Our Stories!

How can God make a difference in YOUR life?

Read the stories below and maybe you will learn how having God in your life can make a huge positive impact on your ENTIRE LIFE!

All of these stories were submitted by actual members of our church and/or our friends and families!

Financial Peace!

Our family has struggled for 20 years to make ends meet and never have saved up any money. We have lots of kids, so we always thought it was due to that. What we learned - by taking the Financial Peace class at Lake Cities United Methodist Church is that our DEBT is what was strangling us!

Taking this class did a number of things for our family. We are more financially free than ever. We were able to make some changes in our business that reduced stress in our lives big time. We have been able to pay off all credit card and other small debts as well as owning 2 debt free vehicles. We still have some debt that we are paying, but within the next year, we will have all debt besides our home paid off.

What this means is that my wife and I are on the same page about finances. We are now both "struggling together" to improve our finances which as helped improve our marriage! (One of the many ways God and this Church has helped us improve our marriage over the years).

Anyway, all we know is that by following what God and Dave Ramsey have come up with in the Financial Peace University class, we are more well off and have more peace than ever before.

--
Financial Peace Student and long time member at Lake Cities United Methodist

Finding Home

I grew up in a small town of about 700 people in rural South Dakota. In my early twenties I moved to Carrollton, Texas and started work traveling the world. Shortly after moving to Texas, my sweetheart from the Midwest moved to Texas, we got married and we lived in and around the Carrollton/North Dallas area for about ten years. For those years both of us still thought of the Midwest as “home.” We had no family in the area and the friends we had were made primarily from our places of work. Our support system was almost non-existent. Sure, our friends could be counted on in a real pinch, but for the really big things and even the really small things that happened in our life, we were pretty much on our own.

We went through some tough times and after a particularly rough patch, we decided to purchase a house in the Lake Cities area. A friend from my home town visited us one weekend; he was a devoted Christian and wanted to go to church on Sunday. Since his denomination was Lutheran, we found a local church in the area and attended that Sunday. The people there were friendly and kind but the service just didn’t seem to fit us. My wife had attended a Methodist college and we decided to try the Lake Cities United Methodist church.

From the very first visit, this church seemed to fit. The service was comfortable and the message really made us think. The people were warm and friendly so we decided we would continue to attend the church and see where it led. We’ve been members at the Lake Cities United Methodist church for about 12 years now.

We have attended numerous adult education classes, served on committees, have enjoyed many church activities over the years, and through this interaction with the people of the church we have found not only good friendships but a true church family. Family is the only name that I can give to the people of this church. They have been an intricate part of our lives; helping us when our daughters were born and being a part of raising our children in a safe and nurturing environment. We can count on the church family to be there for the little, the big, the easy and the hard times. There is always someone ready and willing to be there and perhaps just as importantly, we know we can be helpful to others when they are in need.

The ability to not only get help but to give it really makes the difference between friends and family. The church is our family and now when we think of Texas it is our “home.” I thank God for guiding us to the Lake Cities United Methodist church. Without it I believe we would still not be at home in our own lives.

Internal Guidance System

I was told that this devotional could be about anything, so I decided to borrow a subject of interest to me from funny man John Cleese… with a twist. Thermo Nuclear Weapons. This Thermo Nuclear Weapon, the guided missile, is designed to launch from one point, and hit a target at another point. This is done with a guidance system installed in the missile that has the coordinates of the target in its programming. During the missile’s flight it will constantly deviate from its path, and sends out signals along the way to get advice on what corrections need to be made, and ultimately after a flight of constant mistakes and corrections hits it’s predestined target.

In much the same way, our guidance system has been programmed by God before we were even born, and fully activated at our birth. The programming will at the end of our flight take us safely home to our Father. All of the hardware is intact and the initial program written, and then there seems to be some space on the hard drive for some user programs to be written.

Fortunately for me, as may be for most of us, my first programs were written by my parents and my grandparents, with other early programs written in my church youth groups and other by early Christian friends. I think that all of this early programming gets permanently written and may never get erased. It just might be our safety net. Fortunately for me, this was the case.

During my flight, right out of high school, my path took me through ten years on the road with two different Rock-n-Roll bands as sound technician and stage manager. This of course caused much worry for my parents. While on the road, it became obvious to me that when I sent signals out to check the path to my target, the advice to make corrections would come from the people around me. I lived and worked in the night club scene, so the people that were in my life were not always giving me the best advice and direction. It was during these times that I had to pull strength from my early programming to try to keep on the right path, though I was not always successful.

When I was able, I would try to attend a church service. That unfortunately could not happen very often. I use to think that I could be a good Christian without attending a church or having a church family. It was during these darker years on the road that I realized that if I was to stay on the right path, I had to be careful of where I was sending my signal and from whom I was seeking advice. My colleagues and peers guidance conflicted with my early programming.

After ten years of struggles, my life was changed by changing careers and meeting a wonderful woman, who became my wife. I became involved in church again, and although my flight is still full of mistakes, I have faith that I will hit my pre-destined target with my Father in Heaven.

It is so important for us all to keep ourselves surrounded by people who can and will make positive influences on our lives, and to reach out to those whose path is being altered by negative influences. Life without these friends and my church would be much more difficult.

Prayer – Father, help us to understand that we have been yours even before we were born. We know Father that you accept us and love us no matter what mistakes we have made in our life, or how far away we may have strayed. Surround us Lord with people that will help us in our journey, and remind us Lord that you will bring us safely home, evens seconds before impact, if we just reach out for your hand. - Amen

--
B.G. Beard

Life is Like Driving A Car

I remember a friend of mine telling me that living life is a lot like driving a car. He said that you must keep your eyes on the road and focus on the direction that you are going, but do not forget the importance of your rearview mirror. You need to reflect on where you have been, how you got where you are, and check on those who may be following you.

My journey through out my life has taken me past numerous mile markers, one of which has been fatherhood. As I focus on the road ahead, the importance of remembering those that may be following has really been amplified with the birth of my children.

When my daughter was 8 years old, we were going to the store when an ambulance passed us with sirens blaring and lights flashing. After it passed by, I heard her whispering in the back seat. When I asked her who she was talking to, she told me that she was talking to God and praying for the people in the ambulance that were sick or hurt. I was amazed that at her age she had grown so wise to seek the Lord in prayer for those in need. I told my mom and dad about it and they told me that I should not be surprised because Desi and I have led her down the right path by example. She has learned from what she sees us do and how we act. I was thankful that this was an indicator that we’re doing some things right as her parents.

I was also thankful for my church family. When we baptize our children, we take a vow that we will lead and nurture them. This church takes those vows seriously and have been there as examples for my children. What she has learned about the Lord and prayer has come not only from her mom and dad, but from her church family, who while focusing on the busy road ahead, takes the time to remember to check the rear view mirror, and not lose sight of those who might be following.

Prayer – I pray Lord that you will help us to stay focused on the path that leads to salvation and home to you. In our journey Lord, help us to keep our direction clear and to travel carefully along the way. Remind us Lord to be faithful followers and to step as Jesus would have us step. In all we do as followers of Jesus Christ, let us not lose focus that we have people that are following us who trust that we will lead them down the right path. Let us walk slowly and carefully as we go. In Jesus name – Amen

--
B.G. Beard

Our Lake Cities UMC Story

When we decided to move from North Carolina to Texas for Jordan to attend graduate school, we were both filled with excitement and fear. We got married June 18, 2010 and moved to the Dallas area in August. It was a lot of changes all at once and we were certain of very little.

One thing we were certain of was that finding a new church was going to be extremely difficult. When the search began we found ourselves comparing the church we were visiting to our church in North Carolina. A couple of weeks went by and we had not found a church that felt “right” to us. We either felt unwelcomed or overwhelmed by the large size of most area churches.

On our third week in Texas, we visited Lake Cities UMC. Our first visit was a very welcoming experience as numerous people approached us with open arms and smiling faces. The second time we visited we were taken out to lunch by another couple. It was after that fellowship that we knew this was the church that God wanted us to be a part of.

We have only been going to Lake Cities for a few months and not only is this church feeding us spiritually, but it has provided something we were certain God would deliver---Christian companionship.

--
Jordan & Brittany Hayworth

Why the Church is Important to Me

Church has been a lifeline to me all of my life, beginning in the Nursery Department of Bering Memorial Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. As the years have passed, and my membership has moved through 2 more churches to what I hope is my final church home, Lake Cities United Methodist Church, I have found ‘sanctuary’ through both the highs and lows of life through the church.

My young life was somewhat difficult in that I was the youngest of 3 children deserted by their father and left with a mother that had limited parenting skills. My mother did the best she knew how to do, took in sewing to earn a living for us, and took us to church when we were very young, and sent us when we were old enough to walk by ourselves.

As children and teenagers, my brother, my sister and I were very definitely verbally abused at the least. We were reminded often that we were no good and would never amount to anything. Because of loving people in the church who taught Sunday School, led the youth group, led the Boy Scouts, and nourished our spiritual lives, I always knew that we were persons of worth, loved by God. That church in Houston still holds a very special place in my heart for taking care of us as we grew up, were Baptized, and confirmed. Chick and I were married there.

Now, fast forward to Lake Cities. This church has continued to nourish my soul as both of our sons were confirmed here, and one buried from here. Our sons had wonderful Sunday school teachers and youth groups to help them in their growing years. Our family was a big part of Boy Scouts sponsored by this church. We enjoyed many wonderful ski trips to Wolf Creek. We have wonderful friends here!

The high points of life are easy enough for all. It is the lows that really test our faith. When our son Bill drowned in 1991, the bottom fell out of our world. I had lost loved ones before, grandparents, my mother, Chick’s dad, and then his mother 2 months before Bill died, but nothing prepares one for the loss of a child. I never knew that grief could cause such physical pain. My whole insides ached for months. Chick suffered even more because he wasn’t over grieving for his mother when we lost our son Bill. This church embraced us and carried us through this very painful time in our lives, ever giving us hope that things would be better. For so long it was like we were living life, but were outside of life, looking on as spectators. The church held us up. I am grateful that for all my life the church has been there for me.

I am so grateful now to belong to a loving church that answers the call of those in need, in our congregation, in our community, and in the world.

Thanks be to God for the church!
Come join us and see the good things God has in store for you!

--
Susan Anderson

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