My Testimony

 I raised Roman Catholic and taught about the Trinity, Jesus death on the cross and about sin.  Scripture reading was my favorite part about the mass. There were many non-biblical things taught to me as well.  From little on though I had a strong sense of right and wrong and took what I believed seriously.  Because I didn’t see this in most of my friends, by age 17 I started to question whether or not God was real or not.  I also believed that going to heaven was based on how good I was and I worried I wouldn’t be good enough.  I decided to pray that God to show Himself real to me.  I also prayed two other prayers, one of which was for my mother who had been experiencing terrible insomnia.  The next morning my mother woke up and announced that she had the best nights sleep since she could remember.  I was shocked that my prayer was really answered.

 Within the next two weeks both of my other specific prayers were answered.  God showed Himself to be real to me through answered prayer and the first clear presentation of the Gospel (The Bridge to Life) I ever heard from a new ex-Catholic friend.   Through the Gospel I learned that because of my sin I was already dead and that in my present condition I could not go to heaven, but Jesus came to die to pay the penalty for my sin.  If I would confess and repent of my sin and place my trust in His atoning work on the cross His righteousness would be applied to me.  I would go to heaven when I died and I would also receive the Holy Spirit to dwell in me now to help me live the righteous life I sought.  The truth of this pierced me to the heart, but it all seemed too simple when compared with all I was taught.  Over three month of encouragement and instruction I came to the conclusion of Paul that considered all things (I worked for in the Catholic Church) as lost for the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord and savior. (Phil 3:8)

 Away at college on October 1, 1977 I confessed and repented of my sins and placed my trust in Christ.  After that I continued to be discipled by people who God put in my life including The Navigators ministry in college.  I continued to grow in Christ through prayerful reading of God’s word and through the teaching ministry of a number of churches I attended, Christian Radio and books.  God has exchanged my self-righteous spirit for His Holy Spirit who works in me to change the sinful patterns of my life.  He has replaced a spirit of complaining with an attitude of gratefulness.  Being a parent, God has helped to greatly diminish my anger in dealing with people. As I grow I see more and more how my sinful nature still rears its head, but thank be to God that He forgives me and continues to work out His will, that being to change me into the image of Christ.  Over the years I have been actively involved in my church, ministering in a variety of ways. 

 As an infant I was baptized.  Through the teaching of scripture I came to realize that that baptism could not and did not save me.  I also learned that baptism in scripture came after people believe the Gospel.  It was used as a proclamation of their faith in Jesus Christ. Almost four years after I was saved I was attending a Baptist church near my college and there I was baptized by immersion May 13, 1981.

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