Many times I watched them sing
to Christ their risen Lord,
I saw enraptured faces praise
the one that they adored.
Preachers said "You're a sinner boy",
to which I soon replied
"Oh, I know that I'm not perfect,
but why am I denied?"
No answer seemed to come my way,
and church I would walk by,
who was this man, Lord Jesus Christ?
why did He have to die?
I went to church in teenage years,
attended to find faith;
I watched those people in the pews,
they seemed like me, sin's wraith.
I ceased my search for many years,
I whored, and gambled, drank,
was just another hopeless case,
and further down I sank.
But then one day when hope was lost,
when daytime starts to wane,
the Lord of Heaven filled my space
like joy's ecstatic rain.
I wondered what had happened here,
this mystery's too much,
my steps were guided to some men,
who'd felt God's tender touch.
But God revealed just who He was,
in certainty released,
He'd died for me, He'd cleansed my soul,
all doubt for me now ceased.
R.Owen 24/04/2015
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Author Notes
Like many kids when I grew up churchgoers were aplenty and I heard manifold bible stories like-Samson, Daniel, King David, Gideon, Joseph and his coat of many colours. Now my mother sent me to Sunday school, although none of my adult family ever went, but that was true of many people, adults were keen for children to receive bible instruction, but they themselves would not touch it with a 10-yard barge pole!
I went looking for God as a 17 year old, I attended the local Presbyterian church, but it was joyless, and quickly discovered He wasn't there! I don't know where He'd gone, but He certainly wasn't there!
I played senior football when just a slip of a boy, a mere 16yr. old, and there with older men, I learned to drink, gamble, view women as sexual objects, and my life had a slow downward path from there.
It wasn't until I was 41 that God, quite unbidden, appeared in my work vehicle, in the late afternoon, this amazing, atmosphere surrounded me, ecstasy filled me like nothing Iike I'd ever experienced before or since. It was so pure and clean, yes, I guess Holy would be good word, then as quickly as it commenced it ceased, leaving me bereft, but God hadn't left me, that was just the beginning. My life of compulsive gambling, drinking, (I was an alcoholic)and smoking ceased shortly after, I met born again believers, my marriage revived overnight, from that moment I met Jesus my life turned upside down, was I suddenly good? NO! was I turned around by my own will? NO! it was HIM, scripture says, "If you seek me with all your heart you will surely find me."Deut. 4:29, Romans 10:9 says "If you declare with your mouth, "That Jesus is Lord," and believe that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."NIV
READ deniz22's post "What's His name?"
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