Go...Make...Ripples
By Jennifer Godwin
During Thanksgiving, my mind feels like an old photo album with memories of my family sitting around the dining table enjoying food and conversation. I remember as a young child, after the meal had been consumed, the adults would remain at the table, talking about why Thanksgiving was their favorite holiday. Being a youngster, I thought they had it all wrong. Christmas . . . was the best holiday, because of all the gifts. Fast forward to adulthood, I’ve changed my mind. I still love Christmas and what it means to me as a Chirstian. But the way this world does Christmas, with all the decorations going up and coming down. The gifts to purchase, wrap, clean up after, and then return. I now agree, Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy family, friends, and food with thankfulness, as the centerpiece. But, it also has another special memory for me as well. During a Thanksgiving break as a teenager, I spent the night with a friend. Her sister was home from Moody Bible Institute, and asked me one of the most important questions that anyone could ever ask someone. My response would change my life and eternity forever.
But, before I get to that, let me tell you how others would ripple into my life before that evening.
As a young child the only time I heard the word God was when my parents would say, “Oh my G__!” or use Jesus as a curse word. I love my parents, but there wasn’t any religion in our home. My spiritual journey began when I was a pre-kindergartener. I was invited to my friend’s house for dinner. I was worried about going, because I wasn’t sure if I would like what they were serving me. I was a picky eater. What I would remember most from that dinner, is not be the food, but the prayer before the meal.
The meal was served and I was about to eat my food, when the father said, “We haven’t prayed yet.” I put down my fork, since I was the only one that had proceeded with the meal. We prayed… or shall I say, they closed their eyes and thanked someone for the food we were about to eat. I peaked and looked around to see what they were doing while they had their eyes closed. It was strange. I didn’t see anyone. They didn’t even thank the mom that had been cooking. They thanked someone named God.
I remember after dinner asking my friend what they were doing, and who they were talking to. She responded with, “Praying to God.” She didn’t know how to explain it anymore than that, and I wasn’t going to ask her parents. This began my search!
Do you remember the seventies? Many of the cars had bumper stickers that read, “Smile, God loves you” with a yellow smiley face. I remember thinking, God loves me, even if I didn’t know who He was. This is what they must mean by faith of a child. I didn’t question or doubt the statement. I simply believed it.
I remember trying to figure out the God thing with cartoons. Santa Claus, the Grinch, and a drummer boy with a baby. I could never wrap my mind around how Santa could get all the gifts for every child in that little sleigh of his. Getting around the world in one night seemed impossible. The Grinch sent mixed emotions. Why did he not like Christmas and what was this spirit that changed his heart? The Drummer Boy cartoon is set in a desert and palm trees. Strange. Didn’t it snow everywhere? Why was there a baby? Somehow out of all the cartoons this one really made me think. It was different from all the other ones. Why was this baby so special?
During my teenage years, I began asking friends about religion, which was about as reliable as Google. I heard about baptising in creeks, bathtubs, and being sprinkled. Different religions and denominations. I heard the names of Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit, but who they were, and the importance of them was not explained. Occasionally, I did attend church with a few different friends, but the churches said and did things I didn’t understand. Somehow, in all the questioning, I did come to understand that there was a Heaven and a Hell. I knew I wanted to go to Heaven, but how to get there was still a mystery to me.
Sometime in the late seventies the earth was predicted to come to an end. I was nervous that I still did not know how to get to Heaven. My friend was worried about me also. She told me that I had to be baptised to get into Heaven. So, we went to her kitchen, she said some words, prayed and sprayed water over my head. The world . . . didn’t end that day. And I was very convinced that being sprayed with water was NOT going to get me into Heaven
At the mature age of fourteen, I had given up on trying to figure out God. I was now trying to figure out how to get a guy. During Thanksgiving break 1981 I spent the night with a friend. Her older sister Rhonda, who was home on break, randomly walked in her sister’s room and asked us a very bold question. “Do you want to know how to get to Heaven?” This was the first time someone asked me a question about God. It only took me a moment to say, “Yes”.
I believe the reason that I chose to go with her sister that night to hear what she had to say was because of all the people that had planted seeds in my life. I call these ripples. My heart had been softened and prepared to hear the message. I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior that night which changed my eternity forever. She also told me as a Christian there were two things I should do. I needed to pray and confess all my sins and tell others about Jesus. That night when I went to bed, I spent hours confessing my sins and I also added one prayer. I wasn’t sure of prayer etiquette, but after spending hours confessing my sins, I asked Him to put that Godwin boy I liked in my life. I thought he was so cute and I wanted him as a boyfriend. Be careful how you pray…he’s still in my life! He is also the one that gave me a great last name.
The second part of my instructions had been to tell others about Him. I began the next morning when I walked into my house after spending the night with my friend. I told my parents that I had accepted Christ as my Savior and I was now a born-again Christian. I tried to tell them about God, but they just looked at me like I was crazy. This habit of telling others about Jesus has continued on since then.
Last year, I finished writing a book that the Lord told me I would write, called Go…Make…Ripples. The book is about rippling God into other people’s lives. My book gives many ideas and ways to point people to Jesus that anyone can do. Just like all the ways people rippled into my life with the bumper stickers, the meal prayer, and inviting me to church. They were all ways to introduce or show Jesus to me. Ways each of us are capable of doing. We are not required to get people saved -- we are called to plant and water. In 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 NLT Paul says, “After all, who is Appollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Appollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”
When we do kind things, we need to do them in Jesus' name. The world needs more kindness right now, but not to our credit, but to His. Simple things, like sharing Christian podcasts, the Bible app, or posting scripture on social media. If that’s too techy…trying planting extra tomatoes, flowers, or pumpkins and giving them away in Jesus name. Not a gardener, try asking people if you can pray for them? If that’s too bold, try putting Chrisitan books or gospel tracts in laundry mats, little private libraries, or other high traffic areas. Stuck at home? Write letters–people don’t get hand written notes anymore. Write encouraging letters to grandchildren, grandparents, friends, and relatives. Tell them what a blessing they are to you and that you are praying for them.
The world is hurting and is in need of Jesus. Instead of complaining about this world–pray, step out of your comfort zone, and start spreading Jesus’ love to everyone! My book is filled with stories of how I grew in my faith and have shared Jesus with others. It also shares many ways for you to share Jesus with others too.
Now, go make ripples in Jesus Name.
But, before I get to that, let me tell you how others would ripple into my life before that evening.
As a young child the only time I heard the word God was when my parents would say, “Oh my G__!” or use Jesus as a curse word. I love my parents, but there wasn’t any religion in our home. My spiritual journey began when I was a pre-kindergartener. I was invited to my friend’s house for dinner. I was worried about going, because I wasn’t sure if I would like what they were serving me. I was a picky eater. What I would remember most from that dinner, is not be the food, but the prayer before the meal.
The meal was served and I was about to eat my food, when the father said, “We haven’t prayed yet.” I put down my fork, since I was the only one that had proceeded with the meal. We prayed… or shall I say, they closed their eyes and thanked someone for the food we were about to eat. I peaked and looked around to see what they were doing while they had their eyes closed. It was strange. I didn’t see anyone. They didn’t even thank the mom that had been cooking. They thanked someone named God.
I remember after dinner asking my friend what they were doing, and who they were talking to. She responded with, “Praying to God.” She didn’t know how to explain it anymore than that, and I wasn’t going to ask her parents. This began my search!
Do you remember the seventies? Many of the cars had bumper stickers that read, “Smile, God loves you” with a yellow smiley face. I remember thinking, God loves me, even if I didn’t know who He was. This is what they must mean by faith of a child. I didn’t question or doubt the statement. I simply believed it.
I remember trying to figure out the God thing with cartoons. Santa Claus, the Grinch, and a drummer boy with a baby. I could never wrap my mind around how Santa could get all the gifts for every child in that little sleigh of his. Getting around the world in one night seemed impossible. The Grinch sent mixed emotions. Why did he not like Christmas and what was this spirit that changed his heart? The Drummer Boy cartoon is set in a desert and palm trees. Strange. Didn’t it snow everywhere? Why was there a baby? Somehow out of all the cartoons this one really made me think. It was different from all the other ones. Why was this baby so special?
During my teenage years, I began asking friends about religion, which was about as reliable as Google. I heard about baptising in creeks, bathtubs, and being sprinkled. Different religions and denominations. I heard the names of Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit, but who they were, and the importance of them was not explained. Occasionally, I did attend church with a few different friends, but the churches said and did things I didn’t understand. Somehow, in all the questioning, I did come to understand that there was a Heaven and a Hell. I knew I wanted to go to Heaven, but how to get there was still a mystery to me.
Sometime in the late seventies the earth was predicted to come to an end. I was nervous that I still did not know how to get to Heaven. My friend was worried about me also. She told me that I had to be baptised to get into Heaven. So, we went to her kitchen, she said some words, prayed and sprayed water over my head. The world . . . didn’t end that day. And I was very convinced that being sprayed with water was NOT going to get me into Heaven
At the mature age of fourteen, I had given up on trying to figure out God. I was now trying to figure out how to get a guy. During Thanksgiving break 1981 I spent the night with a friend. Her older sister Rhonda, who was home on break, randomly walked in her sister’s room and asked us a very bold question. “Do you want to know how to get to Heaven?” This was the first time someone asked me a question about God. It only took me a moment to say, “Yes”.
I believe the reason that I chose to go with her sister that night to hear what she had to say was because of all the people that had planted seeds in my life. I call these ripples. My heart had been softened and prepared to hear the message. I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior that night which changed my eternity forever. She also told me as a Christian there were two things I should do. I needed to pray and confess all my sins and tell others about Jesus. That night when I went to bed, I spent hours confessing my sins and I also added one prayer. I wasn’t sure of prayer etiquette, but after spending hours confessing my sins, I asked Him to put that Godwin boy I liked in my life. I thought he was so cute and I wanted him as a boyfriend. Be careful how you pray…he’s still in my life! He is also the one that gave me a great last name.
The second part of my instructions had been to tell others about Him. I began the next morning when I walked into my house after spending the night with my friend. I told my parents that I had accepted Christ as my Savior and I was now a born-again Christian. I tried to tell them about God, but they just looked at me like I was crazy. This habit of telling others about Jesus has continued on since then.
Last year, I finished writing a book that the Lord told me I would write, called Go…Make…Ripples. The book is about rippling God into other people’s lives. My book gives many ideas and ways to point people to Jesus that anyone can do. Just like all the ways people rippled into my life with the bumper stickers, the meal prayer, and inviting me to church. They were all ways to introduce or show Jesus to me. Ways each of us are capable of doing. We are not required to get people saved -- we are called to plant and water. In 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 NLT Paul says, “After all, who is Appollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Appollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”
When we do kind things, we need to do them in Jesus' name. The world needs more kindness right now, but not to our credit, but to His. Simple things, like sharing Christian podcasts, the Bible app, or posting scripture on social media. If that’s too techy…trying planting extra tomatoes, flowers, or pumpkins and giving them away in Jesus name. Not a gardener, try asking people if you can pray for them? If that’s too bold, try putting Chrisitan books or gospel tracts in laundry mats, little private libraries, or other high traffic areas. Stuck at home? Write letters–people don’t get hand written notes anymore. Write encouraging letters to grandchildren, grandparents, friends, and relatives. Tell them what a blessing they are to you and that you are praying for them.
The world is hurting and is in need of Jesus. Instead of complaining about this world–pray, step out of your comfort zone, and start spreading Jesus’ love to everyone! My book is filled with stories of how I grew in my faith and have shared Jesus with others. It also shares many ways for you to share Jesus with others too.
Now, go make ripples in Jesus Name.
Jennifer's book Go...Make...Ripples is available in some local gift stores, and at Westbow press. You can also find it on Amazon by clicking here.
