- Jul 28, 2005
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Ive made more mistakes in my life then I would ever feel comfortable admitting to...there was a point in my life that I rejected everything and anything to do with religion. I took pride in the pain and suffering i caused others and I convinced myself that I was the center of the universe and master of my own destiny. I focused my life on conflict and fighting...it was really the only thing I was good at...
One day a leader of mine took me aside and asked if I would like to pray with him. He had obviously taken notice of my attitude...it wasn't hard to notice. I didnt pray with him that day. A couple days later he asked me again. Same result. Finally after a few more attempts I chose to sit in with him out of curiosity.
I expecetd his "prayer session" to center on my attitude and how "destructive" I was, but not once did he mention a single fault of mine...not once did he tell me what I should or shouldn't do with my life. Insetad he thanked the Lord for me joininig him, read from the Bible and thanked the Lord for what we had. I was actually moved. I prayed with him a couple more times before he first invited me to his Church. Once again I rejected the invitation the first couple of times but continued to sit in on his daily prayer "meetings".
Still he didn't try to change me, he just sat with me read from the Bible and "talked" to the lord as if they had been best friends their entire lives. I had to know, so one night at home, behind closed doors after my wife had gone to bed, I prayed. Im not sure how long I prayed that night, but I felt something in my heart that truly moved me. The next week I went to church with him.
I'll lnever forget teh feeling I felt when I walked into that church. It was an old converted barn but the worship and the service overtook me. I almost cried and crying is not exactly something I do much.
That night with teh help of my boss and his friends I asked Jesus to come into my heart.
My boss became one of my best friends. It was a rough road, but I slowly changed... I even joined a power lifting ministry which focused on getting high school kids away from steroids and drugs.
My boss died about a year later. I cried for the first time in years. He never gave up on me even when i strayed...Above that though, he never forced his will on me...I made choice to pray with him...I made teh choice to go to Church with him and I even made the choice to join a bible study with him. He lead by example and Ive followed ever since.
This is why I defend the right to choose their path in life so adamantly. I know I cant save all the sinners in the world especially those that dont want to be saved. But I will continue to lead by example as he did and I will always belive that being saved is a choice. A choice that I would have never made if those leading me to the Lord had dictated what I could or could not do with my life.
God Bless
One day a leader of mine took me aside and asked if I would like to pray with him. He had obviously taken notice of my attitude...it wasn't hard to notice. I didnt pray with him that day. A couple days later he asked me again. Same result. Finally after a few more attempts I chose to sit in with him out of curiosity.
I expecetd his "prayer session" to center on my attitude and how "destructive" I was, but not once did he mention a single fault of mine...not once did he tell me what I should or shouldn't do with my life. Insetad he thanked the Lord for me joininig him, read from the Bible and thanked the Lord for what we had. I was actually moved. I prayed with him a couple more times before he first invited me to his Church. Once again I rejected the invitation the first couple of times but continued to sit in on his daily prayer "meetings".
Still he didn't try to change me, he just sat with me read from the Bible and "talked" to the lord as if they had been best friends their entire lives. I had to know, so one night at home, behind closed doors after my wife had gone to bed, I prayed. Im not sure how long I prayed that night, but I felt something in my heart that truly moved me. The next week I went to church with him.
I'll lnever forget teh feeling I felt when I walked into that church. It was an old converted barn but the worship and the service overtook me. I almost cried and crying is not exactly something I do much.
That night with teh help of my boss and his friends I asked Jesus to come into my heart.
My boss became one of my best friends. It was a rough road, but I slowly changed... I even joined a power lifting ministry which focused on getting high school kids away from steroids and drugs.
My boss died about a year later. I cried for the first time in years. He never gave up on me even when i strayed...Above that though, he never forced his will on me...I made choice to pray with him...I made teh choice to go to Church with him and I even made the choice to join a bible study with him. He lead by example and Ive followed ever since.
This is why I defend the right to choose their path in life so adamantly. I know I cant save all the sinners in the world especially those that dont want to be saved. But I will continue to lead by example as he did and I will always belive that being saved is a choice. A choice that I would have never made if those leading me to the Lord had dictated what I could or could not do with my life.
God Bless
