From Religious To Relationship: How a Personal Relationship with God can Help You in This Chaotic World

By Napasorn Wutitanarudt

From Religious to Relationship follows Napasorn Wutitanarudt from Thailand to the United States, and from Thai Buddhism to Christianity. It provides an overview of Thai culture and religion, details her journey to the U.S. to escape a broken heart, establishing several businesses with the goal of bringing

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReadersMagnet LLC
• Release date: Jul 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890910691

Napasorn Wutitanarudt

Napasorn Wutitanarudt (her nickname is Moo) is originally from Thailand and came to the U.S in 1996. Over the past 25 years she has owned and operated several businesses in the Orlando area, including Bikram Yoga and Namaste Cafe near SeaWorld, and Napasorn Thai in downtown Orlando. After she met Jesus in October 2013, her heart's desire is reaching the lost and helping them to find the true purpose for their lives and God's plans for them. Napasorn lives with her family and one English bulldog, Lala.

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From Religious to Relationship: How A Personal Relationship With God Can Help You In This Chaotic World

Copyright © 2023 by Napasorn Wutitanarudt

Published in the United States of America

ISBN Paperback: 979-8-89091-068-4

ISBN eBook: 979-8-89091-069-1

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

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Napasorn, my dear friend and overcomer through our blessed Lord Jesus Christ; God’s miracle worker called to love and nourish His people. Her heart overflows with the love of Jesus. My friend who brings to all the world the glo-rious scent of Heaven.

Agatha McCambridge–Love of Christ Ministries

Napasorn, a woman of total courage and confidence in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Her love abounding, her faith overflowing; a facer of challenges, she lives in victory. A healer of men; a shining beam of light to all the world.

Harold McCambridge–Love of Christ Ministries

What a privilege it has been for Terri and me to have crossed paths with such a passionate servant of the Most High God. Not only a passion for Christ, but the desire to love HIM with all her heart, mind, soul, and strength. Napasorn is an inspiration to all those around her. Her unwavering drive is to see souls won and discipled. This creates a contagious effort to all those around her. This heart that yearns to expand God’s Kingdom has been a pleasure to observe. May the Lord bless you and keep you; and make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Pastor Joe & Terri Manno – Revelation Church

So, what does a young woman in her 20’s emigrating to this country do? Unbeknownst to Napasorn at the time, God certainly had a plan for her. After opening a number of successful restaurants and a Yoga studio, after establishing a comfortable home for her parents and family, after working long hours with a work ethic second to none (all while in her 20’s and 30’s I might add), Napasorn’s spiritual journey with Jesus blossomed and became quite evident to her and everyone around her. Despite life’s ups and downs, Moo’s Joy & Goodness abounded. Moo is Napasorn’s nickname. Yes, God certainly had a plan for Napasorn; but just let me tell you, Moo has a glorious plan for her loving God and all of us too...

Lovingly ... Marilyn Brady (your U.S. Mom)

... is an amazing testimony of how God can take a person out of darkness and into light, from deep darkness to solid ground, from the continent of Asia to a new life in the U.S. When we were recently introduced to Napasorn, it was like meeting true family. Her love for Jesus and her heart for people is the real thing, and you can almost feel her heart-beat as you turn the pages in the book. It is genuine, honest and covered by grace. With this book Napasorn takes you on a journey. It is her genuine hope that her story will help rescue people out of bondage and transform lives, which we firmly believe that it will!

Christopher & Freida M. Shingleton

(Author of Little Bible Thumper)

I have been privileged to know Napasorn for several years now as a result of caring for her mother’s orthopedic needs. She is one of the most remarkable people I have ever encoun-tered. Napasorn’s first book is a testament to unwavering faith and relentless pursuit of truth and salvation. Despite living in a world of distractions and deceitfulness, she has remained focused on her search for the one real God. Reading her story brings one closer to a Holy Encounter with our Creator and Father.

Napasorn shares a simple formula for knowing God and living in His will. Her devotion and love affair with Jesus is chronicled in this, her story, and it inspires me deeply to strive for the saintly obedience and commitment to our Lord she exhibits daily. Indeed, as her nickname suggests, she is an Angel!

Dr. Robert Murrah, MD

This is to introduce my dear daughter in the Lord, Napasorn (Moo). She is a wonderful representative for the Lord. In the time that I have known her, she has exhibited the character Christ is proud of. The time that I have known her she has been faithful in all areas of her life. She has a strong story to tell, an encouragement to many. Within our church she is a Bright light that shines. I have had her on one of my mission trips to Thailand, where she was a blessing to many with her dynamic testimony. I encourage everyone to learn more about the life of Napasorn.

God bless you,

Jim Dycus Pastor / Missionary to Thailand

About Father’s

Business Publishing

By God’s love, grace, and mercy for me and my family to know Jesus as the one, true God and Jesus as our personal savior, my family and I humbly offer our hearts to serve the Lord. Also, thank you, Jesus, for letting us be part of the Father’s Business. It is our honor and privilege to be obedient to the Lord and to write this first book according to God’s will.

We would like to say thank you to each and every one of you for taking the time to read and see how God’s love is among us. We hope when you finish reading, your heart will be open to have faith in Jesus Christ. Accept Him as your personal savior and you will win the victory in this life and, in the end, eternal life. Then, we will praise God together. Our Father’s Business team believes and knows that God has a purpose for all of our lives, and that is to accomplish His Great Commission.

We would love to see your life changed for good so you can achieve your purpose, and receive the truth and the blessings God has prepared for you. We know that He will anoint you in the carrying out of His mission.

www.fathersbusinesspublishing.com

[e-mail]

Welcome to Christ’s family and enjoy your time reading!

Introduction

In my home country of Thailand, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese religions are very prominent and have a strong influence on the culture. However, my mom always instilled in me a belief in the one, true God even though she, herself, didn’t know Him. After coming to the U.S. and enduring many trials, I met Jesus on October 10, 2013, and my life was immediately changed. I received the peace that passes all understanding and He filled me with joy that I had never known. I began to live, see, hear, and know differently. As I walk in God’s way and God’s will for my life, I have a clearer understanding of the true purpose of living on this earth and what He has in store for me in this life and the next.

By sharing some of the cultural and religious back-ground of Thailand and my own life, I hope this book will encourage and inspire you, impart to you an understanding of God through an intimate relationship with Him instead of through religion, and that you will also experience His abundant grace and unconditional love. May my story reveal to you truth and wisdom from God’s Word and motivate you to apply it to your own life. This relationship is available to all who are willing to come to know Jesus. I pray that, after you read this book or even before you finish, you will ask Jesus to speak to your heart. I believe if you ask Him, He will answer you. My heart longs for you and your families to receive God’s free gift of salvation and develop the true, intimate relationship He wants to have with you for your own benefit. Jesus is waiting for you to let Him into your heart so you can walk in the new life He has for you. Your name will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and no one can erase it! I am so excited to see you start the journey to your new destination, changing from glory to glory in Him.

May God bless all of you and your families,

Napasorn Wutitanarudt (Moo is my nickname)

Table of Contents

About Father’s

Business Publishing

Introduction

Table of Contents

The Culture

The Religion

About Napasorn

Breaking Away, Beginning the Goal

Keep on Going

Good Times, Bad Times

God Has a Plan

Jesus and Me

Eternal Life and Heaven on Earth

Disappointed but not Discouraged

Beyond Human Words

Blessings

God is Still in Control

The True Love

Seriously Awesome!

Make it Count

How Cool is This?

Death to Life

An Open Heart Talk

My Prayer for All

Knowledge from God

Helpful Information

Knowing How to Overcome Life’s Battles

The Relationship

From My Heart to Yours

Decision Time

Quiet Time

Scriptures

The Culture

Many people from my home country, Thailand, don’t know Jesus as the one true God, including me at one time. The religious foundation of Thailand is Buddhism and is handed down through the generations. Buddhism influences the entire Thai culture. Let me brief you about the culture and some religious influences besides Buddhism. In Thai culture, Buddhism, Animism, and Westernization have all played a significant role in shaping the culture. It has changed greatly over time, from its relative isolation during the Sukhothai Kingdom, which is considered the first Thai kingdom, to the more contemporary Ayutthaya Kingdom (these were the names of early Thai cities), which absorbed influences from all over Asia. Influences from Sri Lanka, China, India, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and other Southeast Asian countries are still evident in traditional Thai culture.

Contemporary Thai national culture is a recent creation in that what is considered to be traditional Thai culture today did not exist in that form more than a hundred years ago. Its origin can be traced to the reign of King Chulalongkorn, son of King Mongkut, in the late 19th century. Chulalongkorn adopted the European trend of nationalism and centraliza-tion that was then prevalent and implemented it in Siam.

Some of the actions that he took were to attempt to clearly define Siam’s borders and establish the culture of central Siam. He also worked to promote a civic religion based on the Chakri Dynasty and installed the palace-controlled council of monks.

The present version of civic culture, largely based on an idealized vision of Central Thai culture (sometimes including Southern Thai), is a recent personalistic popu-lism. Regional Thai cultures such as those of Lan Na, Isan, Chinese, and Persian origin were suppressed by the govern-ment, but present-day Thai civic culture describes Thailand as the land of Central Thai’s (Siamese) with a single religion, Theravada Buddhism, under the Chakri dynasty.

Buddhism in Thailand is strongly influenced by tradi-tional beliefs regarding ancestral and natural spirits, which have been incorporated into the Buddhist way of thought. Most Thai people install spirit houses in their homes and businesses. Called in Thai san phra phum, they are min-iature houses with offerings of food and drink to keep the spirits happy. If these spirits aren’t happy, it is believed they will inhabit the household and cause chaos. These spirit houses can also be found in many public places such as malls, hospitals, hotels, and on the streets of Thailand, where the public can make offerings.

The traditional customs and folklore of the Thai people were gathered and described in the 20th century by Phya Anuman Rajadhon, one of Thailand’s foremost scholars. At that time, modernization was changing the face of Thailand and a great number of traditions disappeared or became adapted to modern life. Even today, the striving towards refinement rooted in ancient Siamese culture consists of promoting that which is refined, and avoiding being uncouth is a major focus of the daily life of Thai people and high on their scale of values.

The traditional Thai greeting, the smile, is an important symbol of graciousness in Thai culture. One of the most rec-ognized Thai customs is the wai. Used in greetings, departing, or as an acknowledgment, it comes in many forms, reflecting the relative status of those involved. Most often, the salu-tation involves a prayer-like gesture with the hands, and it also may include a slight bow of the head. This salutation is often accompanied by a serene smile symbolizing a wel-coming disposition and pleasant attitude. Thailand is often referred to as the land of smiles in tourist brochures.

One significant social norm holds that touching someone on the head may be considered rude. It is also considered disrespectful to place one’s feet at a level above someone else’s head, especially if that person is of higher social standing. This is because the Thai people consider the foot to be the dirtiest and lowliest part of the body, and the head the most respected and highest part of the body. This also influences how Thais sit when on the ground, their feet always pointing away from others, tucked to the side or behind them. Pointing at or touching something with the feet is also thought of as ill-mannered.

Thai people almost always have one, or occasionally more, short nicknames that they use with friends and family. Often first given shortly after birth by friends or an older family member, these nicknames are almost always one syl-lable or abbreviated from two syllables to one. Though they may be simply shortened versions of a full name, they quite frequently have no relation to the person’s full name and are often humorous and/or nonsense words. Babies may be given a nickname of a relative or named for a characteristic of birth, for example, little. Some common nicknames translate into English as small, fatty, pig, cat, frog, bee, apple, green, or girl/boy. Though rare, some-times Thai children are given nicknames in the order they were born into the family, for example, one, two, three, etc. Nicknames are useful because official Thai names are often long, particularly among Thais of Chinese descent, whose lengthy surnames stem from an attempt to translate Chinese names into Thai equivalents, or among Thais with similarly lengthy Sanskrit-derived names. In recent years, English language words have become popular nicknames. Examples include: Ice, Boss, Bank, Bajang, New, Nice, and even Bob.

One thing I see as it relates to Thai culture, is the country and people are so open to adopting things they think