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Category:
Spirituality
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN-10: 1496924568
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 118
Copyright: July 14, 2014
ISBN-13: 9781496924568
Price: $3.99 (eBook)
In her new book, “Shine the Light” (published by AuthorHouse), Woodall candidly and calmly invites readers to share in her surprisingly remarkable spiritual and secular journey to discovering God’s grace.
Like a blossoming rose, her story is a simple one presented today for all to query, share, join, understand and resolve a barometer of life happenings.
A woman thirsting for spiritual enlightenment, I found the path to God and enlightenment in the last place she thought to look – myheart. In “Shine the Light,” I discuss nuances and modalities towards the path to enlightenment, something few writers share.
People all over the world are searching for an understanding of God and Christ Jesus.
Excerpt
Trusting God
I want to take you on a journey: A journey of love and sacrifice. I know some of you have heard the teaching ‘trust in God and all will be well with you. He will guide you, He will teach you—His love is never ending, He will never leave you.’ Powerful words and powerful truths. But how do you wrap your mind around the fact that God loves you so much Jesus suffered and died for you!
What do you do if you don’t know Him? Never heard His name, Jesus, don’t understand His mission, the stories He told, the lessons in the stories, the life He lives.
I have struggled in my walk to Jesus. Struggled in my faith in a God that could possibly love me—how could He? By his statutes I was a mess—a fornicator, a liar, a drunk, one who did not “honor thy father and mother”. These were all the things that would keep me from Him yet I kept feeling this tugging in my heart that there was more to life than partying and drinking. More to life than being in a never-ending search to quench that “itch” that nothing on this earth could satisfy! What was I to do?
Seek Him. Embrace Him! Call upon His name, Jesus—let Him in!
You don’t have to know scripture. You only need to know the name of Jesus. Believe in Him who put His blood on the altar of God, once and for all, as a living sacrifice, shed for our sins. His blood will never wash off, and it never needs to be replenished.
Sounds good, but how do you start? Where do you start? I didn’t know just like you might not know.
I had thought to return to the church but I felt people were going to judge me. What would “the church” think of me if they knew where I had been, what I was doing and who I had become?
I also felt the Presbyterian Church was BORING! There was no joy, no talking, and no laughter! The songs were dry and the “Word” was buried in rhetoric. Who wanted to be bothered with that! Yet, what else was I supposed to do? This is what I knew.
So, I decided to go see my friend first I thought a trip would do me good. How wrong was I! I now know God was in the mix because I never got to visit him—he didn’t want me to come. I was devastated and mad at the same time! How dare he not want to see me! But God, oh God, had plans for me!
In anger and despair I pulled down the Bible. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know. I wanted to feel good and figured the Book had happy tales in it that would make me feel better. I knew some of the stories but didn’t realize time had put a cloak on my memory. I really didn’t know anything at all. So I got my cigarettes, made some coffee and sat down at the kitchen table to read.
Read I did! All through the day and night and days and nights to come! I smoked and read. Drank pot after pot of coffee and read. I couldn’t stop! And I didn’t want to. Each story pulled at a part of my heart that identified with each and every person. The stories! The drama!
What I didn’t know at the time was that God will teach you through those biblical stories just what you should do with your life to turn it around, to get back in His grace and love.
It took me days to read the book from cover to cover—how many I don’t even remember as each day blurred into the next. I do remember though that when I was through I was going through the living room to go upstairs to take a shower (I lived in my parent’s house at the time), and I heard my name. I wondered for a minute who it could be because no one was home but me. And then it hit me. I heard my name again, Rebecca, just as clear as if you were standing next to me, and it was then I knew it had to be Jesus. I fell down on my knees and started crying, pouring out my heart to Him—all my pain, all my hurt. I don’t know how much time went by I just remember feeling relief and a bitter happiness that I had confessed what was in my heart. And He heard me!
I went back into the kitchen, totally forgetting about the shower, got my typewriter, we didn’t have personal computers then, and started typing a proposal and a plan for the Church. The plan was filled with ideas on how to start a children’s choir that would tie to both the bible and to school grades. The purpose was to draw in the parents and the teachers more deeply into the spiritual life of the child.
The second part was to have a more directed Sunday school which would tie the kids with the adults through skits and plays and musicals that they would perform in together. This was the entryway into a mentorship program where adults would bond with a child or young adult and teach them practical life lessons. Oh, I could go on and on!
All I can tell you is that I was excited! I wanted to be a part of the church and to share the love I felt because I knew I was called by God to do something wonderful.
I contacted the Presbyterian Church I used to attend and scheduled an appointment to meet the Reverend. And meet we did! The Reverend and I talked deeply about my experience, the Word, the revelation I had and the “proposal”. I remember we were excited and wanted to share what God had in store for me and for the Church. The next step was for the Reverend to take the proposal to the church elders and start a conversation. My next step was to get baptized. So the Reverend and I made plans for it all, there was studying involved and teachings about the Church that I was to endure.
The baptism was a short ceremony, yet to me it was very exciting! My immediate family came and watched as they sprinkled water on my head and introduced me to the body of Christ. I was overjoyed but something didn’t feel right—the ceremony was indeed too short, they sprinkled water on my forehead, the word was given too quickly, and it was over “just like that!” Yet, I was “born again”. Or so they told me.
I started coming to church again, even joined the choir, yet the word had no “umph”—people nodded their heads at various parts but it seemed like just when we were getting to the good part the service was over. Something wasn’t right for me.
I eagerly awaited word on my proposal but it didn’t come. On top of that one day there was no youth choir and the next I was asked if I wanted to help in the youth choir. “Huh?” where did this come from? You see they didn’t want all that I had proposed, they merely wanted to increase attendance and give the kids something to do—how “cute” it would be to have the “little children sing”. The rest of the proposal was not even considered.
When my Reverend told me the presbytery did not feel the church was ready for what I was proposing I felt devastated. Didn’t they know this all came from God! Couldn’t they see I had poured my heart into it! Wow!
I stayed for a while after this “rejection” but it wasn’t long after that I left the Church. I couldn’t be with people who had no “vision”, no desire to serve Him with “purpose and joy”. This is the first lesson…
Mark 3-4
Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
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