"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" --- Matthew 11:28-30 (THE HOLY BBLE).
t was a serendipitous encounter. At the requiem for my in-law, Uncle Leon Talmadge Ricks in Akron, OH who passed onto glory last week. My wife, Dr Margie had just brought the hors-d'œuvre and as guests settled down for pre-burial reception at The Faith Place, 790 Easter Avenue, Akron Ohio; here sashayed this old lady near our table.
With 82-year-old Dora Clarke at the reception for Uncle Ricks in Akron, OH last week. Ms. Clark's life story is an eloquent testimony of the Power of Our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ to turn lives around if we allow Him. Read her story in these links below.
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What initially began as a chew-chat over my African attire soon turned personal. Our "guest" commended the unique quality of the attire and went straight into business. While she wanted to use the occasion to tell us about our Lord Jesus Christ, Dr Margie and I too were exploring ways to witness to her as our practice. "Have you given your life to Jesus Christ?" She asked. We laughed! "He's the reason we are alive and here," Dr Margie chirped in. "As a matter of fact, we just returned from South Africa on missionary works, and you can Google it." Now, our "guest" directed us to Google too and what we found about Ms. Clark should serve as inspiration to many souls out there about the transformation power of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. Here is the testimony of Ms. Nora Clark, an 82-year-old daughter of the King Who Providence brought us together in Akron, OH penultimate week at the burial of my in-law, Uncle Leon Talmadge Ricks. Enjoy. But don't be selfish, send the links to others as well:-
https://www.uakron.edu/im/news/at-81-summa-cum-laude-graduate-dora-clark-keeps-dreaming
At 81, Summa Cum Laude graduate Dora Clark keeps dreaming. This 81-year-old Summa Cum Laude graduate doesn't know the meaning of the word "quit."
Growing up in Beckley, W.V., Dora Clark loved learning despite a lack of support from her community. She wanted to study nursing but found that field too challenging after she was diagnosed with asthma. Later in life, Clark did earn an associate degree in arts and sciences from Wayne College and an associate of arts in education from Summit College, both with distinction. On May 7, she'll be on stage at James A. Rhodes arena to receive her bachelor's degree in organizational supervision.
"I love to learn," said Clark, "and I think if you have a desire to learn, you can. I started taking courses when COVID was going on. You've heard the old adage, 'A mind is a terrible thing to waste.' Well, that's why I wanted to keep learning." Clark wouldn't audit her courses. She preferred instead to challenge herself. "I would work just as hard either way," she said, "and if I am going to do the work, I want to get the credit and grades." She said the university's Adult Focus program "made all the difference" and helped her tremendously. Designed as an academic support service for adult learners, Adult Focus offers everything from pre-admission advising and an online orientation to scholarship opportunities, a computer lab and a quiet study lounge. Her hard work paid off. Here, at The University of Akron, Clark is a Golden Key National Honor Society member-make that a "lifetime member." She enjoyed her supervision and business classes, which now allow her to talk to her great-great nieces and nephews about what to expect in life, how to be on time and how to take initiative. "I like to encourage them and tell them, 'Where there's a will, there's an A.'"
Now they want to compete with their great aunt and "do even better than I am doing," she said, laughing. Clark has inspired them to go back to complete their education and follow her example of lifelong learning. And her inspirational example doesn't end with family. "I've had young people who are going to college now come talk to me because they need to get motivated," said Clark. "They want to know how I got an 'A' in a certain class." Clark gladly shares her study methods and helps them to review. When their grades improve, these students thank her profusely, "which mean so much to me," she said. "I really want to see people progress and go beyond what I have." After graduation, she is dreaming of getting a certificate in communication or maybe even going to seminary. One thing is certain, Dora Clark will always pursue her dreams. (Culled from The University of Akron Alumna Newspaper. Published 05/06/2022.) The Akron Beach Journal also featured the remarkable story of Ms. Dora Clark. Read a lengthy version here in this link as published on May 10, 2022 at her graduation (
https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2022/05/10/dora-clark-81-graduates-honors-university-akron-adult-focus-higher-education-graduation/9677727002/ ).
The USA TODAY also published the story for national audience via the link: (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/05/10/81-year-old-graduates-university-akron/9717282002/ )
OUR BREAKTHROUGH 2023 TRAIN MOVES TO EKET, AKWA IBOM STATE TO ROUND UP THE YEAR FOR HIS GLORY AND UTMOST
We give thanks, honor and glory to the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit for keeping us alive from the beginning of the year 2023 and to now. The year is about to end and another year knocks. Every breath that we take in the land of the living is by His Grace. Don't ever forget that you owe your existence to the Creator Himself just as He said, "Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine…" (Ezekiel 18:4 ESV). Many souls began the outgoing year 2023 with us in January and are not here, not that you and I are better than the departed, but He has not finished with us in the land of the living. Consequently, we should use our living breath to praise, worship and glorify our Creator!
We are rounding up our Annual Breakthrough 2023 this year at the historic town of Eket, Akwa Ibom State Nigeria. For those that have been following our spiritual activities, Eket has a special place in our spiritual life. This year's theme is Arise Agenda Breakthrough 2023. The Holy Spirit has been impressing on us that it is vitally important for His Children to declare total and unrestrained war against the evil practice of Witchcraft in these Last Days. The old craft is as old as the fall of the human race from eon and so what is special about this malevolent now? Simple! This pernicious
craft is spreading in the church like wildfire and besides, there is a variety of this old craft now that today's believers have fallen into, and it is called Blind Witchcraft. Please join us at Eket for three days and take what the Holy Spirit will teach you back to your local congregation to open the eyes of spiritually blind and liberate the many ignorant souls as the Word of Life declared: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6).
GIVE YOUR LIFE TO OUR LORD, MASTER, AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST NOW!
"Jesus told them: You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins." (John 8: 23-24)
The world is going mad! The people of the Noahic Age didn't perpetrate sins and abominable acts to the current astounding level in the Face of the True Lord God Almighty before He wiped that generation away with the Great Deluge. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah will protest their evisceration if the True Lord God Almighty spare this cursed and present generation from their sins. Where is the world going? The United States has confirmed that all countries in the world, in order to establish good relations with the great powers, must accept same-sex marriage (woman/woman or man/man. Germany has just signed the law that declares that there is no more incest, that is to say: brother and sister can get married, mom and son, dad, and daughter, etc. The city of Miami is now proclaimed the city of purchase of public sex. That means on the way, to church, at the mosque, at the market, at the football field, if you need sex, you can enjoy it at any time without any problem. Canada has allowed bestiality (sex with animals). In Spain: pornographic films are allowed in high school and universities. The authorization of the prostitution of minors is given. One Marg Luker of Canada states that any young girl at the age of 10 who feels sexual pleasure, no one should prevent her from exploring or finding out how her body works. Here in our Old USA Satanic churches can now operate and be legally allowed to congregate publicly under the guise of religion liberty. These are frightening days and moments in our generation. Do you see the artifices of Satan and his fallen agents across millennia using sexual perversions to destroy the human race? They did it during the Days of Noah when the Nephilim invaded the earth and consorted with women to pollute the earth. Again, they invaded the heartless people of Sodom and Gomorrah as well with this potent weapon of sexual depravity. Our Lord Jesus Christ drew analogies and parallels between these two cursed generations and our current human events: "As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:37-44).
People of the world, and especially fellow believers and co-pilgrims, my fellow strangers on earth and disciples of our Lord, Master and Savior Jesus Christ, the end is near, the departure in Glory is approaching. Christians are being distracted and Satan and the fallen angels want to drag the maximum number of souls with them in order to remove them from divine mercy. Let's be careful. Unbelievers and non-confessors of our Lord Jesus Christ; deniers and apostates, you can still turn your life around now and today and begin on a clean slate. No matter how far you have gone and strayed away from your Creator, you can confess your sins and disobedience to your Maker now and give your life to the Owner of your life, Who is our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth. It is not too late! If you think you will get away with your disobedience and sin against your Creator, you are sorely mistaken. Whether you like it or not, you will leave this temporary earth one day and again, whether you like it or not, you will be made to account for your deeds during the number of years you spent on this earth. Believe me, Jesus Christ is the Only Judge. Hear Him: "Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him" (John 5:22 & 23). The True Lord God Almighty Who incarnated in the flesh in our Lord, Master and Savior Jesus Christ is the Only One Who will judge you and I on the Day of Judgement "For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead" (Acts of Apostles 17:31; See also John 5:27; 9:39, Acts 10:42).
There is no other life to live apart from the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Creator, believe me. He is not a prophet, He is the Lord God Almighty Himself, because He said so in John 10:30; "I and the Father are One." Again, He said in John 14:9 thus: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? There is plethora of Bible references for you to know that my Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ is the Sovereign Lord God Almighty Himself. So, if you think you believe in God, you must give your life to our Lord Jesus Christ, because as He again declared to us in John 14:06: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." You can give your life to Jesus Christ now! Say this prayer now using Romans 10:9-10:
"Jesus Christ, I come to You now with penitent heart and contrite spirit. I confess I am a sinner. I have been living my life the way I want, which is a rebellion against You. I know that nothing good resides in me. That is why I come to You today to forgive me of my sins and rebellion. I believe in my heart that You came to this world over 2,000 years ago. You were born by the Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem of Judea. You lived with us for 33 years and was sinless. Then, You went onto the Cross and died for my sins and sins of the world. Then You rose up again three days later after defeating Satan and the hordes of darkness in the nether gloom and today, you are holding the keys of death and hades in Your Hands. Jesus Christ, I confess You with my mouth as my Lord, Master, and Savior. Your Death on the Cross had paid the penalty for my sins and Your resurrection was for my justification. From today onward, I will obey, worship, and praise You. I will not live for my self-centered and egoistical life anymore. I will do what You want me to do. I will serve You for the remainder years of my life. I will tell others about You and witness to others about Your love and works of redemption and finished work on Calvary. Take me as Your Own. Seal me with the Holy Spirt. Enable me to do what You have created me for on this earth. Use me for Your Glory Jesus Christ and let me live my full life span. Let me fulfill my destiny and after I have accomplished the purpose for which You created me and sent me to this earthly temporary realm, I will return to You as the Shepherd of my spirit and soul reign with You in Your Kingdom for eternity in Your Holy Name, Amen."
It is done now. You are saved and are now a child of the Living God. He is your father from now onward. Pray that this Jesus Christ will direct you to a Holy Spirit-filled and Word-based Church in your neighborhood where you can join other believers to grow in your new faith from now on. Please be careful you do not keep company with your former friends and crowds so they will not draw you back to your former ways of life. Remember the Holy Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come The old has gone, the new is here!" Remember you confessed your sins to the Lord Jesus Christ, and He forgave you, because He cannot lie. Make sure you do not renege on our vows never to commit those sins again. Find a Bible believing Church and tell the pastor or shepherd there that you have just given your life to our Lord, Master and Savior Jesus Christ and you want him to walk you through walking the Christian Walk. Hallelujah! Tell him I sent you and if moved by the Holy Spirit to contact me, shoot me an email: [email protected]. Congratulations and welcome to the family of the Living God!
JOIN US AT E-CONGREGATION CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY BIBLE CLASSES
Now that you have accepted our Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord, Master and Savior Jesus Christ which He truly is, you need to saturate yourself with the Word of God so you can grow in your new faith. You need to change and renew your mind with the Words of God which are contained in the Greatest Book on earth given to humanity as a compass to navigate our paths in this Satanically-controlled and demon-infested earth following the fall of our First Parents in the Garden of Eden. That Book is the Holy Bible. The three basic reason for this is that the secular education has been totally corrupted by Satan hence, the Holy Spirit commanded us in Romans 12: 2:" Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing, and perfect will." You cant discover His Will for your life now that you are one of His Own until you read His Word. Second, there is a spiritual war afoot and in the not-too-distant Time Street over your life now that you are a child of the King. Satan and his demons, including their human agents will fight to bring you back to their cursed and darkened kingdom. You need to know how to fight through the deployment of the Word of God, because from now onward, "… our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Ephesians 6:12-17). Thirdly, you need the Word of God for good success according to Joshua 1:8: "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
We will love you to join our weekday Bible Class from Monday to Friday. Our normal E-Congregation Assembly Bible Classes at Cameron TX Zoom Link still is this:- https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87942253858?pwd=N2EzZ2I5aGUvTFQzNWdPRzVQem9pdz09
Time: 3:30pm Texas Time/4:30pm New York EST/10:30pm Nigeria/12:30am following day in Kenya. Its 4:30pm EST in the United States. Click this link for your Time Zone https://dateful.com/world-clock
We would love to see and welcome you to our midst. We are drawn from four Continents of Africa, North America, Europe, and Asia at our 5-Day Monday to Friday Bible Classes and be rest assured there is a seat waiting for you among the children of the Most High God. Our Teacher is the Holy Spirit (John 16:13-16) and all of us are His children and students. You are blessed as we anticipate your congregation with us in Jesus Mighty Name Amen.
. You can also visit our websites at: - https://tocu.education/ and https://tocu.online/