I accepted Jesus by faith into my heart when I was 11 years old. Before my life change, I had limited time under the teaching of the Bible. My mother would go every week to a hairdresser by the name of Audrey Lee Stone and get her hair "fixed." Audrey Lee was a godly single lady who loved Jesus and told my mom, "I should come to Vacation Bible School," which was going to begin the following Sunday. My mom took that invitation to heart and took me to VBS. I was in a "different" when I walked into the church and saw all those children and adults singing songs to "the Lord." I was further amazed and confused when I went to a classroom where the teacher told us about a person named Jesus and all He did as He walked on this earth. They told us He was the Son of God, and I felt a little indigestion in my stomach when I heard about Jesus. It wasn't gas, but it was the beginning of conviction by the Holy Spirit. That conviction worsened when one of those children, named Bruce Kissinger, took me into the church's prayer room and told me that Jesus wanted to be "my Savior." I tossed and turned while trying to sleep the night after Bruce told me how he was a believer and that I should also come to Jesus.
We lived in Howell Valley on a 63-acre farm, and I would get on my horse and run him all the way to the back, where there was a large pond. It was my place to go and dream about my future and think about life. That day, I got on my horse, Patches, and did my customary ride to the pond, but I was troubled. That day was going to be a day when I thought about the spiritual things I knew little about. The feeling inside became even more intense, and I was troubled as I realized "I was a sinner" and there was no hope for me to go to heaven should I die. I asked my mom what was happening to me, but she couldn't help me much because she was not a believer either. She did tell me to pray to God about it and then she held me for the longest time. Oh, my sweet mom.....
We got up the following Sunday and went to church, and I went to a Sunday School class, and my troubled heart was getting worse and worse to the point I was crying for no apparent reason. I went to the church service and sat in the back with a group of friends. We played games while the music was being sung. When the preacher. Jim Hylton got up to preach. I began to listen to what he was saying, and at the end of his message, he offered an invitation for anyone to come forward to receive Jesus. It was at that point I realized all that I had been going through was coming down to walking up to the front, so I got out of the pew row and almost ran to the front. Doyle Harris saw me coming and reached out his hand, and asked me why I was coming up to the front. I just blurted out, "I want to get saved!" He led me through a prayer after making sure I knew what I was doing, but I already knew what I was doing and it was good.
After the service it was customary for those who had received Jesus to stand in the front and others would come through and shake your hand. I was doing pretty well at greeting people. Guess who was next in line? Audrey Lee Stone. Things got a little more serious when she looked me in the eye and put her hand on my chest, and spoke what I call a blessing and a commission on my life. Audrey Lee said, "David. God's Spirit is in your life, and you will serve Him in great ways. She then said, "Follow Him!" I didn't think much about it at the time, but to date, I have been a full-time minister of the gospel for over 45 years. Hebrews 12: 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.
All testimonies are different, except for one thing, Jesus did the saving in each case and all were born again and made new. The following scripture is Paul's Testimony and there are some facts Paul shares about this testimony that are not in the original version as recorded in Acts 9. PAUL'S TESTIMONY Acts 22: 1“Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defense.” 2 When they heard him speaking in their own language,[a] the silence was even greater. 3 Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today. 4 And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison. 5 The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the followers of the Way from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished. 6 “As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
8 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene,[b] the one you are persecuting.’ 9 The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me. 10 “I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’ 11 “I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions. 12 A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus. 13 He came and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And that very moment I could see him! 14 “Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. 15 For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard. 16 What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’ 17 “After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance. 18 I saw a vision of Jesus[c] saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t accept your testimony about me.’ 19 “‘But Lord,’ I argued, ‘they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20 And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.’ 21 “But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”
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