Chris' Testimony Pictures of provided because some may not believe how far God has brought me and changed my life! I am not proud of my past nor do I brag; I simply share my story to glorify God!
This is me at 19 years of age; long hair, Flying V guitar, and an attitude!
This is me (on the left) at 23 years of age; life seemed like a long party! But, I was so empty inside!  Two people that God used to influence my life towards Jesus were Jim Chilton (preacher at the time I was baptized at North Blvd church of Christ, Murfressboro, TN) and Grace Young
Sharing my testimony in Portuguese here in Recife before 600 people! Jesus Christ has changed my life!
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Let
me share with you briefly how Jesus Christ has changed my life. I was born
January 11, 1966 in Washington, D.C. I
believed in God as a child, but I did not have a relationship with Him. I discovered there is a big difference
between believing God exists and trusting Him.
As a child, I never went to church nor did anyone talk about God in my
home. When I was 10, I wanted to be a
rock star and I played guitar and loved heavy metal. Even at that age, my heart was so empty and I
didn't feel like my life had meaning or purpose. Something was missing. I felt so lost. My life was rebellion with a capital “R.” I started using drugs and alcohol when I was 13 and didn't stop for the next 10 years. During this time, I did not like Christians or church. I have always had a problem with “organized religion.” High School was a nightmare for me. I hated it. I didn’t care. Was going to be rock star and how them, right? Drug use increased. Partying. I graduated with a D- average. I
joined some heavy metal bands after school, but nothing went anywhere. One band
I was in was called Hauntz. We were
south central Pennsylvania’s answer to Metallica. Our opening song was “Hell Awaits” by
Slayer. Drugs had just sucked the life
out of me to the point I tried committing suicide when I was 19. I was so
unhappy. I am not proud of my past or bragging about my sins. My sins crucified the Son of God. I am simply sharing the truth of what happened. I share my story to glorify God and show how He can change anyone, even me. After
being in the Air Force 3 1 /2 years and drinking like a fish, I moved to
Tennessee in August 1989 to go to college.
I began renting an apartment from an old widow and lived behind her
house. Her name was Grace. She began to show me love: washing my clothes
every day, making me something to eat, and showing me kindness. I could not figure this lady out. Then, in November of 1989, I had a
frightening experience at a Tesla concert using crack cocaine. It scared me so bad. My grandmother died in December of 1989 and I
went on a 2 week drinking binge. She
raised me as a child. But, it made me
start thinking about my own death. Was I
ready? Where would I go? I knew I would go straight to hell because of
my lifestyle, but I reasoned in my heart that God is love and He will let me in
heaven. How deceived I was. Meanwhile,
I continued to rent this apartment from Grace.
In May of 1990, she invited me to a church of Christ (a
non-denominational simple church trying to follow the New Testament). However, I was skeptical. Was it organized religion or something
different? It was there that I
discovered the love of God and the cross of Jesus. I also discovered that I could have a
relationship with God, something I never heard of before. My trouble was I didn't think God could
forgive me. But, after a Bible study
with the preacher, Jim Chilton, I realized God was able to forgive even
me. On August 8th, 1990, I gave my life
to Jesus and was baptized. He filled the emptiness in my heart and has given me
meaning and purpose. He has changed my life! I felt like I got “plugged”into the right
circuit! By the power of God, I have not
touched drugs or alcohol for 19 years (since August 8, 1990)! I wanted to tell everyone about the truth that I have found. On the way, the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to get a B.A. in Bible and M.A. in Missions. I never thought I would ever go to college. I was a loser in high school; Jesus has made me a winner! I was involved in prison ministry, teaching men about Jesus, for 6 years in Tennessee and Texas. In May of 1994, I moved to Mobile, Alabama to work as an evangelist and we started an inner city church in the ghetto there. I loved it and the people so much! I was there 5 years before the Lord called me to Tanzania, East Africa in September of 2000. On August 8th, 2002, I married the woman I love, Teresa in Mwanza, Tanzania. Our daughter, Sara, was born in Nairobi, Kenya on August 8th, 2003. Very special day in our family! We started 3 congregations in Mwanza and moved back to the States for a year in Dec of 2005. We moved to Recife, Brazil in June of 2007 with plans of living here much longer. We will be starting churches among the poorer communities. If Jesus can take an ex-pot smokin whiskey drinkin' fool like me and change his life, He can change anyone's. There's my story. It’s true. Not trying to preach or to bore ya, but it's the truth! Please email me and let me hear from you! Love, Chris (email: brazil4jesuschrist@yahoo.com) |
