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Barbara Brabec’s
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Personal Musings about Life

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April 2026

What It Means to Be “Born Again”

In walking with Christ for more than three decades, I’ve learned that some Christians don’t understand what it means to be born again. If you’ve wondered about this, you’re not alone.

It was Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, who asked Jesus what he meant when He said, “No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3-7).

Nicodemus was confused because he knew one could not enter a second time into his mother’s womb, so he asked Jesus to explain.

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’” 

To be a Christian in more than name only, you must affirm that Christ is the only way to salvation. As Jesus confirms in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Letter From a Friend

Lately, feeling nostalgic, I’ve been looking through old correspondence files. One letter from my friend Patricia in 2004 prompted this post. In my last letter to her, I shared my faith, and she responded by asking, “Did I give the impression I am not a Christian or that I have lost Jesus?”

“Not at all, I replied, “I shared my faith with you because I wanted to be sure you were walking with Jesus. I was so glad to read your words, ‘A few years back, I became a born-again Christian in my daughter’s living room.’”

In that letter, Patricia told me she had made it a point not to discuss her faith with anyone, but I explained this was a mistake because God urges us to share our faith. By then, I had learned that many of my friends and relatives were born-again Christians who never asked if I had been saved or not because they thought this was too personal a question. When I first began to speak about my “born-again miracle,” believers identified themselves, and I started to build a Christian network. I soon realized that God had surrounded me with Christians throughout my life because he knew that one day I’d come to Him on bended knee.

Immediately on being born anew, I became evangelistic, wanting to shout the good news to anyone who would listen. I have many stories of Christian friends I made in those days by bluntly asking, “Are you a Christian?” and getting an exuberant “Yes!” that started a long-lasting friendship.

In 2000, I believe God enabled me to have a website to facilitate what he was calling me to do, and in time, I knew that writing and speaking about home-based businesses was not what He wanted me to be doing in my later years. I’ve lost touch with many of my old Christian friends, but I know some of them who lack time to communicate are on my subscription list today, and that thought gives me comfort.

The Parable of the Sower
and Why We Must Share Our Faith

Years before I put a PDF of my Testimony for Christ on my website, hundreds of people requested a copy by email. I received many uplifting responses, but most who received it never contacted me again. Believing God had empowered me to do what I could, I didn’t worry about trying to do more because salvation is a two-step process. Sometimes all I can do is plant a seed of faith in someone’s mind and leave the watering of it to someone else.

I write not only to encourage Christians but to plant as many seeds for Christ as I can. How YOU can do this, and what to expect, is explained in the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:3-8. As Jesus explains to His disciples, there are many reasons why “sowing the Word” is not always received by someone. This excellent Bible study story adds to the Bible verses above. 

I also have a little story about this parable. In my Testimony, I explain how God brought me to Christ through the radio. I go to sleep with it tuned to Chicago’s 24-hour Christian station because God has continued to wake me when there’s something He wants me to hear. The day I was drafting this post, I came awake that night just in time to hear J. Vernon McGee (THRU the Bible) answering a listener’s question about the parable of the Sower. He said that only a quarter of the seed we sow will fall on fertile ground, and only a third of that will take root because of the influence of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Before going to sleep, I wrote this sentence on the tablet I keep by my bedside and thanked God for helping me with this post. (P.S. This was no “coincidence.”) 

Understand that before the Gospel can germinate, it must take root in people’s hearts, which then leads to salvation. But people must first hear God’s Word before they can accept it, so keep sowing your seeds of faith everywhere you can and to anyone who will listen. As Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:9).

Related Post: Your Born Again Gifts from God. Immediately upon accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you become a child of the living God and the recipient of many gifts and blessings.

P.S. Visit the HOME page for Timely Quotes and links to Featured Articles of the month. Thanks for linking others to Barbara Brabec’s World.

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Publication of the Brabec Bulletin ceased in
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Year 2021-2022 <=>  Year 2023  <=>  Year 2024 <=> Year 2025

Brabec Bulletin Tidbits on Life are archived here.

Musings About Life posts published in 2025 are archived here.
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Musings About Life posts
Published in 2026

March 2026: Thoughts on the Reality of Loss and Death. There’s something about turning 40 that wakes us up and makes us look at life through different eyes. Few people want to think about the eventual end of their lives, but sooner or later, we all must accept that we won’t live forever.

February 2026: My Encounter with the Living God. God has a plan for your life that will astonish you once you give Him the reins and trust Him to work all things together for your good.

January 2026: My $2,000 Guardian Angel Miracle. Every day, God sends His angels to guard His people on earth. I’ve journaled many instances when I believed I had angelic help. Here’s the story of one of them. 

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