TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

By: Donna Selma Lind

The driveway alarm rang, which set the dogs off to barking. I looked out the window and saw an old pickup truck barreling up the road with a cloud of dust chasing behind it.

Peeking out the door I saw my husband talking to a man in the driveway.

The stranger was tall and gangly. Perched upon his stringy blonde hair was a tattered straw cowboy hat. His denim shirt sleeves had been cut off which revealed his heavily tattooed arms. His jeans and boots were caked in dried mud. 

He was selling Aerial photos and had a picture of our farm that he came to sell us.

After a while of negotiating we came to an amiable agreement. 

But, before he left I heard the Lord whisper; "Tell him about me."

So, I began with asking him how things were going for him, his life and family. 

I asked if he knew Jesus as his savior, he hung his head down and said yes;  he admitted he had strayed and hadn't been living right for a long time. 

I questioned if he would like to pray and give his life back to Christ?

He took his hat off, placed it over his heart, bowed his head and said;
 "Yes Ma'am."

I prayed and he responded with tears streaming down his tan dusty cheeks.

He thanked me over and over and said the same thing most people say when they give their life to Jesus; "I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders!" 

As we shook hands and said our goodbyes, I saw something move inside the old pickup truck.

Is someone else with you in that truck?

"Yes, my bosses son."

Again I heard the Lord whisper; "Go tell him about me."

I walked over to the truck and motioned for the driver to roll down his window.
A big burly man sat behind the wheel chewing on tobacco. 

I introduced myself and announced; The Lord sent you here today so I could pray for you.

 He looked at me, then he turned his head looked back and forth as if I was talking to someone else. He poked his thumb at his chest and questioned, "Me?"

Yes, you. Would you like to give your heart and life to Jesus today? 

He reached up his big hand pulled his rumpled baseball cap off his head and set it on the truck dashboard. 

"Ma'am, I'm not a good person. I've done bad stuff. Surely there is someone more deserving than me?"

His eyes welled up with tears and I could see the weight of shame and guilt sitting on his shoulders. 

Sir, none of us deserve His Grace. There are none righteous, no not one.
If you ask Him to forgive you for whatever you've done, He is faithful and just to forgive your sins just as He did for the thief on the Cross who is now in Paradise with the Lord.

"He'd do that for me?"

Yes, He loves you. He forgives you. He died for you.

"Okay, I want you to pray for me."

He bowed his head as I prayed for him to receive Jesus Christ as His Lord.

He sat for a long minute choking back tears. When he lifted his head up he looked like a different man. I can't explain it, but it was as if Jesus took an eraser and wiped away years of grime and filthy sin. 

As I watched them drive away that day, I thought to myself how these men came to sell me something, but they were the ones who left with a Deal of a Lifetime and a Bill of Sale that was PAID IN FULL! 

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD & SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!

Donna Selma Lind

  

GROWING UP IRISH

By: Donna Selma Lind

Growing up Irish in the 1960's on the South side of Chicago was always a big celebration on St. Patrick's day!

My Mother's Grandparents came from County Mayo and Galway Bay Ireland. McNeela's, Ryan's and Feeney's make up the family tree.

My Grandma Nora or as we called her "Nonnie", was very sentimental about St. Patrick's day. Nora was a beauty! A fiery ginger with hair the color of carrots, ivory skin sprinkled with freckles, ruby red lips and deep dark soulful eyes. In 1928 she was a runner up to Miss Chicago. In high heels she towered around six foot, when she walked in a room all eyes turned to her.

She didn't have an easy life. 
Her parents came from Ireland by ship to Ellis Island at the turn of the century. They lived in a sod house and worked as share cropper's on a farm in South Dakota. One day Great Grandpa and Grandma Ryan packed up their eleven kids and decided to move to Chicago. 

When Nora was in her twenties she married my Grandfather Jack McNeela. Jack was originally studying to be a Jesuit Priest when he decided to leave the priesthood to become a Police officer in Chicago.

Jack's family had also immigrated from Ireland. Grandpa Jack had raven black hair, steel blue eyes and a heart of gold.
Jack and Nora fell in love, married and had three daughters, Jackie, Noreen and Sharon, who is my Mom.

Jack became Chief of Police in a suburb of Chicago. One rainy cold night Chief Jack went out on a call to help someone in need. Jack ended up with Pneumonia died and left behind his wife Nora and their three little girls. 

My Mom was only 18 months old and her sister's were 3 1/2 and 9 years old.
Nora was a widow at thirty. 

In those days there was no government assistance to help so Nora worked two jobs to take care of her girls. She had to place them in Boarding School while she worked.

After a few years Nora met Louie. Louie was a big, boisterous fun loving man from Italy. They married and once again Nora found love and laughter, but it would be short lived.

Louie was diagnosed with cancer and after only a few years Nora was once again a Widow alone with three daughters. 


Twice widowed at 34 years old.

I cannot begin to understand the pain and devastation my Grandma Nonnie lived with.

So whenever St. Patrick's day came around it must have brought a flood of memories to my Grandma. 
Memories of her parents Nora Feeney and Timothy Ryan. Memories of her Husband's Jack and Louie. 

I would find her sitting in the living room crying, smoking a camel cigarette, drinking her Folgers coffee and listening to music.

I'd sit by her on the floor on the red shag carpeting leaning up against the mighty Magnavox Record player. Grandma Nonnie would play her  John Gary and Perry Como albums and we would sing together.  

"Oh Danny Boy" "Wild Irish Rose" "Galway Bay" "Irish Lullaby".
I memorized the words and would sit on a stack of suitcases with a hairbrush as my microphone and sing until her tears turned to laughter.
She would start off with a He-He then it would bubble out of her into a roaring river of laughter. Deep from within her belly till the tears turned into Joy.
Then we would dance around the house, until the darkness left her.

I sang those songs to her until the day she died.  It was "our thing." 
She would always ask me to sing those songs at her funeral, now I am sorry that I never did. 
A few days before she died a Hospice nurse led her to Jesus. I will forever be grateful for that nurse! 

So today as I celebrate my Irish heritage; I sing for The Matriarch of our Irish family. Grandma Nonnie, This song is for you!

A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN 

"Sure, a little bit of heaven fell
From out the sky one day
And it nestled on the ocean
In a spot so far away
And when the Angels found it
They dotted it with silver 
To make it's lakes so grand
And when they had it finished
Sure, they called it Ireland."

~ Ernest Ball/ J.Keirn Brennan 

AND UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN HIS HAND.☘❤☘

HALLELUJAH!! PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!!

Donna Selma Lind ❤ 

THE PATH

By: Donna Selma Lind

 

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11

 I dreamed I saw a beautiful winding stone pathway, in the midst of a lush Garden dotted with Olive Trees .

There in the pathway, stood Jesus.

I could only see his feet. They were wrapped in leather sandals.

The hem of his tunic hung above his ankles and the tassel's of his holy Tallit Prayer shawl swayed back and forth from the breeze that blew through the nearby Olive trees.

Jesus pointed at the stones in the pathway, and spoke these words;

"I've set a path before you.

Go. Go now and get the house ready.

Get everything in order. I am moving you up.

I have a work for you to do.

Not everyone is coming with.

Many are too busy, they don't care and they don't have time for me.

They don't understand the price that was paid for them.

There is a cost for souls to be saved.

They're spending time and money on building their kingdoms -

 NOT MY KINGDOM.

My kingdom is not brick and mortar. 

My kingdom is souls for eternity.

My kingdom is Love, Joy, Peace and Eternal life in Heaven with my Father.

They have chosen a different path.

You have chosen the path that leads to my Throne.

Many will follow in your footsteps that will lead them to me."

***

Then Jesus turned and walked down the path.

Every time His foot hit the ground a Golden Crown appeared. 

One by one Gold Crowns filled with sparkling jewels 

appeared, until the entire pathway was illuminated with rainbow

 

prisms of light .

***

Suddenly I awoke from the dream to hear a Heavenly choir of Angels singing; 

"It all revolves around your throne. Who can know your Glory?

So high above, Yet slain for us, You alone are worthy.

And the praise is Yours, And the praise is yours!

You're the one we bow before.

Reigning over us. As we lift you up, You will reign forever more!

And the praise is Yours. And the praise is Yours! 

You're the one we bow before..."

~ "YOURS (GLORY & PRAISE)" by: ELEVATION WORSHIP~

***

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I don't usually share my dreams publicly, but I felt a strong impression from the Lord that I was to share this message with you.

I believe it is a warning from Heaven to prepare us for what is to come.

Is your house in order? I'm talking about you and your family, is your heart and relationship with Christ in order? 

Do you know without a shadow of a doubt where you will spend eternity? 

There is a difference between playing church and being the church.

Who are you building a Kingdom for?

The Lord has set a path before us. 

Will you go? 

Will you follow the path that leads to the Throne of Jesus?

***

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." 
Psalm 16:11

***
HALLELUJAH!!

PRAISE THE LORD AND SHARE THE GOOD NEWS!!

Donna Selma Lind 💗