31 Oct, 2011
Jesus Can Change ANYBODY!
Reformed skinhead endures agony to remove tattoos
Julie Widner was terrified — afraid her husband would do something reckless, even disfigure himself.
"We had come so far," she says. "We had left the movement, had created a good family life. We had so much to live for. I just thought there has to be someone out there who will help us."
After getting married in 2006, the couple, former pillars of the white power movement (she as a member of the National Alliance, he a founder of the Vinlanders gang of skinheads) had worked hard to put their racist past behind them. They had settled down and had a baby; her younger children had embraced him as a father.
And yet, the past was ever-present — tattooed in brutish symbols all over his body and face: a blood-soaked razor, swastikas, the letters "HATE" stamped across his knuckles.
Wherever he turned Widner was shunned — on job sites, in stores and restaurants. People saw a menacing thug, not a loving father. He felt like an utter failure.
The couple had scoured the Internet trying to learn how to safely remove the facial tattoos. But extensive facial tattoos are extremely rare, and few doctors have performed such complicated surgery. Besides, they couldn't afford it. They had little money and no health insurance.
So Widner began investigating homemade recipes, looking at dermal acids and other solutions. He reached the point, he said, where "I was totally prepared to douse my face in acid."
In desperation, Julie did something that once would have been unimaginable. She reached out to a black man whom white supremacists consider their sworn enemy.
Click here to read the full story.
Story and photo courtesy of yahoo.com.
Acts 9:1-19
The Conversion of Saul
1But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" 5And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." 11And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." 13But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name." 15But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." 17So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19and taking food, he was strengthened.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about changed lives?
Jesus can change ANYBODY! Saul ... Bryon Winder ... Me ... You! It is easy to read stories like Today's Story and the story of Saul in God's Story and see that. But God wants to change those without such a drastic life story as well. The point is, God's Story also tells us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God's intentions for us (Romans 3:23).
The point is ... without meeting Jesus at some point on our journey, it doesn't matter how good or bad we or our friends are or try to be. Life change because of Jesus is what matters more than anything.
How can I connect today's God's Story to My Life?
Have the changes in your life been as drastic as those in the life of Bryon Widner? Thank God for the changes He has made in you since you've been on your journey with Him. Consider getting together with a close friend to celebrate the changes God has made in your life.
How can I connect Today's Story, God's Story, and My Story with Others?
Have you ever looked at someone in your school or community and thought to yourself, "There's no way that guy (or girl) will ever say yes to following Jesus!"? If there is someone you've thought that about, make a commitment to pray for that person every day this week. Look for ways that you might even connect with them, in hopes of someday connecting them to God's Story.
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