I’m excited about the opportunity to share with you
thoughts about FAITH, FAMILY and FUTURE which energize, challenge and compel me
in my daily walk with God: I’m the man I
am today because of my faith, my precious family and the future God has for me.
Faith
is something that was instilled in me at an early age. I grew up in a family that went to church
every time the doors were open – I can confidently say we were a worshipping
family. I owe this to my dad and mom who made sure their five children were in
church every time the doors were open. I know this had to be a huge challenge
as my dad worked two jobs and my mom solely took care of five children and also
volunteered her time at the church whenever she could. I want to thank my parents for instilling in
me the importance of faith and the value of being with a community of
believers.
As I got a little older and started thinking for myself, I
had to make my own personal decision to either follow the faith of my family or
go off in my own direction. I remember
this specific Sunday like it was yesterday… it was a Sunday evening service and
I was confronted with something that my spirit had never felt before. I couldn’t
say what songs were sung that evening that could have stirred my heart or what
sermon was preached that could have convicted me…but, something happened when
the pastor opened the altars for people to come down and pray. I was compelled to walk to the front of the
church and kneel at the altar… as I did this, I immediately knew in my heart
that I couldn’t depend on my “family’s faith” forever. I needed a personal
relationship with God where my sins were forgiven and that could only happen
through Jesus Christ. At that moment my
faith went from trusting in the traditions and spiritual legacy of my family to
personally trusting in God.
Because
of the faithful intercession and prayers of my mom and dad through the years,
their 5 children all know the Lord in a personal way. Has our family’s faith been tested and tried
over the years…yes! Has our family had hardship and sorrow through the
years…yes! But through all the “real
life stuff” that ALL families go through at some time or another… there is a
strong love and bond we all share together because of the spiritual legacy that
was imparted to us. Thank you John and Jackie Bullard for helping me be the man
I am today – I love you.
As the years go by, I often find myself confronted by
situations that challenge my faith. It’s
during these times where the “real John” can come out. I’ve learned down through the years that life
is never going to be perfect…it’s what you do during those challenging times
that really matter.
Many
of you know that I love football - especially Notre Dame. When I lived in South
Bend, I used to go to Notre Dame and listen to the motivational sessions that
Lou Holtz had. One of his quotes that I love is: “You're never as good as everyone tells you
when you win, and you're never as bad as they say when you lose.” I have applied this to my life over the years. When a challenge enters my life, I can dwell
on it and it can bring me down big time… but, I try and keep things in
perspective and remind myself that the situation could be worse (in some
instances) and look at all the positives in my life. The key word here is “balance”.
When hardships or challenging times come along, the
beautiful thing is – we have a source we can turn to who will help us not only
face those situations, but will give strength to get through them as well.
I love the old hymn that begins with, “My hope is built
on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Then when you get to the chorus is goes on to
say, “On Christ the solid Rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand…all
other ground is sinking sand.” If you have time today, listen to this hymn
which is a part of our heritage:
May we always remember that Jesus is our solid rock,
protector and foundation in which we stand in our faith and trust in Him.
