TESTIMONIAL

I was raised up in church from the time I was born. Seriously, my Mother had me in church when I was just three days old. My family had a gospel singing group that traveled all over. My parents were both preachers and raised us up teaching us right from wrong. My brother and I have often said that Momma raised us with a switch in one hand and the Bible in the other. I remember always having a fascination for the Word of God. I drove my mother crazy asking her to buy me a Bible before I could read. She pleaded with me that as soon as I learned to read she would buy me one.

Well, she bought me one just to get me to hush. This was before I even started school and before I could read.  None the less, I carried my Dollar Store Bible around, with pride. When we went to church my brother or sister would help me find the place in the Bible where the reading was coming from. I would follow along just as if I could read. Although I could not read I would memorize verses from the bible just the same. When the adults were sitting around talking about God, I could be found sitting right there with them instead of playing with the other children. When someone would try to quote or remember a verse and had forgotten the verse I was only too quick to help them out. Sometimes they would go look behind me to see if I was right.

As time went on, the desire to know God only grew stronger and more intense. I could not wait for my time to be called a child of God, for the time to say I was a born again Christian. That day finally came when I was just ten years old, at a prayer meeting that was being held in the home of one of the ladies from church. Well that made the desire only stronger I wanted more, what ever God had for me I wanted.

Almost a year later after I turned eleven years old, I received the gift of the Holy Ghost. The knowledge of God was handed down by my parents and my grandparents. It was like it was the family business that we should know and I was only to eager to learn. Whenever there was studying or preaching going on I was there to listen. This passion of the word of God would help preserve me thru the teenage years.

I never gave in to temptation to drink or do drugs of any kind. I never gave in to dating or anything that some of my peers were doing. In a service at the church where my father was a Pastor, one night while I was praying, God called me to preach his word. I remember having a desire to do something that I could not explain. This would not change thru the next few years but only grew stronger, it would change only to have a burning passion to know the word of God.

At the age of fifteen, I started preaching. It was awesome because it was in my Dad’s church. Around this time is when I had another desire, to play the guitar. One day at church I was looking at a gentleman’s guitar and had said that I would love to play one, I saved up my money and went and bought one. A friend of mine showed me three chords and the good Lord showed me the rest. (I am still playing today)

As we all know life has its ups and downs. I was twenty-one years old when I first got married. That was a road all in itself. Three years later I was blessed with a daughter. Three and a half months later I held her in my hands as she died. At this time in my life I was still on fire for God, but I was in a worldly whirlwind, cause for three months I did not sleep and I learned that God is all powerful over Heaven and Earth. My brother told me the only advice that he could give me was to " Lean on Jesus ".

So that is what I did. All the teaching that I had done and all the teaching that I had heard could not bring back my little girl. That is when I said " Ok God, I am not sure where you are headed with this but I am willing to follow". Once again God had sustained me and kept me.

The next year God blessed us with another baby girl. Then two more years later we was blessed with another baby girl. Now is when my brother and myself was Pastor’s at our own church. Life went on with its own ups and downs. After nine years of marriage, my wife decided that she wanted something else, which was not me.

I fell in love with someone that I had known my whole life. My ex-wife, my new wife and I were friends. We were better friends than husband and wife. She was remarried and so was I. My brother decided to close the church due to the lack of the congregation. Life was going on as usual, everyone knows that we all go through trials and tribulations.

Then one day I had my girls and I had an uneasy feeling about my ex. I needed to get some information from her anyway so I went to find her. I found her, and a male friend of hers. She was dead and he was barely alive. Now my life really took a twist. I had my girls all the time and their mother was dead. Oh and by the way my wife had her five from her previous life before our marriage and we had a son. Together we had eight children. Raising these children and raising them the way I was taught was going to be an experience that one would never forget. So we started out like always, praying and praying and praying. Seeking guidance and wisdom from the Lord was something done daily, and still is.

My desire and passion for God is just as strong if not stronger than ever today. I have searched for places to worship and take my family, none panned out for one reason or the other. I try and teach my children all of them, daily by asking them every time they have a problem by asking one question, "what does the bible teach us to do in situations like this"? We do have bible studies together today, my mom and dad are here with us too, so that makes it more fun for the kids. We sing and worship with songs.

One day I was searching the internet for a Christian Chat. One that really talks about God, one that teaches others, something one day maybe I can join and be a part of, so I may help spread the word of God. See I look at the Bible like a letter from home, and I want to know every word of it, inside and out. Then I found a place called Christianity Oasis and the name stuck out to me, I thought well lets see what this place is all about, and I loved it and now my wife and me are telling every one that we come into contact with about it .

I was raised up in church, always being told about God, the things one should and should not do. I never did drugs or do the alcohol. However I have had my fair share of things thrown at me, and still do today. I pray several times a day, read daily, my passions and desires for God burns with desire. I look unto God for direction. I have told God many times speak the word Lord and your servant will go,,,, and that is where I am at today.......