The Long Road To Forgiveness - Kim Phuc


I was listening to NPR on the way home and had my breath taken away by an audio essay that was a part of the, "This I Believe" series. Kim Phuc is best known as the girl in the famous photo of a Vietnam War napalm-bombing attack near Saigon. As I listened, I wasn't sure where she was going but was touched to the core as her story unfolded.

I encourage you to listen to her essay. The uncomfortable part of this story is that this famous photo has her running unclothed away from the napalm-bomb. But this is a powerful story of her coming to know the love of God through reading the Bible. This is how she puts it ...
In Christmas 1982, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior. It was an amazing turning point in my life. God helped me to learn to forgive — the most difficult of all lessons. It didn't happen in a day and it wasn't easy. But I finally got it.
You may read or listen to her essay here, "The Long Road To Forgiveness."

Depending on your setting, this would be a powerful illustration for preaching or teaching. Of course you would avoid using the image in your worship service or class room.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Should We Anoint the Sick with Oil Today?

Image
I'm not sure where you stand on this issue. Anointing with oil is not part of my normal practice. Bruce Grubbs, the senior pastor at the church where I serve part-time on staff ( Gladeville Baptist ) does this on a regular basis and I think it's very cool. I posted a new article on this subject by Pastor Harold Dinsmore in the Pastors Area of LifeWay.com. Pastor Dinsmore believes we are missing a great opportunity if we don't choose to offer the anointing of oil when we pray for the sick. He offers his reasoning as well as five things to consider should you choose to do this. Read Should We Anoint the Sick with Oil Today?
Read more

How to do a group brainstorming session

Pastor, when we are trying to plan a new sermon series, promote an event, or solve a problem, here's the group brainstorming process we follow (Michael Eubanks, our Pastor for New Generations brought this process back from a conference). We pull together a team of five to eight creative types with different perspectives and give them an overview of what we're trying to get to. We then distribute a stack of 3x5 cards to each person and give them about ten minutes to write as many creative ideas as they can (one simple phrase on each card). We then gather the cards and begin reading them and taping them to a wall in categories. Be sure to capture this treasure of ideas on paper to help you in further planning. Also, give options to your team for participating in the implementation of the ideas. It's a great opportunity to train and equip other leaders. You'll love the results. When you're going through the process, be sure to keep in mind Osborn'
Read more

Preaching through the Bible in a Year - 2 Plans!

Image
I'm reading through the Bible again this year using George Guthrie's Reading God's Story: A Chronological Daily Bible plan. In 2011, our entire church used the reading plan in response to the Radical sermon and small group series we did at the end of 2010. I'm was delighted to see Aaron Linne's Blog post about a new online resource with lists of sermons inspired by the Read the Bible for Life initiative. These lists from B&H Publishing are designed so that you can take a church through the Bible in a year. They currently have a plan prepared by David Platt (52 sermons) and Chuck Maxwell (50 sermons). Check the tabs at the top to switch between the two lists. Access the complimentary lists of sermons here ... Learn how to use this resource on your iPhone, Android, or tablet here ...
Read more