My sister and I grew up in a small town called Pelham. I never knew anything but a Christian home. I thought every little girl’s home was like mine… filled with love, prayers, and genuine faith in God. Before my dad was saved, he served in the U.S. Navy and during that time, he learned of the tragic death of both his parents. Having lost his parents at a young age, he returned home, married my mom and knew he needed the Lord in his life. He was then called in the ministry full time.
At the age of four, I remember my dad giving an invitation to receive Christ, so I walked down the aisle and convinced myself I was saved. I served in every church my dad pastored. I worked with all ages and areas. At the age of eighteen, while preparing to teach a new song to my children’s choir, God spoke to me as I hummed these words, “Tis as simple as can be, as clear as A-B-C, Christ came to save, HIS life He gave, to rescue you and me. Don’t wait until you’re older, trust Christ while He is nigh, and by His grace you’ll see His face, in G-L-O-R-Y.” The Holy Spririt spoke to me and said, “Julie, I want to see you there.” I reminded Him of my walk to the altar at age four. That’s all I remember. Then, He reminded me how well prepared I was to present the Gospel, but NOT prepared for Glory. He reminded me I had never repented or prayed to receive Christ. Until that day, I had never seen myself a lost, Hell-bound sinner. All alone, on a cold December morning, I got down on my knees and I prayed the sinner prayer of repentance and asked forgiveness of my sins. I asked Jesus to come into my heart and to be Lord of my life.
I now have assurance of my salvation and eternal life in Glory. Now my life has meaning. I have a passion to become more and more like Jesus every day, singing His songs of love, grace and glory to the world. I have a passion to follow Him. God used a simple song to open my blinded eyes. Now I know every little girl can’t remember a home like mine. When he gave me the joy in my heart, He planted it and has kept it there. Accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior was as simple as A-B-C, as simple as can be.
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“I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in.” That was kind of the theme of my life growing up as the second son to hardworking textile mill parents. They provided a safe, comfortable living. My dad was even a bi-vocational pastor serving very small churches. I always remember being in church and hearing about how Christ lived a perfect life as an example, died for my sins, and then rose again to prepare Heaven for us all. I thought: With this background and great parents, I’m there!
Since my dad preached at very small churches, sometimes quite a ways from home, he and Mother allowed me to attend church with my friends in our mill village of Valley Falls. Since I was a preacher’s kid, everyone assumed I was a Christian. I even thought I was until after a Sunday night service where it hit home that I had never had that “Just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.” After getting home from church, I had a nagging feeling that something was missing–that personal relationship with Jesus. I made it right that night.
Now I’d like to say that since that night every thing has been perfect. But I’m a sinner and only His blood can cover that. Through my teenage years I never stopped going to church. I married my high school sweetheart and had three wonderful kids. He blessed our lives even when we weren’t faithful to Him, eventually leading to divorce after about 35 years of marriage. God has continued to be faithful and last year in November I married a godly woman, His gift of faithfulness to me! It is a JOY each day to get up knowing that He is with us, allowing us to be a part of His work and kingdom. I’m glad I found out early in life: “A little talk with Jesus makes it right!”
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I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t know about Jesus. I grew up in a Christian home with my dad being an Air Force Chaplain. I always new the bible stories and could spout out the typical “Sunday School” answers to everything. I asked my dad to baptize me when I was 8, but looking back, I think I wanted it because my friends had asked Him and I didn’t want to be left out. I knew Jesus as the Savior of the world, but I don’t know that I had truly made Him Lord of my life at that point. During that time, I was too busy being a prideful know-it-all.
The change in my life came when I was 11 or 12 years old. I had already gone to bed one night when I heard my parents singing praise music together out in the living room. God had been working on my heart a lot during that time. I got out of bed and walked to the corner of the hallway where I could hear my parents better, but they couldn’t see me. I asked Jesus to come in to my heart right then. I realized that I could no longer rely on my parents’ salvation- I had to know Him for myself. I knew that He died on the cross for my sins and rose three days later just for me.
Since accepting Christ, life has not been perfect, but I know who I am in Jesus. I know that my life is nothing without the Lord. He is so faithful to His promises and to teaching me to have more trust in Him. How I pray that others will know the sweet love of Jesus. I used to think I didn’t have a testimony because I didn’t have a dramatic story to to tell- but the thing is, being set free from sin by Jesus is dramatic no matter what box your story comes in.
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I grew up in a Christian home with Christian parents and brothers. Fore many years it was easy for me to pretend to be a Christian. When asked if I was a Christian I always had the correct answer. For years I did this, even convincing myself that I was worthy of heaven. Although I claimed to know that I was going to heaven, deep down inside I really had no idea if I was or was not. Inside day and night I struggled with this. It would keep me up for many nights. If I were to die tonight would I go to heaven or hell?
In my Sunday school class when I was 15 we were going through the book of Revelations. Each Sunday I knew that Christ was knocking at the door of my heart. He really used that series of lessons to get my attention. I kept putting the decision off each week for several weeks. One Sunday during the invitation in the morning service I decided that I wouldn’t put it off any longer. I finally realized my desperate need for Christ so I confessed my sins and asked Christ to be my Lord and Savior.
Since that day there would be many ups and downs in my life, but the Lord has used each of those experiences to draw me closer to Him. I wouldn’t say that nothing has gone wrong for me since then, but now I have a peace inside that God is in full control of my life. Now I can honestly say beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I were to die that I would spend eternity in heaven.
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I grew up in a Christian home in Rockingham, NC. Many of my childhood memories revolve around church friends and activities. During Vacation Bible School at the age of nine, I made a profession of faith. But looking back, I think it was something I did more because I knew I was supposed to than because I really understood what I was doing. That trend continued as I got older. I was always one of the “good kids,” trying to do the right things and the things I knew were expected of me. I thought that as long as I was involved in church and “obeying the rules” that everything was alright. That worked fine until I got to college and met people my age who had a much deeper faith than my own – people who were excited about Jesus and sharing Him with others. I began to question whether I was really a Christian because I didn’t have the same excitement I saw in those friends.A few years later, I came to a point where I needed to forgive someone but couldn’t do it. I knew I was supposed to and I really wanted to, but every time I tried, I failed. I finally realized that my problem was that I was trying to work my way to God rather than accepting His grace. Even though I had known the answers all along, I had never really accepted that they applied to me. One day sitting on the couch in my apartment, I prayed and told God that I realized I was a sinner who had been trying to work my way to Him, that I knew that Jesus Christ had died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins, that He rose from the dead, and that I wanted to accept that and stop trying to get to Him on my own terms. I wanted a relationship with Him and I was ready to give Him control of my life.
I immediately felt the sense of peace I had been missing. I also found the excitement for Jesus that I had seen in others. I am thankful for the way I was raised because it gave me the right foundation to come back to. My life on the outside hasn’t changed dramatically, but my heart is completely different. Whereas I once went through the motions desiring to know Jesus, now the motions come out of a heart that has been changed by having Him in my life. I still fall short many times and life still has its challenges. In fact some of the hardest things I’ve faced came after giving my life to the Lord, but through every struggle, I know that God has a plan and that He will always be with me. That assurance gives me the courage to face each new struggle and challenge that comes my way.
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