Significant Events in My Life

A friend of mine, Mike Hall, did something similar to this for his blog and I enjoyed the idea and decided to "borrow" it. I have probably blogged some of this info before but it's been a few years back.

I haven't blogged for a while. My excuse is that I have been intensely preoccupied with various and sundry worthwhile activities.

But here are a few significant events in my past.

1. My mother's conversion to Christ, somewhere in late 1965 or early 1966.

Through the invitation of a co-worker mom attended a revival at the New Home Free Will Baptist Church in Piney Creek, North Carolina where we were living at the time. The evangelist was her older sister's brother-in-law, Kermit Childers. Everything changed in our home on that day. A driving force in my life has been to see everything change in other people's homes because of being introduced to Christ. When I remember that day and what it meant to my family, my two older brothers and I coming to Christ after we moved back to Maryland, I work past any hurdles of doing ministry today in order to keep making Christ known to others.

2. The day Christ saved me.

It was the summer of '66, shortly after my 12th birthday, at Mt. Calvary Free Will Baptist Church in Perryman, Maryland. I had only been in a church a few times in my life before then. God's love, as I had already seen demonstrated in my mom's life, compelled me to come to Christ. I'm not a mystic but that was a mystical (rare and mysterious) experience. I've told thousands of people through the years in sharing the good news about Jesus with them, that you don't have to have an emotional upheaval to know you're saved. But I also realize that we're all different. I can be emotional. Besides, that day I stepped into a new world. I examined Christ for myself and saw that He was more than I could have imagined! Following Christ has never grown old!

3. The day I committed to pastoral ministry - November 10, 1973.

I was 17, and had been thinking for a long time that God's call to preach had graciously been extended to me. That Sunday night I told my church. Interestingly, my wife Deb, whom I had not yet met, was born on November 10. We have two reasons to celebrate this date on the calendar.

I wasn't one of those guys who ran from the idea of being a preacher. In fact, I thought it was cool to preach ever since I came to Christ at age 12. I just take my time in thinking things through. Many nights as a teen I would dream of standing in front of a congregation, proclaiming the Word of God.

4. The day I met my wife.

I don't know the exact date, but we were on a choir bus coming back from being on tour. It was late and we ended up sitting beside one another and talking for several hours. I wouldn't say it was love at first sight but it was, "I want to get to know this girl better at first sight." That was nearly 35 years ago and I am still amazed at God's answer to my prayer for a wife that is so perfect for me.

5. The day Deb and I married - May 14, 1977.

This was about three weeks before I turned 21. Deb would turn 21 in November. We were young and full of love and life. Those were exciting and fun days.

6. The birth of our children, Brooke, Brandon, & Bethany.

Our children are the apple of my eye. They probably won't even realize until their children are grown how much they mean to me.

7. The birth of our grandchildren.

I melt like a popsicle on a July sidewalk when I see the grandchildren -three now and two to arrive this fall.