Skip to main content

Testimony



When I was asked to give my testimony for a recent service at our church,  Community Church of Douglas, I didn't hesitate. Maybe I should have or maybe I should have worked on what I was going to say. Because what I said was confusing even to me - and the look on Pastor Beebe's face as I was jabbering showed confusion as well.

 So, here is what I was trying to say ...

I grew up in the Catholic Church where the word testimony was not used - the concept of being 'saved' or 'used' by God is not taught. In that faith tradition, you're baptized and are cleansed of original sin and then as a child taught to serve God through good works. A personal relationship with God was foreign to me until I began Bible studies in my 40s and then "POW" my life was forever changed because I have always felt a call to be in relationship with God.

 The call was not to be in service or profession, but to live my life like one who has this relationship. That is at peace knowing that there is nothing I cannot do as long as I have God with me. Philippians' 4:13 is the verse I live "I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

 I can live a life with a positive outlook while rolling instead of walking. I can smile while battling breast cancer because I know a power stronger than any is there with me. I can be a caregiver to the patient patient because I know there are is one with walking alongside me, guiding us and surrounding us with all that we need. I can be me because I am filled with the Holy Spirit who guides.

 That is what I was trying to say, that is my testimony.   

 @kathleenpiggins
@brandonbeebe
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Friday Night Lights

Friday night lights were blazing last week - when for the first time in the history of our little town, the Saugatuck Indians clinched the district title! You can see the sheer joy on Matthew's face and the pride in his father's eyes in the picture above. Leading up to and during the game, there were several things that made the victory even more sweet. The first being that the sports writers in the area, to a person, all predicted the opponents, Climax-Scotts, to win. They'd had a perfect season - until Friday. The second was that we had to travel quite a distance (nearly 90 minutes) to get to the game. And the weather was frigid and snow was blowing - thankfully it was blowing towards the Climax-Scotts stands and was at our backs. And then our quarterback injured his shoulder and had to sit out for a good portion of the game. Thankfully, the replacement quarterback (a sophomore called up for the playoffs from the junior varsity team) did not let the stress effect his ...
3 comments
Read more

Don't cry for me ...

Song lyrics or titles run through my mind to often sum up a situation or add humor to one. Today, it's "Don't Cry for Me Argentina". Only today the title is "Don't cry for me anybody"! I mean, I get it, that people feel bad that I've got breast cancer and that I've been living with MS for nearly 27 years. And I've had other issues that I've blogged about related to #metoo. I get that it seems like a lot looking in from the outside. I hear your comments and appreciate your support. But here's the thing, it doesn't feel overwhelming to me, looking out from the inside. Know what I mean? I live the life that I've been dealt and do it with the personality and faith I've been given. Which means, I could do one of the following: A. Have a miserable, pity-me attitude that would lead to being  miserable; B. Lean into my troubles and seek answers constantly either through research or angrily with God, which would lea...
1 comment
Read more

Navigating the world while four-wheeling

Rain, rain, go away. Don't come back another day. My hair is frizzy. Barometric pressure makes me dizzy. If I go out, wet I'll be. No umbrella hand free to protect me. I'm no Longfellow! And I don't think I'd win a poetry slam, but you get the idea. Rainy days, even when they're not Mondays, get me down. Because when you're navigating the world while four-wheeling, rain presents additional challenges. Last week, for example, the wind was blowing hard enough to blow my wheelchair seat cushion off my car where I'd placed it while removing my chair. It landed in a puddle, upside down, and rested there long enough that the absorbent material in the comfy cushion absorbed quite a bit of water. I may have let an expletive fly, because a store clerk who was standing up against the window under the protective eave, smoking a cigarette and looking at her phone, actually looked up. She didn't come to my aid, but she looked up. Thankful...
Post a Comment
Read more