Real Testimonies: Christine Chang, "Act Upon With Prayer"

Greetings one and all. It was 10 years ago when my relationship with God deepened and my faith in Him became stronger. Since then, God has given me several keywords to live by and to act upon with prayer. The first of these words was TRUST him. I had recently started single parenting (divorce) and was concerned for my financial well-being. But I trusted and God led me back to Trinity where my children (and I) had opportunities to become involve with the children’s program. I trusted and God led me to a teacher’s education program where I received my teaching credential and where He opened a door to a fantastic teaching position Then, God said be BOLD for me. This was where I said STOP!! Dear Lord, no can do. But God simply said to wear an ichthys for him and to contact the local director of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF). I did, and God has been revealing to me why he wanted me to obey. By wearing the fish openly, I am letting the world know that I am a Christian. Since wearing the fish, my colleagues, school families, and students have opened up to me, sharing confidences, knowing that I will listen, understand, empathize, and never judge because she is a Christian. I hope one day, I will become even bolder by readily sharing the gospel during these conversations. And my initial email to CEF resulted in a Good News Club where 30-35 students are meeting after school once a week to hear Bible stories and the gospel over and over again. I have also met some wonderful Christian sisters through this program. We are currently in our second year.

Finally these next 3 words all came to me within the last year. Live JOYFULLY, with the PEACE which exceeds all human understanding (Philippians 4:7), and in ANTICIPATION of what is to come. It is the last word which makes me feel like an excited child, who can hardly sit still. A season of my life is about to end. My youngest child will be off to college this year. Now what Lord? How can I best serve you with what I have? Where do you want me to go? What other stories will there be for me to share? I can hardly wait.

Real Testimonies: Owen Reinhardt, "Courage"

"I've been really irritated by advertisements recently. I can't believe the kind of stuff that is put in our faces in the media. Everyday on the freeway I have to pray for the billboard for the strip club, the next shady movie coming out, etc. Last week, a Mexican restaurant in front of my apartment put out a painting of a half-naked lady holding a burrito on a major street. I prayed about it for a week and nothing changed. So today, as I rode by, I had enough. I went in and asked to talked to the manager. 'She's covered up,' the manager said. 'You still think that's a problem?' I replied, 'Yes. I don't like the way that it portrays women, and I don't think it's appropriate for our neighborhood.' Turns out their previous sign was stolen recently. So I offered this: 'If you bring the lady inside, I'll start praying that your business increases, and I'll even pay for a new sign if you want.' I left my card, shook hands, and she said, 'I'll let the owner know.' So we'll see. My hope is that facing our fears will create environments where the next generation will have a healthier place to grow."

Real Testimonies: George Wong, "Looking Back"

One advantage of being in the Prime Time category, I can look back at my life and see God's work in me through the years - teenager, collegian, newlywed, new parent, church life , raising teens, sending kids off to college, seeing children get married, and the empty nest syndrome of being a grandparent. Romans 8:28, is one of my favorite verses, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." My life has been and is a journey in trusting in God's faithfulness, his love, his mercy, and him being a promise keeper. The Lord not only has answered prayers for things for which I have prayed, but even for things that I didn't even think about. I have gone through many valley type experiences, trials and the other ups and downs of life which we all face, and God has used them to shape me into what he wants me to be. I praise the Lord for his many blessings which includes all of the negative stuff too. I'm deeply grateful for "...the life which I now live in the body. I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me." (Gal 2: 20b)