Dear Daddy,
I've heard you and Mommy talking about some very serious stuff the last couple of weeks. You are writing letters to other people now?? What do THEY want to know?
I've heard you and Mommy talking about some very serious stuff the last couple of weeks. You are writing letters to other people now?? What do THEY want to know?
Your Son
Dear Son,
It is true that there are some serious situations taking place in our lives right now. I am writing letters to only you. To others, I am writing essays! They asked me how my relationship with Jesus started and how it is going now. Here is what I had to say:
My relationship with Jesus Christ began at the age of eighteen when, as I worked as a dishwasher for a pizza place, I closed my eyes and asked Jesus into my heart over a sink full of grease. I was part of a group of men, most in their forties and fifties, who were preparing to deliver witnesses of how God had been working a particular fruit of the spirit into their lives. I was challenged by the group to discern if I truly had a place among them due to the fact that I had never received Jesus before. I spent many a night laboring over those dirty dishes wondering where I stood and what asking Jesus into my life might mean. After a couple months of praying with that group, I realized that I needed Jesus. I need Him to free me from the burden of sin and shadow of self-doubt that I had been living under. Thus began an interesting walk with the Lord.
As a new Christian I was on fire, telling everyone who would listen about the wonders Jesus was working within me. I attended church every Sunday and grew to have an amazing family there. I asked the pastor question after question in search for truth and clarification of things that I found confusing. Eventually, I moved away from that area and lost touch with most of the people that helped me to form the foundations of my Christianity.
Things changed when I took a speech class in college. I enjoy a good debate and often found myself taking a stance opposite the popular view in my speeches. I decided to see if I could do a convincing speech on what I perceived to be historical inaccuracies in the Bible. This was one of the most foolish undertaking I have ever been a part of and one I regret to this day. In the end, I quit that class and found myself back pedaling from Jesus. I was more confused than ever. But Jesus is ever-faithful to his followers.
The current nature of our relationship is one of revelations and acceptance. The path my life is suppose to go on is being revealed to me through the people in it as well as situations that I find outside of my control, which are many. Jesus has been patient with me and my questioning nature. However, He has taken a more aggressive tone as of late and it is because of this that I know I am being called into ministry. For one reason or another that door has been closed to me since I was eighteen and considered it then. Now however, the foundation has been laid and the door open. It is time I fully listened to Jesus and walk with him through it and into my future.
Now you know how I got my start.
Your Father
Your Father
I love hearing about people's journey. As I wrote in the poem on Jason's blog, I always knew Christ. It drives some Christians crazy when I say that, even though it is true. I had a child's understanding and didn't have a name. As soon as I heard about the Bible, I would (age 5) tuck away in my room trying to read the Bible from cover to cover. I would be teased and picked on about it. When you've been through what I went through from birth until 19 you can either reject or embrace God. My spirit couldn't reject.
ReplyDeleteI think that the ability to carry into adulthood the truth learned about Jesus as a child makes life easier. I wish I had been given that chance as a young child. I lived with a woman who hated God and a man who was a serial fornicator.
ReplyDeleteWhat I did put into that letter was how I got involved with that men's group in the first place, or even hutch in general. My best friend's parents were having marital troubles and decided church would solve it (it didn't). My friend needed someone to talk to during the service and he chose me. The rest is history.