I was brought up learning about God in the Catholic religion, as was my grandparents, aunts and uncles who were very strong Catholics. I was sprinkled as an infant and went to Catholic school in the first and second grades. I couldn't conform to it so after this I went to public school. My parents made sure I received my first communion and the confirmation of my faith, but that was about as far as it went. I always knew God was real and anytime I was knocked to my knees, I knew there was a God to pray to. I just didn't want to submit or commit my life to walking with Him at a personal level.
I led a very troubled teen and wild adolescent lifestyle with alcohol, drugs, and smoking in front of my parents at a young age. I was very rebellious, yet a hard worker. I knew how to manipulate people; I just always ran life the way I would have it. I always was searching for the next challenge or high. I started racing cars at a young age, snowmobiles and even boats later on. I did anything for a quick high. I was a spoiled little rich kid. My father was in the boat business and had a very successful business which was volatile with ups and downs of the recreation RV business. I was brought up a very poor steward of resources. We had money that did not help us; it actually caused us issues from being able to buy the alcohol, drugs and racing toys. I led a very fast lifestyle. It never brought me any lasting joy; it only brought a lot of misery and tragedy in my life.
At age 18, a young gal that I was dating was killed in my presence because we were in a place where we shouldn't have been. We were not supposed to be there, and a drunk driver hit us. I had time to pray a lot when I lost her and knew there was a God, but again, I didn't submit and didn't commit to be all in with God. I went through a divorce in my late 30's. I had two sons that were not brought up knowing much Bible truth and I feel very sad that I was not the parent that they needed. I was a workaholic and a raceaholic. I was too busy for them and that's one of the reasons I went through a divorce. I am a truck driver and that's not a good field for marriage because of the separation of being gone all the time. I went through a divorce and bankruptcy. That’s when I really got back to my knees and did a lot of praying at that time, but again, I didn't submit yet.
Yet I knew I needed to make a solid commitment to Jesus - to let Him become Lord over all of my life. I needed to let go of demanding my right to make my own decisions without including Him in my decision making (with the hope of Him blessing those decisions of course). I can remember pulling to the side of the road and praying a sinner's prayer with James Dobson after listening to a Focus on the Family message. After that, I got involved in a church and the very first class they put me in was a finance class; they showed me how I needed to tithe (Honoring the Lord with the first fruits of my income, so He could bless the remaining ninety percent). I had race cars and race boats, but I sure couldn't afford to give ten percent of my income to that church. I had too much money, but God took care of that a short time later, and there again it was a submission issue.
I met my current wife at the age of 40. She was a career woman in the golf course country club business and I was in the boat business. We wanted to have a Christian wedding. She was brought up Reformed. I knew that we had to have God in the midst of our relationship. She never had any children, and wanted to have a child with me. I failed miserably at raising my own two boys because I didn't have the Lord in my life. We knew if we were going to do this, we were going to have to bring our child up in a Christian environment, so we committed to that in our marriage right from the beginning. God blessed us with a church family; a small non-denominational church that really walked with us. I was still a Christian Truck Drivers and in the boating business; my wife was managing the country club at the time when she got pregnant. It was tough for us to go to church but we did, because we were committed to it. Again, we struggled with being involved in church and getting filled so we could be a blessing, but God took care of that. He brought me out of the boating business and into truck driving full-time. My wife's country club actually closed its doors and became a public golf course, so she was out of that business.
Eventually we started looking for a new home church. We were blessed to find a church that taught the balanced Word of God, and taught the absolute importance of having a daily, personal relationship with Jesus Christ, inviting and allowing Him to be LORD of our lives - every DAY - every HOUR of the day. We were baptized at that church about 6 months later; both of us fully immersed and came up out of that water a new spiritual creation -- hungry for Jesus and the Word. We haven’t looked back since. For those yearning to be connected properly to God, there can only be one Truth and one way to God; not multiple. Satan has brainwashed many to believe there are multiple ways ... [as long as true Christianity isn't the ONE you chose!]. Jesus is that only way, truth, and life. He's the only One who paid the penalty for our sins to be totally forgiven, so they won't be held against us on the Judgment Day, so we would not have to pay for them by suffering for eternity in hell like others who reject the free gift of eternal salvation that He offers to everyone. I pray that others would find that same truth and that more would be transformed by the Word and the Holy Spirit setting them free from the sin that separates them from God. God's unconditional love (unconditional acceptance) once we are connected with Christ -- the peace that surpasses all understanding and joy unspeakable He gives us is real. I've found a lot of things that brought temporary and unfulfilling happiness in my life. I've been very blessed and spoiled rotten, but nothing else brings the lasting joy of serving the Lord and seeing others come to know His saving grace. Nothing else brings the satisfaction of pouring your life into helping reach lost souls, and then helping them grow in their relationship with the Lord, because engaging in these activities is what blesses God the most in how we live our lives, and we not only bring HIM joy, but we will reap eternal blessings.
Several years ago God called me to become a chaplain for the Testimony Book of Transport For Christ. Even though it took me a long time to come to Christ, along that journey I had stopped in other trucker chapels over the years when I was trucking. I would pick up a devotional, CD, had some fellowship, or just cried and prayed. It's just a blessing that these Truck Drivers Ministries are out there for truckers that can't get to a home church, or have a hard time finding a church they are comfortable with. God has also called me to network with other truck drivers in distributing Christian literature for truckers to freely have at various truck stops around the nation. Our primary focus is to make free Bibles available for the truckers, but we also place other trustworthy Christian literature in truck stops for them as well.
