# Testimony Thread



## Osage Bluestem (Dec 16, 2009)

I got this idea from another forum I post in where there was an introduce yourself thread that I thought was a great idea for a forum that new. Why don't we have a testimony thread here to get to know one anothers backgrounds a bit better and show folks how we got to where we are today?



Here's mine:

My name is David. I live in Richardson Texas and am a member of a PCA Church. I post at a few different christian forums around the web and always use the same formula for my moniker; my initials and the year I joined the site. I love to fellowship with other christians and share the gospel of Christ with those who don't know him.

I grew up in Oklahoma. I was raised by my grandparents. My grandpa was a calvinistic amillennial Southern Baptist Pastor. I responded to an altar call when I was seven and was baptized shortly thereafter. I was raised on the bible (KJV mainly). I was taught it and read it regularly as a child. I was at church with my grandparents pretty much every time any event happened there at all, even business mettings many times. However, I turned into a wild teenager. 

In my military/college years (USAF, NMSU) I fell away into secularism/scientific empiricism for awhile. 

I eventually fell deep into error due to worldly rational and joined the Roman Catholic Church where I read mainly RCC documents and books to try to grow in faith using the scientific cookie cutter approach. I joined the Knights of Columbus during this time. I was married, had a child, divorced, remarried, had another child. The entire time I was in the RCC I struggled with it's teachings. I tried to take them in good faith, but my earlier instruction in the bible as a child always haunted me when I would pray the rosary or participate in mass or go to confession or call a priest father...and many other issues.

Later I felt a strong urge to re-read the scriptures because I just wanted to re-hear what the bible actually said. I had many unresolved questions about Catholic Doctrine and I wanted to worship God in Spirit and in truth so I decided to catch back up and read just the bible through. I had been reading many encyclicals council documents and theology books and such but very little bible study.The little I was doing was mainly topical. During that time I put everything else down but the bible and a few study helps when I needed it. I read it through with a highlighter to mark the key passages that jumped out at me. I became convicted that the RCC was unbiblical. I saw that my calvinistic upbringing was biblical and wished I had listened to my grandpa instead of being hard headed. It all (my childhood teaching) started coming back to me and I thanked God. By the time I finished re-reading the bible through with no distractions I was a convicted 5 point calvinist. 

That lead me into studying reformation theology. I am a paedobaptist (because of biblical covenat theology and church history). That and a belief that liturgical corporate worship is more desireable kept me from returning to my baptist roots. I have a general mistrust of non-denominational churches so they were never an option. No Arminian churches were an option. So I started looking at Lutheran and then Reformed churches. I rejected Anglicanism right away because they have many of the problems of the RCC with the additional issue of a low view of scripture. I rejected Lutheranism based on their view of unlimited atonement and consubstantiation among some things I disagree with in Luther's small catechism. 

So, I came to the realization that I believed what the Reformed believed was biblical. I visited Presbyterian churches. I at first briefly joined a PC-USA church. That was a mistake because I found rather quickly that I disagree strongly with them on a few key doctrines. I then found my home in the PCA, where I fit right in. I believe the PCA is the most biblical denomination we have right now. There are some other smaller denominations that are very biblical as well, but I believe the PCA is open to reformed unification where as some of the smaller ones are not. I think John 17 is clear that unification should be a Christian goal. I love the PCA and am glad that God had that denomination in the plan for my life.

I'm not sure when I was saved exactly. I don't know if it was when I was seven and I just backslid for awhile, or if it was when I was an adult and found a real desire to follow Christ. I know I am a believer and I trust in Christ as my savior. I believe that God wants us to worship him in Spirit and in truth. I pray that I will follow him the way he wants to be followed all my life. I hope for his return. And I look forward to spending eternity with him and the whole family. I thank God for his mercy and grace. 

I love being with God's people and sharing the gospel with others and glorifying God. I don't know what the future holds or what God wants me to do with the life he has given me but I'm confident that he is in control and I am not worried because he is great and I love him. There is no need to worry about anything.


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## Theognome (Dec 16, 2009)

Mine's already posted-

http://www.puritanboard.com/f129/black-blue-gospel-44192/

Theognome


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## Osage Bluestem (Dec 16, 2009)

Theognome said:


> Mine's already posted-
> 
> http://www.puritanboard.com/f129/black-blue-gospel-44192/
> 
> Theognome



Wow. Your's is detailed and long. I thought mine was long until I saw that. It's a book.

I'll have to read that when I have time.


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## Theognome (Dec 16, 2009)

As mentioned in the PB forward, it's not a writing that I'm happy with. The 'story' is accurate- it is my testimony, but the manner in which it was written is very poor in my opinion. I wrote it in late '98 and actually copywrited it and even registered it in the library of congress early in '99. If I were to write the same thing today, it would be four times longer and a whole lot less accusational. 

Note to writers- there is nothing worse than having to read your own work ten years or more later.

Theognome


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## Osage Bluestem (Dec 16, 2009)

Theognome said:


> As mentioned in the PB forward, it's not a writing that I'm happy with. The 'story' is accurate- it is my testimony, but the manner in which it was written is very poor in my opinion. I wrote it in late '98 and actually copywrited it and even registered it in the library of congress early in '99. If I were to write the same thing today, it would be four times longer and a whole lot less accusational.
> 
> Note to writers- there is nothing worse than having to read your own work ten years or more later.
> 
> Theognome



You're actually making me excited to read it. I bet it's great and you are just hard on yourself because your humble. I love to hear teastimonies of christians.


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