2008-11-11T12:38:39-05:00 GCI info@gospel.com /feeds/topics/growing+in+christ/ http://hutchcraft.com/Resources-for-Going-Deeper-With-Jesus/Making-Prayer-Come-to-Life/Making-Prayer-Come-to-Life 2008-11-11T12:38:39-05:00 Is prayer meaningful and exciting to you, or just a matter of repeating words? Prayer is often a word that doesn't come with very much excitement to some Christians. It's actually the most personal and important aspect of a Christian's life with Jesus Christ and the key that unlocks all the riches of life's most important relationship. http://hutchcraft.com/Hope-Stories/Stories/Living-in-the-House-of-the-Lord 2008-10-29T16:26:20-05:00 Before living a life with Christ, I was aimless and desperately alone in spirit. I moved through life almost robotic and somewhat unfeeling. I moved around doing what I thought I should do to make the least amount of ripples (trouble) in my life. I averted conversations that would be somewhat tense, passed on going to affairs that I would have to face people who had "issues" with me. I never wanted to disappoint anyone, so I over compensated and jumped into action just in hopes of staying one step ahead of "anything and everything." http://hutchcraft.com/Hope-Stories/Stories/His-Forgiveness-Has-Set-Me-Free 2008-10-29T16:25:31-05:00 I was 16 years old and on a two-year reading spree trying to discover meaning and direction for my life. I had studied the world's philosophers and explored every major religion. I read complete biographies of many great people. I also loved science but discovered that while science could give us a lot of the what, where, and how of things in our world, it offers no answers about the why of life's most treasured things—love, life, death, and the meaning of why I was even alive. http://hutchcraft.com/Hope-Stories/Stories/Hope-in-the-Worst-Conditions 2008-10-29T16:24:04-05:00 I went outside and dialed home on my cell phone. The words I heard from my wife drove me instantly to my knees. Our dear grandson had fallen into our pond and had drowned. Doctors had spent several hours attempting to resuscitate him but to no avail. I was crushed but I was the father, I had to be strong. I had to go tell my son-in-law that his son was dead. http://hutchcraft.com/Hope-Stories/Stories/Step-Into-My-World 2008-10-29T16:20:12-05:00 We seldom attended worship, so anything I heard about the Lord was through radio programs—if I could stand the ranting and raving of their preachers—or through attendance at chapel every day at school. It was not a Christian school, but chapel was required. I also read some religious publications in Braille. ... It was while I was in the ninth grade, two years after my father’s untimely death, that I first heard about a personal relationship with Christ and that I could only be assured of heaven if I realized my sinfulness, asked Christ to forgive me of my sins and allow Him into my heart by faith. http://hutchcraft.com/Hope-Stories/Stories/The-Call-of-Jesus 2008-10-29T16:17:23-05:00 After she left, I began to be haunted by her words. "Could it be possible that one could know for sure that he/she were going to heaven?" I kept thinking about this for some time. I continued to attend churches with my husband, but refused to join any of these churches since I did not want to be baptized. I had been sprinkled as an infant and that was good enough for me. http://hutchcraft.com/Hope-Stories/Stories/He-Spoke-to-Me 2008-10-29T16:15:13-05:00 There was a turning point in my life. I had quit smoking pot and cigarettes, and started running to lose weight. As a store manager at a large optical chain, my chance to run was 4:30 a.m. I would watch the sunrise most mornings on my runs, and would talk to my deceased dad. One of my older brothers was dying of cancer, and had given me his Bible. I started running with a man about my same age. As we got to know each other, we would talk about our lives, our families, and our God; I started searching. http://hutchcraft.com/Hope-Stories/Stories/The-God-of-Second-Chances 2008-10-29T16:14:01-05:00 I was raised in a Christian home, but as many teenagers do I went through a rebellious time where I got involved with drugs, drinking, and the wrong friends. I ended up pregnant by a man I had only known a month, and we were married when I was only 16. I knew even then, that I didn't like living without Christ. It was just too hard. The contrast I observed in others who were believers was a strong lure. http://hutchcraft.com/Hope-Stories/Stories/A-Purpose-for-Living 2008-10-29T16:13:09-05:00 One weekend, while talking with a dear friend and ex-wife about some of my problems, she witnessed to me about the grace of God and the love of Jesus Christ. She also gave me a book to read about the reason for hope. After going home, I started to read this book and I felt the hand of God, the very love of God, touching me as I was reading. When I came to a paragraph about how God knows each of our exact circumstances and that He will allow you to experience spiritual maturity when He knows you are ready, I finally accepted Jesus Christ into my heart as my personal Savior. http://hutchcraft.com/Hope-Stories/Stories/Thank-God-for-Storms 2008-10-29T16:11:07-05:00 God knew, as I thanked Him for the wind and rain that evening, where I'd be today and was even then planning my future temporal home. Much better though is the place Jesus is preparing in His Father's house for all who love and accept Him as Lord and Savior. Thank God for storms!