Today, March 20th, 2009, is my 49th Birthday! Not my original birth birthday, but my spiritual birthday. On March 20th of 1960, which was a Sunday, I attended Crossroads Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana at the invite of my sister and her husband. I decided to go that day, to break a record of attending church more than once a year, usually on Easter Sunday. That day became one that would totally change my life and its direction.

My sister, Sharry, and Joe, her husband, had recently received the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior and had been witnessing to me. We were not raised in a home that went to church regularly, but only taken occasionally. I really had no idea about being a sinner nor about John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I knew that at 16, I did things that were not right and that there was something lacking in my life.

So, there I was, listening to the sermon by Rev. Charlie Kittrell. As he gave his message I realized that I was a sinner, (“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” Romans 3:10), there was a penalty for sin and also a gift of salvation (For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23), and that I needed to ask forgiveness for my sins and accept the Lord as my Savior. (“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,” Romans 10:9-10). When the invitation was given, I went forward and a lady showed me how to accept the Lord, and I did.

For the rest of this: Happy 49th Birthday!