Ever since I was little, I have listened to Bible stories, Christian music, and everything under the sun Christian.  My Dad worked with a Christian group so I was always listening to him talk about God and the Bible.  But I never really understood the real meaning of being a Christian, which is serving, loving, and trusting in God. 
 
When I was six, my Dad asked me if I wanted to be saved, if I wanted to ask God to forgive my sins.  I said, “Yes, I do.”
 
I prayed, and then my family and I thought I was saved.  But now I know that I wasn’t.  Every night I would be scared that something bad would happen and I didn’t pray. I relied on things that could never help me.  That was 4-5 years ago, and those daily scary times before bed lasted until late November, 2010.
 
One night, I really started to wonder if I was saved back when I was six.  I never felt anything, and I never felt anything at all different about my relationship with God.
 
Did really trust God with my life?  Do I now?  After a while, I knew I was never saved when I was six.  And I still wasn’t.  So that night, while my Dad was praying, I once again asked God to forgive me, and I devoted the rest of my life to him.  Then, I felt something; like a good feeling in the deepest part of my soul, and I knew that this time I was saved.
 
My life didn’t dramatically change after that.  I still sinned, and I still do.  Being one of God’s children doesn’t mean I won’t ever make mistakes.  But it does mean that God has forgiven me.  It also helps with other things.  It helped me realize what I want to do with my life.  And it helped me realize that only God can help you with your problems, and that you shouldn’t rely on other things to help.

Knowing that I am a Christian makes me feel that I should tell people about my story, and maybe someday they will be telling me theirs.
 
Again, I want to thank all of my friends and everyone from Encounter for coming.  And of course, I want to thank the band for helping me sing my song for this event.
 
I hope my story influenced you, and I hope one day I will be hearing your story too.

Many times people make rationalizations and excuses to not have faith in God. This was me for most of my life. In truth I wanted to not have “any restrictions” on me. I thought God would stop me from having fun. I always had a so called “reason” to stop me from believing in God.

My childhood was fairly simple. I was homeschooled, and brought up in a Christian home. Our family attended church every Sunday, Sunday night, and Thursdays. When I was younger I really didn’t have the option to NOT go to church, it was pretty much a requirement. I never hated going to church, but some days it just felt like a real drag to go. I can honestly say that I never really took any time outside of being in church to pray, or to try and figure out the real Jesus story. Once I turned 16, and thought I knew it all I stopped going to church. That first Sunday that I did not go to church really made me feel like I was in control, like I was so cool because I showed them how I really felt about going to church. In reality I know now that I was anything but in control.

Skip ahead a couple of years, and many, many mistakes later. I cannot recall the exact day that I attended my first Encounter church service, but I do know that it made quite an impact on me. There was just a certain way that Landon reached out to me in a way in which no one else had. He came up to me after the service, and introduced himself to me, and told me that I should come back again next Sunday. From then on I started going to Encounter every Sunday. Some days I really did not know why I was going. I could have been doing a million other things, but something kept drawing me back. I can remember Landon always trying to get me to meet him for lunch on so many occasions. I always had some lame excuse as to why I couldn’t meet him. I believe it was about a year or so of my attending Encounter that out of the blue, I just stopped going.  Life just went on as it was before, and I was back to thinking that I was in control of everything, and that I had no problems.

About nine or ten months later I saw Landon at a concert.  As soon as I saw him I felt very guilty, like I should be ashamed of myself. He came over to me at the end of the concert and asked me how I was doing. After that night I started going back to Encounter every Sunday, but this time around I was actually beginning to get something out of the service. I could feel God putting a desire inside of me to learn more about his love, and salvation. Once again Landon asked me to meet him for coffee, and this time I said yes. I sat down with Landon almost every week to discuss where I was in my journey.

Deep down I knew that there was only one Person that could fulfill me and that was God. There is emptiness inside each person that only God can fill. But I had spent so much time creating excuses and rationalizations. These so called “reasons” stopped me from truly being able to see God. I had put up walls that limited my vision. Every time I looked I could not see clearly how truly amazing He is. As much as I tried to deny it, I knew that the only way to fulfill the emptiness inside of me was to lay down my walls and simply believe in Him. I remember the night that I finally said yes to God, and put all the doubts I had behind me. I had an instant feeling of peace, and happiness that came over me. That was the best day of my life. I remember thinking to myself later that night, why didn’t I do this sooner?

For anyone that is in the position I was in, my advice to you would be to just say, YES!!! I have made the decision to be baptized today to show my commitment to God, in front of my family, my friends, and most importantly my Lord, and Savior.

Jesus Christ, this name has incalculable gravity and immeasurable weight to millions upon millions. How is it that in a world propelled by material elements: cars, money, sexual relationships, clothes – we have a sect of people, whom call themselves Christians whom place their faith and happiness, not in the physical realm of reality but in the higher stratum of affairs of the universe? Before I took this walk of faith, the same question was always racing in my mind, “How can Christians possibly be happy without possessing these necessary preconditions that society tells us we must have in order to achieve a level of happiness?” This central figure of Jesus Christ is somehow able to comfort the dying, heal the sick, and ease the minds of the restless. 

Psalm 23 epitomizes this idea of tranquility when you walk alongside Jesus Christ. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” 

The Lord is our shepherd, what is the significance of that statement? Is a shepherd merely someone who stands in front of his flock and leads them past the surrounding dangers? That and so much more. When one sheep breaks their leg and is no longer able to move forward, the shepherd will stop, search and find the sheep, and carry them on His back. He gently whispers words in the sheep's ears so that they may recognize His voice, and gain the strength from His reassurance to fight to continue to move forward. Jesus is our shepherd, and we our His sheep. 

Jesus is able and willing, for what good is it if He was willing but did not possess the ability to carry you? Jesus said to the people, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 

How do you describe the importance of water to a man dying of thirst? Or, how do we describe the necessity of air to a drowning man? In much the same way, words cannot adequately explain the importance of Jesus Christ to a man who's soul is thirsting for the water of life.

Christianity isn't merely a set of rules to follow, it is an invitation to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, to be able to have a conversation with a friend of compassion, the kindness of a confidant, and a relationship with the author of the Universe. Placing faith in Jesus creates comfort that is transcendent to this world, eternal, and everlasting. Matthew says “His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.” These words are an infinitely small fraction of what Jesus has done for me. His words are comforting, and His love lasts forever. Amen.

I grew up in the home of a pastor and from a very early age was exposed to the message of hope and forgiveness offered through faith in Jesus Christ.  When I was 5, I embraced Christ and began my Jesus journey!  The only problem was that I saw Christianity as a religion instead of  personal relationship with the Creator God through His Son Jesus.  So I went on living my life as I wanted, conforming to the religious norms I thought were expected of me on the outside while drifting further and further from God on the inside.  Finally, when I was a senior in high school I hit bottom.  I had everything a kid that age is told he needs to be happy ... but I wasn't.  I knew something was wrong, something was missing.  When I did a life inventory, I figured it had something to do with the God-thing.  So I went back and began to pray ... probably for the first time in a long time.  And I said, "God, I don't even know if I believe in you or the Bible anymore.  But if You are there and if you are real, I need you to show me."  I remember that night because I cried myself to sleep holding my Bible and just praying that God would do something amazing. 

Well, over the next few weeks and months I continued to pray and began to read my Bible and God began to speak to me.  Not audibly but on the inside.  And I began to find my confidence in His reality and His closeness to me rebrithed.  Several months later, while sitting in a church service, I sensed God speaking to my spirit and calling me to abandon myself to His mission of redeeming and reclaiming people from every culture and community on the face of the earth.  Since then, it has been an amazing ride!  I've been to Africa, Europe, Asia, and Central America.  I've taught in churches and seminaries and leadership conferences.  I've done ministry in trailer parks, upscale neighborhoods and everywhere in between.  The road has not always been easy but the sacrifices have been worth it.  And in the end, I'm convinced that somehow God is using me with all of my weaknesses and struggles to change and alter the reality of people around me here in metro New York and around the world!

I became a follower of Jesus at a very young age. On a February Wednesday night in my family's home church, a well-known visiting evangelist named Angel Martinez delivered a simple sermon, using the twenty-third Psalm as his text. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…" Even though I don't remember everything he said, I do vividly remember understanding for the first time, even as a second grader, that I was a sinner and that I needed the Great Shepherd to come into my life, forgive me of my sins, and live in my heart. Fortunately, the evangelist offered people the opportunity to pray a simple prayer with him doing just that, and I prayed that little prayer with him.

Since that time, I have learned through the years more about all the implications of that decision, and I continue to learn and grow in my relationship with Him. There have been fits and starts, of course, but He's been there all along the way, in both the "green pastures and still waters" and the "valley of the shadow of death." Life is meaningful when you know that He loves you, that He has a purpose for your life, and that you can spend eternity with Him. "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Before I embraced faith in Jesus Christ, I didn’t know what I believed. I didn't understand the real meaning of life. I may have looked like I was trying to do the right thing, but my heart was set on the wrong path. I was and wanted to be in control of everything (so I thought) but there was one catch - I was terrified. I was scared because I didn’t know what would happen to me if I died. I tried to reassure myself by thinking, "I believe in God and I am a good person!" but it just didn't bring me peace. I talked to a few spiritual friends at work in hopes of finding some answers but I never found what I was looking for. I became more and more afraid. In early 2008, my husband, Manny, and I were talking to our cousins about our thirst for answers and they told us about Encounter Church. We were so intrigued by their story that we attended church with them the very next day. I was completely overtaken by the powerful connection and sense of “this is what we have been searching for”. We attended church for a couple of months - each Sunday I learned a little bit more – but I still wasn’t ready to admit that I wasn’t in control. On Palm Sunday, Manny and I attended a Christian Church in White Plains and it was during that service that I completely surrendered and received Jesus Christ as my only hope of salvation by faith! I can’t explain how or why it happened at that moment, but what I felt was a huge “RELEASE” – my heart wasn’t so heavy and I wasn’t so scared.  God has brought me closer to him, I am so aware of his love and grace on my life. Now my life is better - I don't have that fear anymore, and I have a peace that only comes from Jesus Christ. He is the only one who could fill that void inside me. So, little by little, I started letting Jesus take control of my life and putting my trust solely in Him.

Danielle Lozano, Mamaroneck, NY 

I was raised in my faith. My parents exposed me to it and taught me about Jesus since birth. I thank God everyday for placing me in my family. I appreciate them a great deal. In the past, being a Christian felt like a routine and something repetitive. I would go to church every Sunday and not get anything out of it. In the last few years and as I got older, moved to a new church, I started to understand and appreciate more about what being a Christian was about. I started studying, praying, and finding out on my own how I wanted to rely and depend on Jesus. I only hope someday that I can have the same effect on someone that some people have had on me for God. By relying on friends from church, asking for help when prayer was needed in my life and trusting in the guidance from people eager to assist in helping me find myself in my faith, I grew to appreciate and better understand everything God has done in my life. I want to live every moment of my life as an act of worship for Him. It’s not always going to be easy, Its something we all have to work at and I still have a lot to learn and a lot of life left to experience but I feel extreme comfort in His unfailing love and forgiveness. I know that with Jesus, all the troubles and trials I have yet to face won't be faced alone, and that feels great.

I was born in Tokyo Japan and I had never been out of the country until I became 21. None of my family members were Christians.  I hear that Japan is one of the most difficult countries for missionaries. Christians are only 1% of its population.I had never been to Christian churches until I was 21. When I was a college student, I had an opportunity to study at a small college in Arizona.On campus I met many Christian students who wanted to educate me about the Bible and God but didn’t bother to get to know me as a person. God also brought me another kind of Christians who wanted to spend time with me whether or not I went to church with them. They were very patient with me. They chose to be with me when I was going through difficulties. They also talked a lot about themselves…about their journey with God, how much God meant to them. I sensed genuine love and interest from them. Eventually I started thinking, “there should be some truth about what these people believe,” “they can’t live the way they live if they believe something completely wrong.” So, it was the start of my faith in God. I saw the reflection of God in their lives. It took me another couple of years before I was saved. God needed to take me back to Japan and eventually to Singapore for me to choose to follow God.  It was a long process for me, but it started when I saw the truth about God in these people’s lives.I believe that anyone of us respond well to someone who has genuine love and interest in us. You can tell very quickly if someone is interested in knowing you or not. That’s why I like the way that the Encounter Church cares about our encounter with people in our day to day lives. I will continue to pray the Encounter Church so that it will continue to grow and provide a place for the people who need encounters with God.