SALVATION is for EVERY-DAY LIFE

In our pursuit of oneness with God, our Lord and Savior, as we love Him with our whole heart, He is there with us, always saving us, from our own poor choices, and from those circumstances that are beyond our control.

As we write this testimony, we pray, as we regularly do, that it finds you enjoying all of the wonderful life-giving and life-saving benefits that come with being a member of God's Family. When we ask Jesus Christ to come into our hearts and lives to be our Lord and Savior, and make Him The Lord of our lives, He gives us many benefits of Himself, beginning with eternal salvation. When we make Jesus Christ The Lord of our lives, our heart's passion to press IN and build that family bond and unity with Him brings also His passion to reveal Himself to us in every-day circumstances of our life. That is why we are writing this testimony today, to encourage you in the pursuit of "oneness" with our Lord and Savior in every-day life that depends on Him.  Hebrews 13:5 says it this way, "... He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

I have found that so often, when the word "salvation" is mentioned, people tend to think of being guaranteed the rescue from eternity in the fires of Hell. Though what God did for us on the cross through His Son Jesus Christ was a gift to us for eternity, it covers so much more. Throughout our entire time here on earth, the gift of "salvation" is for the sake of our protection, provision, peace, joy, fulfillment, and many other benefits. Truly, the countless benefits, too many to list here, are to be enjoyed by all who are saved, who love Jesus, and who pursue "oneness" with Him for all the days of our lives. If you don't keep a daily journal, consider starting one to write down each of your personal experiences with The Lord as you are walking ever-closer in unity with Him every day. You may very well see your testimony of "salvation" experiences as similar to ours that follow... or maybe very different. Either way, be encouraged in your pursuit, as proof of your desire, of Him. (Selah)

Our daily salvation proves to be pertinent when we go through times of testing and heartache that seem unbearable!  For us, heartache struck hard just before Christmas of 2016 when our loving Dad Shealy grew terribly sick, out of the blue. Just a few weeks later, the family was devastated when doctors ran tests that revealed stage IV lung cancer.  It was sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, that cancer came, spread through Dad's body unbelievably quickly, and took his life.  He graduated into Christ’s Loving Arms on January 23^rd, 2017.

Then we walked through the unexpected deaths of four more very dear people in our lives, in less than a month!  In fact, all five precious people we lost were deeply rooted in our life as a couple, and greatly shaped who Keith has become.  Just recently we made the solemn and emotionally-exhausting drive to and from the funeral of our 5^th dearly loved one.  At that time, we began feeling the immense, mounting pressure of heartache that we compare to that of ripping five mature, solid oak trees out of the tightly-packed soil of our hearts!  When we were on the way home from the last funeral, despite feeling like going home to nurse our agonizing wounds, we decided to press through and take a detour to go see our loving “Uncle" Ted (as we endearingly knew him to be as a result of the deep, life-long bond he and Dad Shealy shared since childhood). Within weeks of Dad becoming ill, Uncle Ted became ill as well, and was at the point of being under 24-hour hospice care nearing the end of his fight against skin cancer.  When we got to his house, precious "Aunt" Connie tearfully shared with us how difficult things had been, knowing her life journey with her best friend of 53 years was coming to a painful end.

Driving home from our "Uncle and Aunt's" house, the sorrow began to weigh heavy on us, making us feel pinned down in an inescapable situation.  We were realizing that we will never be able to talk with Uncle Ted, our loving Dad, or the others, again.  With this reality hitting us, floods of memories came rushing into our minds.  The torrent of emotions was a real fight to press through, and almost took our breath away!  The fatigue, caused by so much sorrow surrounding us, felt so strong that we asked our Father in Heaven if the grip of this weariness on us was going to let up any time soon.  At that point, The Person of The Holy Spirit flooded Keith's mind with the most defining moment in his life to prove to Keith that, as the title states, "SALVATION is not only for eternity... it's for every-day LIFE!"

In a painstaking moment, I (Keith) saw, in my spirit's eye, the near-death experience in my past that defined for me God's Promise, "... I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5)."  God used this to show Brenda and I a direct parallel between how He is saving us through the current sufferings that threaten our every-day well-being, and the devastating surf experience He stepped in to save me from, that would've otherwise been my last.

One day I was heading out with a group of friends to do some surfing at the beach.  We were saying, as the surfers would say, "The waves are pumpin'!"  So excited to get in the water, I quickly waxed the deck of my board, but made a mistake of not thoroughly waxing its surface enough to offer the traction I would need to get on my feet.  When I dropped into the first wave, my left foot slipped off the board, out from under me and... down I went.  I found myself in the most tumultuous situation I had ever experienced up to that time in my life.

As soon as I fell off the board, and hit the water, the wave came crashing down on me, pounding the air out of my lungs.  Faster than a thought, I was slammed against sharp rocks underneath the water.  I was being thrashed around uncontrollably, much like a rag doll in a high-speed washing machine.  I couldn't tell which way was up, while I was being body-slammed against rocks, over and over.  Before long, I began to feel my body losing all strength and consciousness under the water, and I'll never forget the last thing I did! In my conscience, I prayed asking, "Lord Jesus, please forgive me of my sins."  As I was starving to breathe in a breath of air, I was unable to keep from inhaling any longer and I just knew that, with my last gasp, what my body was about to do is draw in water that would fill my lungs and drown me!  Instead, AIR??!!  I drew in AIR?!  In all of my experience as a surfer, there is no possible, or logical, way that my body, under its own strength, could've been anywhere near the water's surface!  In fact, nothing less than a miracle could've made a way for my face to break through the surface of the water, and get air when it did.  Because drowning was the only plausible outcome under the circumstances, being deep under the water as I was, it's only Christ Jesus alone, and only He, Who could've reached down and pulled me up to, and through, the surface.

By God's Saving Grace I was able to regain consciousness and begin making my way back to shore.  As if all that wasn't traumatic enough, about fifty feet from shore, I began to see blood in the water around me.  Hurting from the deep cuts on my body, and swimming fast as possible, my imagination began spinning out of control about sharks that accompanied us every now and then in these waters approaching me now, honing in on the scent of my blood.  I started to think that, if I can make it out of these waters with at least most of my limbs, I would be eternally grateful.  Needless to say, I made it out in one piece.  That is when I came to realize that salvation is for EVERY day!  THAT day, I realized how, Jesus Christ's involvement in our lives is continual.   God brought me to an intimate understanding of Acts 17:28, "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being;... For we are also His offspring." God literally reached down and SAVED me, time and time again, even more than those times I am aware of!

When God put us here in this life on earth, He never intended to abandon us.  Throughout the entire Old Testament, He spoke with the prophets and gave them commandments that, if followed, would assure a full, happy life for a prophet.  When we ask The Person of The Holy Spirit for wisdom as we read the every-day life testimonies written in the Old Testament of God's written Word (The Holy Bible) He lets us know that our Heavenly Father stands ready to answer when we call on Him no matter the time, day, or season. The very benefits the prophets wrote about enjoying IN Him through salvation, we likewise enjoy just by our "want" for oneness with Him as we ask and seek Him.  Then, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to teach us further how to walk, and commune, with our Father in Heaven.  And, when Jesus arose and went to be with our Father in Heaven, He then sent us The Person of The Holy Spirit to teach us, guide us, and lead us, each and every day.  Once again, He is always there, benefiting us in our every-day life.

If you haven't been pursuing oneness with The Lord and Savior, the benefits that await you are for every day!  Like Jesus did for me that day in the life-threatening surf, He reaches down continually to "save" us from “drowning” under the pressures and circumstances of our life.

Yes, it's true that, losing my dad, along with so many other (now 5 more) dearly loved ones in our lives in a very short two months, we find ourselves struggling through feelings of suffocating pressure and crippling devastation. Even as things seem to have come crashing down around us, these trials can not succeed in stealing, killing, and destroying us, because we keep our eyes and hearts fixed on Him and "the peace of God, which passes all (human) understanding (Philippians 4:7, KJV)."

Brenda and I cannot express enough how the many prayers prayed for us have, in great part, contributed to Christ delivering us through this set of fiery challenges.  We declare this unshakable truth, "The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know Thy Name will put their trust in Thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Sing praises to the LORD, ... declare among the people his doings (Psalm 9:9-11)."  Won't it be fun when we stand in Heaven and see our Loving Father reveal to each of us all of those times when He reached down and saved us, yet countless were times that we were never even aware of what He did f-o-r us and our lives?!  From this experience, added to countless more life experiences in the past 35 years, we can rejoice, and encourage others to rest assured also, that each day we push through grief and trials by the light of "salvation" through Jesus Christ, is one day closer to reuniting with Christ Jesus and loved ones we miss so much. By pursuing oneness with Christ every single day, our whole heart becomes full with the light of Christ's "salvation", overflowing into the lives of others who may also need to be "saved", either from their own poor choices or from circumstances that resulted from beyond their control. Selah (meditate in Jesus Christ's Name).

We love and appreciate you for every way that you help lead others into oneness with God, including sharing this blog with your friends, loved ones, and associates. God bless you and yours!

  This blogpost is meant to be a source of hope, to fan the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His wonder-full ways, and His plan and purpose for us in this life. To ask questions, place a special order for books or CDs, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to Toward the Mark, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.

  We look forward to meeting here together again, for another PRESSIN' IN Toward The Mark testimony! We pray that God bless you in showing Him BIG in this world that sees Him small!

In Christ Jesus,

Take me back to the top of this blogpost.

"See Titles by Flip cards"

___________________________________________

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to welcome you to become a part of TTM's Family as well!

We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are available as well, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:

~  "Keith Shealy & Toward The Mark" on Facebook 

      

~  "The Shealys & Toward The Mark videos" on Vimeo   

~  "TTM Singing Sergeant" on Twitter

~  "Between The Lines TTM Podcast" by Keith Shealy 

      

This blog message, along with the rest of our inventory of Bible-based resources, is made possible by the support of our faithful monthly partners. Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools, available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, for getting to know the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

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Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!

Keep PRESSIN' IN!

           Take me to "The Magnetic Mantle...Why Cats Should Have Kitties".

           Take me to "Valentine's 5-Step Prep" blogpost.

           Take me to "Run TO the Roar!" blogpost.

           Take me to "Overcoming Intimidation" blog message.

           Take me to "The Heart of Thanksgiving" post.

           Take me to "The Invisible Man" blogpost.

           Take me to "The Abomination of Misrepresentation" blogpost.

           Take me to "Living Among Thorns" blog message.

           Take me to the Journey through Chapter TWO of Keith's book, *Keep The FAITH*.

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David Sease Shealy Jr.

1932 - 2017

On that bright and cloudless morning, when the dead IN Christ shall rise
   And the glory of His Resurrection share

When His chosen ones shall gather in their Home beyond the sky,
   And the roll is called up Yonder, I'll be there 


🎶
   We love you Dad Shealy.

 

  David Sease Shealy, Jr., 84, passed away surrounded by his family on Monday, January 23, 2017. He was a Yorktown resident for the last 29 years and member of Grafton Baptist Church. Mr. Shealy was born on June 29, 1932 in Richmond, VA to David Sease and Beatrice Bowen Shealy. He graduated from John Marshall High School in 1951 and proudly served his country in the US Navy, flying a P2V Neptune during the Korean War.

     In 1959 Mr. Shealy graduated a "Ramblin Wreck" from Georgia Tech and went on to retire as Vice President of Becton Dickinson Company in 1987. He came out of retirement to hold position of Vice president of General Biometrics until 1992. Mr. Shealy is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Judith Shealy; 3 sons, Keith Shealy and wife Brenda, William (Bill) Shealy and wife Marianne, Wayne Shealy and wife Sheri and a daughter Kristin Noel Shealy. He is also survived by 5 grandchildren, Christopher and wife Megan, Matthew and wife Typhani, Justin, Logan and Ethan; and 3 great grandchildren, Kayden, McKenzie and Kameron.

     The funeral service was held on Saturday, January 28, 2017 with Rev. David Price officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family requested memorial donations be made to Grafton Baptist Church, P.O. Box 980, Yorktown, VA 23692, Patient Advocate Foundation, 421 Butler Farm Road, Hampton, VA 23666 or Toward the Mark, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692.

Published in Daily Press publications on Jan. 25, 2017

We look forward to the day when we are able to hear the sweetest of sounds,
  Well done, thou good and faithful servant.  (Matthew 25:21a)

  This blogpost is provided in hopes it will fan the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His wonder-full ways, and His plan and purpose for us in this life. To ask questions, place a special order for books or CDs, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to Toward the Mark, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.

  We look forward to meeting here together again, for the next PRESSIN' IN Toward The Mark blogpost! We pray that God bless and keep you!

In Christ Jesus,

Take me back to the top of this blogpost.

"See flipcard titles"

___________________________________________

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to welcome you to become a part of TTM's Family as well!

We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are available as well, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:

~  "Keith Shealy & Toward The Mark" on Facebook 

      

~  "The Shealys & Toward The Mark videos" on Vimeo 

      

~  "TTM Singing Sergeant" on Twitter

~  "Between The Lines TTM Podcast" by Keith Shealy 

When GOD Moves, Everybody Wins!

             "When we stand fast in the face of fear and intimidation, and trust God to meet us there, we are better able to see when there's a unique opportunity to reach souls needing saved and lives that need to be changed."   - Keith

             Have you ever found yourself in a most unexpected situation that came nowhere close to comparing to any other experience that you, or anyone you can think of, ever had before?  And then, with blind faith you step out and, from beginning to end, are confronted with fear and intimidation that you must press through?  As you read about my story, I pray you'll see how, under our most intimidating circumstances, God uses the simplest of good seed we sow and multiplies it supernaturally so it becomes some of the greatest fruit than we could ever imagine.

"Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. " (Matthew 13:31-32)

Among the regular weekly opportunities that God brings our way to help folks, there are unique occasions when we sow seed that yields "sweet fruit" well beyond the time during which we sow into the lives of others.  Here's how one of those unique opportunities came about.

One day finishing an afternoon motorcycle ride with my friend, David, we went by his house.  As we pulled into the driveway, two of his friends, Mac and Tuna, were there waiting for him.  I had never met them before and, by their appearance, they smacked of a couple of rough, long-bearded, classic, hard-line bikers, or something along those lines.  I introduced myself to them and we talked for just about 10 minutes.  I could sense that God was blessing us with kindred spirits.  Mac struck me as a man who was all-but married to his Harley Davidson Road King he affectionately referred to as "Blackie", and he loved talking about it!  By the time I got ready to leave, I felt like I had known the guys for much longer than I did.  As I was heading for my car, I simply let them know, "I'll be praying for you guys."  After that, I said goodbye, got into my car, and drove home.

About 2 months passed when I was sitting in my office at home, and the phone rang.  It was my biker friend, David.  By the sound of his voice, I could tell he was distraught.  I asked him what was wrong.  He told me that Mac, one of the guys I had met in his driveway at his house, had a son who just shot and killed himself the night before.  My heart sank, and I asked what happened.  He told me that Mac's son was at a bar in Maryland, got into a fight with a guy there, went out to his car after the fight and got a gun, and went back into the bar to shoot the guy.  After shooting him, Mac's son left the bar, got into his car, and sped off.  Just moments later, after the Maryland State Police caught up to him and pulled him over to the side of the road, he shot and killed himself.  Hearing this, my heart went in two directions simultaneously.  I was immediately concerned for Mac's son's soul while, at the same time, thinking about Mac and what a terrible tragedy to happen to him as a father, learning that he had lost his son.  I could imagine how his pain would be excruciating!  I remembered how, at first meeting Mac, it was obvious he suffered a whole lot of pain as a result of various broken bones from multiple riding accidents.  He struggled to simply walk.  And, now, to think that he'll have to deal with this pain and stress on top of all of that, my heart got even heavier for him!

I thought that David was calling to grieve with me for his buddy Mac, which it was in great part, but he began sharing that his call was for more than that.  With what David would tell me next, God would reveal to me how He had used that short 10-minute encounter with Mac in David's driveway to open a door of opportunity that would bear sweet fruit for God's Kingdom that continues on, even today.

David told me that something very surprising came up when Mac called him and finished telling told him about the tragedy of his son.  David said, "Keith, the guys Mac rides with are a very tight-knit bunch of guys and they generally don't trust people outside of the group.  But, you appear to be the exception to this policy when it comes to Mac, because he just called to ask me to see if YOU would preach his son's funeral.  I would never have expected this from Mac, especially since he doesn't even know you, but for the one and only 10-minute talk you guys had together, just meeting once."  David went on to say how that was purely a m-i-r-a-c-l-e, in and of itself!

From the moment I heard David share this with me, I could sense in the spirit the heaviness of Mac's heart and the torment that comes with losing a child.  I asked David to please give me 30 minutes to think and pray about this.  I didn't want to keep Mac waiting long, knowing the level of grief I could imagine he was suffering, but, under the circumstances, being a death by suicide, I would h-a-v-e to have direction from The Holy Spirit.  There was no room for error in conducting a funeral service like this would be, for a crowd of people who held the deceased and his family in such high esteem.  Asking David to give me that 30-minute period would be reasonably short so to protect Mac's heart, while giving the Holy Spirit time to give me the word of direction I needed.  After all, it's not every day someone is asked to preach at a funeral of a biker who had just shot someone, and committed suicide.  I needed a definite word from God!

As I hung up the phone, I found myself "between The Rock and a hard place" so to speak.  I began to ask The Holy Spirit for God's wisdom and direction in this thing.  Now, as glamorous and super-spiritual as it would've sounded for me to tell you that the Holy Spirit came and laid out for me exactly what I would say and what approach I would take in the situation, it just didn't happen that way.  Instead, it so happened that, I came to realize from past experiences, I needed to step out in faith and commit to doing the service first, in order to set the wheels in motion for the Holy Spirit to begin preparing my heart, and the hearts of all who would be in attendance.  I knew full well that, any time you get different outlaw biker clubs together, all in one place, there is great potential for trouble and I could be hurt or even worse.  Even more importantly, as God had provided for and protected me time and time again through the years, I knew I couldn't allow an opportunity like this to get away.  That's when I decided I would need to step out on that limb, believe God to bring me through it, and expect God to turn what looked like an impossible situation into a monumental move for His Glory, as I had seen Him do countless times before.  So, without delay, I called David back and asked him to tell Mac I would be honored to speak at his son's funeral.

When the day of the funeral arrived, I got in my car and set out for the funeral home.  As I turned onto the street where the funeral home was located, I couldn't believe my eyes!  The entire parking lot, both sides of the street, and even the lawn of the funeral home was filled with motorcycles.  If I had to describe what it looked like, it would be a small version of a big bike rally, like the one in Daytona or Sturgis every year.

Once I finally found someplace to park my car, I made my way through the crowd that began outside on the lawn, and flowed into the funeral home.  In the foyer is where I met with Mac and his family, then went with them into the office of the funeral coordinator to discuss the order of service.  Afterward we waited in back of the sanctuary for the funeral director's signal for the family to go to the front and be seated.  I'll never forget how David was pointing out the drug dealers, the most violent criminals, and the lead bikers from different clubs that were there that day.  I didn't chuckle about it then as I can now, but just as I was about to walk through the crowd to get up onto the platform, David leaned over and whispered to me, "Man, I'd hate to think how many guns and knives are in this crowd."  The thought had already crossed my mind that there was a really good chance I could be stabbed in the room that day if I said something that was unacceptable in the eyes of the people listening.  However, I also remember thinking that I would much rather be stabbed than say anything that would misrepresent God and His Word in any way.

After David and I followed Mac and his family through the crowd to the front of the sanctuary where Mac and the family were to be seated, we walked up onto the platform to face the crowd and wait for the funeral director's nod to begin the service.  When I looked out at the crowd, the entire place was packed and overflowed into adjoining rooms and even outside onto the lawn.  It really struck me just how highly respected Mac was among the biker community in the region.  About 5 minutes passed and the director motioned for me to begin.

Still not hearing a word from The Holy Spirit as to what He would have me say, I stepped down onto the floor at the foot of the casket of the young man we'll call "Robert" to protect his true identity.  As in so many of my experiences before, just in the nick of time, at the "11th hour and 59th minute", The Holy Spirit began to whisper to me the message that He wanted me to deliver.  At the same time, I could also sense that He had begun tugging on the hearts of many in attendance, as the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Just as I looked out over the crowd, before I shared anything aloud, there was a passage of Scripture that I saw in The Spirit, one that I saw bigger than life!  It was the story that Jesus shared in Luke 16:19-31 about the rich man and Lazarus....

"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.  Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

Right at that moment when I began to speak, The Holy Spirit showed me to say to the crowd, "Folks, I would like to share with you, based on what Robert saw the moment his spirit left his body, as he stood at the feet of God, what he would want you to know; something SO b-i-g, SO amazing, and SO important that he would give his life all over again if he could have just one moment to come back and tell you himself.  The first thing he would want you to know is that God is REALLY there!  God is really REAL!  And he would want you to know that, no matter what you've heard about God before, He is opposite of any and all of the rumors from others.  God is bigger, more loving, and incredibly gracious and kind!  And the reason I'm sharing this is, I know for a fact that, as many stories in the Scriptures tell, if Robert could come back right now, he would beg of you to repent of your sins and ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and to come and be the Lord and Savior of your life.  Then he would tell you to spend the rest of your lives here on earth learning everything you can about your Father in Heaven, and to then just watch what He does!"

Since the space in the crowd was so limited, I couldn't do an alter call and ask people to come forward, so I did the next best thing.  I asked everybody there to close their eyes and bow their heads, and I began telling them about the love of God and how God just wants them to be in "oneness" with Him.  Then I told them how Robert would not want me leaving here today without giving them an opportunity to ask Jesus Christ to be the Lord of their lives, and I asked, "If you would like to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, would you raise your hand high so I can see you?  Raising your hand is the way you will make your declaration of commitment to God and, if I can see you, He can see you."  After I asked, about twelve hands went straight up from guys you would've never imagined would respond.  Then there were a few more after that.  I waited just a few seconds more, then closed in prayer and told everyone  that I would be standing up at the platform for a little bit longer if anyone has questions, needs prayed for, or is still struggling with holding on to their old way of life.

A short while after I finished speaking, I made my way down into the crowd, spoke with Mac and his family, met a number of new people, and eventually made my way to the car and home.  I would like to be able to say that the response from the people that day was a miraculous move of God - people confessing their sins and turning away from their old life in mass - but it wasn't that way.  The atmosphere there was somber, at best, all the way through the closing of the service, and until I left the building to drive home.

What would come to be unveiled in the days, weeks, months, and even years, that followed, was evidence that The Holy Spirit continued working in the hearts of many who attended the funeral service.   Despite the way things appeared to be less-than-productive, His work would bear abundant fruit, far beyond our expectations, in the lives of countless people I spoke to that day.

Jesus said, " For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."  Isaiah 55:8-9

The best way I know to explain what took place at the funeral is that The Holy Spirit lit a spark that would spread like a brush-fire as time went on.  Though there's no way we could possibly track who and how many people The Holy Spirit would lead to God as a result, there were several testimonies that really stand out.  One such testimony is that of one of the bikers named Josh.

Josh was known as one of the most violent bikers in the area.  He had been on the run from the police who had, up to that point, been pursuing him for nearly two years for drug possession, assault, and God only knows what else.  Over the years, he had developed the reputation for being one of the more ruthless members of the biker club; a rather intimidating fellow, standing six-foot-five and weighing in at around 290 pounds of solid muscle.  If, for whatever reason, the leader of the club wanted someone roughed up and pretty much left for dead, he would call on Josh.  To make a long story short, just days after the funeral, I received a phone call from David telling me that he had gotten news that Josh had attended the funeral, heard what I had spoken, repented of his sins, and turned himself in to the police.  Having the better understanding, than many others did, of the laws Josh had broken, David told me how amazing this news was and that he just couldn't believe it!

After several appearances in court, facing the judge for each of his criminal offenses, Josh was finally about to receive his long over-due sentence.  Are you ready to hear the outcome?  For crimes he committed that could have easily landed him in jail for fifteen years or more, the judge handed down his sentence of a mandatory six months in prison, and two years probation to follow after.  He was immediately taken into custody and started paying his debt to society.

Word began to spread to the biker communities about how light Josh's sentencing was, considering all of the terrible crimes everyone knew he had committed.  While he was in jail, he began calling me, which gave me wonderful opportunities to encourage him on in the things of God.  During one of his calls, Josh let me know that God had led him to a group of Spirit-filled believers that held daily Bible studies.  He said that he went to the Bible studies every day, and was having fellowship with other believers that was beginning to bring profound change into his life.

Six months went by and, as soon as Josh was released from jail, he checked into a local city shelter  where he would be able to stay for at least ten days.  After that, he called me to let me know that he was about to move to a second shelter where he was hoping to be able to stay until he could find a job and get onto his feet.

A few days later, after selling his blood to get enough money to buy food while he took the bus around and looked for a job downtown, he was faced with a dilemma.  He had overstayed his time limit at the shelter and was now on the street with no place to go, and no money.  Upon discovering that Josh's living conditions were very bleak, I immediately asked him to meet me at a local restaurant.  It was then that I found out that Josh desperately needed food and clothing, and I kicked into gear to help him get, what turned out to be, a great start in his new life.

Because of the faithful ministry partners of TTM, and their ongoing monthly donations, Josh was able to have socks, a cold-weather coat, and thermal underwear he was desperately needing to protect him out in the bitter-cold winter temperatures.  I was also able to take him to a shoe store and buy him a new pair of durable shoes to replace the old, beat-up pair of riding boots he was wearing that had cut his feet up badly, where blood covered the bottoms of them.  Boy, was he praising God saying, "Nobody has ever done anything like this for me!"

Once we got Josh all set up for success, I was able to put him up at my house and help provide him with the money he would need for food and transportation around town so he could continue to look for work.  Praise God, it was just about a week after he moved in with me that, Josh was blessed to find a new job where he would be driving a forklift for a local trucking company, with starting pay at $18.00 an hour.  When he got his first paycheck for his first few weeks of work, he was able to find an apartment that was close to where he worked.

When this story began, there was something that Josh hadn't told me until now.  He had a wife and daughter that lived in Arizona.  The "icing on top of the cake" of this testimony of God's goodness is that, about 2 months after he started working at the trucking company, he called to let me know that God had worked a miracle and was beginning to put his family back together!  He told me he was planning to move to Arizona in the next month or so.  I hadn't heard anything more from Josh until about 6 months later when, out of the blue, I get a knock on my front door.  When I opened the door, there stood a clean-cut Josh, with his wife and their young daughter sitting in their rental car in the driveway.  He asked me if he could introduce me to his family.

We had a wonderful visit and, as he and his family stood up to leave, he stopped and turned to me, asking, "Keith, do you remember those old riding boots I wore when I saw you after I got out of jail?  Did you happen to save those for me?"  What was especially wonderful is, without Josh knowing it, back when I bought him his new shoes, I doused his old boots in antiseptic, tied them up in a trash bag, and put them under my workbench out in the garage.  I knew in my heart, even back then, that I needed to save those old boots, just in case he would come back asking for them.  God is so good, and His miracles are never-ending.

This, and so much more, all started with taking one step of faith to speak at an outlaw biker's funeral!

 

To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.

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Closing:  For more Scripture-based truths to help us "Press Toward The Mark," plug in to these additional resources:

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"Blessed be The LORD my Strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and He in Whom I trust; ... (Psalm 144:1-2)."

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