STORIES OF LIFE CHANGE…

Growing up, I was raised Southern Baptist. However, at the time my parents were not involved in the church and we only attended a few times a year. Though they were not involved, I was baptized at an early age. As I grew older I attended church sporadically with friends but never found my true home. While I quickly believed in and took Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior during one of the times I attended church I never took the leap of faith to actively show it under my own free will. Maybe it was due to some less than favorable experiences with churches or simply a fear people would think differently of me. As I have gotten older, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on all the amazing things God has blessed me with. From countless sunrises and sunsets watching his creation come to life while fishing and hunting, an amazing wife who’s is always there for me, two healthy and beautiful children and most importantly his salvation and never ending love for me just as imperfect as I am. This is just a short list of the wonders he has given me. As I look at these things it is easy to see how great and how real God truly is. After one of the many lessons the Coastal Life team poured into my children they asked me “dad have you been reborn”. For the longest time I had felt like the first time was enough. Hearing them ask it stirred something deep in my soul and the only answer I could give them was “no but I am going too”. Today is the day I quit living in the shadows, worrying about what others may think of me and I thank God for each and everything he has done in my life.

I went to Coastal Life Church since I was little and I learned so much about God. Everybody I know helped me find all of the stuff that I needed to learn about God and Jesus. I read the Bible at home with my parents and have read through so many pages. I want to be baptized because I believe in Jesus. I want to show everybody that I believe in Jesus!

Growing up I always went to church with my family and believed in the Lord, but never had a real personal relationship with Jesus. I didn’t really enjoy going to church and just kind of went becuase my parents did. It wasn’t until I was in 7th or 8th grade when I got interested in learning more about Jesus and developing my own personal relationship with him. I had always looked up to my parents and grandparents for their faith, so in 2021, at my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary I went up to them and told them I wanted to be baptized. They asked me if I knew what it truly meant and I told them no I just knew it said to do so in the Bible. We talked more about it that day and they wanted to give me my own Bible so I could learn more and develop my relationship with Jesus. So, they gave me my first Bible and that is what really started my relationship with Jesus Christ. I began going to youth group at a different church for a few years, but after a while I desired a deeper message. So that’s when I came to Coastal Life and I loved it. The youth groups are amazing and it truly helped me to strengthen my relationship with the Lord and I’ve made so many great friends. I had been putting being baptized off for a while but it had always been on my mind. So I talked to my good friend Tainoa about it and he helped me figure out how to go about it. The Lord has done so much for me in my life and I am so happy to be taking this next step in declaring my faith in Jesus!

I believe in Jesus because he is the son of God. He saved me from my sins by sacrificing his life for me because he loves me. I want to follow Jesus because I love Him and I want to be in Heaven with Him.

I believe in Jesus because he created the world, and I can see that in the people he created. Jesus provided me a loving family when I was hurt and broken by those who were supposed to take care of me. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to take away my sins. By being baptized, I can show others that I love Jesus and want to follow him for the rest of my life.

I was raised in the Catholic Church, but truly feel I have come to know and accept Jesus Christ as my savior after reading the Bible and coming to Coastal life and hearing the Gospel and I am ready to take the next step and be baptized.

I strayed from the Catholic church as a teenager and spent my early adult life trying out different religions that I thought fit into the life I was trying to portray. It wasn’t until this last year with a new baby and troubled relationship, that I realized these things had never really touched my soul or saved me in any real way. My older sister whom I am very close with had been saved about 4 years ago and we would occasionally discuss the conversations she was having in her weekly Bible study; introducing the classic debates of “well then why does God still allow evil to exist?” Every question I had was met with love, patience and compassion for my curiosity which I’m sure came across as a little instigative at times. It was clear to anyone but myself that I was desperate for some salvation and redemption in my life, I was still just poking around blind in every other corner for it and my skepticism was not helping me see any clearer. My relationship with the father of my newborn was in troubled waters and we decided to give some local churches a try to help set us on a new path. I found myself at a service at Coastal Life one April morning, just me and my baby and I instantly felt a sense of home and peace wash over me. Fast forward the next couple months and in Pastor James’ closing prayer every couple services he’d ask for people to stand and open their eyes to look at him if they felt inclined to give their life to Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. Already standing in the back section with my baby, I stayed standing and opened my eyes but knowing at that moment I was standing for Jesus, yet waiting for something bigger to hit me. I wanted a dramatic “ah-ha” moment but I would still leave service that day feeling unchanged for some reason I couldn’t understand. After a powerful SYMBIS pre-marital counseling course with a couple from the church, consistent attendance to service and daily, personal household worship and Bible lessons, finally, another Sunday came around and I was alone in service. I had put my baby in the Guppies room for the first time and fully dropped in to service- undistracted. This was one of the services where Pastor James asked again for people to close their eyes in prayer, and while everyone’s eyes would still be closed, to please stand if you were ready to accept Jesus as your Savior. I finally felt the presence of Jesus come and take my hand as I felt guided to stand. I spent the rest of service and the last worship song on my knees crying to my Jesus that I finally could feel with my heart. Sobbing in adoration and undeservingness for the perfect life he gave up for us. For ME. For my new, imperfect and troubled family! My unanswered questions suddenly faded away and I knew all that I needed to know in that moment- Jesus was there all along reaching out and waiting for ME to fully, faithfully, and whole-heartedly surrender my own will and my own plan and expectation of everything I thought I would feel in a moment like this, and give it all to Him instead.

I grew up in a divorce household starting at the age of two. My father remarried and raised me up in a practicing Christian household, going to church most Sundays. While my mom remarried and raised me in a (for the most part) non-practicing Jewish household, other than the major holidays. I never really took either side seriously, it was just a thing I had to do. I’m sure there was a good amount of confusion sprinkled in there too. I went through some pretty rough moments in my teenage years and wound up in an all boys maritime academy up in Jacksonville, FL. This is where I had my first serious interaction with the Bible. We would read a chapter of Proverbs every morning, every month, for the nearly two years I was there. I came home for my senior year of highschool, and immediately upon graduating I was moved out of my parents home. I tried a lot of things and lived in a lot of places but never faced my issues, my addictions, my deep rooted trauma. Never once praying to God or even having a thought of him. I was living a life guided by the devil. Giving me every little worldly pleasure I wanted and honestly it felt so good. I occasionally had this thought in the back of my head “when is this house of cards going to finally fall”…how long could I live following “my plan” and not God’s plan. Fast forward some time… my life would be many ups and very low downs.  At a very low point in January 2025 I woke up and went to this park on the water, I walked out on the dock right at sunrise and said my first real prayer to God in what felt like 15+ years. I begged for His forgiveness, I begged him and pleaded with him to help me not lose everything, and that I was ready to give my life to Him. He heard me that morning but he knew better than I did that I still wasn’t ready. Starting to go to church, not consistently, but making some effort..not really feeling the pull at this particular church and still tightly bound to my addictions. I felt God though, I felt Jesus pulling me closer. My fiance moved from the church we had gone to for a short amount of time to Coastal Life.  Her faith in God and her relationship with Jesus was growing rapidly. It all came to a head this past August/September…I had finally done it. I had my now fiance packing her and our sons bags to leave. I was at a massive crossroads, this was the moment God was telling me it’s time. By the grace of God my fiance decided to stay by my side, giving me yet another chance. I sat down with my family and came clean about everything in my life. I kneeled before God praying for forgiveness and telling Him I am ready for Him, His Son, and the Holy Spirit to consume me and lead me to be the man I know I was put on this earth to be. I now wake up excited every Sunday morning to go to 8am service with my little family. Looking back over my life, it’s crystal clear that God has been right by my side through it all, protecting me, guiding me, slowly and meticulously bringing me closer to his Son, Jesus Christ. I am ready to turn the page to the next chapter of my life, I’m ready to put on Christ and follow Him in baptism today.