Testimonies

At the age of 16 the Lord began to place his call upon my life for the ministry. I would be a third generation preacher of the gospel. Unfortunately, I immediately began to run from that call and became deeply entrenched in the drug culture. After years of indulging myself in the worst that the drug scene had to offer and becoming a part of the most wanted drug dealers in Franklin County Indiana, I found myself in desparate condition. One night after leaving Spencer Indiana, I began to binge on mescaline, PCP, and marijuana laced with THC, in quantities that would kill a normal human being. By the mercy and grace of God I survived that night, but was left debilitated by the residual effects of that experience. It was after that, that God began to deal with me again, and in a small town in Indiana at my father's church, I surrendered my heart to God, as then Evangelist and now Pastor Tommy Bates ministered in song that night.

I suffered for 6 months with withdrawals and terrible mental and emotional anguish not sure if I was going to be able to keep my head above water. Then one night in a confrontation with the enemy, my total healing and deliverance came. The enemy had promised to discontinue torturing my spirit if I would just serve him again, but that night I stood in my room and said, "Satan you can kill me or I may live my life in an institution but I'll never serve you again as long as I live." That broke the power of the enemy off of my life and now for 30 plus years I have been preaching the gospel and am now Pastoring an on fire church in Florence, Alabama. To God be the glory!

When I was 4 years old also Pat Smith was the same age. We ate supper there at his mother and daddy's house. Pat and I went outside and we were pretending that we were going somewhere in the car. Pat hit the gear-shift and we started rolling backwards. We began to roll towards Highway 47 and there was nothing to stop us. God turned the car around and we headed toward a little tree that stopped the car.

I started drinking in the fourth grade. Me, my mother and 3 older sisters were living with some man in what they called "the courts" a beat down, other side of the tracks, kinda place. I saw all kinds of stuff there in my young life…beatings, stabbings, child rape, everyone was a drunk there. I learned early to stay away from the child molesters, and there were a lot living there. I saw my mother beat to a pulp so many times, there was nothing I could do. My mother would leave the courts and take us on the road walking to Houston or Austin many times, just to get away from those men. Mother would go to try to find us food and leave us on the road. She told us to hide under bridges and overpasses to get away from "the law," until she got back. We went hungry too many times to count. We had no money and no place to stay so we went to the salvation army and received help. I remember my first night there, having to watch my back at all times because I was put in the ward with the men. Child molesters. We lived awhile there, then mother would always take us back to the courts, I never understood that.

In my early teens, I was always drunk at school; when I went to school, that is. The principle and teachers threatened me that I would be placed in a foster home. I didn't want that for some reason I thought living like we were would be better. I never had clothes of much, especially clean clothes…so the school took pity on me and gave me a bunch of clothes. We never had much of anything. What we did have, my so-called step father sold to get more booze. My real father we never saw, he lived in his car in an abandoned park. But, life went on. Always looking out for your back, waiting to see who was going to beat you up next or try to molest you.

I started doing more drugs and drinking after high school. First beer and whiskey, then marijuana, and on to speed, cocaine, brown junk, THC, PCP, heroin (I loved the needle) acid, mushrooms, pills, and more. I didn't care.

I was always fighting and I was the one who always started the fights and ended the fights. No one messed with me. I didn't care if I lived or died, I just knew if I was gonna die, someone was surely going with me. I had thoughts of killing people. I had planned it out over and over in my mind how and where and when I would do it. I just wanted to see the persons' face when the life came out of them. I was consumed with these thoughts.

My drinking and drugging got worse and so did my driving. I wrecked four trucks, got 3 DWI's and served time in jail, many times. I didn't care who I hurt. I slapped my wife around and I could feel that I was getting more violent with her. Her mother always said "John, I'm praying for you," and I always told her she better pray for someone else where it will make a difference, "cuz I aint never gonna change."

Well, on my last wreck, I lost a bunch of my boss's tools, totaled a truck, again and went to jail, after I tore the video monitor out of the DPS's car (didn't want them having no video of me!). Sandi came to get me out of jail the next morning. She wasn't angry, or hurt…she said she and the kids were behind me 100%! OK, that scared me, I just knew soon as she got me home, she was gonna kill me.

Well, that day, I went to work and tried to busy myself so I wouldn't have to face my boss, after all, I'd just lost a bunch of his tools from the wreck. He was a Baptist preacher. I couldn't take it no more so I went to him and told him I was sorry about everything…and he told me "John, I ain't gonna preach to you but you need to get yourself and those kids in a church." Then, he told me something no one had ever said before…"Not every church out there is for you. But you will find one that is just right for you and your family." Well, out of respect for him and Sandi and the kids, we went to a church. It was a little Nazarene church down the road from us. Sandi always said she wanted to go there since she was raised Nazarene, so we went. I told myself …If there is a God I want to find Him. So, I prayed on my knees and when I got up, I said "I found Him!" I haven't had a drink since January 4, 1995. He took the cussing away too, and I didn't even ask for that! I continued to smoke nearly 5 packs of cigarettes a day and one day I was sitting outside talking to God and blowing smoke in His face! So, I threw that cigarette out in the yard and said ok, that's it. Well, it wasn't long after that I started smoking again. The kids said they thought I'd quit smoking. I knew I had not included the Lord in my decision to quit, so I got down on my knees and started praying and asking the Lord to forgive me for not including him in my quitting smoking. When I got up, I threw that cigarette out in the yard, and never smoked again.

God continues to work in my life everyday. I keep growing in the Lord all the time. I still have such a burden for those kind of people that I grew up with, so I'll keep bringing in the drunks and the dopers because I know they can be healed. I sure was! Praise be to God!

It was late in the evening on January the 4th, 1995 when I went into my bedroom and sat down on the bed and waited. I was waiting for my husband, John. I knew something was wrong. The meal I had just cooked for him and his drinking buddy, was now cold. So, I sat on the bed with a little scanner in my hand and listened to the crackle and static sounds.
John and I were both drinkers, druggies and everything else we could get our hands on. I started drinking and smoking in Junior High. That led me to try pot and acid , then onto heroin and THC. All sorts of other drugs followed. I decided I liked the party lifestyle, so onto the clubs and the bars I went. Well, that's where I met John Reed. We met and I moved in with him 2 days later. We married three years later, then we had children. I stopped drinking a lot, and just did it socially. I hoped and prayed that John would stop drinking, so that I would quit doing, you know, "social drinking and drugging" …but, to no avail.

I knew in my heart that something had to change for the both of us. I had prayed many prayers before, but not one with this much intensity or such frightening power. Of course, when I prayed before…it was through a drug induced head. But this time was much different. I got down off the bed and onto my knees and started praying, "Lord, do whatever it takes to change my life and John's life." I had never prayed this way before, so I was a bit shaken to think of what the outcome might be. It wasn't five minutes later that I heard the officer's voice over the scanner, saying, "John P. Reed …06618"….THEN John's voice broke in saying, "that's John-Parker-Thedford-Rosebud-Know the dog-Reed!.…" then silence. Instantly, I felt a lifting up and tingling of my shoulders and body up off the floor! Wow! I knew at that very second, I was changed! I knew John was changed! I knew I did not have to worry ever again about our marriage, children, and lives again…that God was now in control! From that day forward, we were going to grow in faith and with God!

God continues to be the Head of our household. We continue to grow in faith with Him. Thank God for his healing power and sanctifying grace!

This is going to be lengthy so get you a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and begin reading.

Today as I write this I am 60 years old. I wanted to bring that up so when I look back as a child you will know it was a long time ago. I am a native of Hueytown, Al. I was raised in a little community called Industrial City. All the little houses looked alike. Like a mining community. As it turns out directly across the street from my house lived my future wife, Jane. Sort of caddy cornered across the street from my house and next door to Jane's house was a church. It made sense that I would go to Sunday school and church since it was right there. My parent's sent me while Jane's parents took her.

I remember we were having a revival and they got all of us kids (I was 8 years old at the time) together before church and told us how bad hell was going to be for all of us that did not get saved. Then the evangelist preached on hell and it was just like you could feel the flames. Since none of us wanted to go to hell we all "went forward." That's what we called getting saved. In a week or two I got baptized along with all the other kids that did not want to go to hell either. Our church was great and we all loved going to it. We had a wonderful pastor and teachers.

As the years passed and I entered the teen age years I felt like something was terribly wrong. Every service I attended I was under conviction. I would "go forward" when I couldn't stand it any longer and the pastor would tell me I needed to re-dedicate my life because he knew I was saved. How can anyone know the condition of another person's heart? I did not realize it at this time, but I was a lost church member.

After getting married I was hot and cold towards the church and also partied and drank a little. I guess I should mention my greatest crutch in my life. That was nicotine. I began smoking around age 10 and soon became a chain smoker. We'll finish the smoking story later.

After failing in my own business I got a job as a wholesale milk man for Barber dairy. Well when you get up at 2:00 AM six days a week you sure don't want to get up on Sunday morning to go to church. After a year of this we moved to Warrior, Al. and decided to "start over." I knew I needed to be in church or I might even lose my wife. We found this little traditional community church with some very friendly people and a great pastor. Soon as we started there I immediately knew something was bad wrong in my life. This church threw out doctrines and preached the Bible. Boy was I under conviction. I finally realized that I was not saved. Yes I was baptized into the church but had never received Jesus as my personal Savior. Here I am 25 years old and I have to admit I have been living a lie for all these years. Nope can't do it. I chose to continue as I was and not tell anybody. Well that's a good thought but you cannot hide from the Holy Spirit.

On the morning of November 14, 1971 as I sat in Sunday school and one of my dear friends who had just had a new baby said what a blessing of God it was and that he knew this baby was a gift of God. I turned to him in a room full of people and said "Tommy, you and I both know where babies come from and God has nothing to do with it." I do not remember his reply or what anyone said. It was like I was in a trance the rest of the day. We were starting a youth revival that day and a charismatic young preacher by the name of Ron Delgato was preaching. I do not recall anything about the morning service. I do not remember what Ron preached on that night. I only remember what happened that night. The Holy Spirit was convicting me and what was so ironic was that I was sitting by my friend Tommy whom I had humiliated in Sunday school that morning. When the invitation was given I punched Tommy and he was so shocked he just stood there with his mouth open and I finally had to push him out of the way. When I got to the altar I got down on my knees and prayed and received Jesus as my personal savior. Boy was it wonderful. The grass was greener. Everything was better. Of course I followed this with believer's baptism. My wife even said I became a better husband. Folks Jesus does make a difference. Not one person made reference to me living a lie all those years. Now that I was a real Christian I knew they wouldn't.

Technically this should be the end of the story but it is just the beginning. I had found peace and knew that my salvation was secure. Why won't God just leave me alone? It was not to be. A few weeks later I surrendered to the call of God to the ministry. Then two weeks later I preached my first sermon and God poured out his blessings. A few months later the pastor of a small church in our community passed away and that church called me to be their pastor. I knew that it was going to be a difficult task because I was not only young in age but young in the Lord. But if God is for me then who can be against me. Being a lost church member for so many years I preached along those lines because I knew there were a lot more people thinking their church membership was going to save them. God blessed this little church and in a short time we grew from about 30 people to over 100 per service. I also had the privilege of Baptizing my wife. You know the devil cannot stand this kind of growth so he raised his ugly head. I ended up resigning this church and they were happy to return to their old ways.

Then we had an opportunity to start a church from scratch. We rented an old building and started with 2 families. The power of God was so great it was awesome. As we grew I recall we had to make a building payment in a couple of days and we did not have the money. We were at one of our member's homes on Saturday night having a fellowship and there was a knock at the door. A couple entered the house. They were from somewhere up north on a visit down here and said they needed to give us something. They preceded to hand us a check down to the penny for what we owed in two days to keep our building. We did not know these people nor did they know us, but God was in control. We did a lot of rejoicing that night. All of the miracles and marvelous experiences that I witnessed and was a part of still left me lacking something.

God wants all of us not just a part. He wants a Holy people. I was still holding on to some things. Even after witnessing such power and seeing many souls saved and yes people healed. After a year or better I resigned and actually just quit church for a while. I just would not yield 100% to God. That was a mistake.

In 1979 we moved to Florence, Al. and decided to start over again. We joined a small church and became active members there. This church was in turmoil so we soon left and stayed out of church for a while. Under no circumstances did I want to preach or get too active in church. Is it not a shame that Christian's cannot get along with each other even in a church?

My wife's health had started deteriorating at this point. She had fibromyalgia which doctors do not have treatments for. Her condition became so bad that she was practically bedridden for about two years. During this time I had to wait on her and cook and do housework as well as work. Her only goal through this illness was to get well enough to go to church. Her faith, not mine, kept me going.

When she got able we started attending a small church here in the community. Neither of us seemed to be satisfied and Jane asked me to take her to "The River." I said honey you realize this is a Pentecostal church? She said I don't care. When I walked through the door that first Sunday morning I knew I was where I belonged.

After we had been here for a few weeks on one Sunday morning Pastor Bob asked Jane if she was ready to be healed. She said yes and he and the church prayed for her. She went down to the floor, under the power of God, but when she came up she could raise her arms and move better. That very week she started driving a car again and doing things that I was having to do for her prior to this. God touched her. Her healing process had begun.

On July 2, 2006 we had the privilege of joining the River. That night we renewed our wedding vows which was also our 41st anniversary.

On July 16, 2006 in the evening service Bob preached on prayer and how we needed to tear down any old altars and burn the groves that could be between us and God so our prayers would be effective. When Bob said who needs to come and remove something that is between them and God a voice spoke to me and said "Tom go." I immediately headed to the altar. Bob did not ask me why I was there or anything. He just prayed for me. The next thing I knew was I was on the floor looking up at the ceiling. Something hit me. I was still a smoker although I have tried many times to quit. At this time I was smoking from 3-4 packs of cigarettes a day.

Wednesday afternoon I went by the River to talk to Bob. Being a plain spoken and frank person I got right to the point. It went something like this: "Bob did you push me down on the floor Sunday night?" Bob "No Tom I would never do that." "Well, Bob something hit me and caused me to go down and I have not been the same since then." "Well, Tom that was the Power of God." "Bob, do you even know why I came down there?" "Tom you never told me but I have an idea. It doesn't matter because God knows."

I would love to tell you that I quit smoking. However I cannot. I am no longer smoking but it is because God took it away from me. I can not take any credit for it. For the first time in my Christian life I feel like I am close to God and I am not scared because He might want me to do something. I am ready to go or do whatever he says and I do not want any more wasted years.

If you are holding on to something let me encourage you to let it go and let God have his way with you.

If you have already read my husband’s testimony ( Tom Sibley) then you already know a lot about me. As Tom told you we grew up across the street from one another. (It was love at first sight for me at the ripe old age of five.) I am an only child and I was raised in a very strict traditional religious household. Dad was a deacon and Mom was the church secretary. None of us missed a service unless we were too sick to go. I was so blessed and will always be thankful that I had parents that took me to church.

At a very young age along with several other kids I walked down the church aisle. The preacher said “ Do you believe Jesus was born of a virgin, was God’s only Son, and died on the cross so you can go to heaven?” Of course I said yes and the preacher said you are saved. I never gave this another thought. After all, the preacher said I was saved and preachers don’t lie. I stayed in church, read my Bible, and even prayed.

Tom and I married shortly out of high school and fifteen months later we were blessed with our only son, Greg. Life was tough back then . Tom worked for Barber dairy and I had to get him up at 2:00AM. It was sometimes difficult to reason with a baby and say we must go to bed at 6:00PM because Daddy has to get up at 2:00AM. So it was very easy to slowly fall out of church.

I believe Greg was about three or four years old when Tom was transferred to Warrior, Alabama on his milk route. We both knew we needed to be in church but more importantly I wanted Greg raised in a church. So we started attending a wonderful little traditional church. I had never been happier in my entire married life. Little did I realize that both our lives were about to be changed forever.

On November 14,1971 my husband was gloriously saved in that little traditional church. SHOCKED!!! You bet, that was putting it mildly but I could see a big difference in him. I knew he had something “special” that I did not have.

A little over a year passed and one Sunday morning I sat under a message titled “Blessed Assurance.” I think the church even sang Blessed Assurance as the altar call. I’m not really sure because for the first time in my life I was under conviction. No, I didn’t run down the church aisle that morning or even that night. I just couldn’t, because you see the preacher that brought that message was my own husband. Yes, that’s right. I was a Pastor’s wife. What would everyone think? What would they say? How could I face this congregation and admit that I was a lost Pastor’s wife? But when the Holy Spirit really gets a hold of your heart you might as well give up. By Monday morning I was under such strong conviction I was about to explode. You see I realized for the first time I had never asked Jesus to come into my heart and life. At that very moment I fell on my knees and asked God to forgive me of my sins and come into my heart. When I got up I knew without a shadow of a doubt I had “Blessed Assurance.”

I can’t say that the following Sunday morning was easy but I can definitely say that Jesus took every step down that aisle with me. As is a custom in most traditional churches after telling them I had just been saved, everyone comes around to give you the right hand of Christian fellowship. I will never forget that day as long as I live. The head deacon came around (shook his finger in my face) and said “Young lady you are just mixed up and confused. You have always been saved.” Being raised to respect my elders, I quietly said “Sir I am not confused. For the first time in my life I know that I am saved!” He laughed and went on his way.

Tom pastored yet another church for quite a while but finally said he felt led to resign and just seemed to give up on church. I really didn’t understand but some part of me will always blame myself for letting him give up so easily. If I had been a better pastor’s wife, if only I had just encouraged him more, worked harder, prayed harder, said something or done something different. I believe being a pastor and pastor’s wife is the greatest privilege in the world and definitely the most rewarding but it can also be very difficult.

By this time we had moved to Florence and both of us were determined to at least be active in a church. It seems though we just couldn’t get it right. For years we bounced from one church to another unsatisfied.

Then about 10 years ago I became very ill with fibromyalgia. At this time I worked at the car lot with Tom and our son Greg. I really enjoyed this because I had done it so long but the last two years I just couldn’t get out of bed. I felt God was punishing me and I also felt I deserved it. I lived for the television program “Touched by An Angel" to come on and other TV preachers for you see this now had become church to me. Poor Tom. He was working full time and waiting on me the rest of the time. God really blessed me when He gave me Tom - I don’t know what I would have done without him.

There is an old saying that when you are flat on your back there is no where to look but up. I knew this had to stop. I prayed like I never prayed before. I had many churches in this community praying for me. Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Church of Christ, I didn’t care what denomination they were. I knew only God could get me out of this bed. I even called the prayer lines on churches out of this community and asked to be put on their prayer list. I had set a goal to get back in church and that alone was the only goal I had in life.

About the middle of January, 2006 I began to feel a little better. I was very weak, could only make it to one service and Tom had to help me get in and out of the truck but we started attending a little traditional church down the road from us. I was happy to be in church but it still did not feel right.

I believe it was about the middle of February when I told Tom let’s try The River. The Holy Spirit was drawing me there and I felt it. Keep in mind I had never been in anything but a traditional type church. Unlike Tom (He said he knew the first Sunday we belonged there) I came out saying “Well, that was different.” But the Holy Spirit drew me right back the next Sunday. I knew then this was where we belonged too. At this time I was still very weak and had very little use of my hands and arms.

One Sunday morning Pastor Bob prayed for me and when I finally got off the floor I knew I had been touched by God. Tom didn’t even have to help me in the truck that day. Praise God! My healing process from fibromyalgia had begun. I am not 100% healed and God might choose to never heal me 100% but I am so proud of what he has done for me that I will accept it and never complain. We have found our church home!

I was 13 years old when, under the influence of peer pressure, I stole a car and ended up in a terrible accident. I had a blood clot on my brain (which had to be removed surgically), a compound fracture of my left leg, a broken pelvis and all of my internal organs (except my heart) were bruised. I was placed in the ICU of the local hospital and stayed in ICU for 3 weeks. My dad was afraid I was going to have some brain damage because of the head injuries I received during the wreck. While my dad was talking to the brain surgeon about my condition, I began trying to breath on my own. I was just about to panic when I remembered I knew sign language ( I learned at the age of 8). My dad saw what I was signing and knew that I didn't have any brain damage. He later told me he spent a lot of time in the stair well at the hospital pleading with God to spare his baby and he would have his family in church from here on out. The doctor had a translator come in and read what I was signing to be "I can't breathe" and he knew I would be able to breathe on my own and had the ventilator removed. After evaluating my broken pelvis the doctors knew I needed a specialist to put my pelvis back together. At this time I was 6 inches short in my right leg. I was flown to a hospital in Memphis. When I arrived, I had a terrible headache. After an x-ray, they found I had spinal fluid on my brain shifting my brain over about 2 cm. Before they could fix my pelvis, I had to have the fluid removed. This would be brain surgery number 2. The doctors drilled a hole in my head to relieve the pressure and the fluid. Once this was done, they began to fix my pelvis. They put plates and screws in my pelvis and put 5-8 lb weights on my right leg to pull it down for the bone to mend itself. I had a fixater drilled into my hip bones and some of my hip bone removed and placed in the broken areas of my pelvis to activate the healing process. I stayed in Memphis for about 3 weeks. I was unable to walk for six months and was home bound even for school.

On a Monday night in October of 1988, a preacher showed up at my house. I was in the bed eating corn from a corningware bowl when someone knocked on the back door. It was a preacher I don't recall ever meeting before. After talking to this preacher, I felt something I had never felt before. My heart was pounding and I began to cry. I didn't understand what was happening to me or why I was feeling the way I was. He knew though. He asked me if I wanted to be saved and he explained to me what that meant and I WANTED IT!! Jesus saved me that night. I told my mom what happened and she was so excited. See my mom and dad didn't go to church or anything like it. If my sister and I wanted to go they would drop us off and return when church was over. Mom wouldn't go if dad didn't want to. One Sunday, after I got saved, mom went to my dad and told him we were going to church and if he wanted to go he could. He said he would just let him change clothes. I was in a wheel chair at this time. I had several doctors appointments during the next few months. I had brain function tests to see if I had any damage of any kind. Time and time again the results were negative for any damage (against popular belief of my current friends..LOL). God healed me of any damage. Until this day I have never had a seizure. As we became more active in church, we went every time the doors were open. Praise God, I was walking now without any problems. We had a revival meeting one weekend. God was walking through the church and touched my sister and dad. They joined me at the alter and were saved that night. The three of us were baptized together. My mom was saved shortly afterwards. She thought she was saved because she was raised in church. Well, the Lord was the smarter. He grabbed hold to her with both hands. She surrendered her life and was saved. WHOO HOOO now my family was going to be with me in heaven. Glory to God, my dad is being used in church as a Sunday school teacher and as a deacon. My mom is his support. My sister is married to a Christian man and is still active in church growing. I feel like God used me to get my family's attention because we have a purpose for Him.

Now life begins. I drifted from God once I moved out of my parents house at the age of 19. After realizing I couldn't make it I returned home to my parents with their arms open wide. I was engaged and my dad wouldn't bless the marriage until I had a college education. After I graduated from college, I then married. I divorced after almost three years of marriage. God began to get my attention when He put me in a wilderness. I worked unbelievable hours just to have a roof over my head. Then I met my second husband. Yes, husband number two. I married him out of the need of financial security. We attended church and I was bound and determined this marriage was going to work because I wasn't going to have two divorces under my belt before the age of 25. Our marriage hit the skids and I was trying so hard to keep it together. We went to Christian marriage counselling, I prayed and tried so hard to make it work. This marriage lasted one year. So, to do the math I was 24 years old and divorced twice. I felt like I had let my dad down and totally ashamed. There was no way I was going to go to church with him because I felt like I was an embarrassment to him. After all, his oldest daughter was branded with the biggest "D" on her chest and forehead. I had the hardest time forgiving myself. I was more than damaged goods, I felt like no one wanted a woman who was divorced twice that there had to be something wrong with me. I asked God to forgive me. I felt like I was doomed. I shied away from my family. My mom would call every Sunday to beg me to come to church with her. I got so mad at her to the point I refused to answer the phone. I thought I had it under control. I would keep saying to myself "I am a survivor" over and over in my mind. God kept calling.

Well, I took on about 5 jobs to keep myself afloat. I worked night and day. After my divorce was final from the second husband, I met this man, Michael. He was wonderful. He was so humorous and easy to talk to. We became best friends. We did a lot of things together. Before I knew it I was completely in love with this man. I had NO intentions of falling in love. I had never been in love before. Yes, married twice and never fell in love. This was the first time I actually felt what the words " I love you" truly meant. The night he told me he loved me I felt it. It was like I was standing on an electrical cord in water. My knees got weak and I couldn't hardly talk. The bad part of this relationship was he was married. I couldn't stop. He completed me. As years pasted, our relationship grew. After almost 3 years, he moved out and we moved in together.  His job moved him out of town. After about a year and a half, his job moved him back to Florence. God dealt with me over and over. I began to get the biggest dose of conviction one human being could handle. I began to read God's word. We discussed going to church. He came home one day and said he found a church he wanted to go to. He found a church that Bro. Bob Gulley was preaching at. We started attending the The River Family Worship in September of 2005. I found myself burdened with our living conditions. We discussed marriage only to find that he didn't want to marry. He was happy the way things were. He was afraid that our relationship would be ruined if we made that kind of commitment. In his mind once the rings were on, everything would change for the worse. He refused to touch this hot iron a second time. On October 23, 2005, we joined the church. God began to lay heavy on me the sin we were living in. I prayed for Michael to have a change of heart and knew God was the only one who could do it. I would cry out to God. The one thing that hurt the most was I couldn't be used by God. I couldn't fulfill my purpose on earth. I prayed without ceasing. I knew what God wanted. He wanted the home in order. So, my choices were either he had to move out or we get married. I turned it over to the Lord. I would never bring the subject of marriage up. Michael had concerns about how his 3 children would react. I would only discuss it if he brought the subject up. Seven months went by and I still kept praying. After discussing it with two of his three children and with their approval, his plan went into action. He remembered a preacher saying one time "you can't get to the fruit unless you go out on a limb".

On Mother's day of 2006 Michael had my mom and dad, his mom and sister come to the evening service. After the service was over, Bro. Bob announced something was about to take place that doesn't normally happen. Michael stood up and took the attention of the church body. He began to give a small testimony of his life and asked my dad to come up front with him. He told my dad how much it meant for my family to take him in and love him. He then told my dad how great it would be if he could be called his son in law. I totally lost it at this point. I was shaking and crying. Michael walked over to me and grabbed my hand. Michael got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said "ABSOLUTELY!!!" before he could get the entire question out. (You'll have to ask the congregation what happened after that, because I can't seem to remember). All I could do is praise God for answering my prayers that I prayed steadily. We married on June 3, 2006. God DOES answer prayers. Let NO enemy tell you otherwise. God is currently the foundation of our marriage. God honored our marriage. God is the only one that could have made this happen. Our wedding was perfect, God saw that the weather was perfect. Our honeymoon was perfect, we wanted for NOTHING while we were gone. God blessed our marriage in so many ways. Sixteen days after we married, God blessed us financially. The blessings are only beginning. I have been blessed with a God fearing, Jesus loving, and God anointed man and four wonderful children. God forgave me and then blessed me. God never left my side, He has always been there. He blessed me with a church family that loves us and took use in from day one. Thank you Jesus for this church and mainly for forgiving me and blessing me with the best husband a woman could pray for.

To sum all this up, I wondered away from God on three different times. I committed adultery, I lied, and I stole. He loved me enough to be patient and protect me. God has a purpose for me or He would have taken me out of this world for making Him look bad and not worshipping or serving Him. He has patience and loves His children. As I look back to my life as I wanted to live it and see how much I was without. By the grace of God I am forgiven. God has forgotten all my sins and I have been renewed. I broke eight of the ten commandments, yet He loves me and has forgiven me. God was faithful even though I was not. He was always with me even though I put Him to the side. God is faithful and just to forgive and He did. Praise God, Thank You Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If someone ever asked me, "What is your testimony?" My first response would be having Godly parents who raised me in a Godly home. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior when I was five years old. And even while that is still a part of my testimony, I have an amazing testimony that I wasn't able to understand until I was old enough (around the age of 12).

There are numerous scriptures in the Bible that I can claim for my life and where God has brought me, but there is one scripture in particular that I have always favored, Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, " declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I know that God has created me for a special reason and if there is no other, just to praise Him. The enemy started out for my life when I was very young, about 18 years ago.

When I was five years old, I remember being at home one night, lying crossways in a chair. All of the sudden I screamed so loud that even to this day I can still remember the ear-piercing screech. I wouldn't and couldn't let my babysitter touch me, not even my siblings or parents. I had such an excruciating pain in my back. My parents could not understand what was wrong and I could barely explain the pain when they tried to ask me.

There are many details that I don't remember, but it started when my parents took me to the doctor and they did some X-rays and some tests. I was in Humana Hospital in Florence for about a week. At first, they couldn't seem to find out what was wrong. But then they finally figured out what was wrong with me. They were bewildered to find out that part of my bone in my vertebrae was deteriorating. They called it Degenerative Disk Disease. This was a problem that mostly older people could experience. The doctors could not understand how someone at 5 years old could have this problem. It was just unheard of.

I ended up going to the Children's Hospital in Memphis, TN and I was there for about a week as well. The plans were being made for a major surgery and repairs in my back. My parents couldn't stand the story they were hearing from the doctors, so they took me to our pastor at the time, Bro. Henry Melton, and he pray for me. I remember lying on my daddy's shoulder with my mom holding on at his left side, and Bro. Henry was laying his hand on my back, praying so hard that he had to be throwing so many darts at the devil. But he wasn't the only one praying for my healing. There were so many people praying for me that my parents knew they had the victory.

I went back to the doctor for some more tests and X-rays and the doctors came back to my parents with the results. The doctors told my parents, "We can't understand how this happened." They were bewildered to find that my back was completely healed. There was no more deterioration in my back and my back was whole as if I had never had any problems. They couldn't understand how this happened except for the fact that it was a miraculous healing. To clearly see from the X-rays where my bone was DETERIORATING, and then see there was a full and complete restoration in my back. That is a miracle that only GOD could perform.

So when I think about Jeremiah 29:11, I can hear God speaking those words to me, " I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans of hope and a future." I am so blessed and thankful to be on this earth. I am so thankful that I am able to praise my Father for his unfailing love and for the walking miracle He has made me to be.

Before I got saved, I would always would do bad things life. I would make fun of disabled people or say bad things to people. I would do so many bad things and I never thought that how bad it was at the time. Then one day God started talking to me and I knew I was going to go to hell if I didn't allow Jesus into my heart. So I did and my life has been different and I have been living for Him ever since.

Before I received Jesus, my life was meaningless. I didn't have anything to live for. But ever since I received Jesus, my life has so much meaning now. I always know that Jesus is there for me whenever I need him.

I was saved when I was 8 years old, but teenage peer pressure turned me from God. I became depressed all the time and was introduce to stuff that a 13 year old girl should never come in contact with. At a prayer meeting one night, I had to go with my mom, I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me. I rededicated my life to the Lord. Since then, my life isn't perfect but I know where I stand with the Lord and it is awesome. I know He is always there for me.

Before I got saved I was hopeless. I was bound by the addiction of drugs and alcohol. I lived my life for myself and didn't think of others. When I was 18 years old, I went to a Perry Stone Conference in Pigeon Forge, TN. I got truly saved and filled with the Holy Ghost and since then I have grown so much in Jesus that it is unreal. I've learned so much and I wouldn't take anything for it. I am so glad that I am going to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus,

I have been raised a Christian, but I never realized how important God was to me until I was almost a teenager. Over the years God has led me through some hard times. Recently, my papaw passed away, and I don't think that I could've made it through if it wasn't for GOd. Also, before he passed, he had a chance to pray with my dad and Pastor Bob. When they were done he said he was ready to receive his heavenly body. So I am going to continue to praise Him in the good and bad times, because I know one day I'll receive my heavenly body and see Jesus and my granddad there welcoming me home.

I was blessed to live in a Christian home like I have and I knew how important it was to be saved. When I was 11 years old, God spoke to me and told me I needed to be saved in KCC at Faith Tabernacle. Then when I was saved I thought I was going to heaven and didn't have to do anything. So I started getting off track and doing bad stuff until the end of 2006. I rededicated my life to God on Dec 27, 2006 when my Youth group and I went to Extreme Winter Conference in Gatlinburg, TN.

My life before Christ was full of sin. I wasn't right in Chrost. I wasn't watching the right things and was wasn't doing the right things. Then in November 2006, I asked the Lord into my heart. It was awesome. About a week later I was baptized. I was a different person when I came up. I love the Lord now and I'm in Christ.

I have been blessed to be raised in a Christian home. I was saved when I was 7 years old. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit when I was 20 years old. I am so thankful that Jesus died for my sins. I can't live without Him. I don't want to live without Jesus. Once you get a taste of Him you don't want anything else. All I can say is I love Him, I love Him, I love Him.