Transformed

 I did not deserve it. I sure committed my share of blunders. Errors in judgment abounded. Early in my teenaged years I found myself drowning in sin. Nothing I tried made any difference to stop sinning. I went to church on a few occasions with friends. It felt awkward. I did not know the lingo nor did I understand the gospel message. I thought if I went I could get some sins knocked off my account. 

On other occasions, I attempted to read the Bible. I did what you do with any book and started at the beginning. This was another attempt to erase some sins from my account. It did not take long before I got bogged down in long lists of names I could not pronounce. Some of the stories were cool to read, but I never made it to the New Testament. 

I attended some youth events for a trip to an amusement park and for a girl I was interested in dating. A guy preached, but I did not understand what he was talking about. I used the church to get what I wanted, but had no use for it after that. 

Not until my junior year in high school did somebody sit with me to carefully and clearly explain the message of Jesus, salvation, and the hopelessness of trying to work my way to heaven based on good deeds, which were not that good after all. I sat in that football stadium, while the JV football played on the field, mesmerized by the message shared with me. It all clicked. My sinfulness. My helplessness. My need for a Savior. It was then and there I bowed my head and asked Jesus to forgive me, save me, and take control of my life. He did all three in glorious fashion that Thursday night back in October of 1983 at Abe Martin Football Stadium in Lufkin, TX. Jesus transformed my life that night. He has continued doing that ever since. 

A few nights later that same youth minister, who talked to me at the stadium, stopped by my house to invite me to church. All my distant church going relatives were either Methodists or Nazarenes. This guy was a Baptist. To my knowledge, I am the only person in my family who ever joined a Baptist church. I did not know the difference. All I knew is that Jesus transformed me. I hungered to know more about Him. I attended everything I could. I followed in baptism a few weeks later. 

Did I sin again? Absolutely. I felt guilty and lived in shame much of the time. Jesus kept getting more and more of me. He continually transformed me, drawing me into a better understanding of Him and a deeper walk with Him. He called me to preach only one year later. I had very limited knowledge of the Bible when I enrolled at Howard Payne University to play football and study for the ministry. I certainly did not fit the mold of the rest of the ministerial students. My professor to the introduction to ministry class at first thought I did not belong in his class. He thought I was just another football player. He did not know what Jesus had done for me and in me. 

I am thankful for those years at Denman Avenue Baptist Church as a teenager learning the Bible from pastor Brother Charles Roberts and the student minister Eli Bernard. I learned so much from both of them. I learned foundational Bible doctrine like the inerrancy of scripture. I learned how to witness to other people about Jesus. I learned what a healthy family looked like observing the families of some of my new church friends. I learned to have quiet times and study the Bible. I read my Bible before football games on Friday nights. That church licensed me into ministry and gave me my first preaching opportunities. I cherish that church. 

My Howard Payne days deepened my faith. I learned about prayer. I learned about revival. I made lifelong friends there. I also met the love of my life Brenda. Her affectionate love for Jesus attracted me to her as much as her beauty. We dated off and on and were married on June 29, 1991. God blessed us with four sons who all met Jesus as their Savior. I baptized all four of them. We are still madly in love with each other and treasure time with one another. 

I'm still preaching and sharing the transformational message of Jesus. I delight in seeing Him do for others what He did for me 41 years ago. Every good thing I have in my life I owe to Jesus. My salvation. My wife and sons. My calling and purpose. My friends. My education. My house, vehicles, books, bicycle, furniture, clothes. All of it blessings from my King Jesus. I owe Him my life and seek to live sweetly surrendered to Him who transformed my life.