I was working for a realtor as a carpenter and I needed someone to help me. Well, they brought me Jesse, and what a treat he was. He began to work with me on a steady basis. He was definitely the hardest worker I had and a joy to be around. He made no bones about it, he was a born again, Bible-believing Christian and he was going to make sure he told me everything he knew about Christ. Every time the noise of the job stopped, he would start. The energy that would come out of him as he was telling me was intense. He wanted so badly for me to drop to my knees and confess that I was a sinner and accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

    Weeks passed and we became good friends. The whole time I was telling him about the love I had for carpentry, he was telling me about the love this carpenter named Jesus had for me. However, it was the prayers that caused me to grow. It might not have sprung up overnight, but it grew, just as God had planned it to.

    Many things happen in our lives for a reason. Meeting Jesse was just one of them. He never stopped asking me to come to his church. One day I gave in and went. What a surprise! There was no thunder, no lightning, and nobody looked at me with my long hair and said, "You don't belong here." No. It was quite the opposite. They welcomed me with open arms. One thing was for sure, there was a storm. This was the kind of storm I had never witnessed before. The thunder was gentle, the lightning was piercing, and the rain was tears of joy. My fears were right. There was death in my future. The old sinful me was dying. However, for me it was not all at once. I was bound and determined to do it my way.

    Weeks passed, and new friends, new work, and strange new paths would be taken. I often asked my new friends if they knew Jesus. And once they said "yes," there would be no more discussion on the topic. I know now, if you know Him you cannot hold Him inside. It is like a cold, it has to spread! Just like a cold, you would have to be isolated to keep it from spreading. Well, Satan sucked me in again and before long I was doing some of the same things I had repented of.

    A few months passed and the place I was working at needed to be remodeled, so I called Jesse. I told him I needed help and asked if he had any friends that needed work.  Jessie came to work and said he had a Christian friend who was looking for work, but he needed a boss that could be lenient with his hours. He was a bull rider and needed some days off to go to bull riding events. I told him to come by, prepared to work. His name was Wiley Petersen. I hired him that day.

    As the days went by, my soul had two people farming on it. God was bound to get my attention. The more they talked the more everyone listened. The crowds over the next few weeks grew. They grew so big that one day while studying the Bible with Wiley and Jesse, I looked up and realized that there was no one working. They were all in Bible study. Man, how God worked in that building. He had turned my shop into a church. People were sitting everywhere from the floor to the workbenches.

    Being a young Christian, I had a lot to learn. I was still fighting the sin in my life, unwilling to let go of it and constantly trying to justify it. The Lord, however, would get my attention once again. This time it was a roar of discipline: my arm was nearly cut off in an accident. As I saw the blood shoot from my arm, I could picture myself dying and not making it to the promise land. Yet, God had mercy on me that day as Wiley prayed over me.

    My life changed that day and continues to change daily. I have had some stumbling blocks on my walk. My joy, however, is now complete and growing. That joy I carry around is Jesus. He comforts me in the troubled times. He is my strength and my wisdom. I have become so thankful for the Christians in my life. There is no way to express what they have done for me, but, I am going to try. They picked me up when I was down, gave me a friend when I didn't have one, and listened when most would have fallen asleep. Most importantly, they showed me Jesus and demonstrated His Love when most would have left me in that ditch. The home they have guided me to, I will never leave, for it is with Jesus.

    I am still in contact with these two Godly men--not as much as I would like to be, but enough to know God surely loves them. Their testimonies have encouraged more souls than they could ever imagine. They are two soldiers for Christ Jesus, showing his love and compassion, His strength and wisdom, and most of all, telling everyone they meet about Jesus's gift. He has given His life for you and me, and brought us the gift of eternal life. I can honestly say that my walk and theirs has been well worth the ride.

© 2004 Scott Westlake.  All Rights Reserved