A Testimony of One Who “Grasped the Lifeline”
Donnie S. - A Member of Our Church Family
While sitting on a bus, I clearly heard a voice in my mind that said, "So… What do you want to do now?" My throat swelled up and my heart fell through the bottom of my stomach and landed on my seat. The accumulation of the many years of living my life as I had planned, had led me to this moment... where I was sitting on my heart and headed to prison for a 3-year sentence.
A year and a half into my sentence, I hit a wall. I couldn't stop pondering the thought of all the people I had hurt, including my mom, my children, my family, and my friends. I had an empty, cold, sharp pain in my soul that wouldn't go away. You can call this selfish, but what I missed most was the feeling of being loved. I couldn't bear to go on for another day, let alone, serve out the rest of my prison time. While alone in my cell, I broke down and cried, begging Jesus to reveal Himself to me. I asked Him into my heart to fill the void and to love me like a parent loves a child. I asked Him to prove to me that He is real, and that He loves me. I repented for the life I had lived, the people I had hurt, and the decisions I had made. I wanted to know if he could fill me with the love that I so desperately needed. Then I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, something instantly felt different. I smirked and asked the question, "Is... that...YOU?" I jumped off my bunk, I grinned from ear to ear in amazement. I knew for a 100% fact, that I was no longer alone! Jesus had answered my prayer and I knew from that day forward that Jesus was going to be with me no matter where I was, or what the circumstances would be. I now know what it means when the Bible calls Him the "Comforter". He let me know that I could face any situation in life because He was with me.
Shortly after that, I started attending Sunday Bible study. I've always been an "All or Nothing" type person. I wanted to be "all in" with my faith. I knew that meant I had to turn my entire life over to Him, but I wasn't quite sure how to do that. I wanted the faith to be able to die for Him. I thought of a scenario where there would be two lines. I could only pick one line to stand in. The first line led to two double cheeseburgers and a soda, then you could return to your cell. The other line was a choice for Jesus. At the end of that line was a fire pit. Now remember… In prison, you are ALWAYS hungry! And, of course, nobody EVER wants to burn to death! But I was hungry for the type of faith that doesn't falter, and decided I wanted to figure out how to get the kind of faith that would cause me to stand for Jesus no matter the circumstances. So, I continued to attend Bible study and read my Bible until the day of my release.
On the first evening of being home, as a free man, I stepped out onto the back porch and looked to the sky. I took in a deep breath of air and relaxed. While exhaling, I heard that very same voice in my head again, asking the question, "So… What do you want to do now?" It was then that I realized WHO it was, that proposed the exact same question to me 3 years earlier on that bus. I giggled to myself, and replied, "I'm sticking with you Jesus. You've already shown me that You're real and there's no hiding from You". Then I asked Him to send me a companion that I could share the rest of my life with. I felt that He had heard my prayer, and I began to seek for her, knowing that He would send her my way. I also thanked Him for answering my prayers about preserving my mother until I would be able to make amends to her and to show her how much I love her by looking out for her every need.
I am a cement finisher by trade, and I work with a lot of rough neck guys. Drinking and smoking pot seemed to be the norm after a hard day's work. I began drinking and smoking marijuana, not thinking anything of it.
Four months later, I laid my eyes on a beautiful woman, and instantly asked, "Is that HER, Lord?" Before waiting on an answer, I followed her out the door and found a way to start a conversation. From that day on, we have never left each other's side. Tamara had a Christian upbringing and together we began to chase after the Lord.
As the weeks went by, the urge to drink alcohol dissipated. My 12 pack a day turned to six, then to three, then to one. As I read the Bible daily and my spirit man began to grow stronger, my flesh began to grow weaker. The alcohol no longer had a hold on me. I could no longer even stomach a sip of beer. But I still clung to my weed habit until, one day, I understood that the Spirit of God wanted to do more with me but was being held back by my fleshly desires. So, a few weeks after quitting alcohol, I gave up the marijuana also. I had thought that the marijuana was helping me to relax. Ironically, a week after quitting, I slept a full 8 hours without waking. That is something I had not done in over 10 years! The Holy Spirit, Himself, became my Peace and Comfort. I no longer needed substances to relax. Galatians 5:16 -17 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." The Bible had begun telling me and explaining to me what I was experiencing in my own life! I was amazed at how this "book" knew what was happening to me on the inside!
Tamara and I got married. We were reading our Bibles, listening to the Word, and we began exercising the power of prayer. We prayed for the healing of my wrists. I had osteoarthritis so bad in both wrists and it was threatening my career. I went from wearing wrist braces on both arms and severe pain, to no pain whatsoever today! Jesus showed us His miraculous healing power, both physically and spiritually. Something else odd began to happen to me. I began to notice that I had compassion and a care for others. This was odd to me because I was the type of guy who was selfish, greedy, and only looked out for myself. Now, I would willingly go out of my way to help someone in need. When I read Ezekiel 36:26 "I will give you a new heart with new desires and put a new spirit within you", I realized that the Bible is a LIVING book and I now understood how it was explaining what was happening to me.
This was GOD'S WORD and I wanted to KNOW it and experience ALL that He has for me. I got water baptized in a friend's pond and then baptized in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues, while sitting on the edge of the bed, alone in our bedroom with only Tamara and Jesus.
My childhood best friend and I had not seen each other in over 35 years. Until, after many days, I just couldn't get him off my mind. I reached out to his mother and figured out how to contact him. To my joy and surprise, he was a born again, Spirit filled, Christian. He invited Tamara and me to join him the following Sunday morning at Word of Truth Christian Church. We absolutely loved it from day one. Our pastor, Jerry Hunt, is one in a million. Actually, our entire church is one in a million! Pastor Jerry teaches the unadulterated Word of God faithfully. He uses the Bible to explain the Bible. He doesn't make excuses or compromises to please popular opinion or to be culturally relevant. Our church is soundly grounded on the Word of God and the Holy Spirit moves mightily in every service. I feel so blessed to be able to worship in a place where I know that God has divinely led me to be. I have made many other friends who I consider "family" and I'm continuing to grow in my faith. I can't wait to see what else God has in store for my life!
Donald S.
A year and a half into my sentence, I hit a wall. I couldn't stop pondering the thought of all the people I had hurt, including my mom, my children, my family, and my friends. I had an empty, cold, sharp pain in my soul that wouldn't go away. You can call this selfish, but what I missed most was the feeling of being loved. I couldn't bear to go on for another day, let alone, serve out the rest of my prison time. While alone in my cell, I broke down and cried, begging Jesus to reveal Himself to me. I asked Him into my heart to fill the void and to love me like a parent loves a child. I asked Him to prove to me that He is real, and that He loves me. I repented for the life I had lived, the people I had hurt, and the decisions I had made. I wanted to know if he could fill me with the love that I so desperately needed. Then I closed my eyes and fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, something instantly felt different. I smirked and asked the question, "Is... that...YOU?" I jumped off my bunk, I grinned from ear to ear in amazement. I knew for a 100% fact, that I was no longer alone! Jesus had answered my prayer and I knew from that day forward that Jesus was going to be with me no matter where I was, or what the circumstances would be. I now know what it means when the Bible calls Him the "Comforter". He let me know that I could face any situation in life because He was with me.
Shortly after that, I started attending Sunday Bible study. I've always been an "All or Nothing" type person. I wanted to be "all in" with my faith. I knew that meant I had to turn my entire life over to Him, but I wasn't quite sure how to do that. I wanted the faith to be able to die for Him. I thought of a scenario where there would be two lines. I could only pick one line to stand in. The first line led to two double cheeseburgers and a soda, then you could return to your cell. The other line was a choice for Jesus. At the end of that line was a fire pit. Now remember… In prison, you are ALWAYS hungry! And, of course, nobody EVER wants to burn to death! But I was hungry for the type of faith that doesn't falter, and decided I wanted to figure out how to get the kind of faith that would cause me to stand for Jesus no matter the circumstances. So, I continued to attend Bible study and read my Bible until the day of my release.
On the first evening of being home, as a free man, I stepped out onto the back porch and looked to the sky. I took in a deep breath of air and relaxed. While exhaling, I heard that very same voice in my head again, asking the question, "So… What do you want to do now?" It was then that I realized WHO it was, that proposed the exact same question to me 3 years earlier on that bus. I giggled to myself, and replied, "I'm sticking with you Jesus. You've already shown me that You're real and there's no hiding from You". Then I asked Him to send me a companion that I could share the rest of my life with. I felt that He had heard my prayer, and I began to seek for her, knowing that He would send her my way. I also thanked Him for answering my prayers about preserving my mother until I would be able to make amends to her and to show her how much I love her by looking out for her every need.
I am a cement finisher by trade, and I work with a lot of rough neck guys. Drinking and smoking pot seemed to be the norm after a hard day's work. I began drinking and smoking marijuana, not thinking anything of it.
Four months later, I laid my eyes on a beautiful woman, and instantly asked, "Is that HER, Lord?" Before waiting on an answer, I followed her out the door and found a way to start a conversation. From that day on, we have never left each other's side. Tamara had a Christian upbringing and together we began to chase after the Lord.
As the weeks went by, the urge to drink alcohol dissipated. My 12 pack a day turned to six, then to three, then to one. As I read the Bible daily and my spirit man began to grow stronger, my flesh began to grow weaker. The alcohol no longer had a hold on me. I could no longer even stomach a sip of beer. But I still clung to my weed habit until, one day, I understood that the Spirit of God wanted to do more with me but was being held back by my fleshly desires. So, a few weeks after quitting alcohol, I gave up the marijuana also. I had thought that the marijuana was helping me to relax. Ironically, a week after quitting, I slept a full 8 hours without waking. That is something I had not done in over 10 years! The Holy Spirit, Himself, became my Peace and Comfort. I no longer needed substances to relax. Galatians 5:16 -17 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." The Bible had begun telling me and explaining to me what I was experiencing in my own life! I was amazed at how this "book" knew what was happening to me on the inside!
Tamara and I got married. We were reading our Bibles, listening to the Word, and we began exercising the power of prayer. We prayed for the healing of my wrists. I had osteoarthritis so bad in both wrists and it was threatening my career. I went from wearing wrist braces on both arms and severe pain, to no pain whatsoever today! Jesus showed us His miraculous healing power, both physically and spiritually. Something else odd began to happen to me. I began to notice that I had compassion and a care for others. This was odd to me because I was the type of guy who was selfish, greedy, and only looked out for myself. Now, I would willingly go out of my way to help someone in need. When I read Ezekiel 36:26 "I will give you a new heart with new desires and put a new spirit within you", I realized that the Bible is a LIVING book and I now understood how it was explaining what was happening to me.
This was GOD'S WORD and I wanted to KNOW it and experience ALL that He has for me. I got water baptized in a friend's pond and then baptized in the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues, while sitting on the edge of the bed, alone in our bedroom with only Tamara and Jesus.
My childhood best friend and I had not seen each other in over 35 years. Until, after many days, I just couldn't get him off my mind. I reached out to his mother and figured out how to contact him. To my joy and surprise, he was a born again, Spirit filled, Christian. He invited Tamara and me to join him the following Sunday morning at Word of Truth Christian Church. We absolutely loved it from day one. Our pastor, Jerry Hunt, is one in a million. Actually, our entire church is one in a million! Pastor Jerry teaches the unadulterated Word of God faithfully. He uses the Bible to explain the Bible. He doesn't make excuses or compromises to please popular opinion or to be culturally relevant. Our church is soundly grounded on the Word of God and the Holy Spirit moves mightily in every service. I feel so blessed to be able to worship in a place where I know that God has divinely led me to be. I have made many other friends who I consider "family" and I'm continuing to grow in my faith. I can't wait to see what else God has in store for my life!
Donald S.