House Church Talk - Trust Jesus

[Johnny Shepherd]

Thanks Jim you made me even more appreciate the Lord - Trust in Jesus
has been my challenge for the last several months.In fact, the last few
years have been tough and things happening that were hard to handle.
Anyway, On Oct 17th I turned 60 and that night at work I had a heart
attack. They flew me to Albuquerque Heart Hospital and I went into
surgery. 3 days later I was home and the cost of emergency room, life
flight and angioplasty was a WHOLE bunch of money. I still need to go
back into surgery for two more heart stents but at this time am lacking
the money so it's back to trusting Jesus and waiting on his timing. Mean
while I am bicycling 6-10 miles a day and appreciating every new moment
He gives me. 

Johnny
Trusting in and relying on Jesus

http://hamcams.servepics.com/


-----Original Message-----
From: House Church Talk -bounces at housechurch.org
[mailto:House Church Talk -bounces at housechurch.org] On Behalf Of Robert L. Moseley
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2003 7:27 PM
To: House Church Talk
Subject: Re: House Church Talk -  Trust Jesus


Hey there Jim...great message...TRUST JESUS AND KEEP ON TRUSTING HIM.
Bob Moseley from the hills of Texas



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <goodwordusa at att.net>
To: "House Church Talk" <House Church Talk  at housechurch.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 21, 2003 10:15 AM
Subject: House Church Talk -  Trust Jesus


> I will never forget the last time my wife, Becky, and I drove through 
> Tennessee and Kentucky.  I believe it was in January of 1996.
>
> We had just spent Christmas and New Years in Greensboro, NC.  Not with
family
> or friends, but in motels.  We were seeking God's direction for our 
> lives, and had been drawn by a combination of circumstances and weak 
> faith to the Greensboro area, where we'd spent two weeks.
>
> The "funny" thing about this was that I was not a man of much faith.  
> I
had
> been away from God for just over 11 years.  I had been "on my own" and

> had not been much of a man of prayer of faith.  But this trip from 
> Montana out
to
> the East Coast and down into North Carolina was in part an act of 
> faith
and
> obedience.  I believed that the Lord was working in our lives.  And 
> Becy
also
> believed that the Lord would show us His will on this long journey.
>
> Now we were heading west and north again, toward Topeka, Kansas.  I 
> had
been
> offered a great job in publishing back in Greensboro.  But everything
inside
> me said to leave and continue the journey.  I was not happy, but I 
> left,
in
> the hope that God would truly show us His will for our lives.
>
> Did I mention that we had run out of money by this point?  I drove my 
> '94 Ford F150, and all that we owned was in the back, under the cap.  
> On this trip we had maxed out our credit cards, and gone well beyond 
> that point.
Here
> and there, we were being forced to sell a camera or some other 
> possession
to
> pay for rooms, food and gas.  But we had driven out of Greensboro with
very
> little money.
>
> Every so often I noticed that someone had spray-painted something in 
> black
on
> the gray-white pylons of some of the highway overpasses.  I looked at 
> the words scrawled there.  They said: "TRUST JESUS."
>
> We drove up into Virginia where the sky was solid gray, and rain began

> to fall.  We turned more westward, driving down to Knoxville, where we

> spent
the
> night.  Leaving Knoxville the next morning, we headed up toward 
> Paducah, Kentucky.  It was still raining.  Before we had driven far, 
> the rain began
to
> turn to snow.  On the way to Nashville, I saw it couple more times, on

> the concrete pillars of the freeway bridges: "TRUST JESUS."
>
> Right, I thought.  I had no faith in Jesus.  I had been robbed of my 
> faith years before.  Oh, I believed in God.  But I doubted that Jesus 
> was much
more
> than a well-intentioned and misdirected man who had died a tragic 
> death.
In
> the months to come, I would learn that one of us was confused and 
> misled,
but
> it wasn't Jesus.
>
> I kept fretting over the fact that we had about a dollar or to to our
name.
> Soon we would need gas, and we would need food.  And we would need a 
> place
to
> sleep.  I wanted to stop in Nashville and sell something to get some 
> cash. But I was "driven" as it were, to stay on the road.  So I kept 
> to the
road,
> heading up to Kentucky. About half way between Nashville and the 
> Kentucky border, the half frozen rain/snow became serious snow and a 
> hard wind --
not
> a good combination for driving.
>
> Another pylon with a message, and then another: "TRUST JESUS."  Right,

> I thought to myself.  And what can Jesus do for me here and now?  I 
> need money.  I NEED MONEY!
>
> The weather got a lot worse really fast.  Later, I would see the 
> reports
on
> the news about the surprise blizzard that shut down New England.  
> Right
now,
> though, I could see that it was quickly working to shut down the road 
> to Paducah.  We had CB and scanner radios with us.  I could hear the 
> truck drivers talking about the weather conditions.  And then most of 
> the 18- wheelers also left the freeway, heading into the truckstops 
> for shelter.
>
> But I had no money for a motel or for food.  Not even money for gas.  
> So I stayed on I-24, hoping for some place that might have a pawnshop,

> a
trading
> post, or anything, where I could sell a radio or something for cash.  
> I
was
> sure I would not have enough fuel to make Paducah.
>
> I took an exit somewhere, maybe the Hopkinsville turnoff, or some 
> place
like
> that, risking the loss of more gasoline.  But I found nothing.  I 
> wanted
to
> rage against my circumstances, but while worry was normal for me, I 
> just
felt
> led, somehow, to get back on the road and keep pushing for Paducah.  I
knew
> it was a stupid move.  Never drive in unknown territory with marginal
fuel,
> and no money -- especially when the roads are already frozen solid and
more
> snow is flying hard on the wind.  Anything can happen, and then where 
> will you be?
>
> I saw a dark blur on a pylon as we passed by.  I already knew what it
said.
> Sure enough, as we got close, just before it passed from sight, I 
> could
make
> out the spray-painted slogan: TRUST JESUS.  If only I could just do 
> that,
I
> thought.  If only it were that simple.  But Jesus would have to be 
> much,
much
> more than a mere man to help us now, way out here.  The storm raged 
> on, dumping snow amazingly fast and freezing the road more and more.
>
> Like a fool, I drove on into the white nothing, going nowhere.  I 
> don't remember how muuch longer I drove.  Everything everywhere was 
> white.
There
> was no traffic.  One in a while some other idiot would drive by on the

> opposite side of the highway.  But my side was cleared off.  Just the
snow,
> the howling wind out of the west and our 2-wheel-drive pickup truck.
>
> Both tanks on the truck were now on empty.  And I was going to be 
> forced
to
> make a stop, no matter what.  And then I saw the sign that said the 
> next
exit
> was Paducah.  And then I saw the exit itself.  And then we drove into 
> the
end
> of town.
>
> Somehow, my credit card worked, even though we were way over the 
> limit,
and
> credit had been shut off days before.  And we got a room for the 
> night. Behind the motel was a Super Walmart that was open all night.  
> I walked
over
> to the store in the freezing wind and picked up some things we needed.

> We filled up both tanks with fuel.
>
> The next morning we would see the occasional 18-wheelers, 4x4s, and 
> other vehicles scattered in the snow here and there.  Lots of people 
> simply had
not
> made it to their destination.  But we did.  And the messages on the 
> pylons kept nagging at me, goading me.  Maybe jesus had helped us 
> after all?
>
> But I had not prayed to Him or trusted Him.  Not even when it looked
really
> bad for us out there.  And in the days to come, I still would not 
> admit
that
> Jesus was anything more than a man.  But God was speaking to me in 
> many
ways.
>
> And by October of that same year, as the journey finally came to a 
> kind of end in Cody, Wyoming (or else it moved onto a new level?), I 
> would see
with
> perfect clarity that Jesus is the very Son of God, the Savior of the
world,
> and that He truly is LORD of lords and KING of all kings -- not only 
> on
this
> earth, but in every place that has existence.  I saw this in the
Scriptures,
> and I saw it in my own life as God opened my eyes.
>
> Life gets scary sometimes.  And we get ourselves into all kinds of 
> strange circumstances.  And even when we decide to obey God or to 
> follow the Lord,
we
> sometimes try to do so on our own terms, according to our own whims 
> and
ideas
> and desires.  But we soon learn that God does not jump through hoops.

> On
the
> other hand, He does mark the path for us, in ways that even fools can 
> see
and
> get the message.
>
> And the greatest message of all that God has given is this one: TRUST
JESUS.
> It is good for the saving of your soul, and for all else that you will
ever
> truly need, both now and for always -- and evermore beyond that.
>
> Jim
>
>
>

     
    
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