My Story

[servant]

Ok I will give it a shot but I know you guys will most likely laugh it off. I was blessed to have grown up in a Christian home with a loving father and mother. I never saw my mother or father really angry, never saw them lie, say a curse word, drink alcohol, stay out with their buddies, smoke, etc. I remember the first time I realized my father was human is when he wept at his fathers funeral. I was about 10. The first time I heard my father say a bad word I must have been about 15 or 16. Was it God helping my parents stay strong and be good or were they just good. You have to decide yourself. We attended church on a regular basis and at the age of 10 on boys youth camp I accepted Jesus as my personal savior and repented of my sins. My teen and early 20’s were really all about ME and not about God. I wanted it to be my way. I stopped going to church because I did not want to be a hypocrite. I thought being a Christian was too hard and besides I wanted to fit in with what I thought was the cool crowd. I was introduced to tobacco, then alcohol, and then soft drugs, hard drugs followed, started to lie, steal, sex, etc. The crazy thing is not many people that I knew as Christians seemed to care to much. Of course I was hiding most of my devious ways pretty good. I knew deep down I should not be doing the things I was doing and felt like God did not approve but I kept making excuses and falling deeper away from his grace and will.

I started skydiving to escape the sin that had surrounded my life. I remember my first skydive and being scared to death. I mean I might die. Now the pain was not what scared me the most it was being out of this reality. Death. The unknown. A lot of things were going though my mind at that first jump and God was on the top of the list. Most people that don't believe will say that I was programmed that way. Most people long for something higher than themselves. Even people in the remote parts of the world have god’s they worship. I think the main reason is because 10 out of 10 people die. I know from experience that everybody that is looking at possible death is scared and most likely thinking, what if there is a God? I became a skydive instructor and never in my 6 years of jumping saw one person either Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, Agnostic, Bikers, Babes, Doctors, Professors, Lawyers, etc…not be scared on their first few jumps. It’s one of the things we all have in common, the will to live.

I had stopped doing drugs and was only partying a little. Skydiving was my life. I was jumping like a fool. I almost died at 100 jumps. I was only about 8 seconds from the ground with a full blown main parachute malfunction. Somehow I survived. College became a bore and I decided I did not want to sit in some class room listening to some person that was not really out living life. I took what I thought was going to be a part time job working at a large shirt warehouse company. It turned into about 8 months. While I was working at the warehouse and when I say warehouse I mean (WAREHOUSE), it was about 200,000 plus square feet. The largest warehouse I have ever seen. No windows just a big, big building. Anyway, about six months into working there a Jehovah Witness starting witnessing to me late on a Friday. Let me tell you those guys can do some witnessing. I mean he knew everything about the Bible, or at least it seemed. Well when he started telling me that only a few people were going to get into heaven I was like, what that don't sound right. The conversation started to get more intense. We had stopped working and were at the very back of the warehouse. It was almost time to go home for the weekend. Then he dropped the bomb on me. Jesus Christ was not God but only a man. The Trinity was a sham and so on. Well something inside me just started to move. It was like a large wave about to come crashing down on the beach. I can not explain it really. I started saying no, no; no you’re wrong I'm almost sure. He had scripture he quoted. Something inside me said no, no, no you’re wrong. I mean the conversation suddenly got heated.. I finally said I don't know where in scripture it proves you’re wrong but your way, way off base here. Jesus Christ was not just a man. That’s when it happened, BAM. All the power in the whole plant went down. I mean dark, dark city. No windows mind you in a 200,000 plus square foot warehouse. It was only down for about 5 seconds and when the light came back on his face was as white as snow. I know mine must have been too. I said your wrong, God just did that and I'm going to find the answers, I turned and left and the bell for the end of the day went off. Coincidence most people say, I am not so sure. I did find some answers but I was still along way away.

I stayed on at the shirt plant for another couple of months and decided I had to do something else. It just got to be to boring. I got my firefighter certificate but after pulling some calls that got boring too. There are just not that many fires around mostly just car accidents. I started brain storming of how I was going to make a living and retire early. I had just helped my father build his dream home on this private competition ski lake and he was letting me live there for free. How could I make some good cash within a reasonable amount of time? Become an over the road truck driver. A truck driver you might say. Yeah I had it all figured out. See I figured I could make about 70k to 100k a year driving like crazy. My plan was to drive for about 5 to 8 years. I figured living at home and living on the bare minimum on the road I could accumulate at least 500k to 750k if I worked my butt off. Once I had enough money I was going to quit and start some kind of small business. It made sense to me so off I went driving across the country. I had been driving for about two weeks straight and I was in Indianapolis when I received a message via satellite that I needed to call home there was an emergency. I called home and my neighbor answered the phone. She would not tell me anything other than my father had been in a car wreck. I knew something was wrong but really had no idea how bad it was. I gave her my number and waited for a call back from someone who knew more. When I answered the phone and it was my pastor (which by the way I had not talked to in about 7 years), it was like someone had punched me in the stomach. I knew my father had been killed.

I caught the first flight home but I have to admit I almost didn’t go home. I almost decided to just disappear into this great big, big world. But I did go home. Once I was back everyone was trying to make sense of how the wreck happened. It appears from the state trooper’s accident report that my father was traveling on Highway 101 going to work early Friday morning around 5:30 AM. It was foggy and it appears he was doing the speed limit or slightly under (55) on a two lane highway. He came over a hill and encountered a logging truck that had gotten stuck across both lanes of the highway. There were no markers on the road indicating they were logging and the tractor trailer had no side lights lit. The cab of the truck was facing the same direction my father was heading and he didn’t see the truck until oh about 50 feet give or take some. Blunt trauma to the head is what killed him. He died on impact. He had a large burse on his forehead, a bad burse to the back of the head and two crushed knees. My dad was tough and strong. A competition water skier, health nut who loved to teach people things, like water skiing, snow skiing and cardio classes.

My first thoughts when I got home and went to the place where the wreck occurred, was this should have been me. See just a few months before the wreck I had been traveling this same road back and forth from work. At nights when I would get off work and sometimes early in the mornings depending on what shift I was working it was common practice for me to push my Mazda Rx-7 down the same 2 lane road at anywhere between 80 and 110 mph.

I remember thinking I don’t understand but I trust the Lord. My father worked very hard to live a life that modeled what he thought being a Christian should be. Loving my mom, loving his children, loving God, going to church and being involved, being humble, self control with his actions and words, etc. I remember almost filling a little jealousy because he was with God and I had to deal with life without him. Something over came me about the assurance of where he was at.

On the third day after my father had been killed I was coming home from the gym on the same road he was killed on. I stopped and talked with the first responders that pulled the wreck. The first responders were pretty sure he died instantly because of the lack of blood. His heart stopped almost immediately and there was no bleeding. I remember thinking my father met Jesus at the same moment his heart stopped. The first responders said my fathers work van was in a junkyard off the same highway he was killed on. So on the way home as I was passing the junkyard I caught a glimpse of my dad’s van. I made a U-turn and pulled into the parking lot. I needed to see and feel the last place my dad had been. Well getting out of my truck was quiet a chore. I could not move. I was praying please Lord, please Lord give me the strength to go over to the van. I made it outside my truck but still could not move. It felt like I had concrete blocks strapped to my feet. It was misting and I had my eyes closed head raised towards the sky crying out to God please oh please Lord God Almighty give me the strength to walk over to my dad’s van. I don’t understand but Jesus I believe you are the one and only God and my dad is with you, please give me strength to get to my dad’s van. I opened my eyes and the biggest most detailed beautiful complete rainbow was right over me. It was brilliantly shining God’s mercy like I have never experienced. I felt my strength come back and I started laughing and praising him. I remembered Noah in Genesis and God’s covenant with the earth and all living creatures and how he placed a sign in the sky, the rainbow. Genesis 9:13. I was able to get closure in that junkyard and God gave me a wonderful gift that day.

You would think that with all the indoctrination of God I’ve had and these two powerful coincidences of nature and universal laws (I call them miracles) I would be set ready to follow the Lord and never look back. Well that did not happen. Shortly after my fathers death I started wanting things my way again, started with tobacco, then alcohol, back to drugs, etc….I mean did I believe? God says not to do those things. I said the words Jesus and saw the signs but still wanted to live my life my way, the world’s way. I got married shortly after my father died and my wife and I started trying to go to church. I had a pornography problem and that did not sit well while I was in church. Man I felt uncomfortable. I could feel something in the pit of my being telling me that I needed to confess and rededicate my life back to the Lord. Well needless to say church did not last to long as I did not need some God telling me that I should feel guilty. I was honest with my wife and she almost left me. Thank God she stuck around. I received an opportunity to start a business in another state from where we lived so off we went to live somewhere new. I really forgot about God for 2 years. He stopped tugging on my heart and left me alone.

I never really talk about the day I saw the rainbow much anymore because it’s hard for people to understand. Rainbows are always in the sky after it rains no big deal right? Well let me share a shorter story with you. January 5, 2007 at about 3PM I was on the phone with my wife and running late for a real estate closing. I was at my home and when I got into my Jeep to leave the bottom fell out. It started raining so hard I could not believe it. I had never seen it rain so hard. I could not see more than about 10 feet in front of me. Well, I was late and I did not have time to worry about getting killed so I whipped my Jeep out onto Highway (221) heading back towards the city and took off. I hadn’t made it 20 feet when all the sudden I was blinded by the most brilliant light I had ever seen. I told my wife “I’m blind, I’m blind I can not see”. Then slowly things started coming back into focus and I could see what looked like rivers of water coming down Highway 221. It was the sun breaking through the clouds. I was hoping it was Jesus (must have been the indoctrination). Then all the sudden a thought went threw my brain, I forgot the file for the closing I’m running late to. So I quickly got into the turn lane and pulled very quickly into the grocery store still having my wife on the phone. I was only about 200 to 300 yards from my house and turning back towards my home in the parking lot when I saw it. The second most brilliant complete rainbow I have ever seen and I just completely stopped. It took me a second but I quickly realized that the left side of the rainbow was ending or starting from right in my house. I was lucky enough to snap two photos before it faded into the mist. I thought it was amazing but really didn’t think to much more about it. Later that night God woke me up from sleeping. I went to the couch in my living room at about 3AM and I was in deep prayer, He told me now is the time to grow up and stop being a child in Him. I said I’ll do whatever you want Lord, anything. I’m tried of running in front of you I’ll do anything you ask me to do. He said I want you to rededicate your life back to me. I said I’ll do it Lord, I’ll do anything for you. Just for the record it was not an audible voice.

That was early Saturday morning and when I got up I told my wife and her parents. I tried to find a minister at a church close to my home Saturday afternoon but God had other plans for me. I felt lead to go and tell my story to a previous client I had worked with. Sunday morning I made it to church first thing and spoke with the first minister I found.

Since that Sunday God has been working miracles in my life. I’ve found a freedom and peace I never thought was possible. I still feel somewhat ashamed that it took so long for me to come back to the Lord. But the Lord is faithfully healing my heart and releasing me from any thoughts of my unworthiness to be forgiven. I have come to understand that God is Holy and can not allow sin into His presence. I have come to understand just like I would be held accountable for being a liar, thief, murder in a human courtroom how much more so would I be found guilty in God’s Holy courtroom. I for the first time understand why Jesus had to die.

Well that’s my testimony of why I stand on believing in God. I pray that someone viewing this story will understand that Jesus loves them. He died a nasty death 2000 years ago and is alive today regardless of what the skeptics say. He loves you so much He will allow you to never find Him and live for the world if that’s what you want to do. He will never force Himself on anyone. He stands with open arms waiting on anyone who dares to believe in the possibility of Him. I hope all even the skeptics have a great Christmas or Holiday whatever you want to call it. Please, please be safe on New Years. God Bless.

I think personal testimonies are some of the most powerful arguments for the evidence of God. After much thought about sharing my story I felt someone might find it useful to them. I know this does not prove anything to the "Skeptic-Unbeliever" but just wanted to share a little of what God has done in my life. God Bless.

[achilles12604]

You have a great story. Thanks for sharing. I will move it to general chat so it can be discussed.

[cnorman18]

A deeply moving story. Thank you for sharing it. Doing so in this sometimes hostile place took considerable courage, in my opinion, especially when told with such obvious honesty and humility.

A merry Christmas to you, and thanks.

ETA--Our faiths differ, but I think God has led both of us to where we need to be. For the record, I think your experiences were miracles of a kind; I've been blessed with a few of my own.

The only complaint I have, the only thing I'm totally sure that you're absolutely wrong about, is--

Wait for it--

Skydiving?

I'm sorry, but that's just nuts. If I ever jump out of an airplane, that sucker is going to have to be on fire.

[The Duke of Vandals]

I think personal testimonies are some of the most powerful arguments for the evidence of God.

Really? You think that? Why?

If I found some moving stories about how people were helped by Allah, would you convert to Islam? Would you acknowledge Allah as god? Why not?

[servant]

cnorman18:

People always say, "I would never jump out of a perfectly good airplane", which we would respond, "you have not seen the airplanes we jump out of". Some of these planes should be grounded so you better be ready to JUMP! Hope you had a great Christmas!

Duke:

Thanks for reading my story. Hope you are having great holiday's so far.

I think personal testimonies show how a person's life has been pieced together by something bigger than chance. You being someone that cannot believe will find it hard to understand.

I would love to hear a personal testimony regarding how allah helped someone. Would I convert? Most likely not but you never know.

[The Duke of Vandals]

I think personal testimonies show how a person's life has been pieced together by something bigger than chance.

A) What's wrong with chance?

B) Look hard enough at many personal testimony stories and you find people at the core of them. It's the paramedic that pulls people from cars. It's the doctor that prescribes the life-saving medicine.

C) Attributing these things to god is wishful thinking at best and intellectually dishonest at worst. It's in absolutely no way evidence.

D) I felt like lettering things.

E) Why isn't your story evidence of Zeus or Vishnu or Allah? what evidence do you have it's from the god you want it to be?

You being someone that cannot believe will find it hard to understand.

I understand it fine, Servant. I'm not challenged to comprehend your motivations. I'm frustrated that you're making a truth claim which is demonstrably false.

I would love to hear a personal testimony regarding how allah helped someone. Would I convert? Most likely not but you never know.

Most likely not? But you just told everyone that stories of this nature are "some of the most powerful arguments for the evidence of God". If someone was helped by Allah, shouldn't you acknowledge the existence of Allah?

Doesn't acknowledging the existence of Allah conflict with your views as a Christian?

Are you starting to see how your argument is flawed?

[servant]

Sorry Duke I don't see how my comments are flawed. Chance would make more sense with me saying, "Lord Jesus I need 5 dollars to buy some food" then finding five dollars on the side of the road. On the other hand chance does not make sense to me when I say, "Lord God, Jesus please help me move over to my dads van. I believe you are the one and only God.." then opening my eyes and seeing a rainbow. I cannot will something like that to happen. By the way the rainbow was not 1/4 or 1/2 mile away like you usually see but right over my head. It really was amazing I wish you'd been there. My Bible notes that God placed the rainbow in the sky as a reminder of his convenient with human kind. By the way, you did not come into this world by chance, you have a purpose.

My personal testimony had nothing really to do with other people so much as nature showing me a sign. No doctors or paramedics in my story.

I did not say personal testimony's proof God's existence but give good evidence to support God's existence.

God is there just waiting on you to truly seek Him. Why don't you go ahead and convert, I think you would make a great Theist.

Have a Safe New Years and please be careful. Life here on earth is so short. One second we are here posting and the next were gone.