How about a timeline of critical events that show how God eventually GOT you ?

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GreenNnice

Guest
#1
I think we all have key events in our life that brought us to God, let's remember some of them in a chronological time or spatial order and help maybe someone

out there

wondering about IF the signs they are getting from God are worth following to get back to life of Him :)

So, if you've ever cáred to share the times God showed up at key times (month, day, year please :D) in your past to show you how awesome He is and how bad He wanted you to know that although you strayed, He still was there, well, then , this is your time to tell all about it and share the grace of God's goodness getting you through that darkened tunnel to the Light. :)
 

loveme1

Senior Member
Oct 30, 2011
8,083
190
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#2
How merciful he is, how all he ever wanted was us to love him.


Jesus son of God our Saviour, came from our Heavenly Father to be the sacrifice for our sin.

We are loved by the most high, Lord God Almighty, and how mighty he is.

We belong to him forever.

Obey him, for he loves us.

Glorify him at every opportunity.

He is the only God, and the only way to him is through his son, our Saviour Jesus Christ
 

clee356

Senior Member
Apr 5, 2011
341
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#3
Oh, I have plenty.:rolleyes:

2001- 2003: emotional & verbal abuse from classmates

2003:
-false rumor spread that I was a lesbian
-rejection from someone I thought I was in love with
-stress of becoming the oldest of 5
-suicide attempt

April 2004: move from Jersey to Illinois

February 2006: rejected from dream college

December 2006: take a break from college for financial reasons

July 2007:
-first missions trip
-recommitted my life to God
-everything just changed :)

June 2008: another family move

June 2009: move back to Jersey

May 2010: started my first relationship

January 2011: became promised to him

February 2011: dumped, and asked to leave church- lost almost fiancee, church, friends

April 2011: found CC in a state of brokenness

July 2011: started a new relationship

December 2011: became engaged :)


There's a lot of details I left out because it would be a loooong story. I believe all these things happened for a reason. I know each of them has helped me grow and be the person I am today. Honestly I have no regrets. And I know there's so much more to come. I've always thought that my life is a living example of God's love and mercy- without Him I would be dead, I wouldn't have made it this far.
 
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GreenNnice

Guest
#4
How merciful he is, how all he ever wanted was us to love him.


Jesus son of God our Saviour, came from our Heavenly Father to be the sacrifice for our sin.

We are loved by the most high, Lord God Almighty, and how mighty he is.

We belong to him forever.

Obey him, for he loves us.

Glorify him at every opportunity.

He is the only God, and the only way to him is through his son, our Saviour Jesus Christ
Amen ! Always good for us to hear how great and awesome and merciful and loving our God is lovemeee :) Blessings to you, girl, keep proclaiming your love of Jesus' almighty God-greatness Spiriting through you :) Our God reigns !

Oh, I have plenty.:rolleyes:

2001- 2003: emotional & verbal abuse from classmates

2003:
-false rumor spread that I was a lesbian
-rejection from someone I thought I was in love with
-stress of becoming the oldest of 5
-suicide attempt

April 2004: move from Jersey to Illinois

February 2006: rejected from dream college

December 2006: take a break from college for financial reasons

July 2007:
-first missions trip
-recommitted my life to God
-everything just changed :)

June 2008: another family move

June 2009: move back to Jersey

May 2010: started my first relationship

January 2011: became promised to him

February 2011: dumped, and asked to leave church- lost almost fiancee, church, friends

April 2011: found CC in a state of brokenness

July 2011: started a new relationship

December 2011: became engaged :)


There's a lot of details I left out because it would be a loooong story. I believe all these things happened for a reason. I know each of them has helped me grow and be the person I am today. Honestly I have no regrets. And I know there's so much more to come. I've always thought that my life is a living example of God's love and mercy- without Him I would be dead, I wouldn't have made it this far.
Cool, pinkclee (you're not related to that Pac Man 'ghost' are you :D )

Yeeeah, God has really moved a great way through you, I see a great resilience in you and adaptability. May God bless you and show you your talents , let you know how best to bring glory to Him. Awesome too engaged! The Lord leads , I pray that goes awesomely too :)
 
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#5
Wow.

Month, day, year: 3/28/98; Amtrak train ticket.

I grew up in a pretty dysfunctional family. Okay, very dysfunctional. My family had an outward look of mid-upper class success for the most part. But it was a facade as there was a lot of emotional and physical abuse that no one knew about. I 'received Jesus' when I was seven years old, but I was forced to go to church in order to keep up good appearances. I didn't care for God and believed God didn't care for me. It wasn't till I was eighteen that God became real to me. On March 28, 1998, en route from Baltimore to Atlanta, on the Amtrak I was so happy to be getting away from family and had all these plans to wild out in Atlanta. My mom had given me my Bible: "Don't forget to read your Bible and go to church..." I planned to toss it as soon as I got to Atlanta. But when everyone had fallen asleep on my coach, I opened it and flipped through it. And as I was thinking, "God doesn't care for me, and this 2,000 year old Book is irrelevant for today"... well, I can't explain the whole thing; one would have to experience it firsthand... As I thought along that line, God 'entered' the train (my coach anyway) and filled it. Then He 'grabbed a hold of me'. I felt 100% safe for the first time in my life. God was suddenly real and right there, caring for me, and everything else paled in comparison to Him at once. My life would never be the same and can never be the same.
 
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Jilly81

Senior Member
Jan 16, 2011
2,365
136
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#6
Wow, that's really cool, Allin :)!
 
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GreenNnice

Guest
#7
Wow.

Month, day, year: 3/28/98; Amtrak train ticket.

I grew up in a pretty dysfunctional family. Okay, very dysfunctional. My family had an outward look of mid-upper class success for the most part. But it was a facade as there was a lot of emotional and physical abuse that no one knew about. I 'received Jesus' when I was seven years old, but I was forced to go to church in order to keep up good appearances. I didn't care for God and believed God didn't care for me. It wasn't till I was eighteen that God became real to me. On March 28, 1998, en route from Baltimore to Atlanta, on the Amtrak I was so happy to be getting away from family and had all these plans to wild out in Atlanta. My mom had given me my Bible: "Don't forget to read your Bible and go to church..." I planned to toss it as soon as I got to Atlanta. But when everyone had fallen asleep on my coach, I opened it and flipped through it. And as I was thinking, "God doesn't care for me, and this 2,000 year old Book is irrelevant for today"... well, I can't explain the whole thing; one would have to experience it firsthand... As I thought along that line, God 'entered' the train (my coach anyway) and filled it. Then He 'grabbed a hold of me'. I felt 100% safe for the first time in my life. God was suddenly real and right there, caring for me, and everything else paled in comparison to Him at once. My life would never be the same and can never be the same.
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Which passage(s) did you turn to when you opened up the bible mom gave you?

I have countless times, in situations that really befuddled me, or, worse, turned to God's word, just praying first and then opening up to anywhere in the bible and placing my finger on a verse.

Sometimes the verse says something like, ' and Jesse begot david and David begot Solomon..' and so I then have to read other verses around it, but without fail , God always, always, ALWAYS, (did I just say 'always?' ) shows me words that apply perfectly to my difficult, or, even, what I see as dire situation going on in that moment of my life :)
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Parents are awesome, God says to 'honor' them for good reason. :)
 
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#8
Thanks, Jilly.

Green, I can't recall what passage. I was just listless and couldn't sleep. The girl I was talking to and everyone else had gone to sleep, and I was a night owl, so I couldn't sleep. I decided to look through the Bible then. The Bible says the same basic thing over and over ("God is good"), so it's no surprise you can find something that somewhat addresses any situation in an book of the Bible. But 'finger-pointing' probably isn't the best way though. Something that would work better is to pray as you open the Bible and ask God to lead you to something applicable for you. Then feel free to flip here and there and don't get stuck reading something boring and trying to match something to your situation. When you do this, you will often be 'led' here and there till you land on something that applies either to your situation or something God wants to tell you in spite of your situation.
 
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GreenNnice

Guest
#9
Thanks, Jilly.

Green, I can't recall what passage. I was just listless and couldn't sleep. The girl I was talking to and everyone else had gone to sleep, and I was a night owl, so I couldn't sleep. I decided to look through the Bible then. The Bible says the same basic thing over and over ("God is good"), so it's no surprise you can find something that somewhat addresses any situation in an book of the Bible. But 'finger-pointing' probably isn't the best way though. Something that would work better is to pray as you open the Bible and ask God to lead you to something applicable for you. Then feel free to flip here and there and don't get stuck reading something boring and trying to match something to your situation. When you do this, you will often be 'led' here and there till you land on something that applies either to your situation or something God wants to tell you in spite of your situation.
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Re-read what I said, imallin. I did say that I prayed before I open the bible, in fact, in those times of extreme asking God what to do in my life, I am praying through the reading of the verse pointed to, and then, if that does not make sense to me, then I look at verses around it for more. Still not seeing things? I close the bible and open it up again, repeating the whole process. Give your ALL to God, imallin. If you SEEK Him with all your heart, then you may have to keep knocking on that door for a long time, but He will answer your knocking. He says He will. And, I beliieve it ! In fact, having seen my knockings get answerings many times. Praise God !! :)

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And, no, I would definitely disagree with that blanket statement of bible saying 'God is good,' as you say is what the bible says over and over in a same basic way.

The bible is COMPLEX, there is soooo much in it that I can not even begin to understand it's all contents, not even close ! Now, if you can, fine, that is great your abiliity to comprehend at that high degree level and get out of everything you read basically saying, 'God is good.'

But, to me, the bible says so much more than just God being good......

God is king.
God is ruler over all things, people, planets, hippopotamuses ;)
God is giver of all good things
God is supreme
God is discipliarian
God is counselor
God is I am

Now these are just a few things I think God is, and, in a sense, yes, 'God is good,' makes sense, because it is good for God to discipline his children, just like it is good for mom and dad, in right heart, disciplining their children .

I guess I just take issue with fact that God does speak personally to us in our lives, you can choose to believe it or not, just like you can choose to believe in God dying on cross for you and coming again someday and in that time a lot of things will happen that will be not good, I believe, if you do not have God in your life 100% as your Saviour and King :) And, disciplinairn ;)

But, I just see God saying so much more in scripture than just 'God is good.'
 
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#10
Green, I think we're both saying the same thing in different ways. You said, "Now these are just a few things I think God is, and, in a sense, yes, 'God is good,' makes sense, because it is good for God to discipline his children, just like it is good for mom and dad, in right heart, disciplining their children." That's exactly what I mean. His intentions are always good and perfect. His heart, even in disciplining and outright judgment, is good. It's His goodness (His very nature) that causes Him to bring judgment at all. The Bible shows us God's nature: whether commanding the destruction of entire cities in the OT or mourning over Jerusalem's imminent destruction in the NT, His nature and 'first instinct' and motivation is goodness.
 
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GreenNnice

Guest
#11
Critical events .

t 25, life was very good for me, good job, good friends, good lifestyle, so, after I went just one short bit of time discluding God from my future plans of LIFESTYLE on one dark and story night driving my car over to a friend's, I got into a car crash, had no insurance, had hurt others, had totaled my car, had cost me a lot, but also forced me to work harder than I ever had in my life. And, most importantly, I began to seek God in my life in a whole new way as that year went on and I turned 26 and got heavily involved in my singles group at my church and got a job checking at Albertson's after one quick interview. I knew God was leading :)

At age 26 3/4 I went on a mission trip, there, I realized I need to talk to my dad, I called him on a payphone and spoke for 2+ hours and it was a good call. I later found out, besides a $300 phone bill I got because I made that call to dad on a calling card, that there was a lot of need in the world and situations for that week long trip in North Carolina (how's it goin', crossfyre :D ) were, all and all, super awesome. They changed me and I just grew closer to God until...

At 27 I was in a play where I played a demon, called Heaven's gate and Hell's flames and it just GOT to me . God got me realizing that I needed to make a decision in life to serve Him and to totally CHANGE my life and so I rededicated my life to Him. And, since I never remembered as a kid a official moment of accepting Christ, although I grew up in the church, I called that my dedication almost.

Anyway, hoo and how :D , that would be it for a timeline, besides God calling me to water baptism too, in the year 2000 . That is not necessary to go to Heaven, that is, getting baptized, but it was just something that I felt led to do. The Lord leads :)

Remember, you MAY think your timeline of events slowly, surelly, progressively,, or maybe ALL IN A SNAP!, getting you to surrender your life and accept Christi, is dumb and stupid, but I ASSURE you, it is not.
It is what God gave you, and, really this is for marriage when God puts to peoople together there is the phrase that is not scriptural but nonetheless I think most would agree true that ' What God has put together let no man tear asunder.'

anyway, God has put together your critical timeline of events and he WANTS you to share them with others, just ask Him when and where. Don't worry. The Lord leads :)
 
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GreenNnice

Guest
#12
Green, I think we're both saying the same thing in different ways. You said, "Now these are just a few things I think God is, and, in a sense, yes, 'God is good,' makes sense, because it is good for God to discipline his children, just like it is good for mom and dad, in right heart, disciplining their children." That's exactly what I mean. His intentions are always good and perfect. His heart, even in disciplining and outright judgment, is good. It's His goodness (His very nature) that causes Him to bring judgment at all. The Bible shows us God's nature: whether commanding the destruction of entire cities in the OT or mourning over Jerusalem's imminent destruction in the NT, His nature and 'first instinct' and motivation is goodness.[/quote]
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This is very well said, imallin. Very.

Yes, I am pretty sure we agree but, yes, brilliant way of describing how God Loves His children . It is VERY tough sometimes too :( But all by our Father is done in Love :)
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Great. God is sooo good, imallin, there is no triteness to ANY part of God, His being or His book :) . His Love and way to Him is so simple but His scripture said through men is meaty and magnificent both, only truly manageable of understanding with Him ministering to us through His Holy Spirit in us :)
 
C

CC_Bride

Guest
#13
1988 - I was born.

1989 - My parents seperated and and I didnt seemy father again til I was 18.

1989 to 1994 - Raised by my single mother, second family being her church where she became a Christian as a teen.

1994 - My mum remarries, her new husband pulls us all out of church and isolates us from our church family and extended family.

1995 to 2003 - Spent my childhood being abused by my stepfather, while my mother still encouraged my brother and I to pray to God and read our bible.

2004 - Start being sexually abused by my stepfather, that same year I ran away from home and ended up at a quaint little anglican church (because it was across the road from a mcdonalds). Met a woman at that church who asks if I want to join her Puppets Ministry.
My 2 step siblings and my brother all leave home. I become mentored by the woman who invited me to her Puppets charity, she begins witnessing to me and invites me to attend the church youth group and services. At her gentle prodding I become a Christian, during a church service and soon get baptised in that same church I came across when I left home.

2005 - Abuse escalates once my becomming a Christian becomes known. I felt blackmailed to stay at home since I was still a minor and my Mum was in severe denial (but I didn't want to leave her to deal with him alone).

2006 - Started dating a blackbelt kungfu instructor, he and his family figured out my situation very quickly and convinced me to move in with them.
Once I left home, my mother planned for a divorce and got a retraining order on behalf of us both. She soon after joined my church and recommited her life to Jesus.

2008 - While at college, I tracked down my biological father, and spent a day with him and told him I forgave him for not being in my life.

2010 - Broke up with non christian boyfriend. Struggled to make friends at my college church so I found CC on the internet. One month later I met my future husband in the threads and chatroom.
 
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GreenNnice

Guest
#14
1988 - I was born.

1989 - My parents seperated and and I didnt seemy father again til I was 18.

1989 to 1994 - Raised by my single mother, second family being her church where she became a Christian as a teen.

1994 - My mum remarries, her new husband pulls us all out of church and isolates us from our church family and extended family.

1995 to 2003 - Spent my childhood being abused by my stepfather, while my mother still encouraged my brother and I to pray to God and read our bible.

2004 - Start being sexually abused by my stepfather, that same year I ran away from home and ended up at a quaint little anglican church (because it was across the road from a mcdonalds). Met a woman at that church who asks if I want to join her Puppets Ministry.
My 2 step siblings and my brother all leave home. I become mentored by the woman who invited me to her Puppets charity, she begins witnessing to me and invites me to attend the church youth group and services. At her gentle prodding I become a Christian, during a church service and soon get baptised in that same church I came across when I left home.

2005 - Abuse escalates once my becomming a Christian becomes known. I felt blackmailed to stay at home since I was still a minor and my Mum was in severe denial (but I didn't want to leave her to deal with him alone).

2006 - Started dating a blackbelt kungfu instructor, he and his family figured out my situation very quickly and convinced me to move in with them.
Once I left home, my mother planned for a divorce and got a retraining order on behalf of us both. She soon after joined my church and recommited her life to Jesus.

2008 - While at college, I tracked down my biological father, and spent a day with him and told him I forgave him for not being in my life.

2010 - Broke up with non christian boyfriend. Struggled to make friends at my college church so I found CC on the internet. One month later I met my future husband in the threads and chatroom.
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That is awesome witness and encouragement , just way to go, CC, getting through all that you did, what an example of resilience, faith, understanding and, forgiveness (hopefully given to both your fathers, and, if just one, no worries , the Lord leads, I can only imagine what went through) .

Neat you found a guy of God , awesome . And finding him on cc, YOU are inspiration to girls (and guys) everywhere for that happening. God can do it all. Has. Does. And will in the future , just follow Him, and... who knows what awesome work in you, peeps, I speak now to you, that God will do for you.

You might change your avatar name to CC_Bride2 :)
 
C

CC_Bride

Guest
#15
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That is awesome witness and encouragement , just way to go, CC, getting through all that you did, what an example of resilience, faith, understanding and, forgiveness (hopefully given to both your fathers, and, if just one, no worries , the Lord leads, I can only imagine what went through) .

Neat you found a guy of God , awesome . And finding him on cc, YOU are inspiration to girls (and guys) everywhere for that happening. God can do it all. Has. Does. And will in the future , just follow Him, and... who knows what awesome work in you, peeps, I speak now to you, that God will do for you.

You might change your avatar name to CC_Bride2 :)
Lol Thanks!

I know Im not the first CC bride here, theres a huge crowd of couples in CC (or formerly were then got too busy with their other half haha)who met through the threads or chatroom.

After I typed all that, I had to properly read it again because it feels so long ago, like a former migraine. And although I still deal with stress differently compared to most given I was an abuse survivor and treated like a second wife behind my mothers back and againstmy will so really, I too was a battered 'wife'.

What I would also like to say, is that since then my life hasn't been a bed of roses. I am still facing bitter disappointments re my chosen field of education and work. I currently live in a city that gets hit by an earthquake every second day and our house is falling apart as a result, so I fear this comming winter and my asthma, knowing theres no point in moving because every other house in our town is like this one. And Im going to be moving to Canada away from my family permanently for the first time in my life and I am excited but deeply terrified. Though it helps if I imagine Canada looking just like New Zealand except multiplied 100 times as a giant country.
But at the end of the day, I adore my husband and I kid you not I thank God every day for him, and I hope I always will. He makes my painful grievances and selfish sin worth pushing through.
 
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GreenNnice

Guest
#16
Lol Thanks!

I know Im not the first CC bride here, theres a huge crowd of couples in CC (or formerly were then got too busy with their other half haha)who met through the threads or chatroom.

After I typed all that, I had to properly read it again because it feels so long ago, like a former migraine. And although I still deal with stress differently compared to most given I was an abuse survivor and treated like a second wife behind my mothers back and againstmy will so really, I too was a battered 'wife'.

What I would also like to say, is that since then my life hasn't been a bed of roses. I am still facing bitter disappointments re my chosen field of education and work. I currently live in a city that gets hit by an earthquake every second day and our house is falling apart as a result, so I fear this comming winter and my asthma, knowing theres no point in moving because every other house in our town is like this one. And Im going to be moving to Canada away from my family permanently for the first time in my life and I am excited but deeply terrified. Though it helps if I imagine Canada looking just like New Zealand except multiplied 100 times as a giant country.
But at the end of the day, I adore my husband and I kid you not I thank God every day for him, and I hope I always will. He makes my painful grievances and selfish sin worth pushing through.
--&--
Amen, CC, that is great , you're a supporting , loving wife to tour husband and going to new places is tough but God's mercies are new every morning. Not quite sure why I said that , but i guess just trying to say that you will be fine in Canadá , just trust your husband who is following after God . And God knows exactly all you're going through, earthquakes and all, and, He will get you both through together. :)
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I think its neat how you met on cc, CC , the Lord leads. Keep following, never lose sight of Him. Try to keep 'Sheldon' on the backburner of your mind because he, theoretically, will make you laugh when you think of him, but keep your eyes on the prize (Christ Jesus) and , I always say this too, no matter what you been through, are going through, job, whatever, just focus on never letting go of God because He never will (unless you pull away) let go of you. :)
 
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#17
Thanks, Green. I think God's goodness can actually be scary. No one is 100% good... but God is. No one is 100% out for our good... but God is. Etc. I think it's easier to believe He's duplicitous like ourselves (sometimes good and sometimes not) to make sense of life and experiences. To believe He's always 100% good and good-intentioned I think holds a person under more accountability to walk with Him in what the OT (the NIV) often so beautifully calls "wholehearted devotion" (2Ki. 20:3).
 
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GreenNnice

Guest
#18
Thanks, Green. I think God's goodness can actually be scary. No one is 100% good... but God is. No one is 100% out for our good... but God is. Etc. I think it's easier to believe He's duplicitous like ourselves (sometimes good and sometimes not) to make sense of life and experiences. To believe He's always 100% good and good-intentioned I think holds a person under more accountability to walk with Him in what the OT (the NIV) often so beautifully calls "wholehearted devotion" (2Ki. 20:3).
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Yes, imallin, God is soooo good. The Lord leads.

I say, often, 'The Lord leads,' to Christian friends and non-christian friends too.
And, i like that 100% is God good wanting things for us while no one else is as I somewhat paraphrased what you said.

I often will say to people that are struggling with something or someone: God is the only one who will never let you down. And, people think i speak of disappointment no, although, true story, i used to even not understand the awesomeness of this phrase God have me. But the 'never let you down' recetas to God always wanting to do things for you, always going to BE THERE for you unless you decide to want to be let go, just like when I hold my 2 year old niece. She likes being in uncle's arms for a couple minutes and then she wants to be let down to go so things and a lot of those things, well, you have heard of 'terrible two' haven't you :D

So, Yeah, if she just stayed quiet in uncle's arms and not want to run off she would be safe and not go off and steal her 5 year old sister's Polly pockets and get in trouble :D
 
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#19
Yes, God is good. I'm experiencing that, and it's good to experience it and not just know it.
 
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GreenNnice

Guest
#20
Yes, God is good. I'm experiencing that, and it's good to experience it and not just know it.
--- Yes, imallin, it is sooo great to experience God's goodness, not to mention His grace, and, and His mercy :)