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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

IN HIS TIME / Finding the One

 I self published my first book in August 2009 called
"Finding the One" In His Time. Does God have a special
plan for us in finding a mate? A three+year project in searching
scripture, asking folks the question (does He have a plan?). 
Started the book not knowing an answer to the question myself
to conclude the book.
I finished the book and feel good about the results in which
I came to a conclusion. A few inserts below of my book.



                    There Are Many Shades of Green
    This world in which we live is a complex place and is not always easy to know which direction to go or what is truth? This book is composed with the knowledge of truth that I have discovered in my small world. If we compare it to an early summer drive in the country, after a long period of spring rain. The colors are so alive with life and the dimension of each shade, though the same color is different from the others.  My mother has commented many times during a summer’s drive, “Look at the trees and all the different shades of green they bare, for an artist to paint this they must see all the shades of green."  Not only greens, Our Creator designed blues, reds, yellows, purples, and the list goes on. How did God maker of heaven and earth create so many shades of green? The colors of our world are such a small part to life, but they are so enormous in number, with each shade making the world go around. Have we even taped into them all and identified them by name? I know paint companies are still finding new colors everyday.


                             Love as a Wild Assault

One of my favorite books as a young adult was based on a true story called “Love as a Wild Assault."  Harriett Potter a women whose life drama unfolded in the piney woods of east Texas, a pioneer lady.  As a child I grew up running through the same woods her drama unfolded and I connected to her story. She was a brave woman and endured much hardship in life before, during and after the war between Texas and Mexico. She is very much apart of the history when Texas became a state. Her hardships were a byproduct of wrong choices she made as young women. In her senior years she became very close to a granddaughter. This granddaughter reminded her of herself as a young lady. Harriett’s love for her granddaughter was the driving force to write her memoirs in hopes she would not make the same foolish mistakes she had as a young lady. Harriett in her old age would write as time allowed each day, and then stuff her writing into her feather mattress. She instructing her granddaughter occasionally on how to clean the mattress and then made her granddaughter promise to clean it in the future, the day before she married. That day finally came and her granddaughter found her beloved grandmother’s writings in the feather mattress. What a treasure to find!
This past 10 months my questionnaire has become a treasure to me as well. Some of my elder relative’s who would not fill out the questionnaire, though participated and blessed me with their stories in conversation in how they found “the one”.  We reminisce about how it was way back in their days. All these family members I admire and the longevity of each ones marriage has given me some good material for this book. History is so much apart of whom we are today (good and bad). When we look at the history of the United States and how our forefathers fought for freedom, we see the result today. When I look at the questionnaires and the history of several generations I see the result today. My oldest family member to partake in my questionnaire was 93 years old. This gave me a glimpse of almost 100 years of how the different generations found “the one”. They even shared with me how their parents “found the one”. I really think we can learn from each generation. Each one has something to say; we can learn from their mistakes, triumphs, hardships, victories and what made it happen or not. We live today in a broken world when it comes to the game of marriage and family. No time in our history has divorce and single parenting been the norm. No time in history has crime, drugs, porn, alcoholism, crisis pregnancies been the forefront in our daily lives. Morals are on a decline and they have been for sometime. I will own up to my part and what my generation did for this decline in morals. I was part of the 1960’s-70’s generation when I was a teen.  What does this all have to do with “finding the one”? EVERYTHING!
Diversity is a really cool word today. Companies are starting diversity class for its employees. Diversity is changing the work place and making it a place of security for their employees. The word diversity is being used in politics, social issues and even schools are putting it in their curriculum. The word diverse means; of different kind, diversify; to introduce variety into, to vary. This is all good and it is helping with tolerance. I want to make this very clear I do think this has over all been a “good” thing. 
I also know just like the shades of green that our world is diversified in religion and culture.  I can not speak for other religions or cultures, only Christianity and my roots of growing up in Northern Louisiana. The world is so big and this book is to not judge any faiths or cultures. This book is about my faith and culture and for those who live or claim my stake or part of this very diverse planet. I am a believer in Christ. Just like the shades of green, “Christianity is diversified”. Many reason for this division and that would take another book or series of books that could encompass volumes that would fill the largest library in the world.  My faith is simple and I truly believe that if we could put all our difference aside, seek God in prayer, read His Word daily for guidance and stay connected to the Body of our Lord the “Church” could be a stronger influence for the planet. I have been a Christian for over 34+ years and I am saddened by how many who claim to be “Christian” have never picked up a Bible, the multitudes that have never attended a Bible study, never had a prayer life, claim to be a Christian and do not know who Christ really is according to His word. I’ve listen to several  “resumes”, concerning Christian credential over the years, “Oh I am a Baptist or a Methodist”, “We are Catholics, my family has been Catholic for generations”, “My Mom and Dad are Presbyterian and I was raised Presbyterian”,   so what! Affiliation to a church or your parent’s church is not being a Christian. Look up the word Christianity in the dictionary and it reads; being a Christian, belief that Christ was the incarnate son of God. How can you claim to be a “Scout” if you never attend the meetings and work on the scout badges? The belief that Christ was the incarnate son of God is the definition of a Christian though Satan believes this too. Satan is inspired by those who claim the belief and the multitudes that have never earned a badge or entered a church door. It makes his life easy.
 So, what does this have to do with dating, marriage or “finding the one in His time?”  Be patience, I will bring this all together hopefully in “His Time”.   I want you to understand my foundation in Christ, who I am in Christ.  I am a sinner redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, I need His Grace daily, that only comes from Him, that helps me walk in His truth, not perfect but trying to finish the race He started in me so that one day it might be complete.   I want you to remember one thing as you continue to read this book. I am not the same person I was 34+ years ago. My faith in Christ, how I see morals and values today is my testimony of where I was 34+ years ago. My testimony is about a God that loved me just where I was, baggage and all, Jesus expected nothing from me except to trust Him.  Did not have to clean up my act, run down and join the local church, give up all my unhealthy vices or even clean up my language. He loved me just as I was, unconditionally, no stings attached. He had no reason to love me. I was the most unlovable, self center, selfish, spoiled rotten, lazy unfocused person He ever created. This is my opinion.  I can still remember the love Christ poured out in buckets when I finally gave up and said “Yes”.  “Yes, I can not do it alone anymore”, “yes, I will trust you”, “yes, I know I have messed things up in my life”, “yes, I believe”! I believe you are my Savior, the Christ Child, the promise One, who our Heavenly Father so freely gave that we might have life, eternal life. This surrender of “yes, yes and yes” happen seven years after I confessed Jesus Christ as Lord. I was a stubborn one and it took awhile to stop doing it my way. The buckets of love and encouragement He poured out when I finally surrendered it all gave me hope, a hope for a future. I was so hungry to continue in this state of unconditional love and feeling His presence. I had never experience anything like it before and have not to this day. My circumstance concerning my messed up life did not change over night it took years, but I now had a peace and a reassurance in time my Lord was taking me out of Egypt to taste the promise land. I opened a Bible for the first time to learn about my new love. I had my Daddy’s Bible that I used. My Dad had died 9 years early when I was 14. I started reading the Bible, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."  I look back to that time and rejoice in that unconditional love that was being poured out in “buckets” buckets of living water flowing into my broken spirit. It was real and it is still real today as it was then. I have had many challenges in life, good and bad. I have had successes and failures, lose of love ones, disappointments, great opportunities, ups and downs. Life is not fair at times, but there is one thing I will never loose, because nothing can take it from me. It is my testimony in knowing I am loved by My Heavenly Father. As the old hymn goes, “He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own." Just like Harriet Potter I hope future generations especially my children and hopefully their children will learn from an old crooked road my Lord took me as I pen from my heart.

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