Hmm, my testimony. It is difficult to say “Ok. This is my testimony. It starts here and ends here.” Why? My testimony is still a work in progress. For now though, I can tell you up to the point I got saved and very shortly after.

I was like any other 14 year old. Clueless! I went from day to day just kind of floating around. I did what I wanted when I wanted to. I remember thinking, “This life isn’t so hard to figure out”. I actually thought I could figure out life at that time and still remain sane…if only! I knew about God and his son. I grew up hearing about this guy who died on the cross for our sins and that was enough to keep me away from drinking, smoking, sexual relations and other obvious sins. However, the un-obvious sins I plunged into head first. Looking at women lustfully, masturbation, viewing pornography, cursing, lying, cheating, stealing even! I really wasn’t floating along, but sinking like a lead block! As far as progressing in my “self to wall to God relationship” church was the only effort of mine which was forced by my equally unsaved parents. Still, I was there and whether or not I heard the message I would have never found God if I wasn’t there:

Sunday had snuck up on me again! I was up late the night before, but since my parents owned the house and everything I called my own I reluctantly got up and got dressed for morning service. Somewhere in between putting on my underwear and tying my shoes however, I decided to take my application to Kroger to occupy me while the preacher tried his best to bore me.

After dressing I grabbed my distraction and I headed to my dad’s mustang to cruise to “the house of…. god, this is boring”. After arriving I walked into the church, hurried down the isle and quickly took a seat next to my friend Jimmy. I didn’t sit with my family because they wouldn’t let me ignore the sermon and beside Jimmy I could do whatever I wanted and even distract Jimmy in the process. After conversing with as few people as possible church started and I prepared to fill out my application to Kroger. After church I felt an unfamiliar tap on the shoulder. “Great, another person annoying the crap out of my life!”, I thought as I turned. Surprisingly a cool looking guy about 23 introduced himself to me. His name was Todd. “Good so far, maybe we can sit around and do nothing together sometime.” I began to think. Then, I found out he was our new “Youth Pastor”. “Yay!” proclaimed my mind sarcastically, “stinking God people are annoying. All they want is my money anyway.” Since I felt this way I tried my best to say as little to Todd as possible. I didn’t even tell him my name (though he knew it from reading my application to Kroger without me knowing)!

Church was over and as far as I was concerned and so was my relationship that had just begun with Todd, but he caught me right before my dad pulled out of the parking lot. Todd explained that some of the youth were going to a creek with a waterfall and a beautiful place to swim later that day and he would like to know if I wanted to go. Naturally, I sputtered out some fragmented lies to get out of going with this “Youth Pastor” anywhere. Much to my disappointment my dad stepped in and said, “Sure! He’d love to go. What time and where to I need to take him? J ”. “Damn-it Dad”, flashed inside of my 14 year old brain like neon lights at a strip club.

That’s how I got to know Todd. We went to the swimming hole that day and I actually had a good time! We started to “hang out” regularly after that and that fact that he was a “Youth Pastor” didn’t really bother me anymore and started to fade away. As the weeks progressed Todd and I became friends. Every Saturday night he came to sleep over and hang out before church the next morning and we hung out all day every Sunday. One Saturday night however something happened.

It was June 29, 2002 at about 11 o’clock and Todd and I had been talking for awhile. He was explaining what it meant to be a Christian and other things about God, but this time I was listening. Finally, he asked me a question, “Devin. If you died tonight do you think you’d go to Heaven or Hell.” With tears swelling in my eyes I said, “Hell.” Todd, rolling over in the bed that was beside my cot said, “Do you want do something about that right now?” As a show of my desperation I whispered, “Sure.” while trying to withhold tears. Todd prayed for me and I just lay their in my head saying, “God, you’ve been here watching me my hole life and have always been available for me to reach out to in need. I never have reached out to you God, and I know that if I don’t I will suffer forever. Don’t let me hands reach out to you God, let my heart. Come into me and make me a real Christian. Make me a disciple of you not so I can get to heaven, but so I can receive your love and attempt to give as much love back as I can for eternity.”

When I prayed that prayer it was 2:45 A.M. Todd and I were up till 4 A.M. that morning ,completely covered, shaking because we had experienced the presence of God. It was summer, the A.C. was turned down, the fan wasn’t really turning that fast, so how could we have been shaking from being cold. We each experienced God and our bodies couldn’t hold still from the power!

The next day was Sunday and my first day as one of God’s people. Church seemed like a totally different place, the preacher’s words were relevant, when we bowed our heads in prayer I didn’t get sleepy, everything was so different! That day was the first day of July, but it was also the first step I took towards my Heavenly Father. His Love has counseled me ever since showing me my faults and the things that I must eliminate from my life. “The old has gone and the new has come” (New Testament) and my life isn’t lived on the interstate leading to hell, but the mountain trial that leads to the top of the mountain and the stairway to Heaven! I’ve been reborn and saved from the second death, but most of all I’ve secured a seat beside my creator to love him and worship him for eternity!

-Devin Q.