My name is Eric, and this is my Testimony…

I grew up in Boulder, Colorado.  My mom was an alcoholic and my dad did what he could to hold the family together.  By the time I got into fifth grade the alcohol had damaged my parents’ marriage and they divorced.

Church was never a focus for our family, and we would occasionally enter the doors of church every now and then.  After the divorce my life changed dramatically.  I would end up moving a total of nine times.  I would attend high school in three different states during that time.  I had no firm foundation as move after move required me to make new friends over and over again.

I would attend college at Western Kentucky University and there I would meet my future wife.  She had grown up all her life on the same piece of property with her parents and siblings.  As we dated it became very clear what made her have peace and joy, it was Jesus.

After college we got married and started a family.  I knew I needed Jesus and up to this point I “played” the Christian role very well.  But in my heart, I wasn’t at peace.  A friend told me that I need to have peace so that when my kids look upon me, they will see it and experience it.  I realized it was only Jesus that could bring me the peace I was so desperate to have.

A short time later I would be flying with my wife, first child and my dad on a Delta flight out of Dallas headed to Denver.  Just as we reached flying altitude the entire plane went down and sideways.  Immediately the plane filled with smoke and stared to vibrate.  I then realized that I had absolutely no control on what was happening and that my life depended upon the two pilots sitting behind in the cockpit.  I also realized that if I died, I wouldn’t be going to Heaven.  I asked God to bring the plane safely to the ground and I would accept Him as my Lord and Savior (of course bargaining with God isn’t how He works).

The plane landed and a few months later I felt a voice speak to me on our way to church, “Eric I’m still waiting.”  At the invitation that morning I went up and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior.

A few years later I became a Deacon and taught a Sunday School class.  But God wasn’t done yet.  For three years God chased after me to enter the ministry.  My answer was always “no way”.  But over those three years I found that I was only enjoying times I was serving Him and not with my job.  I hungered to be at church and to learn more about Him.  Every chance I had to teach or preach I did.  Finally, after running away I ran towards Him.  I answered the call that He had put upon me to enter ministry.

I found my life full of peace and joy on one aspect and under constant spiritual attack on the other.  My first full-time pastorate I burned out in 30 months.  I was depressed, angry and thinking of suicide.  I resigned as the Pastor and went from being over a growing church to within weeks becoming a school bus driver.

It would be on the bus that I would begin the road to restoration.  Over the next three years God showed me repeatedly through different circumstances that He never gives up no matter what and that He has a plan for my life.

In July of 2018 God put on my heart to leave full-time ministry at a church, where I served as the Family Pastor, and go to a church that was about to close its doors and replant it.  I told God “no way” was I going to leave full-time ministry to replant a dying church.  Besides, I told God what do I know about restoring anything?  God kindly reminded me that He restored me so that I could restore the church.  God itched 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

I quickly realized that those three years of God restoring me wasn’t wasted but used to prepare me for what was coming next.

Replanting a church has been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.  However, God has shown me things that I never thought possible over and over again.

Just know that no matter what you are facing God is with you and He will use your failures and mistakes for good and for His Glory.

God Loves you just as you are.  You are not a mistake.  God isn’t worried about where you come from only where you are going.  Jesus desires a relationship with you.  Don’t ever think you’re not good enough for Him, because He will take you as you are today – RIGHT NOW!!!

Don’t have a relationship with Jesus then start one!  Check out the section of this booklet that has Good News message.  There you can learn how to start a relationship with Jesus TODAY!!!

My prayer is that through all of these testimonies complied together you will see a common theme – that God is seeking those who are hurting, depressed, hopeless, lost and wants to become their Lord and Savior so that they can experience His promises, peace and joy.