People are watching those who say they are Christians, and they are turned off. Someone once told me they weren't welcome in a church because they had a tattoo. The man who said it to me was as nice a man as l've ever known. Church isn't supposed to be that way. Going to church doesn't save a person, but it is a good start.
Read MoreLater in the year, as the Red Army advanced through Wiswar, my older brother took a Bible from a host family’s looted house. That Bible became our family’s mainstay of hope and support through the dark days that were to come. The anchor verses in those hard years became, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:3-5)
Read MoreEmily: God definitely was in it. When we first started dating I can remember praying, “God, I don’t want to go through this again.” But, Adam was just what I and the boys needed – a real answer to our heart-prayers. It’s one thing to sense it, to have faith that God’s working, and such a wonderful thing to get to see how He unfolds what He’s doing.
Read MoreRyan has been in Sudan for nine years; most of that time with Samaritan’s Purse (SP), an international Christian relief and development organization based here in Boone. A short time ago, when the war broke out and things got really dangerous, SP pulled out of the country. Ryan, however, resigned from his job and decided to stay in-country and continue helping the local people.
Read MoreI think God has impressed upon me that He is a God of the generations. He is a generational thinker. When He instructed the Israelites to build altars, it was so that when the children – the next generation – asked, they could tell them of the Lord’s work in their midst. The Apostle Paul speaks of having spiritual sons. There is a generational perspective that is strong within God’s nature. It’s a way of thinking that I have not really seen much of within my American church experience, especially within our individualistic culture.
Read MoreLike Christians everywhere, the folks at Arbor Dale are still learning how to do this life together. God is always showing us new ways in which the Gospel is working itself out in our lives. That’s the joy and the challenge of being the Church today in this place.
Read MoreHe took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan… (2 Kings 2.13)
And, so it is, the mantle fell and now I stand at the Jordan of my life looking at the enormity of it, the darkness of it, the breadth and depth of it, and the only words I have, “Now what?”
Read MoreIt is a wonderful thing to have your life all mapped out. Of that I was convinced as a young thirty-ish woman, wife, and mom. For a number of years we had worked for and established a wonderful, stable, solid lifestyle. We were raising our three young children in a stable home, my husband, Scott, had a great job in a growing family business, and we were flourishing in a great established church which my parents and my sisters’ families all attended. We were growing as Christians, and our children were being raised in a prospering and solid community of believers. I was so thankful to God for the stability in our family life and in our faith. All was settled and resolved in our lives. We were putting down roots, and we were thankful. Other people could come and go, but we were going to be part of the local community and church for the rest of our lives. We had healthy kids, and we had everything figured out. It was great.
Read MoreSeth Norris is the pastor at Perkinsville Church and Fire Chief for the Deep Gap Fire Department. Through these roles he has had a unique opportunity to watch the church’s and community response Hurricane Helene. In this interview with Ben he shares the role of the Church in disaster and what makes them stand out in disaster efforts.
Read MoreWesley Smith, Missions Director for the Three Forks Baptist Association, discusses the response he has seen in our community and churches from Hurricane Helene in this interview. He shares how despite many challenges, there has been a strong unity among churches to serve each other and the community. He has been encouraged by the Lord's provision and faithfulness through this time of disaster and destruction.
Read MoreMy father moved us to Pennsylvia when I was in pre-K, and I grew up in PA. We never went to church as a family. My mother was saved, and, while my father was a good man, he was not saved until he was 84 years old. Because Mom didn’t drive, she and us kids went to church on church vans. Dad would take us to church sometimes but would sit in the car. At 15, I was saved. I was excited when I was first saved, but, in the years following my salvation, I was in and out of church. Our aunts and uncles lived here and we would visit for a few days every couple of years. I always wanted to live in North Carolina, so after I graduated from high school, I moved down here. It was the 60s, and I couldn’t get a job. Because I came from up North, everyone thought I was going to start a union. I just wanted a job. Finally, Shadowline sewing factory in Boone hired me. Four girls and I shared an apartment and expenses. We had a lot of fun.
Read MoreNeither of my parents were believers when I was born. Mom was saved first and Dad soon followed suit. Mom witnessed with her words. When Dad was saved, he clearly became a new man. Their loving witness led me to accept Jesus when I was seven years old. Our new family in Christ began to love and serve Him daily. It was our heart’s desire to do what He would have us do. The Lord allowed me to attend Tennessee Temple University where I graduated with a degree in Bible and speech. But even greater than getting through such a fine Christian school was the fact that I met my wife there. I could fill five pages talking about my wife, Debbie. She is the godliest person I know. Nobody has a clue what having a wife like Debbie means when it comes to being in ministry. Plus, she is smokin’ hot!
Read MoreGod has had His hand on my life all my life. I grew up in Bedford, New York, and was the eldest of seven children. Christ was always the center of our home.
Read MoreMy father and mother were young and living in Lenoir, NC when I was born. My mother went into labor while my father was driving her to the hospital. So, I had an unorthodox birth, because I was born in the backseat of my grandmother's car on the way to the hospital at a stoplight. I jokingly say that I have red hair because the red light beamed on my head when I was born.
Read MoreI grew up in Maryland and went to a catholic school and mass every Sunday with my family. I knew about God and believed He existed but thought it was more about following a bunch of rules rather than a personal relationship with the Lord. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I started to see the difference between just believing and fully surrendering. I thought for a long time that following Jesus was legalistic but turns out that following Jesus brings fullness of joy!
Read MoreWhen Cline Church began planting Christmas trees through his Beaver Creek High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) program in Fleetwood during the 1970s, he never imagined that one day his farm would be growing the White House Christmas tree. But God had plans for Cline beyond what he could see.
Read MoreI am so excited about the stories you are about to read!!! Every one of them accentuates how each person followed Jesus into finding his or her calling and gifting to join with the rest od the Body of Cchrist in spreading the good news of the Kingdom of God to a warld that so desperately needs it!
Read MoreMy father, when I was born in Mecklenburg County, named me “Mellott” after a French friend of his. My name is different, and I’ve lived a different kind of life than most folks.
After dropping out of school at a young age, I went north to Philly (Philadelphia, PA) to live with some relatives. I was there for six years but found my way back to Charlotte when my father became sick. After he passed away in 1959, I stayed in Charlotte to help my mother who had taken sick while I was in Philly.
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