Going a bit old school, I wanted to throw a blog party where we all post about the same topic, but how it relates to us. For instance, this post will be about my testimony, and you would create a post about your testimony. It seems like a hear a lot about everyone's life reading your blogs, but I thought it would be neat to hear (or read) your testimonies. So here it goes...join in if you like.
My Testimony
I grew up in a Christian home where both my parents were believers and we went to church every week (and on Wednesday and all other special events). When I was 8, my Sunday School class had been talking about who Jesus was. Now, most Southern Baptist Churches teach this from pre-school until you die, but this was the first year they really taught it expecting you to respond with at least a decent understanding of what you were agreeing to.
That winter (in the fine year of 1985), I was laying in bed when I hear my name called. I ran over to my sister's room and asked her what she wanted. She said she had not called me. So, I went back to my bed. Again, I heard my name called. This time, I ran down the hall to my parents' room and asked what they wanted. Mom said she didn't call me. I go lay down again. A third time, I hear my name called. At this point, I'm getting frustrated with whoever is playing this game with me. I go back to my Mom and tell her to stop messing with me and let me sleep. I told her that I've heard my name 3 times and that it wasn't her or my sister.
If you don't believe in God's providence, you should after this part! My Mom's Sunday School class had been studying the life of Samuel. They had just studied the call of Samuel (1 Samuel 3:1-10) the Sunday before. She saw the similarity of the situations and told me to go lay down. If I heard my name called again, just say "Speak Lord, your servant is listening". I went to lay down and laid there listening. I heard my name called again, and I responded "Speak Lord, your servant is listening".
At this point in Samuel's call, he got like 2 chapters of conversation with God. I got the best sleep of my life. The next day, Mom asked about what happened and I told her that I DID hear my name again and that I responded like she told me to. I also told her I didn't understand a lick of what was going on. She showed me 1 Samuel 3 and helped me make the connection between God calling my name and what I was learning about Jesus in Sunday school. That next night, I put my faith in Jesus and was baptised the following Sunday.
From that point on, I learned a bunch about God, Jesus, the Bible, and what a Christian should be like (interesting phrasing, right?). I lived most of life until mid-college as a total hypocrite...one who knew all the right stuff, could answer anything you asked me to about what I believed. But my actions and attitude were completely opposite (though thankfully I had moral and ethical limits from the Bible that goverened my life...). I got serious about my walk in college, and God moved big-time in my life. I then got burned out and a little cynical about doing ministry and took some time off from hard core learning / living after collge.
Now, it seems that God has me in a place where He's ready to mold me, a place where I am maleable and teachable. My thoughts about my faith are turning from educational (Pharisee) to one of love for my Savior and Creator. I'm excited to see where God leads me in the next year and beyond.
4 Comments
Published by John Nelson
on September 15, 2005 at 1:56 PM.
My Testimony
I grew up in a Christian home where both my parents were believers and we went to church every week (and on Wednesday and all other special events). When I was 8, my Sunday School class had been talking about who Jesus was. Now, most Southern Baptist Churches teach this from pre-school until you die, but this was the first year they really taught it expecting you to respond with at least a decent understanding of what you were agreeing to.
That winter (in the fine year of 1985), I was laying in bed when I hear my name called. I ran over to my sister's room and asked her what she wanted. She said she had not called me. So, I went back to my bed. Again, I heard my name called. This time, I ran down the hall to my parents' room and asked what they wanted. Mom said she didn't call me. I go lay down again. A third time, I hear my name called. At this point, I'm getting frustrated with whoever is playing this game with me. I go back to my Mom and tell her to stop messing with me and let me sleep. I told her that I've heard my name 3 times and that it wasn't her or my sister.
If you don't believe in God's providence, you should after this part! My Mom's Sunday School class had been studying the life of Samuel. They had just studied the call of Samuel (1 Samuel 3:1-10) the Sunday before. She saw the similarity of the situations and told me to go lay down. If I heard my name called again, just say "Speak Lord, your servant is listening". I went to lay down and laid there listening. I heard my name called again, and I responded "Speak Lord, your servant is listening".
At this point in Samuel's call, he got like 2 chapters of conversation with God. I got the best sleep of my life. The next day, Mom asked about what happened and I told her that I DID hear my name again and that I responded like she told me to. I also told her I didn't understand a lick of what was going on. She showed me 1 Samuel 3 and helped me make the connection between God calling my name and what I was learning about Jesus in Sunday school. That next night, I put my faith in Jesus and was baptised the following Sunday.
From that point on, I learned a bunch about God, Jesus, the Bible, and what a Christian should be like (interesting phrasing, right?). I lived most of life until mid-college as a total hypocrite...one who knew all the right stuff, could answer anything you asked me to about what I believed. But my actions and attitude were completely opposite (though thankfully I had moral and ethical limits from the Bible that goverened my life...). I got serious about my walk in college, and God moved big-time in my life. I then got burned out and a little cynical about doing ministry and took some time off from hard core learning / living after collge.
Now, it seems that God has me in a place where He's ready to mold me, a place where I am maleable and teachable. My thoughts about my faith are turning from educational (Pharisee) to one of love for my Savior and Creator. I'm excited to see where God leads me in the next year and beyond.
Man, I love your testimony.
This is a good idea, I'll probably type mine up here pretty soon. Its kind of boring, though. Oh well.
wow, what a testimony! that's fabulous!
i've been so stinkin' busy, but i'll get to mine when i get the chance.
good idea. i've only been in f-ville for 2 years, so i've been curious about other people's testimonies.
My name is Nate McGooden, for those of who whom I don't know. I grew up in Siloam Springs, God's Country, where Jesus Christ is Lord. I didn't grow up going to church every Sunday, Wednesday, special event or anything like that. We stopped going to church regularly when I was 12 because my family didn't like the pastor. We started going off and on again when I was 18 and the "old" pastor left the church for another church. We went to a Methodist church and having one pastor around for 6 years was very new to me. Most pastors stayed a couple of years at most it seemed.
I didn't live too bad of a life through my junior high and senior high days. I went to college living the same life. During my sophmore year of college I joined a frat and went to a few Bible studies put on by alum and campus staff guy. During the summer I ran a firework stand for two weeks. During one summer I got drunk and broke my ankle. During this down time when I all I could really do was think, because my mobility was limited and I wasn't too motivated to take myself out in the heat on crutches. I remembered thinking about what a campus staff guy had been teaching in my fraternity house.
When I went back to college that fall I told the guy what happened and decided I was ready to live for Christ b/c there had to be more to life than getting drunk and hurting yourself. I broke my ankle which required surgery to repair torn ligaments and allow my bone to grow back together. It was the fall semester of 1996 when I began my journey with God. I hadn't a clue as to what needed to be done to obey God or grow in the Lord but the people I saw doing it earnestly were living a peaceful. Who doesn't want that? I did. I continued to grow and spent 3 summers participating in Kaleo. Without a doubt those were the best 3 summers of my life and also the place where I met Sarah, my wife, who just got onto me for being on the computer.
Currently I am in a rut with God and it is hard for me to be interested in reading my Bible. God is more of a duty than a joy and something I am praying about. I am glad to know God and pray that we all love Him more every day.
Hey, is it cheating if I link to an older post of mine that sort of fits this topic?
MCF's faith