BBD 07.07.09 The Rollercoaster from Hell

#1 · July 7, 2009, 11:12 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on July 7, 2009, 11:12 pm
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more
than 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer
requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at
www.theburningbush.net.

I'm now on twitter and you can find me at http://www.twitter.com/edwrather.

The Burning Bush Devotional

(A Devotional Classic from 2002)

Welcome to the 729 new subscribers since January 1, 2009

07.07.09

The Rollercoaster from Hell

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; they found no city to
dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried
out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their
distresses. And He led them forth by the right way. - Psalm 107:4-7a.

Richard Rodriguez has spent the summer riding a rollercoaster for ten hours
a day trying to set a new world record for rollercoaster endurance.
Rodriguez is 42 years old and is a lecturer at the University of Chicago. To
take his mind off of the stomach turning and churning rides in the German
town of Hassloch he says, "I read the newspapers, I have a walkman, I have
my cellphone, so I try to talk to people and message people during the day.
I've been on this rollercoaster for quarter of a year now, so I am kind of
anxious for the ending."

Hard to imagine spending an entire summer riding a rollercoaster! However,
some people spend much of their lives on a spiritual rollercoaster. Paula J.
Anderson shares of her rollercoaster ride: "I was brought up in the church,
I loved school and was an honor student. A happy child hood I had. I went
astray at the young age of 14 years old. I got pregnant so I decided to get
married. I was 15 years old when my first son was born. I would eventually
have four more children out of wedlock, three girls and one more boy. I
didn't understand and couldn't cope with the responsibilities of taking care
of a husband or a child. I strayed even further away from my family
responsibilities and God."

"At 16, I was introduced to heroin by a neighbor, an ex-marine. I liked the
calm, peaceful feelings it gave me. I became immediately addicted and
started "shooting up" every day. I left my husband and child to begin a
life-style of drugs, prostitution, and shoplifting. For the next 25 years of
my life, I never really lived, but only existed day to day in this human
shell. I would do almost anything for my next fix, whenever that pain and
want in my body took control. I jumped from one drug to the next, whatever
was easily available and affordable. Always looking for that numbing warm
feeling that gave me that artificial peace."

"In a one year period I overdosed and was comatose nine times! I was sent to
the State Hospital and was diagnosed as suicidal and certified an addict.
I've had many serious operations and a finger removed due to my intravenous
drug use. My heart is now damaged from drug abuse. I've lost everything dear
to me."

"I tried many drug treatment programs without success. I went on Methadone
Maintenance for many years, another addiction, but it was cheap, legal and
it kept me out of jail. I sit in prison today, 42 years old, and at the end
of my five year sentence.."

Paula has been on a wild roller coaster ride but she did find the way off as
she says, "I sit in prison today, 42 years old, and at the end of my five
year sentence, a new woman in Christ. My Lord and Savior has pulled me out
of the pit and off of Satan's rollercoaster of Hell. I have found a new
program for my survival: "THE JESUS PROGRAM". Through him I have that
warmth, love and a peace no drug or man could ever compare too!! Praise the
Lord, I was lost but now I'm found, my faith in him will heal me!"

If you've been on the rollercoaster from hell maybe it is time to cry out to
the Lord so He can deliver you.

(Update on Paula: I did receive a card from Paula several years ago. It was
postmarked from California but did not have a return address. If anyone
knows Paula or knows what has happened to her please contact me.)

Copyright © 2009. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

Prayer Requests: Please pray for Malachi, Cody, and Mica who are young boys
with cancer. Malachi is very ill and in much pain. He is paralyzed on one
side because of a tumor pressing on his brain. Many prayer needs are posted
at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post
your prayer requests there and they will be forwarded to the Burning Bush
Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for
me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube at:
www.godtube.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites have received visits from more than 170 countries.
Celebrating 11 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more
than 11,000 subscribers across the world.

Please join the Burning Bush Prayer Group. The group began in 1998 and is
made up of over 300 prayer warriors. Send prayer requests and receive prayer
requests. To join send an email to: bbpg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

You can now leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at
http://www.theburningbush.net.

I'm now on twitter and you can find me at http://www.twitter.com/edwrather.

The Burning Bush Devotional

(A Devotional Classic from 2002)

Welcome to the 729 new subscribers since January 1, 2009

07.07.09

The Rollercoaster from Hell

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; they found no city to
dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried
out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their
distresses. And He led them forth by the right way. - Psalm 107:4-7a.

Richard Rodriguez has spent the summer riding a rollercoaster for ten hours
a day trying to set a new world record for rollercoaster endurance.
Rodriguez is 42 years old and is a lecturer at the University of Chicago. To
take his mind off of the stomach turning and churning rides in the German
town of Hassloch he says, "I read the newspapers, I have a walkman, I have
my cellphone, so I try to talk to people and message people during the day.
I've been on this rollercoaster for quarter of a year now, so I am kind of
anxious for the ending."

Hard to imagine spending an entire summer riding a rollercoaster! However,
some people spend much of their lives on a spiritual rollercoaster. Paula J.
Anderson shares of her rollercoaster ride: "I was brought up in the church,
I loved school and was an honor student. A happy child hood I had. I went
astray at the young age of 14 years old. I got pregnant so I decided to get
married. I was 15 years old when my first son was born. I would eventually
have four more children out of wedlock, three girls and one more boy. I
didn't understand and couldn't cope with the responsibilities of taking care
of a husband or a child. I strayed even further away from my family
responsibilities and God."

"At 16, I was introduced to heroin by a neighbor, an ex-marine. I liked the
calm, peaceful feelings it gave me. I became immediately addicted and
started "shooting up" every day. I left my husband and child to begin a
life-style of drugs, prostitution, and shoplifting. For the next 25 years of
my life, I never really lived, but only existed day to day in this human
shell. I would do almost anything for my next fix, whenever that pain and
want in my body took control. I jumped from one drug to the next, whatever
was easily available and affordable. Always looking for that numbing warm
feeling that gave me that artificial peace."

"In a one year period I overdosed and was comatose nine times! I was sent to
the State Hospital and was diagnosed as suicidal and certified an addict.
I've had many serious operations and a finger removed due to my intravenous
drug use. My heart is now damaged from drug abuse. I've lost everything dear
to me."

"I tried many drug treatment programs without success. I went on Methadone
Maintenance for many years, another addiction, but it was cheap, legal and
it kept me out of jail. I sit in prison today, 42 years old, and at the end
of my five year sentence.."

Paula has been on a wild roller coaster ride but she did find the way off as
she says, "I sit in prison today, 42 years old, and at the end of my five
year sentence, a new woman in Christ. My Lord and Savior has pulled me out
of the pit and off of Satan's rollercoaster of Hell. I have found a new
program for my survival: "THE JESUS PROGRAM". Through him I have that
warmth, love and a peace no drug or man could ever compare too!! Praise the
Lord, I was lost but now I'm found, my faith in him will heal me!"

If you've been on the rollercoaster from hell maybe it is time to cry out to
the Lord so He can deliver you.

(Update on Paula: I did receive a card from Paula several years ago. It was
postmarked from California but did not have a return address. If anyone
knows Paula or knows what has happened to her please contact me.)

Copyright © 2009. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

Prayer Requests: Please pray for Malachi, Cody, and Mica who are young boys
with cancer. Malachi is very ill and in much pain. He is paralyzed on one
side because of a tumor pressing on his brain. Many prayer needs are posted
at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post
your prayer requests there and they will be forwarded to the Burning Bush
Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for
me.).

If you are not my friend on facebook or myspace you can be, just add me. The
devotionals are posted in my blogs on those two social networks and you can
leave comments, feedback about them there. There are other social networks
designed just for Christians, however, this is an outreach project to reach
those who may not know the Lord or may have wandered away. You can help me
reach out to them.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org

Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube at:
http://www.godtube.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
http://www.kkbifm.com/

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here
is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You can unsubscribe to the pure text version of the devotional by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org and then respond to
the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.