Testimonies

“Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man’s behalf!” – Psalm 66:5.

First Baptist Church, Mannford is made up of families and individuals. People who have had an encounter with God. This section of our site will allow you to submit your testimony as well as read stories from others.

 

Joe Taylor...
I can remember from a very early age attending church. Both of my parents were committed Christians and so they took my brother and me to just about every church activity available. Because of this, the bible had such an overwhelming influence in my life. I knew a lot about the bible as a young boy. I knew that Jesus was the Son of God who came to die on the cross for everyone and their sins. I believed that God had raised Him from the dead three days after His death on the cross. But as a young child I did not have a full understanding of what it meant that I was a sinner. I knew that the bible taught that Jesus came to die for sinners but I was confused about what that meant. When I was ten years old I had the opportunity to attend my very first “church camp.” During that week of “church camp” I began to understand what sin was and what it meant to be a sinner. For the first time I realized that all the wrong decisions and actions that I made were the reason Jesus Christ gave His life for me. I knew, even as a ten-year-old, that because of the sin and disobedience to God in my life, I would be separated from God forever.
After that week at camp I went home and asked my Dad about becoming a Christian. I told him about what I had learned at camp about sin and explained to him that I wanted to give my life over to Jesus and begin to follow Him. That night on our way home from a Wednesday night church service, we stopped in the driveway at our house and I prayed that God would forgive me of the sin and rebellion in my life and that I wanted to live my life for Christ from that point forward. I was baptized a week later in our local church. For the next eight years I struggled with knowing exactly how to live as a Christian. I wanted to live for Christ but I did not have any real direction in how to read the bible and learn what God wanted for my life. Between my graduation from high school and my first semester in college, I broke up with a girl I had been dating for a long period of time and found myself wondering what was really important in my life. I knew that I was following Christ but I also knew there was more to it than what I was doing. I began to get involved with a small bible study group on campus at the University of Arkansas where I learned how to study the bible and make practical application in my life. It was in college that I realized my potential in knowing Christ in a deeper way and I have continued to follow Him to this day. Today my relationship with Christ is the most important part of my life. I am so grateful that God chose to be patient with a ten-year-old boy and that he still leads me years later in a life that is pleasing to Him.

Stan Kaltwasser...
As a boy of 10 or so I walked the isle of Second Baptist Church in Huntsville, Texas. My Dad also accepted Christ that same day. It was a great day. He and I were very close. As my teenage years approached I began to driftaway from Jesus. I stopped attending Church and my life reflected the choices that I had made. As time passed I drifted farther and farther away. Alcohol and drugs became my crutch and I professed a complete disbelief in God. Two failed marriages later I met a couple named Roy and Dixie Jennings. I was dating their youngest daughter and had agreed to help Roy build a house for his middle daughter, Linda. While the construction proceeded Roy began to talk with me about my relationship with Christ. I did not want to hear it. When he and his friend Jim Redfern would start to talk with me I would just turn up the radio and go about my business. Trouble was everything they said made perfect sense. I had a tremendous respect for Roy, Dixie and their friends from church. Every Saturday evening when we were putting tools away, Roy would invite me to church. Generally I just laughed and went on, but unknown to me he was pulling a fast one. He was praying for me and he had all of his Church family doing the same. Well, one Sunday morning after a particularly rowdy Saturday night I awoke early. Since I was awake I decided I would go to Roy and Dixie's church just to get Roy off my back. When I walked into the sanctuary at FBC Mannford, I approached Roy and tapped him on the shoulder. As he turned to look at me he fell out of his seat to the floor, then looked at the ceiling of the Sanctuary. He laughed and said, “See… I told you the ceiling wouldn’t cave in …” I took my seat between Roy and Dixie and began to listen to Brother Al Lindsey preach a message about a parents responsibility to their children. All I really remember is his saying that if my daughter Sara, went to Hell it was my fault for not training her in the way she should be trained, or at least that’s what I 'heard'. That really began to burden me and I went back to hear more. Thinking back, I know that my reason for going to church that day was not the 'right' reason, but it was the Lord's way of getting me there. He can take any circumstance and use it for His Glory.

As time passed, Roy’s youngest daughter Debbie and I married. We began to attend regularly and we even served as the Youth Directors for seven years. God blessed us in so many ways. We have 3 beautiful daughters together and continue to attend FBC Mannford. Now that doesn’t mean that the struggles are over or that we are not affected by the world; it means that we are forgiven and that our hearts belong to Christ. It means that we have the power of prayer to seek His will. It means that we are not taking this journey alone.

Ethel Grim ...
Praises to my God and Heavenly Father. I accepted the Lord as my Savior when I was twelve years old. Throughout life God has been with me patiently teaching many hard things to bear in life. After I married, my husband and I had a child, she was born handicapped. God taught me many things in caring for those who need special care in life. My daughter went to be with her Savior in 1992 which was a trying time in my life. My precious husband helped me so much in accepting her death. I then took care of him during the time he became ill with cancer. Then on September 10, 2001, he died. Again, this was a difficult as I had no other children. I finally adjusted to living alone.
As is my practice, I read God's Word and have prayer each morning before starting my day. This helps me to cope with the problems that we all face in life. However, I then developed a very serious health problem. I began to have a lot of loneliness. One night as I ended reading my Bible, I felt the presence of God in a wonderful way. I just wanted to continue sitting there and basking in the divine presence of God! I believe God was assuring me that He is constantly with me and that I am not alone. Also, I believe He was conveying to me that He will be with me as I go through what life I have left here on this earth. Praise His holy name.

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