Ours was a typical American family when we met Jesus. My family and I were living in Chickasaw, Alabama when my dad was dramatically converted. Dad was an insurance salesman and Mother was a school teacher. My sister Mitzi and I were 4 and 6 years old. Dad went to a revival service on a Tuesday night in his hometown of Sweet Water, AL to find some insurance prospects. Instead, he found the Lord! He returned home late that night and woke us up to tell us what Christ had done for him. We immediately saw a difference in his life. He began preaching and leading people to Jesus. The first two people he led to the Lord were his own father and mother who faithfully served the Lord as ministers in the Methodist church. Mother rededicated her life to the Lord, and our family began going to church for the first time.
Though I was only 6 years old, I knew that I wanted what my dad had experienced. During every invitation at the end of the worship service, I began feeling emotional. God was working in my little heart. So, in October 1958 (two months before my seventh birthday), I made a public profession of my faith in Jesus and was baptized at First Baptist Church of Chickasaw, AL by Bro. Bob Barker. I am grateful to say that I have walked faithfully with the Lord since that time. And, I am so very grateful for my Christian home and godly parents who taught me the truths of God’s Word which have profoundly impacted my life. God began writing the story of my life at the time of my salvation!
Since my conversion, I have grown in my faith and recommitted my life to the Lord many times. I surrendered to ministry as a 15-year old, not knowing exactly how God would direct my life. As a 22-year old, I committed my life to marriage and ministry as I married my precious husband Chuck who had also surrendered his life to serve the Lord. At the height of my professional career as Director of Speech Pathology at a large medical center in New Orleans, I left my “dream job” to follow God’s call into full-time ministry. God focused my call for ministry to women on teaching and speaking His Word as well as writing Bible study resources for women. In 1996, I supported my husband in his call to serve as President of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. And, last year, my husband and I stepped out in faith again as he retired so that we could both continue serving the Lord and fulfilling our ministry calls. God has truly written an unbelievable story in our lives as we have followed Him in faith. God continues writing the story of my life!
What is your faith story? How long has it been since you recalled the moment when Jesus saved you and called you to be His child? Have you shared your faith story with your family and invited each loved one to trust Jesus as their Savior? Do your friends and colleagues know your faith story? Join me in recommitting your life to the Lord and begin to share your faith story with others. God can use your personal testimony to strengthen your own faith and witness to others. It’s His story and your story…don’t keep it to yourself! Share with others the faith story that God is writing through your life.