CHANGED LIVES
Jesus changes lives. Below you will find the story of one life that was changed by the love and power of God. We hope you will come back and visit this page often. At least once a month we will post a new story of a life changed by a living relationship with Jesus Christ.
After the story you will find some information about beginning your own relationship with Jesus Christ; also there are some links where you will be able to get further information or that will put you in touch with someone who cares.
Thanks for visiting the "Changed Lives" page. We hope to see you again soon.
This
month's story of a changed life:
(scroll down)
This month's
story is a “twofer.” In a few days Jake
and Crystal will be married. It will be
my (HM) privilege to be a part of the ceremony that will make the two of them
one.
Crystal and
Jacob desire to make their lives and their new life count for the Lord. Below are the stories of how they have come
to the place where they are on the eve of their wedding.
After you
read about Jake and
HM
Jacob’s Testimony
Before I was saved I was just like any other little kid, selfish and disobedient. I didn't know that I was headed to hell, but I didn't think of it as a real place either. My parents took me to church most of the time and there I learned about Jesus and the Bible. I just thought they were interesting stories and I loved hearing them. To be honest, I wasn't a terrible kid. Yes, I was disobedient sometimes, but even compared to other kids at my church I was good, at least in my own mind.
But then one day I learned that I wasn't good enough to get to heaven. It was around Christmas time when I was to play Joseph in this little narrative about the birth of Jesus. All I had to do was sit up on stage and look at the little baby doll in the manger across from Mary. Easy enough, until I went back to sit with my parents and the pastor mentioned to the whole church something about me sleeping up there! I was really embarrassed, but his comment made me pay attention to what he said next. He talked about who Jesus was and why we celebrate His birth (Christmas). He said that Jesus was the first Christmas present and that it was from God. He talked about John 3:16 and said that God sent Jesus, His son, to die for me so that I didn't have to pay the ultimate punishment for my sins. I believe that was the first time I understood the gospel. And that night I trusted Christ as my savior.
Since I trusted Christ I have learned a lot more about God and what He did for me. I continue to learn more each day about how sinful I really am and how it's only through Christ's death, burial and resurrection that I am saved. Since I was young when I was saved, there wasn't a drastic change in my life, but nonetheless I did grow. When I was eight, my father shot and killed my mother. My two sisters and I went to live my aunt, uncle and two cousins. This obviously changed my life a lot, and for a couple of years I really struggled with why a loving God would allow something so horrible to happen. Eventually I was able to see that God is all loving, but men aren't because of sin. The church that I was privileged to be a part of really had a big part in making me into what I am today. Even though I have struggled with sin and selfishness (and still do), God has continued to teach me of His holiness and of His grace. He has directed me in the ways that should go and is still leading me today.
I've spent that last couple of years at the Word of
Life Bible Institute where I have studied God's word and, in the process, have
grown in my personal relationship with Christ and in my experience as a leader.
This past year I have been taking classes through
I was 4-5 years old when I remember my Dad preaching a sermon on heaven and hell. He said that if we didn’t know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior then we couldn’t go to heaven, rather we were headed to hell because that’s what we deserved for our sin. When I got home from church that day, I sat down with my Mom and asked her some questions about what I had heard in church that morning. She told me that what I heard was right and then led me through the Roman’s road to prove that. As she did I realized that I was a sinner and needed a Savior. That day I confessed my sins and believed in my heart what Jesus had done for me. I began my relationship with Jesus Christ that day.
I grew up in a pastor’s family and so we were in church all of the time. I helped in a lot of areas of service in the church but tended to be pretty quiet about really getting out and sharing with others my relationship with Jesus with others and how He could change their lives. This was pretty much the entirety of my young life until when I turned 13. We had just moved into a new church and as I sat back and watched the people, observing them, I began to see a lot of hypocrisy in their lives, a lot of works based salvation. At first I was judgmental in my thoughts but then I realized that I was doing the same things that they were. I was choosing to live like a hypocrite myself as I wasn’t sharing with others what I believed. I wasn’t going out of my way for my Savior as He had for me. I realized then and there that I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to tell others about Jesus and to help Christian’s grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
From there
through my Jr. Year in high school I began to do just that. I began to be bolder and stand up for what I
believed in as well as sharing that with others. I would have to say that it was the summer
before my Sr. year in high school and my Sr. year that began to change me even
more. The summer before my Sr. year, my
family moved back to
My Sr. year I was
involved in a ministry team that traveled about every other weekend to churches
in our area as well as NY, Mid PA, and
I wanted to major
in Dairy Science\Dairy Veterinarian. I
was headed to WOLBI for 1 year because I knew I needed to be able to stand up
for my beliefs in a secular college and that this year at WOLBI would help me
to be able to do that. As I was there
for an entire year God began to change my heart yet again. He gave me an overwhelming love for people,
for working with them, for ministry. I
still love cows and working on the dairy farm, but not nearly as much as I do
working in ministry opportunities. This
influenced me so much that I prayed about it and knew that I was supposed to
head back to second year at WOLBI. God
continued to work on my life and that year at the Missions Conference, I
dedicated my life to go wherever, do whatever, and be whatever God wanted me to
be. I felt God place a burden on my
heart for
During my second
year God also allowed me to get to know my wonderful fiancé Jacob. As we grew in our relationship, we both felt
that God was calling us to go to
This past year I have been living at home, going to college, working, and being a youth group leader in my home church. I think that this has been one of the most trying and testing years of my life as I have had to learn so many new things; how to balance my life, relationships with family, spending time with my fiancée, work, ministry, and so many other things. I have learned so many valuable lessons. I know that God is still working on me and I am excited to see what he has planned for the future. “For I know the plans I have for says the Lord…” What an amazing God I serve!
If you are interested in finding out more about how you too can find peace in the Lord, check out the resources below.
Howard Merrell
To read what the Bible says about "receiving Christ," click here.
An online Bible, with search capabilities can be found at The Bible Gateway
Moody Bible Institute maintains an excellent website "Where is God?" with more information about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ:
Howard Merrell, the pastor of
