JAS4Yeshua
19th July 2007, 01:12 PM
Since LeadWorship started a thread like this, I thought I would do the same. Many of you know me already, from my threads in the SF/PC forum. Some might have read my testimony in my blog, others might have asked me questions in my Q&A thread. Still others might have read my "Misunderstood much?" thread where I tried to clear up misunderstandings.
So, who am I?
Well, my name is Jason. My wife, Michelle, and I attend Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay. I was raised in a Catholic home. My parents were strong Christians who tried to raise my brother and I in the ways of the Lord. Growing up, I remember going to VBS and a Christian Reformed church where my mother attended a women's Bible Study. As a teen, I went to a men's Bible Study at that same church with my father.
In High School, and a little after, I started to drift away from the Lord, as I tried to find my own Spiritual footing in a secular world. Among my wordly friends, I was considered pure because I didn't smoke, didn't drink, didn't do drugs, and wouldn't have sex outside of marriage. They weren't like me, but they respected me for my stance. Despite that, I knew I was still lost.
In December 1995, I was invited to Harvest Christian Fellowship, in Riverside, California. It is a Calvary Chapel megachurch pastored by Greg Laurie. At the altar call, I went forward, more at the insisting of the friend who invited me, rather than the tugging of the Spirit. That was enough, though, to get me starting on church hopping.
July 4, 1996, I attended a Harvest Crusade event in Anaheim, California. It was an awesome evening of Christian music and an evangelical message by Greg Laurie. When the altar call was made, I could feel the moving of the Holy Spirit, telling me I needed to go forward. I made every excuse I could think of not to go forward. Then Pastor Gred called the "prodigal sons and daughters" and I knew I had to go forward. That was the night I rededicated my life to the Lord, and haven't looked back since.
After my rededication, I chose Harvest to be my fellowship. The next year I became more involved, helping in the Children's Ministry and Jr. High Ministry. My wife and I met through the Children's Ministry, and we were married on December 21, 2002. In October 2003, we moved to Monterey, California because of a job transfer.
If you've read my blog at all, or seen some of my prayer requests I've posted, you will know that my wife has been ill pretty much our entire marriage. She has had several surgeries, and suffers from clinical depression, bi-polar, obsessive-compulsive, and post-traumatic-stress-syndrome. Not to mention the countless physical ailments. We're constantly praying for healing, and trusting in the Lord to carry us through. Some things have healed, but others haven't been healed yet, but we continue to pray.
I've been a member of this forum since January. I found it from someone's link in LiveJournal. Don't know who. I've been in the SF/PC forum almost the entire time, and have come to love and respect everyone here. That is why I want to help out any way that I can. I'm not trying to make things the way I want, but to help make it the best I can for everyone's enjoyment. It isn't about me, but about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and my Brothers and Sisters in the Lord.
If you want to know more about me, check out my infrequently updated blog here. My complete testimony is there. You are also welcome to ask me any question you want. No holds barred. God Bless you guys. :)
So, who am I?
Well, my name is Jason. My wife, Michelle, and I attend Calvary Chapel Monterey Bay. I was raised in a Catholic home. My parents were strong Christians who tried to raise my brother and I in the ways of the Lord. Growing up, I remember going to VBS and a Christian Reformed church where my mother attended a women's Bible Study. As a teen, I went to a men's Bible Study at that same church with my father.
In High School, and a little after, I started to drift away from the Lord, as I tried to find my own Spiritual footing in a secular world. Among my wordly friends, I was considered pure because I didn't smoke, didn't drink, didn't do drugs, and wouldn't have sex outside of marriage. They weren't like me, but they respected me for my stance. Despite that, I knew I was still lost.
In December 1995, I was invited to Harvest Christian Fellowship, in Riverside, California. It is a Calvary Chapel megachurch pastored by Greg Laurie. At the altar call, I went forward, more at the insisting of the friend who invited me, rather than the tugging of the Spirit. That was enough, though, to get me starting on church hopping.
July 4, 1996, I attended a Harvest Crusade event in Anaheim, California. It was an awesome evening of Christian music and an evangelical message by Greg Laurie. When the altar call was made, I could feel the moving of the Holy Spirit, telling me I needed to go forward. I made every excuse I could think of not to go forward. Then Pastor Gred called the "prodigal sons and daughters" and I knew I had to go forward. That was the night I rededicated my life to the Lord, and haven't looked back since.
After my rededication, I chose Harvest to be my fellowship. The next year I became more involved, helping in the Children's Ministry and Jr. High Ministry. My wife and I met through the Children's Ministry, and we were married on December 21, 2002. In October 2003, we moved to Monterey, California because of a job transfer.
If you've read my blog at all, or seen some of my prayer requests I've posted, you will know that my wife has been ill pretty much our entire marriage. She has had several surgeries, and suffers from clinical depression, bi-polar, obsessive-compulsive, and post-traumatic-stress-syndrome. Not to mention the countless physical ailments. We're constantly praying for healing, and trusting in the Lord to carry us through. Some things have healed, but others haven't been healed yet, but we continue to pray.
I've been a member of this forum since January. I found it from someone's link in LiveJournal. Don't know who. I've been in the SF/PC forum almost the entire time, and have come to love and respect everyone here. That is why I want to help out any way that I can. I'm not trying to make things the way I want, but to help make it the best I can for everyone's enjoyment. It isn't about me, but about God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and my Brothers and Sisters in the Lord.
If you want to know more about me, check out my infrequently updated blog here. My complete testimony is there. You are also welcome to ask me any question you want. No holds barred. God Bless you guys. :)