More traumas that have affected my life

Some things that were traumas in my life have left their marks on me and in me. They have become a shaping and moulding influence for me in several ways. I have been sharing them with you and here is a third ordeal that had a lasting effect on my life.

This third thing was a near tragic accident that our family was involved in one Sunday afternoon as we were out for a drive. A young man ran a stop sign and hit my dads car full force throwing my mother out the door of the car for about 25 feet and my brother into a culvert on the side of the road. There were no seat belts in those days in the 1950's.

The most vivid thing for me, as an 8 year old boy, was the waking up in the arms of a stranger with my dads white shirt wrapped around my head and it was soaked and all red with my blood. I looked up into the face of a lady that helped to comfort me until an ambulance could take me to a nearby hospital. I had two gashes in my head from the broken glass inside the car. One was by my temple and one in the back of my head. I remember being on an operating table and them sticking a needle into the gash in the back of my head, both to probe for glass and to apply some medication so they could stitch me up.

My mother was hurt the worst of all of us having flown some 20 plus feet out of the car landing in the cinders along side of the road. It was winter time and they used cinders to spread on the roads then. She remained in the hospital for two weeks or so after the accident. My aunt Dot stayed with us for those weeks while my mom was in the hospital and my dad worked. My brother, who had a big bruise on the lower middle of his back, and I missed over a week of school at that time as well. My aunt taught us to crochet while we were home from school.

I remember that before the accident my dad couldn't talk because he had laryngitis but afterward he could talk fine. All he got out of the accident was a banged up knee as far as injuries go.

There was a lady at the scene of the accident that asked my father if anybody was hurt. He was standing there in the freezing cold with his jacket unzipped and no shirt on because it was around my bleeding head and the ambulances were there loading up people to take them to the hospital. He just walked away from her because as far as he was concerned it was a very dumb question.

In the other car a teenage girl had gone through the windshield of the car and her face was messed up quite badly. I did not see her but heard the people talking about the terribleness of it all.

Both cars were totaled and had to be towed to the junk yard. I went with my dad to get our stuff out of the car after about a week or two. We had some fishing rods and a few other things that were still OK after all the crunching of the metal and slamming up against a telephone pole when the car finally came to a stop.

I know most people have read the Footprints Poem or at least heard of it. Well through it all I believe the Lord carried me because He had a plan for my life and it didn't include going out into a Christless eternity. My life was preserved to allow me to get to the place where I received the Lord as my Saviour and He called me to preach the unsearchable riches of God.

Reflect on your life and you will see the hand of God all along the way as He kept giving opportunity to receive salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ. GOD IS GOOD!

Be blessed
Pastor Kitner

More traumas that have affected my life.

Some things that were traumas in my life have left their marks on me and in me. They have become a shaping and moulding influence for me in several ways.
Trauma number two in the line of things that have affected my life growing up even until now is also as a young child. We lived in the Homestead area of Pittsburgh at that time. Some neighbor teens were hitting a basketball with a baseball bat and as children do things without thinking of any consequences, I went in to close to the fellow swinging the bat. I was behind him and he was not aware that I had wondered in. Needless to say this is not a good combination and as he swung the bat it connected with the ball and as the bat came around it also connected with my head. It knocked my silly and as I recollect even now everyone there was so concerned with me and wanted to help and/or see if I was OK. People were talking to me, looking into my eyes, putting ice on my head and holding me.
In those days there was no 911 emergency number to call and I never went to the hospital or saw a doctor.
I have a bump on my forhead to this day and I am 66 years old now. It serves to remind me to be cautious and also to walk in obedience. I was 3 or 4 at that time and did not listen to my parents who had told me not to go to close to the kids that were hitting the ball....but...
I guess it can be a reminder to walk in obedience as I follow after the Lord because there are some consequences that will follow if you don't. Obedience is always better than sacrifice in our life.

Be blessed in your day
Pastor Kitner

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Traumas of Life

Traumas of Life

I want to share some of life's traumas with you that still have some affect on my life. I was prompted to do this as I am reviewing the book called "Soul Print" by Mark Batterson. Things that happen to us in the course of life affect us in so many different ways, some good and some not so good. Trauma always has the "right now affect" and is right there in our faces but as I reflected on some points in the book I began to see that I still have some things that not only had the "right now affect" but also still has some input into my life today.

Over the course of the next week or so I will blog about some of the things that were brought to my mind's eye as I reflected on my past. I thought I would only have one or two things but it turns out to be quite a few more than I thought.

The first traumatic experience that came to me as I began to reflect back on my life was the recollection of how my dad, who was then a very strong steel worker and ex Marine, used to hold me up on the railing of a bridge when I was about 4 years old. I was afraid and it affected me into my adult life. I had looked at it as a negative but as I write this I see something that I missed for all these years. My father always had a strong grip on me and I was not in danger of falling. It reminds me of our heavenly Father who takes us to new heights that sometimes cause us to be fearful but as we look at Him and understand just who He is,we see that He has a strong grip on us and He will never leave us or forsake us. We can trust in the Lord with all of our heart and lean not to our own understanding, in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths. The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord. His perfect love does indeed cast out all fear.

Be encouraged in the Lord today and His peace be unto you. As you reflect on some of your own traumatic life events allow God to bring a fresh revelation to you of how what seemed like negatives can be positives as we see not only the event but perhaps a spiritual truth of how God is involved with us.

Blessings
Pastor Chuck

The Power of a Whisper by Bill Hybels

I just finished The Power of a Whisper by Bill Hybels. It is a book of both testimony and stepping out in faith by following the whispers of God. On the cover of the book I have it says "Hearing God, Having the Guts to Respond", thus laying out the idea of challenge in the life of those who would read the book.

What I see in the book is the process of a growing relationship with the Lord by acts of responding in obedience to the whispers of God, often called promptings but none the less hearing the voice of God in one way or another. God speaks so the question is: Are we listening? How we respond determines our testimony or lack of one.

The book presents the fact that God wants to guide us through every area of our life. We must build our relationship and trust in God as we walk with Him day in and day out. There are examples throughout the book for us to gain insight from showing us the blessing that comes from obeying the voice of God.

Revelation 12:11(KJV)
11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

The book is about dying to self and living unto the Lord becoming a source of encouragement to others as they see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Both informative and instructional this book brings a challenge to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Saviour with helpful insights for daily life.

I would recommend the book to both those more mature in their faith for encouragement and to those that are seeking answers as to how to be led of the Spirit as sons/daughters of God for instruction.

Be Blessed
Pastor Kitner

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Book Review

I am reading Mark Batterson's book "Soul Print" now for review. I will publish my review on this book in a few days hopefully. So far it is a good read. It is a book about you but not about you at all he says. We'll see.

I received this copy of "Soul Print" for free from WaterBrook Multnoma Publishing Group for this review.

Book is sent free for my blogging about it Click and find out more here.