"I love God so much...I was baptized twice!"  Okay...I was baptized twice - but for a different reason.  I was born and raised Church of Christ and, one day many years ago, I went forward to the front of the church and made a confession of my sins and then repented and was baptized...all per Church of Christ doctrine...but not wholly of God's doctrine.

That was my story for quite a few years.  Then, I talked to Tawni McCowan's mother.  It is amazing how God keeps putting people in your path that seem so trivial at the time...but in God's time, it all makes perfect sense.  You see, I was a young teenager and had a girlfriend...one of those "relationships" that "meant" so much...that I can't even remember her name.  I do remember one thing:  she had a friend named Tawni.  Why remember her name but not my "girlfriend's"?  Easy...because I remember Tawni's mother. 

I never met Tawni's mother.  I spoke with her on the phone all of three times at any length...all of those times were because Tawni's mom did not like me one bit.  My little girlfriend was always at Tawni's house so I was always calling there.  Her mom obviously didn't like something about me...or at least she seemed a little "careful" with me.  The last time I talked to her on the phone, she asked me a simple question:  "Do you go to church?"  YES!  I am IN now, I thought.  I told her about my church history...and told her of my baptism.  She then asked me another question..."yes...but are you saved?"  I honestly didn't know how to answer.  Being "Saved" was something "those crazy Baptists, Methodist, etc" did that "wasn't Biblical" by Church of Christ standards.  Then, Tawni's mom changed my life.

She talked at length about what salvation is...and how my baptism has nothing to do with going to Heaven.  (That, after all is what I thought from the Church of Christ....baptism mattered...nothing else did.)  She told me about the beauty of the body that was broken for our forgiveness...and how He took on our sins and took our eternal punishment for us by doing so.  By the time she was done - I had peace and had a burning within me.  I begged her to pray with me...and she did so gladly.  I wholly and fully accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at the age of 15. 

My life was changed by Jesus, ultimately...but it was reveled to me by one woman that I have never met...who simply asked a couple of questions.  The Bible tells us to go into all the world and preach the Good News...she needed only to go to her phone.  Who has come into your life that you could talk to?  Studies say that over 80% of those who are unchurched would go to church if they were simply asked by someone...could that someone be you?  Who knows...maybe it will be your involvement in someone's life that will lead to them one day telling their story...just as I am telling you mine....today.   Thank you Ms. McCowan!