I was raised in a good home but not a particularly religious one. Church attendance was limited to an occassional Christmas or Easter service, and meant very little to me.
I graduated Sanford High School in 1953. And then I worked in my home town until I joined the Army on December 31, 1956.
While stationed at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey I went into New York City on pass. While in the City I went to Madison Square Garden where for the first time in my life I heard the true Gospel message concerning Jesus Christ and who He is and what He had done for us.
Until that night I thought that one religion was as good as another. I felt that if we tried to live a good life and did not do too many bad things that if there was such a place as Heaven that we would possibly go there. I did not care much either way about spiritual things. I thought that it was probably good for kids and old people; but, not for me.
That night, May 26, 1957, I came to realize that I had sinned against a Holy God. I had taken things that did not belong to me. I had "stolen" small items from friends and neighbors. I had lied. And I had definately used the Name of Jesus Christ in vain.
Not only did I see myself as a sinner before God that night but I heard that He had already forgiven me of my sins. I heard that He loved me and was offering me a new life through faith in His Son. I learned that night that if I would receive Jesus into my life He would come in and change me and make me to become a child of God.
That night as best as I knew how I asked Jesus to come into my life. And He did. I had a new reason to live. As it says in the Bible, "old things (habits, thought patterns, etc.) passed away and things became new".
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