Jack from Annapolis

Jack's dad was a Delaware county attorney and politician who was an upstanding man in the community. His dad instilled a good sense of right and wrong in him. When Jack turned 18, he went into the military at his father's suggestion. For four years Jack lived the nominal life of an enlisted man.

After his military tour of duty, Jack went to college. It was both his military life and college that provided the environment for some rather loose living, including the typical drinking binges and immoral living.

It was during this time that Jack got notice from his girlfriend that she was pregnant. When he learned of this possibility, he became very remorseful at the thought of getting her pregnant. He was, for the first time, repentant for his actions and was "praying" for a way out of the situation.

As it turned out, the baby was aborted naturally. So in effect, Jack was off the hook of responsibility for his actions. But that experience changed him forever. He began to seek to more about God. He found a Bible and began to read it. It was during this same time he became acquainted with a couple in the same apartment complex he was living in who were active in an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ. Through their counsel and help, he became convinced there was a God. Jack also became acquainted with another guy who was in Campus Crusade and who invited him to a Campus Crusade for Christ meeting. Then around the same time Jack was watching a Billy Graham television special. On one night, Billy said something that "put all the pieces together" for him. It was so profound, he dropped to the floor at that moment and turned over his life to Christ, asking forgiveness for all his sins and, of course, receiving it.

From that moment on, Jack became a voracious reader of the Bible, getting all he could from studying it and attending a church where there were good sermons and teaching. Today, almost 30 years later, he is still serving the Lord as are his children.

Learnings:

• Jack's experience was more progressive. His remorse over getting his girlfriend pregnant was the pivotal point in his quest to clean up his life.
• But as we know, it is not what we do to clean up our own lives, it's what Christ has already done on the Cross. Jack came to this realization later on.
• Like Chuck Colson (author of the book Born Again), Jack put all the pieces together when he heard Billy Graham's message of repentance and forgiveness.

Tim From Savannagh

Tim grew up in LA in a non-churched home. His mom and dad were both hooked on drugs and alcohol while he was growing up.

On one Easter, his mom decided to go to church and take Tim and his sister as well. From that one occasion, his mother never attended again but it provided an opportunity for Tim and his sister to attend Sunday School through the bus ministry. Tim wasn’t interested but his sister was, so he went along, and hearing the gospel at this evangelical church.

When Tim reached high school, he turned away from all things Godly. Not having any positive family support, he got into drugs and alcohol.

Tim loved playing football. So at age 18, he got on a community college team. His coach got him a job as a bouncer at a local bar, furthering the spiral down in his life.

Then he quit football at age 20 and went into some state of depression. When he was sitting at a bar, Tim would be drinking and then be able to quote scripture that he learned as a child.

In this state, Tim decided to visit his youth pastor he came to know at the church he attended as a child. His purpose was really to offend him and mock him and hopefully the pastor would chastise him. But the pastor’s only response was one of love, and specifically he said “God has a better plan for you.”

After this encounter, Tim went home, somewhat jarred by the experience he intended for bad. He became convicted of his ways. But he also had 5 reasons why he felt his return to God would not work. Later on that day, he received calls from some of the friends he had while at church. In those conversations, all the reasons he had were melted away. It was at that moment of realization that Tim fell on his knees and asked Christ to become his Savior.

One month later, Tim enrolled in Azusa Pacific University getting his degree in Biblical Studies. He met his wife there and they married 2 years later in 1990. Today he is the associate pastor in a large Assemblies of God church in Savannah, Ga.

Tim’s sister is still serving the Lord with her husband in California. They have 5 kids who are part of the second generation.

Learnings:

Score one for the bus ministry. Had there not been the initiative of someone in that church to invite Tim and his sister to come to church through the bus ministry, probably Tim would not have come to the Lord.
Tim said that he was instantly delivered from drug and alcohol addiction. His thought for this was that God knew he was too weak to overcome this on his own, recounting the scripture that God will not put us into situations that are too hard for us to bear.