Story of Faith

Everyone has a "come to faith" story once they make that decision or commitment. I think mine is a pretty typical story. I came to Christ when I entered my twenties. I went to a seminar for Amway (a "make money from your downline" business. You know, a pyramid scheme).

Well, I didn't make any money that weekend, but I did make a valuable friend! On that Sunday, they had a church service in that stadium. This place was big. It looked like a concert for Aerosmith, but it was for church. The entire weekend event was packed every day. But on that Sunday, I figured it wouldn't be that crowded since it wouldn’t be talking about business; it would be about God.

Now, a quick intermission on this story. I’m pretty sure that for most men in their 20s, the main mission is money—get the money and provide for the family. As men, that’s just what we do. It’s woven into our DNA for most of us, like a woman caring for her child. As a young man, I was no exception.

Back to the story. I was in a group that shared a hotel room for this event. They had been to a similar event before and invited me to go because they said it was really good. I went just because it seemed right, and they were going. Much to my surprise, it was just as packed as the previous days. I’ll say that the stadium felt full of enthusiasm the first couple of days. However, that last day—the church day—changed my life.

Towards the end of the sermon, the speaker invited everyone to come forward to the main floor if they hadn’t been saved before and give their life to the Lord. People were just rushing to get down there. I could feel their energy and their joy. I didn’t go to the first floor to get saved like everybody else. It was really packed at that point—so packed that I probably couldn’t get to the first floor. But I did give my life to the Lord on that day. I went on to get myself baptized and my new baby girl dedicated to the Lord.

In that decade of my life, I had also been diagnosed with a brain tumor, so I was getting a lot of curveballs thrown at me, including a divorce. I found a new girlfriend, who later became my wife, along with two new girls to feed. My belief in God was always there, but my practice was not. I didn’t go to church regularly, nor did I read my Bible or work on my faith.

I definitely didn’t want to talk about faith. I was one of those half-in, half-out believers. My main concern was always about making money and providing. Looking back now, if I had just gone all in on Christ, things would have been way different. I didn’t thank Him; I didn’t do it for Him; I didn’t bring glory to His name. I was doing everything for me and my family.

Well, later on, I had another curveball, and I got a second relapse of cancer. I ended up losing some of my eyesight from radiation. I was close to my 40s at this time. The doctors didn’t seem to think that the eyesight issue affected my working abilities. However, I had three minor car accidents and two or three work accidents as a forklift operator.

I also developed aphasia, which came with some slurred speech and difficulty seeing numbers and letter shapes correctly. So I decided to swallow my pride and retire. However, I wasn’t ready to stop trying to make money.

I was selling stuff on eBay and writing blogs in hopes of making money from my efforts—again, with no regard to faith and just doing it for money. However, we did start going to church when we could. My wife had to drive because of my eyesight, but at least my efforts were in place.

A few months later, I decided to start reading the Bible with the Bible app. I couldn’t read, so I had to use an app that read it for me. I also had to use the New Living Translation version in order to fully understand what I was reading. But I figured that’s all right because at least I am doing it for the Lord and not for me. I hope to one day be able to read from the King James Version and understand it.

I also started applying it to my everyday life and learning how to start sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Start sharing the news. I also introduced the teachings to my children and encouraged them to do the same. If you’re having issues reaching your children about going to church or reading the Bible, this letter might help you come up with a similar suggestion or plan of encouragement for them.

Lastly, I want to share my reasoning for writing this blog. I used to write blogs to try to make money. I can write long, beautiful blogs, but blog writing is so competitive to grab attention. It’s just not for me, and I’ve realized that reaching people to come to Christ is my purpose.

This blog isn’t about pleasing readers. This blog isn’t about making money. This blog is about God’s word and attempting to spread the Good News. If only one person reads it, and it reaches out to them and gets them saved, it was worth my efforts.

This is my story, friends!

Letter to My Kids

Hey ladies,

You will all get the same message. Just read the entire message Please. There is no response needed unless you want to talk. However, I do not want sarcastic comments. This is me pouring my heart out to you. I have made several mistakes in my life.

I don't want you to walk in my footsteps of mistakes. There was nothing extremely horrible I did, but I didn't teach you about the ways of Christ. You might be saying to yourself, "I don't need this talk." But I think you do. You girls are all going through stuff right now that is very challenging.

Whether it's challenges in your relationships, friendships, or any of your peers. Maybe you just don't know what to do about this. I'm telling you from the bottom of my heart, God is the answer.

I never listened to God's word until this year. I believed in God, but I never listened. Because of that, I never truly felt long-term joy. Family relationships aside, I didn't feel like I had a purpose.

Any job or hobby that I had didn't bring me any kind of joy long-term. I was always chasing more money, and it was never enough. Not saying that money isn't important. But it should not be your number one concern. Your faith and following His laws should be your top priority. Since I started reading His word every day, I have felt so much joy.

And that joy didn't come right away, and it was very hard to start that practice. But your main goal should be to serve the Lord. We are not put here just to eat food, go to school, and get a job. Reading His words will give you so much more fulfillment in life.

You might ask why I am doing this. God put this on my heart. I am the spiritual leader of the family. As men, we are supposed to be according to the Bible. After some time of believing and reading His words, He may give you a spiritual calling. And you will be urged to do that.

For instance, the other night, I was urged to write this message to you all. I was half asleep and this came in my head that I needed to talk to you all. Since I cannot speak well, I decided to write to you all.

Now, does that mean that you need to be at church every week? No. However, you should read His words every day, even if it's only one verse a day. Here's the thing, it's better to be safe than sorry.

If you come to judgment one day and say I didn't know, He's going to say well I didn't know you. Going to church once a month is not going to cut it. You need to believe and follow the rules within the Bible. If you don't know the rules, how are you going to know Him? That is not a command from me. That is just an invitation.

You can either accept it or deny it, but I can't help you on judgment day. I just ask that you think very wisely on your choices on this and not just blow it off as Dad is talking crazy. Just because you wear a cross on your neck or have a tattoo on your arm does not Mean that you are going to be saved.

Honestly, I just want to see you girls happy, and Jesus is the way. Is it gonna be perfect? No way. However, praying about your troubles to the Lord and asking for help with these things is a better way than hurting your body.

One of you asked if reading the Old Testament was necessary. The answer is yes, because the Old Testament holds the Ten Commandments. School systems today do not teach any of this stuff.

But I promise you, it is the most important thing you'll ever read. And this isn't just written by one individual. In fact, 36 different authors wrote this thing in different times and in different periods. And there are sixty-six books within. There's never been another book like this in history. And they didn't do it for money.

They continually find evidence and artifacts from the Bible. You can look all this stuff up, but these people really existed. They wrote the stuff down. They wrote down what they saw and witnessed.

A long time later, someone discovered it, and over time, they put it all into the Bible. Plus, real bodies were discovered, like King David's tomb (another Old Testament story). The main point is, this isn't just another Santa Claus story.

Again, I want you girls to be happy in your lives. Possessions are not going to satisfy you long-term. Neither will meaningless relationships that are toxic. My hope is that you find a godly man when you are of age.

One that will respect you as well as God. If you choose to read it, I suggest that you use the New Living Translation version. It is much easier to read and understand. If you prefer the book, I will buy it for you. There is also a free app that I use to read it to me.

It's called the YouVersion Bible App. I can even read it easily, so you should be able to understand it very well. Girls, I love you so much and I hope you get the message and apply it.

PS. I wrote this completely. I just used spell check.

Love, Dad

Faithful Bond is an independent publication launched in August 2024 by David Torres. If you subscribe today, you'll get full access to the website as well as email newsletters about new content when it's available. Your subscription makes this site possible, and allows Faithful Bond to continue to exist. Thank you!