Testimonies – Bryan

My testimony started not too long ago. Life before I accepted Jesus as my Savior wasn’t going anywhere. I thought even if I walked into a church it would burn; I was so sinful. I started using drugs with friends when I was 9-years-old.  I would drink a lot even at age 8.

I got into trouble with the law several times growing up. I even did few nighters in holding cells for being drunk in public or trying to drive home from parties. I hung out with the wrong crowd just because I felt like people cared for me. The drugs and drinking did take the pain away for a time but it only came back afterwards, twice as bad because I felt like I was a scum of the earth.  I was nobody. For me, life was all about parties, friends, and girls.

My drug and drinking problem got so bad that on September 11^th 2006 I was too hung over and busy smoking early in the morning that I was late showing up to my grandfather’s funeral. Since my birth dad left me in the streets at a young age, he was my only father figure.  I could never forgive myself for doing that to my grandfather. My first tattoo was at age 16… just after my grandpa died.

That was my life before Christ.

I started to see things were going wrong when the trouble with the law started. I lost my two kids because I didn’t care for them or their mothers.  I still wanted to talk with and see other girls. My oldest child is 4-years-old now and youngest is a little over 1-year-old. I began losing most of my family. I lost about 15 people if not more, including my grandparents and brother.  I just stopped talking to them…my own family members. That’s when I started to open my eyes and notice something was wrong. Boy, it was. My life was at rock bottom.

I started to go over to the Hardy family’s house: Kelly, Jamie, Susan, and Kristen’s house. My new girlfriend was Kelly’s best friend. On a Sunday morning, they woke me up and told me I was going to church. The truth was I didn’t want to go but I needed to go. You could say I was dragged there or forced. But now I believe the Lord was the one guiding me.

Once at church, I didn’t know how to act but the people were SO amazing! They accepted me, hugged me, talked to me like I was someone (a few of them were the Jackson family but also a few others like Kevin, Tim, Becki, and Gene), even though I’ve got tattoos (12 of them but all of them are something from my past). On Sunday, November 27^th, I decided to accept the Lord as my Savior. When I was kneeling at the altar accepting Him, so many people came down and put their hands on me to pray for me. It was so emotional. One person that prayed for me really surprised me because, at the time, I really didn’t like him. His name was Alex. I forgave him that day, right there at the altar. Now I consider him a good friend of mine.

That’s when I became a believer in Christ.

I really don’t know where to start describing all the changes I’ve made since Jesus came into my heart. But I started to go to church every Sunday morning and Wednesday night. Now I even go to the New Beginnings discipleship class. I have been fixing relationships with most of my family. I stopped drinking and smoking weed, so my health is better now. I’ve got better friends and no more trouble with the law. I got an amazing girlfriend and I learned to trust people. I found out there are people out there who are like me and who accept me for me without all the drinking, stealing, and drugs.

Becoming a believer is the smartest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I never knew he cared about me or even knew I existed until that Sunday morning.

That’s my testimony.

Amen.