Hi Stuart,
I enjoyed reading
your testimony. It thrills my heart to see my "family in
the body of Christ" following God's lead and calling. I
have been saved 8 years this October 14th and God has taken me
places and used me in ways I can honestly say I never dreamed
of. I guess it safe to say you don't dream of being used by
God when your lost. I too have been blessed by God with
a wonderful God fearing woman. We have been married 24 years,
but I only started learning 8 years ago how to love her. Like
your wife she prayed for me probably daily for the first 16
years that I would be saved! I'm so glad God answers the
fervent prayers of the righteous!
I was being deceived
by Satan since the age of 13 into believing that the answers
to life and true happiness could be obtained through drugs and
alcohol. By the time I was 17 I had a felony (habitual
violator) on my record. I don't know what my wife saw in me
but knowing that God knew all things from the beginning of
time, I believe it was a match made in heaven. It was the
first step towards drawing me into his plan.
I dropped out of high
school to pursue my dream of staying high, so when the Holy
Spirit convicted me and drew me to Jesus it couldn't imagine
what in me he'd want. It took 1 year after getting saved
before God started revealing His plan for me. He was calling
me to preach! I don't have the testimony many others do about
running from His call. I ran to His call! I fell in love right
from the start with His word ( before getting saved the only
thing I ever read was a shop manual or a Penthouse). He then
did something that totally threw me off; I felt Him urging ME
to attend seminary. WOW! I hated school, but something was
different. I have since received my first degree (Glory to
God) and for the first time ever completed with a prefect
4.0(Glory to God). I have been in the ministry for 6 of the 8
years I've been saved four of those as a youth pastor. I feel
as though God allowed me to live the wicked life I did and
save me as an adult (37years old) so I can help teens avoid
the mistake I made and lead them to Christ. I now believe he
may be calling me to pastor my first Church. I am praying that
He will send me a clear sign. I don't want to get ahead of Him
(been there and done that)!
Any way sorry
if this was too long but I enjoy sharing what God has done for
me every chance I get. By the way thanks for your
encouragement the other day with the controversy over the
statement I made on Triples Community. I hope I never
compromise the word of God period, but I don't want to
alienate those that don't understand it by being too
controversial. It's hard to know were to draw the line
sometimes, because Believers with a complacent attitude is why
homosexuals can display their filth openly on our streets and
in front of our children.
Thanks for your time, Pastor Rick
