Twin Salvations

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.Rom 10:13 KJV

Twins! I wondered what their mother thought about when she held them as infants and gazed into their beautiful ebony dimpled faces. She named them Jacob and Jeremiah – Bible names. She must have wanted them to know God.

“Do you go to church?” I asked. Jacob and Jeremiah were sitting with two of their friends. I’d already found out that they played college football and that the couple they were sitting with was dating.

“Our uncle is a pastor,” Jacob said.

“That is not what I asked,” I said. “Do you go to church?”

“We’ve been in church a lot.”

“OK,” I said. “Let’s see if you know the answer to my trick questions. Are you ready?”

“Sure,” everyone at the table nodded.

“If something happened to you today and you didn’t live through the day, do you know where you will go?”

“I hope heaven,” everyone said except the blond headed blue eyed young woman.

“I don’t know,” she whispered, looking down.

“A good honest answer,” I said to her, as I touched her shoulder. I looked at the 3 boys. “For the 3 of you, I have a second question. When you get to heaven and God asks, ‘why should I let you in?’ what will you say?”

“We told you,” Jeremiah said. “Our uncle is a pastor.”

Their friend said, “I’d tell him I’ve been good.”

“Your uncle can’t get you into heaven,” I said to the twins. I looked at all 4 of the well dressed clean cut young people. “The Bible says all have sinned. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. Next is my favorite line in the Bible. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Let’s do that right now."

All 4 young people bowed their heads in reverence and repeated the words that would change their destiny. The young lady wept all the way through it. At the end of the prayer, they looked up and their faces were glowing. I took their pictures and you can meet them in the Photo Gallery under Georgia – Kennesaw – Friday night.

“Have any of you ever prayed that before?” I asked. They all shook their heads.

“Our uncle is going to be happy,” one of the twins said.

“Not near as happy as the heavens are.” I said. “The Bible says all of heaven is now throwing a party and there is no party like an angel party.”

Join our prayer team and pray for people like Jacob and Jeremiah. Join our Prayer Team

Friday was the day of salvation for Jacob, Jeremiah, and their 2 friends. I feel so blessed to be called to do this full time. There is nothing I’d rather be doing. 10 people called on the name of the Lord in an hour of walking around a Kennesaw, Georgia mall. Thank you if you donated to this journey. If you haven’t donated, pray about joining us in this holy work. Donating

If I Can Trust My Teenager, Surely I Can Trust God

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady
That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Matt 18:19 KJV

When my teenaged son said where he was going and what time he was going to be home, I believed him. Yes, he mostly kept his promises, but he was not perfect and he was after all, a 16-year-old boy. Why did I believe him? I believed him because I had faith in him. I also believe that my faith in him was part of the reason he worked so hard to keep his promises.

Someone recently told me that God responds to faith, not needs. I’ve been praying about that statement and confessing my worries. Did I have more faith in a 16-year-old boy than I did God?
This week, God gave me an object lesson. This week, I spent some time with a delightful committed Christian who had spent her life serving God and the church.

As we talked, she began sharing her financial difficulties. The situation was so bleak that she was worried about things like light bills, food, and gas money. A customer for their small business was months past due with a $20,000 payment and it was devastating her business and personal finances.
My automatic response was to go into “businesswoman” mode. I confirmed that they had delivered the promised product, had correctly billed the customer, and had followed up. They had done all of that and still couldn’t collect the money.

I remembered God’s promise that if two agreed in prayer, it would be done. Nervous but committed to believing God, I led her in a commanding prayer that the money was going to be released and was already headed their way.

When we finished, she shook her head, sighed woefully, and said something like, “Don’t feel badly if it doesn’t come. Maybe God is just wanting to teach me something.” 

I thought about all of the times I’d prayed a scripture and immediately made an excuse for why God wasn’t going to keep his promise. I knew we both needed to respond with faith that we had agreed in prayer and the prayer would be answered.

“No!” I said firmly. “Don’t undo what we just prayed. We claimed the scripture and agreed in prayer. We are going to pray again and this time, believe what we pray!”

“I receive that,” she said. We prayed again. We claimed God’s promise that it would be done.
Is anyone surprised that the $20,000 check arrived 3 days later? As good as my son’s promises were, they certainly are not as reliable as the promises of God and I am determined to start living like it. 

Would you agree in prayer that many will be led to Christ on the 2012 Pocket Full of Change Missionary Journey?

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MAP

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No More Tears

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Rev 21:4 KJV


Who doesn’t want to live in a place where there is no death, sorrow, crying, or pain? People want it so badly that that they pretend they live in such a place. When they find out they don’t, they thrash, yell, weep, or do whatever it takes to avoid the pain. Let’s face it. Life on earth is filled with pain. The only hope anyone has is to invite Jesus into his or her life, accept the peace that passes all understanding, and look forward to a heaven with no more sorrow.

I spent an afternoon walking across the peaceful rolling hills of the New Market Battle Field in Virginia. I looked at the yellow wild flowers and tried to imagine them stained with the blood of two armies killing each other. I looked at the empty farmhouse and wondered what it was like hiding in the basement while blasts from guns and cannons shook the walls. When the owners built their house, did they ever imagine that their barn would be turned into a hospital filled with the screams of dying young men? I came to the place where the first cadet was killed and remembered how painful it was to lose my own son. Did this young cadet’s mother feel it the moment her baby drew his last breath? Did she ever get over it? That mother no longer walks on earth and I wondered if she was in a place with no more tears.

Belle and I strolled to the overlook and gazed at the peaceful modern-day houses nestled behind the flowing creek. Were people sitting in those houses wondering what day the bank would foreclose on the house of their dreams? Had they just found out they had lost a son or daughter in our modern day wars? As I stood there, the stark contrast of the deceivingly peaceful scene and the knowledge of what can actually happen on this earth washed over me. No matter how much I want to pretend otherwise, I know firsthand how brutal life can be.

Many I meet on the road long for God to wipe away their tears. They think they need their problems to go away to be happy and are haunted by the knowledge that even if this problem goes away, there are more lurking right around the next corner. Most have heard of the peace that comes from Jesus and some even remember it, but they cannot imagine being happy without the person, place, or thing they are missing so desperately.

I listen to their pain and as I quote the word of God, cannot explain the peace Jesus offers because it is beyond understanding. All I can do is allow the love of Jesus to flow through me as I help others find him.

When the people I meet finally relax into the sweet abyss of Jesus’ peace, they cannot explain it either. They simply know it is real and never want to be without it again. I praise God that he allows me to be a tiny part of helping people find their way into the comforting arms of Jesus and an eternity of “no more tears.”

See the New Market Battle Field at the Photo Gallery

To help others find the peace of Jesus, Donate

And We Are Off

Pocket Full of Quarters Trek 2012
And We’re Off

By Cheryle M. Touchton
The Pocket Full of Quarters Lady

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Rom 10:13 KJV

Belle the Missionary Dog and I are on the road. The 2012 Pocket Full of Quarters Missionary Journey has begun. This is our 10th year of traveling the country, sharing Jesus, and handing out quarters. The quarters represent the free grace of God and being prepared for life and eternity. You can read why I talk so much about pockets and quarters at Why Quarters? Our job is to travel the country helping people have full pockets – spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. To ride along, all you have to do is follow this website.

So what do we do? We help people call on the name of the Lord.  We help them “get saved.” Have you ever wondered what that word means? My ministry mentor, Ron Fuller with the Sojourners Fellowship, recently gave me a lesson in the Greek Language and a way to articulate what we do on the Pocket Full of Quarters Missionary Journeys.

SAVED FOR ETERNITY
The Greek word for saved is sozo.  It is a rich word with many meanings. First, it means what most think it means - saved from an eternity in hell.  At Pocket Full of Change Ministries, we help people get heaven. As I travel, I give the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus. I quote scripture and invite people to the party Christians call Jesus. The harvest is ripe and many say yes. I celebrate with the angels in heaven when someone calls on the name of Jesus for the very first time. Belle and I ask to you read our stories, look at our pictures, pray for the people who step up and change their destinies, and celebrate with us.

In addition to eternal salvation, sojo also means healed, delivered, and preserved.  As Belle and I travel, our call is to all of these things. We pray before we leave, pray everywhere we stop, and go where the Holy Spirit leads.

HEALED
I meet people in need of healing – spiritually and physically. I listen to their needs, pray with them, write about them if they give permission, take their picture so you can pray for them ( Photo Gallery), and send their needs out to our prayer team. As promised in the Word of God, miracles happen as people get healed. We’d love to have you on our prayer team. Join our Prayer Team

DELIVERED
In case you haven’t noticed, Satan is alive and well in America. We meet people actively involved in witchcraft, devil worship, and doing unspeakable things. We meet Christians caught up in strongholds that are destroying their faith and ruining their lives. Satan may not have their eternity but he is sure ruining their time on earth. I believe what the Bible says about deliverance and use the word of God to pray over these people and bind the evil spirits. One of my greatest joys is to see the surprise on people’s faces when they feel the release from demons and strongholds. We also send these needs to our prayer team.

PRESERVED
That word is a little more vague to me. I prayed about it and realized that our call is to help people preserve their faith. Many Christians are discouraged. They worry about the economy, their children, or their marriages. Discouraged Christians know they should have faith but when life invariably happens, they find the faith faltering. When their faith falters, they feel even worse about themselves. Perhaps these people are the ones Belle and I spend the most time with. We read the Bible with them, visit in their homes, and pray with them. Often these stories are too intimate and private to share on this blog but helping discouraged Christians is a large part of the ministry. Belle and I may spend minutes, hours, and even days with Christians who find their faith in need of being preserved. Whenever possible, I share these stories and the needs with you and our prayer team. You can encourage us and help preserve this ministry by Donating.

I ask you to pray for Belle and me as we travel. Follow the MAP to see where we have been.  Check out the schedule to see where we are going. Ride along on the 2012 Pocket Full of Quarters Missionary Journey and watch the Holy Spirit work.

PRIMARY PRINCIPLE: YOU CAN HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST

From the Secret to Everything - by Cheryle M. Touchton (pp3-4)

Memory Verse: But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16

I was angry about Bob’s great aunt Jamie being murdered. A traveling serial killer had broken into her home and killed her. I grieved and lived in terror for weeks that the same thing would happen to me.

In one of my study groups, I asked, “How could God have let this happen? I’m so mad. Aunt Jamie was a sweet, elderly Christian woman. The man that did this should be drawn and quartered.”

A woman about five feet tall stood up, pointed her finger at me, and shouted, “Honey, your aunt is in heaven. Your job is to love and forgive the man who did this. That is what Jesus did. He died for murderers too. God will deal with that man the way He sees fit.”

I was shocked. How could she be so insensitive to my pain? Then, God answered. The mind of Christ offered grace to sinners, and I could have that mind. The mind of Christ forgave those who murdered Him, before they repented. When I let the grace offered by the mind of Christ wash over me, I was able to forgive a murderer who tore my family apart. When I forgave him, I felt the first peace I’d felt in weeks.

If you invite Jesus to participate in your life journey, become His disciple, and study the Word of God, over time, you can have the mind of Christ! Think about that for a moment. How could one possibly suffer from low self-esteem, obsession, or depression with the mind of Christ? The mind of Christ is perfection.

The secret to having His mind is to study and apply the Bible. How could you fail to succeed with the mind of Christ? The Bible says you can do all things through Christ (Phil. 4:13). As you study the rest of this step, let this overriding spiritual principle guide you. You can have the mind of Christ.

From Cheryle Touchton's Book, The Secret to Everything - Chapter - Mind Matters - pp 3-4. Click here to order your copy of the book now.

Promise
From Cheryle Touchton's Book - The Secret to Everything

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.

—1 Corinthians 2:9

AS I SAT in the Intensive Care waiting room, I didn’t think I could stand it. Our family was still recovering from the brutal murder of my husband’s great-aunt Jamie, and now my beloved

grandfather was in the ICU with a severely damaged heart. As I stared at my grandmother, who was sitting across from me, I wondered if she understood how seriously ill her husband was.

My grandparents had the kind of marriage everyone wanted. They still held hands when they walked. They cuddled when theysat. For sixty years they’d been together almost continually, and

before this heart attack, I’d seen little sign of aging. Throughout their lives, they ran businesses together, raised four daughters, and directed music for churches. I was terrified that they were

about to be separated.

The ICU only allowed visitors every two hours. The time in between stretched like an eternity, leaving too much time to think. I examined my own life. I was twenty-seven, and so far, I felt like I had wasted it. I was a Christian, but for some reason, it wasn’t enough to satisfy the emptiness in my soul. Things were tense with my own husband. Until just a year before, I’d been bedridden with obesity-related health problems, and everyone had taken care of me. On January 19, 1979, I cried out to God and asked for the sin of gluttony to be removed. I felt God gently promising that if I ate healthy foods in moderate quantities and avoided all foods that had become false gods, He would remove my desire to kill myself with food. I’d spent the last year working on my physical health and was already reaping the rewards.

When it was finally time to visit, I tiptoed into the sterile hospital room. I took a deep breath and felt dizzy from the strong smell of medicine and sickness. I looked at the wires attached to my grandfather and found the hum of the monitors comforting.

He looked at me and smiled warmly, “Gal, you’ve got your school girl figure back.” Those were to be the last words he ever spoke to me.

I did indeed look and feel better physically but wondered why I was still so miserable. What was missing? I worried about everything. My husband was often away from home on business, and I resented him because of it. I wanted to do more than I was doing, but fear kept me from trying new things. I called myself a “stay at home mom,” but I was really a couch potato, spending my days watching soap operas. I believed the promise that I could do all things through Christ who strengthened me, but for some reason, I just couldn’t seem to apply that to my life.

That is the beginning of my story and what motivated me to seek a change. I’ll bet you have a story of your own. What if there were an ancient, secret formula—one that was centuries old? Assume for a moment that this formula contained the secret to finding everything we seek for a fulfilled life. While each generation had passed this formula to the next, not all generations had recognized its value or applied its worth. Suppose it was your turn to have this mysterious formula and your research indicated those generations that embraced this secret formula soared as if on “eagle’s wings” and the generations who ignored it crashed and burned into the ground. What would you do?

You might write a book called The Secret to Everything. The secret formula I’m talking about is called the Sh’ma (pronounced Shuh mah), which is a Hebrew word that means “to hear.” The Sh’ma is actually the first two words of a section of the Torah and considered by many to be the most important prayer of the Jewish faith. We see it multiple places throughout the Old and New Testaments, and Jesus told us it was the most important commandment. What part of most do we not understand? The Sh’ma, or the Greatest Commandment as the New Testament calls it, is the ancient secret to everything.

It is:

• The secret formula for balance, success, and wellbeing.
• The secret weapon against every evil, disappointment,and frustration.
• The secret sauce that spices up our lives.

The Greatest Commandment:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)

The secret is to love God with all you think, feel, and do. The rest of this book is going to show you how to do that. You can’t imagine what God has planned for you once you decide to do nothing but love Him more. The answer to everything in life is to stop working on every problem, issue, challenge, annoyance, disappointment, hurdle, or frustration and start using all your energy to love God more. If you love God with your entire mind, heart, soul, and strength, you will automatically love your neighbors as yourself. When you fully love God and your neighbors, your desires and dreams will have metamorphosed into full alignment with God’s will for your life. You will have that perfect, promised peace that is beyond any earthly explanation. You will have discovered the secret to everything.

This is the chapter, Promise, from Cheryle Touchton's latest book, The Secret to Everything. pp xv-xviii. To order the entire book, click the link: The Secret to Everything