On August 9, 1996, I went to a church service at Trace Church of God. I can't remember what the preacher preached about, nor do I remember any songs that were sung. What I do remember was hearing the voice of the Lord calling me to repentance, and ultimately. . . to salvation. I remember it, as if it happened yesterday.

When the time came for the altar call, I didn't hear the Lord calling anyone out, except for me. I made up my mind at that time, to ask forgiveness for my sins. I tried to rise up from the pew, but was unable to do so. I grabbed the back of the pew before me and pulled myself up out of the seat.

When I stepped out into the aisle, it seemed as if it had become easier to walk towards the altar of prayer. When I knelt before the Lord to pray, there were many that gathered around me praying for me and with me. I could feel the weight of sin being lifted from my shoulders as I prayed and accepted Jesus as my Saviour. I was set free at this time from the burdens that I had carried all of my life. I was 36 years old at that time.

Someone once asked me why I chose to be a Student of the Word. This is the reason for this article. It's hard to explain in simple terms typing through an IM or in a chatroom. It is something that must be read or heard in voice to get the full impact of what really happened. It isn't so much that I chose to be a student of the Word because I like to study, or because I merely wanted to belong to a group of people.

Mostly I was a loner. I didn't like being around people very much at all, with the exception of a few. I played music in bars helping people to get drunk and have fun. I saw many fights and even a shooting once at a bar the group was playing at. There is a saying, "Ignorance is bliss." When we played at these clubs, I thought I was happy. I thought I was having a good time. I didn't drink very much at all and mostly kept to myself during breaks.

Once the Lord saved me, I realized that there was no happiness in playing music for drunks. I realized that I didn't know what a good time was, until I played music for Him. What it comes down to is this. I didn't simply decide to become a student of the Word. The Word chose me. The Word was the One who called me to repent and be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. Without being called, I could not repent.

The way to salvation was made by God through the Word of God. There is no other way than through the name of Jesus Christ and the blood that he shed on the hill called Calvary.

If you are still reading this, I assume you have an interest in it. I tell you the truth, if you feel the drawing of the Holy Ghost in your soul, please repent now and be saved. Jesus knocks on the door to your heart, but will not open it from the outside. You must open it and allow Him to come in. Jesus is a gentleman and will not go where he is not invited.

Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

As you can see, it is easy to understand what one must do to be saved. It wasn't written to where it needs deciphered as a code. It was written so that the Holy Ghost can reveal the truth to those whom He will. Accept Him today, if you feel the call of the Spirit. If not, feel free to email me and let me know that I should be praying for you. Those who email me asking for prayer will be prayed for. I will also have others praying for you.

Thank you for your time. God Bless You.

Approximately one month after the Lord saved me, we found out that my wife was pregnant. I know this may sound irrelevant, but the thing about this pregnancy was, she was not supposed to ever get pregnant. She has some type of syndrome, (the name escapes me at this time), that keeps her from bearing children.

Doctors said she cannot get pregnant. Knowing that doctors do make mistakes at times and maybe they made one this time, when we found out she was pregnant, she was about 31-32 weeks into the pregnancy. To me, this has a great significance in the birth of our son. It is my belief that God designed all that we had gone through to bring us to the place that we were at the time.

We had only a few weeks to get ready for something most people have months to prepare for. The pregnancy, what little there was of it, was the easiest I had ever heard of or seen. There were no complications and everything went according to how it should. On the day of December 4, 1996, my wife went in for her two week checkup. I was at work and had no idea about anything except she had the appointment. When I came in from work, my wife's step father told me that he would take me over to the hospital. I still had no idea what was going on.

When we arrived at the hospital I found out that the baby was going to be taken by C-section. Later I found out that all her fluid had leaked out and the baby was struggling to survive. I called my close friends and family to pray and some came to the hospital. At 7:26 pm my son was born. He weighed 10 lb. 7.5 oz. He was as healthy as any baby could be.

Everything went well with no complications. Today he is almost 12 years old and loves to play baseball. He's still healthy and very active. He is over 5 feet tall and weighs over 120 lb. He is the gift of God to me and my wife.

I can't remember exactly when Mom was diagnosed with cancer, but I think it was in 1994. It was in her lymph nodes and had spread to her lungs. Surgery was a must at the time. The doctors went in and removed what they could. It took a while for her to get back on her feet, but she made it through the surgery seemingly with flying colors.

I went to watch her get baptized along with my dad. I was still lost and wanted nothing to do with God. Everything seemed to be working out just right. As I stated before, the Lord saved me in August of '96. My son was born in December of '96. Mom did get to see her new grandson not long after he was born. She fell in love with him. She often bragged on how good Jacob was.

She went back into the hospital not long after that and found that the cancer was back and had spread into her brain. The battle with cancer was still gong on. Surgery went very well again that time around. She was home within 5 days of having brain surgery, which is remarkable in itself. She seemed to be doing great, but that was only what was seen by those around her. Inside, I believe she knew she was dying.

It took about a year, but eventually she passed away. The cancer that she had fought for so long, had finally gotten the best of her. I remember the day she passed on. It was on a Sunday. I came home from Sunday school to a message to go to Mom's house. I knew then that it was time to say goodbye. I called my Pastor and another brother from church to come and pray with her. As we prayed I saw her hands raise up toward the Lord. I prayed that day that the Lord take Mom home if she was ready to go, although I knew in my heart that she was ready.

I went home after the prayer and pondered and grieved for her. I made the decision to go on to church that night. Before the service began, there was a phone call made to the church. Mom had passed away about half an hour before the call was made. It hurts me deeply to write this, even though it has been over 8 years now. My eyes are filled with tears and my heart is broken. I wanted to grieve at the time, but was unable to do so. Nothing I could have done would bring Mom back. I wouldn't have brought her back to this evil world anyway. She passed away believing in Jesus Christ and was carried to His bosom.

I remember the day we buried my mother's body. It was on a Wednesday. I hadn't slept very much for the three days before. I slept through the day after the burial. I decided to go to church that evening. It was cool outside, so I wore my jacket. After the service I went to the coat hangers to get my jacket but it was gone. Someone had taken it.

At first I was so mad I could only see red. Of all days for something like this to happen it happened the day my mother was buried. After I calmed down a little, I talked with my Pastor and told him about it. He made an announcement saying that whoever took it should bring it back. It was a leather jacket and cost over one hundred dollars. I went home with no jacket and prayed about it.

Little did I know at the time that God had already taken care of things. Within a week I had one brand new leather coat. I was ecstatic and thanked God many times over. I was well satisfied and grateful to Him for His faithfulness. Approximately four more weeks had passed and I got another new leather jacket. That makes God giving me two for one.

God is so good to us and we shun Him so much through our lives. I was reminded of Job. Everything that he had taken away he got back double.

Thank you Lord for being faithful. Thank you Lord for your generosity. Everything that I have comes from you Lord.

After being saved by the grace of God, I have now been called to be righteous. Many things I must overcome in my mind and body in order to be righteous. I must overcome the lusts of the flesh and the sinful nature that I had lived in for such a long time. It is not an easy task, but is possible only by the grace of God and the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even still today, I have problems that I face on a daily basis.

I have things to overcome daily. Lusts is one of these things that I must overcome. Many times I give in to these lusts. I fail to overcome them. I thank God for the grace that He has bestowed unto me. The same grace that saved me from my sins to begin with, can also help me to overcome the lusts if I choose to overcome them.

One of the hardest sins to overcome for me is lusting after the desires of the flesh. My mind is filled at times with nothing but thoughts that are dark and disturbing. When this happens I must make myself think on good things and leave the evil things alone. Many times I fail to do what I should and therefore I am berated, not of myself, but of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will always warn us of evil things that we are contemplating to do. Many times I have failed to heed him in His warnings.

After being saved, I have done many things that I should not have done. I have cursed and said many things that I should not have said. I have looked at pretty women, not just to behold their beauty, but to lust after them. I still fight these sins today. The mind of man is dark, evil, and full of mischief. There is chaos in the mind. It is only after being perfected in the Lord that one can have true peace. To know that one is going to heaven and not to hell is the only peace a person can have. To go to heaven is to live in peace for eternity. To go to hell is to die daily over and over again with torment and agony.

This is merely another small portion of my life in the Lord. I wrote this for others to read and know what I go through at times. I am trying to show myself to the readers openly. As I write this, I am also writing it to the Lord. King David wrote many times about the troubling times he faced. This is just a small portion of the troubling times that I face.

Thank you for your patience in reading this. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be bestowed upon you, that you also can become a new person in Him.

A close friend whom I just met recently on HubPages has also posted his testimony. His name is Eddie Perkins and you can read his testimony. I will appreciate it if you give him a shout out and a read on his hub.