Faith for a Lifetime

By Stella Parker

"Experience teaches" has proven to be a true statement throughout my lifetime. The greatest and most profound experience happened when I was twelve years old. I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior. That was the beginning of my faith journey, and it continues today. Every life experience taught a vital lesson and established faith as the bedrock of my existence. Faith for a Lifetime contains true stories of faith, miracles, and answered prayers. Hopefully, reading this book will inspire you to seek God's presence and experience the guiding power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is so trivial or so difficult that we cannot share it with Him. It is God's good pleasure to be involved in our life every day and in every circumstance that touches our life. Life consists of joys and sorrows, good times, and challenging times, but every experience has a purpose and shapes us into a vessel of honor if we submit our lives to Him or a vessel of dishonor if we choose not to trust Him. The quest of life is to seek and find our destiny and purpose for being here. It can be found by faith in God, His Word, and hearing His voice. Faith grows as we use it. May yours last a lifetime.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781640289253

Book preview

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Faith

for a

Lifetime

Stella Parker

ISBN 978-1-64028-924-6 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64028-925-3 (Digital)

Copyright © 2017 by Stella Parker

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

1

It’s a Girl

Faith for Life

The doctor, delighted with his participation in the scenario, announced to the exhausted young dark-haired women that she had just brought a baby girl into the world. Agnes smiled in that quiet way that was her personality. Her husband, Paul, anxiously awaited any news because in 1948, a husband did not stay in the room while his wife gave birth.

The doctor finally entered the waiting room and announced to Daddy, Mr. Jernigan, you are now the father of a five-pound, six-ounce baby girl. Your wife is doing fine. So is your baby.

A few days after I arrived home from the hospital, Mama went to pick me up from the crib and suddenly screamed, My baby, my baby!

Granny Jernigan, who was staying for a few days to help with me and my eighteen- month-old big brother, rushed to Mama’s side. She saw that I was not breathing and had turned blue. Granny lifted my lifeless body and rushed to the kitchen table, where she began to roll me back and forth, alternately blowing in my face. After several minutes, a little gasp erupted from my mouth, bringing tears of joy and relief to both women. God had a purpose and a plan. My faith journey had begun.

Miracle-working faith would always be a part of my life.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17).

2

Born Again

Saving Faith

Every Sunday morning and night, the little troop of four followed Mama up the aisle to the second row on the left-hand side of the Church of God located across town. Mama’s dedicated, consistent spiritual example helped shape me into the person I would become.

One Sunday night when I was twelve years old, the preacher had finished a stirring sermon and even more stirring altar service. I must have had conviction written across my forehead because the pastor suddenly was standing in front of me and invited me to come. My heart throbbed wildly, and tears streamed down my face as I fell into the floor at the altar.

I was not a wicked person, just not saved. The worst thing I had ever done was to hide under a grapevine at my best friend’s house and yield to her persuasive plea to smoke a cigarette that she had sneaked from her older brother. Believe me, the guilt and the nausea that consumed me convinced me that this was a onetime experience.

Mama and Daddy kept tight reins on me and my three siblings. We worked on the farm and spent our free time playing with each other. How much trouble could we get into?

Saving faith began and continues to keep my life.

Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).

3

Finding Mr. Right

Guiding Faith

After my born-again experience, I began to study the Bible and pray at least one hour each night. Now with a family of six and Granny, who had come to live with us, there was not much privacy in our modest three- bedroom house that Daddy and Mama had built themselves. As a matter of fact, we moved into the house with only the subfloor, no kitchen cabinets, and an unfurnished bathroom. We did have a johnny house, which is an outside toilet. The empty bathroom was my playhouse until Daddy finally put in the fixtures. There was still no hot water until years later. When I began my nightly praying, the only place one could find privacy was that bathroom, so it became my prayer closet.

I remember a special prayer I always prayed from the age of twelve to nineteen was, Father, when I meet my Mr. Right let me know it.

Seven years of praying paid off. The choir was singing that Sunday night, and, of course, I was right there on the second row with my alto ringing out when the front door of the church swung open and in walked two young men. I had eyes for only one.

During a resounding rendition, the Lord spoke to me and said, That’s your husband.

Oh, thanks, Lord, he’s cute, I responded. Of course, he was more than cute, but in my little innocent girl way, that was the first word that came to my mind. Now the Lord and I talked so much it’s hard to say whether it was a real audible voice in my ear or an impression in my spirit, but I sure heard Him.

After service, I was walking out of the church when I saw that handsome black-haired, brown-eyed young man surrounded by this sister in the church and her four lovely single daughters.

Smiling coyly as I sauntered past the entourage, I muttered to myself, That’s okay, he’s mine.

On the way home that night, I asked my sister, who is four years younger than me, Sis, did you see that dark-haired young boy who came to church tonight?

What a laugh. Everybody saw him and his buddy.

Yeah, he’s cute. She giggled. There’s that word again.

Well, I’m going to marry him, I exclaimed in a breathless voice as we huddled in the back seat of Mama’s blue Ford Fairlane.

You’re crazy, my sister whispered.

Wait and see. I smiled with confidence.

Without knowing his name or anything about him, I would have married him that night. That’s how sure I was that God had spoken to me.

Guiding faith became our way of living.

For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death (Psalm 48:14).

4

Our Meeting

Love and Faith

Two weeks later, my sister, our best friend, and I attended a revival service at a neighboring church. There we were invited to go sing on radio. The program was to air that Sunday afternoon. It was called Gerald Parker’s radio broadcast. We accepted the invitation. Having never sung on radio before, I was a little timid until we arrived, and guess who the host was? None other than my beloved-to-be, although he didn’t know it yet.

Gerald’s two best buddies were