(Cross-posted at Integral Christian.com)
Saturday night I was treated to a stranger’s personal testimonial of faith. A quick synopsis of the testimonial was life with Jesus and life without Jesus.
He told me of times of trouble in his life and his rebuking of God. Out in his backyard yelling at the sky, telling God that he would do everything he could to hurt his creation. He turned to the Devil for direction, praying for evil guidance. His only ambition was to make other people hurt as bad as he did inside. In a 15-year duration he lost a million-dollar-a-year job, his wife of 35 years through divorce, 4 children that would not speak to him, six grandchildren that were not allowed to be in is presence, and all material possessions through foreclosure resulting in a new home, a halfway house.
Sitting in the halfway house at the age 53 he needed to find a job and rebuild a career or he would have to live on the streets within the next couple of months. He went on many job interviews and was constantly turned down due to age and being over-experienced in his industry (53 with a P.H.D. in science / engineering – his job market was outsourced). At one interview he was told to find a new career for the reason that nobody would hire him at this stage of his life. The interviewer recommended that he go home and write a list of what he was good at and enjoyed, then told him to pick one and do that.
At this point in the conversation he turned to me and asked, “Have you every felt the presence of God in your life?” My answer… “I think so?” He said, “I was compelled from deep inside to write a list of what I achieved with God in my life and a list of what I have achieved since appointing myself god over my own life”. He went out again to his backyard and fell to his knees and asked God for forgiveness. He got up from his knees and told me “I felt the forgiveness, GOD in all his glory actually forgave me.”
Today this gentleman has his family back and produces Christian movies and TV shows. I share this delectation of a testimonial on Integral Christian for the reason that it represents a state and stage of development in Christian growth.
