My spiritual journey began just after my fifth birthday. My father and my grandfather owned a cleaning business that kept them busy at all hours of the day and my mother was often working at the local Friendly’s restaurant to help with the monthly bills. This meant much of my childhood was spent being babysat my grandmother.
The one thing I will always remember and cherish about Grammie was the fact that she shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with me whenever she had an opportunity. She was the only true believer in our family at that point. I say “true believer” because a few of my family members had prayed the “sinners prayer” but this ritual never actually changed their heart or lives.
Grammie, however, was the real deal. I remember her on her knees every night for hours, praying that the Lord would save her husband and her family in both word and deed, as the Scriptures state. She would go to church, read her Bible, and when there was good opportunity, she would share Christ with her unsaved husband, children, grandchildren, and friends. She loved Jesus Christ through and through. She wanted to make Him known to all, and looked forward to the day when she could see Him face to face. On November 30th, 1990, her desire to see the Lord she loved was fulfilled.
While Grammie was babysitting me, she collapsed right in front of me of a heart attack and later died. This scared me tremendously, and caused me to think about the reality of death at a very young age. I also recalled all of the times she had told me about Jesus and how He died and then came back from the dead for the forgiveness of our sins. I still did not quite grasp the entire truth however.
After her death, things started to change for my family in amazing, new ways. My father, who had been very apathetic to the Gospel, accepted Christ as his personal Savior. He then shared his faith with anyone who would listen, just like his mother. As a result, my mother, who was a non-practicing Roman Catholic came to Christ. My grandfather, who had rejected Jesus vehemently and with no apology, was convicted of his sin and placed his faith in Jesus at the age of 60. Other family members were saved as a result of this tragedy. God had indeed taken this “evil” and used it for “good” (Genesis 50:20).
A few months after Grammie's death, my dad, still on fire for the Lord, sat down with me and explained exactly what had happened to Grammie. He explained to me that the reason why death happens is because we are all sinners in the sight of God and that because of this we deserve far more than just physical death, but also eternal punishment in a place called Hell. He then explained to me that I do not need to fear death or Hell because Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died on the cross of Calvary to pay for my sins. He then rose from the dead to prove that He is God, and has the power to give everlasting life if I would turn from my sin, believe in His sacrifice and follow Him in obedience. It was then that God opened my heart and mind to the Gospel, and I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
My life has never been the same. There was a complete change in direction from that point on. My family started attending a small Baptist church, where I learned the Holy Scriptures, was baptized by immersion and eventually went off to Bible college to follow the Lord’s calling into pastoral ministry.
I would be lying if I said the road has been an easy one. There were times in my spiritual walk where I have doubted and “re-prayed” the “sinners prayer”. This is why I am thankful that later in my spiritual walk, through His Word, God opened my eyes to the fact that salvation does not happen because of a prayer, but because of Christ’s imputed righteousness, sealing me until the day of redemption by the Spirit of God.
I can see God’s grace throughout my life as He has continually kept me from sin and continues to sanctify me as I have grown to not only trust in Christ more, but also to love Him more than anything this world can offer. There is no greater blessing that God could give than knowing Christ and the desire to love and serve Him with the breath He lets me borrow.
All of this being said, my life’s desire is to glorify God by investing my life into the lives of others, just like my grandmother and father. I wish to do this by faithfully serving the local church and preaching the Word of God. The Lord has especially equipped me for the office of pastor in accordance with His guidelines in 1st Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Utilizing the education I received from Bible College and seminary, as well as my experiences in full-time vocational ministry, I know the Lord has prepared me for whatever challenges are ahead. By His grace, I wish to preach the Bible faithfully, evangelize in order to make true disciples of Jesus Christ, encourage God-dependent prayer, support global church-planting, and develop a local church that authentically utilizes their God-given gifts in order to serve Him and each other.
To Him be the Glory!
