A Troubled past, A Bright future!

As the grandson of a preacher, I was always in church. I not only knew the bible from church but from home as well. About the age of 13, I recall a feeling that I didn't understand but knew without a doubt I was being called by the Lord. Unfortunately I was a shy person and did not like to draw attention to myself. Since my brother and cousin both went forward that day, I felt that it would make it seem just a little too coincidental if I went forward, so I held on to the pew (any excuse for a stubborn shy person). Just a couple of years later my life went to shamble, with the exception of meeting my wife. At 16, my parents finalized their divorce, a very long and ugly one. Part of the divorce, as decided by the court, was that mom get custody of all the children. My brother, 15-years-old, was very unhappy in fact angry and upon his return from living with dad, he committed suicide. It's a hard thing for a 17-year-old to find their younger brother in the bathroom floor with a gun in their hand. That scar was the biggest change in my life. Just a few short months later my cousin at age 19 was murdered by a gang in Lexington. Both events being so close started the wheels turning as I realized I was human and not immortal as most teenagers think. I have to admit with the chaos I slipped a little, I was never bad but I rebelled as best I could. Then the Lord put his final piece of the plan in place, my wife. We met at a SCORE competition at Marshall University. I wasn't supposed to be in this competition but since I was the only male in that class they had to send one girl and one guy. My wife on the other hand missed her event because she was late (Surprised?). These seemingly strange events forced us to talk the whole day. Turns out the whole time she lived just two blocks down the street from where I was currently living. To make a long story short, she brought me to Pollard. Now that I look back on it, I can see all the things the Lord put into action just to save me. That year, the year when most are so happy: "High School Graduation". I endured 13 deaths of close family and close friends along with a very ugly divorce. I believe now that had those events not happened I would not be saved today. The Lord had to break my will, for after the day I felt the Lord calling it became harder and harder to hear the Lord's calls and eventually I stopped going to church for the next 3 to 4 years. Once He broke the barrier that I built, He sent a messenger to show me the way back to where I could hear Him call (my wife) . After a couple of years at Pollard with my wife I confessed what I had always known to be true and just denied out of stubbornness, that the Lord Jesus Christ was my savior. The real irony is I was baptized on March 1 the day my brother was born on. The Lord never left me; it was I that left him. John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Since I accepted the Lord he has blessed me with a great family and a steady job. And as my favorite phrase from the bible states "Let not your heart be troubled" for the Lord has given me peace. James Newman

©Pollard Baptist Church 2002