At the age of eight I received Jesus at Bible camp. As a youth and teenager I lived much like my friends. My desire to belong and fit in was stronger than my desire to
be different. My conscience was often conflicted. I felt guilty for living one way around my friends and differently at home.
As a teenager I looked for possessions to fill the emptiness and void in my life. I hoped that my dirt bike and my first car would give some satisfaction to life. As I worked hard to obtain these possessions I found they did not satisfy.
As an eighteen year old I knew that I needed God, but did not know how to get Him. I saw people in church had something. They had joy and peace in their lives. For example I remember one elder who was battling bone cancer and was supposed to die. Yet he would lead worship and sing praises to God with tears of joy and gladness. That didn’t make sense to me. I would have been angry with God if I were in his circumstances.
I went on to attend Capernwray Bible schools in New Zealand and the following year in Texas. I discovered a personal Jesus who knew me intimately and pursued me, and found that in this intimate relationship Jesus was now the One living through me. It was Jesus Himself. He was the power, He was the strength, He was the life. What a joy to experience Jesus. The things He called me to were not easy, often taking me out of my comfort zone, but were filled with joy as I obeyed and walked with Him through the challenges.
One of my favourite verses is Matthew 3:17 “And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’”
