After my parents divorce and my mum and I moved to New York in 1970, that same year she took me to a Billy Graham Crusade at Shea Stadium. I was dragged to the crusade and did not want any part of the message. I was hurting emotionally. Coming fresh from my parents divorcing. Forced to move away from my home town, family and friends with my mum when she remarried. I was a frightened damaged 12 year old.
Fast Forward seven years later on June 7, 1977, a lot of 7's. Still living in New York. Hurting emotionally and fearing death, I was alone in my bedroom. Flipping through channels on the television out of boredom. I stopped upon a Billy Graham Crusade that was already in progress and heard these words from his mouth from Romans 6:23, "The Wages of Sin is Death." Believe it or not, that Scripture verse changed my life. Since I was in so much fear of death, I was able to connect. I do not even think I heard the remaining of that Scripture verse, which is "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus." What got my attention, out of fear, was the first part, not the latter. I was not able to connect to the latter. Not until much later.
Sadly the next 30 plus years I pretty much stayed a baby Christian. Due to my emotional baggage of pain. Only recently in the last year or so, have I been so much on fire for the Lord. It is like I have made up those 30 plus years in only a few months. Not only discovering more and more who my Heavenly Daddy is and some of the gifts He has given to me, but also at the same time discovering more and more of the real me.
So Billy Graham has been a Big influence in my life. Ironically enough, the pastor of the church I go to is one of Dr. Graham's grandsons. So go figure?
I did this post a couple of days ago intending to post it then. But, I have been sick.
So, if you would like to share your salvation story, please do:
Bless you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHey there hon, I hope you are feeling better. I love your testimony!! The power of the Gospel; sin, salvation. I am so glad you are saved. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have much of a story. I believed in Jesus when I was 4 and I remembering saying the salvation prayer when I was 13. I went through a lot of emotional stuff and God really changed me and prepared me for His work. It took a LOT of breaking but during the whole process I never took my eyes off of Jesus.
My husband calls me a late bloomer and I say God just needed to finishing putting me together before I could open up and grow. I see the same thing in you. You say you were a baby Christian for many years, but I see it as you were still being put together and now, in the right timing, you are growing and blooming and you are SO beautiful!! The colours Daddy put in you are vibrant and if you had opened up any earlier, the colours would be so bright.
Grow my sister, grow!
<><
A beautiful testimony! And I gave thanks on Dr. Graham's 94th birthday recently.
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful. Billy Graham has touched millions of lives all over the globe. I was saved in a crusade by one of his Indian evengelists while I was 12 years old. Hallelujah
ReplyDeleteGod always know what we need and knows just when to send it or who to send our way. That is why I call Him and On Time God..for He's never late nor is He too early He's right on Time... AMEN
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you sis for sharing your testimony..as the bible says they are won by the word of our testimony and the blood of Jesus Christ
I hope your feeling better JBR?
ReplyDeleteI was taken to church as a child but with family issues etc we stopped attending church. Then one day as a teenager I passed a poster in a shop window advertising Billy Graham at a rally. I had a strong would not go away urge to attend so I did and as a result I went back to church. I never stopped believing in God but Billy Graham helped me to rededicate my life to God and brought me back actually to my old church where I met a new minister who has for the past 22yrs supported and mentored me through a lot of trauma in my life. :-)
Hi JBR. Sorry to hear you have been sick. I hope you are doing better today. Great testimony! I have seen your growth in your blog over the last year. I think it's great. Keep it going!!
ReplyDeleteBlessings...Chelle
Hi JBR,
ReplyDeleteI hope you are feeling better. My testimony is kinda long and can be viewed on my blog. I have a tab titled "How I Came To Know Jesus." But to shorten things up, Mom took me to church every weekend. I went, but did not really want to follow Jesus. After I grew up, I went through party life and all. I came to the point where I was not sure if I even believed in the existence of Jesus or not. It was not until my 40's when the Lord got a hold of me and I came to Christ.
Thank you for sharing your testimony.
Blessings,
Ken
I got saved at a vacation bible school at a young age. A water baptism on Palm Sunday 1998 is when God really got all of me though...when I began to completely live for Him!
ReplyDelete