How Did You Find The Lord?
03-14-2010, 12:08 AM
#1
How Did You Find The Lord?
I thought I would share my story..
We have never been a "church" family but I always loved when we did go. I loved going because the music we sing, and everytime I would leave church that sunday afternoon, I always felt 100% better about myself,my courage,my self esteem, and my life. I have had many family members I was close to pass away including my Uncle, and 1 of my Grandma's.Both of them passing away took a chunk out of me, None of my friends knew how I felt because they havent lost 2 loved ones at that time.So then a little time pasted and I was still hurting.We then starting going to church more because thats what my Grandma wanted for us. My Uncle on the other hand, left me his John Deere tractor to mow lawns with
. Anyways..we went to church on a special day, it was Baptism of baby's day. I then asked my mom "What is Baptism?" She told me a very simple but yet truthful answer,"Its When You Have Accepted The Lord As Your Savior, And You Want Him In Your Life FOREVER." I was 12 years of age, So she put it in them terms to make me understand."So then one day, I got the courage to tell me Mom, I was ready to get Baptised,And To Accept the Lord Jesus Christ As My Lord And Savior.My Sister then agreed with me and she also got baptised the same night as me. After I was dunked under the water and I came back up, And I walked up the stairs to go back and change into my normal clothes. I felt something, Or better yet. I didnt feel ANYTHING, I felt like 1000 pounds was lifted off my shoulders, I felt releived.I felt like 1 Million Dollars!!!!
Now im 15 years of age, Im a sophmore in high school with some dreams.Alot of people want to go get a job and get money, or go to college and train to be vet because they make good money or whatever. Well NOT me, from what I have learned , my Lord wants me to live life to the fullest, and NOT to try to fit in. If you know me, I am a funny guy who likes to hang out with friends, and im very laid back.Now I turn to the Lord for all of my problems, he helps me through EVERY minute of my life.
I just wanted to share my story and maybe some of you can share yours??
God Bless Everyone,
Kaleb Keller
We have never been a "church" family but I always loved when we did go. I loved going because the music we sing, and everytime I would leave church that sunday afternoon, I always felt 100% better about myself,my courage,my self esteem, and my life. I have had many family members I was close to pass away including my Uncle, and 1 of my Grandma's.Both of them passing away took a chunk out of me, None of my friends knew how I felt because they havent lost 2 loved ones at that time.So then a little time pasted and I was still hurting.We then starting going to church more because thats what my Grandma wanted for us. My Uncle on the other hand, left me his John Deere tractor to mow lawns with
. Anyways..we went to church on a special day, it was Baptism of baby's day. I then asked my mom "What is Baptism?" She told me a very simple but yet truthful answer,"Its When You Have Accepted The Lord As Your Savior, And You Want Him In Your Life FOREVER." I was 12 years of age, So she put it in them terms to make me understand."So then one day, I got the courage to tell me Mom, I was ready to get Baptised,And To Accept the Lord Jesus Christ As My Lord And Savior.My Sister then agreed with me and she also got baptised the same night as me. After I was dunked under the water and I came back up, And I walked up the stairs to go back and change into my normal clothes. I felt something, Or better yet. I didnt feel ANYTHING, I felt like 1000 pounds was lifted off my shoulders, I felt releived.I felt like 1 Million Dollars!!!! Now im 15 years of age, Im a sophmore in high school with some dreams.Alot of people want to go get a job and get money, or go to college and train to be vet because they make good money or whatever. Well NOT me, from what I have learned , my Lord wants me to live life to the fullest, and NOT to try to fit in. If you know me, I am a funny guy who likes to hang out with friends, and im very laid back.Now I turn to the Lord for all of my problems, he helps me through EVERY minute of my life.
I just wanted to share my story and maybe some of you can share yours??
God Bless Everyone,
Kaleb Keller
03-14-2010, 12:55 PM
#2
Tech Master
I thought I would share my story..
We have never been a "church" family but I always loved when we did go. I loved going because the music we sing, and everytime I would leave church that sunday afternoon, I always felt 100% better about myself,my courage,my self esteem, and my life. I have had many family members I was close to pass away including my Uncle, and 1 of my Grandma's.Both of them passing away took a chunk out of me, None of my friends knew how I felt because they havent lost 2 loved ones at that time.So then a little time pasted and I was still hurting.We then starting going to church more because thats what my Grandma wanted for us. My Uncle on the other hand, left me his John Deere tractor to mow lawns with. Anyways..we went to church on a special day, it was Baptism of baby's day. I then asked my mom "What is Baptism?" She told me a very simple but yet truthful answer,"Its When You Have Accepted The Lord As Your Savior, And You Want Him In Your Life FOREVER." I was 12 years of age, So she put it in them terms to make me understand."So then one day, I got the courage to tell me Mom, I was ready to get Baptised,And To Accept the Lord Jesus Christ As My Lord And Savior.My Sister then agreed with me and she also got baptised the same night as me. After I was dunked under the water and I came back up, And I walked up the stairs to go back and change into my normal clothes. I felt something, Or better yet. I didnt feel ANYTHING, I felt like 1000 pounds was lifted off my shoulders, I felt releived.I felt like 1 Million Dollars!!!!
Now im 15 years of age, Im a sophmore in high school with some dreams.Alot of people want to go get a job and get money, or go to college and train to be vet because they make good money or whatever. Well NOT me, from what I have learned , my Lord wants me to live life to the fullest, and NOT to try to fit in. If you know me, I am a funny guy who likes to hang out with friends, and im very laid back.Now I turn to the Lord for all of my problems, he helps me through EVERY minute of my life.
I just wanted to share my story and maybe some of you can share yours??
God Bless Everyone,
Kaleb Keller
We have never been a "church" family but I always loved when we did go. I loved going because the music we sing, and everytime I would leave church that sunday afternoon, I always felt 100% better about myself,my courage,my self esteem, and my life. I have had many family members I was close to pass away including my Uncle, and 1 of my Grandma's.Both of them passing away took a chunk out of me, None of my friends knew how I felt because they havent lost 2 loved ones at that time.So then a little time pasted and I was still hurting.We then starting going to church more because thats what my Grandma wanted for us. My Uncle on the other hand, left me his John Deere tractor to mow lawns with
. Anyways..we went to church on a special day, it was Baptism of baby's day. I then asked my mom "What is Baptism?" She told me a very simple but yet truthful answer,"Its When You Have Accepted The Lord As Your Savior, And You Want Him In Your Life FOREVER." I was 12 years of age, So she put it in them terms to make me understand."So then one day, I got the courage to tell me Mom, I was ready to get Baptised,And To Accept the Lord Jesus Christ As My Lord And Savior.My Sister then agreed with me and she also got baptised the same night as me. After I was dunked under the water and I came back up, And I walked up the stairs to go back and change into my normal clothes. I felt something, Or better yet. I didnt feel ANYTHING, I felt like 1000 pounds was lifted off my shoulders, I felt releived.I felt like 1 Million Dollars!!!! Now im 15 years of age, Im a sophmore in high school with some dreams.Alot of people want to go get a job and get money, or go to college and train to be vet because they make good money or whatever. Well NOT me, from what I have learned , my Lord wants me to live life to the fullest, and NOT to try to fit in. If you know me, I am a funny guy who likes to hang out with friends, and im very laid back.Now I turn to the Lord for all of my problems, he helps me through EVERY minute of my life.
I just wanted to share my story and maybe some of you can share yours??
God Bless Everyone,
Kaleb Keller
03-14-2010, 01:19 PM
#3
Tech Master
As your first act as a Christian, I hope you can forgive me for "bombarding" you with do's and don'ts-- That was not my intention. I guess the best advice myself or anyone else for that matter is to live by the Word. A pastor shared this Scripture to me and it was a great help. Let me share it with you: read 2 Timothy 2:15. Amen
03-15-2010, 09:21 AM
#4
Awesome story, Kaleb!! Thank you for sharing with us! Isn't it amazing how God was able to take something SO devastating in your life and turn it into something great?
I don't know the pain that losing those people would cause. I have been blessed to have never lost anyone to death that I would consider that close to me, so I can only imagine.
I did have a question though...before you were baptized, did you pray and ask God to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior?
To share about my experience of coming to know the Lord personally... A testimony, so to speak.....
I was 5 years old, and as usual, my family and I went to Sunday school and church that Sunday morning. And during Sunday school, my teacher was teaching about Heaven and Hell, satan and God and such, and it really scared me. He then talked about what we had to do to have Jesus in our hearts and to know that we would go to heaven when we died.
I remember thinking about it all through the Church service and wondering if I should to talk to mom or dad about it. By the time we got home, I was in tears!! I started talking to mom about what the teacher had said, and how I wanted Jesus in my heart. So, her and dad explained it to me a little more, and there on the couch, as 5 year old little boy, I gave my heart and life to Christ!
From then on, I had the direction of the Holy Spirit in my life, guiding me through the tough teenage years and beyond. And while I can't say that I lived my life perfectly (not even close!) for the Lord, having that guidance in me cetainly kept me from making some of the huge mistakes that some of my friends were making, and I am SOOOO grateful for that!!!
Unfortunately, as I got into my early twenties, I slipped away from God's guidance some. I quit reading the word, stopped listening to His whispers in my ear, and my life spiraled out of control. My first marriage ended after 7 years when I almost had an affair. Then came 4 years of living single, with lots of bodybuilding, sports, fighting, and the attitude to match. Openly defying God with my words and actions, and doing anything I could to try escape the pain of my divorce.
Then came my second wife.....what a mistake! I was nowhere near the Lord when we met, and if I had of been, I would've been able to know that it was going to be a mistake!!! But that said, I can't say that God didn't use those mistakes to teach me, even during my rebellion!!
About 2 years into my second marriage, God was trying to get my attention. But I was too busy racing motocross, playing racquetball, softball, basketball, and working out, on top of working 50-60 hours a week at the factory I worked at. I was in GREAT physical condition, but emotionally and spiritually, I was almost dead. Then it happened....in July 2001, I had to have knee surgery to repair some damage. It hurt us financially and put my sports on hold for bit, plus sat me down for a month or so...seemed not good. I worked my way through that and was getting back to 'playing' everything, including a nice game of patticake with God, and then wham!! August of 2002, I rupture a disk in my back while playing at a racquetball tourney and had to have back surgery to repair it. Again....seemed not too good! Put us through serious financial stress again, since we hadn't completely recovered from the surgery the previous year, and once again put me on the shelf as far as my sports and hobbies went! NOW, I'm getting irritated with God....how ironic, huh?
After several months off of work, trying to deal with all the financial issues that it all created, and even worse, NOT being able to be active like normal, I'm getting frustrated...even angry! As the mounting financial pressure continued to build, I finally lost it! One saturday afternoon in June of 2003, I was sitting at the computer and the stress got the best of me. I'll NEVER forget this!
I slammed my fist against the desk several times very angrily, and shouted THAT'S IT!! I AM DONE WITH GOD! IF THIS IS HOW HE TREATS HIS CHILDREN, THEN I DON'T WANT ANY PART OF THIS! I AM DONE GOING TO CHURCH. I'M DONE BEING A CHRISTIAN! I AM DONE TRYING TO WORSHIP HIM (like I had been, anyway
). THAT'S IT, I AM DONE....FOREVER!!!!
My wife, standing there taking it all in, says what do you mean, you're done? I said, still in a fit of rage, WHAT DO YOU THINK I MEAN!?!? And then repeated most of what I had just said, almost daring God to react!
Well...the rest is history, as they say. Needless to say, God was NOT done with me. 3 weeks later, I was sitting in front of that same puter getting ready to place a bid on something on ebay. I was, as usual, waiting till the last second. While hitting the refresh button with about a minute to go, the puter locked up and I couldn't bid. I lost it! Another fit of rage ensued! I then headed to the shower before going to bed, and VERY long story short.....while in the shower, I had a heart attack!!! AT 33 YEARS OLD!
Long story short again, I ended up having to have a triple-bypass. WHAT??!?! At 33 YEARS OLD??? IN THE PHYSICAL SHAPE I'M IN!??!? YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN ME!!!!
Well....needless to say my life has never been the same. After the surgery and all the recovery, my wife ended up having an affair and kicking ME out. I had no place to go. I wasn't released to work yet. And all I had was my junk car to live in, till a friend offered to let me stay in his unfinished attic till I could figure out what to do. My wife threw some things in the yard for me to come and get, and I'll NEVER forget, getting a 6x12 storage unit (it was all they had) to put my 'stuff' into. And when getting ready to leave, turning around and looking at the stuff I had now. After 12 years of working overtime and busting my rear at the factory, all my wordly posessions would now sit in a space about 4 foot squared in the corner that unit. I had nothing....I had lost my family, my house, all my stuff, all my sports, my hobbies, my health, most of my friends, my daughter,....everything but what sat in that corner, and the junk car I was living in.
......................oh ya, and God.
Hmmm....You see, I had serious heart problem.
Now, fast-forwarding, I am glad to say that God completely healed my heart!!
Oh, I still have health issues with my human heart and the scars of my rebellion to deal with, but thank God He healed my heart spiritually!! My physical health will never be the same...but thank the Lord, I'll never be the same in my walk with Him anymore, either. Patticake game, over!
I'm grateful to say that...in the last two years, I have gotten remarried to a wonderful, beautiful, very Godly woman. She is helping me heal the scars of my second marriage with the love God has given her to share with me. And continues to walk with me through this journey called life. Encouraging me to be a better man, and to listen even more intently to God. And while we are still working to recover and heal from some things, we know that we have God and each other to lean on through it all.
And my walk with God? Well...it's never been better. Oh, it's not easy some days with all the health issues, money problems that those create from time to time, and all the 'scars of rebellion' I have to deal with now. But, every morning when I look in the mirror and see the reminder of the 'heart problem' I once had, on my chest, I know that God would do ANYTHING to show me how much He loves me. What does tomorrow bring? We never know, but God does, and I know Jesus loves me...just like I sang that morning when I was five years old before Sunday School.....Hmmm, imagine that!
What an AWESOME, AWESOME God I serve!!!!
So, you wanna play patticake with God? You wanna walk through life like a Pharisee...obeying some rules and carrying your Bible to church and pretending to be a 'good Christian'? Good luck with that! Take it from a recovering Pharisee....If you are God's child, THAT lifestyle won't fly with Him, and he'll be knocking at the door of YOUR heart soon!
Sorry for the novel.....I hadn't really ever talked about that stuff like that, and it just kept coming out. There is more to the story, but I tried to keep it as short as possible.
God Bless you all!!!
Brad
I don't know the pain that losing those people would cause. I have been blessed to have never lost anyone to death that I would consider that close to me, so I can only imagine.
I did have a question though...before you were baptized, did you pray and ask God to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior?
To share about my experience of coming to know the Lord personally... A testimony, so to speak.....
I was 5 years old, and as usual, my family and I went to Sunday school and church that Sunday morning. And during Sunday school, my teacher was teaching about Heaven and Hell, satan and God and such, and it really scared me. He then talked about what we had to do to have Jesus in our hearts and to know that we would go to heaven when we died.
I remember thinking about it all through the Church service and wondering if I should to talk to mom or dad about it. By the time we got home, I was in tears!! I started talking to mom about what the teacher had said, and how I wanted Jesus in my heart. So, her and dad explained it to me a little more, and there on the couch, as 5 year old little boy, I gave my heart and life to Christ!
From then on, I had the direction of the Holy Spirit in my life, guiding me through the tough teenage years and beyond. And while I can't say that I lived my life perfectly (not even close!) for the Lord, having that guidance in me cetainly kept me from making some of the huge mistakes that some of my friends were making, and I am SOOOO grateful for that!!!
Unfortunately, as I got into my early twenties, I slipped away from God's guidance some. I quit reading the word, stopped listening to His whispers in my ear, and my life spiraled out of control. My first marriage ended after 7 years when I almost had an affair. Then came 4 years of living single, with lots of bodybuilding, sports, fighting, and the attitude to match. Openly defying God with my words and actions, and doing anything I could to try escape the pain of my divorce.
Then came my second wife.....what a mistake! I was nowhere near the Lord when we met, and if I had of been, I would've been able to know that it was going to be a mistake!!! But that said, I can't say that God didn't use those mistakes to teach me, even during my rebellion!!
About 2 years into my second marriage, God was trying to get my attention. But I was too busy racing motocross, playing racquetball, softball, basketball, and working out, on top of working 50-60 hours a week at the factory I worked at. I was in GREAT physical condition, but emotionally and spiritually, I was almost dead. Then it happened....in July 2001, I had to have knee surgery to repair some damage. It hurt us financially and put my sports on hold for bit, plus sat me down for a month or so...seemed not good. I worked my way through that and was getting back to 'playing' everything, including a nice game of patticake with God, and then wham!! August of 2002, I rupture a disk in my back while playing at a racquetball tourney and had to have back surgery to repair it. Again....seemed not too good! Put us through serious financial stress again, since we hadn't completely recovered from the surgery the previous year, and once again put me on the shelf as far as my sports and hobbies went! NOW, I'm getting irritated with God....how ironic, huh?
After several months off of work, trying to deal with all the financial issues that it all created, and even worse, NOT being able to be active like normal, I'm getting frustrated...even angry! As the mounting financial pressure continued to build, I finally lost it! One saturday afternoon in June of 2003, I was sitting at the computer and the stress got the best of me. I'll NEVER forget this!
I slammed my fist against the desk several times very angrily, and shouted THAT'S IT!! I AM DONE WITH GOD! IF THIS IS HOW HE TREATS HIS CHILDREN, THEN I DON'T WANT ANY PART OF THIS! I AM DONE GOING TO CHURCH. I'M DONE BEING A CHRISTIAN! I AM DONE TRYING TO WORSHIP HIM (like I had been, anyway
). THAT'S IT, I AM DONE....FOREVER!!!!My wife, standing there taking it all in, says what do you mean, you're done? I said, still in a fit of rage, WHAT DO YOU THINK I MEAN!?!? And then repeated most of what I had just said, almost daring God to react!
Well...the rest is history, as they say. Needless to say, God was NOT done with me. 3 weeks later, I was sitting in front of that same puter getting ready to place a bid on something on ebay. I was, as usual, waiting till the last second. While hitting the refresh button with about a minute to go, the puter locked up and I couldn't bid. I lost it! Another fit of rage ensued! I then headed to the shower before going to bed, and VERY long story short.....while in the shower, I had a heart attack!!! AT 33 YEARS OLD!
Long story short again, I ended up having to have a triple-bypass. WHAT??!?! At 33 YEARS OLD??? IN THE PHYSICAL SHAPE I'M IN!??!? YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN ME!!!!
Well....needless to say my life has never been the same. After the surgery and all the recovery, my wife ended up having an affair and kicking ME out. I had no place to go. I wasn't released to work yet. And all I had was my junk car to live in, till a friend offered to let me stay in his unfinished attic till I could figure out what to do. My wife threw some things in the yard for me to come and get, and I'll NEVER forget, getting a 6x12 storage unit (it was all they had) to put my 'stuff' into. And when getting ready to leave, turning around and looking at the stuff I had now. After 12 years of working overtime and busting my rear at the factory, all my wordly posessions would now sit in a space about 4 foot squared in the corner that unit. I had nothing....I had lost my family, my house, all my stuff, all my sports, my hobbies, my health, most of my friends, my daughter,....everything but what sat in that corner, and the junk car I was living in.
......................oh ya, and God.Hmmm....You see, I had serious heart problem.
Now, fast-forwarding, I am glad to say that God completely healed my heart!!
Oh, I still have health issues with my human heart and the scars of my rebellion to deal with, but thank God He healed my heart spiritually!! My physical health will never be the same...but thank the Lord, I'll never be the same in my walk with Him anymore, either. Patticake game, over!I'm grateful to say that...in the last two years, I have gotten remarried to a wonderful, beautiful, very Godly woman. She is helping me heal the scars of my second marriage with the love God has given her to share with me. And continues to walk with me through this journey called life. Encouraging me to be a better man, and to listen even more intently to God. And while we are still working to recover and heal from some things, we know that we have God and each other to lean on through it all.
And my walk with God? Well...it's never been better. Oh, it's not easy some days with all the health issues, money problems that those create from time to time, and all the 'scars of rebellion' I have to deal with now. But, every morning when I look in the mirror and see the reminder of the 'heart problem' I once had, on my chest, I know that God would do ANYTHING to show me how much He loves me. What does tomorrow bring? We never know, but God does, and I know Jesus loves me...just like I sang that morning when I was five years old before Sunday School.....Hmmm, imagine that!
What an AWESOME, AWESOME God I serve!!!!
So, you wanna play patticake with God? You wanna walk through life like a Pharisee...obeying some rules and carrying your Bible to church and pretending to be a 'good Christian'? Good luck with that! Take it from a recovering Pharisee....If you are God's child, THAT lifestyle won't fly with Him, and he'll be knocking at the door of YOUR heart soon!
Sorry for the novel.....I hadn't really ever talked about that stuff like that, and it just kept coming out. There is more to the story, but I tried to keep it as short as possible.
God Bless you all!!!
Brad
Last edited by WYLDTHING; 03-15-2010 at 09:43 AM.
03-15-2010, 09:10 PM
#5
Awesome story, Kaleb!! Thank you for sharing with us! Isn't it amazing how God was able to take something SO devastating in your life and turn it into something great?
I don't know the pain that losing those people would cause. I have been blessed to have never lost anyone to death that I would consider that close to me, so I can only imagine.
I did have a question though...before you were baptized, did you pray and ask God to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior?
God Bless you all!!!
Brad
I don't know the pain that losing those people would cause. I have been blessed to have never lost anyone to death that I would consider that close to me, so I can only imagine.
I did have a question though...before you were baptized, did you pray and ask God to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior?
God Bless you all!!!
Brad
YES I did realize that. After all the troubles I have seemed to have faced ALREADY in my short life so far. They have been challenges but there is ALWAYS one person to look to for help. And he is always home
Actually, I was young when I got baptised. And When I told my mom I wanted to, She asked me that exact question, So I thought about it for a couple of days.And I did ask for him to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior.I will always look up to the big man upstairs for everything, good or bad. I love that man, And thats why I try and spread his faith. Thats when I decided to put the Faithful Fish on all my equipment for this year. For those that have not been found yet, I am trying my best at such a YOUNG age to spread this religion and keep my relationship with my Lord alive and faithful.
It is also nice to have a sponsor that supports the Lord as much as I do.
Thanks,
Kaleb
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