"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
(John 3:16)
|
 |
|
Jim |
Life After Coming To Jesus
The question was asked; how has your life changed since giving your life to Jesus Christ? I
would have to answer, that I'm not sure that there has been a great change.
I think I have always been a Christian. My Christian roots go back to my Methodist, turned
United grandmother. When I was a young child on Sunday mornings my grandmother, who would
be the first one up in the house, would take me down to the kitchen and as she did her
chores; lighting the wood fire in the kitchen stove and preparing breakfast, she would sing
hymns to me. We often sat together in her black wooden rocking chair that must have
traveled many miles; as it rocked it crept with us across the kitchen floor. My grandmother
rocked and sang hymns for hours. By the time I was old enough to go to Sunday school I'm
sure I new all the words to "Rock of Ages"," Will your Anchor Hold" and a number of other
hymns form the United Church Hymnary. As soon as I was old enough to go to Sunday School
I was taken there by my family and routinely attended right through my teens years. I
started attending church as soon as I could sit through an hour of Sunday School and then
an hour of church .In my teens I attended the United Church young peoples. This was a very
enjoyable experience , my parents and grandmother were rather strict and this was an
acceptable night of socializing. My best friend Donna attended the United Church young
peoples also and we enjoyed the time spent with our Church communities. Donna was a member
of the Presbyterian Church, but the United Church encouraged membership from Presbyterians.
After Donna and I were married we attended the United Church together. Over the years we
attended one of the United Churches wherever we happened to be living at the time. Both of
our children were baptized in the United Church and became members. Even though we attended
church on a fairly regular basis until 1984 and I had at one time been a church elder for a
couple of years and both Donna and I had taught Sunday school, I'm not sure if I was anymore
than a Sunday only Christian. Then in 1984 Donna went back to school and because she worked
on Sundays and was unable to attend church, I stopped going as well. For a few years we were
Christmas and Easter Christians and then for a year or two did not even go to church on
Christmas Eve as we helped with the Christmas service at the Royal Ottawa Hospital. Then
Christmas 1996 our daughter Peg and her family were going to stay with us over Christmas and
we wanted to go to a Christmas Eve service together. Because of a problem that had occurred
at the church that we had been attending in the eighties we did not feel comfortable going
to that church that Christmas Eve. For a number of years something had been telling us to
try the Salvation Army. We found out the Woodroffe Community Church of the Salvation Army had a
Christmas Eve service and that night was a new beginning. We were welcomed to sit in a pew
in a strange church by a lovely smiling lady named Ruth; there were at least ten of us. I'm
not sure what or how it happened, but I knew some time during that service that this was
where we were supposed to be. My small niece had cuddled up to a stranger and told her that
she loved her. The response from this lady was that her husband was unable to be there with
her and that she was lonely and that little girl had just made her Christmas Eve a little
more cheery. After the service I didn't want to leave the church, I think I thought that as
soon as I was out the door it would be over. As we walked away I thought maybe by going
there, just because Arielle ; my niece; had told someone that she was loved at that time
when it was needed; that was where we were supposed to be. We did go back and that evening
is history now. We got to know that person, she's Aux. Captain Cindy Vincent. The welcoming
smiling lady is Ruth Goffin.
I feel that Jesus has a plan for my family and myself. I'm not sure what it is. I do know
we have brought to the Temple with us three of our grandsons. Justin was the first, and is
probably the most spiritual of us all, then came Matthew. That was our "church" family for
a while. Then our daughter Peg came out with me to a bible study to, quote, "to be able to
stay up with the two boys when it came to religion". A question was asked of her that first
evening by Captain Tidd as to what she liked to do and the reply was she liked to write.
Little did we know she was the answer to the Captain's prayers for someone to write for the
church's web site. She has not looked back and is now an active member of the Corps. In
time Peg's husband, Mike began coming to church, Mike is an adherent, and will become more
involved when he has completed his Nursing studies. The one remaining was oldest grandson;
Jason. During the Billy Graham Mission the kids had their "Operation Andy" cards on which
they put a list of names they would pray for to come to Jesus. Jason's name was at the top
of Justin's list. His name was also on several "Operation Andrew" cards. Jason came to
Jesus at the teen rally. This I now believe is as God planned .Our church family is going
to grow according to his plan. Another wonderful addition was our friend Heather Cross who
also has found a Church home with us.
Maybe this was Jesus' plan for me. Maybe it has been His plan, the several times I've been
in the right place at the right time for someone else. Perhaps it was the many visits I had
with my friend George through his illness. The fact that I now consider myself a Salvationist
must show. Once when visiting George he mentioned that his Doctor had changed his medication.
He said that he had asked his nurse what the new medication was and the nurse said he would
have to refer to his bible, meaning his reference book on drugs; George asked if he to
belonged to the Salvation Army. George had immediately thought of my connection to the
Salvation Army when his nurse referred to his bible. My conversion had made a deep
impression on my long time friend.
Yes, I know I've changed. I hope for the better. I believe I have mellowed, become a little
more patient, a little more tolerant towards others. I try to spend more time with the
Bible, but at this time it is still not a number one priority. This I am sure will come
with time. Since I have always liked working with my hands, and at times have problems
absorbing what I am reading, I learn best by doing. Maybe I'm supposed to carry out God's
work with tools in my hands. The answer may come during Mission To Jamaica /99 when I'll
be with a team doing renovations at the Salvation Army's School for the Blind in Kingston,
Jamaica.
For as long as I've been married I've been a member of the Jaycees (Junior Chamber Of
Commerce) and since 1979 have had the honour of being a Senator in this international
organization. I have repeated the six lines of the Jaycee Creed concerning; Faith in God
and The Brotherhood of Man many times. Some times these were just memorized words. Since
coming to the Salvation Army and Christ, how powerful and meaningful these words have
become. They are summed up in the Salvation Army motto "Hand To Man; Heart To God".
Note: Jaycees - An international organization for young people 18-40 years old interested
in leadership training through civic improvement projects; founded in 1920 by Henry
Giessenbier.
Jaycee Creed
We believe:
- That faith in God gives meaning and purpose to human life.
- That the brotherhood of man transcends the sovereignty of Nations.
- That Governments should be of laws, rather than of men.
- That economic justice can best be won by free men through free enterprise.
- That Earth's great treasures lies in human personality.
- That service to humanity is the best work of life.
|
