My name is Tim, and this is my Testimony…

I was raised on a small farm between Elizabethtown and Hodgenville, KY, along with two brothers and two sisters.  I’m the youngest.  I had a typical farm life when growing up, learning to drive the tractor, helping raise tobacco and corn.  We had pigs and cattle too.

We always attended the Methodist church when I was little.  At some point the Methodist youth ministers had me attend a class to learn more about the history of the Methodist church, God, and Jesus.  At the end of the class I, along with a small group of other youth, was baptized.

As I got into my teenage years going to church tapered off and eventually, we stopped going.

I had the typical teenage years, graduated college, and went to work without attending church.  I met a beautiful young lady who attended church on a regular basis.  We were married when I turned 30.  As we dated, I would often attend church with her, but it was not priority for me…it was just a chance to spend more time with her.  Once we were married, we did not attend church on a regular basis, and we couldn’t seem to find a church home.

After moving to our second home there was a close church out in the country.  My wife suggested we give it a try.  I agreed.  I must admit something very unexpected happened.  I had been struggling for quite some time for answers about life and why things were as they were.  The first Sunday we attended church, the preacher actually preached on what I had been struggling with.  It was as if he was talking directly to me.  I was in shock as I looked around the congregation and everyone was listening.  I said nothing, but asked my wife if we could come back the following week.

As that week after that first Sunday went on, I pondered what the preacher had preached, and I ended up having more questions.  We went back to the church for our second time the following week.  I could not believe what happened.  During the sermon, the preacher actually began answering my new questions – again as if he was talking directly me.  Again, I was in shock, not sure what was going on, but what he was saying made sense.  I listened intently.

My wife and I began attending church on a regular basis after that and we joined a wonderful life group class (Sunday School) before church.  The more questions I had the more answers seemed to come and I began to become follower of Christ.  I think I had always been a believer, but not a follower.  Then it happened.  I can remember one Sunday sitting in church as the preacher gave the invitation and I felt a force like I had never felt before – pushing me to get up and go to the preacher.  I literally had to hold myself in the pew and I resisted.  After church, I promised myself if that ever happened again, I would go to the preacher.  I waited weeks, but it never happened again.

After several more weeks of attending church something very interesting happened.  A very well-respected older gentleman in our church rose and went to the preacher during invitation and rededicated his life to Christ.  Something told me if he could do it, so could I.  So, I rose went down as well.  I dedicated my life to Christ and was baptized a few weeks later.  After that, I became increasingly active in the church and continue to do so.

Ever since then, my wife and I have been regular attendees at church.  We’ve raised two wonderful sons in the church, and both regularly attend church and help with running the slide presentations and soundboard during church services.

I must admit that God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit have been very active in our lives and have seen me and my family through some very tough times:  major bouts of depression and anxiety, cancer for both me and my wife, a horrific car accident that one of my sons was involved in, financial troubles, and just life in general.  God has been there for us.  Times when we thought we would lose everything…God has seen us through and taken care of us.  We have seen many times things and timings that just did not make sense…but happened.  Things we could not explain or begin to comprehend.  Many times, I have a prayed that I could not handle the challenges and I’ve turned them over to God and God has been there.

My family no longer believes in luck.  We trust and follow God in our house, and I hope you will do the same.

God bless….