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Thompsonville SDA Church

Dee Casper

Surprised by Love

Father, thank you for this privilege to come into your presence just now.

I thank you for the blood of Jesus, and I ask that it would cover me, that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit, and that this story would be what you want it to be.

And I'm not capable of doing this justice, and I'm not capable of structuring this is what I feel that the people would most benefit from.

So I'll be leaning upon you heavily tonight.

We thank you for what you're going to do and for the fact that if you can redeem a broken life, then you can take a broken messenger and make sense out of it for these people.

So I ask these things now and thank you that we receive them by faith in Jesus name.

What would a testimony be without cute baby pictures?

Is it possible to, or will they need the lights for the video aspect?

I don't want to kill your resolution there.

Yeah, that's actually not me on the left, that's actually my dad.

And the stuffed animal to the right of me is called Poofoo.

It was actually called a Puffalump, but I wasn't able to pronounce that, so I called him Poofoo.

And he may or may not have been my best friend all the way until like seventh grade.

Interestingly enough, 3 of us are actually named Donald in that picture, and 1 of them is named William, which is how I get my name, Donald William Casper Jr.

And yeah, I'm called D because there were 4 Donalds in my family when I was born, so we had to come up with something to alleviate confusion.

Now, actually before I do that, I'd like to read a text to kind of give some framework for my story.

I was sought by those who did not ask for me.

I was found by those who did not seek me.

I said, here I am, here I am, to a nation that was not called by my name.

I've stretched out my hands all day long to rebellious people who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts.

But I thank God for the fact that he came looking for me.

It's also very similar to the story of Nebuchadnezzar, that it took basically 7 years and 3 tries and a humiliating experience to put Nebuchadnezzar in a point where he could be fully gods.

I had a very similar situation for myself.

It says in Daniel 4, 26, and then as much as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you after you come to know that heaven rules." And that worked for him.

And then in verse 36, it says, At that same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom my honor and splendor returned to me.

My counselors and nobles resorted to me, and I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, in his ways justice, and those who walk in pride he is able to put down." And that is very, very much my story, and I'll do my best to walk through that.

My life before Jesus got a hold of me was a lot of these things here.

I wasn't very big and thankfully no 1 like Luis was upset with me and retaliated because I could have been beat up bad as a kid.

I was stealing by the age of 5 and lying perpetually at the age of 5.

I was disrespectful and arrogant to authorities.

I only had 2 priorities in high school, my girlfriend and drumline, and I was a nominal Christian at best.

I grew up in a home, my parents got divorced when I was around 3 or 4, I think.

My mom had been married once before, had a child with that man.

They got divorced, the dad got custody, they moved to Florida.

I was actually at the wedding in my mom's belly.

And after that, my mom and dad eventually got divorced.

My dad is taking care of my great grandfather who had Alzheimer's, and that takes a lot out of you.

And being newlyweds with a small child in that environment was just too much for mom.

And she had some other battles she was facing too.

Her mother rejected her basically, they got divorced, her parents did.

And mom basically left, her mom basically left, wanted nothing to do with her, didn't do anything for her.

My grandfather remarried and this woman and my grandfather adopted my mother so she would be the legal mother.

But she never really treated mom as if she were her daughter so mom has been rejected by 2 moms and her life was filled with instability trying to find fulfillment in relationships that can only be found in Christ.

And she didn't learn that lesson early on.

Her parents were bad religion through and through, in church 8 days a week.

Everyone in the church loves them, but their kids really struggle with them.

And so Jesus wasn't fully really in the picture for her.

And until she makes Jesus her husband, she's not going to have the answer she's looking for.

But I'm happy to tell you, well, first of all, she's actually been married and divorced 7 times.

That's actually more than the woman at the well.

And I praise God for the fact that I now have a mother in Christ.

At the age of 28, my mom and I were able to come back together to have reconciliation.

We had time together, but for me to tell her that the things I was exposed to at a very young age because of the upbringing that Dad got custody, but whenever I'd had visitations with her, all kinds of chaos, you know, madness and stuff.

She would tell you the same, but I had to sit down and conversation with her when I was 28 years old and told her that these are the things that I've struggled with in my life because of the interactions I had around you.

And I want you to know that I forgive you.

And in that moment, I gained a mother in Christ.

And I praise God for the fact that the gospel is true, amen?

He was always someone who I never doubted loved me, who wanted the best for me.

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Surprised by Love

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