The Living Word - First Book In the Biblical Evolution Revolution Series

By Michael Stansfield

I spent my life in search of my Savior. And then to my shock and disbelief after my nightly prayer, he spoke back to me. He revealed things about myself and Christianity that I did not want to hear. An argument ensued and I took offense at his words. When I went to my pastor for help, I became the subject of gossip, slander, and even beyond that open mockery and sarcasm. Yet that moment, now fifteen years ago drastically changed the course of my life, and I am the person I am today because of it. I submit my testimony and the life it changed in this rebuttal for those who don't believe in a Living Savior.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9780359705740

Book preview

The Living WORD

First Book in the Biblical Evolution Revolution Series

By, Michael Stansfield

© The Living WORD, May 29, 2019, Michael Stansfield

ISBN: 978-0-359-70574-0

Table of Contents

Introduction

The People that made Me

My Father

My Mother

My Parents

Coming into My Own

GE Security

A New Calling

The Night I heard the Voice

My Introduction to the Reality of Christianity

Friends and Brothers

Falling Down

The Opening of the Eyes

Looking for Love

The Nail in the Coffin

Coming Full Circle

In the Interim

Book #2 The Covenants

Book #3 The Theology

Book #4 Jezreel

Book #5 The Land of the Ten Kings

Book #6 Adam (the Human Family)

Book #7 The Love Orb

Complete Series: The Book of Michael

Introduction

What defines a person, a life, a being?  Most autobiographical accounts chart a series of events in a person’s existence.  Many of these events we can personally relate to: childhood, friendships, education, dating, marriage, the birth of a child, common illnesses, the death of an elderly family member, etc.  There also exist events that few can personally relate to, but we can still imagine what that person must be going through, such as being the victim of a heinous crime, a false conviction, the premature death of a child, a near-death experience, etc.  Then there are events that exist beyond the imagination and comprehension.  To speak of them out loud makes one the subject of gossip and slander, the brunt of jokes, and the questioning of sanity.  One such event happened to me.  I write this book to come out of the closet so to speak. 

In the spring of 07 for the better part of 45 minutes, I heard the voice that identified itself as Jesus.  Neither before nor since has the voice returned.  Yet that briefest of moments, as a pebble in a pond, its rings vibrate in me still to this day.  Having said that, I realize that there are so-called prophets that use such a claim for power and control or to lift up a message they believe the world needs to hear.  I have heard others claim a Divine feeling regarding what shoes to wear each morning.  With all of the false claims out there does this imply that every encounter is false?  I open up to humanity in hope that I am not alone.  That others have heard and to give them the strength to speak. I also open up to acknowledge the truth that God is alive and real, and that I will not deny the voice that came to me before humanity.  But also, as a personal journal to reflect upon the man I was and come to terms with who I have now become because of the experience.  There is an irony for those who go through such an encounter.  The words the voice tells you no-one desires to hear or even cares about are cherished echoes that daily pull on the strings of your heart.  It redefines your identity and fundamentally changes you as a human being.  With each rejection that identity is amplified, when you choose not to deny yourself.  Consider Paul the apostle.  Jesus came to him saying, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Having trouble kicking against the goads? All Paul was given was this short revelation that his view of the world was wrong.  There was no vast knowledge or wisdom of the Old Testament imparted.  Yet Paul’s identity changed.  How he looked at and interpreted scripture changed.  Paul never documents that his letters are from God, rather he is revealing scripture through the eyes of a changed man.  The voice is not at my beck and call, I neither deserved it nor can rationalize it in scientific terms. Yet it happened.

The People that made Me

On the road to Damascus Saul of Tarsus died to become Paul.  Both Saul and Paul were equally trained in the Bible.  Both were zealous, committed, loved, and respected for who they were within their social environment.  Yet one cannot understand Paul, without knowing the man who died so that Paul might live.  There is a perpetual question as to whether we are defined, by our intrinsic nature, or are we defined by how we are nurtured by family, friends, and our environment.  In truth, it is undeniable that both play critical roles in what defines each of us as human beings.  I have noticed in many autobiographies that the portions of life that each person wants to remember about loved ones are brought up, while the moments that each longs to forget are omitted.  Yet the bad things shape our identity just as much as the good things, perhaps even more.  It is easy to blame parents and family for their faults, but like each of us, for better or worse they were also shaped by those around them that made them who they are.  Thus, I begin with my understanding of what made them who they are, so that one may understand who I was, and that one can take in the man I am becoming more each day.

My Father

I am the firstborn son of Enoch Nick Stansfield and Nancy Hallett.  It is difficult to imagine more humble beginnings than my father.  His father, my grandfather Meredith Mike, started his family in his late teens.  His father, my Great-Grandfather, had an affair and abandoned his wife and kids.  Leaving my grandfather and brothers to support the family in South Dakota by hunting rabbits and fishing to survive.  Never attending school, he was an illiterate who earned his income with blood and sweat.  Each time my grandfather lost his job, they would go camping on vacation.  Which essentially meant he got evicted and without a place to live they moved