stories

My Faith Walk - Pam Heany

My names Pam and I’m an alcoholic. I haven’t had a drink in over 36 years. No pot, no pills. But when sin was crouching at my door 37 years ago, I had no power to resist it. I hated every minute of it, and yet it controlled me,
I tried all kinds of ways to stop, and they all failed. I’d wake up in the night with horrible anxiety about what could happen when I was drunk ~ such as if someone could get hurt. I had awful forboding feelings of imminent disaster. And the only way I knew to get rid of it was to drink. I tried reading different spiritual books, which was probably the most dangerous thing I could do. I remember specifically reading “A Course in Miracles.” I realize now how vulnerable I was to real spiritual deception. And then someone gave me a study course on The Bible. It was so simple a child could understand it. But as I completed the study guides, my anxiety would dissolve. I was learning about true miracles that happened and were still happening and about Jesus Christ Who loved us so much He became flesh and dwelt among us. Who had the power to forgive sins, and give us a brand new start. I did not try to reason out how this could be true. The facts were evident within my soul. I dumped out all my bottles of alcohol and asked God to replace it with Himself and I asked for forgiveness. I never drank again. I pray everyday and read the Bible every day ~ and The Holy Spirit fills that void inside that nothing else ever can or will. I truly have a Peace beyond understanding. Thank you Jesus for defeating the things too big for me to defeat.and for doing for me what I could not do for myself.

John Price

I knew Jesus as a kid, but later, after almost a decade of pursuing things that felt good and I thought benefitted me (but always disappointed), someone reminded me that He was there, loved me, and had better things for me to do with my life. So I submitted all to Jesus! Since then, He has led through all the ups and downs, always bringing really good, satisfying and enduring results in this challenging life! He is my constant companion, and loving leader and I haven't regretted any part of following Him! Come and celebrate Jesus with us for this event, or check Him out if you don't know Him yet.

Doug Jensen

I was born into a nonreligious family in southern California and I remember only one time being inside a church in my growing up years at home. While I attended university I frequented a church for a while because my girlfriend went there. I don’t ever remember hearing how to become a Christian at that church.
After university we married, I taught high school and two years later I was back at the university for graduate studies. Everything was going my way and life was good. But at 27 years old I began to question the lack of a spiritual dimension in my life and leaning into my wife’s’ history of church attendance, we began reading the Bible. I started in the front of the book like a normal person does with a normal book. And, not surprising when God is at work in your life (even though I didn’t know that then), God had a plan. It turns out that the neighbors across the street were evangelical Christians and they took the opportunities they had to drop hints to us about Jesus.
One day they invited us to dinner and then to “help them with a home-work project” they had from their church (Which was to share the Gospel with someone.). The sharing was conversational, and the Holy Spirit was working in my heart. They shared how much God loved me and that Jesus had died to pay the penalty for my sins; it was the most logical choice to accept Jesus into my heart through a prayer asking for forgiveness for a life of ignoring God and for all the sins I had committed against Him. God then put His Holy Spirit in me to affirm that He had forgiven me and to empower me to actually begin living the life He wanted me to live.
Attending a Bible-believing church and soaking up spiritual truth like I was a dry sponge changed my life. I didn’t realize how much better my life could be until I surrendered my life to Christ and let God be in charge.

My Faith Walk--Doris Jensen

As a child my family were active members of our local church: attending Sunday School and church services every week. I knew all the Bible stories and memorized many Bible passages, but I still had a great fear of death and would lie awake at night thinking about what it would be like to die and go into a state of nothingness (that is how I pictured what death would be like without God); and fear would come over me. Through an aunt I learned I could have a relationship with God, and she led me in praying for forgiveness of my sin; and receiving God’s gift of eternal life. But the fear of death would still come over me, and I would pray again and try to mean it more this time. At age 27, this all changed when a neighbor shared I John 5:11-13 with me which says, And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son (Jesus). The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” She then asked me if I had the Son. I told her I thought I did as I had prayed to receive Jesus many times, but I wasn’t sure. She pointed me to the verses again and suggested we pray together and invite Jesus into my life and ask God to give me the assurance that I indeed had eternal life. As we prayed a peace came over me and the fear of death was gone. In the days that followed, the Bible came alive to me and became my source of strength and encouragement. Having the Son, Jesus, is life giving. I am so thankful that God placed a neighbor in my life who cared about me and prayed with me. Do you have the Son?

James Bridgeman

When my wife was diagnosed with cancer, we thought maybe we can beat this. She went through many treatments and along the way I end up losing my job while I was on disability, which means I lost my insurance make it very difficult for us to continue treatments. I was also taking care of my dad, who was battling with dementia at that time. I was finding it hard to continue making house payments there a couple times we almost lost the house. Fortunately, my dad did have money, and if it was for him helping us, we wouldn’t been able to pay for my wife’s treatments let alone keep the house. There is many times we we’re running out of food and I didn’t have any money that I would pray. I would go down to the mailbox and every time, every time I open up that mailbox there was a check in there. My wife would eventually lose her battle with cancer and although at the time I was upset about it because I had lost my life partner. I realized that this is in the book of life this has been written long before I met my wife and I know that she’s in a better place there’s no pain she’s able to sing to everybody up there she loved to sing. She always had a smile on her face. There is one thing I did not lose and that was my faith and our Lord and Savior. I trust God with all my heart that he will help us through and because of his grace we live in a home we go to a church that for some reason talks to us every time we need something And that’s a church that has God in it. There’s no doubt my mind about that our Lord and Savior is truly amazing. I dedicated my life to him back in 1983 when I was in the Navy the best thing I have ever done in my life. He is my heart, my everything and I trust him and follow whatever he wants me to do , I love Jesus, our savior is pure love he is the answer.

Gerald Bedell

I was raised in the LFM church by wonderful Christian parents. I had to make the choice to follow Jesus. I realized that I needed Him as my savior when I was 21 years old. I made starts many times, but this time I knew that that I would follow through. I have made mistakes but God never gives up on me . There have been many times throughout my life that the only reason I survived was by God's grace. I am an old man now and would not want to go through the rest of my life without Jesus.

MY FAITH WALK -- Pat Smith

I was living in sin and I read about how the Disciples of Jesus lived totally committed to Jesus. The Holy Spirit convicted me that my life was not like that at all. My first prayer was that if there were still people like that please make me like them.

I had no idea what being Born Again meant . All knew was that something happened to me and I had something or Someone so precious inside me that I would do anything not to lose it. Jesus revealed to me that it was my sin that He died on the cross for. That is when I realized the price He paid was for my sin and I totally repented of my sins and asked Him to forgive me.

He gave me the gift of a great desire to read the Bible. He faithfully taught me right from wrong and how to live for Him.

I am forever so thankful to be forgiven and to belong to Him.