David's Story
David's Story
I didn’t grow up in a Christian home.
If you asked me what it took to get to heaven I would have told you to be a good person and do right by those you come in contact with. This brought a sense of loneliness, like I was never good enough for anyone. These thoughts continued throughout high school as I worked to try and be a good person, or what I considered to be a good person. Ultimately, this led me down a dark road where I encountered many different challenges. Through these challenges I realized that I needed a life change.
During this time someone shared the gospel with me. They shared with me that Christ loves and accepts me for who I am, even when I am messed up. They told me that His love extends to my depths, and that in Him I have acceptance. That day, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.
Before this the local church had never been a place in which I envisioned myself being a part. After I met Christ, I found myself constantly involved in the local church.
My involvement in the local church also helped with the loneliness that I felt all those years. I was realizing that I was a part of an eternal family, where I was always welcomed and was given a chance to grow and lead. This helped me gain a sense of importance and belonging. Through this process of growth and belonging, I fell in love with serving and helping others.
The biggest struggle for my wife, Lauren, and I coming to New Orleans was not knowing how long we were going to be here. Early on, we had this mentality that we were just here to finish my degree and then we would head on. But over the course of the months to follow Christ used many people from Berean, school, and work, as well as experiences we have been through to show us that we were right where He wanted us to be.
Through this, God taught us patience, which is something we’ve struggled with. God was also showing us that we needed to be working where He had us - not to push back, but to give in and allow Him to use us in any way possible.
Coming to the understanding that we need to be patient waiting for the Lord to work in our lives, and trusting Him to use us where we are has made life more enjoyable and less stress-filled.
If you asked me what it took to get to heaven I would have told you to be a good person and do right by those you come in contact with. This brought a sense of loneliness, like I was never good enough for anyone. These thoughts continued throughout high school as I worked to try and be a good person, or what I considered to be a good person. Ultimately, this led me down a dark road where I encountered many different challenges. Through these challenges I realized that I needed a life change.
During this time someone shared the gospel with me. They shared with me that Christ loves and accepts me for who I am, even when I am messed up. They told me that His love extends to my depths, and that in Him I have acceptance. That day, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.
Before this the local church had never been a place in which I envisioned myself being a part. After I met Christ, I found myself constantly involved in the local church.
My involvement in the local church also helped with the loneliness that I felt all those years. I was realizing that I was a part of an eternal family, where I was always welcomed and was given a chance to grow and lead. This helped me gain a sense of importance and belonging. Through this process of growth and belonging, I fell in love with serving and helping others.
The biggest struggle for my wife, Lauren, and I coming to New Orleans was not knowing how long we were going to be here. Early on, we had this mentality that we were just here to finish my degree and then we would head on. But over the course of the months to follow Christ used many people from Berean, school, and work, as well as experiences we have been through to show us that we were right where He wanted us to be.
Through this, God taught us patience, which is something we’ve struggled with. God was also showing us that we needed to be working where He had us - not to push back, but to give in and allow Him to use us in any way possible.
Coming to the understanding that we need to be patient waiting for the Lord to work in our lives, and trusting Him to use us where we are has made life more enjoyable and less stress-filled.
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