Happy Birthday to Me!

 

I was born a raised a Catholic, received my first communion around the age of 8 or 10, got confirmed in my early teens and live a good life. On January 7, last year, I went to a men's prayer summit in Jackman, Maine. The Maine District of the Church of the Nazarene hosted the summit. All through the weekend, (it was a Thursday to Sunday event) I felt at home with the other men present. They showed a special kind of love that I have rarely seen, especially between men. The men had somehow known that while I had been raised in a church family, that I had not yet pledged my Life to Jesus. The way these men interacted with each other made them special. I had only known them for a few days, yet they knew that I needed God; they knew that I had yet to receive Him. I had resisted the entire time we were at the summit. During the middle of the sermon, the Holy Spirit led me by the hand to the altar. I was lead in a prayer of repentance and asking for salvation by Pastor Chuck LaCombe, a modern day circuit preacher, travelling the country doing revival services. On this date in 2010, in the Jackman, Maine Church of the Nazarene, I was reborn of the Holy Spirit. Once I asked for forgiveness and salvation, the power of the Holy Spirit washed over me. It was simply an amazing feeling. There is none other like it.

If you have not gone before the throne of Christ and turned away from your sin, and accepted the gift of salvation, you owe it to yourself to do it. It is a gift freely given by Jesus. His grace is sufficient to save your soul. Man cannot be saved by good works, donating money to the poor or any number of charities, or simply sitting in a pew. You have not committed a sin for which Jesus cannot forgive.

"With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, His love endures forever" Ps 136:12 NIV His love is greater than anything we can imagine.

Father, thank You for being there in Jackman, Maine, when I finally realized I needed your love and guidance in my life. You alone are worthy of all praise and glory. Please continue to pour out your blessings on my family, while I am away from them at sea. In Jesus' name, Amen