As a young boy I attended an outstanding church filled with Godly people. I had fun there, I learned there, and one day I went forward to become a Christian. I said the sinner’s prayer and was baptized. Afterwards, I began to study the Bible, learn verses, and get my stars for Sunday School and VBS. For awhile I even considered going to a Bible-believing college and pursuing ministry as my vocation. There was one minor problem; I wasn’t willing to live my life in a way that proved a personal relationship with Jesus was most important.
As a man one day I was leaving work and going to Wednesday evening service at another wonderful church. A coworker asked me what I was doing and when I told him I was going to church his reply was, “You go to church…” You see, I had no evidence of Christ in my double life. At this point I didn’t change, but I was at least thinking. My life changed during a performance of the Passion at First North in 1998. As the stringed instruments played “Jesus Paid It All” I broke down and wept. I told God that I could no longer live a lie and that I NEEDED His forgiveness. You see, I was finally broken and tired of living life MY way. At that time I felt as if a boulder had been lifted from my back because I was willing to obey God.
I have had difficulties in my life since that time, but they pale in comparison to the blessings that I have received. I truly understand that even when I am with no one else, I am NOT alone. I thank God for all the Godly people that He placed in my life before 1998. I learned from them and appreciate their influence. I mostly thank God for never giving up on me and the facts that my eternity is secured and He still has work for me to do.
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I grew up going to church. My parents didn’t go but made sure that my younger sister and I were there every Sunday. My childhood Sunday School teacher had told me that “everyone” is a sinner and that the only way to Heaven was to confess my sins and ask God to forgive me. I did this one summer at youth camp when I was 13 years old.
As a young adult I began to slip away from what I knew God wanted for my life. During the 60’s and 70’s I was very rebellious. My college years were full of parties that included drugs and alcohol. I knew that something was missing from my life so I jumped from relationship to relationship searching for true love. I had great jobs and everything I could possibly want but still something was missing.
After another failed relationship, my housekeeper reminded me one day that there was peace with God. That afternoon I got down on my knees and begged God to forgive me for wasting all those years. I knew that Jesus died on the Cross for my sins and I also knew that God raised Him from the dead. From that minute on my life changed. I got back in my Bible and back in church. I found what was missing in my life. He was there for me all the while - waiting for me to come home. Today I have peace with God.
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I grew up in Inman in a little nieghborhood with my parents and my little sister. I went to church every Sunday with my grandma. My grandma was fired from her job when I was about 8 or 9, and she had to get a new job that required her to work Sunday mornings. So I had to stop coming to church because I had no one to take me. I didnt come back to church until I was about 12 and I listened, but it never really clicked. I hung out with the “cool” kids in my nieghborhood that didn’t go to church, that cussed, that disobeyed their parents, and that reflected on me.
When we did get back into church, we drove 25 minutes to Walnut Hill. I made new friends and I saw how their life was so much better with God. So at a Vacation Bible School, I accepted Christ as my Savior. I knew God had came into my heart, but I still had those friends from my neighborhood and my parents stopped going to church. So I never acted like I had just gone through a life changing experience. In Jr. High I made a new friend who went to Rock Falls, and she invited me every Sunday. They had put on a play about how Jesus died for my sins and later rose again in 3 days. That night I rededicated my life, and I knew God was there for me anytime. Also, that night I felt as if a huge lump that was weighing me down was lifted.
My life since I rededicated hasn’t been a walk in the park. My parents have had troubles and that made me question why, but He showed me the way. I have been blessed with many things to help me through every struggle I face. I have been blessed to spread His word on a mission trip to Nicaragua. I made that desision to accept Jesus in my heart because ‘I know I can do all things through Him’[Philippians 4:13].
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I grew up under some difficult circumstances.It was fun when I was small but as I got older things got scarey. My parents started having marital problems and divorced when I was in 5th grade or maybe younger. Mom kept things together by working a lot, and my brother and sisters and I took advantage of that. By the time I was 15 I got into drugs, alcohol and skipping school. I didn’t know how to speak up for myself. so I followed the crowd.I was the skinny boyish girl with two younger sisters who were always called cute.So I did whatever to get attention. I thought I had to have a boyfriend and was mistreated by them. By age 24 I was living with a guy and got pregnant, so I married him. By age 27 I knew I wanted a change - what it was I didn’t know. I wanted to keep my family together and teach my children the right way to go.
I was home one night with just my children and me - my husband was out with his friends. I put the children to bed, went to my bedroom and started watching t.v. I saw Billy Graham on, so I watched. I don’t remember every word, but that night my life was changed.What he talked about helped me to understand that I do things that are wrong according to God. I’m a sinner. I understood that Jesus died for my sins,was buried,but came back to life. I understood that I had to admit that I’m a sinner, had to ask God to forgive me and believe Jesus died for me. I had to ask Him into my heart, my life.
It was that simple.I prayed, believed and my life was changed.Istill have struggles but because I have faith in Jesus, I have hope and direction. I have been able to help my children understand Gods’ love. Drugs and alcohol are not a part of my life or my husband’s. My family is together. When I find myself comparing to others I know that all I have to do is LIVE FOR GOD. God is my hope- power-strength-direction-peace. He will and wants to change your life.
Posted in I Made Bad Choices, I Was Wasting My Life , 1 Comment »
I grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My mother and father divorced when I was in 4th grade and was raised by my father. As a child and young adult, I was very independent, selfish and discourteous. As I started college, my independence and desire to climb the corporate ladder became stronger. I did not have any desire to marry, because I felt that I could live my life alone and take care of myself. Living a lifestyle in the nightlife as a party girl didn’t make my life any easier.
During my sophomore year at Columbia College, I was invited to Campus Crusade for Christ at USC. I felt that I should become a Christian one day, but I had a misconception of the Christian lifestyle viewing Christianity as a form of Amish living. When I visited Campus Crusade, I realized that Christians were normal….they looked, dressed and acted like regular people. For several months, seeds were being planted into my life. During October 1994, when I was home with my father for Fall Break, I went to church with him at Clinton First Pentecostal Church in Clinton, SC. During the altar call, I invited Jesus Christ into my life. It was at that time that I realized that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, buried and was raised three days later. Immediately, I was convicted of sin and my lifestyle began to change. After finding a church home, I was baptized January 1999 at Northside Baptist Church in Columbia, SC.
Today, as a Christian, my life is altered. I have compassion for other’s and a desire to share God’s love with as many as I can through ministry. There are many decisions that I have made in the past 13 years that were not ‘my’ decisions but God’s decisions, and I have seen His faithfulness by obeying Him. Becoming a stay-at-home mom (6 years ago), moving to Spartanburg (4 years ago) and the complicated health of our oldest child has allowed me to see the power of God, power of prayer and power of the Holy Spirit. The best gift I have ever received is His salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Though life isn’t easy, even as a Christian, I have peace with Him because of my submission (Job 22:21).
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