John Goulding 8/19/2008 11:04:25 PM
What's Your Story? My story ….. no, not really. Simply another confirmation that God has a plan for all of us, whether we like it or not! Like most of us, I come from a broken home where my parents divorced when I was young. Estranged from my father until the day he died, because I let my anger be more important than God’s teaching of honoring your parents, and not realizing that it was myself I was hurting, not my father. Fooling the world and myself by acting as if all was wonderful, while self-destructing inside a little more each day.
All of this resulted in a true melt-down about 4 years ago. I allowed Satan to get his foot in the door. I’ll spare you all the miserable details. Suffice it to say that the daily thought of taking my own life seemed to be the only relief in sight. Finally, through a series of events & the boldness of other Christians that could only have been orchestrated by God, I began to reach up and reach out.
Hating every minute of it, I started going back to church, literally forcing myself to attend. Who’d have thunk it; when you repeatedly exposed yourself to the word of God, you can’t help but to eventually experience his Grace.
When I finally decided to go to a Starting Point class, God was at work once again. For so long, I was hung up on the notion of having to be re-baptized. Not to mention the never-ending thoughts I had of how hypocritical churches were. It took Stephen’s conviction of remaining true to the teaching of the bible, supported by actual scripture (imagine that!), to help turn the tide.
“The church is a hospital for sinners” was a crucial statement that day; it helped open my heart & mind to partnering with the church.
Late January of 2007, I was overcome by what can only be described as a prompting by the Holy Spirit. I contacted Stephen Sams about being baptized. Met with him that same week. Told him my story. Stated that I wanted to be baptized, and it had to be that coming Sunday, and it had to be in front of everyone.
Despite the fact that I had been & was still battling extreme anxiety, something deep inside told me that I had to do this in public. God had a plan, and he needed me to help him reach others, no matter how terrified I might be.
“So Long Self” by the group Mercy Me is probably the best way to explain how I felt as I came up from the waters of the baptism pool. From that point on, because of God’s work in my life, I had the courage to step up and step out, partnering with and serving the church.
Praise God that Center Pointe Christian Church, its leaders and family, stand firm in teaching, preaching and following God’s word. The fellowship, support, and love that I have found here quite literally saved my life, my marriage, and most important of all, my eternal soul.
Submitted By: John Goulding