Testimonies
Jeremy Malone,
For the first time in my life tonight (April 18th, 2010) i felt horrible for not saying anything when the floor was open at our church. To sit there and be silent when knowing that God has done so much for me has been tearing at me since church let out. For years I went to church going through the motions... I would get there after sunday school and look at my watch until service was over... Now Stephanie and I have a great church where we have learned more about God than I have in 24 years and we are involved actively in the worship service... I am closer to God than I've ever been so much that I am so interested in the next sermon that it kills me to even miss a service, I really hope I get on days soon so I can start going on Wed. Nights b/c we have a great pastor who doesn't tell you what to do, but teaches you how you should live your life for God... I think God so much I could sit here and write a book about all the things he has done both for me and Stephanie....Give Praise to the Lord!!!!!!!!!!
Sherry Covington,
How can I say GOD IS GOOD in a way that expresses how great he is?!? Words cannot do justice to explaining His unspeakable magnificence! It really pushed me/my busy-ness/mental stress to attend church and VBS, I had to make myself go. What blessings I would have missed had I not gone! I needed learning, singing, teaching and preaching as much, or more than, anyone there and I am so glad I was a part! During the last two weeks my sister-in-law found out that she has incurable, fast eating, cancer. She had almost chosen not to take treatments because she wanted to spend her final days with her family, but she was told without treatment she would surely die within a month. As Wayne and I sat with her listening to her tell of making her funeral arrangements with her son and preparing to die, it was almost unbearable emotionally. Regaining our composure, we assured her that God is here, and would see her through whatever comes. She bravely said she wasn't perfect, she had done a lot of things wrong, but she was ready to go. How that makes us reexamine our lives and bring our faults humbly to God! Also, the everyday ongoing struggle Drew faces, affects our whole family, because we love him. It is so difficult to watch your son battle with addiction knowing that you can do nothing to make/help him stop. Knowing that he has such potential, if only He would let God have control of his life. It is very difficult to let go and let God handle him. Also, a dear friend of mine asked me to go with her to talk with her sister-in-law who has an addiction problem. The confusing and emotional conversation with her, lead to presenting the gospel, to offering rehab help, to giving her food, a Bible, clothes, and shelter for the night. After praying with her, at midnight we left her in God's hands. All this has made me realize how Great God truly is! How very blessed I am to have a God who cares for the children(VBS), the sick(Lorene), the addicts(Drew 24yrs), the mother(45 yrs?) and He cares for you and me. I ask please, will you pray for me to be what God wants me to be? Pray that God will give me the mind of Christ, so that others will see Him in me. (June 30th, 2010)
Stephanie Malone,
Isn't it amazing how God works in our lives?? I went to Clear Springs Baptist Church my whole life it was all I ever new My mom grew up there and her dad went there and his parents and there parents and on and on up my family tree. Jeremys family went there too but as a teenager he mostly attended Oak
Grove Baptist Church. When we started dating of course he starting going to Clear Springs with me We were married there. I worked every sunday I had tried and tried to get sundays off at work with no luck. Over a year passsed and let me tell you it was a really hard year Jeremy and I had fights and problems like you would not believe.The whole time I prayed for God to help Jeremy to have a closer relationship with his Savior like I did (or thought I did). I wont go into detail about why but we were not happy at clear springs. For months Jeremy had begged me to go to Oak Grove. "Just try it" hed say "if you dont like it we dont have to go back". But I wouldnt I couldnt leave the only place id ever known. Finally one Sunday I had had enough something happened that sent me over the edge. Were going to Oak Grove next sunday I said on the car ride home Jeremy said yeah right ive heard that before I mean it i said and this time I did. So the next sunday We went. At the time I desperately wanted to have a baby and was crushed months later when it just wasnt happening. That sunday morning Christy Lasher sung the verses to a song the choir sung and I dont remember the name of the song or even the words The song was about hope and not losing your faith in God and how in his time things work for the better. I remember sitting at my seat wiping tears and being so touched by God and thinking how I hadnt felt that way in a very long time. It was December so the church did a play that morning We loved it it was wonderful the way I felt there But I couldnt leave my church Not long after that Oak Groves Preacher Derek and one of the deacons Jackie came to our house to visit us and it made me want to cry We were so touched that someone cared enough about us and wanted us to be a part of there church and cared enough to come to our home and visit us. I remember sitting in our living room after they left and sitting in silence until Jeremy said I cant believe thay came. But they had and it touched us in a way I will never be able to explain. I called My Mom to tell her how they had came to see us I had to tell someone But Mom just said oh thats nice and thats when I knew that this was going to hurt my family it would be hard for them to understand if we did decide to join there. We started going to Oak Grove every sunday morning (I had asked off for the Sunday in december) But still going to Clear Springs sunday night. Next thing we knew January came and on January 10th We joined :) I just knew it was right It was the best feeling. My mom was even happy for us. My papaw was the hard one but he is gradually coming around. We started going to sunday school something we had stopped doing all together at Clear Springs. Fights were less and less We were so much closer to each other because we were closer to God. Jeremy now has a big part in the service he controls the churches laptop and watching him that first sunday I thought my heart would burst see God couldn't answer my prayer till I went along with his plan. It was hard leaving my church It was probably one of the hardest things ive ever done and I will always miss it to a certain extent. But what I have now is so much more precious a church where I feel God every sunday A better home life because of it and already I can see how it has made me a better Woman I am so much closer to God and Have so much more hope about a family in the future because God has a Plan We just gotta follow where he leads and Great things will happen. Oak Grove Baptist Church has changed our lives all with the help of Jesus Christ.
