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Xpress Faith Columbia presents the stories of those expressing their personal faith. We hope these stories become inspiration for your personal faith journey. Scott Stepp
I was born April 18, 1962 in Columbus, Ohio. My family moved to Columbia in 1968. I don't think we attended church regularly in Ohio, however once we moved here we immediately started attending Enon Southern Methodist, a very small church on Percival Road.
One of my earliest memories of church frightened me as a child. During a revival the guest “fire & brimstone” preacher showed a white cloth to represent our body, a black ink stain on it to represent our sin. The preacher tried many ways to wash it out, but could not. He did something to the water to represent Christ then plunged the cloth into the water and it became white again. I recall the passion in his voice and it impressed in me that church was a special place. I attended church regularly, learning about Jesus and the Bible with the technology of the time – crayons to color the pages produced by the mimeograph machine and the animation of the paper cut outs on the felt board. I attended Vacation Bible School with the competitions of Bible drills and playing sports like softball. The outfield was in the graveyard, and you had to watch the granite grave stones. Arts & crafts included tie dyed t-shirts, hand painted plaster of Paris wall hangings, and various pop sickle stick sculptures. Our Christmas Pageant was directed by my mother and I was always a shepherd, wise man, or maybe once Herod or Joseph. I was saved as a young teen. I realized that Jesus was more than a figure to help me decide about right and wrong. I wanted him to be in every part of my life. I asked Him to be my Lord and Savior. I wanted to dedicate more of my life to Him. I was baptized in Martin's Pond on Percival Road. It was a beautiful spring day with most of the congregation in attendance. My church life progressed for I wanted to learn more about the Lord. Attending church became more of a joy instead of something you had to take a bath for on Saturday night. I was finally able to defeat my older sister in Bible drills and graduated to being the narrator for our Christmas Pageant and having the younger kids look up to me. That was a scary thought. I've never done anything awful, but I'm not proud of some of my behavior. The neighborhood I grew up in was considered to be a little rough. Our nickname was the Woodfield Woofies. I was not what I thought to be a bad person. I didn't drink, do drugs, hurt or intimidate others. I was not, and I am still not a saint. I was just devilish enough for others not to mess with me. I finally decided before my life could get out of hand, I would ask the beautiful young woman, who patiently waited for me to come to my senses, to marry me. The love I feel for her grows every day. We attended Enon irregularly, but it was expected of us by our family. We knew that God should play a greater role in our lives, but we could not agree which denomination of church to attend. One day our son, Andrew told us that he felt that we should try another church, one that had youth his age. Andrew was friends with one of his teacher's daughters and she invited him to SVBC. We have always done things as a family so we decided to try Spring Valley Baptist Church. Once we started attending SVBC we knew that it was where we should be. I was invited to join the choir, we found a great Sunday School and we have not slowed down. The pond I was baptized in is dried up, but my love of Christ is as a wellspring inside of me overflowing with his mercy. I continue to grow in my relationship with God and I am certain He is not done with me yet.
I was raised in a Baptist home and we were at the church every time the doors were open. At age nine, I asked the Lord to come into my heart during a revival meeting. I was baptized and continued going to church with a 'new' feeling that I had done something special. Two years later my Mother died instantly from a massive heart attack. At age eleven, I wasn't prepared for this type of hurt and loneliness. A dear family friend took my brother and me aside and talked to us about the death experience we were going through. He explained that Mom was in heaven and since I was a Christian that I would see her again. I took that knowledge with me for years thinking that Mom could see me from heaven. My Mother was a wonderful person and great Mom. In my twenties, a friend mentored me in how I should study the Bible. His challenges helped me mature in my understanding and knowledge. In 1980 I was ordained as a Deacon and my spiritual life took on a new role. I was a new Dad as well and I found at times I was overwhelmed with life and doing the right thing. I was missing something in my life. There was a void in my relationships. I began to learn about humility and love for others. Over the next several years I realized that showing love and concern for others would help me in my relationship with Christ. I was a good Dad and I was a faithful husband as well, but I was still not where I felt I should be. Situations in our church made it hard to really feel the Spirit in my life and while my children were young teenagers, my wife Celeste and I decided to move our membership to SVBC ‘for the children.’ In this new environment I was challenged again. Being in the company of other Christians who were battling the same fears and frustrations as I was helped me to realize I wasn't by myself. God had been right there with me during all of my trials and all I had to do was to trust Him with my heart and not just my head. I prayed and ask Him to help me in my daily walk. Then it happened. We found out Celeste had cancer. I was there to encourage and take care of her. I thought I knew how to do this already but it was still a head thing and half-hearted thing. I soon found out what it meant to 'walk with the Lord' in my daily life. My focus was on my family and wife and I gave whatever it took to take care of them. I questioned God in our quiet time together but always felt assured He was in control. As I watched Celeste die daily I thought about how hard it must have been for God to look down from heaven and watch Jesus suffer and die on the cross knowing He could do something about it, but yet He didn't. He knew this had to happen so that I could have a home in heaven some day. I know how hard it was for me. I would have gladly taken Celeste's place to end her pain. Instead during all of this I got a sampling of the love God. After Celeste's death I was able to get back to church and get involved once again. This is when I saw the need in the Singles Ministry. Through all I had been through, God had helped to prepare me for the work he had for me. He also gave me a new wife to love and cherish. As I look back over my life I can see the areas God was in control and where He shaped me to do His work. He isn't finished yet. To God be the glory.
I was born in South Korea after the Korean War. My father was not present for my birth. Nobody knew if he was alive or dead. My mother said I did not cry when I was born. My grandmother thought I was mute. She brought a wooden spatula and slapped my cheek. I cried but I did not cry much. My mother was concerned. She thought if I cried for hunger, she would have an easier time to figure out when to feed me. I did not cry after she fed me in the morning before she left to work in the fields. I waited until the afternoon when she came back from the fields. The neighbors did not know there was a baby in our home. I was a good girl and obedient to my parents. I was quiet as I did not say much more than two sentences for the entire day. I was more comfortable being alone than staying with people. When I was in high school, I met a girl who came from an orphanage. God showed His peace through her. Despite living in a bad environment, she had peace inside of her. I went to church with her because I wanted to have peace like her. I had a Gideon’s English-Korean Bible. My family would not allow me to go church since they were Buddhist. They went to Buddha’s temple and worshiped ancestors. I hid and lied about church all the time. Matt 10:34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Our family war started when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. My father wanted a second wife to have more sons for support. I told my father, “I will fulfill the son’s responsibilities to support you!” Shortly after, my father had a car accident and my mother’s health declined. I went to nursing school to support and take care of them. After graduation of nursing school, I moved to West Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall. I worked and I sent all of the money to my father to keep my promise. I did not have much money but it was the happiest time in my life. After three years in West Germany, I still could not return to Korea. My family was not Christian. I prayed about going back to Korea, moving to America, or remaining in Germany. God decided I was to move to U.S.A. I cried much at the airport. Why do I need to go to a new country? I followed His will and arrived in Chicago in 1976. My friend, who I loaned money to while in West Germany, helped me find a place and job in Chicago. I studied hard to pass the nursing board exam. My father did not want me unmarried. He arranged a marriage. In Korea, the firstborn needs to get married to allow the younger children to get married. I claimed to God the promise of Exodus 20:12. I asked my future husband two things: “Do you believe God? And are you smoking?” He was Catholic. He promised to stop smoking. Our marriage was like a bride from the sky and groom from the earth. Despite differences, our marriage survived with the Holy Spirit. In1966, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior at Gwangju, South Korea. In 1975, I was baptized with water in Hamburg, West Germany. In 1983, I experienced the Holy Spirit’s baptism with the understanding of His Word in Chicago. My life since becoming a Christian was neither easy nor comfortable. I am suffering from Fibromyalgia. In 2006, I came back to the choir. My voice was gone but I asked Jesus Christ to sing through me. Despite these challenges, I am not neglected. God showed many miracles in my life. I am claiming the word John 9:7 “go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” I thank Him, praise Him and worship Him with His power and His love. Amen.
I grew up in a Christian home with very loving, involved parents. My dad is a Baptist minister and my mom demonstrates her love for Christ daily. Growing up, we prayed, went to church, and read the Bible as a family on a regular basis. One night when I was seven years old, my mom and I were reading our devotion before bed. I asked my mom when I could become a Christian. She explained that when I had an understanding that Christ died to save me and was ready to apologize to God for my sins and begin living my life for God, then I would be ready. I told her that I wanted to take that step. As I talked to my dad about this, he explained to me the importance of my decision. He explained that becoming a Christian was the beginning of my life with God and that everyday I would have to make the choice to follow him. That night, I prayed that God would forgive me and cleanse me and make me the person He wants me to be. Because I was young and from a Christian home, my life didn't immediately change. I understood that as a Christian I was set apart and called to live my life differently than what the world views as "normal". I had a basic understanding of what the Bible says is right and wrong but I mostly looked to my parents to tell me what I could and couldn't do. I like to follow the rules and I didn't want to disappoint my parents so I resisted many of the temptations I was faced with growing up. However, when I got to college I didn't have to answer to my parents anymore. I was exposed to people who claimed to be Christians but participated in things my parents had always said a Christian shouldn't do. I had to study the Bible a lot to figure out for myself why I should be different and how God wants have me to live. My dad was right when he said that every day I would have to decide to live my life for God. The world offers so many distractions and it's easy to forget why I was placed on this earth - to be a vessel used to by God to lead others to Him. I constantly have to remind myself and seek God's guidance to be set apart as He was.
I trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior at age seven during Vacation Bible School. I can still recall the convicting power of the Holy Spirit and the great sense of joy and new life that filled my soul. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." With the freedoms and many temptations that come as a teen, I strayed from my walk with God and became enamored with this world. Playing sports and "hanging out with the guys" became my full time passion. I began making poor choices and compromising my Christian beliefs and values. Going to church was an exercise in pacifying my parents. As I went off to college, the signs of being a Christian were non-existent in my life. I became very prideful, self-absorbed, and lived the party life. James 1:14-15 says, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death." At some point, I truly felt I was headed for self-destruction. My life became filled with hopelessness, guilt, and shame. I flunked out of college and moved in with some guys I knew. That was another poor choice. Finally, emptied, broken, and living a lie, I cried out to God for forgiveness and restoration and He heard my cry. 1 John 1:9 says "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Also Psalm 51:17 comes to mind. "The sacrifices of God are broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. These, O God, you will not despise." I moved back in with my parents and got back into God's Word and spending time with Him. God revealed Himself to me in marvelous ways even though the healing process was very slow. Years later, I met my God-sent wife. God blessed us soon after with two wonderful girls who are now strong witnesses for Christ. Words are so inadequate to express the amazing God we serve. I thank God everyday for His amazing love and grace. As well as, the godly parents He blessed me with whom never stopped loving and praying for me. To God be the glory forever and ever!
I was what you call “raised in the church.” My mom has taught Sunday school for 45 years and she was a huge part of my becoming a Christian. Both of my sisters and most of my friends in church were early to make that decision. I was a late bloomer. I can remember Momma crying tears of joy every time someone “walked the aisle.” I knew she had certainly been praying for that new Christian by name and I knew she was praying for me too. That worked on me for a while and on Easter Sunday at the age of 13, without any prior plans, I knew that the time and the decision were right. I was on the back row of the church and it was a long walk. I was in tears by the time I got to the front and didn’t have to say a word. I just knew that Christ had been knocking on my heart for a long time and I had finally opened the door and felt His Amazing Grace. I grew in my relationship with Him and five years later went off to college. Now all decisions were mine to make and they weren’t all good ones. I had stopped growing and my beliefs were being challenged. I knew I had another big decision to make. Who was I going to let influence me? I began to read my Bible and hang around like-minded people, began going to church again and His Word came alive. My faith had become “My Faith.” Evidences of miracles in my life are endless. God stepped in and got me my first and current job, He saved me from a terrible car wreck, He hand-delivered me and my wife to each other, He lifted me up from my lowest of lows, He reveals Himself to me in some way every day, and just like with momma He touches me every time I witness a decision made for Him.
I feel so blessed to have grown up in a family where I felt loved and was taught about God’s love. Growing up in a Christian home, my parents showed me, through their examples, how important it was to have Christ in my life. At the age of 12, I made the decision to follow Christ completely by making my profession of faith public and being baptized. I have been walking with Him ever since, even through the difficult days. God never promised that life would be “a bed of roses” if we followed Him. In fact, He brings trials and tribulations into each of our lives to test our faith and bring us closer to Him. During the difficult times, I think it is ok to ask “why?” as long as we believe that God has a purpose for everything He has planned for each of our lives. I have asked that question many times. Why did God allow my husband to lose his job just one year after we were married, especially since he was in the ministry? After all, he had a seminary degree and was serving the Lord! Why was my mother, who was such a woman of faith, diagnosed with breast cancer twelve years ago? And, why, less than one week after her diagnosis, did my father die very unexpectedly? How could a God who loves me so much cause such terrible things to happen in my life? Why would our newborn baby be rushed away before I could even see him after complications during delivery? We were told that he was fighting for his life and may not survive. To make things even more complicated, we were informed that the doctors had observed some major “abnormalities” to his ears. After many days of being hospitalized, when we were finally able to take our little boy home, we knew there was a long road ahead of us. We have seen more doctors than I can even count and we have watched our precious son endure seven surgeries already in his short life. The hardest “why” question has come from that little boy himself when he has asked “Why did God make my ears this way?” and then he states, “I wish my ears could look like yours.” I just assure him that God loves him very much and made him very special. God has brought me through so many trials, and even in the very darkest and lowest parts of my life, I have cried out to Him. I realize now that the only way I could ever have survived these very difficult situations is through the personal relationship that I have had with Him. I hold close to verses in Isaiah, Chapter 40, which state, “He gives strength to the weary….those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” My hope IS in Him, and I am assured that He gives me the strength to face any situation! Dan Phipps
The divorce caused my mom to review her relationship with Christ and we switched to a Baptist church. With all of the emotional and mental turmoil from my parents over the years, it caused in me a search for something that was genuine, not fake or changing from moment to moment. The words of that Baptist pastor struck deep with me and made me realize there was a source of unconditional love that never changed, never condemning, and freely available. This was what I felt I was missing. One day in February 1975, as we were riding home from church, I asked my mom about being saved. She asked me if I believed in the facts of Jesus’ death and why he did it; I told her yes I did. So as we continued to drive home, I asked Jesus into my heart and my life. I was baptized on March 16, 1975. Since becoming a Christian I have seen the trials of when I exercised my will over my life and the pure joy and amazement when I yielded to God’s will for my life. There were years where my will got me in a lot of trouble and God caused some tremendous changes which drew me back to Him. I have seen the difference between sparseness of life clinging to God through His Word and prayer, and the richness of life gathered in His flock and praising Him as part of His body, the church. God showed me that a lot of things could be attained and mastered, but I responded that I just wanted to bring Him Glory! To GOD be the GLORY! Audrey Welch
Most of my teen years were spent in church and music activities. While attending a conference at Ridgecrest, I committed my life to fulltime Christian service. A beloved pastor challenged me to prepare for my life work by going to college and seminary. Many mentors encouraged me to keep focused on my goal. My mother was my chief supporter. With my first job at a local department store, I began to save money to attend college. After high school I enrolled at Mars Hill College. A defining moment came at the end of my second year at Mars Hill when I realized that I could not see any way to continue college. At a very low moment in my life, God spoke to me through Matthew 6:28-30. “Consider the lilies…how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin. Yet I say to you that Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these…Will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” I realized then that God was going to open the way for me. I stayed out of college a year and worked at a local rayon plant-- saving most of my salary in order to return to college. I graduated from college and seminary, married a minister and raised three sons. During those years I assisted my husband in several mission works and pastorates, and taught public school music as well. At age 60, I made my first foreign mission trip to Costa Rica and later to Mexico, Germany and Taiwan. Through all the years I am still “considering the lilies.” Valerie Reed
From a very young age I had an ardent desire to go to church. I was about six or seven years old when I began to wonder why my family and I didn’t attend a church. Every Sunday morning I woke up and asked my mother and father if we were going to church, and every time I asked I would get a “no,” yet it never stopped me from asking. It came to a point in our lives where mom and dad said “yes” and I was so happy. Growing up in Miami, Florida, money was always tight. My family moved six times to six different homes within Miami. It was always an inconvenience to load up the oversized UHAUL truck. During these times, our family was strong in prayer, but my freshman year in high school changed all that for me. We had stopped attending church and I had joined marching band. Music had always been my escape. I used marching band as a good excuse to not go home but instead sleep over my aunt’s or cousin’s house. I hated going home those days because my relationships with my mom and dad were not good. It was a very difficult time for me. I ended up failing three classes in high school career for which I am now reaping the consequences. Then, in my tenth grade year, our family got involved at church. The funny thing was that it was right beside the school I was attending! Miami Coral Park Baptist Church was where I was baptized and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I couldn’t have done this if it wasn’t for my best friend Veronica planting that seed once again in my heart and mind. Almost everything we talked about seemed to revolve around Jesus and his unfailing love. Since attending the church in Miami and accepting Jesus as Savior, my life and my family’s lives have changed drastically. When we moved to Columbia, my family joined Spring Valley Baptist Church where I sing and play my band instrument. Thank you, God, for Your grace and mercy! Tonya Crouterfield
While I was on a mission trip to Canada at age fourteen, our Youth Pastor looked us each in the eye and asked if we were sure we would go to Heaven when we died. I believe the Holy Spirit was working in my heart. It was such a simple question, heard many times before, but my mind wandered far beyond his inquiry. That evening was the first time I had considered salvation was more than a mere acknowledgement of the existence of Christ. It was about entering a relationship with Christ in which I surrendered to Him being my Master. I had never given much thought to what God’s being in control of my life would look like. It was in the wee hours of the morning that I prayed and accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, entering an eternal relationship with Him. The key word is ‘relationship’ when it comes to expressing my life since becoming a Christian. As I’ve grown older, there are many experiences I can point to now that illustrate how God has worked powerfully in my life. Out of those experiences has grown a true peace that comes from being in relationship with the one true God who loves me, who cannot make a mistake when it comes to my life’s story, who lovingly leads me down the path of life He has planned out for me. Monette Jones
I was in my late twenties and single when I wrote the words above. I had been trying to do it my way all my life. In the eyes of the world, I was cool; I was free and healthy with several girlfriends, a good paying job, a motorcycle, a sports car, and a fishing boat. I should have been happy, but I felt empty and unfulfilled. I had rejected religion early in life as just a bunch of stupid rules for ignorant people but my Mother encouraged me to take another look. I bought a Bible and started reading it from the beginning. I got halfway through Leviticus before slamming it shut and throwing it against the wall. It was not a well-written novel and did not have easily recognizable characters or a discernable plot. It seemed to be laborious and irrelevant reading. Then with the help of friends, I began reading about Jesus; I was amazed. This was not the vindictive God of many local preachers. I soon realized that whether or not Jesus was God, He was a wonderfully intelligent man who had taught some important lessons of life. Just before my thirtieth birthday, I had a life-changing encounter with Jesus. He showed me that only by accepting Him as Lord would I have the true freedom I had pursued all my life. Through the church, Jesus helped me find the right job and four years later, the right woman. While it has not been “happily ever after,” He has been there every step of the way. Coming to know Jesus was the most important thing I did in all my life. I could write many pages about how He has made my life better, but I’ll simply say that if you identify with the poem above, Jesus is the answer.
I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 7 years old. However, I spent a lot of time trying to make a good impression on people. I went to church camp every summer and for a while I would be the Christian I always wanted to be. Soon I would return to my old self, not obeying my parents and always wanting to be the center of attention. At the age of 13, I was diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia, a heart rhythm disorder. I did not know what God was trying to tell me with this. My doctor said I would need a Heart Ablation. I cried and I was scared. I prayed hard, asking God to give my family and me comfort through all of this. Then, my church began praying. It was amazing. My youth group even took time to gather around me and pray one Wednesday night. It just showed me all the love and compassion people have and what a great church I attend. The day came for the procedure and when we got to the hospital, we said a prayer. I gave my parents a hug and that’s the last thing I remember. I woke up to great news. The doctor said they fixed the problem. I praised God and thanked Him earnestly. The power of prayer does great things. This summer at youth camp, something special happened. For once, since I was 7, I felt alive. I loved going to worship and praising God. I used to care what others thought of me and was too conscientious to truly worship God. That all changed. I started reading my Bible. Now, I want to come every week to Sunday School and church. I joined the choir and I just love it. It's amazing how if you listen to what God has to say, it can truly turn your own life around.
I was blessed to be raised in a Christian home. I made a sincere profession of faith and was baptized at the age of nine. In my teen years, I began to wander away from the Lord and by the time I graduated from college, I allowed the Lord no place in my life. In fact, I gave little thought to spiritual matters until I was in my mid thirties. At that time in my life, I had by all appearances what most people would say was a successful life - a beautiful wife, two children, a good job, etc. The fact is, though, my life was literally filled with sin and the Holy Spirit began to convict me of this. At that time, I was spending two and a half hours a day in my car commuting to and from work. I had a habit of listening to some vile talk shows during my commute, but as the Holy Spirit worked, I began to listen to Christian programming and eventually realized that I was hopelessly lost in sin. One day, there in my car, I confessed my sin and made Jesus my Lord and Savior. In the 25 or so years since I began my new relationship with the Lord, I have truly become a new creature in Him. Although I have a long way to go to become the person God would have me to be, I scarcely resemble the person I was before. Every day I am thankful to the Lord for salvation and the promise of eternal life with Him. This promise of eternal life and the Lord’s daily presence in my life are the sources of great peace in my life. |
Tony McDuffie
Heasoon Lee
Lauren Pruitt
John Nick
Vandy Hobbs
Rhonda Richardson
Up to the age of 10, I was in a family that went to church on a regular basis, participated in children activities at the church, but I don’t recall much emphasis in the home of Godliness or being Christ centered. Sure, we said the standard blessing at the evening meal, and our standard prayers at night, but that was about it. At age 10, it all changed because my parents separated and were divorced.
I grew up in a Christian home where the Bible was taught and we gathered each night for a Family Altar. At the age of eight I accepted Christ as my Savior, under the guidance of my father.
By the grace of God I was born into a Christian home and at the age of 12 I professed by faith publically and was baptized. My parents and the Christian teachers at church throughout my childhood, teen and young adult years were instrumental in the growth of my faith. I have tried to raise my own children with that same experience that I believe is so important. I wake each day reminded of the blessings I have been given and I am reminded of God's presence throughout the day. John 16:33 says "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." I do have peace, hope & joy because I know Jesus and I know that He has a plan for my life.
Anais Cebey
Growing up in a Christian home and being in church every time the doors were open, I had numerous opportunities to get ‘saved’ while growing up. I lost count as to how many times I walked an aisle, usually hand in hand with a bunch of friends, because it seemed the right thing to do at the moment. Those times were more about pleasing a friend than they were about pleasing Christ or surrendering to His Lordship in my life. I had a lot of head knowledge about God, but it was not born out of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
My heart cries out for love
Amanda Boyd