October, 2018
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Yesterday, my wife asked me a question. “When in your childhood did you feel safe?” I thought for a few minutes and answered her, “Never.” Then she asked me, “When did you feel accepted and appreciated?” Again, I answered, “Never.” “When did you first feel loved, safe, and accepted?” Again, I had to think before answering her. Finally, I said when I heard how much God loved me and I asked Christ to come into my life at age 15. You see, I grew up in a non-Christian family; no mention of God ever. I grew up lonely, always pretending to be
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happy and secure. With little or no affirmation from my mom or dad, I turned to sports for my recognition and friends. I was extremely competitive in every sport; excelled and enjoyed my success. However, my friends were always older, and so to please them I became like them. We got drunk, cussed, cheated in school, stole hubcaps and sold them to buy cigarettes (Marlboros), and talked a lot about girls. We thought we were so tough!
My commitment to Jesus Christ changed my life. I experienced love, acceptance, forgiveness, and security for the first time in my life. That was 61 years ago.
Throughout my lifetime I have seen God demonstrate his love, grace, and faithfulness over and over again. God has guided me to places and put people around me that have helped me to grow and mature in my relationship with God. Through it all – good times, bad times, hard times, joyful times, sickness, health, failures, success – God has been there and able to provide and protect, love and encourage, strengthen and sustain, always keeping me safe and secure.
I heard a song that sums it all up.
“Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion, He understood.
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife.
But He made something beautiful of my life.”
In a time in history when there is so much confusion and chaos, fear and frustration, criticism and judging, polarization and anger, let us remember God is “able to do infinitely more than we ever dare to ask or imagine through the power of the One who lives in us (Holy Spirit).” Turn to God; trust God; pray to God; love God; thank God.
Our God IS ABLE,
My commitment to Jesus Christ changed my life. I experienced love, acceptance, forgiveness, and security for the first time in my life. That was 61 years ago.
Throughout my lifetime I have seen God demonstrate his love, grace, and faithfulness over and over again. God has guided me to places and put people around me that have helped me to grow and mature in my relationship with God. Through it all – good times, bad times, hard times, joyful times, sickness, health, failures, success – God has been there and able to provide and protect, love and encourage, strengthen and sustain, always keeping me safe and secure.
I heard a song that sums it all up.
“Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion, He understood.
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife.
But He made something beautiful of my life.”
In a time in history when there is so much confusion and chaos, fear and frustration, criticism and judging, polarization and anger, let us remember God is “able to do infinitely more than we ever dare to ask or imagine through the power of the One who lives in us (Holy Spirit).” Turn to God; trust God; pray to God; love God; thank God.
Our God IS ABLE,
Dr. Russ Cadle, President
Friendship Ministries
P.S. “The God on the mountains is the God in the valleys.”