Spiritual Birthday!

I recently celebrated my 20th spiritual birthday.  It has been 20 YEARS ago that God truly revolutionized my life!

Twenty years ago... I was 15.  In some ways I was still so young, immature, silly, obnoxious, giddy, and childlike.  In other ways - I had lived a life with experiences that no 15 year old should know about.

At this point in my life - I was so EMPTY.  I had never lived in a "normal" family...being raised by my grandmother...who when I fell into trouble as a pre-teen...turned against me like a mean, hateful, bitter serpant would.  I had begun living with different relatives, but no one really felt like they could "handle" me.  I was troubled and looking for trouble.

I remember the night ( I think it was August 31st, 1990 - but I am still verifying this date) - when the captain of our cheer squad invited us to a sleepover at her house after the first home football game.

What she DIDN'T tell us... was that we had to go to her church for a "5th Quarter" after the game.  I was declaring that the roof of the church would cave in if I went in.

That night the speaker wore a football helmet as he shared from the Scriptures about how much God loved us.  I didn't really believe it.  HOW could God love ME?  I had done too many bad things.  I had not lived for Him.  Yet... I was DRAWN.

I went forward to the altars to pray afterwards...praying, crying, weeping, begging God to forgive me and to accept me.  I was so EMPTY.  But I left full of something.  A spark.  A spark that ignited over the coming days and weeks into a flame...and then a fire... and then an all consuming blaze...that consumed my soul and CHANGED me into a completely, radically different person.  "...behold all things HAD become NEW."