Need help with life? Read this then!
Want to be a Christian? Read this then!
A bunch of inspiring Bible verses and quotes that I hope will help y'all with life struggles. I will sometimes talk about the verse too.
All Bible verses are in the ESV ve...
WARNING: this is a true story. This was written by Mick Vigneulle, as told to Dr. Gary Cramer. It's in Mick's POV. Just telling you. He with his twin, Rick, came to our school and he let us take a booklet thing so I have decided to spread it with you guys b/c it has an important message.
Disclaimer: These are not my words. These are all Mick's. I'm just passing it on to you great readers. Enjoy!
"Half Dome. In 1865, this shining star of the Yosemite Valley was declared to be "perfectly inaccessible" and "probably the only one of the prominent points about Yosemite which has never been, and never will be trodden by human foot." Ten years later claimed George Anderson would reach the summit.
Now, there are two ways that you can get to the top of Half Dome. One is to hike a route that will take you up at least 400 feet using cables. Today, thousands of people retrace the route George Anderson and make sixteen-mile round trip trek to the top where they are rewarded with a magnificent view. The second way you climb to the top is to tackle the Northwest Face, a 2,000-foot vertical ascent that takes most people two days. It is this more difficult route that our son, Drew, dreamed of navigating.
Some would say Drew loved the adrenaline rush that came from "taking chances" and living on the edge. In many ways, the mystery of the unknown, thrill of adventure, and risk of treading down a trail that others might not take, defined his life. From navigating unthinkable routes as he climbed the boulders at the rock preserve near our home to the beating he subjected his body to as a result of his love for skiing or longboarding (the act of hitching a ride onto a motor vehicle while riding on a skateboard), Drew took risk that very few people were willing to take!
That same risk taker surfaced in its purest form in terms of his friends. If you were inside the mainstream of culture as one who was part of the more popular crowd or felt like a loner on the outside of culture as one who rebuffed it, Drew took chances investing his life in you. As one who was closest to him said, "Everybody felt like they were Drew's best friend and that Drew was theirs."
Drew aspired to be outdoors in any capacity and teamed to be camping, hiking, fishing, or hunting. Nothing was left to chance when it came to having his tree stand placed in the most strategic location for that year's hunt. Drew would spend hours scoping out the right place that would give him any advantage he could gain.
The last time we spoke to Drew he was on his way out the door to the tree stand that he has strategically placed the day before. When the sun had set and Drew was not back, I jumped in our vehicle to find our son. With headlights on, I drove along the property line of our farm, stopping periodically to call out his name and look for any sign of Drew walking toward me with rifle in hand.
The longer I drove, the darker the dusk. The darker the dusk, the more I began to think that this might not end well. I drove down the tree line that divided the two hayfields on our 150-acre farm. There was no mistaking Drew's hunting balaclava (or hood) spotted in the distant tree stand as the van's headlights fixed their beams upon the flash of fluorescent orange. Once arriving at the spot, I ran behind the privet and clump of trees that now camouflaged his position. With flashlights in hand, I reluctantly looked upon to the tree and found our son hanging by the safety straps that prevented him from falling to the ground. As I called out to him several times ... my heart was breaking ... there was no movement ... the silence was deafening. The very safety straps that were to minimize risk and preserve his life, ended up taking his life by cutting off the blood supply, rendered him unconscious, and within moments caused his heart to drum its final beat. The one time our risk taker put his trust in his safety belt, the belt failed him.
But Drew's story does not end there. The moment at which his heart took its last beat, our son entered eternity and met his Creator God. When it came to his eternity, there was no risk worth taking that might find his soul relegated to an eternity without hope. The Bible tells us, "It is appointed into men to die once, and after this comes judgement." (Hebrew 9:27) Just as you and I live, we shall also die. What have done to eliminate your risk? What have you done to prepare?
Like Drew, whose safety belt in the tree stand came up short, you may be counting on a safety net that will ultimately fail you. Are you counting on the fact that your good deeds will outnumber you bad? Isaiah 64:6 reminds that "all of out good deeds are like filthy rags" when it comes to preparing us for eternity. They are good for nothing. Many are counting on church membership or even being involved in church activity for their safety net. I'm Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, "not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of Heaven."
What will your eternity look like should your safety nets fail you? In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me." He is not "a" way or just one of many options. He is THE way; the ONLY way. Jesus is the only safety net that will never fail on the Day of Judgement that awaits everyone. His death paid the price for the sin that stands between a holy God and is. His resurrection from the dead announced that the price was paid once and for all! God's word (the Bible) tells us that the only way Christ's work becomes real in our lives is when we personally trust in His work and receive the gift of eternal life. In John 3:16 Jesus says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
While there are two routes by which one can make it to the top of Half Dome, there is only one route to an eternity of everlasting hope with God, and goes through Jesus Christ and His work on our behalf. John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."
There are calculated risks and then there are foolish risks. Calculated risks determine that the end result is worth the uncertainty. Foolish risks never consider how their decisions affect the future. Our son, Drew, knew the difference and lived his life accordingly. There can be no greater foolish risk than taking a chance with your eternity.
Drew's death brings us all face to face with our morality. "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what the day may bring" (Prov. 27:1). If Drew's story has prompted you to hit the pause button, and consider you own eternity, then our pain will have not been in vain.
Why risk your eternity another moment? Why don't you trust in Jesus Christ today to be your safety net? Jesus is the only safety net that will never fail in the Day of Judgement that awaits everyone. Let God know of your decision to follow Him by confessing it to him through a simple prayer lie my this:
"Dear Jesus, without you I have no hope for eternity. I am separated from God because of my sin. Today, I want to receive the Gift of eternal life that comes from placing my faith in you for forgiveness of my sin. I thank you that my standing with God is not based on how good I can be, but on how perfect You are as the sacrifice that paid for my sin. Thank you for saving me! From this day forward I want to live my life in such a way that people see You in me. Amen." ________________________ If you have made a decision to follow Christ, we would be touched beyond words and we would love to hear from you. Please contact Mick and Sue Vigneulle at mickandsue@gmail.com.
And, for more information about how to KNOW you are going to Heaven, please visit www.scalefrom1-10.com . "
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❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I think that was my longest chapter in this little book. 1492 words! Hey that's when Columbus sailed the ocean blue😆!
Anyway I just wanted to share that with y'all! Have a great day!
