14 Easters ago I came to a church because I knew where it was.  I had been meeting a friend there to go to Jacksonville lizard Kings hockey games so I knew the location.

I had left church at 16 or 17 and had no need for Jesus or God.  I lived the life I wanted too and did what I thought was the best things for me.  But I always had a small voice inside that told me I was doing something wrong.  I wanted to be like my big brother, I wanted to be an intellectual, and every body knows intellectuals don’t like God, because there is no proof He exists.

When I had been in boot camp I was the Religious Petty Officer.  I was in charge of getting the company to church every Sunday where I would sit and hold back tears because I knew I was doing wrong in God’s eyes.  I relented my charge as RPO  in a blaze of curse words and challenges to fight.  Look, I wasn’t stupid, I knew I was giving up perks that I got for being part of the leadership in the company.

After boot camp the sense of calling seemed to settle down.  I went my own way and God seemed to go the other.  I finished my tour in the Navy, got married, and lived my life.  My brother and I would make fun of Christians and just about anyone else we presumed was religious.  We would think up questions we would ask Christians to make them look stupid.  I never got to  ask any a question, I guess I forgot when I was around Christians and not my brother.  Life was good and so was I, at least I thought I was.

Like I said when I started, this is my 14th Easter as a Christian. The week leading up to my first Easter was spent at the Putnam County Fair.  I wasn’t a carney, I wish I had been at sometime because I imagine it would be a really cool life.  I was just selling air purifiers.   Yes, I was selling air purifiers at a county fair.  No, it wasn’t a profitable venture money wise, but it was for the rest of my life.

My booth was set up across from two guys selling belt buckles and a man selling burial plots for a local funeral home. He was actually a Baptist minister and he was selling burial plots to make some extra cash.  I Never suspected what he was doing all week.  He talked to me, and bought me a couple of Cokes, but he never mentioned Jesus until Saturday.  About an hour before the fair closed he took me out, bought me a corn dog and a coke and shared the gospel with me.  I was amazed and over whelmed.  I left the fair that night and repented of my sins.  I was so over whelmed I had o stop my truck three times to collect myself before I could drive again.

The next morning was Easter, and no one bothered to tell me.  I showed up at the church looking for my friend Darryl in a t-shirt and shorts.  Everyone was dressed in suits and ties, so I stuck out just a little.  I made up for it the next Sunday by coming in a suit and tie and everyone else was wearing normal clothes, so they felt out-of-place.

This is the story of the beginning of my walk with Christ.  I don’t pretend that it is over or even close, I know I still have a lot to learn.  But I wanted to share my Easter story so others could read it.