Musing – Take on a Giant Challenge and how might the LORD use you?

 Hebraic Musing – Take on a Giant Challenge and how might the LORD use you?

How can any of us take on a Giant Challenge like “Saving” the world?  A little personal testimony:

I accepted the Lord on August 28, 1977.  When I came home two days later and told my wife that I accepted Jesus Christ as my LORD and Savior, she informed me that she and all our children had already accepted Jesus.  Typically, when the man of the house gets saved, he wants to assure that his whole family also gets saved; but my family was already saved.  So what should I do?   So, ever since then I have always felt it was my job to evangelize the rest of the world.  But isn’t that a Giant Challenge?

After becoming involved with the FGBMFI (Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International) we moved to Escondido, and found myself elected president of the FGBMFI chapter in Vista, CA.  I found myself sharing my testimony as the speaker at various Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner meetings in Southern CA.  An evangelist friend who ministered world-wide kept inviting me to the Philippines.  While it sounded interesting, the Holy Spirit kept saying “No”.   A few months later I was seated at the head table at a dinner meeting alongside the featured speaker, Garmond Mindt, who had his evangelistic ministry in the Philippines, holding large and very successful crusades.  After a short discussion, Garmond invited me to come do a tour in the Philippines with him and his team.  This is when I took on a Giant Challenge!  I said “Yes” and made arrangements to go, despite the fact that I was unemployed and had a family of 6 hungry children to support! 

After an indescribably impactful three weeks ministering in the Philippines, I came home still unemployed; but the Lord had His surprise for me.  In a few weeks and after a few phone calls, I committed to employment with my old consulting firm, Alexander Proudfoot, to work and live with my family in Belgium, Europe, for two years.  After making all the “move” arrangements in Escondido, CA, I found myself on that long flight to Europe with time to spare and some curiosity, so I opened my diary from the Philippines trip and tallied up the cost of that trip – it totaled $3,200, money spent on faith!  More time to kill so I recapped the compensation package for this Belgium employment with salary, housing, tax benefits and education allowances for the two children, etc.  It totaled $320,000.  As I looked at that number I recalled one of the big messages I picked up in the Philippines – “Give to God and He will provide a 100-fold blessing”!  I was in tears, realizing that the Giant Challenge I took to go evangelize in the Philippines resulted in a 100-fold blessing!

Since working, living, and ministering in Europe for three years (they kept me an extra year), my jobs and my heart have had me doing an extraordinary amount of international travel enabling me the experience of sharing the Gospel rather freely in 33 countries outside of the States in the years ever since. 

Thank you, Lord, for providing me with a Giant Challenge, and the H.S. boldness to say yes!

Points to Ponder

If we feel called to do foreign missions, shouldn’t we also be evangelizing at home?

What happened to the Bible characters who accepted Giant Challenges?

How much faith does it take to accept a Giant Challenge?

What might happen if the Lord asks you to take on a Giant Challenge?

What Giant Challenge does the Lord have in front of you?

“The light that shines the farthest, shines brightest close to home” – Garmond Mindt’s favorite saying.

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                          May 14, 2024
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”     Weekly “Hebraic Musings”

Musing – How Powerful is your Testimony?

 Hebraic Musing – How Powerful is your Testimony?

Here is my testimony in three parts – before, what happened, and since.

I am Joe Brusherd, a retired CPA, Int’l consultant and CFO for a variety of companies.  Some 80+ years ago I grew up in Cicero, Illinois, as the oldest of eight children.  After college, my career started as a CPA.  My wife and I raised six children which has multiplied into a family of 38 so far, and still growing.

I had limited understanding of God during the first 37 years of my life; did not know God’s purpose for my life despite these Three Questions and Answers from my first grade catechism class that stuck with me all my life:

Q. – Who made me?                          A. – God made me.
Q. – Who is God?                              A. – God is the Supreme Being who created all things.
Q. – Why did God make me?           A. – God made me to worship Him; and to praise Him forever.

During those years my selfish ways, my anger, my unclean thoughts plagued me; and in desperation I agreed to go on a Catholic Marriage Encounter weekend to enrich our marriage, which desperately needed enrichment.  After that experience in 1976, I became a curious seeker of the God I had known as a child.  I enjoyed the fellowship with other married couples, but one couple I especially admired and respected.  Bill and Mary Blessing had something I wanted; and they frequently referenced their “Cursillo” experience. 

On a Thursday in August 1977 friends of Bill Blessing drove me the 80 miles for a three day “Cursillo” retreat.  As I got out of the car, I asked them “Aren’t you coming in?”  They answered, “No, we were just giving you a ride” and they drove off.  That act of sacrificial love was just the beginning.  On the second day a priest, Father Tony Tascheta, spoke and his message, presentation and style was awesome.  I kept thinking that he missed his calling; he should have been a VP of Sales!  I was in a daze, so we went to the Chapel. 

As we walked into the Chapel, I saw Father Tony Tascheta on his knees praying and thanking Jesus for all the words Jesus had given to him for “the men out there”, like me. 

My knees gave out and I found myself kneeling, crying crocodile tears and saying almost out loud “Jesus Christ, you are real.  I need to learn more about you.”  At that moment I knew I would never be the same.  The peace in my inner being was unimaginable.  I no longer had the feelings of desperation that resulted from knowing I was a sinner and, most of all, that I had been trying to hide them from God, my Creator.

At the closing ceremony we entered a big hall and I saw Bill and Mary Blessing there; they had cut their vacation short in order to be there for me.  I fell apart.  As part of the closing ceremony, we each were to stand up as the Spirit led and tell what the week-end meant to us.  Eventually I went to the podium, froze, fell apart and finally blurted out “I talked to Jesus!”  That’s all I could say!  That’s not much of a speech but it meant volumes.  I was never so choked up in my life.

Very late Sunday night the Blessings gave me a ride home.  I immediately woke up Peggy, my wife, and said, “Peggy, guess what happened to me on the week-end?”     She said, “What?”      I told her, “I talked to Jesus”.   She asked, “Does that mean you’re ‘born again’?”    I answered “I don’t know what you call it, but all I know is that I talked to Jesus. … And I want you and all our kids to experience what I experienced.”     She replied, “Too late Joe, we already have.  We’ve all been praying for you.” (She could have added “…for 10 years.”)

That was in August 1977.   I was 39 years old.  So I know how blind a man, a husband and a sinner can be.  I found out why Jesus told Nicodemus “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”  And since by family was already “saved”, it is now my job to witness to the rest of the world! 

That is how Jesus came into my life.   What is YOUR testimony?    Please share it with me.

Points to Ponder

What life was like before?
What happened at that revelational moment?
What has life been like ever since?

People may argue with your teachings & preachings, but they cannot argue with your testimony!

“And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,” Acts 4:33

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                      May 7, 2024
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”     Weekly “Hebraic Musings”