Beltway Testimonies

Testimony unfolded: May 2009

God showing his interest in the every day life:

All,

At the men’s retreat boot-camp I realized that I haven’t been listening to God or his Word very well. I may have read it or “heard” it, but never took the time to realize it was God speaking to me. That all changed. I have heard our Lord speak in several different ways. The two most prominent is through the Bible (his Word) and through a vision/picture/whisper in my mind. Here are two stories out of many in recent weeks.

The Monday after boot-camp I needed to get a tire fixed on my wife’s car. As I looked up Sears Automotive on the Internet, the Lord reminded me of a little place on Buffalo Gap called Abilene Tire and Service. I thought it was just me remembering since I had gone there a couple years ago. So I went there and got the tire fixed. As I was in the lobby waiting the Lord popped in my mind very strongly. I heard, “tell that man checking you out on the computer that I sent you here instead of any other shop in Abilene”. Well I just couldn’t do that could I?

So I didn’t. I chickened out. The best I could come up with was a “Thanks, God bless you” as I walked out the door. Well I’ll be darned if the Lord didn’t harass me on that ride home. I felt so convicted that by the time I came in the house I picked up the phone and called the tire shop. I asked to speak to the man who checked me out. He happened to be the owner of the shop. I told him what God told me to tell him and that I was supposed to tell him in person, but was nervous. Guess what? I was an answer to his prayers. The day before, him and a group of guys were praying for his store and for new customers. When I obeyed the Lord, the store owner knew the Lord heard his prayer and was answering it. The Lord also showed me that it wasn’t all in my head and to continue listening and obeying him.

The other prominent way I have been hearing the Lord is through the Bible. Just this morning I was reading the devotional, Our Daily Bread. Before I opened that up and read the Bible passage I had been praying to God to help me fight the battle. You know, the unseen war. My boot-camp high has deflated and I’m on the battle ground daily. I was asking forgiveness for speaking without thinking yesterday and possibly hurting folks with my rude or snide remarks. The thing is, I don’t even feel like how I spoke. I’m convinced I let my guard down and Satan took a jab. Anyway, after praying that I opened the passage. I was to read Psalm 119:161-168. The whole passage spoke to me, but namely the first verse, 161. “Powerful people harass me without cause, but my heart trembles only at your word.” I know that was the power of God telling me to continue turning to Him and His Word when I get frustrated at work.

I hope God is able to use my testimony to help lift you up. I share not to lift me up, but because the Lord told me to.
- Steven Cooper

Troy Shockley testifies to God’s faithfulness to provide when we completely surrender:

My name is Troy Shockley and, for the next two weeks, I am the assistant sports editor and beat writer for Cooper High and Abilene Christian University at the Abilene Reporter-News. On Saturday, May 31, however, my wife and daughter will join me in taking the next step in the path God has planned for our lives. We will be leaving on that day for Oregon, where I have accepted an offer to join the staff of a small, family owned newspaper as sports editor.

Since returning to Abilene in 2003, Beltway Park has been home. My wife, Roxanne, and I fell in love with the place and the people from Day 1, and it has been the only true church home we’ve had as a married couple. We have so many wonderful memories made in our time here and we have grown immensely in our walk with the Lord thanks largely to Pastor David and our small group, led by Steve and Susan Keenum.

My situation at work, though, has been both difficult and frustrating. Often working 10 to 12 hours a day, many times six days a week, I rarely get time with my wife or daughter Elisabeth, who will turn three in September. Add to that the stress level that has been created by management, and my attitude when home hasn’t always been as it should be. Through much prayer, we decided that the only solution to these problems was to find another job that would be both personally and professionally satisfying. Over the last several months we’ve found many possibilities, but even those we felt would be a great fell through — until we came across McMinnville. That’s when God made his love and care for us so clear.

After leading me to the job listing (a listing that, “somehow,” never showed up on a popular Web site that would have surely resulted in a large increase in the number of applicants) we quickly felt very good about the possibility. God then led me to someone that, as it turned out, used to work at the paper. His current boss is great friends with one of the bosses in McMinnville. This person also used to work in Texas, and called around some of his contacts asking about me. Based on what he heard, he called McMinnville and talked to the hiring editor about me and reccomended me for the job — all without my knowledge at the time. This gave me a tremendous head start for a job that, I’ve found, had 15 applicants in the first 24 hours after the initial posting.

The hiring editor set up a phone interview a week after I sent in my application. It went so well that, a week later, I was on a plane headed to a second interview. That went so well that, on the second day, I was offered the job at more than a 10 percent increase in pay. There will be markedly less stress at this job, the hours will be more stable and the company is more than willing to work around family obligations. It is also much closer to home.

Even now God is working in the situation, as yesterday we found that the paper has doubled its initial (and standard) offer in regards to helping defray the costs of moving. I have always struggled in letting go of a situation. I don’t like not being in control. But God has made himself so known in our lives these last few weeks and it is truly amazing what can happen if you ‘let go and let God.’

We are incredibly sad to have to leave our church family at Beltway and know there will be many other difficulties as we make this move, but we are also excited to be following what is clearly God’s plan for our lives. And as clearly as He has been in control of this entire situation, we know He will continue to provide if we faithfully follow His plan.
Isn’t God great?