At 8 years of age Jesus came to me in a dream. He was a man in a white robe. All I can remember is that this man was loving and compassionate. Confused, I told my Mother about it and we talked with our minister.  He prayed with me. I asked Jesus to come into my heart, and I was baptized.  My childhood was unhappy.  Alcohol impacted us greatly.  My parents argued alot. We attended church as a family only for short intervals. My sister & I often went with our grandparents to church. As teens we went with our friends.  I was a backslider. I wanted a way out. Pregnant & married at 16, a mother at 17, my life took a different path.Â
Sin continued to affect me. I wanted to do the right thing.  I went to church.  I believed in the Gospel. My marriage ended after 20 years by my choice. Sex, alcohol, & drugs were the culprits.  I had an 8 year relationship which was emotionally & physically abusive. I got out, sought counseling, and began attending a small church where my aunt and uncle served.  During this time I reached a point where I knew I had to do things God’s way, and I prayed for Jesus to help me. He had been in my heart. I had chosen to ignore Him.  Through my counseling, family, friends, church and precious pastor I was able to heal and by God’s grace I was forgiven.Â
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Praise God He is the God of second chances.  I am not perfect, just forgiven.  I am the happiest I have ever been in my life.  I have a wonderful relationship & a new grandson which I truly prayed for.  I have found a great church family here at FBNS.  Many doors have opened for me especially through my nursing career for me to share and pray with others.  I know God answers prayer because He’s answered many of mine, and I don’t know where I would be today if I didn’t have my faith.
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I grew up in a Christian home. Growing up, I never felt like I belonged. I always felt unloved and empty. I knew I was a sinner and carried a burden of guilt. I was an overachiever hoping that people would love me. I heard about Jesus’ love in church. I accepted Jesus into my heart at the age of 12. Then my father died from leukemia and my world caved in. I had such an emptiness in my heart and instead of turning to Jesus for comfort, I became bitter and angry and turned to the world for comfort. I tried to find comfort in drugs, alcohol, and other people. I became suicidal. I knew what I was doing was wrong. I knew I needed Jesus but I was too angry to turn to Him.
During this time, Jesus kept reaching out to me. I kept turning my back on Him. I wanted to feel in control of my life. I wasn’t in control. My life was in a downward spiral. I had just come out of a marriage that left me feeling scared. Each day was filled with fear for our safety and fear of how to make ends meet. I knew I could not make a better life for my children without God’s help. I got on my knees and cried out to Jesus. “Please Lord, forgive me for rebelling against You. I know I am a sinner. I know I can not continue to live without You in my life. I tried to take control of my life but I have made terrible choices. Jesus, please come into my life. I want You to take control.”
Since that day, my life has not been the same. I stopped looking for drugs, alcohol and other people to fill my emptiness. All of the self pity, anger, bitterness and fear is gone. I am filled with a peace and joy I never knew before. Each day brings a new discovery of how much God loves me. Life is not always easy, but I know God is by my side and He will help me go through the challenges. God has shown me areas in my life I have to work on but cannot overcome on my own such as, forgiveness, pride and vanity. Each step I take is so liberating. I pray that everyone will know the kind of love and freedom that is only found through Christ.
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My parents were divorced when I was a baby, and I was raised by my dad and stepmom. I went to church as a child - my siblings and I were usually dropped off at church and then picked up after Sunday School or the morning service. I never felt that nuturing love a parent gives their child. From an early age all I ever felt was alone, angry, and bitter. I wanted to be loved by someone.
The pastor always talked about how much Jesus loved us, so when I was fourteen I asked Jesus into my heart. I believed that Jesus died on the cross for my sin, that he was buried, that on the third day He arose from the grave, and that He died because He loved me.
At the age of nineteen I left home and began living a wordly life. For the next twenty-five years, I lived outside of the will of God. Because of some circustances in my life, I began to go to church again. God began to speak to me, and I realized that I didn’t have a personal relationship with Him. I rededicated my life to Jesus then. Now my life is changed, and I can’t imagine life without Him. I have love, joy and peace in my life. I no longer want to do the sinful things I used to do. God is faithful to see me through all my circumstances.
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I grew up going to church. From the time I was a small child I went to church, sunday school and VBS. When I was ten years old my father was murdered. A couple of years later my neighbor committed suicide. When I was fifteen my cousin died. I became very angry. I quit going to church, my grades dropped and I started drinking. During my college years, I all but forgot about church and God. I was very angry at God and myself because I knew I was wrong.
In college I started dating Dee, my wife. She encouraged me to go to church. I attended for a while but was only there for show. Then one day the pastor preached a sermon about forgiveness. How could I ask to be forgiven if I could not forgive. I thought, prayed and read passages from the Bible. Shortly thereafter, I accepted Christ and joined the church.
Since accepting Christ, I have been truly blessed. I have been able to let go of the anger that was weighing me down. I have a much stronger relationship with my wife and daughter. I now look forward to every day, knowing that I am forgiven and can forgive.
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I, like most Christians, grew up in a Christian home. My family consisted of my grandparents, my sister, and myself. We were there practically every time the doors were open, Sunday mornings and nights and on Wednesdays. I loved going to church. As a small child, I loved to learn about Jesus, but I knew there was still something missing, an emptiness that seemed like it couldn’t be filled. While growing up, I had to learn a lot of hard lessons. My father was killed before I was born and my mom didn’t want my sister or myself. For me, at times, I felt as if no one really wanted me. At the time, I didn’t know that God had done all this for a reason.
I realized my need for something more when I was in the first grade. I was six years old. It was during the AWANA program at Westgate Baptist Church that I realized that there was something missing. That night they had talked about what Heaven and Hell were like. I knew I didn’t want to go to the place called Hell so when they gave the invitation, another girl and myself raised our hands. Mrs. Johnson took us to another room and shared with us how we can know for sure we that we would be in Heaven with God forever when we die. She told us that Jesus came to this earth to die for our sins. That I was on His mind the entire time. And then she explained that He did not stay dead. He rose in three days and is as alive as you or me. That night, I accepted Christ in my heart and He now and forever will live in me.
My life has not been perfect by any means. When I was a teenager, I became rebellious and bitter. I blamed God for the things that were happening to me. I found out that my father was killed by a drunk driver, and then I found out the truth about my mom. I thought to myself, “Why would God allow this to happen to me?” I was not exactly depressed, but I think I came pretty close to it. It took one preacher in chapel, during my junior of highshool to really catch my attention. I was living a double life. I was living one way at school and one way at home. I knew that this was not the way God wanted me to live. He wanted all of me, not just part. That day, I dedicated my life to God and since that time, I haven’t been happier. I’ve been on three mission trips (which include New Hampshire and Nicaragua), I attend a wonderful church, I have the best friends anyone could ever ask for who encourage me all the time, and so much more. God has really blessed me to be in the position I am in. He’s given me my talents and abilities to glorify Him and that’s all I want to do. No more do I think that I’m alone. Knowing that God is on my side makes living worth-while. No longer will I ever have to walk the road or fight my battles alone.
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