I grew up the daughter of a part-time evangelist, and my father made sure we were in church every time the doors were open. Unfortunately, the church I grew up in had very strict rules about outward things rather than issues of the heart, so I eventually rebelled against the beliefs and rules of my church and my father, and I turned away from God.

Soon after marrying Peter in 1971 our marriage began to fail because neither of us was saved. I tried to return to God, but my mistaken ideas about who He was and how He looked at me made it difficult to reconnect.

I went to work at a local factory, and a Christian co-worker began to witness to me. She told me that God looked on the heart, not on the outward appearance, and I began to see how the fruit of her life was so different than my own. I knew she believed that God really loved her, and my heart began to soften, in hopes that maybe He could love me, too.

I heard a news report one day that said Israel and Egypt had signed a peace treaty. I immediately heard the words of an old evangelist in my head. He said, “When they say, ‘peace and safety’, then sudden destruction shall come upon them.”

I wasn’t sure where to find the verse he had quoted in the Bible, but I was instantly consumed with fear, and I thought the end of the world was upon us. I rushed into the bathroom, shut the door, and begged Jesus to forgive me and save me. I laugh now when I think about it because I literally knelt down by “the throne” and got saved!

Peter and I share in the pastoral responsibilities at our church, and I am so blessed to worship with wonderful people each and every service. God has been good to us, and I am ever pursuing His will in my life.

Be Blessed!
Pastor Phyllis