Right Turn Ministries

Isaiah 30:21 "This is the way....walk in it"

Blog Posts

Looking Back at 2019

By

WOW! Can you believe it is already 2020? This past year seemed to just fly by. We had an amazing year and wanted to share with the world all we got to experience.

Our year started off with our first trip in Feb, 2019 where 13 people loaded up and headed down to what was originally supposed to be a “girls trip”. Welll…that didn’t happen…yeah, we had some dudes who wanted to come along. As it turned out, God knew what he was doing when He sent these men. They were an amazing asset to our trip.

Our USA team ready to head out and serve Jesus!

We spent our days serving at the Jeremiah 29:11 Mission House where we hosted a 3 day event for the girls. This was spearheaded by LuAnn Meeks and Wendy Arenson. The ladies brought a strong message of Hope, Life, and Love to a group of girls who were hurting.

Our Girls Group. What an amazing team we had!
LuAnn Meeks sharing her heart with the girls of Jeremiah 29:11 Mission House
Julie Pluhar keeping the younger kids occupied with coloring while the older girls had their retreat time. Julie is a natural child magnet. This was a perfect fit!
Colby Ross brought a stong devotion to the group. Tears were shed, hearts were changed. Colby also set up a Spartan Warrior Course for all to run the race. Here he is pictured with the 2019 Spartan Winner.
We kept the men busy by having them bag up several hundred pounds of beans and rice that we would later hand out in the Barrios of Honduras
We also had the honor of visiting the ladies of El Belen where we host one of our Bible Studies. We were able to give them each their own Bible and a Prayer Shawl made by the Prayer Shawl ministry of Christ Church

While in Honduras, we took a day to head up to Tela, a beautiful beach. We took the girls from the Jeremiah House so that our team had a chance to get to know them in a “fun filled” setting. The girls, as well as the younger kids, had an amazing time of enjoying Gods natural creation.

Luann, Angela and Colby bonding at the beach.
Wendy Arneson spending time with Rhaina. This picture says it all!
If you are familiar with our ministry, then you know this young lady. Katherine has come such a long way. We love her and are honored that God has given us the privilege to pour in to her life.


Tiffany quickly became one of the teams most treasured children

In June, we were able to witness our board member Mandy Haffer marry the love of her life in Honduras. She and Carlos have been a part of the RTM team since it’s inception, so we were honored to be able to attend their wedding and celebrate their new life together!

Now we fast forward to July where we took 25 people down to experience our first ever Revival Crusade. We were blessed to have Pastor Zack Dunlap fly in from Berkley, Michigan to bring a strong message of Faith and Hope.

This event was not without its challenges, though. We were originally scheduled for a Saturday night. We had prayed, advertised, and spent months planning. We had over 60 school buses filled with people waiting to enter the area we were to host the event.

Then…..

The unthinkable happened….

RAIN…..lots and lots of rain….

Did I mention this was an OUTSIDE event?

If you have ever been to Honduras, you know when it rains, it is usually just for a short time. Nope! Not this time. It was a deluge of rain…for hours!! Needless to say, our regularly scheduled event had to be cancelled and rescheduled for the following Monday night.

We were not sure what God was up to, but we knew His ways are always greater than ours, so we just went with it.

Despite the rain on Saturday and having to postpone, on Monday night, we still had over 2,000 people show up. This is an amazing number considering the Monday night was a reschedule, it was not advertised, and it was a week night….and we had to have a location change.

Pastors Zack Dulap and Wilmer Godoy and RTM VP Doug Conner joining for prayer before the event



Pastor Wilmer Godoy praying for RTM VP Doug Conner. The love between these two men is undeniable!
Some of our girls from the Jeremiah 29:11 Mission House came in for the Revival. Did we mention how much we LOVE these girls?

No words really necessary. THIS is what happened at the Revival Crusade.
We decided to do onsite baptisms. We were excited to be a part of 24 baptisms that night!

We feel so blessed to have made new relationships during this trip. We felt that God had sent Pastor Wilmer Godoy to us in a time where our ministry needed some guidance and direction and we are so grateful that God has sent him to us. He is now our team Pastor. Not only is he our pastor, but we consider him a close, personal friend. He and his family have not only welcomed the RTM family in to their family but have a desire to do everything to help us connect more people to Jesus

Right Turn Ministries President Cheryl Shoffstall with Pastor Wilmer Godoy (who also leads the Freedom Band). Their 2 ministries have built a partnership and they have come together to connect even more people to Jesus.

In September, we learned that Pastor Wilmer was going to be making a trip to the USA to Ohio, so our team board loaded up, drove 8 hours to visit with him and start planning for July 2020 revival. Pastor Zack was able to drive down from Michigan and we were able to have a mini reunion as well as start planning for our next Revival

Pastor Zack Dunlap and Pastor Wilmer Godoy discussing Revival Crusade message material.

Pastor Wilmer taking time to minister to our team
RTM President Cheryl Shoffstall and Pastor Wilmer Godoy together again to discuss plans for July 2020 Revival Crusade
These Boys! You know the saying: “brothers from another mother”. Yup…that would be this trio.

December brought a long awaited celebration! We were able to participate in the High School Graduation of one of our sponsored students, Eric. Next to a wedding, there is no greater celebration time in Honduras than a graduation. So many kids, especially those kids being raised by single moms (such as Eric) do not finish school and often times, they find themselves involved in MS 13 gang activity.

We were honored to be a small part of Erics success and humbled we were able to attend his ceremony.

Eric and Cheryl right before the ceremony
Eric with his mother (to his left), his 2 brothers: Otto and Oscar (both sponsored students of RTM), his grandmother, and RTM president Cheryl Shoffstall

As you can see. we have a very busy and very blessed 2019! We know, however, that the blessings can only happen because of people like you, who give so generously to this ministry.

It is you financial support and your prayers that make our work possible.

Allow us the opportunity to say THANK YOU to all of you who made 2019 possible!

It is our prayer that God reigns down abundant blessings in return to each and every one of you!

Blessings!

Cheryl Shoffstall

President

Right Turn Ministries, NFP


Look Who’s Getting a House….

By

In January, 2020, we are excited to be sending down a mens work team to build 4 homes for families who are active members of our In-Home Bible Studies. We want to take a moment to introduce you (with their permission, of course) and share a little of their story.

As you read about each family, we pray that you will not only hold each one of them personally in prayer, but consider making them a part of your family as well. While we are providing them the structure that will be called home, there is a need for ongoing support in their community as well. It will cost us approx $1,000 to build each home. If you would like to be a part of this amazing project, please see below how you can help!!

Family #1

THE HERNANDEZ FAMILY

There are 7 family members in this house. Gladis (37) and Santos Hernandez (64) live with their 4 children, Verceli (5), Diyani (11), Nora (14) and Dania (18). Dania is the one in the photo above. Dania is a single mom and has now since had her baby (a precious baby boy) since the above photo was taken. Verceli (pictured above with Dania) suffers from convulsions and is in kindergarten. Diyani is in 6th grade, and Nora is in high school. The head of the household, Santos Hernandez, passes large parts of the year away from the family in whatever agriculture work he can find. Gladis also works part of the year when coffee is in production. Usually at least one family member is at every Bible study we do.

FAMILY #2

THE ORELLANA FAMILY

There are 5 people living in this house. Bienvenida and Carlos Orellana, have three children, Luz (14), Jon (8), and a newborn (who I do not have details on yet). Carlos works in agriculture or in what ever work he is able to find. Luz is no longer able to attend school due to inability to pay, while her brother Jon is in Second grade now. Jon wants to be involved in every house we build and every project we do. He is a very curious and friendly boy. His mom is a regular at our Bible studies and Sunday services.

FAMILY # 3

THE DIAZ FAMILY

There are only 3 members in this family. Anabel and Jose Diaz live with their son Hector (11). Jose works odd jobs and in agriculture, while Anabel has started a small neighborhood store since this photo was taken. She and Hector are regulars at our Bible studies. The drinks we buy for the Bible study come from their family store, which we try to support. There are several neighborhood stores in the community, but theirs is the smallest. They are also the only family with a store that come to our Bible studies, so we make sure to support them with that weekly business. Jose is also Dona Isabel’s son, the lady where we have been holding our Bible studies. Often times Anabel and Hector help Dona Isabel clean up the area for the Bible studies, as well as to help stack and unstack chairs. Hector is currently in 6th grade.

FAMILY # 4

THE MANZANO FAMILY

Four people live on this property. Reyna Manzano (61) is a regular at our Bible studies. She is one of the few community members that have been involved in a church before. Several of her children live in the community, but only two of her sons currently live with her Jose (23) and Salvador (19). Their property is filled with makeshift structures that her sons have built. Both of her sons work at the nearby fish factory, mostly caring for the fish in the fish ponds. Jose recently married (since this photo was taken), and his wife lives with him.

Bible Study Pictures showing families 1 through 4 attending

How You Can Help….

Did you wake up today with a roof over you head? Were you able to grab a bite to eat? If so, then that is twice as much as these 4 families got to do today. We have a unique opportunity to provide them with a home…a real house…something to call their very own.

We also have been blessed with the opportunity to provide them with a meal each week during our weekly Bible Studies.

We would like to invite you on this journey with us. Be a part of this life changing event by helping provide the funding we need to get the job done.

We need $1,000 per home, but not only that, when we leave, we want to leave the community with a food supply to hold them over until we return in July.

To make tax deductible donation, simply use the DONATE HERE

http://rightturnministries.com/donate-here/tab on this website, or you can mail to: Right Turn Ministries, FNP, 315 Las Olas Drive, Belleville, IL 62221


You Want Me To Donate a What????

By

Yes, that’s right….you read it correctly….no your glasses are not out of date…you really did read that we just asked for a Truck or a Van.

It doesn’t have to be this fancy, either. 🙂


“Why?” you might ask….

Well, it’s simple really. WE NEED THEM!

When we travel to Honduras, we have to rent vehicles to get us to and from our various ministry locations, and if it was just vehicle rental fees we had to worry about, that wouldn’t be a big deal, but it’s the foreign mandated insurance coverage. OUCH! IT HURTS! A LOT!

But we dare not drive in Honduras without it. If you have ever been to Honduras, you know what we are talking about. They drive crazy!

We find ourselves spending money on vehicle rentals that could otherwise be used to do something for Jesus…like you know….BUY BIBLES! Thankfully, we have a ministry board who have been able to offset those rental fees, however, we know that won’t always be the case…..

I am sure you are wondering WHY should you donate your vehicle? Well, we are so glad you asked….we have a couple of thoughts on that….

  1. Sometimes it can be difficult to know what to do or what way you can help, and some people assume that a monetary donation is the only way to help support our organization. If you have ever asked yourself “How can we help connect people to Jesus?” then it may be time to consider the benefits of a vehicle donation to our nonprofit group. If you are not going to use it, let us use it to help connect people to Jesus!
  2. While donating a vehicle may seem extreme, it’s a way to donate with an impact without draining your savings account.
  3. DECLUTTER!!! Some people have an extra vehicle taking up space in their garage or driveway. Whether it’s a second car that the family isn’t using anymore or an older truck that might not have all the bells and whistles you like, it still takes up valuable space. If you’re looking to clear out an area in the garage, donating a vehicle is a great place to start!
  4. Taxes If you’re worried that your vehicle isn’t worth the time or effort that it would take to sell, then the donation process could be a huge asset. Instead of cash, you would receive a tax write-off and the peace of mind that you helped a worthy cause. Since we are a legitimate non profit 501c3, we can provide you with the appropriate tax paperwork.

We believe that there are people in this world who truly want to give, but just don’t know where to give, or they are just waiting to be asked. We believe it is important to give people an opportunity to BE A BLESSING to others.

If you have a vehicle you would like to donate, or perhaps you know of somebody who has a vehicle, or maybe you even have “contacts” who can help us out…whatever it is, we appreciate you keeping us in mind.

It Was a Revival Crusade…Until the Rains Came In….then it was an EPIC REVIVAL CRUSADE

By

The weeks recap by Team Blogger Carrie Gaxiola

Honduras Day 1. Up at an hour when the birds weren’t even up. No problems with customs or flight delays and very little turbulence. (Yay, God!) We loaded 2 vans and topped them off nicely with about 20 ministry supply duffle bags. We got to reunite with old friends like Zack Dunlap, Ruth, Julio, and Cecia and more. I met a new friend, Pastor Wilmer Godoy and his fire and passion for the Lord is evident in the way he is pursuing people that need Jesus as he and many other pastors plan the Saturday crusade. I’m already undone by my complacency in sharing my faith. Tomorrow we go to the barrios and invite people for spirit-filled, fun music, great preaching and a dose of God’s immense love He has for each and every one. I’m praying the team and I have a deep encounter with God this week as we serve even the least of these. I need Jesus. I need Him to be crystal clear in the direction He would have me go and I need to be refreshed. That comes with the presence of the Lord. And that I feel already. Goodnight, friends, and thank you for your prayers. Even though we are physically here, we feel you here with us in your prayers. ❤️

Honduras Day 2. Today the team got to get some much needed rest by sleeping in just a little but then it was off to the races, in a Honduran sort of way… We went to the Mercado (open market) to buy beans and rice for our home Bible studies and the Jeremiah 29:11 mission house. There was some bartering going on and we drove away with hundreds of pounds of beans, rice, other food supplies and soccer balls for the kids event at Crusade 2019. We bought 500 Bibles and then it was back to the hotel for the mundane task of rebagging all the 100’s of pounds of beans and rice, making them ready to distribute to over 350 people that attend home Bible studies. We sorted clothes that had been purchased and donated and, last but not least,wrapped Bibles in the prayer shawls made with love by the Christ Church prayer shawl ministry to give to those that will be baptized at the crusade. Back to the soccer field to do a Facebook Live test and it worked! (We will go live Saturday 8 pm CST- like Right Turn Ministries FB page to join us!!) Finally the Honduran team of pastors and intercessory prayer team got us busy praying, walking around the field 7 times and asking God to be present and powerful during the crusade. We were soaked by a rainstorm but not deterred! You see, when you believe the mundane can become miraculous, God allows you to help feed people that might not have had a meal otherwise, He causes people to come together in unity where language is not a barrier and egos just don’t matter because the Holy Spirit is the driving force. With willing and obedient people, hearts are impacted by the Word of God. Everything changes when we call on the name of Jesus. Everything… ❤️

7:34 pm: Well, the rain didn’t hold back but church is going on! My Honduran brothers and sisters are having church, some people are walking the perimeter in prayer and praise. The weather may not cooperate, but God is still worthy of praise!

Honduras Day 3: The kids event went off without a hitch. Over 500 kids were connected to Jesus under the leadership of Colby Ross. However, just as we were transitioning from the kids event to the big event, the breath of cold air came swirling in and in a few minutes, the skies opened, and the floodgated poured….and poured. I’m sitting under the stage with what was right now supposed to be holding a crusade with Zack Dunlap preaching and the worship band playing. But it’s not happening on the stage. It’s happening with the shouts of joy and rejoicing that God is always in control. There is joy and shouting in the camp as the rains pour down and hundreds of people walk and dance the perimeter of the field, worshipping and praising the God we love. There are brothers and sisters of different languages praising the same Jesus Christ! There was real and powerful ministry to over 500 children and their parents that heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. We prayed for dozens of babies, parents and elderly for healing. I met a rascal named Byron, about 10 years old, that kept “bending” the rules and trying to take some of the giveaways we brought. I lost sight of him but I knew God had something for him. “God, please help me find him in this crowd so we can pray for Him.” And He answered my prayer. God was seeking him out to tell him he was loved and has a purpose. Just a little boy from the barrio? I think not. God has called him by name. Doug and Preston, two powerful and Godly men prayed over him. I know I will never see him again. But God sees. God knows. He sees all His faithful people marching and praising in the storm. There’s a sound of war in the camp! Devil, the war is on and the song out there is God’s people have read the end of the book! God be praised! ❤️

We prayed for kids….alot!
The kids are starting to make their way in….

Honduras Day 4, Part 1: What a day it was! After the disappointment of the crusade being postponed, we gathered for devotions last night and were reminded of who we serve. It’s truly not about us. We may never know why the rain came down in torrents for more than 2 hours, but we know that pastors and parishioners, Americans and Hondurans came together in joy, let go of burdens and just praised Jesus together. What a prize!
The same was true this morning when we went to church and worshiped with Pastor Wilmer and his congregation. We remembered who we serve! What a warm reception we received! We worshiped and praised together in English and Spanish and the spirit of God was evident! Powerful preaching by Zack Dunlap and a time for our team to pray for individuals that had many of us in tears. It made me fall in love with this country and its people even more. After prayer, the pastor said, “Move the chairs! Let’s end this the right way!” And we danced and danced in praise to Jesus, all in one accord. It was a beautiful thing even with a few fans, no air conditioning and 90+ degree weather. We had Jesus!
Back to the hotel for a short break, we loaded supplies, ate lunch and headed to the river community. I’ve been here once before and still can’t express the depth of emotions I feel, we all feel, at the utter raw humanity, the poverty and need we see first hand. It’s stunning to see the beauty of this country and yet experience a need greater than any of us will ever know in our land. We get swarmed by mothers and children for meager amounts of clothing, shoes, beans, rice and soccer balls and candy for the children. We walked down 2 paths to get to the river, only to turn right around because the water was too high and we couldn’t get to the people. People that live on this river, wash in this river, and call this their home. We don’t know what kind of impact we make. The need is so great. Does it make a difference? Tomorrow these souls will wake up and need more food and more clothing. But today, we gave them Jesus. We gave them our hearts. As our leader, Cheryl, said, “We will give you a few temporary things, but we really want to tell you Jesus is forever. Jesus is eternal. He will never run out.” He won’t run out, and as long as His people listen to the call to go, He will enable us to give the things both temporal and eternal. He leads, He causes us to give His Spirit where our trust in Him is without borders. He led us to the river to walk and talk and be His heart. We are all emotionally spent, but our hearts are full because it’s just not about us. He took us deeper today in trust, in humility and in love. ❤️

A local family gathering drinking water from the river
Life living on the River

Honduras Day 4, Part 2: This day has been so full and my last post was a bit long, but there’s one thing I can’t get away from: the young people on this trip. We have 2 teens (young men), Christian and Kyle, that are pouring themselves into the mission and giving it all they’ve got. They’ve played with children, bagged up beans, rice and candy, loaded supplies and seen things they may never see at home. They don’t complain, they jump in to serve and they are taking in the good things of God. This is our future and hope, these are the times where God speaks powerful things into their minds and hearts. Next to Jesus, they are future ministry; the hands and feet that will spread the Good News. If you have kids, look for ways for them to serve, teach them that life isn’t about them, but others. Help then find their calling. Invest! But most of all pray and be that example. Maybe it’s not Honduras but something in your neighborhood. There’s much work to be done and our team is so proud to serve alongside these young people.
Finally, we took a few moments to be not just a mission team but regroup, reflect, enjoy a little ice cream and be friends😊. Tomorrow is a new day, with new adventures! I can’t wait! ❤️

Honduras Day 5: I simply do not know where to start… Jeremiah 29:11 Mission House started the day. We heard from Joyce, the house mama, got a tour, moved chicken coops, welcomed some of the kids home from school, played games, brought two piñatas and Silly String and just gave and received so much love. I got to see my little hearts, Fernando and Nancy, and when it was time to go, hated leaving them. Just not enough time to spend with these beautiful children. After a quick turn around back to the hotel to eat, we left for the soccer field to help finish what was started on Saturday. No rain but the rain of the Holy Spirit. It’s beyond words. Hundreds of people came. Lives were transformed by salvation through Jesus, people were baptized and hearts were united. For a writer, I am at a loss for words. It was powerful, incredible, a holy time. And truly, our team didn’t come to help finish what was started on Saturday… we only got to participate in something that’s just beginning… ❤️

There are always hugs to go around….
Nothing but LOVE here….
Our Aquaponics system installed last year has fish growing!!!!

Honduras Day 6: Six days already! I’m thinking, “Lord, when can I come back?” I love this work! I love the people! I love spending time with my teammates that love Jesus and want to tell others about Him. For me, there is something very special about this place. The people are beautiful. There is a hunger for something more. There is poverty and pain, but there is a rumbling deep within for hope. I pray that each time we are here, we offer something more. We’re giving it all we’ve got. Shouldn’t we do that as Christians, though? Give 100% to the God we love, to our marriages, our families, friendships, the calling to serve? We have labored hard over the past few days. Today we’ve taken some time to restore and regroup. We spent some time on the Caribbean Sea at the beaches of Tela. We rested so that tomorrow we can serve again. While on the beach, I found these beautiful stones. They’ve been refined and smoothed over time by the sand and waves. It’s not an overnight process. But it’s a necessary process to make something beautiful. We are being refined and tested, all of us, whether on a ministry trip or at home. If we allow time to refine and test us, beautiful things happen. Jesus gave it all as He labored for us. 100%. For me and you and my team and the people we serve. He was refined and look at the amazing thing we get if we choose to accept Him. Enjoy the beauty of our day! We thank you for your prayers! I can’t wait till tomorrow!
Image may contain: sky, ocean, tree, outdoor and nature

Doug, Pastor Zack Dunlap, and Pastor Wilmer Godoy all in for baptisms!

Honduras Day 7: I hope you all are not bored with my posts and I hope I can type legibly because I lost my reading glasses somewhere! Pray I find them! At any rate, we got to sleep in a little then head to Jeremiah house to help move more chicken coops and play with the kids. We played a rousing game of kickball and had a blast! I met twins, Lillian and Noah today. Lillian took to me for some reason and Mama Joyce said she does not do that easily. I now have a friend for life, she said. Nancy did make me promise not to trade her. No way, Nancy, no way. I gave Nancy my Jerusalem cross and reminded her that God would never forget her or leave her and now that she has my necklace, she was not to forget me. It was a lovely day with these treasures. I already miss them. Next stop, El Belin, where Right Turn has a presence by supporting a community Bible study. Over 100, almost the whole community attends. I’m still trying to process this one. The abject poverty is like nothing I have ever seen. Raw sewage, no water source except one community water area where they do everything… laundry, bathe, drinking water and haul water to their shacks. The need is incredible. I can’t describe the oppression and hopelessness I felt. There was a newborn baby, so tiny, laying on a plastic chair in the middle of a dirt road with a bottle propped up for feeding, dogs running around, stench and squalor everywhere. But one man and his wife have a calling to help make life better for them. I met him today, Walker Somerville. He lives near the people and ministers to them. Right Turn has partnered with him to help feed the people food and he feeds them the Word of God. He has teams come in to help build houses that actually stand and are safe. And they come. Each week they come to hear the Good News of Jesus. Even after what we saw and experienced today, I have to believe where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. I know it to be true because my heart without Jesus was in utter poverty and bondage, but when I met Him, everything changed. I pray this for the people of El Belin as I fall asleep tonight. ❤️

Honduras Day 8: Ministry time was essentially done. We tied up some loose ends and headed to the park across from the hotel and handed out Bibles, Jesus tracks, soccer balls and candy to kids and just said a kind word to the people. We shopped for souvenirs and started our packing for the journey home. We’re tired (well, exhausted), the heat has been overwhelming at times, the days were very long and the work is never ending, but while some of us came as stranger we leave as friends. We have a bond with this country and her people and now with each other. We have laughed, we have cried, we have worshipped together and labored in the field. We have grown as individuals and we have grown as a team. Right Turn Ministries has grown as a thriving ministry in Honduras. God is expanding the borders of the ministry both here and in the United States. With every bit of growth, there is discomfort, frustration and questions. But when hearts are submitted to God, prayer is the foundation and love triumphs, people are connected to Jesus Christ in life-changing ways. To my friends and teammates on July Mission 2019, I applaud you and love you dearly! Until the next time, the Lord bless and keep you and make His face to shine upon you and give you peace. And as Clarence the angel from It’s A Wonderful Life says, “A man is rich who has friends!” ❤️ #Honduras2019


Stop Blaming God

By

 Stop Blaming God


By: Jim Shoffstall

“A man’s own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord.” (Proverb 19: 3)

Every now and then I enter the cyber-civilization known as “Facebook”.  I and many of my friends are very open about our faith in Christ and love for God.  We often post messages sharing how the Lord is working in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

That’s when the inevitable happens.  Someone who rejects God takes the opportunity to interject their thoughts on the subject:

What God?  Why should I believe in God?  He’s never done anything for me! 

If there truly is a God, why did he allow my life to become such a mess? 

Now there have been times early in my life when I shared that sentiment.  I got myself involved in some bad relationships which made my life seem impossible to live.  During those times when Christians approached me wanting to share the Gospel with me I had no problem telling them what to do with their so called “gospel”.

Then one day I grew up and realized something; God didn’t make a mess of my life.

I did a pretty good job of that on my own.

Whether it was my refusal to weigh the advice of my parents and elders as a young man, or just my own lack of willingness to exercise good judgment the simple truth of the matter is this:

By nature I am a sinner in both thought and action.

As a result I sought pleasure in all the wrong places.  I chose the wrong people to engage in relationships with.  My lack of compassion toward others would occasionally take a calm situation and turn it into something explosive. Impatience came back to bite me in the rear as well.  Bottom line; my responses to the situations I encountered in this life were often sinful.  Had I known how to respond properly I could have saved myself from suffering so many “stress” headaches.

The truth is I knew how I should have responded in each and every situation in my adult life.  I just chose to act inappropriately.  My heart was full of sin and that manifest itself in my interactions with others.  So is it God’s fault that I behaved improperly?  Absolutely not!  All of us will have 2 methods of response to choose from in any given situation in our daily lives:

 

  • We can reject God’s way and respond with a sinful nature;
  • We can submit to God’s way and begin to respond in a Christ like nature.

 

If we want life in this world to be less complicated, then we need to start to make better decisions.  We need to begin to do things God’s way.  He doesn’t promise a life without pain, however that pain will serve a purpose and we will be made stronger as a result.

Don’t blame God when you finances are in a shambles because you have overspent your income.

Don’t blame God when your marriage is a wreck because you refuse to remain faithful to your wife.

Don’t blame God because you are in prison because you chose to steal something that wasn’t yours.

We need to man up and accept accountability for our own actions.  We can’t submit to a culture which encourages the passing of blame to others for our mistakes.  God wants to bless us however he will not bless sinful conduct!  So the next time the thought that “God has never done anything for me” consider this:

 

  • God owes us nothing!
    1. God sent his Son, Jesus, into this world to become an atoning sacrifice for my sins. A debt that I would have no hope of ever paying has been cancelled thanks be to God and the precious blood of Jesus.  Do you want to know what God did for you?  Watch Mel Gibson’s “Passion of the Christ”.  Watch what Jesus went through during the crucifixion and then (and ONLY then) say to me “God never did anything for me”.

 

  • We deserve nothing other than judgment!
    1. As children who disobey their parents deserve punishment, so I, one who has been willfully disobedient to God deserve punishment as well. Have we as a culture become foolish enough to believe we can defy the God who created us and yet turn and demand blessing from him?

 

Instead of being angry at a God who loves us, we need to direct that anger at the sin in our lives which is the root of our problems.  So let’s try to turn things around: instead of hating God and loving sin, try loving God and hating sin.  I’d be willing to bet things will begin to get a lot better.

 

In Jesus’ name,

JS

Jim is guest writer for Right Turn Ministries, and as always, we appreciate his willingness to share the words God has laid on his heart.

When the Storms Come…..

By

In the Bible, there is a parable about 2 people who build homes…one builds on solid rock, and the other builds on sand…..you know the story….it’s an oldie but goodie. If you don’t know it, here is a quick verse about it. It simply says a wise man builds his house on rock while a foolish man builds his house on sand.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”-Matt 7:24-27 NIV

 

How many of you just read that passage and thought it was only about building your house on Jesus Christ?  While that is true, there is another message here that cannot be overlooked….an important message that we as Christians, often want to forget or are deceived about.  That message is simply this:  STORMS HIT BOTH HOUSES.

It doesn’t matter if you have built your life on Jesus Christ or if you have built your life around the adversary, the storms of life WILL hit both houses.  What the difference, is, though, is whose house will remain standing when the storm passes and the sun is shining once again.  Do not fool yourselves to think that once you give your life Christ and decide to be a follower of Jesus that the storms will never hit your house….that is a lie of the devil.  How do I know?  Because my house has been hit.  Thank goodness I was in a good place spiritually to realize that storms come to Christians as well as non Christians.  What I learned in the storms of my life is that I am grateful I have a faith built on the Rock, so that when that storm comes, I will remain intact. It is those storms that we need to keep our eyes on Jesus and not the storm.  Much like Peter, we all want to take our eyes off Christ and instead watch the waves.  What would happen if we all decided the storms of life had no power over us and we were going to keep our eyes permanently fixed on the One who can calm those waves?

I recently returned from an impromptu trip to Honduras. Normally, we take teams down for a week at a time, we have months and months of planning, time to raise money, time to get things organized.  This trip, though, was needed outside of those normal “mission trip” weeks.  It was the kind of trip where you don’t have time to plan, raise money, or get your ducks in a row.  It was the kind of trip where a tickets were obtained and we were off and running.  It was while I was there, that God really showed me about the Storms of Life….all through 2 little boys.  These 2 boys met each other for the first time in our hotel. They have so much in common for the young age of 6….read about my experience with them over 2 days.

If you think you are exempt from the Storms of Life, just ask these little guys about storms…..they have so much to teach us old farts.

This is what I posted on social media last weekend:

Something captured my heart today. It was these 2 boys. Boys who are the same age, and recently just met each other but have so much in common…
Both recently lost their mothers to death too early….
Both are now being raised by single fathers (very rare in Honduras)…
Both boys have had Jesus poured in to them their whole life….
Both have the heart of gold.
Today they learned a life lesson while learning to swim…. At 1st in the beginning, they did not want to let go of the side of the pool.. After much coaxing, one finally let go..and doggie paddled 3 feet to where i was waiting with open arms. Of course when one went, the other soon followed. Over the course of 2 days in the swimming pool these 2 young boys went from not wanting to get into the pool to swimming almost 20 yd by themselves….as long as they could see me, their confidence grew and stretched the limits of their trust and faith. When they took their eyes off of me, even for a second, the lost their confidence and began to sink. Of course, I was right there to scoop them up from their sinkfall, and then they would go at it again.
When they were finally exhausted, lungs tuckered out, arms like jello, and they just had no more left to give, I had the chance to hold one on each hip and tell them that today proved they could do anything….as long as their eyes are on the right thing…and that thing is Jesus. I remind them that much like swimming…they we watching for me, but in life, they will have to watch for Jesus and they will have to always keep their on Jesus, because He, like me, in the pool, will always be there to catch them, but if they take their eyes off Him they will fall and sink.
I think they understood that simple concept.
Kids get it.
Friends made for life!
Luis and Jonathan…two boys…two tragedies…two boys I already know God has BIG plans for!