I have been wanting to share my testimony with those who come accross my blog and website and have written a brief version of it to be posted on my homepage soon and I am including it below as well:
Like many people growing up in the 70’s & 80’s, I grew up in a home where we didn’t go to church. I went a few times with my neighbors to vacation Bible school held at a country Bible Church. I found out I was adopted at seven years old and I then started rebelling against my parents and against God. I was searching for my identity and looking for security. After High School, I joined the Army where I started to drink socially with the guys in my unit. I was looking for something that could satisfy the hole inside of me. This took me down a slippery slope, but God continued to pursue me. I realized that I was lost and in need of Him
As time went by, I met my Christian wife, Lori and started attending church again with her. We were married on August 26, 1995. I thought I had everything, a wife who loved me, I was in college pursuing my degree, we had our son, Zach on January 17, 1997. Life was good!
One day in 1997, I found myself separated from my wife and my child. My selfish ambition and sin had taken me to the bottom of the pit that I found myself in. I sat in my car on Division Avenue in Grand Rapids and cried out to God for his mercy and forgiveness. I told God that if you are real then I accept you into my life. I will serve you all the days of my life from this point on. I felt a huge pressure being lifted off of me. I asked God to help save my marriage and family and he directed me to go to a church nearby, Kentwood Community Church, where we had attended off and on for about a year. It was open and I spoke with a pastor there and told him what had happened. I asked him to help me to save my marriage and family. He gave me a list of things to do and once I completed them I was to come back to him and he would know I was serious. I did all these things on the list and in the process God was changing me from the inside out. The Holy Spirit was living inside of me! Soon I asked the Pastor if I could be baptized out of obedience to Christ. Shortly thereafter I was baptized along with my wife in front of the body of Christ and my parents at KCC. My faith began to grow and soon I was volunteering in many ministries at the church. I soon learned some of the spiritual gifts God had given me and began to use them to glorify God.
Even though I have been diagnosed with a terminal disease I continue to use these gifts to inspire those around me to trust in the One who is worthy…my Savior Jesus Christ!
I believe that there is a point in time that we realize that we need Christ in our life. The following verses in the book of Romans make it clear that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, Christ Jesus:
Romans 3:23-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in sChrist Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:34-39 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If you haven’t acknowledged that you are a sinner before God and asked Him for his free gift of salvation, I urge you today to take a moment before you go to bed tonight and pray to God and accept this free gift of grace through his son, Jesus. It will truly change your life as it has mine and Lori’s.
As time went by, I met my Christian wife, Lori and started attending church again with her. We were married on August 26, 1995. I thought I had everything, a wife who loved me, I was in college pursuing my degree, we had our son, Zach on January 17, 1997. Life was good!
One day in 1997, I found myself separated from my wife and my child. My selfish ambition and sin had taken me to the bottom of the pit that I found myself in. I sat in my car on Division Avenue in Grand Rapids and cried out to God for his mercy and forgiveness. I told God that if you are real then I accept you into my life. I will serve you all the days of my life from this point on. I felt a huge pressure being lifted off of me. I asked God to help save my marriage and family and he directed me to go to a church nearby, Kentwood Community Church, where we had attended off and on for about a year. It was open and I spoke with a pastor there and told him what had happened. I asked him to help me to save my marriage and family. He gave me a list of things to do and once I completed them I was to come back to him and he would know I was serious. I did all these things on the list and in the process God was changing me from the inside out. The Holy Spirit was living inside of me! Soon I asked the Pastor if I could be baptized out of obedience to Christ. Shortly thereafter I was baptized along with my wife in front of the body of Christ and my parents at KCC. My faith began to grow and soon I was volunteering in many ministries at the church. I soon learned some of the spiritual gifts God had given me and began to use them to glorify God.
Even though I have been diagnosed with a terminal disease I continue to use these gifts to inspire those around me to trust in the One who is worthy…my Savior Jesus Christ!
I believe that there is a point in time that we realize that we need Christ in our life. The following verses in the book of Romans make it clear that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, Christ Jesus:
Romans 3:23-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in sChrist Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:34-39 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If you haven’t acknowledged that you are a sinner before God and asked Him for his free gift of salvation, I urge you today to take a moment before you go to bed tonight and pray to God and accept this free gift of grace through his son, Jesus. It will truly change your life as it has mine and Lori’s.
1 comment:
Eric: It is so funny that you wrote about this passage. Pastor Keith's sermon in church on Sunday was about accepting Christ and testimony about you and a baseball player that had cancer. You both accepted your challenges with God and brought people to Christ. I am so proud of you and everything that you are doing. You are in my prayers everyday. Thank you for being such a great brother and inspiration.
LOL
Sis
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