As I type this summary, I am thankful for the memories of my salvation that flood my thoughts. I believe my rescue was orchestrated by God himself because Jesus met me where I was. Praise God that he chose not to leave me there!
Allow me to take you back to the summer of 1970. It was a time of bell-bottom jeans and rock-n-roll music. It was also when my family lived in Little Rock; we had a small home and were a family of modest means.
My dad was a hard worker, and he worked long hours. Although Dad was gone much of the time, he set the tone of our home. There was no talk of the Bible and most certainly not of Jesus. In fact, instead of a family Bible placed on the coffee table, you would find a Time-Life book showing the progression of man in evolution. There was no mention of church, no blessing before meals, no bedtime prayers.
A friendship developed with a fourth-grade classmate whose home looked much different. Her dad was a deacon in an S.B.C. church. Because of that friendship, I would benefit from Sunday School, and then later that year, in V.B.S., I would hear the gospel message. God saved me the summer I turned ten years old.
I consider it no less than a rescue as written about Lydia, Paul’s first European convert in Acts 16:14, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention,” Whether curiosity or a God-given desire to know more of Jesus, I continued walking to church on many Sunday mornings and learned from a faithful teacher named Joy Young. About six months in, I was baptized. John 6:44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,” and I am so grateful. I’m a child of the King!
More of My Story
Early on, I valued serving Christ and his Church. Over the years, my heart shifted from teaching children to teaching, leading, and serving women. Serving in my church (coupled with a time of leadership in B.S.F.) deepened my appreciation of God’s equipping. But the more I matured in my faith and the opportunities given, the more I knew God expected me to do my part. I developed a deep desire to represent His Word rightly (2 Tim. 2:12), and with that in mind, my story took a turn.
At 56, I sat in a classroom for an advanced theology track in Ft. Worth, Texas. With much younger men and women (pastors and would-be counselors) to my right and left, I gripped my pen and fixed my mind on every word coming from the front of the room. Despite decades of Bible study and faithful church attendance, it wasn’t until learning these ancient truths that theological gaps emerged. But there was something in those particular moments that I was sure of, maybe even convicted of: I needed to carry learning further. And by the grace of God, I did just that through Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Even though I had known Jesus since childhood, it was when poring over these doctrines that I began to know and understand what Christianity is. In this season of formal education, I understood how theological views affect all aspects of life. It was a busy time, but it was the best of times! With the filling of those theological gaps, my life’s focus changed: God’s purposes in me and with me became clear.
Make no mistake here. My 63 years of life experience has walked a curvy path. Yet, consistency in my faith walk and love from God’s people have been a sustaining factor. Since my day of salvation, I’ve known that no matter life circumstances, I have the assurance of my heavenly inheritance. By way of the cross, I live life eternal – a sinner, yet forgiven by God’s amazing grace. I am justified by grace, the atoning blood of Jesus, and through faith (Rom. 3:23-24) that He is the Christ who died and rose again on the third day.
An Everyday Theologian 