Some of my earliest memories are of times spent at First Church of the Nazarene here in Sacramento.  My grandmother lived across the street from the church and volunteered in a variety of ministries that would have her over there on a regular basis.  When staying at her house, I would often go with her to the church to complete various odd jobs.  We attended every Sunday and quite regularly on Sunday and Wednesday evenings.

When I completed the sixth grade, my step-father's job relocated to Southern California. We attended another Nazarene church there, but I slowly began to drift away from Christ and the church.  By the time we moved back to Sacramento at the end of my junior year of high school, I wanted little to do with anything relating to God.  Having fought to stay in So Cal with friends, I was depressed and bored those first few weeks of the summer back here in Sacramento.

We had moved to Greenhaven and my parents began attending Riverside Wesleyan.  My mother came back from church one Sunday and told me that the youth group was going to camp that next week.  I told her I was happy for them.  She told me I was going.  I said no.  She said yes, and that if I was packed or not was my choice.

I went (and yes, I packed).

August 22, 1990, I prayed a prayer to the Lord that I won't ever forget.  I knew already that I was saved. I had prayed that prayer many years prior as a child but this was a prayer of personal commitment.  I had essentially tried every other way I could think of to find peace in my life other than complete surrender to the Lord.  Having been raised in the church, I was fully aware of God's promises for our life and that he wasn't going to give me a life of ease and leisure, but one of peace and joy.  This was what I wanted, needed, and got.

I have spent every day of my life since that moment in pursuit of my Lord.  Some days I am certainly a better servant than others, but each is a day of growth that brings me closer to Him.  God is great, and I will spend my life in praise of and in service to Him.

Romans 12: 1-2

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