Already a Christian:
Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels
Becoming A Contagious Christian by Bill Hybels
Case for Faith by Lee Strobel
His Needs Her Needs by Willard F. Harley Jr.
Loving God by Charles W. Colson
Every Man's Battle by Stephen Arterburn
Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Seven Promises Of A Promise Keeper by Jack Hayford

List goes on and on if you need more. You know, I will post more later.

Recommended!!!

Thanks for sharing... great testimoney.  Isn't it awesome how perfect God the father is in his qualities of being a father. 

Reading my book, Loving God by Charles Colson, I decided to share part of a passage in the book:

"Mother Teresa's definition may sound rather nebulous to many Christians who have from childhood associated holiness with a long string of do's and don'ts.  But seeing hoiness only as rule-keeping breeds serious problems:  first, it limits the scope of true biblical holiness, which must affect every aspect of our lives.  Second, even though the rules may be biblically based, we often end up obeying the rules rather than obeying God; concern with the letter of the law can cause us to lose its spirit."

"Third, empashis on rule keeping deludes us into thinking we can be holy through our efforts.  But there can be no holiness apart from the work of the Holy Spirit- in quickening us through through the convicton of sin and bringing us by grace to Christ, and in sanctifying us -for it is grace that causes us to even want to be holy."

"And finally, our pious efforts can become ego-gratifying, as if holy living were some kind of spiritual beauty contest.  Such self-centered spirituality in turn leads to self-righteousness -the very opposite of the selfessness of true holiness."

I will tell you the truth; my relationship with Jesus didn’t start out by wanting a relationship with specifically him but a relationship with my friends.  I was about 8 years old when I moved to my new home in Argyle, Texas and most of all the friends I made seem to go to church.  Well, guess where I spent a lot of my time, yes, at the church. That was the beginning of God putting building blocks in place to build my relationship with Jesus.

      In elementary and middle school, I was involved with the church in overnights at the church, going to summer camp, Wednesday night youth, Six Flags, Wet’n Wild, going to vacation bible school, singing in the choir, acting in church plays, really just about everything. Again, most of my desire to be at church was not to grow as a Christian and build a spiritual foundation with Jesus but because I was with my friends and we always had a good time in everything we did.  I finally accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was ten. I went through ups and downs with my spiritual growth up through high school, but there was no permanent growth, no real growth, just spiritual highs from church retreats, lock-ins from the past weekend, or any other special events we went too.

      I didn’t start to have a personal relationship with Jesus until something in my life happened and I was told by God that now was the time you will have to rely on me, and only me.  Though at the time I didn’t know why, and felt like I was being punished, it started a growth in my spirituality because I had to rely solely on God.  It set a spark in me that drove me to learn more about my faith, who was Jesus exactly and what does he stand for, how to become a stronger Christian, and not just be the bare minimum; from then I learned so much about myself and about God. 

     The difference Jesus has made in me is at such great links it can not be measured, but only described. I guess I have always been considered along the lines of a good kid on the surface, but deep down I finally realized I didn’t have God’s wisdom, guidance or desire in me. Though it took some time the things I learned were: I finally realized it’s not about me, God needs to be trusted, everything has a purpose, it takes time, get your priorities straight, God has a better view than I do, life on earth is temporary, God’s grace and love knows no bounds, and Jesus is truly all that we need to make life worth living.  This is really scratching the surface of what I learned, but you have to start somewhere, right?  By my being forced to rely on God was the best thing that could have happen to me, but at the time I thought it was the worst.

      R.C. Sproul said, “We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners.”  There is so much truth in that statement; we are all sinners and need God’s forgiveness; the best part is God is ready to forgive, we just need to ask.
     
     It’s not when you start putting God first in your life that you will see a new outlook on life; things that once mattered so much don’t seem to matter anymore and things that were neglected are all you care about.  Describing having Jesus Christ in your life in words to me can be compared to being in love.  You can’t really see love, but you can feel it and know love when it hits you.
     
     I have a finance driven mind that makes decisions on cost benefit analysis, opportunity costs, net present value, internal rates of return, and bottom line numbers, but Jesus taught me that monetary gain is not the reason to live but to live for Christ by sharing your God given passions in the name of the Lord, telling the good news about Jesus, it’s about your life lessons, family, and about building relationships.

     God never gave up on me and we will never give up on you.  Few to none are truly worthy of God’s grace, but that’s the beauty of it, we don’t have to be; all we need is a humble heart that is willing to accept Jesus Christ into our lives.  Remember “Salvation is as close as your own heart and mouth.” And whether you’re young or old, it’s never too late to understand “who you are is God’s gift to you; who you become is your gift to God.”

Thanks

This is my first time to write my testimony up and share it; I hope it makes sense.

Prayerfrom Texas

Remember church is a hospital for Christians... not a place for Christians to show how good they are. 

Found this on the internet and thought I would share.  I don't know if it has been posted before so if it has I'm sorry.

A  BEAUTIFUL PRAYER
 
  I asked God to take away my habit.
  God said, No.
  It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
  I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
  God said, No.
  His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary
  I asked God to grant me patience.
  God said, No.
  Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
  it isn't granted, it is learned.
  I asked God to give me happiness.
  God said, No.
  I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.
  I asked God to spare me pain.
  God said, No.
  Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares
  and brings you closer to me.
  I asked God to make my spirit grow.
  God said, No.
  You must grow on your own! ,
  but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
  I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
  God said, No.
  I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.
  I ask God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
  God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.