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April 20, 1999. Littleton, Colorado. Two students who attended Columbine High School opened fire on fellow students and faculty members. Put yourself in the place of those who feared for their lives. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold asked for those who were Christian to stand up. One student, a senior, Lauren Townsend, did just that. When she did, she was shot and killed. Did Lauren know that she was going to die because she was a Christian? Did she know she would be killed because of her faith? Only she can answer that. But that got me to thinking, if you were in her shoes, and you knew that you would die if you announced your faith, would you stand up? Of couse, the obvious answer for everyone to say is "Yes", but would you really? If you knew that your life would end, would you TRULY announce your faith? I admire Lauren Townsend for what she did and for openly professing her faith. I hope to meet her in Heaven one day. But again, I ask you, would you claim your christianity? Or will you be like Peter and deny Him just so that your life can continue? If you were in Lauren's shoes, honestly, truthfully, without a doubt, would you stand up?

The conversation


One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise.
Ah the beauty of God's creation is beyond description.
As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work.
As I sat there, I felt the Lord's presence with me.
He asked me,
"Do you love me?"

I answered,
"Of course, God! You are my Lord and Savior!"

Then He asked,
"If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?"
I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn't be
able to do, the things that I took for granted.

And I answered,
"It would be tough Lord, but I would still love You."

Then the Lord said,
"If you were blind, would you still love my creation?"

How could I love something without being able to see it?
Then I thought of all the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His creation.

So I answered,
"Its hard to think of it, but I would still love you."

The Lord then asked me,
"If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?"

How could I listen to anything being deaf?
Then I understood. Listening to God's Word
is not merely using our ears, but our hearts.

I answered,
"It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your word."

The Lord then asked,
"If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?"

How could I praise without a voice? Then it occurred to me: God wants us to sing from our very heart and soul. It never matters what we sound like. And praising God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise with our words of thanks.

So I answered,
"Though I could not physically sing, I would still
praise Your Name.

And the Lord asked,
"Do you really love Me?"

With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly,
"Yes Lord! I love You because You are the one and true God!"

I thought I had answered well, but God asked,
"THEN WHY DO YOU SIN?"

I answered,
"Because I am only human. I am not perfect."

"THEN WHY IN TIMES OF PEACE
DO YOU STRAY THE FURTHEST?
WHY ONLY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
DO YOU PRAY THE EARNEST?"

No answers. Suddenly the tears came falling down like rain from the corners of my eyes.My Heart was broken with a sorrow & sadness that I've never felt before.I fell down to my knees in prayer.Asking the Lord for His forgiveness & to have mercy on me !!!I'm so sorry O Lord ...

The Lord continued:
"Why only sing at fellowships and retreats?
Why seek Me only in times of worship? Why ask things so
selfishly? Why ask things so unfaithfully?"

The tears continued to roll down my cheeks.
"Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the good news? Why in times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name?"

I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give.
"You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift
away. I have blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you
continue to turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you but your ears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, but your eyes were turned away. I have sent you servants, but you sat idly by as they were pushed away. I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all. DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME ?"

I could not answer. How could I? I was embarrassed beyond
belief. I had no excuse. What could I say to this? When I my
heart had cried out and the tears had flowed, I said,

"Please forgive me Lord. I am unworthy to be Your child."

The Lord answered,
"That is My Grace, My child."

I asked,
"Then why do you continue to forgive me? Why do You
love me so?"

The Lord answered,
"Because you are My creation. You are my child.
I will never abandon you.I will never forsake you.You are my masterpiece, my work of art.My Love for you is unfailing and for eternity !

When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you.
When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you.
When you are down, I will encourage you.
When you fall, I will raise you up.
When you are tired, I will carry you.
I will be with you till the end of days, and I will
love you forever."

Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold?
How could I have hurt God as I had done?
I asked God,
"How much do You love me?"

The Lord stretched out His arms,
and I saw His nail-pierced hands.
I bowed down at the feet of Christ, my Savior.
And for the first time, I truly prayed with all of my Heart & soul.

A heavenly peace came over me straight to my Heart that I've never felt before.For the Lord's love is perfect, constant, and He is Faithful til the end !!!

FOOTPRINTS...A New Version

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together.
For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, rarely varying the pace.
But your footprints are a disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, circles, departures, and returns.
For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently.
You and Jesus are walking as true friends!
This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps.
Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one.
This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change.
The footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger.
Eventually they disappear altogether.
There is only one set of footprints. They have become one.
This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints is back.
This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place.
Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand.
A variable mess of prints.
You are amazed and shocked.
Your dream ends. Now you pray:
"Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits.
I was a new Christian; I was just learning.
But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You."
"That is correct."
"And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps, following You very closely."
"Very good.. You have understood everything so far."
When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way."
"Precisely."
"So, Lord, was there a regression or something?
The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first."
There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice.
"You didn't know? It was then that we danced!"