Brand New Start
T
he Bible states in John 3:8 that "the wind bloweth where it pleaseth." The Holy Spirit, like the wind, cannot be seen, but His power can be experienced, the result of which is a changed life yielded to Jesus Christ. To quote one man of God, "Religion is itself an invisible and intangible object best discovered as the wind and the Spirit generally are discovered, in what they move."I
t would be impossible to list all the events which led to my coming to Christ in September of 1980, but as briefly as possible, I will attempt to summarize those events which seem to have been the most instrumental.P
revious to conversion, a majority of my time was spent in the development of one key aspiration — that of a professional musician. Practice often consumed 2 to 3 hours twice a week plus 3 or 4 nights of scheduled engagements in addition to working a 50 hour a week day job. For a period of 8 years, I participated in several top 40 rock groups as a lead guitarist and vocalist.I
n April of 1980, several events took place which would eventually change my life. I was working at Corning Glass Works as a draftsman and was desperately looking for a job in the Binghamton area. I received two calls — one from General Electric and one from New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG). After both interviews, I chose NYSEG's offer.O
ne week before beginning work at NYSEG, my brother-in-law was rushed to the hospital and died — apparently due to a massive heart attack. He had been like a real brother, in that for many years he had been the drummer in several of the groups I had been involved in. We had also lived together for a period of time until he married my wife's twin sister. I was stunned with unbelief; he was gone at 29 years old!I
have since come to realize that God sometimes uses a crisis to arouse the attention of those he wants for Himself. For the first time in my life, I began having thoughts of heaven and hell and in general, the life beyond. We had similar lifestyles and it became clear to me that it could have easily been my life instead of his.T
houghts of his life plagued me for weeks. A friend reiterated my exact feelings; people might have been at my funeral instead. I was told of the Gospel of Christ and saving faith. My concern increased to a point where I was heading for a Godless eternity.I
began working at NYSEG and met a man who helped turn concern into conviction. He suggested a prayer which basically said that if the desire of my heart was to belong to Christ, I could trust Him for the grace to change my life and make me the person He wanted me to be. He repeated the words often in the Bible from Jeremiah 29:13: "And you will seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart." NASB] To this day I find this verse one of the most powerful and challenging verses in all of Scripture. In the privacy of my home, I prayed a prayer based on these Bible truths. Approximately six months later, my wife placed her trust in Christ as Lord and Savior.N
ew meaning would be an understatement as far as my outlook on life was concerned. New hope would be a more appropriate term. The Bible states that it is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." [Col. 1:27] I was saved by His grace and continue to live each day by His grace with the hope and assurance that "He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion." [Philippians 1:6] Borrowing some of the words of an old hymn by Horatius Bonar, I am often reminded of the first song I wrote as a new believer and the words still ring true:
I once preferred to roam,
But now I love my Father's voice,
I love, I love His home!"
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Corinthians 2:14 contains words which truly express the desire of my heart:
"Wherever I go, thank God He causes my life to be one continuous pageant of triumph in Christ, diffusing the perfume of His knowledge everywhere by me."[Moffatt Translation]