For my testimony, I would like to just paste a letter I sent to my pastor a few months after being saved.
========================================
Hello Pastor Watts,
It is a late Wednesday night after a prayer service, I was here doing my nightly bible reading and something spoke to me to reach out to you. I am not sure how much you know about me and my family. I can tell you however that through your words, I have found the path to Jesus and become closer to becoming whole. I do realize how much work still needs to be done however.
Part of me wants to give my story to testify at the Family Fun Fest, but another part of me is not sure I am ready. Not because of fear, or shame, but because I know I am still a work in progress. It is about 7 months now since I first stepped into Cornerstone. Before I did so, I had not been in a church since I was about 15 years old. I turned my back on god at that age, I took the path of many young people of an Athiest. I did grow up in Christian family. Being raised mainly by my grandmother, she did give me a foundation of god. Though later when I lived with my birth mother, she gave me a choice, she is not so religious.
I did horrible things as a young person. My early High School years I was a star athlete with what looked to be a bright future. Then I was influenced by the enemy, polluted my body with drugs and fogged my visions. I robbed houses for money, I fought other peers for my own glorification and to be accepted by the crowd I was in. I was a womanizer as I got older and worked with many fly by night companies, pulling off various scams to make money. My family has a history of organized crime, and bookies, so the easy selfish way was all I knew.
I later met Ruth. This was the first step to becoming the man I now know god wants me to be. I cant express enough what a beautiful person she is and how it made me want to be a better person. I wasn't always the person she deserves though. Because of choices I made growing up, I had to work much hard now to be the man I knew she deserved. I went to work for large Corporate America companies in the technical world. I started earning a much better honest living. I was angry though. I took out many frustrations on my wife. I took her little imperfections and put them under a microscope to make myself feel better. I never raised a hand to my wife or anything, but as we know, words are just as painful. That is my guilt. I would yell and cuss over little things, and never admit my own faults.
This past Holiday season I was down and out. No income and my wife was supporting us with her daycare. Our Christmas look bleak to say the least. Even worse, one of my girls asked, "Who is Jesus anyways?" Then a few days later a church donated some toys to our family and invited us to a service. That church was Cornerstone. Though it was not the toys as much as the gift of Jesus Christ that you guys gave to us. Yes, my children had a few more toys to open than they would have, but more importantly we showed up the Sunday before Christmas. Your message that day went right through my heart. I remember tears rolling down my cheek as god touched me. On that day I was saved. I knew what had to be done to save my family, my children and myself from the path of destruction I had us all on.
Shortly after the Holidays your message went to being a godly family. As you spoke of the virtuous woman, I realized that even before we took the steps to becoming closer to god, Ruth was always going through the actions of being a godly woman. She never badmouthed me to family and friends; she kept our issues in house. Infact this is the first they are being expressed to someone else. She always remained calm and gave me nothing but love.
Jesus Christ changed me through your words. It is not just coincidence that your study has been The Godly Family. God brought me to be touched by these words for a reason. He wanted me to hear you speak these words. Our family has never been happier for it. I can honestly say I have given my wife nothing but love for the last 4 months. I have not raised my voice or said a discouraging word towards her. I handle our conflicts better now but even those are now few are far between. We are walking on the path of god these days. When I get frustrated I pray. When I see a fault, I give her a hug. There are no words I can type here to fully express how happy we have become.
All I want now is to get closer to god and live my life the way Jesus Christ did. I can't get enough of him. I read the bible regularly now, and praise him every chance I get. My CD changer is now filled with worship songs and Ruth and I sing them day and night. I used to be ashamed to publicly display my love for him, even during your very own services. Now I am ashamed I ever felt that way.
I want to do more for him, "be his hands" as one of our praise songs says. I want to help others the way I have been helped. I am not sure how god will have me do that, but I know he is going to show me.
========================================
Hello Pastor Watts,
It is a late Wednesday night after a prayer service, I was here doing my nightly bible reading and something spoke to me to reach out to you. I am not sure how much you know about me and my family. I can tell you however that through your words, I have found the path to Jesus and become closer to becoming whole. I do realize how much work still needs to be done however.
Part of me wants to give my story to testify at the Family Fun Fest, but another part of me is not sure I am ready. Not because of fear, or shame, but because I know I am still a work in progress. It is about 7 months now since I first stepped into Cornerstone. Before I did so, I had not been in a church since I was about 15 years old. I turned my back on god at that age, I took the path of many young people of an Athiest. I did grow up in Christian family. Being raised mainly by my grandmother, she did give me a foundation of god. Though later when I lived with my birth mother, she gave me a choice, she is not so religious.
I did horrible things as a young person. My early High School years I was a star athlete with what looked to be a bright future. Then I was influenced by the enemy, polluted my body with drugs and fogged my visions. I robbed houses for money, I fought other peers for my own glorification and to be accepted by the crowd I was in. I was a womanizer as I got older and worked with many fly by night companies, pulling off various scams to make money. My family has a history of organized crime, and bookies, so the easy selfish way was all I knew.
I later met Ruth. This was the first step to becoming the man I now know god wants me to be. I cant express enough what a beautiful person she is and how it made me want to be a better person. I wasn't always the person she deserves though. Because of choices I made growing up, I had to work much hard now to be the man I knew she deserved. I went to work for large Corporate America companies in the technical world. I started earning a much better honest living. I was angry though. I took out many frustrations on my wife. I took her little imperfections and put them under a microscope to make myself feel better. I never raised a hand to my wife or anything, but as we know, words are just as painful. That is my guilt. I would yell and cuss over little things, and never admit my own faults.
This past Holiday season I was down and out. No income and my wife was supporting us with her daycare. Our Christmas look bleak to say the least. Even worse, one of my girls asked, "Who is Jesus anyways?" Then a few days later a church donated some toys to our family and invited us to a service. That church was Cornerstone. Though it was not the toys as much as the gift of Jesus Christ that you guys gave to us. Yes, my children had a few more toys to open than they would have, but more importantly we showed up the Sunday before Christmas. Your message that day went right through my heart. I remember tears rolling down my cheek as god touched me. On that day I was saved. I knew what had to be done to save my family, my children and myself from the path of destruction I had us all on.
Shortly after the Holidays your message went to being a godly family. As you spoke of the virtuous woman, I realized that even before we took the steps to becoming closer to god, Ruth was always going through the actions of being a godly woman. She never badmouthed me to family and friends; she kept our issues in house. Infact this is the first they are being expressed to someone else. She always remained calm and gave me nothing but love.
Jesus Christ changed me through your words. It is not just coincidence that your study has been The Godly Family. God brought me to be touched by these words for a reason. He wanted me to hear you speak these words. Our family has never been happier for it. I can honestly say I have given my wife nothing but love for the last 4 months. I have not raised my voice or said a discouraging word towards her. I handle our conflicts better now but even those are now few are far between. We are walking on the path of god these days. When I get frustrated I pray. When I see a fault, I give her a hug. There are no words I can type here to fully express how happy we have become.
All I want now is to get closer to god and live my life the way Jesus Christ did. I can't get enough of him. I read the bible regularly now, and praise him every chance I get. My CD changer is now filled with worship songs and Ruth and I sing them day and night. I used to be ashamed to publicly display my love for him, even during your very own services. Now I am ashamed I ever felt that way.
I want to do more for him, "be his hands" as one of our praise songs says. I want to help others the way I have been helped. I am not sure how god will have me do that, but I know he is going to show me.
