![]() This was a biblical truth that I do not recall ever hearing in our Baptist church but even if I had heard it, my heart was too wicked and enslaved to sin to embrace it.Īfter it was disclosed that the assistant pastor of our church had engaged in adulterous affairs with six women, we decided to look for another church. I did not know that faith in Christ meant freedom from the bondage of sin. Also, even though I was a member of the church and taught 5 th & 6 th grade Sunday school, I continued to practice sin. I was more interested in watching football and baseball on TV than attending church on Sundays. ![]() I was very sporadic in my church attendance. We joined a Baptist church where we were members for about 3 years. I still did not grasp the gospel.Īfter we got married, we moved to Corona, CA. But, I was still dead in my trespasses and sins and committed to my sinful lifestyle. Compared to my Lutheran childhood, I was more exposed to the Bible and genuine examples of sincere, personal faith in Christ during my Church of God experience. While attending that church, I responded to several “altar calls ” I was baptized I became a member and I tried to speak in tongues. Just before we got married, Denise and I were attending church at a Church of God congregation in Anaheim. I am very thankful that about 10 years later, in the providence of God, she became my wife. I was attracted to her from the first time I saw her. Denise’s family moved into a house across the street from my house when I was 11 and she was 10 years old. When I was confirmed in the Lutheran Church, I was dead in trespasses and sins I loved my sinful lifestyle and I did not understand the gospel.Ī very important event occurred during my childhood years: I met my future wife, Denise (then Denise Gierman). When I was in junior high school, I attended Lutheran catechism classes for three years leading up to my “confirmation.” I am thankful for my parents and all that they did for me growing up, but I was never taught about sin or what salvation through faith in Jesus Christ meant. My family occasionally attended a Lutheran church near our home in Anaheim. ![]() Not pictured: Billy Foster (Amanda's husband), Caitlin Whitcomb (Andrew's wife), Sarah Whitcomb (James' wife) I thank God that the emptiness inside that I felt as a youth was filled to over flowing by the Grace of God through Jesus my Savior.The Whitcomb Family, from left to right: Blake Whitcomb, Lyn Whitcomb, Denise Whitcomb, Andrew Whitcomb, Amanda (Whitcomb) Foster, Joel Whitcomb, James Whitcomb. I feel blessed to have grown during these last 10 years at RRBC/Cornerstone and enjoy serving the body of Christ as a deacon and treasurer. We moved back to Sandy’s hometown of Ridgecrest in 1989 where I served as deacon at Immanuel Baptist Church until becoming a part of the Ridgecrest Reformed Baptist Fellowship in 2003. While there, I was ordained as a deacon at 1st Southern Baptist Church of Phoenix. We were married in 1983, and later finished dental school and joined the Air Force for a three year tour in Phoenix. I was baptized by immersion at Temple Baptist Church in Redlands in 1982. ![]() A Gideon Bible given to me at California Boy’s State in 1977 in which I had signed the back commitment prayer.Īs a new Christian, I met Sandy at college and became a Southern Baptist like her. A friend inviting me to a home bible study in high school and how different and at peace and full of joy they seemed. My only week of ever going to camp was to a Christian camp in the 3rd grade. ![]() Looking back I see several instances God used to draw me to Himself. One evening on the steps of a building overlooking the Riverside lights, I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and be my Lord and Savior. I went to Loma Linda University on the La Sierra Campus for undergraduate studies and began learning about Christ in classes and in all the services I had to attend. Nothing helped the emptiness I felt inside. I grew up feeling like I was always on the fringe of the in- crowd. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I had gone to church as a kid. I was raised in a home that believed that being an American and being a Christian were one and the same. Brian Danielsson and his family (from top left to lower right): Jessie (daughter-in-law) and David (son) Buck (son-in-law) and Sarah Weaver (daughter) Sandy (wife) Brian Penny Weaver (grand daughter) ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |