My Story

Without God, my life would be a lot different.

Birth and Family

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:” - Psalm 139:14

Every person born into the world is wonderfully created by God. From conception, the Lord was involved in my life. He created me and shaped me in my mother’s womb. I was born in Mocksville, NC on August 26, 1974. My dad was an ex-convict who was trying to right some of his previous wrongs, and my mom was a homemaker who was born with cerebral palsy. She was unable to drive, run, and do common things that other mom’s could do. As an only child, my parents depended on me to help them a lot.

Poverty and Alcohol

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, our family was very poor. My parents drew disability checks and lived on a fixed income. When food was a little scarce in the house, I remember making mayonnaise sandwiches to fill my stomach. Some of the best meals I ate were at the school cafeteria because of the free-lunch program for kids who lived in poverty. The summers seemed so long because my dad would not use the air conditioning in our mobile home because we could not afford it. I sweated myself to sleep on many nights.

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” – Proverbs 20:1

Alcohol left a horrible fingerprint on my childhood. As a small child, I still remember my dad pulling up in the driveway late at night after work. My mother would help him into the house, and he would go straight to bed. His custom was to stop after work and drink heavily before coming home. Years later, dad would take me to the beer joint, and he would send me in to purchase his beer because he was physically unable to get it himself.

To this day, I am a strong adversary of beverage alcohol. I saw how it robbed my dad of his senses, caused him to say awful things, and made my life at home full of turmoil. Even before I became a Christian, I purposed not to drink because I did not want to put my children through the mess that I experienced.

In spite of poverty and alcohol, there were many great things in my childhood. I had wonderful neighbors with children my age. These folks treated me so kindly. I loved to play basketball and baseball and found them to be a great escape. Living in the country, I worked for a couple of area farmers and learned a work ethic that has impacted me until this very day.

Starting to Go to Church

I did not have much exposure to the Bible and church when I was growing up. Our landlord would take my mom and I to special services on Christmas and Easter. When a small church was started in my community, I went at the invitation of some of my friends. Whenever I talked to my dad about church and God, he told me that all Christians were hypocrites and that is why he didn’t go to church.

At the age of ten, several men stopped by my trailer on a Saturday morning. They were driving a church van and were looking for children who wanted to go to church. They asked me if I wanted to go and I said “YES!” Honestly, I did not want to go because I wanted to learn more about God. I wanted to go because I was an only child, and I did not want to be home all day on Sundays.

The Best Day of My Life

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8

When I was twelve years old, I was sitting in a Sunday morning church service and something was going on in my heart. For two years, I heard about Jesus Christ and His birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection. During this service, the Holy Spirit helped me to realize that Jesus came to this earth to die for me when I didn’t want anything to do with Him. God loved me more than anyone else could ever love me. That is why He sent His Son.

When the invitation was given in that service, I did not go forward. As soon as the service was dismissed, I made a beeline for the church van and waited for everyone else to come. On that ride home, I learned something. You may be able to leave a church service, but that doesn’t mean that God will leave you alone. God continued to work in my heart during the ride home.

My dad was the only one at home when I got off the van. I knew that I could not talk to him about what God was doing in my heart. So, I went into my bedroom and read a small pamphlet from the church. I still remember reading this verse . . .

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” – Romans 10:9

While sprawled out on my bed, I called on God to save me through the blood of Jesus Christ. That day, I received peace and forgiveness like I had never experienced. As a flawed and sinful human being, there was only one way to God, and that was through Jesus Christ.

Many years have passed since that memorable day, but I shall never forget it. I have joy, peace, and purpose in life that no amount of money could ever give.

God is now a part of my life, and He wants to be a part of your life too. Do you have the assurance that you are a child of God and that you have been forgiven? Jesus can do for you what drugs, popularity, fame, and loose living cannot. Please let me know if I can help you to know God through His Son Jesus Christ.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” John 5:24

If you have received Christ as your Savior as a result of reading my story, please let me know.

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