This is the first time I have ever posted in this section.

I have been on Mingle for 4 years, and post in the "General", or "Chit Chat" forums, but today I have a wonderful testimony to share with you all, that just happened to me!

I am a Christian, got saved while I was in jail, came out saved, quit using drugs, and became a Christian, got rebabtised, and started to attend bible study, and service every Sunday. I have been free of drugs for 4 years now. Praise Jesus!

I recently moved, and I dont own a car, I ride my bike everywhere. I have not been able, so far, to locate a church in my new area, that was close enough to ride to.

Today I was writing an email to a friend of mine on Mingle, and he had asked me about my being saved, so I dedicated the entire letter to telling him about how it all came about.

While in jail, my bunkee(who was a crack addict, and prostitute) and I deceided on day, we wanted to be saved. So we took our jailhouse issued bible in our hands, layed on the cement cell floor (because, even in the little reading of the bible I had done at that point in church, I remembered reading a verse that something something to the effect of, "as low as you can get, is as humble as you can be to Jesus")held hands, and asked to be forgiven all of our sins, and to be saved. We than started to attend church, every Sunday in jail, which was held in a classroom. This story goes on and on, but I want to get to what I came here to share.

Right in the middle of writing this email to my friend,(I started to cry, because I have missed not going to church to praise the lord), and suddenly there was a knock at my door. We NEVER have visitors, ever. I am single with no children. As I opened the door, there stood 2 young girls, with bibles in their hands, and asked to share some scripture with me. This has NEVER happened to me before, EVER! I immediately raised my hands to the lord, and praised him, and told the ladies, that I was just writing an email to my friend at Mingle, about Jesus,(which is also something ive NEVER done)and was crying because I had not yet found a church in my area, and missed worship!

They both giggled, and I said,"God sent you to me, just now, this is a miracle", and we all praised the lord. They gave me the address to their church, and told me if it was too far to ride my bike, they would happily pick me up, every Sunday, and also gave me their phone numbers.

Stories like this are too glorious not to share, so I hope you welcome it, and me, to the "Religious Forums".

God bless you all!

Luv2roknroll, Roberta

Makes me wonder how your life would have been transformed differently had you been issued the Bhagavadgita instead? Or some other spiritual doctrine.

Clearly you were intent on changing your ways in any case.

I quit all my bad habits on my own, fortunately before they got too far out of hand.

I'm glad to hear that you were able to change your attitude toward life. That's certainly a good thing whether it was a 'miracle', or simply a choice made out of desperation to change things.

The end result is good, and that's what truly matters.

So I'm glad to hear that things are working out for you.

Thank you!

The Lord works in mysterious ways!Thank the good Lord you were ready,willing & able to except him when you did!

Oh he does, doesnt he?

Like how he showed up on my doorstep today!

Praise Jesus!

AMEN!

praise the lord, great testimony luv2roknroll.

Indeed! It gave me chills, and I cant quit smiling!

Thank you,

but, God is truly fabulous!

i'm often amazed at the number of people who get on drugs, wind up in jail, find jesus and only then manage to straighten their lives out. says to me those folks often seem to have the strength to live a decent live without the aid of a dogma. most of the people in my daughter's congregation are either former gang members' drug addicts and convicted felons, imcluding the pastor, and i think i'm safe in saying that the bulk of her friends are members of her church. most of my close friends are either atheist or agnostic like me and not one has ever had a drug problem, drinking problem or a rap sheet. we've all developed our own moral and ethical compass and find it easy to live decent lives never causing harm. when eighty five percent of our extremely overcrowded prison population believes in one god or another, i can only conclude that if that were not the case our prisons would have many more beds available.

Well, not only that, but what do people who do not fall into such desperate situations have to be "saved" from?

Are the people who remain sober and law abiding sent to hell since they never fell from grace far enough to require salvation?

Or are they simply the righteous people that Jesus proclaimed do not need a spiritual doctor?

I guess that all comes down to a matter of personal interpretations of ancient scriptures there. Perhaps Jesus only came for the sinners as he himself had proclaimed?

In that case, it's nice to know that some people are indeed being 'saved'.

That's great!

EVERYONE needs to be saved, EVERYONE has sinned.

I never believed in God or a higher power, till that day in my cell. I couldnt wait to get out, to go see what a REAL church looked like, and to meet others who had found God. Im in my late 40's, so I waited a long time. And no, we didnt do it out of desperation. I believe the holy spirit, just reached out his hand, and we grabbed onto it.

I easily could have came out of jail, and continued with my old ways. Been there, done that. But it made me feel completely different, after I was saved. A new person,(and other than abusing my body with drugs, I was not a sinner), and it effected me profoundly. Since that time, I have tons of testimonials. Its almost like he REALLY wants to prove to me, that he REALLY does exiist, even though I choose to believe. Just like he did today, and that was something that in all ways, was a complete fluke, unless you figure God into the equation. Then it all makes since, as have several other happenings since I got saved.

And no, its not just me saying,"oh, that fly landed on MY arm today, because God willed it to land on MY ARM TODAY!". I am a skeptical person, but have alot of faith, now that ive seen, and felt, his love!

That sounds to me like a very personal interpretation of scriptures that themselves do not even have Jesus himself supporting that view.

But it doesn't surprise me that there exists people who pride themselves on speaking for Jesus. Evidently that kind of pride is highly contagious and attractive to many zealots who use Jesus as an excuse to become the "voice of God".

I guess that makes them feel powerful.

Well, like I say. I'm very glad to hear that you have changed your life to the better.

But your experience does not impress me personally. I've seen secular people change dramatically via their own choice to do so as well.

Besides, you can't very well give it to "God reaching out to you" because that basically flies in the face of the ideal that you are supposed to be the one who reaches out to God.

So there is a bit of a contradiction in theme there.

In other words, if all we need to do is wait for God to reach out and save us when we need to be saved, then the whole theme of Christianity where it is important for us to chose to accept Jesus as our savior FIRST pretty much dies.

So there are extreme problems with this whole ideology in general.

Just so you might better understand, when I see innocent people praising Jesus as the source of their salvation, what I can't help but notice also is how quick the fundamentalists are prepared to jump on such testimonials in an effort to proclaim that everyone needs to be 'saved' and it's up to THEM to do it!

Surely you see the paradox in the overall Orthodox system?

A testimonial of a person who is "miraculously saved" by a demigod through no "desperation" of their own, and that testimonial being used as fodder by religious fundamentalists who hold out that all people need to be 'saved' and it's up to THEM to make the choice to be saved.

That's an oxymoron right there.

If Jesus "saved" you without you desperately reaching out to "be saved" then clearly he can save anyone without them desperately reaching out to be "saved" either.

It can't be BOTH WAYS simultaneously. It can only be one OR the other.

Either YOU saved yourself by desperately turning to Jesus and asking to BE SAVED, or Jesus miraculously reached out and 'saved' you out of the blue as some sort of miracle.

Can you make up your mind?

Which was it?

Well, if that's true then you should be the first to recognize that a lot of people are probably not sinners.

I personally don't use drugs.

I don't even drink alcohol save for maybe having very small amounts with a meal on very rare or special occasions.

So what exactly was the "miracle" here?

That you quit using drugs?

Is that supposed to be the "miracle" that Jesus offers?

I thought the "miracle" was a gift of everlasting life?

I thought that was supposed to be the "miracle" of being saved?

Being saved, for me personally, has been a series of miracles, from the first day I was saved, and they just keep on happening, all the time.

Jesus IMO offers more than just being saved! He offers guidance, love, strenth, faith, hope, joy, and light. He offers a better way to live here now, and eternal life after you die.

roberta, i know you are excited about sharing what has happened to you. you posted your story and other people are going to comment. opinions are going to vary, and you should not take it as a personal attack. talk to your pastor, he can explain any questions YOU have, not questions being raised on a public forum. if anyone has questions there are plenty of rabbis, priests, pastors, or theologians that can be of service

I am but a baby Christian, and have no desire to argue with you about God, or be right, or wrong, in the conversation.

I simply came here to share a wonderful testimony, with others who love God, and know of his miracles. And it was lovingly accepted by all but you, who want to make a moral discussion, out of it, which I will not do! Not because I cant, but I have no desire to!

Ok, so we reached out, whatever , but it wasent out of desperation, its because one day we just wanted to, for no particular reason.

God works in mysterious ways, I believe he touched our hearts that day, I dont care personally, how you view it, if all you want to do is be right in this conversation, but I assure you of this, I did not come to Jesus out of this desperation you cling to so tightly!

I love God, and I see no rights, or wrongs, in that sister. I simply see happiness and joy!

If I am not gramaticly proper, in the way I speak of Jesus, I personally dont think he, or anyone else on this thread, cares, so save all of that breath for prayer, or someone who wants to argue about Jesus, instead of glow in his light!

He love me, he loves us all, and thats a beautiful thing!

A thing to be praised, not to be argued about sister!

God Bless You!

Thank you Ese for having my back

but I can handle this one.

And although it might sound a little like it, NO offense is being taken by me.

Bless you brother!