When I was a teenager, I belonged to a group called Young Life. (For those that don’t recognize that organization, it is a Christian youth group). Anyway, we had gone through the majority of our meeting, and we’re singing one of our last songs, before our closing.

We were all holding hands when I felt an extremely evil force within me. I struggled with this force, and really held on tight to the two people on each side of me. When our meeting was finished, I turned to both of these two and apologized for hold them so tightly.

I told them both of what I had been feeling. They both gasped, and shared with me, that they had felt the same evil force. We talked about for a few minutes, and decided as we were leaving, to sing even if silently, “Jesus Loves Me”. I sang that song all the way home to make sure that Satan was gone from my being and Jesus remained strongly within.

I thank Jesus, that He fought Satan for me.

- Ginger Dunn

God Touches Me With Healing Love

Each week I sit down and start my creations of the artwork for our Sunday services. I put my headset on, start my music and open my programs to create my magic. Within minutes I realize something is missing. My pain…. It’s gone. Like magic my chronic pain from psoriatic arthritis drifts away like a scattered unwelcome evil to the wind as if God reached down and released me from its nagging ways to free me to do God’s work. It’s my reward each week being a part of spreading His glory to those wanting to receive it. He truly does work in miraculous ways and every week I look forward to being with Him again to escape into His glorious love.

- Christie Howell

"A Pricked Heart"

When I was ten years old, I was baptized into Christ. Fifteen years later, I realized the difference between walking by faith according to knowledge and walking by faith guided by the working power of a pricked heart. Walking with God is a spiritual commitment that results from experiencing our weaknesses and seeing God's love and awesomeness. When my heart was pricked, I became like a child, lifting my arms for God to pick me up because I realized I could not get up on my own strength, and He has been carrying me in His arms since that day. I am so glad my heart was pricked, because now I see His glory.

- Mark Sutton

Why I Love God Today More Than Yesterday

We are often told not to look back on our past to shield our spirit from the paralyzing effect of regret and guilt for past mistakes and failures. God has allowed me to embrace my past mistakes and sinfulness through the power of redemption and forgiveness. He has shown me that He loves me despite myself and that I should love others with that same type of love. So, I look back on yesterday not to dwell on my past mistakes, but to appreciate how God patiently lead me through my valley with the rod of a good Shepherd because He loves me. My yesterday does not define me, but my yesterday certainly helped define who I am today by allowing me to emerge from the fire and give God the glory. This is why I love God today more than yesterday.

- Mark Sutton

My Prayer for God’s Help
by Odell Lee

Dear God, my first love and my hope, I praise your name in all the earth! May my Faith in you sustain me.

Help me to: Let everyone see Christ living in me, especially my colleagues and friends. Manage my relationships with everyone that touches my life. Not sin before them, with them, or for them. Not cause anyone to stumble or compromise his or her faith. Know where to draw the line. Allow your Spirit to work in me without hindrance. Recognize that without you I am weak in all things. Depend on your wisdom about life and godliness. Always approach you with a pure heart and humble spirit. Bear up against dark imaginings about life and the future. Recognize the dangers of self-righteousness, self-pride, and arrogance. Love my neighbor as myself, especially those of the household of faith. Love you with all my heart, soul, and mind. Live as thought Jesus Christ will return in my lifetime. All in the name of your Son, Amen.

- Odell Lee

I was born and raised in the Church of Christ, and I've always attended from a newborn baby. I remember attending Sunday school growing up and when my mom and dad divorced at the age of 9 ½ I started going to another Church of Christ in Lawrenceburg, TN.

I lived in Tennessee for 36 years and during that time I never felt like I belonged in the churches I was attending exactly. I always was on the lookout for one where I could call it home, where I felt like I belonged and was meant to be there. That I would find a family that I would one day see in Heaven when we would gather there again.

I searched for years and attended many different Church of Christ. Some I attended were not open to outsiders and not very welcoming, others were, as much as I hate to say it, a high society club more or less where the wealthy could get together and socialize instead of actually worshiping God.

My mother got sick with Leukemia in 1998 and I took care of her for years trying my best to help her stay alive but on November 15th, 2005, the cancer finally won the battle and my mom passed away. At that point I realized I needed a change and where I was at just wasn't going to work out, so I moved out to California and married my fiancé, now wife, Christie.

We started attending the Foster Road Church of Christ in 2009 and from the first day I felt welcomed, and that people were actually happy to see me. It had become a lifelong search to find that one church where I felt like I belonged and had finally come home. I can't even express how I felt after attending Foster Road Church of Christ as I felt like I had come home after the first visit. A place I loved worshiping and spending time with the fellow members.

I count myself lucky to have two of the most awesome ministers I have ever met with Mark being one of the two and the most recent one. I couldn't ask for a better minister. He is such a great guy and does a very good job at delivering God's message.

If you are lost and looking for a way to find God and a place to call home. A place where you would want to spend eternity with the people in it knowing you were with good people, then give Foster Road Church of Christ a chance and visit us soon!

- Shannon Howell

When I was two years old, my parents were divorced. My dad, Bill Oliver- moved to Delaware while my mom, Soonyi (Sonia) Oliver, stayed in CA, raising her three girls, ages- 2 (me), 4, and 10, as a single mom. Around the same time- some people knocked on my mom’s door and asked if we would like to go to church. My oldest sister, Nina- (age 10), said she would like to. So the following Sunday, a Joy Bus arrived to take us three little girls to the San Leandro Church of Christ. I can't imagine sending young kids off with strangers, but the world was different back then. I'm incredibly thankful for the joy bus ministry because I would not be the same person I am today if my sisters and I never went to church! Since I didn’t have a dad growing up, I learned that God was my father, and I am so thankful for the many godly father influences from church like Bob Henderson, Terry Blakey, Gary Flewellen, Garey Castle, Shawn Anderson, etc.

The highlight of my year growing up was attending Sierra Bible Camp every summer. It felt like heaven on earth to be surrounded by godly friends in the tall trees and beautiful nature of camp. When I was 13, I was baptized in the freezing swimming pool at camp- this was one of the best decisions of my life! My youth group friends & church members felt like an extended family, and I am close to many of them still today. After high school, I attended a Christian college in Arkansas (Harding University), where I met my husband, Brian. Our life has not been easy- but God has always been there. We prayed for God to bless us with children- and he answered by giving us 4 amazing, exceptional children- Two sets of twins! God is good!

I will always be grateful for the members of the church where I grew up who drove me and my sisters every Sunday morning, night, and Wednesday evening- even after the joy bus ministry ended. Thankfully, a little over a decade after the joy bus first arrived, a church member named Kevin Harper came to my house and studied the Bible with my middle sister, Melinda and my mom. Melinda decided to be baptized and joyfully my mom decided to follow Jesus too! They were baptized on the same day. My mom attended the San Leandro Church of Christ from that day forward. Praise God!

In 2011, my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and when she was in the ICU, she had a dream about Jesus. In her dream- she saw him standing at the end of her bed, but black stuff was pouring out the right side of his mouth. She was confused, so I told my mom- not to think about it because she would fight this cancer and be healed. A short three months later, I was at my mom's bedside when black stuff started pouring out of the right side of her mouth. I was frantic to get a bowl and help her when my nephew exclaimed, “This is just like Grandma Sonia’s dream!” At that moment, I looked at the end of her bed and had the most peaceful feeling. I could imagine- actually see Jesus standing there- taking the black stuff away because he was ready to escort my mom to heaven. She did sadly pass away later that day. I am incredibly thankful that this world is not our home; we are just passing through. Jesus died for our sins, and because of him, I will see my mom (& other loved ones) again one day in heaven.

- Suzy Snow