I won’t tell you how old I am, but over fifteen years ago I retired with twenty years in the Navy. I served the majority of my time at the sub base in Groton on the USS Jack and USS Wahoo. I also served in the Army during the Vietnam War. I will more than likely not tell you many of the stories of my tour in South East Asia, but the next time we meet, make sure you ask me about the rat and the stereo system.

I’ve been through many difficult and frightening situations in my life and have faced them head on, never flinching. Not too long ago I was diagnosed with a rare from of cancer known as "hairy cell leukemia."

Do you want to know a secret? I’m very nervous. You could even say I’m…. scared.
But, I’m not scared like you probably think.

I hung out of helicopters in Vietnam and silently followed enemy submarines during the Cold War without flinching one bit. But just the thought of a tiny needle piercing my skin and entering my vein makes me squirm. In fact, I’m so scared of hospital rooms I almost fainted once when visiting a friend who was sick.

I have the most wonderful wife and three great children who all have real nice spouses. Best of all I have many grandchildren who I love so much. Because of my cancer I’m scared I will not have the privilege of growing old with my wife and watching my grandchildren marry and have great-grandbabies!

I’m scared of those things…

But, I’m not fearful of death.

You may be thinking, "Huh… You have cancer… Why are you not scared of death?"

The answer is actually very simple. My hope is in Jesus Christ.

I do not know your religious background. You may be very religious, you may be anti-religious, you may be bitter at religion, you may be skeptical about religion, or undecided… you may be all or none of these things.

The good news is that it doesn’t matter…

Because I’m not talking about "religion" (At least not the way society defines it.) I’m talking about understanding Who God is and who we are in relationship to Him.

God is the Creator. We are His creation. Many people deny this fact, but their denial does not change reality. Since God is our Creator, we naturally are subject to His laws and power. Most people reject God’s rightful role of Sovereign. Oh, they reject Him in many different ways, but they reject none the less.

What it all boils down to are these two things…

Do you know what God expects?
Have you done what God expects?

Going to church is a good way to learn what God expects… Provided the teaching you receive comes straight from the Bible. Check it out for yourself. If what they teach contradicts what God’s Word clearly says… Who are you going to trust… Man or God?

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." --1 John 5:13

Those are very comforting words to me because, by reading the Bible, I learned what God expects of me and just as important, why He expects it.

Because of humanity’s rebellion, we are justly separated from God. Because God is holy and just He must punish us and cannot over look our rebellion. But because God loves us and is merciful He has made a way for our rebellion to be forgiven. That way is His Son, Jesus Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else.

Because I have properly placed my trust in Jesus, the way God expressly commanded all humanity to do, I no longer fear death. (Not that I want to die any time soon.)

If you sincerely read the Bible, unadulterated by pre-conceived notions, you will quickly discover for yourself what God expects. (It’s not a list of do’s and don’ts as you might suspect.)

Once you know what God expects, the only thing left for you to do is to decide whether to completely do what God says… or not.

Despite my mom no longer going to church, I have attended all my life. I went to Sunday school and heard all the wonderful stories from the Bible. I answered the questions my teacher asked and memorized passages of Scripture. When I was 16 my minister taught me to play the piano and I began playing for the church services. I didn’t attend as much right after I got married, but once I had children I began attending all the time and brought my children with me. I began to teach Sunday school and play the piano again.I even helped out with special functions and such…

But there was a gnawing deep inside me that told me… What I was doing, as admirable as it was, was not pleasing to God. In other words, somehow, as religious as I was, I had completely missed the boat. Thankfully I discovered what I was missing, or better worded, "Who" I had completely missed.

The gnawing void I could not satisfy… My great problem was this…

Although I had considered myself a Christian all my life…
I had never truly considered Christ.

In all my years of church going I cannot recall much if any emphasis being put on the necessity of Jesus Christ being my personal Saviour.  Oh, I knew Jesus was "The Saviour" but I never saw Him as, "My Saviour."

I can’t believe in all my years of going to church that nobody told me of my personal need of Salvation. We heard sermons about being good and helping in our community, but I cannot remember being specifically told that my personal sins had separated me from God. Unfortunately, I didn’t hear this at home either. Oh, we were taught morals, we were told that going to church was important, but we were never told that we needed to be saved.

I began to actively re-read the Bible, specifically paying close attention to what it said concerning why Jesus died. I soon discovered that Jesus’ death was not conceptual… His death was not a beautiful picture of self-sacrifice… It was an actual blood sacrifice required by God.

Adam and Eve rebelled against God when they ate that fruit. Because of their rebellion, all humanity has been dreadfully tainted by sin. In addition to being rebellious toward God from birth I knew that I had sinned against His laws many, many times in my life. But my biggest offence was in refusing to unreservedly and unconditionally accept God’s method of forgiving my rebellion against Him.

The Bible clearly declares that I am, and all humans are sinners, by birth and by choice.

Because God is Holy:
He cannot tolerate my sin

Because God is Just:
He cannot overlook my guilt

But because God is Merciful:
He created a matchless offering that, If accepted, would absolve me of all my sins

And because God is Love:
The matchless offering was His Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ

For the longest time I only knew that Jesus died. Now I know why… He died because of me!

As important as knowing why something works… It can never replace actually placing your trust in it. I know why a ladder will support me and lift me up to my second story windows… But the ladder cannot do me any good if I never use it… If I don’t climb it… I can never go up.

The same principle applies to Jesus. You can know why He is the only sacrifice acceptable to God… But that intellectual knowledge will do you no real good unless you willingly place your absolute trust in His power and willingness to make you righteous again in the sight of God.

Maybe you are like I was… moral, generous, faithfully attending church and doing good deeds…

Maybe you already consider yourself a Christian.
My desire is that today you would consider Christ.

My mother was 19 years old when she decided to be a follower of Jesus. She says that after college, she used to grab the bus to get home, and every single day she used to see a very unique young woman. For many days, she was intrigued by this young woman. One day, she decided to go to her, introduced herself and asked her what was different about her, why was she so joyful. This young woman, told her about the joy and fulfillment of being a follower of Jesus, she told her that she could come to her church and learn more about Jesus and how to have His joy. My mom attended one of the first services a missionary family (Les and Donna Garner) held in Chihuahua. She decided to surrender her life to Jesus and became a follower of Him. 

When I was born, I had the blessing to be born into a household where my mom was a true follower of Jesus, a genuine Christian. I had the blessing to grow up in a church and family where God's standards were the standards I was taught. I am so thankful that my mom was willing to teach me from the Bible about my personal need of the Savior.

As I grew up, I realized from the Bible that as important and influential as my mom’s decision to follow Jesus was, I personally had to choose Jesus to be my Savior. So one day, like my mom did, I decided to let Jesus be the Lord of my life. I surrendered my life to Him.

As I grew I began to serve and help in my church for many years as part of the youth group ministry. God called me, by his grace, to come to college in Boston and he has been enormously good to me.

Through the efforts of willing missionaries and their helpers, my family and I were able to here the good news of Jesus. Many of my friends from high school have come to my church. Many young men and women have surrendered their lives to serve God in fulltime ministries. And all this, because of faithful Christians that decided to leave their family, country, language, culture, and many other things, to go and preach the good news that Salvation from our sins is indeed possible, but only through God’s sinless Son, Jesus.

I am forever grateful to God for his grace and forgiveness, and to that family that had a passion for serving Jesus, no matter at what cost. And even though I may never meet you in person, my desire is that you will examine the reality of Jesus today and trust Him to be your Savior too.

Mike - Norwich, CT - Member of Rose City Baptist Church

Hello, my name is Mike.

My story begins at the age of four. My parents were searching. They were looking as to how they should raise their children. One Thursday night a couple named Estrada knocked on the door. They were out telling people about the Gospel and inviting people to church. My parents listened to what they had to say, visited the church, and realized their need to accept God’s gift of salvation for their sins. It was at this point I started attending church on a regular basis.

On a Sunday morning during Junior Church at the age of six, I made a profession. The message was on Heaven and Hell. I knew that Hell was real and I was headed there if I did not get saved. After my profession, I was scared and yet excited. I was telling all my friends in the neighborhood about Jesus, inviting them to church and the church functions I went to.

I can still remember to this day trying to explain salvation to them. I was asked questions like “So what does it mean to be saved? If I were to jump off this cliff here, and Jesus keeps me from getting hurt, does that mean I am saved?” I had a hard time answering their questions. I would only tell them “No, it is a gift from God”. They would even come by the house and ask my parents. Most that I knew made a profession and would get involved in their church.

On a Wednesday night about 5 years later, a Missionary from Mexico had come to the church to tell us about the work in Mexico and preach a message. During the invitation, I felt God’s tugging at my heart and knew that I still needed to be saved. I went forward to pray. My dad came with me and asked why I had come forward. I told him I needed to be saved.

He took a moment and showed me Romans 10:9-11. I had done most but not all that was required for salvation. I had made a confession with my mouth and even got baptized to show others that I was “saved”. I had been telling others of their need for salvation but I had never really believed in my heart.

I knew the “right” things to do and say but never really let God in my life and have a personal relationship with him. This is when I got beyond making a profession and took possession of God’s gift for me.

I would like to consider myself a friend to you and invite you to take possession of this same gift God has for you. I was saying and doing all the “right things” but was still missing the mark. Many call themselves Christian, but don’t have the Christ relationship needed. If you have any questions, please call our church at (860) 822-9371.

Kathy - Norwich, CT - Member of Rose City Baptist Church

My name is Kathy, and I want to tell you about my life.

I grew up in a very untraditional home. I was raised by my great-grandmother. Being brought up in a home by someone born in 1896, who saw most of what we consider necessary for daily living unnecessary, was a unique experience.

I was taught there is a God, right from wrong, the Ten Commandments, and memorized verses. We did not attend church on a regular basis, but I was allowed to go to any church that would provide transportation.

When I was about 10, I started attending a church that taught you had to admit you were a sinner, realize that Christ died for your sins, confess those sins and be baptized. My Sunday school teacher and her husband had me over to their home and explained all this to me. I bowed my head and said the prayer they told me to say, and was baptized the following Sunday. I stayed in that church for 6-7 years and was involved in the youth program, bus ministry, and was a good person.

As I was about to start high school, my grandparents offered to send me to a small private Christian school. There I learned more verses, did Christian service projects, and knew just what answers people looked for in a “Christian”. I knew the talk very well and could recite it to anyone that asked. During my junior year, I decided I didn’t want to stay in such a small school and transferred to a public high school.

Soon I stopped attending church and wanted to have “fun”. I went to parties where there was alcohol, drugs and sex. Thankfully, I stayed away from the drugs. My great-grandmother would gently remind me of God and the lessons she had taught me. My attitude was rebellious; besides what did she know about being young in the 1980’s? She went home to be with the Lord in 1982, one month before I graduated high school. At that point, I really ran from God.

About 1980 a relative, through marriage, came back to my hometown and started a church. I went a few times, but didn’t like being reminded of my sins. By the end of 1983, I was beginning to realize just how unhappy and miserable I was. I wanted more from life than paycheck-to-paycheck and party-to-party. There was a young man the same age as I was that attended the church. His life was so different from mine, he seemed happy and content, not at all worried about things. He was never “preachy” or gave the attitude “I’m better than you”. He just cared about you.

In 1984, I began going to this church and it wasn’t long before I realized I was a sinner and needed to be saved. Yes, I had said a prayer many years before, been baptized and did many other good works, but I had not accepted God’s gift of salvation. As someone once said, “I would have missed heaven by 18 inches.” You see I had a head knowledge, but not a heart possession.  I knew all the right answers, but hadn’t applied them to my life personally.

That March I went forward after a Sunday morning service, bowed my head and told God what a sinner I was. I asked Him to forgive me, and accepted Christ’s payment for my sins. Now I am adopted into God’s family. If you have questions please contact Rose City Baptist Church.

My brothers and I were taught right from wrong, to obey our parents and those in charge of us, to be kind, and use our manners. I did my best to obey all the rules mom and dad gave us, and I did so with a good attitude. I was a really good kid, especially when compared to my younger brothers.

I thought it was by being such a good kid that I would go to Heaven one day.

I can remember very clearly one specific day when I was seven years old. We were going for a ride in our truck. That Sunday morning at church, my teacher had read to us from the Bible. She had read this verse to us: Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God:”

When she read that I was confused because I wasn’t a sinner. I obeyed the rules. I liked going to church and I loved singing songs about God.

Surely that verse didn’t apply to me. I was a good kid.

During class, my teacher explained to us that God was our Creator and therefore our Ruler. She also explained how we have all rejected His rightful rule. We have all broken His laws and have established our own.

She went on to explain that the Bible said there was a severe penalty for our disobedience. This is the verse she read to us:

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

She explained that the “wage” or payment for our sin is death.

As I was riding in the truck that afternoon I kept thinking about what my teacher had said. I thought real hard about my life and about how good I was.

Then I realized that I was not as good as I thought.

I knew for a fact that I had disobeyed my parents, and had done so many times. (Not as much as my brothers, but that didn’t mater. The fact was, I had disobeyed!)

I also knew that I had lied, coveted my friend’s toys, been unkind to my brothers and friends, and had not always put God first.

The verse my teacher read in class was about me. I had sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. I had broken his Laws. I was not going to go to Heaven. I was going to go to Hell.

Once I realized that, I became worried.

I knew about death. I knew that we are not promised tomorrow. I knew that something could happen to me that day. I knew that I could die in a car accident that afternoon while we were on our ride.

What I put off at church that morning couldn’t wait any longer. I blurted out, “Mom, dad, I want to be saved right now!”

They were very excited. They knew that although they had trusted Jesus as their personal Savoir, their decision could not help me. They knew each of their children would have to one day realize that they were sinners in need of a Savior.

Right there, while riding in a truck going down the highway, I bowed my head and told Jesus that I was a sinner. I thanked Him for dying on the cross to take away the penalty of my sins. I asked Him to forgive me for my sins and for Him to be Lord in my life. I gave Him my life and asked Him to be my Savior.

After I finished praying I was so excited! I knew that Jesus was MY Saviour and that I would spend forever in Heaven with Him. I was so thankful that my teacher had shown me from the Bible that I was not “OK” because I was a good girl, and why Jesus died on the cross.

Maybe you are like I was. Maybe you are trusting in the fact that you are better than a lot of the people you know. Maybe you are even consoling yourself that you will be OK because you are better than many of the Christians you know.

The Bible says otherwise. It tells us that our problem is not with how many good things we have done compared to others… but that we have offended God by breaking His Laws.

Honestly ask yourself these questions…

Have you ever lied?

A lie is a lie regardless of its color… “White lies are still lies.”

Have you ever stolen?

You may say, “Yes, but only little things.” Stealing is stealing regardless of an items value.

Have you ever dishonored your parents?

Have you ever looked with lust?

Jesus said that when people look with lust they are committing adultery in their hearts. (Matthew 5:27-28)

Have you ever had hateful thoughts?

Jesus said that when people have hateful thoughts towards other people they are committing murder in their minds (Mathew 5:22-23)

Have you ever used God’s name in vain?

Have you always put God first in your life?

If not, than you have broken the First, Second, and Fourth Commandments.

I’m asking you these questions because without them you could cheer yourself into thinking you were “OK” like I had.

As you have been reading these questions, your conscience has born witness.

According to God’s standards you are not OK… None of us are.

Do not wait another day or hour to deal with your sin against God. Tomorrow may be too late.

It doesn’t matter where you are. Jesus can hear you call out to Him wherever you are, even in the back of a pick-up truck!

You do not have to pray out loud, God hears our inner thoughts. God is not so much concerned about your ability to articulate your thoughts, as He is aware of the sincerity of your heart.

If you have realized that you have broken God’s Laws and therefore are condemned to Hell, than I encourage you to confess your disobedience to God and ask His Son, Jesus to take away your sins and penalty.

My parents brought me up in very high moral family surroundings all my childhood. I was taught to act right, to keep focused on what was right, and to strive to do better each day. I followed rules at school, at home, and when I got older, I followed rules at my job.

You could have labeled me as a picture of how you would want your children to act. I am not saying this to brag, but to let you know that in my parent’s eyes, and in my teacher’s eyes, and even the world’s eyes, I was a good student, daughter, friend to others, and worker.

I attended high school during the Vietnam War and there was a lot of disorder in big cities like mine. There was fighting in my high school, neighborhoods that were literally set on fire, and curfews in the street.  It was a time of unrest! To top it all off, my father was a policeman and had to do his job during all this turmoil.  Peer pressure was tough for me. And so I became very quiet, not sure what my future would hold.

One day during my senior year of high school, my life started to change. A friend from work invited me to church. I was a pretty good kid just on the verge of starting a new chapter in my life.  I was to become a high school graduate.  My dreams were all in front of me. I thought to myself, “Why do I need to go to church?”

During our lunch breaks she and I would talk. And she would always talk about her church and how the Lord had blessed her and her family.

I thought that was good for them, and I never talked down about her religion, I just didn’t want to go to church.  By the way, I believed in God.  Everyone believed in God!

She would talk about what she learned that week at church.

One day she asked me a question that changed my life forever.  Her question was short… she started out, “I want the very best for you… do you know you are going to Heaven? I thought, “How much plainer could a question be!”

And I replied, “No one can know for sure if they are going to Heaven… But I believe in God and I have been a pretty good child and young adult …So YES, I probably will go to Heaven when I die. Good people go to Heaven.”

Deep down in my heart I really never felt I would be good enough to go to Heaven because I was all ready given up on.

As a very young child I was adopted. I don’t remember when it happened. I just remember my parents being my parents. They loved me, but I really did not love myself.

And I didn’t think God would ever want me because I had already been given up on once.

My friend never gave up on me. Never! And she continued to show me what the Bible said.

I kept saying to myself, “Oh… it really doesn’t matter.  It isn’t for me.  I can be good on my own.”

And I was good, but I wasn’t perfect! My friend showed me that!  She showed me in the Bible that NO ONE WAS PERFECT in God’s eyes.

I would try to trick her by asking questions about the Bible… and she would answer them. This went on for a while…

One day when we were both in college she invited me to go out with some of her friends from church on a Saturday evening.  I finally said yes and I went.  Everyone was nice, and we were all having a good time.

Then, one of the people there asked me if I knew I was going to Heaven. He asked me,  “Isn’t it about time to make that decision?”

Do you know what I did? What I should have done a year earlier!

I realized I was not perfect.  I realized that I had broken God’s laws and my life was full of sin. I believed that Jesus died for my personal sins, that only He could pardon my debt to God. And I realized that God did love me and wanted me.

Right there I bowed my head and I thanked Jesus for dying for my sins. I admitted I was not perfect, I asked Jesus to forgive me and restore my relationship with God.

That day my life had changed for all eternity! I was no longer just someone, but a child of God.

It has now been over thirty years since I asked Jesus to save me for all eternity and have many times over thanked my friend for never giving up on me. 

She wasn’t a Bible scholar, she hadn’t written books or given numerous speeches, she was a Christian who cared about a soul.  My soul!

She was patient, she cared, she prayed for me, and she let the Lord reach my heart to a point to where I finally submitted to God.

Please, never trick yourself into believing that you are good enough to go to Heaven on your own. No one is.

Or that you are too bad that God would not want you.

God does love you. He longs for you to come to Him. But you must come to Him on His terms.

Allow me to share with you the verses from the Bible my friend shared with me over thirty years ago. They are just as true today as they were then.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

God has declared that all people have broken His law. This is an unquestionable fact. My biggest obstacle was admitting that I had broken God’s laws. I kept thinking I was good enough.

Romans 6:23 “ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

There is a severe penalty for our law breaking. The “wage” for our sin is death.

Romans 5:8 “ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Although we have all sinned against a Holy God. Although we have all rejected His law and rebelled against His authority. He has made a way for our sentence to be remitted. The way is His Son, Jesus.

Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Knowing that you have sinned and knowing that Jesus is the only one to deal with your sin is not enough. We must place our undivided trust in Him. And personally ask Him to assign His righteousness on our life.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

You cannot save yourself. And no one else can save you either. Only Jesus can save you and pay the penalty for your sins. It is not what you do or how good you are that deals with your sin issue. You have to ask Jesus to save you.

You may be wondering, how has the last 30 years gone?

I have been happily married for 31 years now.  You may find this hard to believe, but I met my husband at my friend’s church the Sunday after I trusted Jesus as my Saviour. We were married shortly after and have sought to serve the Lord with all our lives. Sometimes it has been hard and we have been discouraged, but Jesus has always been faithful. He has promised those who place their trust in Him, that He will never leave them nor forsake them! I’m glad for that promise.