I asked Christ to come into my heart at age 13. The church I was raised in put a lot of emphasis on “working” for the Lord. Being a child of parents who came from “The Silent Generation,” everything was about hard work, determination, and work ethic—which my parents successfully instilled in me. My approach to my faith was to work really hard “for” the Lord. Fast forward to age 30, God had called us to help start a second church in Webster, Texas. I had reached the pinnacle of church service! I was the Worship Leader in our new church, permed mullet and all, 4 worship team members, and a full band.
We were on the cutting edge! We were singing, “As the Deer Pants for the Water”!
It was during one of those services we were singing a song about loving Jesus. And suddenly, I realized I didn’t really love Jesus… He was a great guy and had provided my salvation. But I had been so busy working “for” Him that I had missed knowing Him, really knowing Him. Loving Him. I sat down in my seat and began to weep. “God, if you are the real deal, I want to know you. Really know you.”
Even though I had received Christ so many years ago, I had never surrendered to His lordship over my life. As I did just that, my heart was made fully alive!