She Wasn't Expecting This to Happen

My daughter Hannah practiced for several weeks for the high school varsity cheerleader tryouts. She had been a junior varsity cheerleader, and only 3 varsity spots were open in a school of 2,000 students. Her best friend, Melissa, who was already a varsity cheerleader, practiced with Hannah every day to help her win one of the vacant spots. They kept talking about how fun it would be to cheer together. Melissa taught her the proper way to jump and how to always keep a smile on her face. She kept telling her, “You can do it, Hannah! I know you can!”

Over 100 girls showed up to compete for the 3 spots. The results would be posted at 9:45 pm. At 10:00 pm, Hannah came home, sobbing uncontrollably. My wife and I rushed over to comfort her. I told her, “It’s okay that you didn’t make varsity. We’re glad that you tried.”

Hannah continued to cry. She finally settled down and said, “I did make the varsity, but the judges demoted Melissa from varsity to junior varsity and gave me her place on varsity. I hurt so badly for her. She’s devastated!”

We were stunned. In a weird twist of fate, Hannah took Melissa’s position on varsity, and Melissa took Hannah’s position on J.V. “I don’t want to be a varsity cheerleader now,” Hannah said. “I’m going to ask for my junior varsity position back so Melissa can stay on varsity.” I told her, “I don’t think the judges would allow that.”

Hannah got up and drove over to Melissa’s house, where they cried together. She didn’t want to leave her alone, so that night she slept on the floor next to her friend.

I always enjoyed watching Hannah lead cheers at football games, but my fondest memory was when she demonstrated the love of Jesus and slept on the floor next to a hurting friend. Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:39), and we’ll never be able to do this until we first feel the pain that they feel.   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net 

The Preacher Who Lost His Voice

 The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

Some people believe God healed people in biblical times, but they’re not sure if He still heals today because they know some people who weren’t healed. However, just because someone isn’t healed doesn’t mean that no one can be healed today. While some people claim God healed them, it’s not often when a miracle is caught on a recording. The following healing was actually captured on audio:

Duane Miller was pastor of First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas. In 1990, he lost his voice due to a virus that infiltrated the nerves in his vocal cords. Over the next 3 years he went to 63 specialists, who told him he would never speak normally again. Even so, he continued to teach the Bible in a loud whisper to the best of his ability.

In 1993, he was teaching a church class on Psalm 103, which was being recorded on audio. As he was teaching through his whisper, he said, “The Psalmist says, ‘Bless the Lord oh my soul.’ One of the benefits is ‘He heals all my diseases.’ In verse 4 He says, ‘and redeems my life from the pit.’ Now, I like that verse a whole lot…”

At that moment, he felt something happen in his throat. He stopped whispering and started talking! As he continued to speak, his voice got stronger and clearer. He paused, realizing he had just been miraculously healed, and said, “I don’t understand this right now. I’m a bit overwhelmed by the moment…” The class was stunned, realizing they had just witnessed a miraculous healing, and started cheering.

As he choked back tears, he continued, “I’m, uh… sounds funny to say, I’m at a loss for words! Thank you Lord!” Miller has continued to speak normally since that day. We serve a living God who still does miracles because Jesus said, “The things that are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27).

We can learn a few things from this. Duane Miller didn’t become bitter at God because he wasn’t healed for 3 years. He continued to serve the Lord, even when he had to teach God’s Word in a whisper. He still believed God could heal today, even though he was told he would never speak normally again. We should all follow those three examples.    www.makinglifecount.net 

You can listen to the recording of the moment he was healed by CLICKING HERE.  You can visit Duane Miller’s website at www.nuvoice.org

June is Humility Month

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

June is Humility Month because “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5). God doesn’t take kindly to those who flaunt themselves and what they do. But don’t take my word for it. On three different occasions Jesus said everyone who thinks of himself as great will be brought down (Matt. 23:12, Luke 14:11, 18:14). When King Nebuchadnezzar lifted himself up, he went insane. When King Belshazzar mocked God by drinking wine from the gold and silver vessels taken from the temple, he died that night. (Dan. 4:30-33, 5:1-30).

And then there’s King Herod Agrippa who died in an unusual way. Acts 12:21-23 tell us: “And on an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. And the people kept crying out, ‘The voice of a god and not of a man!’ And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.”  

The Jewish historian Josephus, who lived 37-100 AD, confirmed this event. “[Herod] put on his garment made wholly of silver … his garment being illuminated by the reflection of the sun’s rays upon it, shone out after a surprising manner,” giving him a brilliant appearance. “A severe pain also arose in his bowels in a most violent manner … and [he] said, ‘I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life.’” (Antiquities of the Jews 19.8.2)

Imagine watching this. Herod enters the theatre in a robe of silver. The sun reflects off the silver coat, making him look as if he’s glowing. The crowd cries out that he’s a god, and he receives their worship. Then, at that moment, he falls over dead “because he did not give God the glory.” 

How do we humble ourselves? Simply by yielding completely to God and asking Him take control of our lives. We live according to what He wants and not how we want. Pride always dies when we shine the spotlight on God instead of ourselves. www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

The Passenger Had to Fly The Plane

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

David Gibbs and his friend were in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska flying in a small plane to Anchorage when the pilot passed out. Neither one of the passengers knew how to fly the plane. David sat in the pilot’s seat, but he couldn’t see anything because they were flying in a storm. His friend called on the radio and was connected to Anchorage Emergency. 

The man in the tower said, “I’ve found you on the radar. If you want me to get you home safe, you’ve got to promise me you’ll obey my voice. You can’t see me, but I can see you. If you don’t do what I say, you won’t make it.  

“You’re four minutes away from a mountain. You’re going to crash into that mountain unless you follow my instructions.” David followed his orders and got the plane turned away from the mountain.

The voice continued, “You’re an hour and a half away from Anchorage and there’s a lot of bad weather ahead of you. You’re in for a rough ride. I want you to listen to me and not look outside. I don’t want you to pay attention to the storm, just my voice. If you start watching the storm, you will die. But if you listen to me, I’ll take you through it.”

Later the voice said, “I’m going bring you in down the runway. At the foot of the runway are some lights shaped like a cross. The cross is the way home.” As the plane was coming down to land, David could see the cross. He bounced the plane on the runway and landed safely. When the plane stopped, the pilot woke up! The voice in the tower said, “Thanks for listening. I watch them crash and burn all the time because they won’t follow my voice.” 

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Trust His voice to guide you through life. You can’t see Him, but He can see you.    www.makinglifecount.net   www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THIS AMAZING STORY on YouTube 

He Survived Jumping Off the Golden Gate Bridge

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

Kevin Hines was depressed and decided to end his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Miraculously, he survived. Hines said, “The millisecond my hands left the rail and my legs cleared it, I had instantaneous regret for my actions.”

“I fell nearly 250 feet, 25 stories, closing in on 80 mph nearing the speed of terminal velocity in 4 seconds. In those 4 seconds, I said to myself, What have I just done? I don’t want to die! God, please save me! I realized I made the greatest mistake of my life. And then I hit the water.”

He crushed three vertebrae on impact, and then started drowning. He prayed, “I don’t want to die, God, I made a mistake.” A sea lion kept pushing him to the surface until the Coast Guard rescued him. He’s one of 35 people who’ve survived that jump while 1,800 others have died in the San Francisco Bay since the bridge was opened in 1937. Hines’s story is chronicled in a documentary, The Ripple Effect.

In Acts 16:25-31, we find another man who wanted to end his life. Paul and Silas had been arrested and were singing praises to God in jail. The Lord sent an earthquake, which opened all the prison doors. The jailer thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to fall on it. Paul cried out, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!” The jailer, realizing something supernatural just happened, asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”

If you’ve thought about ending your life, God says to you, “Do yourself no harm! I have a plan and a purpose for your life.” Psalm 42:5 (NLT) says, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him.” That’s the answer. Put your hope in the Lord and praise Him. He’s the one who can give you a reason to live.

BIBLE STUDY: End Times & Bible Prophecy

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The Copy Cats

This comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals

President Calvin Coolidge once invited some friends to dinner at the White House. The guests didn’t know how to behave with the proper table manners, so they decided to just copy whatever the President did. 

When the coffee was served, Coolidge poured his into a saucer. The guests pulled out their saucers and did the same. Coolidge poured some cream and sugar in the saucer, so the guests added cream and sugar to theirs. Then Coolidge bent over, placed his saucer on the floor, and called for his cat.

If you choose to be a copycat, make sure you’re copying the right cat. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” Some people spend their lives trying to become like the celebrities and movie stars they worship.

When Kay Kent of London was eighteen, she wanted to look exactly like Marilyn Monroe. She bleached her hair platinum blond, had plastic surgery, and hired makeup artists to fix her face like Marilyn. With the growth of her obsession, she learned to talk like Marilyn, walk like Marilyn, and dress like Marilyn. She turned herself into a carbon copy of Monroe. The Lookalikes Agency in London gave her a contract in 1982 and she was soon making $100,000 per year. She later became depressed and turned to liquor and pills. On June 12, 1989, she died of an overdose, just like Marilyn Monroe. She chose the wrong cat to copy.

Paul copied Jesus. He said, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Paul followed Him. He acted like Him. Suffered like Him. And we’re also to follow in His steps (1 Pet. 2:21). Don’t copy the wrong cats. There’s only one cat worth copying and that’s the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5).

BIBLE STUDY: Frequently Asked Bible Questions

RECEIVE THESE DEVOTIONALS FREE by EMAIL: You can subscribe in the box on the right at www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  NOTE: The subscription box will NOT usually appear on your smart phone, but it can be seen on your computer (or by opening the “desktop site” feature on your phone.) www.makinglifecount.net 

The Polish Swimmer at the Olympic Trials

The following comes from my book, MORE Amazing Stories & Daily Devotionals  

In the 1930s, a Polish immigrant’s son lived in a dreary apartment in Chicago. Because the boy only spoke broken English, he had no friends and no one to encourage him.

One day as the youngster was walking home, a man standing outside the YMCA called out to him. He worked at the facility and invited him inside to see the Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool. He asked the young man if he could swim. The boy said he could not. “Would you like to come here after school and learn how to swim?” the man asked.

The boy accepted his offer, learned to swim, and spent hours every day at the pool. As the months passed, the young man became a proficient long-distance swimmer. He entered a swimming contest and won the competition.

A few weeks later, the teenager won again. Two years later, after becoming the best distance swimmer in Illinois and then in the Midwest, he was excited to receive a letter bearing the Olympic seal. It was an invitation to join twenty of the nation’s best swimmers to compete to represent the USA in the upcoming Olympics! The two fastest swimmers would receive spots on the team.

On the day of the competition, the swimmers waited for the start signal and dove into the pool. As the swimmers swam their laps, the young man from Chicago kept up with the leaders for most of the race. However, he slowly slipped behind and was unable to keep up with the fastest swimmers. He finished in 4^th place, which meant he would not be going to the Olympics.

But if you think about it, finishing in 4^th place is nothing to be ashamed of. Not for someone with only one arm.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, do it wholehearted as though you were doing if for the Lord and not for people” (Col. 3:13). The Lord calls you to do your best, even if you have a disability such as only having one arm. In God’s eyes, finishing in 4^th place can be the same as winning a gold medal in the Olympics.

RECEIVE THESE DEVOTIONALS FREE by EMAIL: You can subscribe in the box on the right at www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  NOTE: The subscription box will NOT usually appear on your smart phone, but it can be seen on your computer (or by opening the “desktop site” feature on your phone.) www.makinglifecount.net