The "What God Can Do" Index

Who doesn't love a challenge? Crossword puzzles, obstacle courses, Calculus, weight loss goals, memorizing entire portions of Scripture, living on a budget. Challenges can cause us to explore and tap into the potential of the human body, hopefully making us better humans. There is one such challenge that I face regularly and am having great difficulty appreciating, much less meeting. I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat, but returning to sleep once something has awakened me...hardly ever. Therein lies my challenge, my nemesis, the Moriarty to my Holmes. I don't worry. I don't fret. But in the wee hours of the morning, I create. One tiny trip to the bathroom and my brain is fully engaged, locked in "How'bout-this?" mode. On one such occasion this idea occurred to me: 

Create a log of amazing things God can do! 

"What are you talking about?" the still slightly sleepy part of my brain replied. (Usually the parietal lobe; she's late to most of the frontal lobe's soirees.) 

I mean, write an article --not really an article, more like a catalog-- of resources, accounts from people who have received deliverance and been victorious over their challenges like addiction and homelessness. A What God Can Do Index!

So, now that we're fully awake and all of the guests are at the party (as much as possible, anyway), I thought I'd share this list with you as a resource, a What God Can Do Index, as told by those for whom He has done it.

▷God can conquer addiction: 

    Evangelist | Julie Seals "Julie Seals is an Ordained https://www.julieseals.com/ with the Pen-Florida District Assemblies of God. She has overcome Spina Bifida, a 17-year addiction to crystal methamphetamine, the amputation of her left leg, and a life sentence in federal prison to share her relentless passion for seeing people SET FREE from darkness to boldly live out the call of God upon their lives!" Her book will be out soon!

▷God can conquer unforgiveness: 

    Amazing Love: True Stories of the Power of Forgiveness. In short, "Cornelia Arnolda Johanna 'Corrie' ten Boom (April 15, 1892 – April 15, 1983) was a Holocaust survivor who started a rehabilitation center for concentration camp survivors as well as a global ministry to preach the power of forgiveness." [from Biography of Corrie ten Boom, Hero of the Holocaust (learnreligions.com)]

▷God can conquer suffering: 

    Joni Eareckson Tada has an amazing story, from a paralyzing injury to cancer to the same things we all endure in the day to day, but in her book A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty, Joni deals specifically with issues that can lead us to despair and to question the goodness of God. 

    In this category, I also include Philip Yancey's A Companion in Crisis: A Modern Paraphrase of John Donne's Devotions. During the pandemic Yancey looked to a text written by John Donne as he experienced life and eventually the threat of death during The Great Plague in London.

▷God can conquer "impossible" circumstances: 

    Bethany Hamilton, attacked by a shark while surfing, tells her story in Soul Surfer. 

    Nick Vujicic, born without arms or legs, founded Life Without Limbs, "an international non-profit ministry whose purpose is to saturate the world with the Gospel and unite the body of Christ through the life and testimony of Nick Vujicic." (as stated on their website). 

    Elisabeth Elliot lost her husband to tribesmen in Ecuador, but gained a ministry like no other. Her story and the story of her husband, Jim's martyr can be found in three wonderful books: Shadow of the Almighty, Through the Gates of Splendor, and The Savage My Kinsman. 

    And a personal fave: A Matter of Faith: Surviving Life’s Crises with Four Wheels, Four Paws, and a Loving God, by Joan Patterson.

▷God can turn the heart of a self-made man to become God's man:

    Born Again. From Prison Fellowship's website: "Charles “Chuck” Colson, President Richard M. Nixon's White House counsel and hatchet man, served time in a federal prison camp for a Watergate-related crime. After his incarceration, Chuck felt led by God to honor a promise he made to remember his fellow prisoners and their families. That promise grew into Prison Fellowship® and the world's largest family of prison ministries."

▷God can transform gang leaders into Christ followers:

    About Nicky Cruz Outreach and the book that tells his story, Run, Baby, Run.

▷God can enlighten an atheist:

    About — Lee Strobel and his story in The Case for Grace. 

    C.S. Lewis was raised in a religious home, but by the age of 13 had renounced Christianity. In his early 30s, Lewis, after much critical thought made a decision to follow after Christ and became one of the greatest authors and apologists of his time. A 2021 movie, The Most Reluctant Convert, is an excellent telling of his story.

This is such a small example of what God can do, but I hope the resources on this list inspire you and perhaps, challenge you to share your story with others. God walks us through these places as a means to encourage others, strengthen us, and bring glory to Himself. Be blessed today!