tried by fire

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
B

bojack

Well-known member
#1
Dec 16, 2019
2,309
1,008
113
#1
A long time ago I had quit a great job I had taken for granted to move and live at the beach .. Come to find out the job market was not good at all and for the first time I had trouble finding a good job .. I had forgot as a new Christian I had prayed to play ball and get paid or to work on some kind of fishing boat .. Any way I had got paid to play softball per game or by the homerun with expenses (not much at all but nevertheless paid) .. Then while I was praying and looking for work desperately, one day a water meter reader came by and we talked and he asked me if I was interested in working on a commercial shrimp boat .. I said sure .. He said he knew a boat captain he'd worked for when he first moved to town and that he would call him .. Captain Butch called that evening and said he was going out that night and if I wanted to try and didn't get sea sick he would hire me .. It worked out great for that season and I made pretty good .. But I found out it wasn't for me after all, even though the experience was awesome, besides, a hurricane blew our boat up the river that fall after the season was over .. The shrimpers mostly dug clams during the offseason but I never got into it .. Next I finally found a minimum wage production welding job I was able to make 11 dollars an hr but we started producing so much they cut our hrs to 32 a week, then later closed up ..

I quit and was attending a men's prayer meeting .. Things were getting desperate again and while I was on my face praying for a job I got a phone call from a company looking for a temp welder through a contractor I'd never applied for .. There were 3 ahead of me that didn't get hired that week and here starts my tried by fire testimony .. I was hired for a 3 week job .. After the three weeks and we finished that Friday morning the engineer said thanks guys (me and another temp), that's all I got for you .. I was worried to death and afraid knowing how tough it was finding a good job , anyway instead of leaving I went to the break room and got a cup of coffee and just sat there .. A couple hrs later the engineer came in and noticed we still there .. He said ''oh good, you're still here, come back Monday morning if you can I've got another 1 week project for you'' .. So we came back for another week and I was still scared sick almost to death with no immediate future , so same thing , we finished early Fri morning and we just sat in the break room no place to go and in no hurry dreading being out of a job again .. The engineer came by again and same thing .. He said you're still here, good, come back next week I have another 1 week project .. Again I was so happy but the fear was still there and tormenting .. This went on for 5 or six weeks and by the time the last week came with all my prayer that I woudn't fear, I didn't care if I got laid off or not, in fact I was looking forward to it rather than being tormented with fear, then guess what happened , I was given the best job on the whole place as permanent and worked there for 3 more yrs, 8 hr shifts and OT whenever I wanted it .. I was both hated by some, witnessed Jesus to all and also led many to the Lord while I was there . But mostly got that demon of fear off my back tried by fire .. Not much scares me anymore and I learned the hard way to not worry about tomorrow
 
Bingo

Bingo

Well-known member
#2
Feb 9, 2019
9,422
4,837
113
#2
bojack said:
A long time ago I had quit a great job I had taken for granted to move and live at the beach .. Come to find out the job market was not good at all and for the first time I had trouble finding a good job .. I had forgot as a new Christian I had prayed to play ball and get paid or to work on some kind of fishing boat .. Any way I had got paid to play softball per game or by the homerun with expenses (not much at all but nevertheless paid) .. Then while I was praying and looking for work desperately, one day a water meter reader came by and we talked and he asked me if I was interested in working on a commercial shrimp boat .. I said sure .. He said he knew a boat captain he'd worked for when he first moved to town and that he would call him .. Captain Butch called that evening and said he was going out that night and if I wanted to try and didn't get sea sick he would hire me .. It worked out great for that season and I made pretty good .. But I found out it wasn't for me after all, even though the experience was awesome, besides, a hurricane blew our boat up the river that fall after the season was over .. The shrimpers mostly dug clams during the offseason but I never got into it .. Next I finally found a minimum wage production welding job I was able to make 11 dollars an hr but we started producing so much they cut our hrs to 32 a week, then later closed up ..

I quit and was attending a men's prayer meeting .. Things were getting desperate again and while I was on my face praying for a job I got a phone call from a company looking for a temp welder through a contractor I'd never applied for .. There were 3 ahead of me that didn't get hired that week and here starts my tried by fire testimony .. I was hired for a 3 week job .. After the three weeks and we finished that Friday morning the engineer said thanks guys (me and another temp), that's all I got for you .. I was worried to death and afraid knowing how tough it was finding a good job , anyway instead of leaving I went to the break room and got a cup of coffee and just sat there .. A couple hrs later the engineer came in and noticed we still there .. He said ''oh good, you're still here, come back Monday morning if you can I've got another 1 week project for you'' .. So we came back for another week and I was still scared sick almost to death with no immediate future , so same thing , we finished early Fri morning and we just sat in the break room no place to go and in no hurry dreading being out of a job again .. The engineer came by again and same thing .. He said you're still here, good, come back next week I have another 1 week project .. Again I was so happy but the fear was still there and tormenting .. This went on for 5 or six weeks and by the time the last week came with all my prayer that I woudn't fear, I didn't care if I got laid off or not, in fact I was looking forward to it rather than being tormented with fear, then guess what happened , I was given the best job on the whole place as permanent and worked there for 3 more yrs, 8 hr shifts and OT whenever I wanted it .. I was both hated by some, witnessed Jesus to all and also led many to the Lord while I was there . But mostly got that demon of fear off my back tried by fire .. Not much scares me anymore and I learned the hard way to not worry about tomorrow
Click to expand...
"Thanks for sharing. Experience is a great teacher, especially when something of value is learned and applied
to our life in a positive way."
:)
 
B

bojack

Well-known member
#4
Dec 16, 2019
2,309
1,008
113
#4
To the young folks, even get up promptly in the morning and offer a heart felt and christen ''good morning'' to all especially in your own house whether you feel like it or not and it will set a good tone for the day , it will grow on you .. You have to do it any way so train yourself starting today a better attitude .. Be a doer by conscience decision
Another important lesson I learned was to be thankful to God and to make myself valuable at work, to work hard with heart and good attitude in all I do as unto the Lord .. Good Attitude leads you to do things right with pride, dependability every time and without much complaining whether someone notices or not .. Later as supervisor and superintendent (which I never sought after) I used Godly principles to lead and promote a good attitude with my men, (even prayer at safety meetings) management and customers with integrity, very hard work if you do it right .. My crews were hard working and we had fun even very bad jobs, worked as a team and I never let anyone outwork me as leader and always shared credit and took blame by design, it becomes contagious with a little patience .. A few times someone would try to take advantage once too often is when I'd get eye to eye and set them straight, (management, employee or customer) in an up close and personal kind of way, once even shoved and slammed a lying, sneaking, brown noser into a wall, for lying about my co-worker , good medicine and attitude adjuster sometimes too .. I owe it all to Jesus and His way, ''do unto others as you would have them do unto you'' .. I got hired and finished my working career at BWM and still tried to outwork everybody and show the young ones how it's done without complaining or trying to ''get over'' by example, again we had one of the best crews of all while some other crews seem to have poison dripping out of their mouths miserable and complaining or huffing and puffing they might have to do an ounce of work more than another .. I've found it works in all you do or are involved in and if you think no one else sees, our Lord will see and be pleased .. Praise God
 
B

bojack

Well-known member
#7
Dec 16, 2019
2,309
1,008
113
#7
Here's my favorite testimony
My grandmother was the only person in my life who I really felt most loved by (outside my wife) from as early as I can remember .. I lived for the times we would visit .. She was a faithful Christian and church pianist for yrs, looked after the sick in the community and always had a houseful it seemed of friends dropping in, she always had plenty on the stove for any who came in , they were so welcome some would come in and go straight to the kitchen and help themselves .. Of course my grandfather too was respected in the community and many sought his advice , my best friend who I probably miss most of all from this world .. But she was so endeared by the whole community and half the town who knew her, she was called ''Aunt Jett'' to them and ''Mama Jett'' to me/us .. Any way she was finally left alone when my father died and my wife was having to constantly go from our town for the simplest of things and we found out she was diagnosed with Alszheimers .. We didn't know what it even was .. Anyway there was no way I was going to let her be put in a nursing home so far away with no one around close by .. My wife and I were in agreement to take her in our house to care for her so we did .. She got worse but had days when she seemed OK .. After about 3 yrs she got to where she didn't recognize us and thought I was her oldest son and after the 3rd time she got up in the middle of the night and caught the kitchen on fire trying to cook with plastic bowls we had to put her in a local nursing home , my wife continued to visit her every day, me when I could .. Anyway she developed a sound she would make with every breath that sounded like ''fofofofofo'' quite irritating and other patients would steal her clothes we took her and she was not a favorite of the staff .. My wife was complaining that they watch her stuff around other patients and I was praying and worrying about her ..
So here's what happened ..
I felt helpless to help her so I decided/led to fast for a few days , usually my fasts were either 3 or 7 days depending on my work load that week .. So I got my oil bottle and we went .. I prayed for Jesus to give her something, anything and anointed her with oil and laid hands on her while I prayed .. Then I began to sing a couple hymms in the room , There was two others visiting their mother at the time ''her room mate also Alzheimers I think'' Anyway as I was singing Mama Jett began to sing and sing with every breath different hymms for the rest of her life , she became known affectionately as the singing lady and a favorite of the nursing home .. She even surprised every body and started playing the piana when ministers would come by and have service in the big room .. One was a close friend and amazed, the Drs and all the staff were amazed and she finally died a couple yrs later singing until she lost conscious .. My minister friend spoke at her funeral .. He always got tickled when he'd talk about her in amazement.. Praise God and thank you Jesus .. It doesn't sound like much, but to me it was a perfect answered prayer .. Jesus is Good
 
You must log in or register to reply here.