I grew up in a small rural church outside Charlottesville VA. My earliest memories had me and my family going to this church my entire childhood and youth. We usually had revivals every summer. I think it was one of those revivals that the Spirit began urging me to accept Jesus as my savior. I didn't accept until Sunday morning, going up after the sermon.
Except for a short time during college, church has always been a central part of my life. I have always found a church to attend wherever I happened to live. Even after getting married to Debra, for several moves around the country, we continued to find churches to attend where we could grow and learn about our Risen Savior. I was ordained as a deacon at our church in Sacramento CA, a major milestone. After retirement, we settled in Gloucester Point near one of our daughters and her family.
As I matured in age and as a Christian, I continued to study, read the bible, and attend church. I think, even though I was baptized at an early age, I didn't fully understand what it meant to accept Christ. I am much older now but continue to learn new things that help me in my walk with the Lord. Over the many years since I accepted Christ and took Him into my heart, I have had many great people in my life give guidance and HE continues to put these people in my path to show me which way to go. I do know that my journey that started with the Holy Spirit dragging me up the aisle was not the end of the journey but the beginning that continues each day.
