| As an adolescent I attended church with my family on an irregular basis. I responded to an altar call and was baptized shortly after. The Pastor left and my family stopped going to church. I never persude the Christian life as I saw no difference in the people attending church and those who didn’t. I went back to what I guess you would consider a normal worldly life and like those I judged, there was no evidence of Christ in my life.
I remember praying that God would give me 35 years of doing what I wanted to do and then I would give up everything and live for Him. The years went by and I forgot that prayer and just kept on living in unrepentant sin. I prayed at night, when I remembered, but I never prayed for forgiveness and I only prayed for my own or the families’ personal needs.
At 37 I felt as though I needed a change so I informed Debbie that after 18 years of marriage and two daughters that I was leaving. Within five months I had managed to destroy all the blessings that God had given me. I was severing relationships and in the process I sensed that God was allowing my sin to separate me from my not only those that really loved me but also withholding His blessings from me.
Debbie, by Gods grace, agreed that we would need to start over again, with the condition that we seek counseling. We agreed that Christian counseling was what we would need and God led us to a Navy Chaplain. Chaplain Rick Halm saw us once, he gave us both an NIV Bible each other every night. Less than a month later I was so overcome with the weight of my sin and my need for repentance that I surrendered my life to Christ as Lord and Savior. God has shown me that being a Christian is about Christ and not about me.
In less than 6 months Jesus was the center of our entire family. His covenant promises continue as we see His grace extended to our daughters, grandchildren and to the many members of Church families we have been in since 1988.
I am a Christian because of Christ and a Presbyterian because He led me to choose a church doctrine that is Christ centered.
After teaching adult Sunday school, serving on missions, mercy, evangelism and budget committees for two years at Pinewoods Presbyterian Church, Pensacola FL, I was asked to consider a nomination to serve as a deacon. After much prayer and searching my heart and Scripture for the sense of the call as a servant and officer of the church, I submitted to the Lord. He affirmed the call through the nomination, election and ordination
After serving a year on the diaconate two ruling elders asked me to prayerfully consider a nomination for elder. Again, after much prayer and searching my heart and Scripture for the sense of the call, I submitted to the Lord again and He affirmed the call through the nomination, election and ordination.
I am humbled to have the Lords call on my life as an officer of His church. Once again I have submitted to a nomination to serve His church here at Christ Presbyterian Church and will wait for His affirmation of the call.
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