What was life like before you met Jesus?
I was raised in the Lutheran Church, planting the seeds, always hearing the Biblical stories, and going through the seasons of the church. So, I always considered myself a Christian, but once I was off to college, Christ and the church were furthest from my mind, pursuing a degree and worldly desires. I was living from a worldly point of view.
How did you meet Jesus?
Marriage and the birth of our daughters brought Kathy and me back to the church, but it wasn’t until I truly started studying God’s Word; that I began to understand what Christ did for me on the cross, that I accepted Christ and He started to mold who I am. Romans 3:20b, 22 “through the law we become conscious of sin…This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”
After being saved by Jesus, what is your life like now?
Life after being saved is vastly different than before. From the movies that I watch to how we spend our money, what the world says is important, has no bearing. Christ has been there shaping and molding me through his Word; carrying me in the worst of times. This is best illustrated in the worst week of my life. I received a call that my daughter had had a heat stroke while training with the Iowa National Guard. For the first couple of days, we didn’t know if she would live or not. The rest of the week we didn’t know what living was going to mean as she remained in a coma. Through it all, I knew that regardless of the outcome, it was in the Lord’s hands, as was I. It is almost impossible to describe the peace that I had that week while I was living in the ICU room with her. She survived and ultimately suffered no long-term effects. So I am here before you today to make a public proclamation that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior; for it says in Romans 10:9-10, “if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”