Did Anyone Here Find Jesus Christ In An Unconventional Way?

[Stevangelist]

My parents are religious and always wanted me to believe Gods truth when I was growing up but my depression was to severe for me to be in the right state of mind to accept Jesus Christ.

At the age of 22 when I had my first computer for three years I finally got the Internet and within a year I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior for the first time. I always knew God exists but something was missing in my life and I was bound and determined to find answers.

I just didn’t see any hope for the future. I knew computers including other new and future technology would have a big impact on our future. I started to think about how in the
future technology could replace many jobs that use people but I thought there is no way the worlds economy would last if the whole workforce was replaced by technology.

That whole world looked doomed. I was wondering what hope is there for the future when the future for human life on planet earth looks so bleak. It was at this point in my search that I started coming across religious sites dealing with the second coming of Jesus Christ. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior shortly there after and have become a stronger person ever since.

How did you find Jesus Christ?

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. :angel :angel :angel :angel :angel :angel :angel :angel

[Arabesque]

I saw this and just had to reply!!

When the USA decided to invade Iraq, my husband got a funny look on his face and went to the computer and typed in the word "Armageddon"...which led me to the Left Behind movies...which led me to the term "Rapture"...which led me here.

Alot of the posters on this board are responsible for me turning my life over to Jesus. I kept putting it off because I thought it had to be a grand affair, like Holy Communion, etc, and I got alot of responses telling me to "go for it", don't wait!!! So, I dove off the cliff, so to say, and took the plunge.

I accepted Jesus at 10:00 cst, on May 2, 2003, at my computer, while staring at the Rapture Ready board. My daughter followed me down the path on May 13th. My husband (who always has to do things first) re-committed his life to Jesus on April 30th.

And I just realized that I don't remember ever saying thank you to all the people here who stuck by me and persuaded me that a new life was waiting for me and all I had to do was ask for it. I'm so sorry, if I did forget. :doh

When we get Raptured, I'm going to hunt all of you down and we're going to have a group hug.

[Christine]

Wow -- thank you so much for sharing that!

I am a firm believer that the posters here are doing more to advance the gospel than they might realize, and it is testimonies like yours that cement that belief.

{{{hug}}}

[luvjc]

GOOSEBUMPS! I GOT GOOSEBUMPS! :D:

You have just encouraged so many here. Thank you for sharing that with us! May you find your journey in the Lord a precious gift and know we are all family, ready and willing to support and encourage you.

Congratulations to all of you!

God bless!

Kim

[zion]

I found Jesus in an unconventional way...

it was through reading books that said that Jesus was only a good moral teacher not God and Savior, and also books on positive thinking.
In these books (one of them being "the holy blood and the holy grail") i read many passages they took out of the bible (and out of context too), and something made me think to myself "You know, the bible isnt worthless, it actually has some pretty useful interesting stuff in it".

so i bought myself a little new testament and read it through. there was alot i didnt understand, but in the end i just knew that it was true and i accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.

[watching57]

I love this thread! :):

[luvjc]

zion - that is so neat! Praising Jesus right now!

[Gail 55]

My story is wierd cause I guess I am wierd LOL---UFOS I loved the idea of life on different planets----Loved Star Trek---Beam me up Scotty and anything spacey---Well a friend gave me a book by Chuck Missler-called Alien Encounters--I loved it---untill he started talking about ETS really being deamons--well broke my heart LOL--BUT go me to thinking about demons--which led to the Bible and Hal Lindseys books---which led to THE TRIBULATION---which led to THE RAPTURE---which led to hell---which led to HEAVEN and the rest is history as they say !!! been a Christian about 4 years now !!!I am the only one in my family---I pray for them always---I think to myself if God can use a book about ETS to get me to Believe--he will find a way for them----Praise the Lord!!!

[Walter]

:B: About 20 years ago I found South West Radio Church by mistake. They had a topic on I found interesting and I started to listen regularly. That program picked my curiosity and I started to listen to other programs. It did`nt happen over night but gradualy I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I`ll always be grateful for that program. By the by the program I first listened to all those years ago was about prophecy.

[Christine]

Great stories!! :D:

[Indiana Janz]

Originally posted by luvjc
GOOSEBUMPS! I GOT GOOSEBUMPS! :D:

Me too!

[jelli<><]

Did Anyone Here Find Jesus Christ In An Unconventional Way?

Yeah.

I think He found me! :thumb

[holyspiritvesse]

Where/how did He find you jelli? :wave

[spirit]

It was 1992. I had a close whom I used to go out with frequently. Actually, she was my party buddy, back when I was in the world. We did some crasy things. At the time I was a college and trying to make it in life. Anyways, there came a day when my friend, her name is Janet, was not coming around or calling me. I wondered why (?) She finally came around and when she did, she looked like a totally different person. :eek She was just so different. She came to visit me and told me about Jesus Christ! She told me, and I'll never forget the look in her eye, "He is everything I have been looking for my whole life. He is God and He is so Good and He gives you eternal life and security, Love, Joy and Peace." The moment she spoke those words to me I KNEW (for some strange reason), that she was speaking the truth! And just looking at her change and the way she was SO 'in-love with Jesus' made me want to want what she had.

About a month later, one saturday night I was changing channels on my T.V., and for some reason I stopped at a religious channel, and yes, it was TBN, and yes it was Paul Crouch. The moment I stopped to hear him he was iniviting the viewers to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and I JUST DID IT! I said the prayer and the moment I did, I began crying and felt forgiven and washed by Jesus. I couldn't stop crying that night. But I felt so clean and so free it was amazing!!

And to continue.....(I've never shared this w/anyone on here at RR), but that very same night that I went to sleep I had a nightmare, and God is my witness, I had a dream with satan himself. I was in what appeared to be a castle and I was up at the top of it. There was a slender, good looking man standing in from of me laughing cynically at my face, (I knew it was satan), and he approached me and told me, you have accepted God, don't forget that I am always here if you want to come back. I will never forget this dream. In the dream he came violently against me and bodyslammed me. I lie not. I didn't know what to do. The only thing that came to my mind was to call out Jesus and I did and I woke up.

Maybe some will doubt this but I have no reason to lie. I just felt my testimony of the night I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour wouldn't be complete if I didn't share the whole experience. So there you have it.

To complete my testimony, I just wanted to say that JESUS IS FAITHFUL!! After I had accepted Him that night, I later married and backslid from the Lord, divorcing and even fell into sin big time. And, yet the Lord never forgot about me and the night I accepted Him.......He intervened in my life 10 years later and had Mercy on me, even after I sinned so greatly against Him and rescued me!! For HIS GOODNESS I am forever grateful and thankful!! How can I EVER REPAY HIM?????

It's HIS GOODNESS that leads us to Repentance!! :angel :angel

[michelle95]

Well, let's see...I was raised a Christian but never really accepted Christ.

In the beginning of Jan 2000, hubby and I were watching a show on TLC about prophecies and such. A man that was in jail in Russia said Mary came to him and said that a man named Vladimir would lead Russia into war with Israel (or, something like that). Now just a couple of days before, Yeltsein (sp?) stepped down and one of the contenders was who? Vladimir Putin.

Hubby and I had just gotten webtv so he got online and started looking for endtime sites. RR's main website was one we found.

To make a long story short, a couple of weeks after, while watching CBN, I accepted Jesus as Lord.

Do I believe it was Mary that appeared before that guy? No, but, remember God can use anything for His purpose.

Hubby rededicated his life to God after that gay bishop was approved a few weeks back.

(and, I don't watch the 700 club anymore, either) :laugh

[MindieRose]

boy, I feel pretty boring compared to you all. I dont have a very unique story.
I cannot remember a time I didnt know Jesus. I was taught about Jesus from a young age, and I prayed every day and night. I have always "known" Him. I could always feel Him, He has always been familiar. Although, there were a few years that I tried to ignore Him. My parents split up when I was almost 10, I got torn from my Christian school, thrown into public school, went from straight A to almost straight D student in 1 year. I became sexually active at 13. Did I still pray, yes, did I still believe, yes, did I listen, no. By Gods grace alone, I met my husband a year and a half later, we have been together since I was 14. We got married when I was 17, and had our first son when I was 19. This situation is so easy for people to judge I am sure you can imagine, and I am sure some of you will. My mom let my husband move in with us when I was 15, his mom and stepdad were very bad parents, very bad, and I was going down the wrong track too, and my husband was a great kid, he didnt drink, smoke, nothing, and he was even a virgin. My mom figured if she kept him around, he would keep me out of trouble. A lot of people judged her. I wouldnt have my family now if she wouldnt have done what she did. I also decided i was going to strip for awhile, something I wish I could take back. I found out that I had a cancerous condition in my female parts, and so we wanted to have kids before I couldnt have them anymore, so we got pregnant, miscarried, then had to be on fertility treatment for 7 months, got pregnant, had my first son, then the cancer cells were gone! And have never returned! When my oldest son was 8 months old, I rededicated my life to Christ. And I havent turned back since, sure I have sinned since, but I never want my old life back ever. I have the perfect husband who has been and will be forever faithful to me, even when i wasnt the best person to him, and we have 4 beautiful children that are nothing short of blessings to us. My husband came to Christ for the first time ever, shortly after I did, and we got water baptized together. How we got through as much as we did not living for Him before that can only be from Gods mercy and grace, because we sure didnt deserve all that we got. In this world, the odds of a teenage couple staying together this long, having beautiful children that love the Lord, and serve Him, arent very good. I am proud to have beaten the odds, and we couldnt have done it without God having His mighty hand in it all. I remember when I first came back to Him, the pastor was talking about a verse in the Bible where it talks about a shepard leaving 99 of his sheep, to go find the 1 that went astray, and that is what God did for me. I cannot imagine where I'd be if my Shepard didnt come back for me.

[My Abba's Child]

Originally posted by Stevangelist
My parents are religious and always wanted me to believe Gods truth when I was growing up but my depression was to severe for me to be in the right state of mind to accept Jesus Christ.

At the age of 22 when I had my first computer for three years I finally got the Internet and within a year I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior for the first time. I always knew God exists but something was missing in my life and I was bound and determined to find answers.

I just didn’t see any hope for the future. I knew computers including other new and future technology would have a big impact on our future. I started to think about how in the
future technology could replace many jobs that use people but I thought there is no way the worlds economy would last if the whole workforce was replaced by technology.

That whole world looked doomed. I was wondering what hope is there for the future when the future for human life on planet earth looks so bleak. It was at this point in my search that I started coming across religious sites dealing with the second coming of Jesus Christ. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior shortly there after and have become a stronger person ever since.

How did you find Jesus Christ?

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. :angel :angel :angel :angel :angel :angel :angel :angel

Would you count lying in my bed sobbing while listening to the audio dramatic version of Left Behind as strange? :laugh That's how God drew me...

In His love,

[zion]

All these posts just go to show that our God is indeed an awesome God

[Arabesque]

Zion....thanks for posting that because it's that song's turn to be running around in my head all day. I don't mind, it's one of my favorite songs. :P:

Yesterday it was "God of Wonders". Tomorrow I think I'll have "I could sing of your love forever" for a change of pace.

I had decided to peek at this thread again to see other's stories, and I must say....God is indeed Awesome!!! I'm so grateful that He grabbed our hearts just in the nick of time before it was too late, if you know what I mean?

I can't imagine how I would feel if I hadn't accepted Jesus and witnessed the Rapture and got left behind, because I procrastinated.

Life is so different for me now...the grass is greener, the sky is bluer, the clouds are more puffy, and I just see everything in a whole different way now.

Great stories, and I can't wait to see more. :thumb

[Heavensent]

I grew up Catholic, but never knew Jesus. Went to a Catholic school for all 12 years (13 if you count kindergarden). Fell into all kinds of sin in my teenage years. You name it I probably did it. I was 43 at the time and knew there was something missing from my life, but didn't know what.

Two years ago my husband was out of town for my birthday. It was my date with destiny. I was at a friends house and she was reading a book on prophecy (sp?). When she went to the bathroom I picked it up and started to read it. We talked about it when she came back in. She spoke of the Rapture and the Left Behind series. I had never heard of the Rapture before.

When I got home I grabbed my bible and signed onto the internet and did a search for Rapture. This was one of the sites I found. I started reading some of the information and then I heard God talking to me. He said..."prodigal son, prodigal son, it's never too late to come home". At this point I cried out to him. I begged him to forgive me. I cried all night long.

So, two years ago this October 23rd I was born again. God picked my birthday. Isn't that awesome? It's one day I will never forget.

Thank you Lord Jesus for calling out to me. For loving me so much that you died for my sins.

[Jade]

Someone here once told the story about how their husband accepted the Lord. At that time, they were not married and she came over to his house in a rage. She told him he was going to hell. He got really scared and wanted to know what she meant. She ended up leading him in the sinner's prayer. The part I got a kick out of, was that she was still angry at him and could only think "oh great, now I'll see him in heaven too". :pound It';s not always pretty, but He can use anything to make His point.


Mine was not all that different. A man I worked with asked me out on a date to a bible study. I went to church in my youth but never believed that Jesus was the son of God, and in fact felt the church was worshipping a false god with all of the Jesus focus. Later on, I went into new age beliefs, but I was always spiritual and believed in a god.

Anyway, I went to bible study with him, then he promptly dumped me. It was my first date in a few years because of intense college courses. I was upset and began to cry. I completely broke down and have a vague memory of saying "so I guess this is what you want Lord, for me to believe in Jesus." I felt battered like I had been struck by lightning or hit by a frying pan.

I married the guy who dumped me a year later. His sister eventually married someone she led to the Lord too.

[John Tyson]

What a great thread!!!!

I was raised in a Christian home with two parents that lead a life dedicated to Christ. I was taught the Bible stories principally by my father and some by my mother. At the age of 16, I personally asked God if he would forgive me of my sins and I became a member through baptism of my church.

I joined the US Army in 1966, got married, and like so many others I drifted away from God. While in Korea, my wife found another man and she divorced me. I was broken hearted and angry. I was angry at God. I determined I was going to live my life the way I wanted, and I was going to make up for the hurt of my divorce by being as promiscuous as I could. However, I had my standards—I’d never take another man’s wife—a man who would take another man’s wife was the most despicable man in the world. One day, I met a woman in a bar and quickly one thing led to another. The next day I called her place of work and found out that she was married. Oh, I can’t begin to tell you how I felt. Everything about my life came crashing in on me. I didn’t like the way my life was going and I saw myself as “the most despicable man in the world.” I went to my room in the barracks, literally fell down on the floor and begged Jesus my God to help me, to clean me up, to forgive me. He did. There came over me a peace that I can’t explain. From that moment, my wants changed. I wanted to please God. I found myself wanting to be around other Christians. I found that I had a desire to learn as much about the Bible as I could. I found my attitude toward people changed. I didn’t do these things myself; something outside of me had come inside me. Of course now I know that it was the Holy Spirit of God.

Since that day in the barracks, I have been committed to my loving God. I see things that He does in my life which others would call coincident. There are so very many things that have happened that affirms my faith. I find that reading Scripture makes sense to me. It applies to me. I find prayers meaningful. I love Jesus Christ’s Church. I love teaching others of God’s Word.

Now, am I perfect? Certainly not. I fail God and other folks often. But I find that when I ask for forgiveness, it is granted and I move on. God has been completely faithful to me, He has never let me down, He is my Rock.

I do not believe that there is anything a man can do, outside of Jesus Christ, which will win him favor with God. God demands perfection because He is perfect. But seeing that man was imperfect and in need of a Savior, He came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, and took the judgment upon Himself that was deserved of man. If any man will ask God for forgiveness, believing that Jesus' death paid our price, that His resurrection assures us of eternity with Him, God will make a dramatic change in man’s life. The man will become and new man through God’s power. There is no other name by which a man can be made right before God except through Jesus Christ. I believe this with all of my being because of what God has done in my life.
_________________
God bless,
John

[D'Light]

!!!!I love this site, what inspirations they are.!!!!

My testimony is fairly long, so please be patient!

First, let me say before I start.I did the salvation prayer 30 yrs. ago. Even though I went to church and prayed, I did not walk with the Lord, I was not filled with the H.S. and I prayed to God, never Jesus Christ. So for my new testimony.....

.............."Went To Get Spooked and Got Saved Instead".............

When we were children, we had a cemetary next to the field, behind our house. We used to go there and play and read the tombstones.

Well, 35+ yrs. later....Two of my sisters and I were together,one was saved 1 1/2 yrs. ago, but did not have a church to go to, because she lived so far from any, before she moved here. My other sister was not saved, even though a very goodhearted person. Anyway, we were bored and thought let's doing something silly that we used to do when we were kids. My one sisters suggested going to a cemetary. I said I new the perfect one, it was real old and spooky. But I had seen it 13 yrs. ago, had no idea where it was, because I had just moved here at that time. I looked it up on the net and got directions. It was way out in the country in the middle of nowhere.

So we went, but to our surprise, it was not spooky, as a matter of fact, we felt a presence of peace there. We were reading tombstones and found one (from a woman 1800's). It read something like this: "Women, as here as you are now, once was I, as where I am now, so also shall you be, Prepare yourselves, and follow me."

As we were leaving and driving down the street we could not get that out of our heads or shake the feeling it gave us. About a mile down the street, we came across this little old white building . that looked like and old general store, that caught our eye. It had been turned into a little church. There was a man on the front porch, we went up and talked to him, he had the smile of an angel and invited us in. We were in jeans and t-shirts and baseball caps, but he said, we dress casual, its o.k. Well we came back later. and there he was with a smile that just melted you. We went into service, the rest is history. I rededicated my life to 'Jesus Christ' and was filled with the H.S., my sister rededicated her life to the Lord, and my other sister repented and ask the Lord into her life!!!!!Praise our Lord. \o/....went to get spooked and got saved instead....what an awesome God!

4 months later we were all baptized 'in the river'.

[purplelinny]

My story is a common one but with an unconventional twist...

Common in as much that it was 9/11 that knocked me sideways and for weeks I was in a bubble looking for something, which I now know was God calling me. At the time I was very friendly with a fellow bass guitar player on the Internet, called Bud. I lived in England, Bud lived in Texas. We e-mailed and chatted a lot. You know where this is going right?!?

After 9/11, I opened up to Bud and said that I felt 'religous' but didn't know where to turn. That was when he told me he was a Christian and had been for ten years!! :nod

He told me how to say the sinner's prayer, gave me scriptures to read, answered my many questions and was soooo patient and loving with me. I was saved!

Long story short, I fell in love with Bud... over the Internet! I told him and he felt the same way too :D:

He flew to England and we were married within the week (it took a lot of planning for a church ceremony - but we did it!!).

This is a very condensed version, but the rest is history and now, we all live in Texas, we all - inc. my 4yo son - love the Lord, have a great church life, have great theology studies together and love being alive in His name.

Oh, and we know that this was all engineered by the Greatest Engineer of all time :thumb

Praise be to God!! :dancing
--
Lynda

[purplelinny]

D'Light... that is an AWESOME story. Wow! It amazes me how God brings things together... sometimes in the most unlikely ways!

I love organising and planning - imagine the fun God has when he's planning on how to bring his children back home!
--
Lynda

[D'Light]

Purplelinny: Good story.

There is another testimony, that happened with our church and the same man. This man with the smile like an angel, when we told him how we were lead to this church, he said,'oh yes,that seems to happen alot here.' He said 'God just seems to strangely pull them in off the street.' " There was a couple driving down the street, about a year ago. Right as they were getting ready to go by the church, there was a cow standing in the middle of the street and would not move. The man got out of his car and finally got the cow to the side of the road. By the time he got back into his car the cow was in the middle of the road again. So the couple figured, since the church parking lot was on a corner, they could turn right, cut thru the lot and come back out on the street, past the cow. Well they tried that and by the time they got across the lot the cow had waddle his way to the exit of the parking lot and blocked them again. The couple just looked at each other, parked and went up to the church, and the angel smiled man invited them in. 'Both' of them gave their lives to the Lord that day". God 'is' awesome. ( they kept trying to find a way out but, God had other intentions for them). :clap :clap

[PraznHIM24/7]

More, more--I'm loving these stories. Praise God for His mercy and His sense of humor. :nod

[My Abba's Child]

Originally posted by PraznHIM24/7
More, more--I'm loving these stories. Praise God for His mercy and His sense of humor. :nod

I've posted my story several times on the board here... once in Apologetics and I THINK the other time was in the Opinion Polls area of all places. hehehe But, if you guys haven't read it already, I'll be happy to post it again. :D:

In His love,

[purplelinny]

Originally posted by PraznHIM24/7
More, more--I'm loving these stories. Praise God for His mercy and His sense of humor. :nod

Oh yes... his sense of humour... GOT to tell you this bit :laugh

Remember I gave the condensed version earlier...

Bud and I had to run away to Scotland to get married at Gretna Green because of the laws and the amount of time he had been in England (i.e. not long at all! I had sent our birth certificates and everything in advance). On the day, I had to go outside and find two witnesses - it was so much fun. I grabbed these two old biddies that were looking in a shop window, who I thought were friends. The one (the younger of the two) was so excited and couldn't wait to be a witness for us, the other (who was about eleventy six) was not too keen. So the other one grabbed her arm and said, "come on love, it's not like you've got anything better to do!" It transpires they did not know each other after all... so we all became aquainted.

So, off we go to get married.

When it came to the witness signature part, the older lady - Elizabeth - just sat there with the pen shaking over the piece of paper. She looked up at us and said she couldn't remember how to write her name. Bless her - she was old and probably suffering with senility to a certain extent. After several minutes of trying to get her to scratch her name out... the registrar was getting very nervous, the other lady was getting a bit cross with Elizabeth... and Bud and I were doing all we could to not burst out laughing. After much help and reminders of how to spell her name, she managed to scratch out her initials for our marriage extract.

Oh my goodness!

We all hugged and said our goodbyes. The ladies were so lovely and wished us the very best. After they had gone, Bud and I had to wait for our licence to be drawn up and were left alone in the registry. We both burst out laughing at what had just happened and agreed that God sure did have a good sense of humour :nod

Two days later we had our church blessing in my home town. All very unconventional, but it was a hoot!
--
Lynda.

[blitzkreig]

I want to award purplelinny with a special commendation on a number of fronts. God has blessed you with a great treasure. Adventure.

[watching57]

Thank you all. Your stories have blessed me! :): :): :):

[baxter1993]

Hi All! I grew up in a somewhat Christian home, but did not go to church after about age 10. I led a pretty rebellious life in my teens and early 20's. Alot of drinking & partying. When my oldest son was 12 years old, he started going to church with a friend of his. My son at the time was very very bad-very angry-in trouble at school for fights-bully type kid. We all thought he would grow up to be an inmate! Well, he went to this retreat with the youth group and came home to say God had removed his anger & he was changed. We thought yeah right! But he was changed! You could see it in his eyes, we watched day after day & he really was a good kid now! Well, we decided we wanted to check out this church he was going to & we both accepted the Lord, couldn't get enough of him. My oldest son is now married to his sweetheart he met at age 13 in youth group, and they have given me 2 absolutely adorable granddaughters. My son & daughter in law both love the Lord and are bringing up their girls to love him also.

[holyspiritvesse]

:cry

[purplelinny]

Originally posted by blitzkreig
I want to award purplelinny with a special commendation on a number of fronts. God has blessed you with a great treasure. Adventure.


Aww shucks - thanks :):

We certainly did become the talk of the town (and the Internet) for our adventure. We knew it was what God wanted... He couldn't have made it more obvious.

With some of the stories that have been posted here, I think it would make a great book... a book of how the Lord has worked in His mysterious ways to bring people to the Lord, get people out of situations, provide in times of need... you know... all those testimonies where our prayers have been answered and just make you sit back and go "Wow! God is GREAT" :thumb

The book would have to come with a free box of Kleenex!
--
Lynda

[shatteredlands]

Originally posted by Heavensent
I grew up Catholic, but never knew Jesus. Went to a Catholic school for all 12 years (13 if you count kindergarden). Fell into all kinds of sin in my teenage years. You name it I probably did it. I was 43 at the time and knew there was something missing from my life, but didn't know what.

Two years ago my husband was out of town for my birthday. It was my date with destiny. I was at a friends house and she was reading a book on prophecy (sp?). When she went to the bathroom I picked it up and started to read it. We talked about it when she came back in. She spoke of the Rapture and the Left Behind series. I had never heard of the Rapture before.



Wow, a lot like me! 12 years of Catholic school and nothing. I myself have never heard of the Rapture before I read an article on the Left Behind series, which I am still currently reading...(I'm on book #5, Apollyon). It's funny how the Catholic church NEVER mentions the Rapture, at least the one I go to doesn't and I know I have never heard that word in school. My way to Jesus was a bit...for lack of a better word...strange. You see, my ex-wife (yes, divorced. But the decision was made FOR me, I wanted nothing to do with a divorce...but oh well :cry ) bought the book Left Behind before she left...about 2 years ago and never even opened it. Well a few months ago I was looking for something to read at work and I came across "Left Behind." It was right there with a few other books I haven't read, in particular one by John Grisham, which was more my type of reading. But, for some reason, I picked up Left Behind. I have to admit, when they started talking about God and praying and people disappearing I was a little amused. Then, something happened that I can't quite explain. I had just drove onto my apartment complex and had my radio on the "scan" mode so it jumped to the next station every 5 seconds or so. On came this song that absolutely encompassed my entire being. The voice was fantastic, the rythm beautiful and the background singing exquisite. I parked, but did not leave my car, I stayed to finish listening to this song that I have never heard before...as I was listening to the lyrics I realized that this was on the Christian radio station here (90.6 KILA). Now, I am pretty big into music. I can honestly say that this song literally put a lump in my throat. I tad to take several deep breaths to keep my composure. That had never happened before. Well, the next day I'm in my car driving to work and I find myself tuning into that same radio station so that, per chance, I might hear that song again. Well, I didn't hear it...not then...but I heard this guy praching about this and that. Well, three days later (interesting time-frame) I still hadn't heard the song...but it seemed the longer I went without hearing it the more I listened to that Christian radio station and the more I actually LISTENED to what they were saying (not to mention some other very nice songs I have heard, but none had quite the same effect). Well, I got home on that third day, put on the Christian radio station at home and realized I was hungry. I can't really describe what made me do this (I think we all know what it was) but, before I went back down to get in my car to go get something to eat, something told me not only to leave the radio ON, but to put a cassette tape in and record while I was gone. Jack in the Box (hey, I was hungry and it was the only thing open that late. :wacko ) What song do you think I heard within 2 minutes of getting in my car? Now, with listening to this station for three days I was getting softened up. The idea of becoming "saved" as they had put it on 90.6 KILA, was becoming more and more appealing to me. The instant I heard the song, and remembering that, for some unknown reason, I had put a tape in at home and was recording this as I was in my car, I broke down and wept. That was the point at which I allowed Jesus to come into my life. May sound like an irrelevent event had led me to this, some would say I guess, but I thought it was not irrelevent. In fact, I thought it was miraculous that someone like me could undergo such a huge transformation in such a short amount of time. As I have said in my first post ever when I was introducing myself...I was into smoking, drinking, drugs, etc etc etc. Now my life is free of those things. So, irrelevent event, or the miraculous workings of God. You decide...I already have.

Sorry I rambled on for so long. I'm just very excited to be able to share these things with all of you. By the way, I STILL don't know the name of the song or who sings it...it starts out..."I can't find the words to pray, I'm a little down today. Can you help me, can you hold me? I feel a million miles away and I don't know what to say. Can you hear me anyways? what I need is for you to reach out your hand, you have taught me no matter what you'd understand." Anyone have any idea who this is?

Anyways, thanks for allowing me to share with you guys. I think I'm gonna like it here! :nod

Frank

[Werner]

Lord Move, or Move Me
by Jeromy Diebler (ffh)
from Found a Place

I can't find the words to pray, I'm a little down today
Can You help me, can You hold me
I feel a million miles away, and I don't know what to say
Can You hear me anyway

What I need is for You to reach out Your hand
You have taught me no matter what You'd understand

Lord move in a way that I've never seen before
'Cause there's a mountain in the way
and a lock on the door
I'm drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore
So Lord move, or move me

I've looked everywhere to find a simple peace of mind
But I can't find nothin' on my own
So I gotta leave myself behind, take up this cross of mine
Give away everything I hold on to

Lord, I know the only way is through this
But Lord, I know I need You to help me do this

Lord move in a way that I've never seen before
'Cause there's a mountain in the way
and a lock on the door
I'm drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore
So Lord move, or move me

Out of this place of complacency
To a place of fellowship with Thee
'Cause I am weak, but Lord, You are so strong
And You know it's been way too long
It's been way too long

Lord move in a way that I've never seen before
'Cause there's a mountain in the way
and a lock on the door
I'm drifting away, waves are crashing on the shore
So Lord move, or move me

:cry

[shatteredlands]

Werner, if you were here next to me I'd kiss ya. :eek
That's the one. Thank you!

Frank

[eaglegreen]

Im not sure if my story is unconventional.... WARNING EXPLICIT LANGUAGE and OFFENSIVE STUFF!!!!

I was born and raised in a Catholic home, however my mom wasn't a practicing Catholic and my dad is an agnostic. I bounced around from church to church when I was young, never really settling down but I was the most religious person in the family. I always believed that God and Jesus existed, I would always pray to be saved even as a child but since I didnt have the Christian background in my family, I would never build on it. (To this day I'm not completely sure if I was ever saved as a child. )

I was never a popular kid in school. I was the nerd and by the time I reached high school, I really wanted to be popular. Popularity was an end all be all. All of the popular kids were having sex and other stuff and to be considered popular I lied about doing those things. In my junior year, I started to feel desparate because I was in a bind: I said I was having sex but I wasn't and I now had guys after me trying to get me to have sex with them. Around this time I ended up getting involved with a classmate. We would skulk around school and I would give him oral sex , knowing full well he had a girlfriend and another girl who he also messed with. On the totem pole, I was his second-string skank after his girlfriend and first string skank. Also around this time I got into anime and fanfiction. I really loved this show called Gundam Wing (GW) and I started writing fanfiction. Most of the stuff I wrote was lemon, yaoi aka erotica and slash (male/male relationships), and death. I hated my life and I wrote fiction that parelled my life (sex, hatred of my self and suicidal feelings, and i was dealing with the chance that I may have been bi-sexual. ).

In my senior year of high school, I began to become closer with these two Christian kids. We had "Christians" but they were so obviously different. I cant explain it but I wanted it but I was so miserable that I didnt realize it then. Also, in the second half of the year, I started to read the Left Behind series. I know that there are people out there who don't like the LB series but I will forever treasure these books. These books were my first time ever getting in contact with the real Lord Jesus Christ. I was a nominal Catholic, I said I was Catholic but I wasn't really practicing. I said I believed in Jesus, but I knew more about the Catholic Mary than Jesus. I started off in the Indwelling and was so completely confused but when I moved to Apollyon, I started to get the idea. The books were scary yet I couldn't put them down! I wanted nothing to do with what was going on in the series. I mentioned this to one of the Christian kids at school and she started to talk to me about Jesus. I was still pretty much miserable but I ended up praying to Jesus to become my Lord and Savior. That time was definitely for real. I didnt have the mind-blowing inner peace wonderful experience other people talked about but I felt different. Around this time I got out of the relationship with the guy I was messing with (by this time I wasn't a virgin) and I was taking stock of my life and I was feeling better about myself. However, I never got into a church and I was house built on sand just waiting for something bad to happen to make me sway away from the Lord.

However, things didnt change enough. I was still involved in GW fanfiction and still writing some of the nastiest crap on earth (I also became a more popular writer around this time. Go figure.) I was now attending school and away from my parents for the first time. I started partying and drinking but around this time I couldn't get any. At first it was like cool, ok but by the time I reached my fall of my sophomore year I was in panic mode. I wanted to have sex but I wasnt getting any so to relieve the stress, I started to move from hentai anime to porno (really bad thing.) I knew that what I was doing was wrong, the HS was speaking to me but I ignore Him. I started reading outright erotica then I moved to pics. I went from reading about straight couples to mind-control to threesomes to looking at lesbian stories and gang-bang photos. I was going down the sewer because ever time I looked and read this stuff, I was opening my mind to evil and more evil things. I'm convinced that there are demons attached to pornography because I never was a supporter of gay rights and I was pretty conservative but at my lowest point, I had no problems with besiality, homosexuality, necrophilia, people peeing on themselves, incest, and I was starting to get into child porn.

By 12/02, I was at rock-bottom. I had my second-worst semester grades wise, I was isolated from friends. I felt lonely and enslaved by my addiction to porn. On 12/30, I was at home, sitting by myself in my mom's room, putting up the cot I sleep on when I'm at home (space is valuable at my home), when I just felt this need to get on my knees and pray. I gave my life back to the Lord that day. During the fall I had met a woman from Campus Crusade for Christ and in 1/03 after returning to school, I this overwhelming desire to join Crusade (thanks HS!) But this time I had a another stumbling block in my way, Catholicism. I was growing in my walk daily as I got a discipler and was learning with the Lord, but I was still mired in Catholicism. I was led to different websites and to Rapture Ready over Spring 2003. During my lurkdom, I've learned more about being a Christian and I've had my eyes opened about Catholicism so that this summer I officially left the Catholic Church.

My life isnt easy, its actually harder. I'm an outsider in my family, my mom is mired in Catholicism now and my dad and brother don't believe in God. Many of my old friends dont really hang around me because I put God first. Many of the black people on campus look at me as strange because I'd rather worry about what God wants me to do than about the "revolution", that I'm no longer a feminist, no longer an ally (I'm actually quite against the whole gay rights campaign), and I'm definitely a conservative. Actually, I only really fit in with the people in Crusade because PSU is definitely a rather anti-God campus. I still struggle with sin. I've left the GW fandom and I've haven't touched porn since 12/30/02 but I still have a hard road to walk because I'm still dealing with the aftershocks of opening myself to all of those perversions. However, now I'm blood-bought disciple of Christ and with Him on my side, what do I fear? My mission here is to strive to be like Christ and fulfill his mission for me on this Earth

[PraznHIM24/7]

Frank, awesome testimony! So glad you're here with us brother. Hope they take a poll in Heaven to see how many were saved in relation to the Left Behind series. :thumb Know it's going to be millions!!:laugh

[holyspiritvesse]

eaglegreen, Bless you! God is wonderful!

No, our life might not be easier when we accept Christ, but it is complete and full of joy and peace.

:angel

[shoer]

I read the book "Run Baby Run" by Nicky Cruz. Made me cry. Made me accept Christ.

[D'Light]

Shatteredlands;

There is no such thing as an 'irrevelant' salvation story!!!! :thumb

[magnolia]

D'Light,
Wait, a cow? That really happened? :lol God never ceases to amaze. These stories are giving me the chills.

[Heavensent]

Frank aka shatteredlands, funny you should mention that song. That's the song that was playing when the Holy Spirit entered me at work.

[shatteredlands]

Originally posted by D'Light
Shatteredlands;

There is no such thing as an 'irrevelant' salvation story!!!! :thumb

Good point!:D:

[shatteredlands]

Originally posted by Heavensent
Frank aka shatteredlands, funny you should mention that song. That's the song that was playing when the Holy Spirit entered me at work.

That is my new favorite song...I listen to it when I start my day every day...

[Marcia]

I posted this about a year and a half ago...

Well, chalk this one up to "strange but true" stories.....

A friend asked me if I had seen the Left Behind movie.....What's that I said? Friend explained a little....intrigued me.

Now I am not really a movie person, so I found the book and started reading it. First thoughts -- what a load of cr*p this is! Huh??!!! What ARE these people talking about??!! I never learned any of this stuff in church!

Well I continued reading just to see where it was heading and a little voice told me to do some research---began cross referencing and checking all of the scriptural references in the bible. Bought more books....

Began comparing the teachings of the catholic church with the bible.....read and researched some more. Came to the conclusion that I never really had a personal relationship with Jesus, but what to do, oh what to do??? The catholic church had instilled in me since I was a little child that since I had been baptized as an infant, was a "good" person, helped people and believed in God... that I would go to Heaven, or at worst, spend some time in purgatory.....

Everything I ever believed came crashing down around me. I felt angry. I felt deceived. WHY doesn't the catholic church actually teach ALL of the bible? Why do they pull out bits and pieces and add it to man-made doctrines and spew it forth to the masses????

Pondered some more until one day I sat on my bed, looked up, and said, OK Lord, you've got me. (balance of this regarding repentance, etc., is too personal to share here). The Holy Spirit works on my sorry self every day, and every day I thank God for Jesus Christ!

I now feel Him at work in me. I have felt His holy presence. I have a personal relationship with Him.

I no longer have a relationship with "The Church".

Sorry this is getting long.....so I will stop now.

[shatteredlands]

Originally posted by Marcia


Everything I ever believed came crashing down around me. I felt angry. I felt deceived. WHY doesn't the catholic church actually teach ALL of the bible? Why do they pull out bits and pieces and add it to man-made doctrines and spew it forth to the masses????



As I have said in a different post...the RCC seems to make up the rules as they go along. As a Catholic myself I, too, have had that "crashing down" feeling...mostly in just the past few weeks, but that is a different story unto itself.

[D'Light]

Magnolia....Yep, true...cow and all!!!:laugh

[My Abba's Child]

((((Marcia)))) Welcome to the Church! :): We are from all denominations and the only requirement for membership is a personal and loving relationship with Jesus as your Lord and Savior! Welcome to the family!! :):

In His love,

[A2jgrammy]

Just wanted to thank each one of you for telling your story!

God is so awesome, and just think...some day soon...we will get to visit each other more...

May our heavenly Father God hold you in the palm of His hand each and every day!

This is truly a blessing thread!

[TonyLee]

I've stated much of this here several times already, but want to again.

My parents took me to church when I was little, and put me in a Christian school starting in the 3rd grade. I graduated from that school, but was still lost. I went to church for a while, and would get out for a while before getting out for about 8 years. Sitting in front of the tv one night around the first week of September of 2001, I saw John Hagee speaking about the future judgment. I started thinking of how my past had been, and knew I was lost. However, I was thinking that after hearing about Christ most of my younger life, and having done nothing about it, then it was certainly too late for me to be saved. The door had been shut to me it seemed.

This thinking went on for a few months. One night in November of 2001 I was reading about salvation on the internet right before going to bed. I found it hard to sleep thinking about going to hell, and that there was nothing I could do to stop it. I would just look over at the clock, and not know what to do. Shortly before this, the passage about the soils and the sewer troubled me since I knew I was the rocky soil, and had fallen away forever. That night finally ended, and I went to work on thanksgiving day. The uneasy thoughts stayed with me much of the day, and into the next evening. After going to my grandmother's house to eat that night and then returning home, I could not stand that uneasiness anymore, and went into my room and addressed this to the Lord. Earlier that day the thought of calling the pastor of the church I was visiting at the time was there, but I figured he would be doing something with his family, and I did not know what to do. The next night was nothing like the previous night, and I could actually sleep.

Tony

[McGyver]

Wow! These testimonies are great......Praise God for the wonderful way He works in us all!
My story is similar to John Tyson's....I was a senior NCO with the 82d Abn Div......A couple of tours of combat, and just about every award and decoration one could get. I was at the "top of my game" and on the fast track toward becoming the youngest CSM in the US Army.
Then I passed by a graveyard one day while in New England....you know the type: old weather-grayed tombstones lying at odd angles, very stark and forbidding in appearance. I remember thinking "is this all that there is?" Suddenly all my achievements meant nothing, and I felt despair such as I had never felt before. Just a complete emptyness.......
Well, the next day I walked into a church, found the pastor and heard the most wonderful thing......That Jesus Christ had died for me, and that I didn't have to go to hell....Redemption was available if I would repent and turn to Him. I just knew that the pastor was telling the truth, and I was introduced to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, washed clean in His blood, and the rest as they say is history.
Today I pastor a Southern Baptist Church in Florida, and I am still amazed that a man who once hunted men with an M-16 rifle would be used by God to catch men alive with the Gospel of Jesus Christ......GOD IS GOOD!