How the Bible has impacted my life: Bonnie Centers

Submitted by Bonnie Centers, responding to the statement: "How the Bible has impacted my life."

Many years ago I didn’t feel I knew enough of the Bible and felt like a Christian hypocrite.   I knew I was a “good” person, but for some reason that wasn’t good enough.  I couldn’t justify my faith.  The Holy Spirit must have been in me because I knew I needed to change.  I took a two year Crossways class but having a young child at home, I didn’t put enough effort into the whole Bible narrative.  Don’t get me wrong, I learned the basics and received a sense of awe of our mighty Lord.  I knew I didn’t do justice to that Bible class so a couple years ago I thought I’d give it another try with Bethel, another two year course.  This time, I was able to keep myself accountable to all the reading involved.  By no means did I complete all the requirements of this course, but I gained tremendously by reading and attending every week.  This time, I began to understand what God had done and is still doing.  I have new meanings for love, compassion, forgiveness and praise.  My ultimate respect and love for our Lord grew and now realize my next step is to work on a deeper relationship with Him.

A Ministry of Prayer

Submitted by Rachelle Moreno who spent two weeks in Thailand with the Sending Place this past Winter.

         Going on a short-term mission trip is always frightening and fulfilling at the same time; there are so many unknowns that lie ahead on the journey. But isn't that true of life? Doing ministry in Thailand or here in Stockton or any other town it doesn’t matter.  We all have plans and agendas for our day, but are the God’s plans or ours? I've learned through this trip that we need to eagerly seek GODS plan through prayer.

         When we left for our trip generally we had a full agenda. We had our bible lessons prepared with all the crafts for the lesson ready. We had our devotions and daily activities all routed out.  But then we got to Thailand we realized GOD has a different agenda!!!  As we began to go through our planned itinerary we quickly saw our ministry transform into much more than teaching Bible lessons and giving devotions. Our trip turned into a ministry of prayer.

         We were welcomed to a school to teach bible lessons and the Principal and his wife were so warm, loving, and welcoming to us. We just assumed they were Christian. As they sat and ate lunch with us we learned that they were not believers. We asked if they would mind if we prayed with them that God would reveal himself and they quickly accepted. I wish I could say that they were instantly converted but I can say seeds were sown in their hearts. Another day we had planned a drive to a village but our host had asked that we go to a home and pray with a family. The father was addicted to alcohol. It was affecting his 2 older sons and he felt pressure from his friends to continue drinking and it was tearing his family apart. As we sat in their bamboo hut, we prayed with this family.

         After we sat talking with them and shared tea. I shared with our translator my own struggle with drugs and alcohol and how I had to break away from friendships to stay sober for my own well being. It was not a coincidence, our being there that day.  God was calling us to where he was already working in people’s live. I could relate to the struggles and the pain that family was experiencing. I left their home in tears and our translator who was also our driver was impacted by the experience as well. He wondered why I cried for them. Again, seeds were planted with him.

         I learned throughout our time that we needed to really listen to GOD and to the people to know how to help. We ended up being invited into several homes to pray with families.  When we would meet with the families we would listen to their needs.  Depending upon the situation we would pick up our Bibles to see how God’s Word spoke to the situation. It was so important to listen to the needs of those we prayed with to know how GOD would work through us

         Our host Siami whom lives her life to do this ministry in Thailand constantly seeks GOD through prayer. It was very encouraging and important to see the power of prayer through her ministry. It got me to thinking about one of the most loving things we can do for a person is to simply pray with them. I know for myself, the feeling that I get is so overwhelmingly grateful when someone takes time to pray with me. It's a very powerful thing.

         One of the things I have learned in returning to Stockton is that it doesn't matter if you’re in Thailand, Stockton, Lodi or Tracy, we need to listen first if we are going to speak Gods word into people's lives.  We all need to be reminded that we must first seek GOD and he will lead us and direct our paths to where he is ALREADY working. 

“But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you.

O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.  

I have called you by name; you are mine.”

- Isaiah 43:1

“For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God…Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, 

which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

 – Colossians 3:3, 9-10

Take a few moments and ask yourself the question: “Who am I?”  What comes to mind?

Perhaps your first thoughts are of being a parent, being a woman or a man… 

Perhaps you first thoughts are of what you do for a living…

Perhaps your first thoughts are of being a believer in Jesus Christ…

Perhaps you first answered the question by considering what you are not…

There are many things in our lives that define who we are.  Just think about the demographic information that the US Census bureau publishes.  

We can be defined by our age: 5, 13, 17, 21, 35, 47, 55, 65, 82, 90.  

We can be defined by our ethnicity: White, Black, Latino, Native American, Cambodian, Japaneese, Eskimo.  

We can be defined by our sex: Male, female.  

We can be defined by our marital status: Married, separated, divorced, single, widow, widower.  

We can be defined by our level of education: High school diploma, GED, Bachelors, Masters, Certification, PhD.  

We can be defined by the state of our health: Good, poor, fair, failing, chronic illness.  

We can be defined by our employment status: Employed, Unemployed, Retired.  

We can be defined by our parental status: Mother, Father, legal guardian, foster parent, Grandparent, Great-grandparent.  

We can answer the question “Who am I?” in many ways and throughout our lives the first response that comes to mind isn’t always the same. The newly married, or new parents are beginning to understand who they are in light of daily living their lives beside someone else. The recent graduate defines who they are and where they are going differently than when they attended their first class. The newly employed, recently let-go and recently retired are all staring down the day to come, trying to understand themselves in light of their new employment status.

 By being believer’s in Christ, in His death and resurrection, we have been made children of God; our identity, at its very core, is as a beloved child of God – we are one of his very own.  No matter if we are a man, woman, a husband, wife, or widower; a single parent, legal guardian, or grandparent; a student, manager, sales clerk, doctor, or mechanic; financially secure or living in poverty; depressed or anxious.  At our very core we are beloved children of God.

When the world around us changes; when that which can define us changes: we get sick, our health fails, our children move out, we are forced into retirement or loose a job, we loose a loved one, who we are in Christ does not change.  There is nothing we can do nor nothing that can be done to us that can take it away from us.  When we no longer feel valuable to the world around us or to the people in our lives, because we feel that we are not young enough, strong enough, intelligent enough, skilled and educated enough, we can take comfort in knowing that our value in God’s eyes does not change. God wants you.  He wants me.  He wants all of us as we are, that is, living in a constant state of being made new in Him.  We need not try to be something or someone we are not when we come before Him because we think it is what he wants; we need not think we are only valuable to him if we are pious and disciplined, charismatic and outgoing, knowledgeable and wise.

God has gifted each of us with gifts, talents, skills and opportunities so that we might honor and praise his name.  But our value in God’s eyes does is not dependent upon those blessings.  Success in the eyes of the world, what the world considers valuable and even how we determine whether or not we or someone else is valuable, is not the way God defines our success or determines our value.  When we can no longer sing or play, write or speak; when we can no longer work, carry, walk, or run. We are still children of God, we are still valuable to God. 

When we hear Jesus calling, “Follow me”, it is hard to believe He is talking to us; it is hard to believe that he wants us to be his hands and feet to the people around us.  It is hard not to try and change how we present ourselves to God and to the world around us.  After all, wouldn’t God prefer someone who has life a little bit more together?  Someone who doesn’t get angry; Someone who doesn’t gossip and lie; Someone who hasn’t made mistakes and isn’t broken; Someone who can walk, see, or speak eloquently.

But Jesus calls to us.  God calls us children, redeemed and restored.  It is here that our value lies.  When he calls us, we don’t need to hide behind masks of who we think God wants us to be.  We don’t need to hide behind achievements or past failings.  

We don’t need to rely on our own gifts and talents to be his hands and feet.  When he calls us to join him in the places where he is already working we only need to know that we are children of God, redeemed and loved. That is our message - that is what we are called to share in many and various ways.

We are all constantly being made new.  We have died; our lives are hidden in Christ with God.  He has redeemed us, called us by name.  We are His and He is ours.  He wants you.  He wants me.  He wants us.