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What Led Me To Seek God?
Joe Dunn
Friday, April 24, 2009What led me to seek God? Well; I wasn’t actually looking for God. I was exploring possible solutions to a problem with my son. The problem was; my son was starting to act just like me. And not just the me of recent, but the me when I was his age. It’s as though he was competing with my past to see which one of us is the biggest delinquent.
So I got the bright idea we’d start checking out a couple of churches and see if we could find a nice laid back church; not one of them Jesus freak churches, just a quiet little place where we might fit in. And maybe some of them good Christian folk will start to rub off on my son a little, and maybe I could network a little and get a good career lead, and maybe I could meet a good Christian woman and quit chasin the ones in the bars. But I was not seeking God!
I was in the process of picking three or four churches to check out when I got an invitation from an old friend to come to Grace Baptist Church. He said he’d be tickled to death if I showed up at Grace. I could only think he’d be the easiest person I ever pleased in all my life. So now I have Grace as one of the churches on my list and I have a friend who’s brother plays in a Christian rock band at another church so that gives me two churches on my list. And I can call another one of my friends and ask where the church is that his dad preaches at, and there’s the Catholic Church close to home that all of dad’s side went to. Maybe I can get a nun to crack my son’s knuckles with a yard stick a few times.
With my list of four churches I told my son that we would go to these churches and he could pick which church he wanted to attend and we would continue going to that church until he learned to act respectable and treat people with respect. The first church we went to was Grace. My ten year old daughter really enjoyed the kids program at Grace. And either her big brother liked Grace too or he has a soft spot for his little sister, when I asked my son which church he wanted to try next and he said let’s just keep going to Grace. So Grace it is. So now we have a church to go to and maybe they can get my son in line. But I’m not looking for God!
Now somehow this friend of mine, who by the way is still very much alive, had me suckered into not just Sunday morning service but Sunday school as well. And in the Sunday school class they got this fella they call Brother Farley who seems to know all about the things I’m living wrong in my life and he just can’t wait to tell me about all these things that I need corrected in my life. And when I get to the Sunday morning service Pastor Bane or some traveling Evangelical type a fella has a whole new set of faults for me to deal with.
Ya’ll got me under too much stress. Something’s got to give. I’m a single dad raising two kids, working on a Bachelors degree, working as an intern, doing some odd jobs on the side. I know I have a lot of things wrong in my life but I don’t have time to fix them right now. And at this point I am still not seeking or seeing God. God is not in my thoughts.
I lasted all of maybe four Sundays and decided I was done with church. But I didn’t tell the kids. I just didn’t set my alarm and when I got up late I told the kids we missed church. When I put the kids to bed the following Saturday my daughter said don’t forget to set your alarm daddy. So I convinced myself that the church couldn’t actually cause all the stress I was under, it was everything else. So in the morning we went to church and this traveling Evangelical fella said something that I related to why I wanted to quit going to church. Later that evening I went to my friends house and was trying to explain to him that I thought it was kinda funny how this guy nailed why I skipped church the previous week. He handed me a track that explained the steps to salvation. But I wasn’t seeking God. And about 12:30 the following morning Monday, September 22, 2008 God decided that I was the one that needed fixing and I excepted Christ as my savior and dedicated my life to him. Now I seek God so that I can try to get out of his way but I have a lot of work to do on the get out of the way part. And that’s how I came to seek God.
Quote (TechJoe @ June 23 2009,00:58) What Led Me To Seek God?
Joe Dunn
Friday, April 24, 2009What led me to seek God? Well; I wasn’t actually looking for God. I was exploring possible solutions to a problem with my son. The problem was; my son was starting to act just like me. And not just the me of recent, but the me when I was his age. It’s as though he was competing with my past to see which one of us is the biggest delinquent.
So I got the bright idea we’d start checking out a couple of churches and see if we could find a nice laid back church; not one of them Jesus freak churches, just a quiet little place where we might fit in. And maybe some of them good Christian folk will start to rub off on my son a little, and maybe I could network a little and get a good career lead, and maybe I could meet a good Christian woman and quit chasin the ones in the bars. But I was not seeking God!
I was in the process of picking three or four churches to check out when I got an invitation from an old friend to come to Grace Baptist Church. He said he’d be tickled to death if I showed up at Grace. I could only think he’d be the easiest person I ever pleased in all my life. So now I have Grace as one of the churches on my list and I have a friend who’s brother plays in a Christian rock band at another church so that gives me two churches on my list. And I can call another one of my friends and ask where the church is that his dad preaches at, and there’s the Catholic Church close to home that all of dad’s side went to. Maybe I can get a nun to crack my son’s knuckles with a yard stick a few times.
With my list of four churches I told my son that we would go to these churches and he could pick which church he wanted to attend and we would continue going to that church until he learned to act respectable and treat people with respect. The first church we went to was Grace. My ten year old daughter really enjoyed the kids program at Grace. And either her big brother liked Grace too or he has a soft spot for his little sister, when I asked my son which church he wanted to try next and he said let’s just keep going to Grace. So Grace it is. So now we have a church to go to and maybe they can get my son in line. But I’m not looking for God!
Now somehow this friend of mine, who by the way is still very much alive, had me suckered into not just Sunday morning service but Sunday school as well. And in the Sunday school class they got this fella they call Brother Farley who seems to know all about the things I’m living wrong in my life and he just can’t wait to tell me about all these things that I need corrected in my life. And when I get to the Sunday morning service Pastor Bane or some traveling Evangelical type a fella has a whole new set of faults for me to deal with.
Ya’ll got me under too much stress. Something’s got to give. I’m a single dad raising two kids, working on a Bachelors degree, working as an intern, doing some odd jobs on the side. I know I have a lot of things wrong in my life but I don’t have time to fix them right now. And at this point I am still not seeking or seeing God. God is not in my thoughts.
I lasted all of maybe four Sundays and decided I was done with church. But I didn’t tell the kids. I just didn’t set my alarm and when I got up late I told the kids we missed church. When I put the kids to bed the following Saturday my daughter said don’t forget to set your alarm daddy. So I convinced myself that the church couldn’t actually cause all the stress I was under, it was everything else. So in the morning we went to church and this traveling Evangelical fella said something that I related to why I wanted to quit going to church. Later that evening I went to my friends house and was trying to explain to him that I thought it was kinda funny how this guy nailed why I skipped church the previous week. He handed me a track that explained the steps to salvation. But I wasn’t seeking God. And about 12:30 the following morning Monday, September 22, 2008 God decided that I was the one that needed fixing and I excepted Christ as my savior and dedicated my life to him. Now I seek God so that I can try to get out of his way but I have a lot of work to do on the get out of the way part. And that’s how I came to seek God.
Hi Joe DunnPraise God for your new found faith! Remember who it was that you accepted and dedicated your life to.
JESUS. Seek him with your whole heart and he will guide you into all truth. He will reveal himself to you and introduce you to the Father, and as you see the Glorious oneness of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, you will truly know the fellowship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessings and Love in our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13)
WJ
TJ,
He sought you! “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me” (Romans 10:20).PTL,
thinkerHi Joe,
Raising two kids as a single dad must be very difficult especially in those teen years. A good youth group has been great for my kids as well as the support of adults in their lives. I am thankful for God's love as it flows through people at church and elsewhere. I heard an interesting thought yesterday from a previous pastor of mine on youtube. He said that you can't love anyone you idolize. He went on to say that if you have expections of people to be a source of your comfort and happiness, then you have made them an idol in your life and you cannot really love them. I don't know why I am telling you this…it is just on my mind at the moment. Here is a link to that youtube message if you are interested:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v….index=1
God bless,
Kathi/LU/LightenupThanks WJ,
My relationship with Christ is going great.Hi TJ,
Indeed; I was sought, found, and received. It is amazing to be dead to the world and born to Christ.Hi Kathi,
Raising the kids is getting much easier now that I have the ultimate example of what a father is. I’m sorry I won’t be able to watch the youtube message you posted. I have youtube and many other sites blocked from my home network to protect my children.Hello Joe! Welcome. I am very happy for you, that God has called you. You will find that God will open the door to all kind of understanding of the Scriptures, once you have been Baptized. Are you Baptized? Raising teenagers is not an easy task., even with God on your side. You are a good person to block things that are so wrong, from your Computer. Good Luck to you and your Boys.
In Christian Love IreneHi Cindy,
Thanks for the welcome. Yes, I was Baptized about 2 weeks after I was Saved. The biggest difficulty with the kids is that God was not in our home until they were10 and 14. So I have my work cut out for me but I am a much better father with God in my life than I ever had any hope being before I got Saved. My children used to take a back seat to whatever I felt needed to be done to make ends meet. Now the only thing that comes before my children is my private time with God. And that’s usually taken care of before they get up in the morning. As far as blocking web-sites, there is just too much junk and filth out there on the internet. I can’t block it all but I can reduce it and regulate when they can access the internet. Well I better be able to anyway, I make my living in networking.NTO WHAT WERE YO BAPTIZED? JESUS NAME OR NO? WHERE IN THE BIBLE WERE ANY BAPTIZED ANY OTHER WAY? I DONT FIND IT. AS MY OLD PASTOR WHO JUST PASSED AWAY USED TO SAY YOU ACCEPTED JESUS BUT DID HE ACCEPT YOU? A GOOD QUESTION. I HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THIS IF YOU REALY REPENTED AND MEANT WHAT YOU SAID , GOT BAPTIZED, AND GAVE ALL TO JESUS HE WOLD ACCEPT YOU. HE DID SAY COME UNTO ME ALL WHO ARE WIERY AND HEAVY LADEN AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.
Quote (Jesus name follower of Christ @ July 19 2009,01:31) i sought God because He called me
Greetings freind…..How do you know God was calling you?Quote (Jesus name follower of Christ @ Aug. 23 2009,00:33) I am a freind of God
curious
Please indulge me….. I had no Idea God was looking for freinds…I must say ….you bring a whole new perspective to this forum…..interesting!!!Quote (theodorej @ Aug. 28 2009,11:39) Quote (Jesus name follower of Christ @ Aug. 23 2009,00:33) I am a freind of God
curious Please indulge me….. I had no Idea God was looking for freinds…I must say ….you bring a whole new perspective to this forum…..interesting!!!
I think if you understand what the Bible is saying, no matter what subject it is, then IMO God is calling you to come out of whatever Church you belong. There is no Church that has not a false doctrine. Most belief in the trinity. Or they do not understand what it means to be under the Blood of Christ and of grace salvation being a free gift from God by Faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9
Coming out of the Catholic Church was the biggest event in my life. My Husband was listening to Mr. Armstrong and He talked about Revelation and the wore and the daughters of the wore. All the literature that the Church send out was free and we did get many of them, like Revelation revealed at last. We left the Catholic Church and joined the W.W. Church of God. I(t was not a cult like so many have said. The 10 years that we belonged were good years. We felt like a Family. Nobody ever gossiped about another member, which really impressed me. Being so active in the Catholic Church, I knew how Catholics talked about each other. Not very nice.
Unfortunately after Mr. Armstrong died and another Ambassador took over, all went back to believing in the trinity. Many Members left the Church and started their own. Members fought like cats and dogs. I was very sick at the time and did not attend services, so God spared me and we left the Church all together. I still have two former friends that I communicate with. One good friend died. So belonging to Heaven Net Forum is good in a sense that I can debate my understanding of the Scriptures. Since we left the Church, God has revealed more truths to us, like the preexisting of Jesus.
Peace and Love Irene
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