My earliest memories are of home where there were many struggles.  My dad became an alcoholic when I was very young. His lifestyle included having numerous affairs, disappearing for days while drunk or with one of his many girlfriends. When he was at home, he was very abusive. Once when I was 9, he bent my mother’s hand backwards until he had broken every bone in her hand. He then laughed and mocked her saying that there was no way that she could drive herself to the hospital.

My second marriage ended and I knew that I needed to be in church. I had wanted to go but my second husband didn’t want to. He felt his church had let him down in the past and didn’t want to try again. A friend of mine and I started going to church together. We were going to “shop around” for a church but settled on the first one we went to which was Oak Grove Baptist.

About a month after beginning to go to church Pastor Rufus Chaneyworth preached a very simple message entitled “God Is Love.” This was truly my breaking point. I felt God reaching down and telling me that it didn’t matter what I had done, that I was His child and would be forever as long as I accepted him. When I left the service I started crying and didn’t stop for a long time. I didn’t go up for the invitation that day, but I did the next Sunday.

Almost 8 years ago I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. He has taken me on a journey that has been indescribable. My friend who started going to church with me became my husband 2 years later. We have been able to serve in different church groups and even have been teachers! The Lord laid a burden on our hearts to change churches and he paved the way to FBNS, and we feel so very grateful in the way the Lord prepared us to serve. I can’t wait to see what the Lord wants from us next!

My life before Christ was a wreck. I had been cussing a lot and I knew something was wrong but I didn’t care.

My poppa was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. So he went into the hospital a lot. It was November 4, 2006 when he passed away. It got me thinking I wasnt sure on where I was going when I died. So I got saved in church. But on January 23, 2008 I was in chapel at my school, and Dave Walton was speaking. I reddidicatted my life that day.

My life since that day has been amazing. I have grown a lot closer to God. During school I started a 8th grade devotion time and I got a lot out of it.

I cannot remember a time in my life without involvement in church. I was raised on the stories and songs of God. In school I was known as the “preacher/singer” who was always preaching and singing about God. My life before I made Jesus my Lord and Savior was pleasant. I was not involved with the wrong crowd and did not do the things they did. (Although I did get into some negative things later in life, but God delivered me.) Growing up in church, I had always seen people go down the aisle at the end of the service. One Sunday I did that, not having a clue what I was doing. My life really did not change.

I was in the tenth grade when God began to make clear to me that I had never accepted him as my Savior. A guest speaker said, “Some of you are like the baseball player who hit a homerun and was called out when you got to home plate. When questioned, the umpire simply said, ‘You did not touch first base.’” I knew immediately that was me. I knew how to act like a Christian, but I was not one because I had not surrendered my life to Him.

Since that time God has richly blessed my life. I have had the opportunity to serve Him and spread His word in over twenty-three states and two foreign countries. He allowed me to teach 6th grade science and history, all the while being a missionary to the students and faculty. He has blessed me with an amazing wife and two incredible children. And now I serve him as a staff member and worship leader at First Baptist North Spartanburg. There have been difficult times, but God’s grace has sustained me. He will do the same for you if you will place your trust in him.

I was raised a PK and I was at chuch at least 3 times a week and sometimes more. It never bothered me because I enjoyed the people. At a very young age I gave my life to God. I served him with all my little heart and would always invite people to church. One Sunday in a Wesleyan Church in Akron, Ohio my Dad had a special service to see who brought the most people. I had 35 people and one of those ladies that came got saved and served God till she died. I always had a gift for bringing people to church.

During my teen years I rebeled and went on with life without God. I started drinking and thought it was cool. Two marriges and 35years later I was getting a 2nd divorce with no money and no one to help me. I started going to the Nazarene church where I gave my life back to Christ. Things have been changing in my life ever since. One day on my way to church I saw a sign that said Mike Huckabee ws coming to speak at First Baptist North Spartanbur. My car made a left turn right into the parking lot, and I have been coming here ever since. God has given me a home that I love. My Mom now lives with me. We both trust in him and pray, and when things go wrong Mom and I pray. When two people pray in God’s will and agree on it, it will happen.

It is now a joy to get up and start a new day because I know that God will be with me. The life I left behind was a terrible place, but through Jesus Christ I will aways live the new life for him. I am glad that Jesus died on the cross so that one day I will be in heaven with my dad and family. I’m proud to tell the world that I’m going to serve him everyday of my life.