"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
-Acts 4:12

by J.E. Heath

"O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.
For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth forever.
Praise ye the LORD."

This is the 117th Psalm. It is also the shortest chapter in the Bible, and the first passage of the Bible that I ever read. I remember that day in my early teens. I was at home alone that day. I took out the family Bible and flipped through it. I knew next to nothing about the Bible. I had been to church a few times as a child, but religion wasn't very important to my family at that time. In fact, all I remember about going to church in those days is having to put on that little clip-on tie. But around this time in my life I began feeling an urge to seek God.

I retrieved the old Bible from the bookcase in the den. It's leather cover was torn and tattered from years of use. It had been in my family since the 1920's. I flipped through its pages and there amongst old photos, birth announcements and a lock of my grandfather's hair I saw this Psalm. Perhaps I was attracted to it because it was so short. I read it and I began a walk that continues today.

I'd like to say that the power of God's Word struck me that day and I have been a Christian ever since. That seems to be what many people expect to happen. Many Christians today seem to think that conversion comes in one dramatic moment. I guess that's how it happens for some. But I did not burst into tears or fall on the floor as if struck by lightening. I did not speak in tongues or suddenly see the light. Nothing like that. The Holy Spirit began a work within me that day, and I was completely oblivious.

The Truth of God was revealed to me and I began in earnest to learn more. The 117th Psalm became my guide. My religion was simple: God is merciful, kind and unchanging. He is deserving of praise. I searched ancient religions, studied philosophy, dabbled in Eastern thought, and even read a Hare Krishna book. My thirst for God knew no bounds, except the Bible. Oddly, the book that first made me aware of God was the last book I would turn to in my search for God. I would incorporate ideas from video games before I would read the Bible. Ultima: Quest of the Avatar was actually quite influential on me at that time.

I was determined to discover God on my own. Reason, I was convinced, blazed the trail to Heaven.

In the Summer of 1993, I spent a few weeks with my Father who lived in Austin. Austin, Texas, if you are unaware, is a . . . how should I put this . . . a unique community. The public access channel on the local cable service was a showcase of that unique Austin flavor. There you could find programs produced by Madalyn Murray O'Hare's American Atheists, or a local commune lead by a man named Wulf Zendik. One guy even mounted a video camera to the dash of his car and recorded his trip through Austin along I-35. Also found in this cornucopia of weirdness was a program called “In Defense of the Faith.” It featured three fundamentalists who took viewer calls and debated over the validity of the Bible. A fundamentalist is someone who believes the Bible is literally true and that faith in Christ can come through proving that the Bible is historically and scientifically accurate. With my rationalist beliefs, I couldn't get enough of it. I went to a book store and bought my first Bible. I read it intensely, filling several pages of legal size paper with key verses. My entire life was now centered on proving the Bible. Looking back on it now, I was silly and childish. I was only 15. I was a child. But God was still leading me to Him. I could not come to Him, so He came to me. I still had much to learn. I tend to think that Summer was the time I became a Christian. It was during that time that I first prayed to Christ to forgive my sins. But, there was no exact conversion moment for me. It might have happened that Summer, or it could have been that day a few years earlier when I opened the Bible for the first time. Then again, it could have been a few years later when I finally put away rationalism and fundamentalism and trusted in the Grace of Christ alone. I guess the point is that I never made a “decision for Christ.” He made a decision for me, and He has been working for me longer than I can know.

My newfound zeal for the Bible was not boundless. I proclaimed it to everyone I knew, except my parents. I remember my mother walking into my room while I was reading my Bible. I quickly hid the book under my bed so she wouldn't see it. Most boys my age were hiding their Playboys from their mothers. I hid my Bible.

I would not hide it for long. Soon, my mother was brought to Christ as well. I don't know exactly how long she had been a Christian because we were both hiding it from each other. I also don't remember exactly when the barrier was broken between us. Slowly we began talking about faith and we were soon searching for a church together.

A mother and son have a unique relationship to begin with, especially in the aftermath of a divorce. Since we were both growing in Christ together, we became something like siblings. My stepfather, however, grew more distant. My mother and I searched around Fort Bend County looking for a church to attend. My stepfather was always invited, but he never wanted to come. Once, we went to a church in Stafford, about a half hour drive from our house. When we came home, my stepfather chided us for going to a church that was so far away. The Lord warned that families will be torn apart because of Him (Matthew 10:21-22).

Christ certainly brought our family to a crisis. But when we came to the brink of disaster, my stepfather was saved as well. He has told the story before. One day, the pastor of a local church came into his office to discuss some tax issues for his church (my stepfather works for the Central Appraisal District which is responsible for appraising property value for tax purposes). I don't know exactly what was said in that meeting, but I'm sure the pastor did not miss an opportunity to preach the Gospel. At the end of the meeting, my stepfather told the pastor that he would be in church the next Sunday. The pastor had heard such promises before, but my stepfather is a man of his word. The next Sunday, he was there. A few Sundays later, and we were all there. We decided as a family to join the church and we were all Baptized.

Many people talk about how Jesus saved them from drug abuse, or homelessness. Certainly, Christ can change a man's heart and bring him out of the misery he created for himself. When Paul asked me to write this testimony, I did not know what I would say. I told him that I was saved while I was still young. I wasn't heading down a path of destruction. Now I realize that Christ performed a miracle in my family. As a family, we are stronger and happier. My mother and I are closer. My stepfather is more of a father to me than my own father. It is a joy I cannot put into words. Today, my mother and stepfather are working to build a new church. My stepfather, a man who once wanted nothing to do with church, is leading this effort.

As I made my way through high school, my faith matured. I had spent years wallowing in depression and self-pity. I forsook friends for lust. It was a crucible intended to boil away impurities. When I left high school, Christ became my focus, not simply the Bible. Christ still teaches me. I still come to a point of crisis every now and then, but Christ never abandons me. I always end up learning the same lesson: His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endures forever.

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