The hardest things in life tend to be new beginnings. At least this is what I have experienced. I am not saying that every time something new begins, that it is the most difficult experience, but I am saying that new beginnings are not the easiest. This time is no different. My name is David, and this is a new beginning of a journey for myself, and my family. But before I can tell you about this new beginning, I should tell you about where I come from.
I was brought up in a Christian home, going to church on Sundays more times than not. We celebrated Christmas, and remembered the importance of Easter. My parents did their best to bring me up as a Christian, and they succeeded in their goal. When I was 14, I was baptized in the pool at Applegate Christian Fellowship. Life was good, and I only had a few stumbles in high school. Nothing truly led me far off the path that God had for me until after I turned 18 and moved away from home when I joined the military.
Being away from what I knew, and the overwhelming experiences of the world flooded me, and for awhile, took over my life. I began to be more free in my relationships, go to stores that I should not have been going in to, and reading books that should never have been read. I began to question a lot of the things I had been brought up to believe. My faith was rattled to the point that I didn't even feel the Spirit in me any more. I was so far from my upbringing, that I did not even tell my parents when I got married.
Looking back, I know that no matter what I did or where I went, I was still under the protection of Jesus. I know He wept for me, and was saddened by what I was doing, but He was still there for me the moment I was ready to listen. Shortly after getting married, my wife and I were having a discussion about the Bible, and what it meant to us. We knew that we needed to get Jesus at the center of our life, our marriage, and our growing family. That is when I started to hear the Spirit once again.
After finding a church that we could regularly attend, I thought things were going really good. My life was thrown into another upheaval when I was taken away from my family for work. I had to go to another country for a year, and leave my family behind. At this point in my relationship with God, it was strong enough to keep me from going astray, but at the same time, that year caused my faith to become stagnate.
Fortunately, we found our family together again at my current assignment. It took us awhile to find our niche again as a family. My wife had essentially been a 'single' mother while I was away, and I had more or less been a bachelor again. We knew quickly that we needed to find a church. The second church we went to was so amazing, and the message was so powerful, that there was no doubt for myself or my wife that this was the church for us. The church's name is Living Stones Community Church of the Nazarene. The last few years at this church has been amazing for my family, and my personal relationship with Jesus.
As of late, I have felt Jesus guiding me to do more. I have felt that it is time to take things to another level. After much prayer and meditation, I believe that it is this very blog that is what I have been guided to do. This blog is the new beginning. It is the next chapter in my life.
After much prayer and deliberation, I have selected the name of this blog to be "Salvation & Honor." I picked this as the name of the blog because during one of my devotion times, I opened the Bible to the following passage, "My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. (Psalm 62:7 NIV) This passage stuck with me, and has become a very personal passage for me. What better verse then that to use as the title of my blog.
I hope that my future posts provide inspiration, motivation, comfort, and understanding. I pray that God uses me to share His message, and uses this blog as a tool to lead lost souls to the path that God has set for them.
If there are any questions, concerns, prayer requests, or you simply want to chat, then please comment on any of my posts, or send me a private message. Thank you and God bless!
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