Something extraordinary occurred on May 20, 1988.
On that day, I stopped running from God. He had been after me for a while, but I didn't want him to have any say in my life. I wanted to live as I pleased, and perhaps have Jesus in my back pocket in case of emergency.
But in the early morning hours of May 20, 1988, I prayed a prayer of surrender. I don't remember the words, but it was bound up with Jesus Christ and his salvation and his Lordship. It took place in a Denny's restaurant, for what it's worth.
After I prayed that prayer, I knew something had happened - and indeed it had. Over the next weeks, I had a thirst to know God that had never been there before. I began devouring the gospels (the first four books of the New Testament), whereas in the past the Bible was just an inconvenient book on the shelf.
In time, it was clear I was a changed person. Changed on the inside. My attitudes and desires changed. Along with that, the plans for my future changed as well.
One thing I am convinced of -- Jesus changes us on the inside. The gospel is not simply about forgiveness ("Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven"). It's about transformation. It's about God rewiring you back to code, on the inside, so that parts of you begin to function that had previously been disconnected.
I did not "become a Christian" in the sense that I decided I believed something and tried hard to live accordingly. Rather, Jesus grabbed hold of me and made me his own.
I had done all sorts of hurtful things to others, and to myself, previous to that day. However, I wasn't experiencing turmoil in my life (the stereotypical time people might cry out to God for help); I was actually enjoying my life. And the fact that Jesus saved me did not mean that I was suddenly free of all sin and pride, unfortunately. But a process of repentance began, which meant that the pride and self-love had to slowly die -- and these were steadily replaced with worship and love for God.
For a more sophisticated presentation of what I've tried feebly to communicate here, I would encourage you to explore here.
God and Psychotherapy, Part the Second
5 years ago
15 comments:
Wow - its hard to imagine ken before he was a christian.
He was a real wild one! He even had a Bob Marley poster on his ceiling. *gasp*
Yay for 20 SOLID years in Jesus! Woot!
but uh... what posters do you have up now a days?
Ken...thanks for sharing the story of God's faithfulness to you. It's good to remember these things. I remember praying "the prayer" in the parking lot of a Wendy's in suburban Atlanta in September of 1989. Amazing that it has been nearly twenty years ago. Imagine how good eternity will feel.
-Adam
Great story! I'm glad you "got saved" so you could marry my daughter!
Jim
Wow, great story - praise the Lord! I found myself secretly wishing I "prayed the prayer" at a fine dining establishment like Denny's or Wendy's. Oh well, God can work through Psalty the Singing Songbook in the car, too, I guess. :-)
Joni -- Mostly we have artwork now, not posters. But there is one poster. It's a colorful, child-friendly poster from some kind of literacy event that was to take place on September 9, 2001, in Washington DC. I think the poster is interesting because it's just before 9/11 and the concerns of the country were so different just days before the terrorist attacks.
Joel -- I can't guarantee that I prayed "the" prayer but I prayed "a" prayer.
Joel and Adam - Now that we have Denny's and Wendy's, we need to find someone who prayed in Taco Bell or at a hot dog stand.
Ken
I bet there are plenty of Chick-Fil-A converts...just not on Sundays.
well happy birthday!
I think maybe seeing your awesome newborn neice just a month earlier helped you make this decision. :-D
Ahhh...Chick-fil-A. I am so jealous. I am still hoping that they will come further north. There is one in Woodbridge, NJ, but it is too far away. For now, I will have to get my southern tea at McDonald's, which actually isn't half bad.
H
Bethany, Happy Belated Birthday! Actually, visiting you as a baby did play a role in the whole process. More memorable was when I told a friend in San Diego (in 1992 I think), "My sister had her baby!" And the friend said, "Was it a boy or a girl?" And I said, "Ummmmmm... I don't know..." (That's the way guys can be!) (It was a girl. So, Happy belated birthday to Hannah too!)
Heather, if you see anyone converted there (at McD's), let us know and we'll add that to this downward trending list we're developing.
McDonald's sells sweet tea up there????
Cheryl--YES! It just came out and they are advertising it big time. The only bad thing is that they say, "southern style sweet tea" on the cup, which isn't bad necessarily, but the BAD thing is that the accompanying clip art shows two slovenly teenagers sitting on a porch swing, arms and legs draped all over each other. I mean, what message are they trying to send, that southern teens are promiscuous? I am seriously going to call the corporate office to complain. The tea is definitely competitive with that of Chick-Fil-A. Of course, I am not drinking it until they change that graphic!
H
OK--just called corporate about the offensive graphic. The lady said that she would forward my comments onto to advertising. We'll see. Everyone--see if the cup design changes--if so, that is one point for Hildegarde and for polite living.
H
So let me get this straight. You're encouraging everyone to buy the sweet tea with the slovenly teenagers, in order to see if the artwork changes?
You might have just started a big promotional campaign for their sweet tea.
i think i like mcdonald's sweet tea better than "the fil's" - mcdonald's is sweeter, and more southern style, at least to this ex-Jersey boy's tastebuds.
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