Friday, February 1, 2008

My Story Part 1

I sent my applications to Westminster and MARS yesterday and some have asked me to share the testimony I included in that application process. It is rather long so I will break it up over a few posts. So hear goes.

A Story of One Called by God to Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ
My name is Alan Gielczyk, and this is my story. I was born in total depravity, an enemy of the God who formed me in my mother’s womb. I hated God and every day of my life tried to show that I knew better how to live my life than He did. Of course, I did not realize this. I thought I knew god and had a pretty good relationship with him. He did not interfere in my everyday life and lived up to every expectation I had of him. He never made any demands upon my life and was thoroughly obedient to my every whim. Of course he never really helped me when I was struggling with drugs and alcohol, but hey, our relationship had to have SOME limits, did it not?

I was baptized Roman Catholic when I was an infant, raised by my divorced mother as a nominal Episcopalian, and knew just enough of the Bible to think my standing with God was fine. As a teenager, I struggled with depression, dropped out of high school, and started working. I married, and before I knew it had a son. My life spiraled out of control as I got divorced, became addicted to drugs, and began a fifteen year love affair with a bottle—all before my twentieth birthday.

I will skip most of the gruesome details of life lived in a hazy, drug-induced, alcoholic blur, save to say that even at my lowest point I still deluded myself into thinking I was ok with God. The lengths one will go to in deceiving oneself amaze even me, the one who did the deceiving. I wonder who the people I was comparing myself to (and deciding I was better off than) were comparing themselves to.

After the divorce and wearing out my welcome at the home of every relative that would give me a chance, I moved in with my best friend. We had the “party house”. Both of us worked at a pizza place, and since we were a bit older than the average teenager there, they all enjoyed coming to our house where no parents were to be found. One of those who would frequent our abode was a guy named Tom. Everyone knew Tom was a Christian, but that he would not condemn us for our lifestyle. He would simply come over and talk with us while we were doing drugs and getting drunk, and eventually the conversation would move toward religion. He would patiently answer all my challenges and questions and did a lot of planting in my life.

to be continued.....

5 comments:

00 said...

Bah!!!!

You can't stop now! You've just got me hooked!

Alan said...

Rhea,
So you are saying I accomplished that suspense thing I was after?

00 said...

Alan, the suspense is so great (and my impatience even greater) that I'm about to pull my eyelashes out one by one.

Perhaps you should get into the whole "Christian fiction" writing scene? You've definitely got the whole "suspense" thing down pat.

And on a completely "unrelated to this post" note, what are your thoughts about CARM (www.carm.org)? I don't personally agree with everything he says about Christianity (from my understanding he's reformed), but I LOVE all the great info that he's got on "christian cults" and other religions.

Alan said...

Rhea,
I promise episode two tomorrow, not sure how many there will be but I think you'll like the ending. CARM is an excellent organization, I just looked and do not have a link to them I thought I did. I have not read much from them lately but I will look at their site again and probably add them to my links.

I was just doing some homework and thought about you, what are you studying in school? I am reading a book for my Judaism, Islam, and Christianity class at the Community College and wondering why I took this class, it is very frustrating and I can't wait to get to seminary next semester.

00 said...

I'm a sociology major with a minor in psychology. When I started college I was a psychology major. I wasn't a Christian then, and I wanted to get my PhD in clinical psychology and work with patients with eating disorders in an in-patient setting. The Lord had other plans though :-) My long-term goal is actually to do full-time vocational ministry of some sort...not sure the specifics yet....God pretty much lets me in on things on a "need to know basis," so I guess that I don't need to know yet!! :-) God is good...I know that He'll show me everything in HIS timing, which is WAY better than mine. Sometimes I get frustrated with my major (really, I get frustrated with one prof. in my dept), but I know that I'm learning a lot in my major that helps me understand people, and why society is structured the way it is. Basically, I'm learning about all the crummy effects of societies and individuals not leading a "Christ-centered" life. I'm learning about all the practical garbage that results b/c of that.