“I Will Go!”- Real Life Stories

 I grew up the third of seven children, all struggling for recognition, moving often and traveling from school to school with no place to really call home. I decided early in life to build walls for protection. My parents married at the young age of 17 and started quickly popping out children causing a lot of stress just living day to day! There was certainly no way or time to learn good communication skills! Now looking back where I came from, born in upstate NY in the early 60's, I wanted to make my mark, so I had decided to excel in academics as well as sports and music.

Soon living in Florida when my dad was 24, he had a life-changing experience with the Lord, so we started going to many Pentecostal churches and Spirit-filled revivals. At the age of 13, back in NY, I was invited to a small church hosting missionaries who were showing some slides of suffering humanity in other countries. One asked the small group if anyone would ever want to help, and immediately I raised my hand and stood up and said, "I will! I will go!" Something happened to me that day, and since then, when I remember that experience, I start to cry.

Still, my teenage years were filled with many family issues and self-performance striving for attention and approval...from school, boys, drugs and alcohol. At age 16, I felt trapped! In 1977, my parents took me to a clinic and made me have an abortion. I had gotten pregnant, and back then that was the thing to do. Afterward, the guilt and shame made me bitter and I lost the desire to excel in school, dropping out the following year. I see now that I was trying to run away from my problems, not facing my real issues, and was looking for love and approval in all the wrong places. I met a guy in the small town we lived in and ended up leaving home and moving in with him. We didn't really have much, so I soon broke up with him and moved to Texas with some friends of the family. I decided after being away from home for a few months, I would write him a long letter and say if he wanted to come to Texas, maybe we could get married and start a family right away, which he did.

In June of 1980, our first son Michael was born. By this time we had moved back to NY near our family. The real troubles had just begun and I know that through it all, my Lord kept me safe. After 23 years of marriage, my parents got a divorce, and the very next year my older sister was killed in an alcohol-related car accident. My own marriage had crumbled and now I had a small baby to take care of along with all the stress of these family crises! So by age 21, I was admitted to a facility for a nervous breakdown, chemical imbalance, and bi-polar disorder, while my dad and step-mother took care of my son. Over five years of medication, doctors, and life without making sense, proved to me that God will never leave us nor forsake us! I'm a living miracle! The doctors told me I would never be able to drive, hold a job, or have any more children.

In 1987, with no more medication and no more doctors, I was still very promiscuous and became pregnant again. During this pregnancy, I was completely healed of the chemical imbalances I had suffered. My second son Shawn was such a blessing to me and I got to have my first son Michael come and live with us. What a blessing to have both of them and to actually have my own apartment and a somewhat "normal" life! After going back to get some higher education, I met and married a fellow student at college and had a daughter Tiffany and a son Brian, which ended in divorce within five years. Throughout this time we were in and out of church and never expected that this would happen to our marriage and family.

I remember desperately praying, "Please, Heavenly Father, send me a husband that will serve you faithfully and be a father to my children and love me sincerely." Well, God answered my prayer Michael and I have been married for 14 years, growing and seeking God! I believe his daughter Gabby, is also a gift God gave me in the place of the little baby that had been aborted. We are now the proud grandparents of 6!

In 2016, as we were studying the Bible and growing in the Hebrew Roots of our Christian faith or Christian Testimonies, we became interested in, and started, blowing those shofar horns. I was led on-line to "The Shofar Man," Jim Barbarossa, and our lives have been so blessed ever since!

In recent months, a friend came to visit and was shown by the Holy Spirit that I still had a source of bitter rejection, and through prayer and agreement with that, the Lord was able to release and deliver me at the subconscious childhood source! In moments of time, the picture I saw of Jesus was a very loving, merciful Father who accepted me without needing to perform, washing away my ugly behaviors and affirming to me my worth to Him!  

I am casting all my cares on Him and setting the desires of this world aside to keep him Lord of my life. I am following in His footsteps wherever He leads me. I now trust that He has a perfect plan for my life to be a witness of how He can work our messes into something good, and that His ways are far better. What He has done for me, He can do for you, too! Forever grateful, giving God all the glory, honor, power, and praise! He is the only Way, the Truth, and the Real Life Stories!

Real Life Stories Books - I Was Alive But Not Living

It was hard raising four young kids.
I cried myself to sleep many nights.
I entered a dark place in my life.

I was alive but not living. I was looking for love in all the wrong places. I never felt loved from my mother, and my father was not in my life. I thought men loved me but evidently not enough to marry me. By the time I was twenty-three years old, I was a single parent with four kids and no husband. It was hard raising four young kids with no education to fall back on. Some nights there was only enough food for the kids to eat. I cried myself to sleep many nights. I worked long hours making beds and cleaning toilets. We lived in the projects. It was clean and was a good environment for my kids at that time.

The projects later became very dangerous for my kids, and we moved into a two-flat. I immersed myself into the world. I entered a dark place in my life. I started smoking cigarettes and marijuana, drinking, and gambling. I thought I was really living, and God protected me and my kids. I knew of God and His power, but I did not have a relationship with God. I worked hard to provide for my family, and my kids had everything they needed. I loved them unconditionally, and they felt my love. I broke the curse off of my life and my family. I knew God and that He loved me, but I did not have a personal relationship with Him. Yet, He always had his hand on my life and my kids’ life. I thought if I gave up something in the world, I would lose myself.

When my kids were in high school, I met a coworker that owned a two flat. He rented me an apartment. I started selling marijuana and cocaine and using myself as well. I thought I was hiding the drugs from the kids, but they knew. I exposed my kids to drugs. I was making money and was able afford the better things out of life. Selling drugs was a convenience and a pleasure. I made sure my kids received a great education and great jobs.

I met a wonderful man name Ritchell at work. We started dating in 1985. He loved me and my kids. We became a family. My youngest child was very rebellious. He gave me a lot of trouble because of my lifestyle. He went to prison for drug use because of my bad example. I felt so guilty and blamed myself. Ritchell and I got married and became the parents for both of our kids. I was the mother of his kids because they didn’t have a mother figure in their lives. My kids didn’t have a great father figure in their lives, and my husband became that to them as well. We bought property together. He was everything in a man I could ever want.

I started going to church, and I received Christ in my life in 1996. Things in my life were going great. God was really blessing me and my family. My husband also gave his life to Christ, but he didn’t attend church very often. In 2002, my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer. We battled that for two years. We lost the battle November 16, 2004.

Two years later, my mother died. I lost my faith in God, and things went downhill from there. I went back to the ways of the world. I started smoking, drinking, and gambling. I started going to the casino daily. I hit rock bottom. I lost my three buildings and my home. I had to work at UPS fulltime to supplement the income that I lost when my husband passed away.

The one thing I had was a praying family that never gave up on me. I had a sovereign God that loved me unconditionally. I returned to God in 2010. I rededicated my life back to Christ and served Him only. I was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, and God healed my body and restored my life. I got to know God in the fellowship of His suffering and made a decision to do His will. God’s love superseded any love that I have ever received. I have learned that God truly loves me. God has blessed me and my family tremendously.

I received a call from my son about his grandson’s health. The doctor stated he would not live through the night. He was nine months old. He had bleeding on his brain, and he had a stroke on his left side. I called the prayer warriors of the church. We went to the hospital daily and prayed for his recovery. He is now three years old. God healed him and made him whole. He is using his left side again. God continues to bless my seeds’ seed, as He stated in the bible. I have seen God work so many miracles. God is awesome. I have learned how to have a true relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ, the anointed one. I am praying for my kids to receive and love Christ and receive salvation.

Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books
Jim and Carla Barbarossa
Phone: 219-762-7589
Email: jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com or jim@step-by-step.org
Website: https://www.reallifestoriesbooks.com/

Talli Piekarski Salvation Testimony

Talli's Salvation Testimony was filmed live as part of the 5-Fold Ministers Discipleship/Evangelism Gathering Session #3 As You Go....Fear Not! What is the most important part of Discipleship? The most important part of Discipleship is Commitment! Jesus could not have made disciples had they not committed to follow him.

The commitment Jesus asked for was simple. Follow me! As people followed him they were discipled. They learned to be imitators of Jesus! The strength of what we teach is also based on commitment! It is not as strong as the 3 year commitment that Jesus required, but it has been proven very effective. We have been able to effectively disciple a couple hundred people over the last 3 years as a result of getting the following commitments!

 We have found that, if a Christian will commit to write out their testimony and commit to share it daily, that this commitment sets the stage for the Holy Spirit to disciple them! The first thing we challenge people to do in our discipleship teaching is to commit to write their testimony and be a part of a Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Book or their own Testimony Flyer.

The second thing we do is challenge people to carry 2 copies of the Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Book or their Testimony Flyers in their hand every time they leave the door of their home and every time they get out of their car. The third thing we do is challenge them to ask the Holy Spirit to help them in the giving away of the Testimony books or Testimony Flyers! The forth thing we do is challenge them to practice what was taught in that session. In session 2, we taught on As You Go: Hear and Obey the Voice of God. The commitment to carry the Testimony Books or Flyers and the Commitment to Hear and Obey the Voice of God, As They Go is joined with the commitment to ask the Holy Spirit to help them.

This sets the stage for the Holy Spirit to be active in their life! If a person is always carrying the Gospel message with them in the form of a Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Book or Testimony Flyer and always practicing Hearing and Obeying the Voice of God as they go, then they are always trusting in the Holy Spirit to help them! This gives the Holy Spirit total access to all their Time and Daily Life! Sons and Daughters of God are led by the Spirit of God! What we accomplish during our 12 Discipleship Sessions is getting a strong commitment from the person being discipled to allow the Holy Spirit to lead them into Living a Witnessing Lifestyle!

 Jim and Carla Barbarossa

jim@step-by-step.org

 219-762-7589 Phone or

Text www.reallifestoriesbooks.com

I Had a Dream to Be a Truck Driver - Real Life Stories Books

I became very rebellious.
I wanted to do things my own way.
When I woke up I was completely blind.
The doctors said I would be blind the rest of my life.
My dreams are gone. I’ll never be a truck driver.
I lost my will to live, until...

I was born a preacher’s kid. I had a dream to be a truck driver as a young boy. Around age 12, I became very rebellious. My father was a disciplined person and forced us to go to church. I wanted to do things my own way. Around age 15, I started dating a girl I had gone to elementary school with. We made plans to run away together. I wanted to get a place to live so she and I could shack up.

On my 16th birthday, I went to get my driver license. Dad had given me a car and said if I helped him in the shop, he would let me go on a date that night. What he didn’t know was I already had plans to leave that night. That afternoon I was working with a chisel, and a tiny piece of steel broke off the chisel and hit me in the left eye. It didn’t hurt. It felt like a gnat in my eye. Mama wouldn’t let me leave. I went to bed early and told my girl we would go the next night. I went to bed, and when I woke up I was completely blind. It felt like gas or chemicals were in my face. It burned awful bad. My parents took me to the hospital, the doctors said I would be blind the rest of my life. He called my family in and told everyone the accident had destroyed my retina. My heart was broken. I stayed in the hospital 13 weeks.

The hospital contacted the Blind Society, and they worked with me. I was learning to read Braille. After about 5 months, I got pretty good. But things weren’t right. I was blind. I couldn’t see. Then one day, in the midst of working with the Blind Society, my girl came. She was wearing a ring. She took the ring and placed it in my hand. She said, “It’s a proven fact you are never gonna see again, and I don’t want to marry a blind man. I don’t want the responsibility of taking care of you.”

My heart was broken. I had no will to live. Being a preacher’s kid, I knew the bible and about God, but I didn’t really know Him. After she left, I talked to God for myself for the first time. I was all alone, heartbroken, and I actually talked to God myself, without anyone else there to pray for me. I said a simple prayer. “Lord, here I am. I have nothing. I lost everything. I lost my will to live. My girlfriend doesn’t want me. I can’t see. My dreams are gone. I’ll never be a truck driver.” I said, “Lord, if You will give me my sight back, I will give You my life.”

When you lay in the hospital bed or lay around back home, you have a lot of time to think. This girl did this. I prayed that prayer, and nothing big happened. The thoughts just kept running through my head. Then one morning, about two weeks later, I woke up. I could see real blurry. My mom was there, and she was wearing a yellow blouse. Mom couldn’t believe it. When she realized I knew what color she had on, she began to shout. They had been praying. She called the doctor, and the doctor said it was impossible. They had taken out the nerve that controls my eye. But the doctor gave me the benefit of the doubt and took me in for a fourth surgery.

After the fourth surgery, I had to wear special eye covers. My parents had to put drops in my eye for a month. It seemed like a year! I went back to the doctor, he took the eye covers off, and I had 20/20 vision. I was overwhelmed with excitement. I was almost 17. I realized I had talked to God myself, a preacher’s kid, for the first time. Everyone thinks preachers kids are special, but I didn’t feel that way. I was forced to go to church and didn’t want to. It gave me a hard heart. When I got my sight back, I can’t explain what went on inside of me. My dreams came back. I still desired to drive a truck. I had told the Lord I would give my life to Him for my sight. Well, at the age of 17, I did not do that. I went crazy, drinking and chasing women.

Years later, a guy gave me an opportunity, and I ended up on a farm milking cows. When the farmer I worked for went out of business, the milk truck driver came and offered me a job. He taught me how to drive. Then I got this crazy idea I wanted to see the world. I got an over-the-road job, running wild. Never being home, I was faced with all kinds of temptations, including prostitutes and gambling.

About 13 years later, the Lord began to deal with me. I began to hear that prayer had I prayed over and over. God was playing it back in my mind. I made a promise and had gone wild, living in sin. I was the worst I had ever been, riding the highways, doing my thing. I would stop at truck stops and pick up tracts, 5 or 6 at a time, and lay in my bunk and read them. I read as a kid because I had to, but now I actually wanted to read. I was about 30 years old and married to a wonderful wife. I went to sleep at a Petrol Truck Stop and then woke up. I realized for the first time that I did not have Jesus, and that if I was to die I wasn’t right with God.

That morning, I kneeled in the bunk in the freightliner. I asked Jesus to come into my life. All these years I thought I was saved because my daddy was a minister. I thought I was automatically saved, and now I finally realized this wasn’t true. I didn’t want to curse any more. My wrong desires left. I felt like a new man. I had hope. I wanted to tell the world. I wanted to talk about God and tell somebody how He changed my life. In the bible, in the book of Mark, it tells about a blind man. Jesus traveled and came to the town where the blind man was. Jesus passed by, and this blind man heard and called His name out. People asked the blind not to bother the master. He got louder and louder. Jesus turned and asked the man what He could do for him. The man asked for his sight, and the Lord healed him that day.

What I kept thinking in my heart is what if that blind man never called His name. He would still be blind. I think about me. What if I never asked and had stayed blind. I thank the Lord and give Him praise. My mind goes back to that day I gave my promise. He healed me. A lot of people aren’t physically blind but are blind in their hearts. You may be the driver who is blind and have never called on the Lord. He said whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord. Maybe you never stopped and thought about your soul. Just stop and think, I was a preacher’s kid and just thought I was automatically saved. But the bible says every person must call on the name of the Lord. He may be dealing with your heart. You may have felt His presence. If you have been touched by what I have shared, the Lord is here for you to call on His name. Call on Jesus. Today is the day. Now is the accepted time. We drive on the highways and don’t have a promise to return home, but when Jesus lives in your heart, you know peace. If you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, if something happens, you are safe and secure in the arms of Jesus. I want you to know today if you are a truck driver or not, I love you. Jesus loves you. He died for you. We may never meet here on earth, but we could meet someday on the streets of gold in heaven.

Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books

Jim and Carla Barbarossa

Phone: 219-762-7589

Email: jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com or jim@step-by-step.org

Website: https://www.reallifestoriesbooks.com/

Truckers Ministry provides the gospel at the truck stop for enhancing their belief on Jesus

 

Truck drivers whose trust is on Christ are known as missionary drivers. They believe Jesus as rescuer. Truckers Ministry provides the gospel at the truck stop for enhancing their belief on Jesus. Many truck driver ministries are performing their functions to increase opportunities for drivers to meet Jesus. In 1951 in Pennsylvania Transport for Christ is made that helps truck drivers to listen to the gospel at truck stop chapels.

Chapel truck stops are very beneficial because they help to depress all the illegal events including drug smuggling and prostitution. Different trucker ministers have different methods of giving chapels truck stops. Jackson and Georgia's truck ministries have a different method than transport for Christ ministry. They convince local churches to develop their truck stops for providing guidance and resources. Singer and veteran truckers establish a radio package in 1974 called highway melodies. They distribute recorded cassettes and bible courses among truck drivers.

This the only truck ministry that has a great influence on drivers. Another truck ministry is the association of Christian truckers. It is a non-profit institute to fulfill the requirements of truckers and their relatives. A person may face a lot of problems in prison and pray to God for his safety and God change his life and solve his problems. Truckers Ministries Christian Truck Drivers share real-life stories that change their lives and know the power of God. So always keep believing in God for a happy life. Christian Truckers real life experiences make us able to worship God properly and follow His orders. You may face difficulties in your personal life but by reading truck drivers ministries books you may get the knowledge that how to solve any problem and make you believe that God will solve all the problems.

 

I Partied Every Chance I Got - Real Life Stories Books

I became introverted and socially awkward.

I was depressed and had low self-esteem.

I felt mistreated.

I was the youngest of three children and grew up in the household with my parents. I was a suburban kid who attended good schools and excelled academically. Alcohol was always abused in my home, but I just felt like it was a part of the family. It was the “pink elephant,” in the house that existed and was always ignored. I turned to food as my way of dealing with feelings that I could not describe. I became introverted and socially awkward. By the time I was fourteen, my overindulgence in food caused me to be overweight. I was depressed and had low self-esteem. I felt mistreated and was an outcast in my own mind. Although I played sports and had friends, I knew something wasn’t right. I had no one to talk to. I felt lost. I had no idea of the damage that the abuse had done.

When I was fourteen, my dad was admitted to the hospital for a long time. The years of alcohol abuse had taken its toll. After he was released, he began attending church and got “saved.” I remember everyone was so excited except for me. I had no idea what being saved was, and I had never dealt with my feelings of hating him so much. Years of being abused couldn’t help me understand how God could accept someone who had done so many horrible things. I graduated from high school and left for college. During my four years I did very well in the classroom. I partied every chance I got. I remember right before I graduated, I went to an event. Since I was the president of a well-known organization, I made the decision on who could and could not attend events. A guy came to the door and said, “Hey, brother, I don’t want to come into your party. I’ll just talk to the people when they come out.” He had a bible in his hand. As people filed out of the auditorium, he would approach each person asking them if they knew Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I laughed as no one even stopped to listen to him. I didn’t understand what he was asking since I had grown up in the church, but this wasn’t something you asked college kids. As I turned and walked away, this was something that stayed in my mind.

After graduating from college, I returned home. I remember talking with my older brother. He told me that he was saved and had accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. It was at that moment that I asked him what that meant. Over the next year, I remember he and I were up at all times of the night. He would teach me about salvation, grace, mercy, and many other things. I watched how he lived his life, and it was amazing. Although I was learning, I wasn’t willing to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I was still living in sin, but the bible seemed very interesting.

My brother passed in January of 2001. I remember asking God how such a good person, who said he was saved, could die at such a young age. I was angry with God. I started to overeat again to feel better, and my self-esteem plummeted even further. I was lost for years. I had nowhere to turn. I avoided every church and distanced myself from anyone who professed the name of Jesus Christ.

One day in 2008, I received a phone call from the doctor’s office. They informed me that my blood test had yielded some unfavorable results. By now, I had a child and was still living a sinful lifestyle. I remember right before I went into the doctor’s office. My phone rang, and it was my sister. As I informed her of the situation, she told me I had to get saved. My words to her were, “If I go in here and this doctor says I’m healed, then I’m coming to church with you.” Sure enough, all subsequent blood exams showed that nothing was wrong. When I called her back with the results, she asked if I was ready to make Jesus Christ my personal Lord and Savior. She led me through the prayer of repentance, and I just remember crying the entire time. I remember telling God I wasn’t mad at Him anymore. I began attending church with my sister. It gave me a solid foundation. I began to do work in the ministry. Over the next few years, I held the positions of armor bearer, Sunday school teacher, and treasurer. It was a learning process and I enjoyed it. I learned a lot about the word of God, but something was still missing.

In 2013, I went through a divorce. I lost my house, and my job downsized. Instead of panicking, I prayed and fasted. The difference this time was that I had God by my side. I had faith that everything would work out, and it did. God showed me that I had to deal with my personal issues. I began counseling to work on my depression and self-esteem issues. I had a Christian counselor who taught me about generational curses and how to break them.

Today I love God more and more. I profess that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I have no hate in my heart and I have learned forgiveness. My self-esteem is very high, I am no longer depressed, and food is no longer something I use as a crutch. I am now part of a very dynamic ministry, and I am being challenged to go higher. I give God all of the glory, honor, and praise.

Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books

Jim and Carla Barbarossa

Phone: 219-762-7589

Email: jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com or jim@step-by-step.org

Website: https://www.reallifestoriesbooks.com/

Developing Your Own Real Life Stories Testimony Book

 

This is the Process and Cost of Developing a Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Book When a Church Partners with Step by Step Ministries

The process starts by teaching people how to write their testimony and placing it into a 3-fold flyer, as pictured above.  The Testimony is to be between 1000 and 1100 words and provided to us in a Word Document. We will provide exact instructions as to how to properly prepare a testimony. This 3-fold flyer can then be used with our books pictured below until such a time that person’s story is in a book.

 

There is a $25 charge per story to edit and layout the Discipleship Resources in a 3-fold flyer. After editing, we send the file to the church to take to a local print shop to make copies. When a church partners with us, they can purchase and use our books at the very low price of $100 for 3 cases of books, plus shipping.  There 60 to 70 books in a case, depending on which books they are.

 

A New book will contain between 25 and 30 testimonies and have a total of 96 pages. This has proven to be the most cost-effective book size to print and distribute. We will print 40,000 copies. This is the quantity needed to keep the price down to a point of being able to afford to freely give them away.  The cost of 40,000 books, including typesetting, editing, and cover design is about $16,000. This comes to about .40 cents per book (plus shipping), making the book a very affordable tool for witnessing.
 
Just before the books are ordered, the local church pays their half, $8,000, directly to the printing company.  Step By Step Ministries pays the other half, $8,000.  When the books are printed, the partnering church is billed for their shipping cost, which must be paid before the books ship. At that time, 20,000 books are shipped to the partnering
Church, and 20,000 books are shipped to Step By Step Ministries.
 
When Step by Step Ministries receives their 20,000 books, we donate to 5000 of those books to another ministry called Love Packages. Love Packages loads the books on cargo containers and ships them to impoverished English-speaking people in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean Islands. So when a local church partners with us they not only reach the local community, they reach the World!
 
In addition to this, we have a Team of people using our books all over the United States and Canada!
 
When a Local Church Partners with Step By Step Ministries, TOGETHER we fulfill Acts 1:8, 
 
But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.              
 
Disciple Makers,
Jim and Carla Barbarossa
Porter, Indiana
219-762-7589
Jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com

I Grew Up in the Carnival Business- Real Life Stories Books

I worked seven days a week, 16 hours a day.

Carnival life is very hard on a family.

I grew up extremely rebellious.

I took a 90-degree turn on a road at 90 miles per hour.

Fear gripped my heart.

Have you ever created memories you wish you could forget? I have. My family was in the carnival business for 17 years. I literally grew up in it. My family traveled all the northern states. I worked seven days a week, 16 hours a day, during the summer months for many of my teenage years. Carnival life is very hard on a family. During the school year, my father would be gone five months out of the year while my mother stayed home with my younger brother and me. There were many challenges with my family relationships. I grew up extremely rebellious and making wrong choices in my life. By age 16, I had become a reckless fool.

One night, my brother and I used our parents’ Mustang car and went drinking and driving with our two friends. I was at the wheel when I took a 90-degree turn on a road while speeding at 90 miles an hour. The car flipped and rolled several times, eventually coming to an eerie stop. One of my friends was pinned under the car and critically injured. I do not recall being thrown out of the car, but I landed about 75 feet away from the accident. I woke up, sitting down, leaning against a fence post. That accident should have killed me, but I walked away from it with very minor scratches. My friend ended up at a hospital fighting for his life. My brother and our other friend survived the crash buckled in the car and were fine. The car was totaled.

The accident did not change me. We, as human beings in our own power, cannot change because it is our inborn nature to do what is evil. Fear gripped my heart at the possibility of having been killed in that accident, but I brushed that thought away. Later, I would understand that if I would have been killed then, I would have gone straight to hell, as God was not part of my life. God, the Father, in His infinite foreknowledge knew that I would come to Him, later on in my life at the age of 19. Although some people’s nature is better or more acceptable than others, we are all sinful in the sight of God and come short of His glory. Our only hope is for Him to redeem us though His plan of salvation for mankind.

During my high school senior year, three female friends relentlessly “hammered away” the gospel of Jesus Christ at me with great love. One night, in the solitude of my bedroom, I was lying down in bed. I was tired and worn out from a guilty conscience of all my wrong doings. I was full of shame, sin, and guilt. I slipped off the bed and got on my knees, knowing I needed Jesus Christ in my life. That night, I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins. What a special favor poured out into my heart! After a prayer of salvation, I felt clean, whole, light, joyful, and full of hope of a future. For 10 years, I lived and breathed the Word of God. I could not get enough of His Word, the Bible. I would read two to three hours a night. My nature had changed to be Christ-like. My old ways became foreign to me, and I no longer desired sin. The Lord started using me to talk to others about Him and confront them of their lifestyles. I was encouraging them to come to Christ and then leading them to Christ for salvation. What an honor!

At age 21, I decided to quit dating. For a year and half, I prayed for my future wife and asked the Lord to guide me in my prayer. During my prayer times, I knew she would be of Hispanic descent. One month before I met my life mate, I felt the Lord telling me that I would meet my future wife shortly, and I did! A month later, I met her, and I knew she was to be my wife. Without a doubt, I knew the Lord had given her to me because she was everything that I had prayed for. My wife and I have been serving Jesus together since we met. Our home is a Christian home. Our children and grandchildren enjoy the blessings of a wholesome, loving family, and Christ continues to be the vibrant center of our lives.

For over 40 years now, I have lived a wonderful life in the Lord. He has been my guiding light at all times without fail. It is wonderful to have the freedom to read the Word, pray, and tell others about the eternal life and peace that Jesus Christ can offer. Through the years, it has been an honor and a privilege to have been part of other people’s conversion as they come to Christ, with the assurance of a more wholesome and abundant life here on earth and an exhilarating eternal life later. What a great fulfilling and satisfying life!

I would like to share with you how to have peace, a peace that surpasses anything you may be experiencing. If your life seems to have no meaning and no purpose, try Jesus. He will meet you where you are. Jesus knows who you are and the things you have done. I was in a place at one time in my life that was no good. I allowed Jesus to come into my life and take away the guilt, the shame, and the sin. These are three things that will wear you out quickly. What I am saying is the truth. This is my personal experience with my friend, Jesus Christ, who has made Himself more real to me than life itself. He has been so good for me, despite of all life’s hardships, mistakes, and problems that come at us as part of life itself. He is waiting for you to turn to Him for help. Like He says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Please turn to Jesus. He will never let you down!

Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books

Jim and Carla Barbarossa

Phone: 219-762-7589

Email: jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com or jim@step-by-step.org

Website: https://www.reallifestoriesbooks.com/

I Started Truck Driving - Real Life Stories Of Hope

 

I grew up in a Christian home. We went to church every Sunday morning and evening, plus on Wednesday. I lived with my mom in Memphis, Tennessee until I was 15. I accepted Christ at a young age and was baptized around the age of 9 or 10. I believe I was sincere about my decision at the time.

As I got into Middle School, I started hanging with the wrong crowd. I started drinking, smoking, and experimenting with drugs. When my mom found out, she sent me to my dad’s in Wisconsin. I still drank and smoked with my dad’s permission, but I didn’t do drugs.

After High School, I joined the Navy and got married. During this time, I had walked away from God. I got into porn and committed adultery on my first wife. She was doing it to me, so I figured I would do it to her.

After the service, I started Christian Truck Drivers. I fell further from God. I became addicted to porn and got married to my second wife. I kept drinking and watching porn, which kept me from showing my wife the affection she deserved. It damaged me, and I ended up getting married again before I met my current wife.

In 2010, we went back on the road and came across a Rig CD entitled “Dominoes” by James Payne. That CD lit a fire in our soul. We started searching truck stops for more CD’s. We got the “Free in Christ” CD, which God used to bring me back to him. I believe whole heartedly in media ministries. God is using CD’s to bring people to Him. I still struggle with things, but I now can call on Jesus, and He will give me strength to get through the day.

Friend, you can call on Jesus too! Go ahead and call out to Him right now!

Jason

Cottondale, Alabama

205-919-4154

jleerich48@hotmail.com

My Life Was Never Easy - REAL LIFE STORIES BOOKS

I grew up depressed, feeling unwanted and unloved.

A cycle of showing no love and affection had started in my family.

Family members sexually abused me.

I grew up not able to trust anyone.

I was angry at the world.

I was hit with a mystery illness.

I felt like giving up, until...

My life was never easy. My parents split up when I was three years old. This was actually a good thing because their relationship was crazy most of the time. They both had emotional pain, and they used alcohol to medicate themselves. They both had suffered sexual abuse when they were children, so drinking was their way of coping. When they drank, there was often fighting in the home. My dad would physically abuse my mother. It was very scary to see this happen. One day, my mother finally had enough. She left, taking myself and my three brothers with her. Unfortunately, life wasn't much better after she left him. She was bitter and depressed about having to raise us children by herself. There was never any love or affection shown to us. She blamed us for her miserable life and her drinking. We often had to hear how she had never wanted children in the first place, and this caused us to feel unwanted. My father wasn't much better. He ignored me and only paid attention to my brothers. He would claim I wasn't his child because he “only made boys.” I grew up depressed, feeling unwanted and unloved. All I ever wanted in life was to have true happiness.

The reason my mother never showed love was because she didn't know how to show love. Her mother was raised in a residential school from age 5 to 15 years old. These schools were places of physical and sexual abuse, so my grandmother grew up never knowing a parents love. She was raised in a strict, cold environment that no child should ever have to live in. When she finally left the school to start her own life, the damage had already been done. When she had children, she raised them in a strict, unloving home. She was only doing what she had learned from the residential school. A cycle of showing no love and affection had started in my family. I was determined if I had any children, I would show and tell them that they were loved and wanted every day.

Another cycle that continued in the family was sexual abuse. I found out when I was older that my parents and my grandmother had suffered from sexual abuse. I was sexually abused as well. The first time happened when I was just three years old. My mother was in the hospital having my youngest brother. My father's uncle was babysitting me. I remember bits and pieces of the abuse but mostly remember the physical pain. This wasn't the only time I had to endure sexual abuse. On different occasions throughout the years, other family members sexually abused me. I often wondered why this was happening to me. I felt alone with no one to turn to. These episodes of sexual abuse just added to my depression, which seemed to grow and grow as I got older. I grew up not being able to trust anyone. I was angry at the world. I often wished I wasn't born. I thought of suicide on occasion but never went through with it. I didn’t tell my mother until I was 12 years old. Even then, I never received any comfort or support from her. She was too busy wallowing in her own self-pity and alcohol, which added to my unhappiness.

When I turned 16 years old, I moved out to get away from her drinking. I had grown to resent it over the years. I was depressed but hopeful that the future might bring some happiness. I ended up drinking to numb my emotional and mental pain. I was doing the very thing I had despised, and this added to my depression. I ended up quitting high school and going to work to support myself. I started a great paying job at 21 years old. Finally, life seemed to be going good for me. Around the same time, I started the first of three serious relationships I had in my life. I didn't have much luck in my relationships. It seemed like I was always picking partners who had addiction issues, and they didn't want to work. I went through physical and verbal abuse from two out of the three relationships, which brought depression back into my life. I always ended up supporting my family. The only good thing to come from these bad relationships was my three children who I love dearly. Once I had my children, I got my drinking under control. I didn't want them to see their mother as an alcoholic. I tried to make our lives as normal as possible.

After working at the same place for over eighteen years, the company finally closed down. I was without a job. My last relationship was on the verge of ending because my partner didn't want to work. I had enough and kicked him out. His drinking and physical abuse had become worse and worse. I was now alone and raising my children by myself, but I was better off being alone. I sunk into depression again, and my back began to ache like never before. My doctor put me on pain pills, which became the beginning of my new addiction. When the doctor cut me off my prescription, I began buying pills off the street. I also began selling pills to make money. I hid my addiction from my children and tried to keep life as normal as I could. They never had to go without food and were never neglected. I made sure I never sunk that far down. After buying pills for two years, I had enough of living this way and being broke. I decided to go on methadone to get off the pain medication. Little did I know, I was starting a new addiction which would be the hardest to quit.

It was at this time I decided to go back to school and apply to college. I had always dreamed of going back to school someday. I worked hard and got the credits I needed then took the chance and applied to college. To my surprise, I was accepted to the college I had chosen. It seemed as though I was finally having some good luck for a change, but three months before school started I was hit with a mystery illness. I call it a mystery because the doctors couldn't find a cause for my symptoms. I started having migraines, lost hearing in my right ear, and had short term memory loss. I started school and realized I couldn't remember what I was learning. The doctor suggested I leave school until they found out what was wrong. I quit school but was so unhappy. I couldn't work or go to school. What good was I to anyone? I sunk into a deeper depression than ever before. Thoughts of suicide began to surface again, even worse than before. It seemed like whenever my life was going good, things would always take a turn for the worst. I felt like giving up, but I never did because I had my children to take care of. If it weren't for them, I shudder to think what I may have done to myself.

One Sunday morning, I was watching YouTube with my son. He was 7 years old at time. We came across a video that would change our lives. The video was about a young woman who had went to heaven and hell with Jesus. We watched the whole video, which was over an hour long. At the end, I was so convicted by what I had seen. I looked at my son and said, "I don't want to end up in hell." He agreed with me.

Right at this exact time, a preacher came on the TV, which no one was watching. He was shouting out, "If you want to accept Jesus as your savior, say this prayer." My son and I knelt down on the floor and repeated the prayer. Immediately, I felt a change. I could tell my son did as well. He seemed happier and content. I felt a heaviness come off my heart and felt hopeful. I decided I needed to find a church, and God led me to a spirit filled church which I still attend to this day, five years later.

Since accepting Jesus into my life, God restored the hearing in my right ear, the migraines are gone, and my memory is back on track. For the first time in my life, I feel loved. I feel true happiness. I built a relationship with the Lord, and it gets stronger as time goes on. He has set me free from 31 years of smoking, set me free from alcohol, and set me free from depression. My back has been healed. He has brought love, peace, and joy into my home. I wouldn't trade this for the world. I'm still on the methadone, but He has promised to free me from this as well. Everything is in God's perfect timing. He has healed my broken heart and mended my broken spirit. I grew up hearing from my mother that Jesus isn't for native people. This lie has been told to native people for generations. I now know the truth. He's for every tribe, tongue, and nation. Jesus is for us and not against us. He loves everyone with an everlasting love. He will never leave you or forsake you. When you enter into a relationship with God, your life will never be the same. He accepts you the way you are and doesn't turn anyone away. It doesn't matter what you've done or how bad you think you are. He is merciful and forgiving. Just invite Jesus into your heart, and you will find more happiness and love than you've ever known. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!

I hope my story will encourage you to desire a relationship with the Lord, and realize how amazing and wonderful He truly is. He is a loving, forgiving Father, waiting for you with open arms. Come to Him, and find the peace and love that is waiting for you. I'm living proof that His love is real and available to everyone who asks for it. Come as you are, and let the Lord transform your life for the better. He's a God of second chances and new beginnings. I've never been happier than I am now, thanks to the Lord. May this story bless you and encourage you to take the next step to happiness.

Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books

Jim and Carla Barbarossa

Phone: 219-762-7589

Email: jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com or jim@step-by-step.org

Website: https://www.reallifestoriesbooks.com/

Book Discipleship Resources

 

When Real Life Stories Lighthouse Christian Testimony Book Displays are placed in business locations they become Mission  Bases !
Every book becomes a Missionary !
 
The words “Free Take One ” on the Book Display, along with a Beautiful book cover attract the attention of business customers causing them to pick up the book and “Freely, by their own choice or  will”  take it home!
It is not pushed on them and by their own choice they will read it !    
 
This little Missionary has now gained entrance into a person’s home and life !
 
As the person starts to read the book the little missionary will be used by the Holy Spirit to now gain permission to enter the person’s heart !
 
Over the years, many people have received Jesus as Savior as a result of picking up and reading these “Free” Books.
 

Day of Redemption - REAL LIFE STORIES BOOKS

Jesus gave His Blood, His Life, so all your sins could be forgiven. Jesus paid your penalty for sin; in full.

Now it’s up to you to accept or reject what Jesus has done for you.

God is inviting you into a personal relationship with Him as your Heavenly Father and Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Jesus came to show you the way because you are passionately loved and wanted. Jesus, before He was resurrected, said to His disciples, “…He who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9

If you repent for breaking God’s Law and put your trust in Jesus, when God looks at you, He will not see a liar, a thief, an adulterer, or a law breaker but he will see a person that Jesus has redeemed from the curse of the Law, one that Jesus paid the full penalty for their sin. God will see the Blood of Jesus that has washed you as white as snow. Only through Jesus can you be right with God.

Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books

Jim and Carla Barbarossa

Phone: 219-762-7589

Email: jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com or jim@step-by-step.org

Website: https://www.reallifestoriesbooks.com/

My Search for Love - Real life stories

 

I was born and raised in Illinois. I’m from a middle class family. My upbringing was less than perfect. There was a lot of fighting and strife in my home. I love my family, and my parents did the best they could, so that’s all I’m going to say about that and Christian Testimonies

As a young girl and into womanhood, I was always looking for love. I wanted that fairy tale white knight that would come rescue me from all that was wrong with the world and save me from myself. This mindset directly led to the addictions I developed: alcohol, pot, cocaine/crack, prescription drugs, and eventually heroin. My search for love and my need to fill a void led to very unhealthy relationships. When I was 15, I lost my virginity to a 25 year old married man. I was this family’s babysitter from the time I was 13. I guess by the time I turned 15, this man thought I was woman enough to do as he pleased. I thought I was mature. I was for my age, but not mature enough for that, emotionally or any in other way. I thought I was in love with him, and he told me he was in love with me. To make a long story short, his wife found out. My whole world was turned upside down. I lost him, her (who was at one time my best friend), and their kids that I had grown to love like they were my own. I was more than just the babysitter. I was their friend. I hung out there every weekend, they were kind of… my life. So it was a pretty devastating time. That whole situation pretty much set the tone for my future relationships with men. From here on, it was a life of bad relationships, drugs, and alcohol. It seemed that with every new man came a new drug and a new demon for me to inherit.

Later that year when I was still 15, I met my first real boyfriend. He was 20 years old. He turned out to be physically abusive and very controlling. During that relationship, I dropped out of high school and had my first child at the age of 18. I ended up leaving him when my son was 5 months old. I got a fake I.D. and starting hitting the bars. It wasn’t long before I had a serious drinking problem and started using cocaine due to meeting abuser #2. He was 10 years older than me and was going through a divorce. He supplied me with plenty of cocaine. He was nice and sympathetic to my situation, but he soon turned abusive too. The beatings were far worse than the first boyfriend. The drugs were out of control, and so was the abuse. With him I suffered physical, mental, and emotional abuse and even rape. I had two more children with him. In my mind, there was no way out. So I stayed and suffered for 10 years. During those years he and I both picked up a bad habit with hydrocodone. This was on top of the daily cocaine use. I was arrested for my first felony, picking up a fraudulent prescription in Illinois. While out on bond for that charge, I was arrested in Indiana for the same thing. I was 28.

I was so dependent on the drug that the physical withdrawals made me want to die. When you are in bondage to a drug that you are physically sick without, you’ll do whatever you can to ease the pain. At the time I was taking forty 10mg pills a day. That is about 8 times the maximum amount prescribed to take in a day. I lost 50 pounds because it made me so sick I usually threw up about 5 times a day. I am very fortunate to be alive. I finally got away from him because he went to prison. However, I was lost without him. I know that sounds crazy, but when you are controlled by an abuser for so long you end up losing any existence of your own. I was with him from age 19 to age 29, so it was like he practically raised me. It’s pretty sick thinking, I know. I was left with three kids. I was evicted, had lost my job, and had no car.

I was on probation for my two felonies. After about two weeks of a horrible detox, I had finally kicked the pills. However, as any addict does, I just traded one addiction for another. I was living from place to place, drinking heavily, and just continued to be lost. I had to eventually give my kids to their father’s family. I wasn’t fit to take care of them, and I didn’t have a stable home for them to live in. I still saw my kids here and there, but eventually my selfishness led me far from them. I was too focused on my path to self-destruction to care about anything else. There were brief spaces of time where I really tried to get my act together and had a game plan to make things better. I even put myself in rehab several times. It never took. I always fell again and always worse than the time before.

Then entered Brad, who is now my husband. I know what you’re thinking, “Oh, he must be that knight in shining armor she was looking for all her life.” That’s not even close… Brad and I met in a bar and started seeing each other. Very soon, we fell madly in love. He was different from the others. He never hit me or called me names. He was peaceful and mellow. We had big dreams. We talked about getting married and having a home and babies. The devil had other plans for us first.

Bars were our thing for the most part. He had told me about his addiction to heroin, but he was clean from it at that point, as far as I knew. Before long, his demon became my demon, and we starting using heroin together. Our lives very quickly fell to pieces, not that they were ever really together. We were drenched in sin.

We stole from family and friends. We burned every bridge we had. My family completely let me go and would have nothing to do with me. I was shooting $200 worth of heroin a day. My daily life was a vicious circle of stealing, pawn shops, and getting to the west side of Chicago to get my drug. Every day was a race against the withdrawals, a panic to get my drug before I got sick. Nothing else mattered. We were homeless, hopeless, and soulless. It was a sick existence. We slept in hallways of roach infested slums on the west side. We begged for money on the street and stole from anyone we could.

Heroin is pure concentrated evil. You become a slave to it. Nothing else matters, and it is the closest I will ever come to being demon possessed. I think back to the end of these days and remember how I just wanted to die. I was utterly hopeless and without purpose. I remember shooting up and praying it would be the shot that killed me. I desperately wanted to end my suffering. I wanted to end the monster I was and end the pain I was inflicting on others. I was empty and broken down so deep I couldn’t see any glimpse of light.

I ended up violating my probation in both states and went to jail. After another horrible detox and 6 months in county jails, I was sentenced to a work release program. This was the turning point in my life. I have to express the sheer genius of God’s perfect plan. The program had just opened up for women. Had it worked out any other way, I would have gone to prison and would not have met the people I did. God worked through every one of them. They were perfectly placed in my life to help me grow into the person I am today.

Now let me tell you about the people God used the most, to show me a way out of the darkness and into His glorious light. While in the program, I met Pastor Michael. He worked there teaching a couple different classes I attended. He is my shepherd and has been there for me through so much. I’m surprised he didn’t fire me from the church last year. I was very needy and called him as much as 20 times a day during a time my husband went thru a very hard time. I also met Adele, who was the praise and worship leader at the church. She came into the program and taught bible studies every week. Almost immediately, I felt a pull toward her. I know now that the pull I felt was actually toward Jesus that lives in her. During one of her bible studies, I accepted Jesus into my life. At another bible study after that, I was telling her some of my concerns and I was being released soon. I had nowhere to go, no money, and no one who cared anymore. I didn’t even have anyone to pick me up when I got out. Adele said “Well, I’ll pick you up. We will find somewhere for you to go, don’t worry.” To most people this probably seems trivial, but it was this small act of kindness that won my heart to the Lord. In that moment Jesus revealed to me that I was never again going to be alone. Adele saw me through God’s eyes. Through my eyes, I saw God in her.

By the time I was released, I had arranged for another ride. After I was picked up, I was literally left out on the street. The person who picked me up lied about the fact that he arranged somewhere for me to stay. Once that fell through, he just left me there. I called Adele. She picked me up, and our church put me up at a motel. Adele took me, got me some food, and provided me with the things I needed. To make a long story short, I ended up going to live in a bad situation. I was reading my bible every day and going to church. I was seeing my kids every day and doing my best to block out the evil around me, but it was starting to slither back into my life. That’s what the enemy does. But God!!!! Like God does, He pressed my life once again to repentance. One day after a violent, abusive situation with the person I was living with, God said, “Enough!” I called Adele and cried out to her that I needed help. She and her husband came to pick me up and took me into their home. Keep in mind, I was pretty much a stranger. I was an acquaintance at best. They both knew that I had been a junkie, a thief, and a liar for the greater part of my life. Because God spoke and told them, “Take her, raise her up in Me, and I will do great and mighty things in her,” I am here today. All glory to God, but I also have to thank Paul and Adele for their total obedience and for heeding the voice of the Lord rather than listening to their own fears. They’ve never expressed any fears to me, but I’m positive they must have had them. During my time with them, I was immersed in the word of God and the things of God. It was because God had given me a thirst for Him. It was never forced upon me. We became family. They call me daughter, and I call them mom and dad. They taught me, counseled me, scolded me, corrected me, loved me, and never gave up on me through thick and thin. I know I can be stubborn and rebellious, but God has done a mighty work in me and He is not done yet. Now, it is clear to me that Paul and Adele were pre-destined to be my spiritual parents and me their spiritual daughter.

I started writing to Brad as soon as I moved into Adele’s house. He was in prison at the time. I wrote him in one letter “Hey, ya know that thing we have been looking for all our lives? I found it!” I starting telling him about a man named Jesus. He wrote back saying, “You’re gonna be a Bible thumper now? Seriously?” Well, Brad ended up getting saved and baptized by the Holy Spirit with evidence of tongues in Prison Ministry Resources.

Over the last 4 years that I’ve been saved, God has done miraculous things in my life. First of all, He saved my life and my soul. He has delivered me from drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. I mean delivered! There is absolutely nothing inside of me that desires any of that anymore. That part of me is dead and gone. Who the Son sets free, is free indeed! He gave me a job and then a better job. All my relationships with my family have been restored. My kids are back with me and are being raised up in the Lord. We’ve gone from a one bedroom apartment to a three bedroom house and from one vehicle to two. The Lord also restored and strengthened my marriage, after a brief separation when my husband first got home from prison. The devil tried to tear our marriage apart... but God!!! My life now is to serve the Lord, Adele passed the torch, and I now teach bible studies at the program, where I got saved. I have earned my G.E.D and am now attending college to earn my bachelor’s degree in the science of criminal justice with a concentration in human services. My goal is to become a substance abuse counselor. Who better to understand addiction than a former junkie, right? Doors are being opened all the time for me to reach the unreachable. I thank God and just pray He uses me for His glory more and more every day. These are by far the best years of my life, and it’s only just begun. I have faith, not to mention proof that God can do exceedingly, abundantly, far beyond all I could imagine. He has made me the head and not the tail. He has set me above and not beneath. His plan for me is for good and not for evil, to give me a hope and a future! It’s all for His glory! And the best part of it is, if He will do it for me, He will do it for anyone who calls on his Holy name! Friend, are you searching for love like I was? Are you looking for love in all the wrong places? Has your search left you addicted to drugs or alcohol? Has your search caused you to do things you never thought you would do? Do you want the white knight that rescued me to rescue to rescue you? He will if you ask Him! Call out to Him right now!

Born of Imperfect Parents - Real Life Stories Books

My parents, born of European immigrants, had attended university.

Their generations had no help for the nagging wounds of not feeling loved or worthwhile.

Despite their successes in their careers, arguing, anger, migraine headaches, and suicidal thoughts led to divorce and increased brokenness for them and us three daughters, until…

I was born of imperfect parents, inheriting their fears and coping mechanisms. This manifested in health issues, broken relationships, and our own set of compulsive behaviors, trying to reach for a relief to hide or dull our emotional pain.

At age 16, a churched boyfriend began conversing with me about the God of the Bible, His holiness, and His standard of rightness. I knew I needed Jesus as my Savior. One night, in fear of going to hell, I cried out to this Jesus. I understood that my faith in His death on the cross and His raising from the dead fully paid the price for all my wrongs. I was "justified,” just as if I had never sinned! I didn't know then that it meant the very core of living from self and for self.

My friend felt led to attend a Christian college to become a teacher. I followed, also wanting to learn more about God and the Bible. My parents, born of European immigrants, had attended university and become a teacher and a professor. Repulsed by the corrupt state church of the homeland, their generations had no help for the nagging wounds of not feeling loved or worthwhile which get triggered in the close relationships of marriage and family. Despite their successes in their careers, arguing, anger, migraine headaches, and suicidal thoughts led to divorce and increased brokenness for them and us three daughters.

I began pursuing this God, grateful to know about His love and truths hidden and revealed in the Words the Holy Spirit of God had instructed men to write. The statement that "the Bible in its original form was the Perfect and True Word of God" became one of my foundational beliefs. Hebrew and Greek courses were offered as the original languages of the Old and New Testaments, but even so young in my faith, and with no apparent proof, I questioned that Jesus and His disciples who spoke Hebrew/Aramaic would write in Greek. Through recent decades, the facts and results about the changes have become public information. I have been one among a growing quiet revival of people around the world who are seeking and returning to God's original eternal instructions.

Despite my continual seeking, reading the Bible morning and night, prayer, meaningful worship, embracing the fresh provision, and working hard to do what is right, I knew that I, and the Christians around me, still were not experiencing that unconditional love, that "inexpressible joy," the "peace that passes understanding," or the miracles of healing, casting out demons, and raising the dead which He said were the signs which would follow those who believe. Even those of us in leadership and teaching positions still suffered the same invalidation and evidence of sin, and if not honest with ourselves and others about it, hiding behind religious fronts of right-looking living, but inwardly plagued with fear, anger, judging, pride, and control along with some kind of a more acceptable or hidden "drug of choice" such as compulsive, uncontrolled eating, needing a "sugar-fix," workaholism, or pornography – all sin before a holy God. Continual strife, threat of divorce, and division in our religious circles all showed the true state of our souls.

Several decades into my journey, we were introduced and began experiencing a life-changing inner-healing ministry where these root lies and fears that control us became personally addressed by the Lord Himself, revealing His truth deep within the soul. Those who were humble and honest enough to "try it" have experienced increasing freedom and an ability to live with more compassion, understanding, and selflessness, and to be more free to seek and live God's truth – the way Yah’Shua (Jesus) did, instead of just the traditions and beliefs we have been mistaught. Through recent years, God has been showing the mixture in doctrines which had caused the divisions and lukewarmness of the faith I had embraced, revealing the true faith and obedience of our Messiah (Jesus) which He is pouring forth for such a time as this. Learning His Hebrew Name, His Days and Ways has been transforming my life to begin to show some of the true fruit of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, which can't be faked when the heat is on!

God is faithful, and He knows each heart! Those who are really seeking Truth will find Him. He can set us free from anything, including from religious facades, to a place truly in Him where one can love and forgive even those who hurt us (the true test of our faith and spirit).

May your heart hunger and experience increasingly the love of God to the fulfilling of His purpose for you into eternity!

Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books

Jim and Carla Barbarossa

Phone: 219-762-7589

Email: jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com or jim@step-by-step.org

Website: https://www.reallifestoriesbooks.com/

I WAS NOT EXPECTED TO LIVE - REAL LIFE STORIES BOOKS

In college, I took the path of having fun.

The van flipped end-over-end.

I had to hit rock bottom before I realized…

I grew up in a Christian home, attending church and hearing about God all my life. At seven, I became a Christian. I was active in church until my senior year of high school. When I took a job at local go-cart track, I usually worked late hours on Saturday evening, which caused me to start the habit of missing church the next morning. In college, I took a path of having fun rather than living for God. I had all but forgotten my spiritual commitment.

On October 2, 1982, a group of friends and I were coming home from the Winnie Texas Rice Festival, when a drunk driver struck our van, clipping off our left front wheel. The van flipped end-over-end. Two of us were thrown from the van. The other person was not injured, but my injuries were severe. The most serious were two crushed vertebrae. My parents were out of town at the time, and the doctors advised them to get to the hospital quickly as I was not expected to live through the night. When my parents arrived, the doctors told them if I did live, I would never walk again. My parents did the only thing they could do; they prayed, asking their friends to pray too. My condition began to stabilize.

During my hospital stay, I prayed and sang to God around the clock. I had to hit rock bottom before I realized my need for God. I cried out to the Lord for my healing, and He heard my prayer.

After my stay in the hospital, I was sent to the rehabilitation center to learn how to walk again. If the physical therapist asked me to do a certain exercise fifty times, I would do it one hundred times. “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” Matthew 5:41. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity God had given me to totally depend on Him. Today, even though I walk with a slight limp, I am grateful for my recovery - both physically and spiritually.

Shepherds have an interesting way of handling wayward sheep. It seems there is always one stubborn sheep that wants to wander off. The shepherd will leave the flock to find and bring the one wayward sheep home. If the sheep continues to wander, the shepherd will actually break the sheep’s leg. The shepherd will then carry the sheep on his shoulder until its leg is healed. During this time, he feeds and cares for the sheep. The sheep becomes one hundred percent dependent on the shepherd.

After that, the sheep never leaves the shepherd’s side again. What appeared at first to be a cruel act was actually very loving. If the shepherd had not disciplined the sheep, its wandering could have destroyed it. God lovingly disciplined me to bring me back to Him. I am thankful to my Savior, Jesus, for my salvation.

In talking to others about my faith, I have discovered there are many Christians who do not read God’s Word daily. I made a personal commitment not to leave my house without reading at least one Bible verse. I schedule my time in the Word every day, so I can be equipped for whatever comes my way that day.

For most of my Christian life, reading God’s Word daily was not a habit. Now, I keep the Bible on my kitchen table as a reminder to read it every morning. I like to challenge people to read the Word by asking them, “Would you leave your house without eating breakfast?” Then I follow with, “Why would you leave without feeding yourself spiritually?” Daily Bible reading will equip you to face the day.

How do you live as a Christian? Read God’s Word every day, and then obey what you read.

In conclusion, first, make Jesus once and for all, the Lord of your life: Pray Psalm 51. Read the Gospel of John and check out needGod.com.

Secondly, grow spiritually: Read God’s Word every day, and obey what you read.

Next, ask God to use you to make a difference in His Kingdom: Help others. Volunteer at church. Be a giver not just a taker.

Lastly, pray God will use you to share Christ with others: Give out Gospel tracts. Bring people to church. Study the Bible with others.

Real Life Stories Christian Testimony Books

Jim and Carla Barbarossa

Phone: 219-762-7589

Email: jimbarbarossa7@gmail.com or jim@step-by-step.org

Website: https://www.reallifestoriesbooks.com/