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 Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 4:30 pm
I know Jesus is the Christ. I know He lives, and that He will save all who call upon His name and follow His commandments.
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:10 am
When I was about five I got saved. I stayed pretty close to God for ten years after that. During 9th grade I started to drift away and even got into paganism for about a year. There was a bunch of christians in my fourth period class and they kept talking to me and trying to bring me back to Christ. Eventually I listened to them apologized to God for everything I had done and asking him to forgive me and take me back. That's basically a very long story crammed into a very short paragraph. If you want more details feel free to pm me.
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Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2005 4:30 am
Lycangirl When I was about five I got saved. I stayed pretty close to God for ten years after that. During 9th grade I started to drift away and even got into paganism for about a year. There was a bunch of christians in my fourth period class and they kept talking to me and trying to bring me back to Christ. Eventually I listened to them apologized to God for everything I had done and asking him to forgive me and take me back. That's basically a very long story crammed into a very short paragraph. If you want more details feel free to pm me. Well, I'm glad you have returned to the loving arms of Christ! biggrin Stories like that are always wonderful to hear! 3nodding
I wish I could say that for one of my good friends... sad
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:54 pm
Let's see. I grew up in Christian, if liberal, home. Because of the school I went to, I was essentially frightened into accepting Christ at around six. Hell scared me to death. For then next eight or so years, I was so confused. I loved to learn, and I love science and social studies. Basically, everything that makes one question Christianity, I loved.
I had issues with the whole thing, specifically the fact that the god would allow slaughtering, persecution, discrimination, and ultimate damnnation. The only saving grace (pun not intended) was Jesus. Everything else about the Bible was practically cruel.
Eventually, I left this fundamentalist school, angry as hell at all the 'christians' who told me I was going among pagans because I would attend a catholic school. I had heard horror stories about the school I left, people having to take remedial math just to catch up once out of highschool. I wasn't learning anything at my old school, save that almost everyone was evil and destined to hell.
After three or so more years of agony, I'm now essentially Buddhist, and my heart has never been calmer.
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Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 4:47 pm
Hoboy... Let's see.
I grew up in a Catholic household in Ireland, in a rather religious part of the country. It's got a pretty religious background, Glanmire. However, I lived in a nice little area of the city where few people actually even attended church, yet still claimed the title "Catholic." A lot of people still held old Gaelic traditions close to heart as well...
Well, anyways, so my family was non-practicing Catholic, and I really didn't have much exposure to Christianity until a friend of mine when I was about... 10 or so started taking me to her youth-group meetings. I found it to be rather fun. We played games that people could lose an arm in, and we made... artsy things. I also got really into the Bible study as well, and eventually started going on their little summer retreats and such to some... woodsy area. The music is what drew me...
However, a major turn off was the crazy old people who would touch my shoulder and pray aloud for me. I felt strange... Uncomfortable. I felt like they were speaking to nothing. That's when I started to realize that perhaps I didn't belong to this faith if I couldn't make myself see God and Jesus as more than interesting characters in a book. Another turn off was the slight bit of hysteria I noticed. CDs and the likes were contraband... But someone brought all of their rock CDs just to burn them in a pit of fire.
Well, so, I started looking into other religions. I looked into Celtic recon, Norse recon, Judaism, Buddhism, Shintoism, protestant Christianity, and others. The one I probably stuck with for the longest time was Shintoism.
When I was 13 or 14.... Sometime around my 14th birthday, anyway, my parents decided to move to the states. So, I went with them. It was difficult, living in a strange country that I had only encountered in books and on the tele. At this time, I believe I considered myself a simple atheist, as I was still searching for a religion.
In time, I realized that I needed to stop looking for religions I would need to reshape my beliefs for, and started looking for a religion that would suit my already existing beliefs instead. In the states, I met a number of "Wiccans," and I really had no desire to become one of them. I did open my mind and attempt to research it, but most of it seemed like a crock of s**t instantly, so I dropped it like a bad habit. This did, however, spark an interest in Satanism, if for the title alone.
I went to the Church of Satan's official website, and at first I thought it was just some stupid joke. The site looks like it was built by 12 year olds... I still despise it's shoddy layout. Anyway, I was able to find some theory links on that site, branching to other corners of the site. It is there that I found what I now call "LaVey's Lists." This would include the 9 Satanic Statements, 9 Satanic Sins, and 11 Satanic Rules of Earth. I agreed with a surprising number of these, but found some things to be a bit harsh.
I heard over and over again that it was recommended one read The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey before jumping to too many conclusions, so... I did so. Upon doing so, I discovered that LaVey's lists were full of satire and humor, and not all were meant to be taken literally. This debunked my thoughts that I could not agree with all of the items on LaVey's Lists... The ones that I did not agree with were further elaborated upon in The Satanic Bible, and I soon learned that the religion wasn't about being an asswipe, as the Lists sometimes made it sound.
So I read, and I discussed with others online, including Satanic magisters, members, and agents. I was pleased with the information I had stumbled upon. I considered myself a Satanist from then on, if by philosophy only.
I couldn't agree with the magical practices however.
Then I studied a bit of basic neuro-science and learned some simple facts about quantum mechanics and psychology... Magic finally made sense, so I began attempting it, and I did some more reading......
Right so... That is how I became a Satanist. biggrin
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 10:39 pm
I attended church for 3 years before I became a Christian. The first year was at a Catholic church where my grandparents attended. We went there for a whole year. Got lessons about Christianity but we weren't too hot about it. Then we went to my aunt's church (very small Protestant church). The pastor wasn't too fun. My siblings and I did not like it much. Then my parents attended another Protestant church because they enjoyed the Bible teacher. It was about an hour away from our house.
The same church, my brother and I knew NO ONE there for a year. Then, I attended the summer retreat.
On about the third day in, we had a prayer session/praise/worship. We prayed for 3 straight hours without knowing it. This was August, 2005. I was going through a tough time with parents and family: my father almost beat my mother while my siblings and I were gone--the only one home was mum, dad, and my older sister (who is very strong), my sister was at college, my other sister was working faraway with a very very hard job with minimal pay. I prayed and felt Jesus Christ crying with me.
After that night, I became a believer. A lover of Jesus Christ. Ever since then, my life has changed and I don't know how I lived without Him.
Hallelujah! God is love.
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:10 am
So I went through this thread to find my tesitmony for a project I'm working on....and realized it wasn't here. exclaim
so I will give it now. razz
I didn't have one life changing event that led me to God. Yeah, I had a moment, where I made a decision....but I've faltered and risen many times since.
this may be a little long.
I was never raised in a church. My parents were both raised attending services weekly, but it didn't carry over much into their adult lives. I mean, I knew the answers to give my grandparents to make them smile on easter or christmas, but that was about it. I also had a book of bible stories, which
was actually one of my favorites as a kid. I loved the larger than life miracles of the Old Testament...but I only knew them as the Ark Story, Flood Story, and so on.
So, I grew up, all the way through junior high, believing, marginally, in at the very least a benevolent force guiding our existence...call it Fate, God, whatever. I actually spent some time arguing against the existence of God...and looking back, I know it damaged a friend's faith, and I pray for guidence everyday.
My freshman year of high school, alot happened. A best friend decided to choose a boyfriend over me, and that hurt. My friends had been going to a youth group, and I noticed something different about their lives...they were so much happier than i was, always. I had one friend who invited me to the youth group every week, without fail....and one day, when i hit rock bottom--I mean, ready to give up on relationships forever, I actually went to her and asked if she would take me....my curiousity got the best of me.
I had great fun at the youth group--but there was something more about it. The youth leader talked about those stories I had loved as a kid--but he told them as truth. And he talked about Jesus, and the apostles, and....well, everything he said resonated in me.
A few weeks later, in the beginning of December, a new youth pastor was introduced. The first night he spoke....well, he BROUGHT it. I couldn't for my life tell you what it was exactly he said, but I remember how I felt...my spirit was moved. We bowed our heads, and that night I invited Jesus into my heart. I still remember, vividly, catching his eyes as a step of acknowledging my faith before men.
By no means was I (or am I) a great Christian. I have fallen and faltered so many times.....
But God has gotten me through so many things I never thought I could handle-through the suicide of a friend, family troubles.....Really, it isn't anything huge...But looking back, I can see where he was chasing me--where he held me up and I couldn't see him...where he was always there...regardless of whether I saw it at the time.
So, almost 4 years later, I am following him with my heart...trying everyday to give him all that I am...and still failing alot. But I'm there. I love the Lord, and I am so not afraid to admit it.
I stand in awe.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 3:48 pm
Like a week ago (yesh, it's a little late) I had frequent nightmares about death/dying (very graphic and horrible, like drowning) sad . When I would wake up, I would stay scared. I think the feeling I had could only be compared to the loneliness felt when someone is about to die. One night, my mind filled with the thoughts of dying (both me and my friends, family, etc). I began praying in my head, but the thoughts kept coming. All of a sudden, I just said out loud, "Jesus!" and the thoughts were gone. I haven't had another bad thought since. Everytime I say the name "Jesus" any thought unwelcome in mah head are gone. whee whee whee
PRAISE TEH LORD!!! heart
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Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 2:36 pm
Hiya, I just recently joined and decided: what better way to get comfy in this guild, then to share my testimony? ^-^ So, here I am, and here I go!
When I was a little girl, I was constantly being told about God from my Great Grandmother, in which my mom confirmed. But...I never really know what it meant to be a Christian.
Though my Gram scolded me for not praying every night, I didn't really start until about...the end of eighth grade. That was when I really knew what being a Christian meant, and truthfully accepted the savior into my heart. That's also when I started to change myself for the better in his image.
Now, moving back a little bit.
I never had a dad, and was incredibly poor. I didn't notice though because I was immensely happy. I thought this was normal, and often my fantasies of having children of my own as a child involved just me. Well, that started to change when I found out that almost eveyone but me had a dad. I didn't realize at the time, but there was this huge empty gap in me...which wasn't being filled.
In Elementary School too fight off unwanted remarks, I just said that my mom and dad were engaged and that they broke it off. Which, wasn't true. My mom wasn't engaged and at the time wanted to have a child, me, but didn't really 'care' with whom. I actually had to have tests done along with other men, because she didn't know who was my father.(Please don't judge her awfully, she feels guilt ridden to this day over certain aspects of her life and is currently trying to reform. )
I actually met my father for the first time, in sixth grade. When he found out he actually had a child out there. I never saw him again and the only acknowledgement was child support every week.
I was uneffected. I did have a supposed 'father-figure' in my life, if you'd even call him that, my Step Father. I guess I'd known him since I was six, but never really thought of him as a father.
Especially after seeing all the physical and emotional, not to mention, mental abuse he put my mother through. Luckily I'd already been mentally developed by that stage, so it hasn't effected me as much as my younger half-brother who suffers from various problems. But wether or not that won't impact me in the future has yet to fully dawn on my mind.
My mom turned to alcohol and became somewhat of a big alcoholic (Something that she's put a stop to recently) and was even more recently put into jail for a few days because of a misunderstanding the officers didnt' believe her about because she was intoxicated at the time.
I myself had been doing okay, though I was more than a brat throughout my childhood. But only in school. In sixth grade I changed to a shy, quiet, kind girl. Something I hated, but accepted at the time. That's when I had a crush on this boy in whom I loved until eighth grade-when he moved.
Not too soon after we moved too, because I really had nothing to stay in that city for. Except for my closest friends, whom i'm still in contact with today. I fell into a horrible state of depression, was picked on and just wanted to die. Though I was far too smart to try anything on myself, or mutilate myself in any way. Though i'd say I took my troubles out on food.
Near the end of that year my cousin stopped by: Jaala. And the only one who was truely a Christian in my family. She gave me tons of Brio (Christian Girl) magazines which I ignored for months.
Then finally I got bored enough to flip through one. Then ten more. Until all were read. Even though I had cried through most of the articles, ones which held exactly what I needed to hear at the time, I cried some more. And really accepted the savior into my heart, asking for forgiveness.
I always knew he was there, but never listened to him. I swore, and lied to a horrible degree, amongst other things. Most of which stopped in eighth grade when I moved and depression took over. I realized then, that I moved for the better, since the area I lived in wasn't very pleasant and changing me for the worse. I realized that my crush left for two reasons: One: I never would've moved had he not, and once I got the courage to actually visit my new neighbors...I found out that they were Christians too. Strong ones at that. And two: I was living for him-and NOT The Lord.
Not too soon after, my depression left and I had someone to live for, and model my life after. Nineth grade came to a close with me being myself: Loud, outgoing and optimistic...touching a few lives through Christ along the way, and making many genuine friends.
I recently cried and told my mom about her drinking problem face to face, which she halted after a bit more 'jarring' incidents. I'm actually starting to attend a church I adore, and that gap that has been empty for fifteen years of my life-has finally been filled. I've also found a few hobbies I love which have modeled me for the better. The main being that of anime and manga, which helped me realize my love for drawing. (Though I had been drawing all my life, along with playing video-games.)
I've also had a few bumps along the way with violent and most likely demonic forces. At which one time I was just going to sleep and practically thrown back against my bed's headboard. Immediately after I began reading my bible, and felt safe and secure and was able to go back to sleep. I've left it open, and ever since I've yet to face...that kind of experience. Though various times contact has occurred, such as touching speaking and TV's turning on in the middle of the night, then off again.
Though I'm not perfect and currently am struggling with my cursing problem and trying to read my bible everyday, I've never been happier. The Lord has touched me in so many ways, and I can't wait to do more for him. I just hope that through sharing my testimony, (Something that I had to shorten due to rambling. =3 ) someone else will be touched and strengthened.
I do get depressed sometimes, but have yet to experience the overall hopeless-ness I felt in the past. ^-^ I'm also entering tenth grade with a self-confidence and overall acceptance I have never possessed before, though some of it had reared during the middle of ninth. I can only look to God and Jesus and thank them both profoundly, and continue to pray that i'll be able to return the limmense ove given to me through my actions.
It's hard, but I have purpose and a goal in life. I'm so greatful. ^.^
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Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 3:50 pm
I have a very boring and basic testimony. I grew up in a christian home, went to church had church playmates. I went to VBS and was a goody-two-shoes. When I was in first grade, I decided to ask God in my life while I was supposed to be napping. No deep thinking or conversation or anything. When my mom came and got me up, I was like "I just asked God into my heart mommy!" She was so happy, later when my dad got home, I told him and he had the same response. Next sunday I talked to the Pastor and was shceduled to be baptised once they fixed the baptistry.
On an off note, I always thought this emoticon went pefectly with the idea of hell. burning_eyes
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Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 9:04 pm
...
I don't have one... but I'm bored...
My favorite crayon in kindergarten was the green one... it's been my favorite colour since... with red being a very close second... Didn't taste very nice, though...
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Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:41 pm
I'm going to start with my mom's testimony, 'cause she started it all. My parent's had just moved to CT with my mom being 3 months pregnant with me, and they were just getting to know some people. At an Elk's club dance my mom met some new friends, including this lady Olivia, who ended up leading them all to the Lord. She told my mom about salvation and how wonderful it is. My mom said it sounded good to her but (she was an alcoholic at the time) did she have to give up her beer? Olivia said no, and my mom said "then I'll take it." Now that she was saved, mom decided that she should learn some more about God by reading the Bible. So she would sit in bed with her Bible in one hand and her 6-pack of beer in the other and read, and then go to sleep. In the morning she could never remember what she read the night before. This went on for awhile before she realized God was telling her to stop drinking. She hasn't had a sip of alcohol since. smile
As for me, I've been going to church pretty much since I can remember. When I was 7 me and my mom were traveling somewhere in New Jersey for Thanksgiving. My mom asked me if i had accepted Jesus as my Savior. I said no, I hadn't. She asked "when are you going to do that?" I thought about it for a minute and said "now." And that's when Jesus entered my life. Since then I've had my ups and downs just like everyone else, grown, learned new things, etc. The past couple of weeks have been especially tough as I'm now in college away from all of my church friends (none of my church friends went to my high school). So please pray for me to find a good group of Christian friends and a place to worship on or near campus. smile Oh, and my dad's not saved either, please pray for him too.
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