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Edition 248 – Story of Impact


STORY OF IMPACT


Dear friends, I received this story several days ago. It was a great blessing to me, and once again illustrates the powerful impact of this ministry, and these Thoughts Provoking articles. This story is from a man I have been mentoring and praying for over the last several years. He has suffered several excruciating ordeals, the kind that can crush a man’s will to go on. His story is a testimony of the impact these weekly articles can have when someone reads them with a hunger to absorb them and take them to heart. It illustrates the power of choice!

I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting this vital ministry work and making this all possible.

Hi Pastor Mark,

Speaking of Choices…

Weeks ago when I read your article about Life After Loss, for the next several days I found myself in a mighty struggle, wrestling and battling with the question of whether or not I would believe this for myself and for my own life. Could God really have life for me after my loss? Could I walk in faith looking ahead to his (abundantly greater) goodness? Initially I met these questions with feelings of doubt, defeat and unbelief, resigned and willing to live under the pile of the wreckage until I’m finally with the Lord. But after a week of wrestling and taking this to the Lord in my prayer walks, I came to the decision that I need not live underneath the wreckage and instead will take fresh steps and will choose to believe this for my life, taking one day at a time as God directs me into whatever new life he is writing. I am choosing to believe that good will come and that God has (great) blessing in store for me, and so I will align my life, my walk, my attitude, my expectations, and my decision-making to this very reality. In recent weeks I have been washed over by serenity and calmness, a deep gladness in who God is, what his love means to me, his wonderfulness, and his breath-taking beauties reflected in his created world. And just last week I happened to stumble on the photo below and I thought “Wow! What a picture of deciding to choose life after loss, choose life after death… and see just what God will do, and look forward to what he has in store.”

Photo of a new tree growing out of an old dead tree

“a picture of deciding to choose life after loss, choose life after death”

Friends, I would love to hear your story of how God used a specific article in your life to bring you to a new understanding, or helped you in some specific way. Your life matters to me. Please write to me at markstephendarling@gmail.com and share it with me.

May God richly bless each and every one of you today in your walk with Jesus Christ!

Helping you become a Strong Disciple,

Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling

← Edition 249 – The Verse Journal-Get Them One
Edition 247 – Choices →
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