A WHALE OF A TALE:
You have probably heard at some point the story of JONAH AND THE WHALE..He was a prophet of God called to go and speak and preach repentance to a wicked /evil nation.. Jonah recognized their behavior and decided to flee in the other direction and GOD appointed A sea monster large fish...potentially WHALE to swallow him......
I have a WHALE story TOO......
I suspect many of you do as well... but here is an abbreviated version of mine........
I had dreams and aspirations of being a pastor, I intended on going to bible school....but that was not to be.
in my very early 20's I had taken on an associate Pastor position in a very small neighborhood church....and was dating a young girl in the congregation in Fact I would end up marrying her which turned out to be an UTTER DISASTER...things in life took a huge turn for the worst for me and upsets, relationship issues and nearly everything in life went haywire.....
I became very ANGRY/BITTER and shook my fist at GOD and said...
I BLAME YOU FOR ALL THIS TROUBLE IN MY LIFE, NOW I WILL NEVER SERVE YOU AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
I began to drink to smoke heavily, curse carouse just about every rebellious thing I could do in my attempt to run as far away from Gods control of my life as possible.....
BUT I PRAYED EVERY DAY........mostly in anger, mostly yelling at GOD for what HE Did to me.....
I was In this open rebellion for many many years....BUT GOD HAD A PLAN....
I was attending a friends wedding reception, open FREE BAR and smoking at the time allowed indoors and of course I was taking advantage of all the amenities.......
A man came and sat across from me..and called out my name.....I recognized him from H.S in the day HE WAS CLASSIFIED as a BURNOUT.... those fun CLICKS that many of us would be grouped into...I wasnt friends with him though had some classes together...not sure I had ever spoke to him.....
His words to me that night would alter the direction of my life....
after a simple greeting he said,
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I replied that I knew the bride & groom and was celebrating their union... he replied, "THATS NOT WHAT I MEAN...YOUR DRINKING SMOKING ECT... IN HIGH SCHOOL YOU CARRIED YOUR BIBLE, PRAYED AT LUNCH, PASSED OUT LITTLE BOOKLETS...ETC....... WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU ?"
In My drunken stuper, I simply said that was in the past.....
However, those questions and statement would haunt and nag me for over a year, and anytime I was partying they would come to mind...and though I continued for some time in my rebellion, Gods tug at my heart would eventually win......
Through A series of events in my life helplessness sat in and I would reach out to the church and to the GOD (more accurately HE WOULD REACH INTO MY LIFE) THAT i HAD SWORN OFF in a very short season I was back in church studying Gods word healthy prayer life....HERE I AM still some 30 years since.......
Like Jonah I had no intent to ever return to a Christian life.....but GODS plan will not be foiled......and by the words of a fellow drunken party goer...who died by his own hand a few years later.....
I LOVE & SERVE THE LORD!!!
You have probably heard at some point the story of JONAH AND THE WHALE..He was a prophet of God called to go and speak and preach repentance to a wicked /evil nation.. Jonah recognized their behavior and decided to flee in the other direction and GOD appointed A sea monster large fish...potentially WHALE to swallow him......
I have a WHALE story TOO......
I suspect many of you do as well... but here is an abbreviated version of mine........
I had dreams and aspirations of being a pastor, I intended on going to bible school....but that was not to be.
in my very early 20's I had taken on an associate Pastor position in a very small neighborhood church....and was dating a young girl in the congregation in Fact I would end up marrying her which turned out to be an UTTER DISASTER...things in life took a huge turn for the worst for me and upsets, relationship issues and nearly everything in life went haywire.....
I became very ANGRY/BITTER and shook my fist at GOD and said...
I BLAME YOU FOR ALL THIS TROUBLE IN MY LIFE, NOW I WILL NEVER SERVE YOU AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
I began to drink to smoke heavily, curse carouse just about every rebellious thing I could do in my attempt to run as far away from Gods control of my life as possible.....
BUT I PRAYED EVERY DAY........mostly in anger, mostly yelling at GOD for what HE Did to me.....
I was In this open rebellion for many many years....BUT GOD HAD A PLAN....
I was attending a friends wedding reception, open FREE BAR and smoking at the time allowed indoors and of course I was taking advantage of all the amenities.......
A man came and sat across from me..and called out my name.....I recognized him from H.S in the day HE WAS CLASSIFIED as a BURNOUT.... those fun CLICKS that many of us would be grouped into...I wasnt friends with him though had some classes together...not sure I had ever spoke to him.....
His words to me that night would alter the direction of my life....
after a simple greeting he said,
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I replied that I knew the bride & groom and was celebrating their union... he replied, "THATS NOT WHAT I MEAN...YOUR DRINKING SMOKING ECT... IN HIGH SCHOOL YOU CARRIED YOUR BIBLE, PRAYED AT LUNCH, PASSED OUT LITTLE BOOKLETS...ETC....... WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU ?"
In My drunken stuper, I simply said that was in the past.....
However, those questions and statement would haunt and nag me for over a year, and anytime I was partying they would come to mind...and though I continued for some time in my rebellion, Gods tug at my heart would eventually win......
Through A series of events in my life helplessness sat in and I would reach out to the church and to the GOD (more accurately HE WOULD REACH INTO MY LIFE) THAT i HAD SWORN OFF in a very short season I was back in church studying Gods word healthy prayer life....HERE I AM still some 30 years since.......
Like Jonah I had no intent to ever return to a Christian life.....but GODS plan will not be foiled......and by the words of a fellow drunken party goer...who died by his own hand a few years later.....
I LOVE & SERVE THE LORD!!!
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