A personal testimony, Part 2

I'd love to be able to tell you that the rest of the story is a happy one. (If this is your first time here, it'd be better if you read here and here first.) The fact is I should have grown in Christ from that moment of being His. I did do the "duties" of a Christian: I prayed, I read the Bible, I attended services "every time the doors were open". So what was the problem? I did it for all the wrong reason, all the wrong motivation. I did it all for myself and I still relied upon myself. So, what naturally followed? I fell flat on my face. I started living in a way that was worse than before I was saved. I identified myself with the world and its ways. There were times I rededicated my life to Jesus, but it was never a real change. I eventually grew bored with church, and stopped attending altogether. From this point, I eventually started wanting things for my life that were no good. God in His great patience let it go on like this for quite awhile. And then His Sovereign hand moved. I lost my father in January 2009. I lost my job of 8 years the following October. If there is one point I would call rock bottom in my life, this was it. I had come to the end of myself. And it's here that we hear God the clearest. My wife, who by the way, never stopped praying through all of the dark times, got me to come to church on some random Sunday in November. Maybe I was really listening to the preacher this time, I honestly don't know. What I do remember is this: God clearly spoke to me, in an audible mind voice. I'm quite skeptical about a lot of the eerie sounding things people talk about, but this is what happened. The voice I heard was my father's, but it was the Father speaking, "Come back to Me, come back to Me, come back to Me..." I have only been able to describe it one way. It was like I was running away with a rubber band around me. That rubber band was what tied me to God. When I answered this call, it was like the rubber band snapped me back to a closeness to Him I hadn't felt since the first. I recall it like it was yesterday. I turned to my wife and said, "I'm going to start coming back to church," knowing full well it was so much more than that. There was no ceremony, no coming forward. I was ready to live it for real, and I knew I would only be able to show it with His Hand upon me. I've heard it said this way, and there is no better way for me to put it: I got saved when I was 16, but I didn't start living for God until I was 32. It's God who deserves all the glory; it is He who keeps me on the path; it is He who picks me up when I fall; it is He who allows me to serve Him along the way.

A personal testimony, Part 1

Sixteen. I started spending a lot of time with a girl (don't all the best stories have a girl?). We started "going out"; kids today call it "dating" (neither of which occur much). We knew each other the way two quiet small town kids know one another in a small town school in a small town (less than 500). We'd even had a short stint in the same daycare as smaller children. I joined an elective choir class "to meet girls" [Mission accomplished :)]. She came from a family who were at church "every time the doors were open". I came from a background that had very few darkenings of the doors of any church. From the spending of time together came an invitation to church. More invitations led to more frequent attendance and at the various service opportunities. One Sunday evening in March 1994, the girl's father gave me an Eternal Life tract.
                                                   
I read it over and over each evening that week. I understood the words, but I was still lost (the unsaved way, yes, but also in understanding) until "The Fateful Thursday" of March 10. This time the Spirit made me truly understand I was separated from Him from the offset, but He had provided the Way to Him, His only Son, Jesus. I cried out to the Creator of the universe, begged His forgiveness, committed to follow His way, and Jesus settled in my heart. I can't describe the feeling (even this word cheapens the experience, but near the conclusion, I will attempt to describe a certain aspect). The following Sunday, I met with the Pastor of the church. We talked about what had happened, and he led me in a prayer, just to make sure I knew what I had done (I thank this man for this). Though more formal, I had already acted upon my belief the previous Thursday. I was baptized within the hour of this conversation. This was my first act of obedience to show others that my old life had died with Christ and I am raised again in His new life. I've heard others' descriptions of their moment of salvation, and I have no doubt their experiences were genuine. But I've never heard what I'm about to tell you. I would like to offer a disclaimer, and say I am not a "hugger". There is a place for hugs, but it is simply not my go-to salutation. I would certainly say, as others have, it feels like this huge weight was lifted off of me, but that Sunday, despite the chill of a March morning, I felt this warmth that permeated from the inside out. I can only describe it as a hug from the Almighty. Another display of His awesome mercy and grace: He confirmed His presence. All glory to God for who He is, what He has done, what He is doing, what He will do. Find out more here.