Scott's Story - An Interview "I had not lived a long life of sin, but in my little heart I knew I was a sinner & that I needed a Savior." What was the spiritual environment in your home as a child? I had the privilege of growing up with parents who had a vibrant Christian faith. Both of them became believers long before. My mom grew up in a Christian family in the South and asked Jesus to save her at a young age. My dad was born into a non-believing family, but after a tour of duty in World War II, he came to know Christ (that's another amazing story). My dad later entered the ministry, so I grew up not only in a Christian home but also in a pastor's home. Many pastors' kids find that to be a very difficult environment in which to grow up, but I found it to be a real blessing-most of the time, anyway. What would you say are some of the spiritual dangers of growing up in a Christian home? I think the biggest one is that a kid can sort of coast along with the religious flow of the family without Christ ever really changing his own life. One of the great misunderstandings in our culture is that a person becomes a Christian simply by being born in a Christian family. But I learned that the Bible doesn't teach that at all. Entrance into the Christian faith comes about by personal faith. As much as my parents desired to take me down the right path, they couldn't make me become a Christian in my heart. That was a matter that I had to take up with God personally. I learned early on that one becomes a Christian not by physical birth, but by a second, spiritual birth. When was the first time you heard the Good News that Jesus Christ died to pay for your sins? I don't remember the first time I heard it. I probably had heard it quite a bit, but it hadn't really registered with me until the day I believed. When I was four years old, my dad invited a visiting preacher to our church for a special evening service. He showed this frightful Christian movie called "The Burning Hell." I don't remember much about the film now, but I was really struck by it. It communicated that hell was real, and that it was a place designed for the devil and all who followed him. I knew that I didn't want to go there and that I wanted to follow Jesus Christ. At the end of the service, I remember going up to my dad, tugging on his coat sleeves, and saying, "Daddy, I don't want to go there." My mother took me into a side room in the church building, and she told me how I could ask Jesus to save me from my sins and from hell. So I did-from the bottom of my heart, I asked him to save me. I've never seriously doubted that that moment was the time when Jesus saved me. How has your life been different because of what Jesus Christ did in your life and soul? Well, I obviously didn't lead a lecherous life before my conversion. But I often wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn't trusted Jesus so early on. I'm so thankful that God in His grace delivered me from many sins in advance. By putting a desire in my heart to love God and to obey his Word, I've been spared so many troubles that sin might otherwise have led me into. Of course, I'm still a sinner, and I need forgiveness just like everyone else. But I'm so thankful for God's early work in my life that helped me to develop a sensitive conscience and a desire for strong character. I never went through a period of "typical" teenage rebellion and waywardness. I've gone through my share of spiritual slumps, but overall, I've had a growing interest to know God and His Word, to relate kindly to my neighbors, and to respond to life's troubles with faith in God's promises. There have been some character flaws that God has (painfully) pointed out to me. There was a period where I was very proud about my background and my convictions. Couple that with an oversized dose of sarcasm, and you can imagine that there were times when I wasn't the most wonderful person to be around. God really had to break me of my pride and self-sufficiency. Eventually I learned more of the power of God's grace-how much I still need it every day, and how I need to extend grace to others. That was a major life lesson. What are some of the challenges that God has helped you thru since you've become a Christian? God is with me everyday (though, I confess, I don't always live in that reality as fully as I should). I pray throughout each day for strength, wisdom, and forgiveness; and I find God's help to be very real. I'd say that the biggest challenges that the Lord has helped me face have been conflicts with other people. Sometimes relationships can get really dicey, and depending on your age or your station, you can feel like there's nothing you can do. God's presence and his promises have become so real to me through times like that. I've learned that I can trust Him no matter how much others might fail me. And even when God doesn't change my circumstances, I've learned that He does want to change me. What verses on salvation are most precious to you? Why? Wow, there are so many. But if I have to be selective … First Peter 2:9 stands out as a favorite. ("But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.") This passage reminds me of what I've become-one of God's children. Having the light of God's Word and His favor is wonderful. My conscience is clear, there's no fear of God's wrath falling on me, and I'm free to come close to God as one of His loved children. Another favorite passage is Second Corinthians 3:18 (But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.") This verse reminds me of what God is doing in my life now. He's seeking to change me, to transform my life from the inside out so that my character will become more and more like that of Jesus Christ. It's really a glorious thing that God's doing in me, and I'm so thankful He's doing what I can't do for myself.