My Faith
Written on October 21, 2009 – 1:27 pm | by dave |It is a common question (rightly so) to ask me about my faith. I encourage the question because it is through faith that I am the person I am.
Why are you a Christian?
I am a Christian because I learned the hard way how horrible I am without Christ. Despite my differences, despite my failing, despite my daily mounting list of mistakes and setbacks, Christ accepted me. He reconciled me before God so that I would be a new person. I can promise you this, when I look at the ugly person I was before Christ really struck me like lightning, I am a saint now. Do I still mess up? Of course! Do I still do things the Bible says not to? I have no choice, that is my nature as a sinful being. However, I am a heck of a lot better at avoiding those things now.
Prior to 2005:
- I was always angry or depressed, never in between.
- I was a cold and manipulative person, I knew what I wanted and knew how to dupe people into giving it to me.
- I smoked about a pack of ciggarettes a day, sometimes more.
- I spent more time on the computer chatting with other women than I did with my wife and it almost caused me to lose her.
After 2005:
- I still get frustrated but every time I do, God fills me up with my quiet time and with subtle examples of His grace in my life.
- I have taken on a life of active prayer and constant service because Christ ransomed me.
- I quit smoking and have been smoke free for over 4 years.
- I don’t chat much with folks online anymore except for my good friends and they usually get doses of spirituality each time. It just became second nature.
- My life has been blessed richly, my wife and I have a relationship that can stand up to anything including the daughter we have adopted. Sure… I get hit, bitten, kicked, targeted for projectiles, etc because of my daughters’ past but I wouldn’t give it up for the world and God teaches me about unconiditional love every day with her.
- I am serving anywhere I can in my church and am pursuing a Master of Divinity because I feel that God’s purpose is for me to reach people who were as lost as I was and show that no one is beyond His grace.
Still not enough? Check out my Statement of Faith and my Statement of Call to Ministry.