HOPE for the Holidays - Day 14

My Phillip and me, September 10, 1977

"...The Lord will be the HOPE of His people..." (Joel 3:16 KJV)


Story of HOPE:

        My Phillip asked me three times to marry him before I said yes. (Of course, the first two times I was still a teenager!) I'm very thankful my man gave me another chance to become his bride.

A young man in our church recently shared his second chance story:

        I grew up in Natchitoches, Louisiana, attending church with two godly parents. In high school, I took up football, and a couple of years down the line I chose to play for Auburn University...I was aware that I had a special ability from God to do something huge.
      Then my life took a drastic turn for the worse. I chose to turn away from from the awesome teammates, coaches, and the great chaplain that  God put at Auburn...I consumed myself with darkness, music, movies, TV, drugs, and friends...my deliverance began when I was sentenced to five years in federal prison. [In prison], I witnessed the light and love of God that would change the course of history for me!
       [After prison], I asked my mom and dad if they would open their home to their prodigal son. I came back to Birmingham with no job, clothes, money, car, friends, mentor, church or pastor...I was still on supervised release, meaning I had to wear an ankle monitor. I couldn't go beyond 15 feet of my home except to work and church once a week, and the church had to be within 5 miles...I asked my dad about some of the churches nearby, and he told me about Church of the Highlands...
       The church is truly the HOPE of the world, and my story is a testament to that. Now, my mom, dad, and I are leading a small group, and my wife and I are both pursuing the call of God at Highlands College.
        I praise God for the...gift of second chances at Church of the Highlands!1

O Father God of second, third, and to the stars and back chances, please encourage someone today who in need of another chance. Help them believe that all things are possible through Jesus, who is able to redeem lives from the darkness and transform them in His marvelous light!


1 CHURCH OF THE HIGHLANDS: LEGACY pamphlet, 2013