her head to remove the tumor. When she recovered, the fog was gone and she could concentrate again.

She returned to her church and enrolled in the "New Beginnings" class again. This time when Dan presented the gospel to her, everything clicked, and she placed her trust in Jesus.

Today she is a radical follower of Jesus Christ, ministering in Jesus' name to people with brain tumors. She organized the "hole in the head gang" as a support group where she can touch people who are hurting and present the gospel to them.

Sometimes, God uses the very thing that keeps us from enjoying life as a platform to touch hurting people, and when He does, our pain becomes His glory.

Psalm 71:20 NIV "Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up."

When Tampa Devil Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett stole second base in the fifth inning of the first game of the 2008 Fall Classic, he made it possible for everyone to claim a free beef taco if they visited a local Taco Bell restaurant during certain hours on a particular day. This was the second year the fast Food chain had offered such a deal for the first stolen base in the Series.

Taco Bells’ chief marketing officer said millions of people took advantage of the offer during last season’s World Series. David Ovens said the company brought the promotion back because they hoped to encourage consumers at a time when sentiment was at an all time low. He said the promotion was “our way of extending the magic of the World Series to everybody by celebrating the game and rewarding fans, no matter which team you root for.”

--Bartlett’s steal of a deal for America; http://mlb.mlb.com/news/print.jsp?ymd=20081022&content_id=3637962&vkey=ps2008news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb, October 22, 2008, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

I didn‘t get a taco on 10-28-2008, did you? Oh, I’m sure I could have it I would have just asked for it from the good people at Taco Bell, but I never asked. God’s gift of eternal life is available to everyone through the actions of Jesus Christ on the cross, but you must accept the free gift.

Romans 10:9-10 (HCSB) if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. With the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation.

The 2008 housing market crisis devastated many homeowners making their mortgages impossible to pay. When the FDIC took control of Indy Mac Bank, a California savings and loan institution, they took steps to help troubled homeowners by lowering interest rates and offering loan extensions up to 40 years.

Only about half of the offers even received a reply. FDIC officials speculate that many of those receiving letters have long ago stopped opening mortgage-related mail. If they are right, they never got the good news because they didn’t bother to read it. What a tragedy.

--World Magazine, Nov. 15/22, 2008, p. 12 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

In sending Christ, God made an offer that is almost impossible to refuse, yet there are those who have not. I wonder how many of them haven’t rejected the offer, they just haven’t heard.

Romans 10:14 (NLTse) “ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?”

SALVATION

Did you know it is possible to get debaptised? For $4.50 secularists in the United Kingdom will sell you a Certificate of Debaptism. It is an “outward sign of the inner rationality that inspires your being.”

--World Magazine, April 25, 2009, p. 15 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Through the ages, believers refused to renounce their faith in the face of persecution, and threat. I don’t think these people are renouncing their faith as much as their affiliation with a church. Their infant baptism wouldn’t have saved them anyway, Salvation isn’t contained in a baptism laver or a minister’s blessing—it is a personal transaction between a person and God.

Matthew 10:32-34 GNB "Those who declare publicly that they belong to me, I will do the same for them before my Father in heaven. But those who reject me publicly, I will reject before my Father in heaven. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

SALVATION

A middle-aged couple intended to input Carpi, an Island off the coast of Italy, into their GPS, but instead selected Capri, a town 400 miles away. They didn’t discover their mistake until they asked locals for directions to the Island’s famous “Blue Grotto.”

"They were surprised, but not angry," Giovanni Medici, a spokesman for Carpi regional government said. "They got back in the car and started driving south."

--http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32184634/ns/travel-news/ Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

No doubt, if you put the wrong thing into the GPS, you will end up at the wrong place. Not all roads lead to Capri, and neither do all paths lead to heaven. The Bible teaches there is only one.

John 14:6 (NLT) Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

SALVATION

In the Book, God Stories, author Andrew Wilson shares a unique view of what is like to
Confronted with the reality of our spiritual state. Quoting Evangelist Phil Moore, Wilson says the moment might best be described as a Simon Cowell moment, drawing on the television success of the American Idol program. Wilson says it is obvious that some of the contestants have no idea how they sound to others. They are the victims of family and friend’s patronage, or overly generous acoustics in their shower. When they get their moment in the spotlight, they picture themselves as the next superstar, when in reality they sound like a wounded animal.

The moment of truth comes when they face the evaluation from Simon Cowell. The record producer quickly puts most contestants in their place, and brings their dreams crashing back to earth, Wilson writes, “In their world, compared to their friends and their family, they sounded fantastic. – but now, with the world watching and in front of the only man who really matters, they are shown to be rather less talented than they thought.”

Wilson says, fortunately Jesus is not Simon Cowell, and the Lord’s purpose is justice, rather than entertainment and humiliation. Still, the reality check we might experience is much the same. Wilson says, “Yet from our point of view, as ordinary folks with an unjustifiably high opinion of our righteousness, the experience will be much the same. Compared with our family and our friends in our little world – in which we judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions—we may seem very righteous indeed. But on that day, with heaven watching and in front of the only One who really matters, we will be shown to be rather less righteous than we thought.”

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

SALVATION

In the early morning hours Sharon Edge was concerned for her boyfriend Curtis Mitchell who was having severe abdominal pain and needed to go to the hospital. Sharon called 911 and was assured that help was on the way. Two, three, four calls later help still had not arrived.

The delay in response was a result of a heavy snowfall that had Pittsburgh at a standstill. Three times, the ambulance had been as close as a football field’s length from the house but paramedics did not bother to walk through the snow to rescue Curtis. About 30 hours after the initial call Sharon made her tenth and last call to 911. This call was to report that Curtis was dead.

--http://www.wkrg.com/medical/article/man_dies_after_10_calls_to_911/733708/Feb-18-2010_11-17-am/ Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Wendell Ray

I can’t imagine the frustration and helplessness Sharon must have felt. She needed help—she called for help, but help never came.

One thing I can assure you today is that if you call on the Lord He will show up.

Romans 10:13 (NIV) "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

SALVATION

Speaking at an event at the Grammy Museum in California recently, former drummer for the Beatles, Ringo Starr announced that he had found God. Starr said his road to enlightenment had been long and winding. He admitted that he had lost his way when he was younger, experimenting with drugs, and later suffering from alcohol and cocaine problems during the 1970s. Starr said since then he had quit smoking and no longer used alcohol either. Starr told the audience, “I feel the older I get, the more I’m learning to handle life. Being on the quest for a long time, it’s all about finding yourself. “He said,”For me, God is in my life. I don’t hide from that. I think the search has been on since the 1960s.” He added, “I stepped off the path there for many years and found my way back onto it, thank God.”

--Why I’ve turned to God at nearly 70. By reformed Ringo Starr… that’s 44 years after John Lennon said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus., http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2010/s10020025.htm ; February 3, 2010, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Titus 2:11 (NIV) “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.”

SALVATION

Why would any person reject the free offer of salvation in Jesus Christ? Of course there are those who do not believe in God, those who do not believe that sin is serious, and those who reject all authority. But for a person who does believe in God, and is aware of their sinfulness, God’s gift of forgiveness accompanied with the bonus of eternal life seems too good to pass up. Yet many do.

Perhaps they can be compared to the 45 million Americans who still refuse to wear their seatbelts. The federal government says that 38 unbelted people die in traffic accidents every day.

-- The Week, June 4, 2010 p. 18. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Most of those people would still be alive today if they had simply fastened the belt. It is easier to be saved than it is to buckle your seat belt. “Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” What could be simpler? Yet many refuse it.

Romans 10:13 (NIV) "for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”"

SALVATION

In the New Yorker, James Surowiecki commented on procrastination. “Each year, Americans waste hundreds of millions of dollars because they don’t file their taxes on time. American workers have forgone huge amounts of money in matching 401(k) contributions because they never got around to signing up for a retirement plan. According to Piers Steel, a business professor at the University of Calgary, the percentage of people who admitted to difficulties with procrastination quadrupled between 1978 and 2002. In that light, it’s possible to see procrastination as the quintessential modern problem.”

--The Week, October 15, 2010, p. 18 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell
.
The most serious of procrastinations is when we put off making a decision about Christ until it is too late.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (NASB77) for He says, "AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU"; behold, now is "THE ACCEPTABLE TIME," behold, now is "THE DAY OF SALVATION"—

SALVATION

The FDA has just approved the Heart Mate II. Doctors implant the small device into patients’ abdomens. A turbine engine the size of a D battery provides the power and it routes oxygenated blood from the weakened heart through its turbine to the rest of the body. Using one is promising to increase the life of patients by up to two years.

--Reader’s Digest, May 2010, p.87 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

As amazing as that is, God promises to give us a new heart and increase our life eternally. While there will still be a funeral, the promise of resurrection and eternal life is very real for those who give their current hearts to Jesus Christ.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

SALVATION

Jean du Preez, a South African government education official, went to a school after the schoolchildren discovered a snake in their classroom. While attempting to capture the snake, it bit him on the finger. Hoping it was a nonvenomous python, du Preez took the snake to an animal shelter rather than go to the hospital. The animal shelter identified the snake as one of Africa’s most deadly snakes, a puff adder. “Despite his delay in finding medical help, the hospital he eventually reached had enough anti-venom to save his life.

--World, February 12, 2011, p. 20 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Many times we treat sin much like Preez treated the snake. We don’t get serious about sin, hoping that it will not be eternally fatal. Fortunately, when we get to the correct doctor, the great physician, he has the correct antidote for the poison of sin.

Romans 10:13 (NASB) for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

SALVATION

Three Englishmen decided to sail across the English Channel on their 7-foot dinghy. After an 11-hour struggle, they were “rescued” from their adventure. They thought they had reached France. Actually, they were only two miles from where they had started. They really believed they were in France. They greeted their rescuers with, “Bonjour.”

--The Week, May 13, 2011 p. 6 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

It is possible to be sincere, but sincerely wrong.

Salvation isn’t dependent on how sincerely we believe. It depends on what we believe in.

Acts 4:12 (NASB77) "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved."

SALVATION

According to a recent survey, Americans remain an optimistic people. One of the effects of such optimism is a rosier vision of the future than is realistic. For example, 10% of us believe we will live to be 100. In reality, only 0.02% will make it to the century mark.

Another telling percentage is the percentage that believes they are in the top 50% of drivers in ability. In actuality, that would be 50%, but a whopping 93% of us think we are better drivers than average.

Many people believe that when they stand at the pearly gates and their deeds are measured, their good will outweigh their bad, and they enter into heaven. In reality, the bible teaches that there is not even one who is determined righteous.

--The Optimism Bias,” Time, June 6, 2011 pp. 40-46 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Without the imparted righteousness of Jesus Christ, no matter how optimistic we are, we do not meet the criteria for heaven.

Romans 2:10-12 (CEV) (10) But all who do right will be rewarded with glory, honor, and peace, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. (11) God doesn't have any favorites! (12) Those people who don't know about God's Law will still be punished for what they do wrong. And the Law will be used to judge everyone who knows what it says.

SALVATION

Steve Scheibner is an American Airlines pilot. On the American Airlines website, he scheduled himself to pilot AA Flight 11, from Boston to Los Angeles on September 11, 2001. On the afternoon of September 10, a senior pilot, completely within his rights, bumped Scheibner from the flight. Steve was safe at home when terrorists hijacked AA flight 11 and crashed it into the World Trade Center. It was late in the day on September 11, while checking the American Airlines website that he realized that the jet that crashed was his flight, and that another pilot was in the seat reserved for him.

His testimony is that for the second time in his life, someone died in his place. The first time, it was Jesus, who died for his sins. The second time another pilot took his place, giving him an opportunity for life. “Now I must live my life as if I am on borrowed time, because I am,”
Captain Scheibner says. He has committed his life to making a difference.

--http://www.bju.edu/news/2011-09-06-student-video.php?utm_source=News-Events&utm_medium=
RSS&utm_content=homepage&utm_campaign=RSS-News#.TmdtkvbV13r.email) Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (GW) (1) Brothers and sisters, I'm making known to you the Good News which I already told you, which you received, and on which your faith is based. (2) In addition, you are saved by this Good News if you hold on to the doctrine I taught you, unless you believed it without thinking it over. (3) I passed on to you the most important points of doctrine that I had received: Christ died to take away our sins as the Scriptures predicted. (4) He was placed in a tomb. He was brought back to life on the third day as the Scriptures predicted.

SALVATION

In India, more than 1,000 travelers boarded a train headed for Varanasi. After they had traveled the necessary 600 miles, they realized they were in Warangal instead. They had traveled 600 miles in the wrong direction and were so far from their original destination they were even in the wrong region.

--The Week, September 23, 2011, p. 14 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

In innocent sincerity they thought they were headed the right direction. Sincerity doesn’t count, getting on the right track does. Jesus said there is only one way to the Father’s house. If we neglect to get on that track, we can be sincere, but we will still miss the Fathers’ house and end up in the wrong region.

John 14:6 (HCSB) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

SALVATION

The words to the old hymn “I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,” became more than just a song to Michael Trapp after the engine failed on his Cessna 150. The plane plunged into Lake Huron seventeen miles off shore and promptly sank to the bottom with his emergency beacon and life jacket aboard. Without options, Trapp swam towards a smokestack he could see in the distance. Several boats passed without seeing him, but finally after an 18-hour swim, boaters spotted his feeble wave.

--The Week, August 12, 2011 p. 2. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Swimming or sinking were his options until the good Samaritans lifted him out of the water. In the song, Love Lifted Me, the sinner is sinking in sin until the love of Christ pulls her from the deep, saved by the grace of God. Our only hope of salvation is through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:12 (GW) No one else can save us. Indeed, we can be saved only by the power of the one named Jesus and not by any other person.”

SALVATION

The British police had good intentions and they were sincere when they attempted to save a baby locked alone inside a car. They smashed the windows to reach the abandoned child only to discover the baby was actually an extremely realistic doll.

--The Week, August 12, 2011 p. 4 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

There are many in the world who believes that their good intentions and their sincerity is what counts when God makes the final judgment on their lifes. However, salvation is based on our faith in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:12 (GW) Their purpose is to prepare God's people, to serve, and to build up the body of Christ.

SALVATION

In the 100 years since the tragic sinking of the Titanic, movies, documentaries, and books have told the story of many of those on the ill-fated voyage across the Atlantic. One of the lesser known stories is the account of Pastor John Harper who was traveling with his six year old on a mission to become the new pastor at the historic Moody Church in Chicago. When the ship hit the iceberg, Harper put his daughter in a lifeboat. He was a widower and might have been able to join her, but he decided to use his last hours on earth to give people one last chance to know Jesus.

As the ship began to slip beneath the waves, Harper shouted, "women, children, and the unsaved into the lifeboats.” When a passenger refused the offer of salvation Harper offered, the pastor gave him his life vest, telling the man, “You need this more than I do.” Battling hypothermia in the freezing waters, Harper swam to as many people as he could sharing the gospel message.

Four years later at a meeting of survivors, one passenger told how Harper swam up to him while he was clinging to floating debris. Though he rejected the offer once, Harper offered again, and the man gave his life to Christ. As Harper died, a lifeboat rescued the new believer. As he proudly told the gathered survivors that he was Harper’s last convert, the man reminded them that before the voyage the White Star Line listed three passenger classes. Afterward, only two classes of passengers appeared on the lists, KNOWN TO BE SAVED and KNOWN TO BE LOST.

As Titanic sank, he pleaded, “believe in the Lord Jesus!”,

--http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=37601; April 13, 2012, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Acts 10:42-43 (GW) (42) He ordered us to warn the people, ‘God has appointed Jesus to judge the living and the dead.' (43) In addition, all the prophets testify that people who believe in the one named Jesus receive forgiveness for their sins through him.”

SALVATION

Gary Carter is in the baseball hall of fame. He was an all-star catcher 11 times. He died at age 57 from a malignant brain tumor. You can find these words on his Gary Carter Foundation website.

“The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God’s Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement of all. God offers each of us the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. When we accept God’s gift of salvation, our name is written in The Book of Life, guaranteeing us a place in heaven forever. I made that decision during spring training 1973. … You can become a member of God’s Hall of Fame too, by making the same decision today.”

--World, March 10, 2012 p. 12 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

You can find the name Gary Carter written in one hall of fame and one book of life. The second was more important to him.

Revelation 21:27 (ESV) But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

SALVATION

Cindy Herzner thought she would never see her class ring again. When she was a senior at Phoenix, Arizona’s Trevor Browne High School in 1985, she saved her money for six months to buy the ring. Six months after she bought it, she lost it. She thought it was gone for good. Twenty six years later, she got a call from Sandy Neuhaus of Dyersville, Iowa who found the ring buried in her backyard. Neither one of them know how it got there. The two had never met before and Herzner had never even been to Iowa. It is still a mystery how the ring made its way to a backyard in Iowa, but it doesn’t matter now. What was lost was found. Herzner said, “The coolest thing was that the ring came just two days before my 44th birthday—it is like the best present you could ever get from someone you’ve never met.”

Her joy in finding what was lost reminds me of the joy in heaven when what was lost is found

--Arizona Republic, (Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011) Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and David Johnson

Luke 15:7 (HCSB) “I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need repentance.”

SALVATION

I wonder what our children think when they hear us singing the hymn, Power in the Blood?

As it turns, there is literal power in the blood.

Chemists built a biofuel cell that generates power from glucose sugar in snail’s blood. They drill a hole through the snail’s shell and then implant electrodes in the blood. Like any battery, the chemical reaction creates a flow of electrons. Since human blood has more glucose, and the human circulatory system constantly replenishes its supply of glucose, the idea is to use human-based variations to power implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers.

There is power in the blood.

I don’t think that is what Lewis Jones meant when he wrote the phrase in the hymn. He was highlighting the change that can happen in our lives because of Jesus’ choice to shed His blood for our sin.

--“Blood Cell” Evgeny Katz as told to Flora Lichtman, page 32, Popular Science magazine, vol. 281, no. 1, July 2012. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Neil L’Hommedieu.

Ephesians 1:7 (HCSB) “We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”

SALVATION

Josh Hamilton, centerfielder for the Texas Rangers, has an opportunity to win the American League Triple Crown. He is leading the league in Home Runs, Runs Batted In, and Batting Average. Just a few years ago this seemed very improbable.

Josh was always a baseball talent, but he was also a drug and alcohol addict. In 2005 things got so bad his wife left him although she didn’t file for divorce. She kept praying for him, while remaining apart for her and the girls’ safety.

In October 2005 he bottomed out at his grandmother’s home and he gave his life to Christ. His wife, “Katie forgave him everything, if only to stop the bitterness, but trusted nothing. They stayed apart for the next 6 months.” By June of 2006 he had been sober for 8 months and they were back under the same roof. Then Josh became the baseball star he had always had the talent for.

Josh and Katie both “credit faith with saving Josh’s life, saving their marriage, saving his body and talent for the moment when he could be strong enough, in 2006 to return to baseball. The fact that man and family remain intact is considered a miracle by believers and nonbelievers alike.”

--“The Curse of Bigness,” Sports Illustrated, June 11, 2012 pp. 35-45 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

It is a miracle. It is a recurring miracle. It is a miracle we should pray for in the lives of those we know who are in trouble. It is God’s miracle of new life in Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

SALVATION

Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao is a tremendous boxer but he was a lousy person and a worse husband. He drank too much, he gambled, and perhaps worst of all, he cheated on his wife. Just a few months ago his personal life was in shambles. “He was immersed in the vices of celebrity—the drinking, the gambling, the womanizing—and was about to lose his family. He saved it by turning to God and pleading with Jinkee (his wife) for forgiveness. He saved his marriage and, says Pacquiao, rescued his soul. ‘If I had died before I changed, I would not have gone to the eternal kingdom,’ he says. ‘I was an immoral man. Now I am a new creation.’”

--Sports Illustrated, June 11, 2012 p. 59 Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

That is what salvation is all about. God takes the worst of us and makes us new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

SALVATION

Gus Hertz of Roanoke, Virginia was right on hand for saving folks in trouble during his vacation in St. Petersburg, Fl. First he saw a car go over a seawall and he pulled the driver of the submerged car to safety. That is a great once in a lifetime opportunity to save another life. Gus’s once in a lifetime opportunity happened again the next day when an ultralight plane crashed in the ocean right next to his fishing boat. This time he pulled the pilot and a passenger from the deep.

I won’t say that Gus is like Jesus, but like Gus, Jesus is always near when we need salvation. He is as close as the prayer line. Like Peter on the Sea of Galilee we only need to utter the words, “Lord, save me.” --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The Week, June 29, 2012 p. 6

Matthew 14:30 (HCSB) “But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

SALVATION

A man from London, on vacation in France, caught the Olympic fever. He announced the grandiose plan to swim to America carrying the Olympic flame across the Atlantic. The distance is 3600 miles. He fell just a little bit short. Only 300 yards offshore lifeguards rescued him.
Much like a person’s attempt to achieve salvation apart from God, he fell short of the goal. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The Week August 10, 2012 p. 4

Romans 3:23 (HCSB) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

SALVATION

What does perfection require? In bowling it means a score of 300, making 12 consecutive strikes. There is a higher level of perfection in bowling though, it is a perfect series, or three scores of 300 in a row. Bill Fong was on his way to that kind of perfection.

Walking to the line with his bowling ball in his hands he only had to score one more strike, his 36th in a row for real perfection. He rolled the ball, struck the pins, and they all fell down except for the ten pin. Bill came up one point short of perfection.

The New Testament tells us that no matter how high we climb, we will fall short of perfection.--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The Week, August 17, 2012 p. 36

Romans 3:23 (HCSB) “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

SALVATION

Stephen Fiorella is a 19-year-old University of Iowa student who tried to use a stolen ID to get into the Union Bar in Iowa City, Iowa. The false ID didn’t fool the bouncer for a minute, mainly because Stephen tried to use the bouncer’s own driver’s license. The bouncer had reported it stolen along with his wallet and other contents a few months earlier.

The credentials we use to enter heaven will also belong to the door keeper, but He knows we are using them. He gave them to us as a free gift. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

World, June 2, 2012 p. 17

Colossians 3:4 (HCSB) When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

SALVATION

A Virginia woman browsing flea markets in West Virginia saw a box of junk for seven dollars. A statue of Paul Bunyan sticking out of the box caught her eye. Purchasing the box and back home, she saw that a painting in the box had the word “RENOIR” written on the back of the frame. Bidding on the original painting by French impressionist master Pierre-Auguste Renoir will begin at $100,000.

While she only paid $7 for the whole box of junk, the woman found a treasure. Sometimes a person finds the treasure of life in Christ while looking for something else, but once it is found, no one wants to give it back. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

World, October 6, 2012 p. 19

Matthew 13:44 (HCSB) “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.

SALVATION

The universe is full of asteroids and comet debris that bombards the planets. The giant planet Jupiter with its gravitational pull acts as a vacuum sucking these potential threats from space. Experts believe that an asteroid crashes into Jupiter as often as once a week. That space cleaning effort is partly responsible for keeping earth free from life ending asteroids.

In the same way, Jesus takes care of our sins. He took our sins in His body to the cross. We do not have to face the terrible consequences of our own sins; Jesus pulled them all to himself. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The Week, October 5, 2012 p. 21

1 Peter 2:24 (HCSB) He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; you have been healed by His wounds.

SALVATION

73-year-old Edward Cain would tell you he wasn’t a bad man, he had just never been interested in the Gospel for most of his life. Cain had been married for 43 years, and worked hard driving a truck for more than 40 years. Sometimes he would worry, but didn’t see the need to trust Jesus as his provider, protector, or Lord. Cain said he also knew God had warned him several times through accidents that he needed to get right with his Maker, but he never found the time. When a good friend invited Cain over to talk about Jesus, he knew this was his time. He prayed in the driveway and committed his life to Jesus. He was baptized the following Sunday and now uses his driving skills to pick up neighborhood children in the church van. Cain said knowing Jesus has made a major difference in his life, and lifted a huge burden in his soul. He added, ”Before I was always worried about this and that. And now everything is just calm and peaceful.”
Man knew his time had come — Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

He knew time was running out, by David Roach, http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38963, Accessed October 19, 2012.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (HCSB) For He says: I heard you in an acceptable time, and I helped you in the day of salvation. Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.

SALVATION

The last known native speaker of a dialect from a remote fishing village in Scotland has died at the age of 92. When Bobby Hogg passed away, the unique language he spoke became extinct. Hogg spoke the Scots dialect known as Cromarty fisherfolk, which has become the first unique dialect to be lost in Scotland. Linguists says the dialect thrived for centuries in the isolated fishing communities of northern Scotland, but began to fade in the 1950s when industrialization established new methods that separated the way of life from the dialect. Language researcher Robert Millar says the loss of the dialect is part of larger global trend toward common trade languages. Since 96% of the world’s population speak 4% of the world’s languages, seldom used dialects are disappearing at the rate of one every two weeks. Millar says the only examples of the Cromarty dialect left are a few brief audio clips. He added, “Generally, in the literate world, local dialects are suffering. The highly mobile and technologically advanced areas of the world are worst affected.” — Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Last native speaker of Scots dialect dies, by Jamie Hamilton, http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/05/world/europe/scotland-dead-dialect/index.html?npt=NP1, Accessed October 6, 2012.

Revelation 5:9 (HCSB) And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slaughtered, and You redeemed ?people? for God by Your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation.

SALVATION

During the opening chapters of The Hunger Games, it is time for the reaping of District 12, the selection of a male and a female to fight tributes from the eleven other districts for the amusement of the Capitol. Given the poverty of District 12, the selection almost guarantees death. Katniss Everdeen – the book's protagonist – offers a final word of support to her younger sister, Primrose, as they prepare for the afternoon. Prim's name is only in the lottery once. There is almost no chance of her selection. Katniss tries to draw hope from this. In the town square, she stands amongst the female tributes ages twelve to eighteen. Her eyes turn to a video from the Capitol, describing the Hunger Games as a sacrificial reminder of war costing children their lives. The games provide peace. Effie Trinkett, the Capitol's representative, calls attention to the tributes. Her hand dips into the bowl with the names of the female tributes. Her fingers lift a single slip. She unfolds the slip. "Primrose Everdee," she cries. Peacekeepers begin to lead Katniss’ sister away, when she steps out from the crowd. "I volunteer," she shouts. She takes her sister's place.—Jim L. Wilson and Aaron Huntley

-Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (New York: Scholastic, 2008), 16-21.

This story demonstrates the greatest proof of love—the willingness to sacrifice for another. At the cross, Jesus did that and more.

1 John 4:10 (HCSB) “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

SALVATION

When Angus T. Jones found Jesus Christ as his Savior he was convicted about the television program in which he is a star. He has asked people to quit watching the show, Two and a Half Men. He claims it is a smutty sitcom and conflicts with Christian values. Jones pleaded, “Please stop watching Two and a Half Men. Please stop filling your head with filth.”

Jones says his contract forbids him leaving the show where he reportedly earns $8 million a year.--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The Week, December 7, 2012 p. 10

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

SALVATION

Not far from Seattle, six underground radioactive waste tanks in Hanford are leaking. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says that one tank located in Hanford was leaking 150 to 300 gallons of radioactive toxic waste per year. It is horrifying to know that the Energy Department will not clean up the extremely toxic waste until at least 2019.

Waiting six years increases the likelihood that these toxic substances will enter the nearby water system. -- Jim L. Wilson and Aetos Chung

--“SIX tanks are discovered to be leaking toxic sludge at America's most contaminated nuclear site as officials push for billion dollar clean-up” By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 23:58 EST, 22 February 2013 | UPDATED: 05:43 EST, 23 February 2013
.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283232/
Hanford-Nuclear-Reservation-Officials-push-billion-dollar-clean-Americas-contaminated-site.html (accessed 2-28-13)

Some things are just too important to delay.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV) For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

SALVATION

On July 14, 2011, Yauheni Shchytou took a plane from Minsk, Belarus, Russia to Milan, Italy, then to JFK in New York and expected to reach Seattle, Washington. The trip went well and the plane reached New York on time. After a brief layover, he found the gate to board the next plane. Shchytou, though spoke very little English, got on the plane with the assistance of the airline staff. He took his seat and, since he was very tired, fell asleep right away

He later found out that the plane was heading to Frankfurt, Germany. It turned out that he took the wrong plane parking at the next gate and ended up in the wrong place. He came all the way from Russia and he almost made it to Seattle, but ended up 5,100 miles away instead. --Jim L. Wilson and Shanon Lee

Web Reporter, “Airport confusion lands man in wrong country,” Eyewitness News 12, July 14, 2011, http://www.kwch.com/news/kcpq-boarding-wrong-flight-lands-man-in-wrong-country-20110714,0,2132743.story (accessed January 31, 2013)

Not all planes lead to the same destination. This gentleman was a sincere traveler, but he was sincerely wrong and ended up far from his desired destination. Not all religions lead to the same destinations either.

John 14:6 (ESV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

SALVATION

67-year old Sabine Moreau intended to drive 80 miles to Brussels. The Belgian woman programed her car-navigation system and set out. Six countries and 1800 miles later she drove into Zagreb, Croatia. It was then she realized that she missed her turn somehow.

Once she realized she was lost, she found a way to get home. The same is true of salvation. Until one comes to the realization they are lost, they do not seek nor find a solution. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The Week, January 25, 2013 p. 4

John 3:16 (CEV) God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.

SALVATION

A long-haul truck driver who works for Wal-Mart has received an award for driving 4 million miles without an accident. Warren Greeno of Loveland, Colorado accumulated the mileage by driving an average of 500 miles each working day for the last 31 years. To honor Greeno’s accomplishment, the company presented him with a brand new rig painted red. The company also paid to fly Greeno to the ceremony so he did not have to drive. When asked about his record, Greeno said there were a few near-collisions. He said at those times, he waited for “the thump and the crash,” but they never came.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Wal-Mart driver honored for 4 million accident-free miles, http://www.mynews4.com/entertainment/weirdnews/story/
Wal-Mart-driver-honored-for-4-million-accident-fre/iKfaSVc-U0uzSmVqG8osgg.cspx, Accessed September 21, 2013.

Psalm 4:8 (NASB) In peace I will both lie down and sleep, For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.

SALVATION

In speaking of the need for salvation, award winning author Steven James makes an interesting statement. “If I believe our world is a pretty good place and we are pretty good people, then we just need a Savior to get us over the hump. But we believe and confess that we are desperately fallen people in need of a very big Savior.”

That expresses our need very well. If some of us are more moral, or more upright than most, it is only by small degrees. We are all in need of a very big Savior because we have fallen very short of God’s design for us.--Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World, December 14, 2013, p. 33

Romans 3:23 (NASB) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

SALVATION

The Jascon 4 was helping to stabilize an oil tanker as it refueled at a Chevron platform 20 miles offshore in the Atlantic, when it capsized and eventually rested upside down on the ocean floor in 100 feet of water.

Sixty hours later a team of divers began retrieving the bodies of the 12 crewmen aboard. They descended into the cold, dark depths with their special deepwater gear and huge spotlights. One by one they recovered 10 of the 12 lifeless bodies and brought them to the surface.

A recovery worker noticed a hand and reached for it. This hand grabed back! The diver yells into his microphone, "He's alive, he's alive!" and there in a dissipating air pocket, on the upside-down Jascon 4, 100 feet deep in the Atlantic, sits Harrison Okene. At just the right time, the rescuer brought Okene—who was as good as dead—back to life. --Jim L. Wilson and Jason D. Helmbacher

-- http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/06/12/nigerian-cook-trapped-for-3-days-in-sunken-ship-tells-incredible-story-survival/

Ephesians 2:1-2 (NASB77) “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, (2) in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”

SALVATION

In his book “Out of a Far Country,” Christopher Yuan tells his story of a Gay man’s journey to God. In the book he tells of his mother who after 30 years of marriage was going to leave his father. She bought a one-way Amtrak ticket to Louisville to say goodbye to Christopher and then she planned to end her life.

On the train she read a pamphlet that had been given to her about the God who loves us in spite of our sins. She realized that God could still love her and her gay son and she gave her life to Christ.

In the book, her husband soon came to Christ and eventually the son also. Salvation by grace is an awesome doctrine. Let’s share it often. --Jim L Wilson and Rodger Russell

World, February 8, 2014 p. 28

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) (8) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (9) not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

SALVATION

In his autobiography, Pat Summerall the former player and broadcaster tells of becoming a born again Christian during his treatment for alcoholism at the Betty Ford rehab clinic.

The message of the Gospel is changed lives in the grace God gives in Jesus Christ. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

World, January 11, 2014 p. 69

Romans 6:23 (KJV) (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

SALVATION

When the building where she lived in Mumbai suddenly collapsed killing her entire family along with 70 others, seven-year-old Sandhya Thakur found herself alone in the world and homeless. She spent the next 23 days in a hospital. The senior nurse during her hospital stay, Veena Kadle and her husband were childless and falling in love with the homeless girl they began trying to adopt Sandhya. In time, they were granted the adoption. Now Sandhya has a complete family.

This is what happens to us when we believe in Jesus Christ. We are adopted into the family of God. No longer alone nor homeless, we have a church family and a home in heaven. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

The Week, March 14, 2014. P. 2

1 John 5:11-12 (HCSB) (11) And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. (12) The one who has the Son has life. The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life.

SALVATION

Three top contenders in the Bangalore Marathon were following their guide car when the car missed a turn and led the runners 2.5 miles in the wrong direction. “The runners discovered the mistake, which occurred about 9 miles into the 13.1-mile half marathon, only when the race crowd thinned and they realized they were simply jogging through a Bangalore neighborhood.”

Even though they were running with complete sincerity, they were running the wrong way. There is only one route in a race and they missed it. They had to borrow money from bystanders to buy train tickets to the finish line.

Even though people may believe with all sincerity, the Bible is clear that there is only one route to salvation, Jesus Christ. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

World, November 15, 2014 p. 20

Acts 4:12 (NKJV) “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

SALVATION

In his weekly editorial for the magazine, The Week, William Falk tells about a show on the Food Network called Restaurant Impossible. In each episode of the program, chef and restaurateur Robert Irvine accepts an invitation to revive a dying family restaurant somewhere in Smalltown, America. Irvine critiques the food and the business, and prods the reluctant proprietor into making dramatic changes in the kitchen and repairing his or her relationships with family and staff. At the same time, “Irvine’s designer and builder gut the restaurant and in 48 hours, transform a dingy, dated dive into a cool new hot spot. At the show’s end, the proprietor and the family gasp with astonished gratitude when they see their reborn restaurant, which fills with happy customers.”

Falk says that it is a corny formula, yet he finds it moving every time. “Resurrection, reconnection, a chance to undo your mistakes and start anew—these are longings embedded deep in the human psyche.”

It is also the story of the gospel. Jesus Christ took my life, basically a broken down, dated dive and remade it into something He could use in His Kingdom. Like the family restaurant, we become the new creation fit for the service of the gospel. -- Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

The Week, January 17, 2014 p. 3

2 Corinthians 5:17 (HCSB) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, ?he is? a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.

SALVATION

Actor Dean Jones’ career began with some gritty roles, cast as drug addicts, pimps, and killers. After Jones starred in a hit Broadway play, Walt Disney cast him in some more wholesome roles. Jones said that at that time his image on screen and his real life became increasingly disconnected. He was womanizing and drinking heavily, and he suffered from depression. Jones said, “I had the Ferraris and beautiful women and all the rest of what I thought would satisfy my life, and it was empty. Really empty.”

In 1973, Jones accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of his life. It was an awakening. He continued to appear in films and on stage but his faith influenced many of his professional choices. “I won’t blaspheme God,” he said in 2009. “That immediately eliminates most scripts.”—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

The Week, September 18, 2015 p. 35

Romans 10:13 (HCSB) For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Salvation

In “Approved Life,” Joshua Saefkow writes, “In the 1951 children's classic, Alice in Wonderland, Alice asks Cheshire cat for advice when she comes to an intersection on the road. She said, ‘Cheshire, can you please tell me, which way I ought to go from here?’ ‘That depends a good deal on where you want to go,’ the Cat said. ‘I don't care,’ Alice said. After a brief pause, the Cat replied, ‘Then it doesn't matter which way you go.’

We face many choices. Some of them are relatively unimportant, like: What shoes will we wear? What outfit to put on? What will we eat? We make decisions about friends and relationships. And in the midst of all of those decisions we are faced with life's most important question, what will you do with your soul?” —Jim L. Wilson

Living the Sermon on the Mount, 93.

Matthew 16:26 (HCSB) What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?

For more information on Living the Sermon on the Mount, go to: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1523787473/fm082-20

SALVATION

A National Geographic Channel special, “The Story of God,” attempts to bring people of all religious beliefs together by emphasizing what we all have in common. Omar Camilletti, spokesman for the Mosque of Rome, one of the largest in Europe, says that Jesus is a part of Islamic beliefs, though as a prophet not as the Son of God.

Yogi Krishna, at a Hindu temple in Rome says that many in his faith see Jesus as a guru and they have no trouble incorporating Jesus into their worship.

At the Great Synagogue of Rome, a guide explains that many Jews view Jesus as an important historical figure and rabbinical teacher.

Megan Basham says; “As the Story of God illustrates, most major religions share concerns that can be a starting point to dialogue. But that commonality ends in the same place it did with Peter, when Jesus asked him, ‘Who do men say that I am?’” –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Megan Basham, Faith to Faith, World, April 16, 2016, p. 30.

Matthew 16:13–19 (HCSB)“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ ¹⁴ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ¹⁵ ‘But you,’ He asked them, ‘who do you say that I am?’ ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!’ ¹⁷ And Jesus responded, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven.’”

SALVATION

A North Carolina judge found a defendant guilty and sentenced him to jail time. Joseph Serna, a former Green Beret and Afghanistan Veteran was self-medicating his PTSD with alcohol. When he violated his probation for a DUI charge, the judge sentenced him to a night in jail. But then the judge, also a veteran, afraid the time in jail might trigger PTSD, joined him in the cell. The two passed the night trading war stories.

This is what God will do for you. Finding you guilty as a sinner, he has paid the penalty of your sin for you. The difference between God and the judge is that God doesn’t require you to hang with him on the cross. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

The Week, May 6, 2016 p. 5

Romans 4:25 (HCSB) “He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

SALVATION

Fyli, a municipality in Greece, northwest of Athens has a debt of $500 million. They have been granted generous terms for repayment. In 2016, authorities awarded the city 25,546 months to pay meaning the debt will finally be paid in 4144.

Our debt of sin could not be paid, even if we had 25,000 months to do so. It is a debt we cannot pay. Praise the Lord, Jesus paid it all! –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, December 10, 2016 p. 13

Romans 4:25 (HCSB)“He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”

SALVATION

Orlando was an 11-year-old Arizona boy who had spent years in a Mexican orphanage before winding up in foster care in Phoenix, AZ. When he joined Jodi Kacz’s reading intervention class the teacher took a shine to Orlando. Kacz had a heart problem that kept her from having her own children but when she discovered Orlando was a foster child she and her husband were able to adopt him. When the judge made the adoption official, Kacz and her husband became mom and dad and Orlando said “It was truly the best day of my life.”

Before we are adopted into God’s forever family we are all Orlando, a child without a spiritual father. The day we are accepted into God’s family as His children is the best day of our lives. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

The Week, December 16, 2016 p. 4

Galatians 4:5 (HCSB) “to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

SALVATION

Rick Deschamps, general manager of an electronics-processing firm in Ontario tells about a female employee who came running up to him with a cashbox. “I found $10,000.00,” the employee said. They opened the cashbox and found bundles of $50 bills that amounted to more than $75,000 American dollars.

Don’t forget about your inheritance from God. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

The Week, March 3, 2017 p. 12

Romans 8:17 (HCSB)¹⁷ and if children, also heirs —heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

SALVATION

Fifty years ago, in a diving accident, Joni Eareckson Tada was paralyzed from the neck down. She has remained a steadfast witness for Jesus Christ ever since. On the 50^th anniversary of the accident that took the movement from all her limbs she said, “I really would rather be in the wheelchair knowing Jesus as I do than be on my feet without him.”

That is a tremendous testimony of the beauty of the Christian life. It is a real life living out of the old Hymn, “I’d Rather Have Jesus than Anything.” —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, August 19, 2017, p. 12

2 Corinthians 6:2 (CSB) “For he says: At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!”

SALVATION

That is a tremendous testimony of the beauty of the Christian life. It is a real life living out of the old Hymn, “I’d Rather Have Jesus than Anything.” —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, August 19, 2017, p. 12

2 Corinthians 6:2 (CSB) “For he says: At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation!”

SALVATION

One unique element of Georgia’s Rock City is “Fat Man Squeeze,” a narrow path between several 1,000 ton boulders. It leads to a spectacular view, but it also tests the resolve of many. Challengers must rid heavy coats and backpacks, and some should avoid it entirely. One “conqueror” wrote, “I seriously thought I was going to get stuck in Fat Man Squeeze at one point.” Then added, “Panic isn’t even the word.” —Jim L. Wilson and Danny Furukawa

-- https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g35073-d105864-r74710914-Rock_City-Lookout_Mountain_Georgia.html ; http://www.seerockcity.com

Matthew 7:13–14 (CSB)

“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

SALVATION

In a conversation with Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator, columnist, author, radio talk show host, and lawyer, World Magazine asked him why he believes in Judaism rather than Christianity. In his response he compares his beliefs to his business partner’s. His business partner is an evangelical pastor. Comparing their beliefs he says, “It makes more sense to me that you take responsibility for your own sins, as opposed to Jesus dying for your sins. To Judaism, you’re constantly atoning for your own sins. I’m works-based; Christianity is largely grace-based.”

In Gal. 3:10 Paul says a person is cursed if they cannot keep the whole law. That was the meaning of the “good news” (gospel) that Jesus brought to the world. We were no longer to struggle to find forgiveness of our own sins. Jesus paid for them. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, December 30, 2017 p31.

Galatians 3:23–26 (CSB)

Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.

SALVATION

In a lonely hospital room where doctors were testing him for a possible heart attack, Bernie received a visit from a local pastor. Before the pastor left the room, Bernie repented of his sins and professed faith in Jesus Christ.

Bernie Carbo was Major League Baseball’s rookie of the year in 1970. He had some amazing games including a pinch-hit three-run homer in the World Series. But drugs and alcohol abuse ended his career. Business failures, divorce, his dad’s death, his mom’s suicide, and his own suicide attempt preceded his hospital appointment with destiny.

The road to salvation was a rocky one, but Bernie persisted. In 1993 Carbo and another former player began the “Diamond Club Ministry,” teaching young people about baseball and Jesus.

Stories such as this should encourage us to remember that Jesus Christ really is the answer to the darkness that surrounds us. Never quit telling others about the life changing transformation available through Jesus Christ. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, March 17, 2018 p. 58

1 Corinthians 6:11 (CSB)

And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

SALVATION

In 2002 Constantin Reliu left his home in Romania to seek employment in Turkey. By 2016 a Romanian court ruled him deceased at the request of his wife who hadn’t heard from him since he left. In 2018 Reliu returned to find himself declared dead. He asked a court to nullify his death certificate since he was very much alive. They ruled he took too long to appeal so he is officially dead, even as he lives.

In Ephesians Paul tells us that we are all dead, even as we live. We are dead in trespasses and sins. While we look alive, spiritually we are dead. The heavenly court will overrule that declaration only through our salvation in Jesus Christ. In Christ we are not only made alive, we will eventually be just the opposite of Reliu. Instead of being dead while alive, we will be alive while dead. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

The Week, March 30, 2018, p. 12

Ephesians 2:1–6 (CSB)

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,

SALVATION

Most of the current movie and television hits are reruns or sequels of previous hits. Harry Potter on Broadway, Star Wars, Wonder Woman, and Avengers are all reboots or follow-ons at the movies. Television hits are Roseanne and Lost in Space from years ago. Why are all the new shows throw-backs? The Week editor, Theunis Bates, says that people feel good with the familiarity of the old stories.

The editor may have a point. I certainly love to hear the grand old story of Jesus and his love for me. It is the greatest story ever told. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

The Week, May 4, 2018 p.3

1 Corinthians 15:1–8 (CSB)

Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.

SALVATION

Shortly before she died, Barbara Bush was talking with her son Jeb. In a response to a question from Jeb she replied, “Jeb, I believe in Jesus and He is my Savior. I don’t want to leave your dad, but I know I will be in a beautiful place.”

This is the calm assurance that a person who has trusted Jesus Christ has. Do you have that assurance? —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, May 12, 2018 p. 10

2 Timothy 1:12 (CSB)

and that is why I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.

SALVATION

While there won’t be as many people out shopping the day after Christmas as there are the day after Thanksgiving, Dec. 26 does make the top 10 list of the busiest shopping days of Christmas. The primary reason it does is because our friends and family can’t wait to return the gifts we bought for them. —Jim L. Wilson

https://www.shoppertrak.com/article/holiday-2018-10-busiest-shopping-days-infographic/

Some gifts cannot be returned.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (CSB)⁸ For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—⁹ not from works, so that no one can boast.

SALVATION

David Woodhouse of Truro, Cornwall, told the BBC that he made his initial request to see a dentist in mid-2017 after complaining about tooth pain. After waiting more than 18 months to see a dentist, a 62-year-old British man opted to pull his own tooth. Using his own needle nose pliers he tried to ease his pain by yanking the offending tooth.

World Magazine, March 2, 2019 p. 16

In this case, the man was able to solve some of his problem with self-surgery. He remains on the waiting list to see a dentist because only a dentist can solve the bigger problem with his teeth.

A number of people would like to atone for their own sin. They invent many elaborate schemes to solve that problem, but only a trip to the great physician will provide the ultimate remedy. Jesus is the only way to solve the sin problem. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Acts 4:12 (CSB)“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

SALVATION

Skirmantas Strimaitis was ticketed to fly from Vilnius, Lithuania to Bergamo, Italy for a ski outing. When he arrived at the airport he learned he was the only passenger on the 188-seat airplane. The plane’s crew outnumbered him seven to one; nevertheless, he made the two-hour-plus flight as the only passenger. Strimaitis told The Associated Press, “a once in the lifetime experience.” –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, April 27, 2019 p.16

I believe that if I was the only lost person in the world, Jesus would still have given his life for me.

John 3:16 (CSB)For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one

SALVATION

On her way to pick up her husband at the airport, Connie Monsees checked Goggle Maps to see if there was an alternative, faster route. The app suggested she take the next exit and she would cut the time in half. She did, as did another 100 or so drivers.

When she noticed that the route was on a dirt road she starting questioning whether she made the right decision. But seeing the other cars doing the same thing, she said that she was thinking, ‘Well, there's so many other people going, it must be OK,' "

It wasn’t OK. Due to the recent rains, many drivers ended up stranded in a muddy field as a result of their short cut. Following the crowd can lead to disastrous results.

—Jim L. Wilson

https://www.npr.org/2019/06/27/736572732/google-maps-leads-about-100-drivers-into-a-muddy-mess-in-colorado

Matthew 7:14 (CSB) “How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.”

SALVATION

An emergency dispatch officer in eastern China received an unusual emergency call from a young woman and realized she was sending a coded message. The woman said she wanted to order a takeout of a pair of chopsticks and an egg. Police immediately understood that the woman was in danger because the call referred to chopsticks as the number 11 and the egg represented zero. China’s emergency number is 110. When authorities arrived they discovered the woman had gone to meet a man she had been talking to online. He had taken her keys and would not go home. Police talked to the man, and then took the woman home in a police car. Officers praised her quick thinking in an emergency, but questioned the wisdom of meeting online strangers.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1154146.shtml

Psalm 130:2 (CSB)

“Lord, listen to my voice;

let your ears be attentive

to my cry for help.”

SALVATION

Jon Peters holds the high school record for consecutive wins as a pitcher. He set the record in 1989 with his 51st consecutive win. After arm injuries in college ended his dream of a Major League Baseball career, his life began a downward spiral of broken relationships, alcoholism, and depression. After a night in which he tried to drink himself to death, Peters attempted to find help, but most of his calls went unanswered. Wes Wetherred, his boss at the insurance agency where he worked answered. He reached out to help Peters and got him into rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous where another member invited him to a Christian men’s retreat.

At an evening service Peters says that he closed his eyes and imagined Jesus with open arms telling him to jump. In that moment, he felt he finally understood God’s unconditional love, despite his brokenness; “It was like hope turned on.”

Peters’ still attends AA four or five nights a week. He often speaks at churches and schools. But he doesn’t talk about his former glory as a fire balling pitcher, but about God rescuing him from alcoholism and despair. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

World Magazine, September 14, 2019, p. 59

John 10:10 (CSB)

A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.

SALVATION

Ambrosia is a Silicon Valley startup. Their business is selling transfusions of blood plasma from young donors to wealthy, aging customers hoping to reinvigorate themselves. The transfusions cost $8,000 per liter. The FDA has sent out a warning that the blood from young people has

“no proven clinical benefit.”

The Week, November 22, 2019

In other words, there is no power in the blood. But there is power in the spilt blood of Jesus Christ. It washes away our sin. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

Hebrews 9:14 (CSB)

how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works so that we can serve the living God?

ADOPTION

A 13-year-old boy who was abandoned by his previous adoptive family found a new forever home with a very understanding parent. Tony Mutabazi had been in the foster care system since the age of two, and was adopted the first time at the age of 4. Seven years later he was left at a hospital and his parents never returned. In 2018 Tony’s case worker asked Peter, who had fostered several children before, to take Tony for the weekend. When Peter meet Tony and heard his story he decided to adopt Tony. Peter grew up in Uganda and ran away from an abusive home at the age of 10. He found a parent figure, who helped him and gave him the opportunity to live his dream in the United States. Peter understood Tony’s situation and knew he had what it took to become Tony’s parent. After the adoption, Peter said, I had the room, the resources, so I had no reason to let him go. For what someone did for me, I wanted to do something for someone else.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/family/story/single-dad-adopts-13-year-abandoned-years-earlier-69285077

Galatians 4:4–6 (CSB) “When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!’”

SALVATION

Tyler Moon is a Christian excited about his salvation. He is also a long-distance runner and he put the slogan “Jesus Saves” on his race bib. Moon was competing at a 10-mile event in Minnesota when he suffered a cardiac arrhythmia. A nurse who was running behind him performed CPR until paramedics arrived. In the hospital, Moon was stunned to learn that his rescuer was named Jesus, Jesus Bueno. Moon said, “The message on my race bib is pretty fitting.”

The Week, December 27, 2019/January 10, 2020, p. 24

Saved twice by Jesus, the eternal salvation will be the better of the two. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

1 John 5:11–13 (CSB)

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

SALVATION

In 97 years, a person makes a lot of health decisions, some that he may live to regret. Rowena Donaldson just turned 97. He says he is often reminded about healthy choices he has made over those years. One of the biggest he says he made in December 1952, when he read an article in the Reader’s Digest titled, “Cancer by the Carton.” The next day he quit smoking.

Readers Digest July/August 2020 p. 6

In a lifetime there are myriads of decisions we must make. Many of them have lasting impact, and some of them last a lifetime. —Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

2 Corinthians 5:17 (CSB)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!

SALVATION

Based on a recent decision by Illinois’ Governor Pritzker, which remarkably Mayor Lightfoot verbally opposed, indoor restaurant service is again being suspended in the city of Chicago as a way of attempting to combat the deteriorating Coronavirus statistics. Many of the restaurants which are still open, have spent large amounts of money trying to prepare outdoor options for the frigid Chicago winter months, even with decreased pandemic income. Not surprisingly, it appears this outdoor dining may not generate enough business for many of them to survive the brutal Chicago winter. With Congress unable to negotiate a bailout program for them, the facts are rather grim, “…the bills pile up: City tax bills are due, rent is due, insurance is due, health care premiums are due…. Owners aren’t sure how much longer they can hold out. Without them, thousands will be left unemployed.” The restaurants desperately need someone to rescue them.

Hanna Alani, Block Club Chicago, 30 October 2020,

https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/10/30/facing-a-terrible-winter-and-hanging-by-a-thread-restaurant-owners-beg-city-state-for-more-guidance-and-tax-relief

Life can certainly seem like this community culinary disaster for each of us. Serious problems constantly emerge in this fallen world. What compounds our difficulty in navigating these problems is our own sinfulness. This sinfulness is gravitationally pulled towards God’s wrath much as the city of Chicago is drawn towards winter. Christians, however, have access to a hope as solid as the stone that was rolled from Jesus’ grave. We have someone who has rescued us! Jesus has faced God’s wrath for us, and though we will face many problems in life, by trusting in him we are rescued from this ultimate wrath, and we experience the relationship that can carry us through whatever suffering we face. — Jim Wilson and Jon R. Pennington

1 Thessalonians 1:10 (CSB)

and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

SALVATION
A locksmith helped save a woman who wrote “911” on her hand to signal that she needed help. The locksmith, who asked only to be identified by his first name, Greg, said he was called to replace the locks on a home, and when he gave the invoice to the woman at the home, he noticed the numbers “911” written on her hand. He had also seen a man in the house who was acting suspiciously and staying close to the woman. Though he was wearing a mask, Greg said he made eye contact to let the woman know he got the message. When he left the home, he contacted a friend in law enforcement who told him to call the local sheriff’s department. When they arrived they found the woman’s estranged husband had assaulted her and would not allow her to call for help. The call to change the locks was apparently made beforehand in an attempt to keep the estranged husband out of the house. Greg said the woman showed him her hand twice which indicated she wanted him to see it. He told a local television station, “The lad was pretty smart to be able to do what she did. She gave me some great clues that there was an issue there.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/07/us/utah-kidnapping-911-message-trnd/index.html

Psalm 107:13 (CSB)

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;

he saved them from their distress.

SALVATION

Animal rescuers in Maine were called to save a roadrunner that stowed away on a move from Nevada. The Avian Haven animal hospital said a man named Gary contacted them, when he and his son opened the back of the moving truck at a storage facility and discovered the bird inside. A volunteer helped the man capture the lost bird, which was taken to Avian Haven facility where it was examined. The group said the animal will be returned to its native habitat. Officials said, “The roadrunner was in remarkably good shape for having been confirmed in the van for four days, leading us to wonder if perhaps some food items had also stowed away.” –Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/11/16/roadrunner-stowaway-Las-Vegas-to-Maine/9711637098006

2 Corinthians 1:10 (CSB)

He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again