Personal Testimony
I have not always been a Christian. In fact I was not brought up in what I would term a Christian household. Though I can remember occasionally being taken to church by my mother, it was not until I was a preteen that I went to church with any regularity. When we would visit my maternal grandmother I would attend a little Pentecostal church in the community where she lived. I have fond memories of that church because they treated me like I was a part of their fellowship. I sang in the choir and even sold doughnuts on Saturday mornings to support youth activities. This must be where I learned to work and witness even though I would not give my life over to Christ for many more years.
I married young, at the age of sixteen. My wife and I raised two children and ourselves in the years that followed. I joined the US Army as soon as I turned eighteen and the Army defined me. I gave myself over to the service of our country. I was a model professional soldier. Promotions, praise and decorations came quickly. I did everything that a good NCO should.
The Army is hard on family life and it is especially hard on the family of an over-achiever like myself. It is only by the grace of God and the fact that we were posted overseas that my wife and I remained together. While I was in Germany I developed quite a drinking problem. Of course, it was no problem because I was a good NCO and did all that I should. But I was not happy. Something was missing. I had everything, a beautiful wife, kids and a career to be envied. But something was terribly wrong. I felt empty and alone in spite of all the success and activity in my life.
I remember one December all the NCOs were waiting for our men to finish cleaning so we could inspect their work in preparation for a big inspection. There must have been a dozen of us packed in a little room near the coffeepot and still I felt so very alone. I wanted to cry out loud there in front of all those men dared not. Instead, I reached back to my past experience and cried out to God from the depths of my soul. I bargained with Him. I asked God to please let me return to the United States, get out of the Army, and go to a place that would be decent to raise my children and then I would serve Him. You see, I had tried to find him in the chapels, at work, and at home but with no result. I thought that I would have to go to a civilian church in the states to find Him.
Five years later I was in Welch, WV working for G.C.Murphy’s, a five and dime store. I had not given God much thought since that prayer five years earlier. I just continued to struggle through life on my own. When I arrived at Welch I was told that the manager where I worked was a Methodist and would ask me about church. I remembered someone who had been influential in my life and recalled that he was a Baptist. Baptists are not Methodists, so when the invitation came I announced that I was a Baptist thereby getting the manager utterly and completely off my back. Or so I thought. for little did I know that he was not only a Methodist but a tattletale as well.
One afternoon a knock came on the door of our house. We were expecting no one, who could it be? “Hi I’m Jack Barker the pastor at First Baptist and the manager at Murphy’s tells me that there are some new Baptists in town.” I will never forget those words because when he said them my thoughts were transported back to that room, the prayer, and the promise five years earlier. The words to my prayer were as fresh as If I had only just spoken them and I knew it was time to honor my word to God.
Within a few short weeks my wife, our two children as well as myself accepted the Lord and were baptized. I had previously committed to serve him and then I began to honor my word. I continue in that journey to honor my word to this very day. I began substitute teaching in Sunday school, moved on to youth work, surrendered to preach and did whatever else that I could. God continues to honor His word, to save, love, and use me as His servant and I continue to lovingly serve Him. It humbles me that God continues to use me in the capacity that He does. You see, I still see my self simply as a Sunday school teacher that hasn’t said no to God yet.