My Testimony(the unassisted truth)

I grew up Catholic went to a Catholic school named Divine Infant, while my family and I lived in Bellwood a suburb of Chicago. When I was in the fifth grade we moved to Kentucky and continued to go to a Catholic Church to please my father’s mom. I was working through the 7 sacraments, I was baptized as a baby and completed my first communion and my confirmation. When my grandmother moved to Wisconsin my father didn’t force us to go to church anymore. So at that point I no longer took church seriously. It’s like in the Old Testament when King Joash’s mentor Jehoiada past away he changed the way he was living because his Faith was anchored in Jehoiada’s faith when he died he lost his anchor and drifted. This was us.

Around this time a friend of mine Jeremiah Adam’s and his mother Scharlene was always inviting me to church they attended Salem Baptist Church. I started attending on special events and went on some youth trips with them. I always thought of them as very religious people in my life.

While at a revival in my teens I was lead to the alter to be accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I know I felt something I know Jesus was calling. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Holy Spirit entered my body and I was SAVED.

Well time went on and graduated high school and joined military and had several jobs not once ever living up to what I supposedly gave my life to that day at Salem Baptist. (You can reference the Bible so much about what this time of my life was like. King David, Jonah, Samson, and more. All good men that drifted from God even though they knew the truth.)

Fast forward to my late 20s or early 30s and I met my future wife Sydney. Her family was a very religious family. They never missed church and they always encouraged me to attend while I was dating their daughter. I would once again only visit on special occasions. One day Pam my future mother in-law told me that I don’t only have to come on special days that I can come all the time. So I started to attend more and enjoying church. A few years down the road I asked Sydney to marry me and she said yes. Well in the Bible says you must be “equally yoked” so I started my journey with Pastor Matt Fowler to find Jesus and bring him back in my life. We had several breakfast meeting together where we read through some books and had a lot of study time. I finally felt it again and gave my life back to Jesus in a McDonalds. Yes McDonalds. Once again I could reference those men in the Bible that drifted and later called out to God for forgiveness. But spoiler alert like them I will drift again.

So me and Sydney are finally equally yoked we are both saved her way before me however due to her shyness and fear of public speaking she never publicly announced. So once she did and gave her testimony we were both baptized at Union Missionary Church her families church. Pastor Matt was the Pastor there. So next step we got married had a child and I thought I was all good. (This is the time where dramatic music should play to show you that something will happen. )

A few years down the road I lost my mother’s parents in the same year. These two are so important to me they were my everything. So anyways, it put me in a deep depression. I had suicidal thoughts, argued with my wife, didn’t want to be around anyone not even family. I would put on a fun face when I was with people especially family but I was dying inside.

One of the main reasons was because I didn’t make an effort as a supposed Christian to ensure my grandparents were saved and went to heaven. I felt ashamed two people that I love most in the world I may not see again in heaven. I started to find reasons not to attend church and the arguing got worst and the terrible thoughts of ending life was in my head so I reached out to a Psychologist in Paducah and started therapy, and boy did it work got my head on straight help me cope with the loss of my grandparents everything was getting better.

A few years down the road my wife and I started to look for a new church a new start for the both of us and we were led to Salem Baptist. A friend of mine Greg at work started to encourage me to do the Bible in a year chronological order. We started talking about that and learning. I found out that my friend Jeremiah wrote a book a 30 day devotional about Praying through ACTS. So me and Greg worked through that as well. Like King Solomon said in Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens Iron and one man sharpens another.”

Life goes on and we continue doing the Bible in a year and we completed the devotional. While attending church one day I was listening to Pastor Josh speak about we are called to be the light and salt of Jesus. I felt very convicted although I do well in front of my family and in front of certain people I am not that at work nor in my personal time. I went forward during church fell to my knees and with the help of Pastor Josh we prayed to God that I will change.
Like Israel and the men in the Bible I finally came to my senses and called out to God to forgive me one last time.

From that moment I’ve been on fire. I’m reading more I’m deep diving into scripture I was even able to give a part of my testimony to a young kid that needed a ride. In return I bought that kid a Bible and encouraged him to reach out if he ever needed to talk. I always told people that I was Saved twice, once in my teens at a revival and once at Mcdonalds. However now I realized I was saved once and like King David, Solomon, Israel, and so many others I asked God to enter my heart once and like the parable told by Jesus “The Lost Sheep” I wandered from my shepherd and he left the 99 to come and find me.

Now thanks to that day in June I am living out what God has called me to do. I stopped my therapy and put all my trust in my Savior Jesus Christ. It is Him who will guide me through life and I will do my best to follow him in all I do.