Recently A Hometown Friend And Christian Sister, Juanita Black Rickard,
posted on Facebook about her Mars Hill Christian School Class of 1957
Reunion. And that brought back a sweet memory. About 1989 my mom
was in the Helen
Keller Hospital and I flew home to be with her during that time. I
was a relatively new believer and knowing that my step-father had my
mom involved in a cult church for years, I wanted to witness to her.
Being a new believer I was not sure how to begin witnessing to her and
my other family members.
I searched all the Christian bookstores and finally settled on the Billy Graham "Steps To Peace With God" tract. With a pocket full of these tracts, I went home ready to be a witness, albeit a clumsy one.
During that week, as I sat in her hospital room we talked about the Christian faith. I told her, "Mom, it doesn't matter what we have done in this life, Jesus Christ will forgive us. Even if I had murdered twenty people, when I received Him as my Lord and Savior - He forgave all my sins."
And her answer blew my mind. She quietly told me, "I didn't know that." Think about that, my step-father had her in the Herbert W. Armstrong cult church for twenty years - and she did not know that Jesus Christ would forgive her sins. How can that be, that a supposed-Christian church would not teach that Jesus Christ died to forgive our sins?
That made me wonder how many other people, even people who sit in church every Sunday - do not know that Jesus Christ died to forgive all of our sins. When Jesus declared on the cross, "It is finished!" (John 19:30) He meant that He had done all that was required from God to forgive ALL sins - past, present, future. He has done His part, He has forgiven all sins, and He has made eternal life available to all people. The next step in ours - we have to believe in His name and receive Him as Lord and Savior. John 3:16 tells us that God so loves the world (you, me, everyone in all generations) that He gave His Son to die on the cross so that WHOEVER believes in His Son WILL HAVE eternal life.
Do you know for sure that all of your loved ones and friends know and believe that simple statement? My mom did not, after sitting in church every Sunday for twenty years.
Because of my step-father, she had been in a cult church for twenty years - and had not heard the real Gospel or had an opportunity to become a true believer. To fast forward for just a moment, by the grace of God I was able to remedy that before she passed away on February 22, 1994, and I know, beyond all doubt, that upon death she went to be with the Lord.
During my hospital visit with her, we talked about the Christian faith, and watched Christian television shows. One day, as we were watching a television show, mom told me, "I wish I could see Jesus." When she said that, I decided I could do something to cheer her up and brighten her hospital room. Wanting to give her something which would keep Jesus Christ on her mind, I left the hospital and drove to different Christian bookstores in the Shoals area looking for a small painting of Jesus Christ that I could leave on her nightstand - just to remind her that Jesus Christ is always there for her and He wants her to become a child of God.
Because the Shoals area of north Alabama is predominantly Baptist and Church of Christ oriented - none of the book stores I visited sold paintings of Jesus Christ. After driving around for several hours, I eventually remembered the Mars Hill Christian School in Florence and that they have a bookstore. Off I went to Mars Hill School and, although they, too, did not sell paintings or drawings of Jesus - I did find a large flip chart envelope and on the front it was a drawing of Jesus Christ coming out of the tomb in glory. Just what I had envisioned.
I purchased the package, left the flip charts for the school to use, and used their paper cutter to trim the envelope and get just the drawing of Jesus Christ. Then I stopped at the local K-Mart store for a frame - and took that framed drawing to my mom's hospital room. I walked into her hospital room beaming with joy - for I had fulfilled her request - I had a picture of Jesus Christ for her. Then she blew me away again when she said, "I meant that I wish I could see Him in person."
My pride of accomplishment was deflated, I had misunderstood her desire. But she did keep the drawing in her hospital room and took it home with her when she left the hospital. And over the years she kept the framed drawing in her home because she knew that I had given it to her our of love. When she was promoted to heaven, I brought the drawing home with me. I still have it hanging in my office - to remind me of my Lord and of my mom. I have it hanging beside my computer right now - and I don't feel that I am being disrespectful to Him. That drawing only reminds me of the two people who have loved me the most: Jesus Christ and my mom.
Many feel that having such a drawing or painting is worshiping an idol. And others of us view it like having a reminder of a loved one - to keep that loved one in mind and heart when we are not together. But NOT to be worshiped in any way. When I was stationed in Korea in 1956-57, I took photos of my wife and children with me. I hung them on my nightstand by my bed to have a feeling of being close to my family, a reminder that one day soon we would all be together again. When I look at my mom's drawing of Jesus Christ, I am reminded that one day He, my mom, and I will be together again, for eternity.
In my collage below, the image on the upper right is my mom's Mars Hill Christian School drawing that I have kept all these years. I have many Christian Friends who believe it is wrong to have such a drawing and I will be the first to say that NO ONE knows what Jesus really looked like. I believe that was by God's design, so that no one will worship a photo or a painting.
Exodus 20:4-5, "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, . . ."
I read this as telling me that I should not make nor worship any idol - putting it in place of, or on the same level with, God. There is no way that I worship these drawings. But they do remind me of how much Jesus loves me. I am not posting this to offend, nor to argue with, anyone who believes differently. I respect your faith and your belief.
I am only sharing with my Friends why I have this particular drawing and what it represents to me ~ the love of my Jesus Christ and my mom ~ and give praise to God that I know my mom is in heaven today and that I will one day join her in true face-to-face worship of Jesus Christ.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
I searched all the Christian bookstores and finally settled on the Billy Graham "Steps To Peace With God" tract. With a pocket full of these tracts, I went home ready to be a witness, albeit a clumsy one.
During that week, as I sat in her hospital room we talked about the Christian faith. I told her, "Mom, it doesn't matter what we have done in this life, Jesus Christ will forgive us. Even if I had murdered twenty people, when I received Him as my Lord and Savior - He forgave all my sins."
And her answer blew my mind. She quietly told me, "I didn't know that." Think about that, my step-father had her in the Herbert W. Armstrong cult church for twenty years - and she did not know that Jesus Christ would forgive her sins. How can that be, that a supposed-Christian church would not teach that Jesus Christ died to forgive our sins?
That made me wonder how many other people, even people who sit in church every Sunday - do not know that Jesus Christ died to forgive all of our sins. When Jesus declared on the cross, "It is finished!" (John 19:30) He meant that He had done all that was required from God to forgive ALL sins - past, present, future. He has done His part, He has forgiven all sins, and He has made eternal life available to all people. The next step in ours - we have to believe in His name and receive Him as Lord and Savior. John 3:16 tells us that God so loves the world (you, me, everyone in all generations) that He gave His Son to die on the cross so that WHOEVER believes in His Son WILL HAVE eternal life.
Do you know for sure that all of your loved ones and friends know and believe that simple statement? My mom did not, after sitting in church every Sunday for twenty years.
Because of my step-father, she had been in a cult church for twenty years - and had not heard the real Gospel or had an opportunity to become a true believer. To fast forward for just a moment, by the grace of God I was able to remedy that before she passed away on February 22, 1994, and I know, beyond all doubt, that upon death she went to be with the Lord.
During my hospital visit with her, we talked about the Christian faith, and watched Christian television shows. One day, as we were watching a television show, mom told me, "I wish I could see Jesus." When she said that, I decided I could do something to cheer her up and brighten her hospital room. Wanting to give her something which would keep Jesus Christ on her mind, I left the hospital and drove to different Christian bookstores in the Shoals area looking for a small painting of Jesus Christ that I could leave on her nightstand - just to remind her that Jesus Christ is always there for her and He wants her to become a child of God.
Because the Shoals area of north Alabama is predominantly Baptist and Church of Christ oriented - none of the book stores I visited sold paintings of Jesus Christ. After driving around for several hours, I eventually remembered the Mars Hill Christian School in Florence and that they have a bookstore. Off I went to Mars Hill School and, although they, too, did not sell paintings or drawings of Jesus - I did find a large flip chart envelope and on the front it was a drawing of Jesus Christ coming out of the tomb in glory. Just what I had envisioned.
I purchased the package, left the flip charts for the school to use, and used their paper cutter to trim the envelope and get just the drawing of Jesus Christ. Then I stopped at the local K-Mart store for a frame - and took that framed drawing to my mom's hospital room. I walked into her hospital room beaming with joy - for I had fulfilled her request - I had a picture of Jesus Christ for her. Then she blew me away again when she said, "I meant that I wish I could see Him in person."
My pride of accomplishment was deflated, I had misunderstood her desire. But she did keep the drawing in her hospital room and took it home with her when she left the hospital. And over the years she kept the framed drawing in her home because she knew that I had given it to her our of love. When she was promoted to heaven, I brought the drawing home with me. I still have it hanging in my office - to remind me of my Lord and of my mom. I have it hanging beside my computer right now - and I don't feel that I am being disrespectful to Him. That drawing only reminds me of the two people who have loved me the most: Jesus Christ and my mom.
Many feel that having such a drawing or painting is worshiping an idol. And others of us view it like having a reminder of a loved one - to keep that loved one in mind and heart when we are not together. But NOT to be worshiped in any way. When I was stationed in Korea in 1956-57, I took photos of my wife and children with me. I hung them on my nightstand by my bed to have a feeling of being close to my family, a reminder that one day soon we would all be together again. When I look at my mom's drawing of Jesus Christ, I am reminded that one day He, my mom, and I will be together again, for eternity.
In my collage below, the image on the upper right is my mom's Mars Hill Christian School drawing that I have kept all these years. I have many Christian Friends who believe it is wrong to have such a drawing and I will be the first to say that NO ONE knows what Jesus really looked like. I believe that was by God's design, so that no one will worship a photo or a painting.
Exodus 20:4-5, "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, . . ."
I read this as telling me that I should not make nor worship any idol - putting it in place of, or on the same level with, God. There is no way that I worship these drawings. But they do remind me of how much Jesus loves me. I am not posting this to offend, nor to argue with, anyone who believes differently. I respect your faith and your belief.
I am only sharing with my Friends why I have this particular drawing and what it represents to me ~ the love of my Jesus Christ and my mom ~ and give praise to God that I know my mom is in heaven today and that I will one day join her in true face-to-face worship of Jesus Christ.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Click on the image to enlarge:
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