Ted’s Testimony

I come from a small town in the heart of the Cascade Mountains. I started going to Sunday school after a friend invited me. After a while, attending all the church events became routine for me. It was something I checked off my list of what I thought it meant to be a Christian. I had no relationship with God.

While I was in high school my understanding of Jesus was challenged. My father had many health complications, which left him on brink of death a handful of times. When my dad was sick, I would cry out to God but when things got better I put God on the back burner. I started to develop an anger towards God. I didn't understand why there was pain and suffering in my life.

When I came to college, I had experienced moments of God's sovereign hand orchestrating events that I could not explain. I entered into a community that pushed for depth and showed me what it meant to follow Jesus. God revealed to me that sin has caused the pain, suffering and the brokenness in the world. I finally understood why Jesus had to die and what his resurrection means for my life; a relationship with God the Father.

The freedom and transformation in Christ is almost unexplainable. God had truly softened my heart and allowed me to experience the power of grace that covers my sin. I have received correction, had my sin exposed and have continued to receive love from my community. This is the reason I know what grace is, this is the reason I put my hope in Jesus, this is why I am able to love others, because Christ first loved me.