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ok hi my name is steven bellows ok my story started my cuzin chris invited me to go to church for a kareke night and me at the time i didnt like to get in front of people o i just wen to meet gurls but then winterfest came along and t was the time of my life i gave my life to christ ad since then my life has been gettin so much better with my family friends he has helped me fromn the first time iwent ot church scared to go sing kareoke and now i am in drama and e tok away my frightness of beein in front of crowds and people i am so happy my cuzin brought me there cuz if it wasnt for god bein in him tellin him to bring me i woudnt be where i am today so thx chris and if you ever want to give your life to christ it is better hen u gettin money trust me i love money and its betterso thats my story thx

hey whats up my name iz Tim Cates but people at my church call me Timmy the fox!!! ok my story is weird kinda well i waz goin 2 parkway off and on but then i stopped goin but then one day about a year and a half ago when i waz at my aunt teris house they were talkin about god and i waz interested in what they were talkin about so i waz listinin 2 them and they asked me and my brother if we wanted 2 accept god into our lifes and hearts and i said yes and thats how it started then I stated attending Parkway and i got more involved and waz baptised and joined student leadership AND GOD HAS HELPED ME GET OUT OF MY SHELL AND BE COMFORTABLE IN FRONT OF PEOPLE AND NOW IM IN THE DRAMA TEAM AND ACTING IN SKITS

Hello my name is Dorothy. My story is crazy to say the least. As I teenager I was extremely messed up with drugs. My 2 BEST FRIENDS killed themselves 2 weeks apart from each other and I blamed myself for not saving them all these years. For years I have suffered with eating disorders, cutting. and depression. I technically have been saved for about 3 years but haven't truly experienced God until about a year ago at a Perry Stone conference. That was the first time I was filled with the Holy Spirit. Let me tell you, the feeling of speaking a different tongue, crying, and shaking uncontrollably is the GREATEST feeling in the world. To some it sounds scary but it's really not. To understand in your spirit what your ears don't is truly amazing. Although I still struggle with these terrible strongholds , I know that the Lord is always waiting for me, with His arms outstretched for me to fall into. He is the one Who wipes away my tears of pain and replaces them with tears of joy. I thank all of you at Parkway for being there for me during this rough time in my life. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!! GOD BLESS YOU!!!! and Nick, thank you for building this website. I hope this little piece of my life story can help even just 1 person! ;)

My story is still a work in progress, so I'll give you the beginnings....
I grew up in a disfunctional family, and pretty much lived with my best friend all through school. She and her family are really strong believers, and they are the ones that took me to church, and eventually helped lead me to Christ.
In high school, I dealt with some serious sin issues that had strong holds on my life and was really on fire for Christ and involved in a lot of ministry. Once I graduated and was out on my own, those same sin issues reared their ugly heads, and I walked away from God. However, all I can say is that God is faithful, and is restoring my heart and helping me overcome more than I ever thought possible. Its a hard walk to come back, but so worth it! I'm so excited to see what God has in store for me!

Aight e'ry1 knos who I am. I been goin to Parkway my entire life. I ain't kiddin. I went ther for pre-skool. i've been thru all the lil kid classes. I'm a perfect example of, it doesn't matter if you'v gone to church your whole life, that doesn't make you a perfect christian. I'm gonna let all u in on MY story. Something i've never done b4.

My name is Chris Callaghan. I've been going to Parkway my whole life but that doesn't mean i live a perfect life. People c that i hav all this stuff (material things). They c that i live in a nice 2 story house. They c that both of my parents are strong Christians and think i have everything goin for me. Well i'll tell u rite now, i go thru problems just like every other kid. Ya i may have all this cool stuff, but i don't live the life people think. I've been thru the same things, if not worse, than most of u. People say that what i go thru isn't the same as what they've been thru. If you've had a rough past with parents or something, keep reading and then come talk to me and tell me that to my face. I've seen my brother go off on my parents. I've seen him fight with them. I've seen the police come into my house and take him away. I've been to jail to visit him. And i've seen him go rite back to his old ways. My grandma died on Christmas day of 2000. My Grandpa died just last year. I'm still having problems with family. People c me and say, "o ther goes chris wit his syk car. he gets everything handed to him on a silver platter". I hav to put on a show around everybody so they don't kno what i have to go thru. I'm trying my hardest to come back to God. I kno that ther's no possible way to get thru my life without him.
So what is my story? I've been thru anything and everything you can think of. But i haven't given up on God.

Hmmmmmmmmm so check it out. The first time I had ever had an enounter with God is when I was at childrens camp in June of 2003. I mean before that you know how it is I went to church sang the songs but didn't really feel anything. Well anyway while I was at that one week camp on Thursday night during worship they gave us a chance to give our lives to Christ. Well at first I stayed in my seat not really knowing what that had meant then my childrens pastor had explained it a little more. I still wasn't really planing on going up, but then the song "Amazing Grace/You Are my King" started playing and the worship leader had started singing. The next thing I knew is I felt a little tear come down my face and more and more coming down my face. Well I just couldn't help it I walked up to the front got down on my knees and started praying and praying and worshiping and a little while later my childrens pastor came over and prayed with me and I was SAVED by the end of that night. So what about now? Well just a few months ago March I got baptized Ireally felt it. What is it you ask? Wel it is the feeling af being saved and being FREE from my sins. I really still feel that as I am writing this. this is my story so far! Notice how I said so far? thats because I know that just because I am saved does not mean that the Lord is done with me. No, acctually he is just getting started!!!!

Well, Lets See. When I was a kid i sometimes went to sunday school with my fried LaRae. I did my best to learn all i could. I didn't go very often because I just didn't get into it. Over the next few years i went now and then and one year I went to church camp. I kind of connected with god while i was there but then I didn't really do anything after that.
About a year ago I met Amanda Eberle. Not too long after she told the class about Fallapallooza. I thought it would be fun cause all my friends were going and stuff. After Fallapallooza I started to get into church more. I think thats when we did the Steve Metro Show. I started to get closer and Closer to god. I remember on my birthday we went to Winterfest. That brought me really close to god. Ever since then I have been baptized, Joined choir and worship team, And I'm going through storm. Parkway really helped me get to know god which changed my life

Hey there my name is tori for those who do not know me,i have been a member at parkway church for about three years now. It all started when an old friend brought me. To be honest the only reason i went was becausei had nothing better to do.Staying at parlway was one of the best moves for my life. You see for the longest time i had a problem with letting things that people said or did to me go. Instead of talking about it i would hold it inside not thinking about what it would do to me later in life. You see,i thought that i was a happy go lucky girl that knew what she wanted in life. I knew that i wanted to be a teacher, but how could i deal with young children when i havent delt with myself yet? In 2005 that was the year i was saved, I remember it like it was yesterday. Everyone had just gotten back from an amazing winterfest, I listened to all these kids come up and give there testimony on how god healed them and i remember sitting there sad because i too wanted to feel the power of god.Not even ten minutes later i saw julie, she put her arms around me and stared praying for me. That was the night that i was saved and i started dealind with things in my life.Im not going to sit here and say that everything was fantastic after that night but i could see a change. A few months later i was baptized. Everything was good the only problem now wa i no longer wanted to work with kids or at least i thought.i prayed about it for the longest time. A few years went on and i still did not know what god wanted me to do, i didnt even know what i wanted. In 2007 we had camp meeting I prayed all the time: GOD PLEASE TALK TO ME SHOW ME, TELL ME what i am here for and nothing ever happened. two nights before camp meeting was over i finlly heard him,he was tellin me that i needed to be a worship leader. so that saturday at brandons grad party i told julie that i wanted to start leading worship. Both Her and steve started to laugh,which then made me feel as if they thought i wasnt good enough to do it. Come to find out they had talked about it and was just waiting for me to say something. I am now meeting with julie every wednesday and going over some key points on how to be a great worship leader. I have come to realize thst if you put all your faith in god you will get back so much more in return and that is exactly what happened in my life.

I was raised in church my whole life which means that I have had the advantage of scripture being poured into my life since before Ican remeber. It also means that I have seen God change lives , some of those have gone on to be great men and women of God , others unfortunatly also turned away and would never set foot in church again , and then there was others who would claim to be christians and burn you so badly that they could be confused for the devil himself.
I saw this my whole life , but instead of relying on God I chose to put my trust in myself for some stupid reason or another ,and eventually became what many would call a monster. I hated everyone and generally everything rage , violence , and bitterness were my only friends. I pushed my family out and drew from the pain and suffering of others. Then I moved to pheonix and started attending parkway church mostly so I could keep my family off my back. What I found at parkway was something I didnt expect , I found people ,who later became my friends, who were actually living the faith who truly loved God and convinced me to give God another chance which I did. Later during a brief stumble I moved back to Colorado and started working for my Grandfather as an electritian. I started attending thier church and saw a girl I was interested in. I found out that she was going to a newsboys concert so I thought Id go and try and get a chance to ask her out fortunatly God had other plans. I kind of listened to the music , but when the lead singer gave his testimony it really hit home. I had and still have a lot of addictions not drugs , but other things that are still just as condeming. He said he grew up basiclly like I did and struggled with things like I do and one day he came to a realization that he couldnt get rid of any of them , he had to replace them , replace them with the bible. I tried everything else so I figured what the heck it cant damn me any more than I already am. Guess what, it works Im doing much better learning more and able to help others. I still have problems , but the day we dont is the day we go to heaven. Life has also improved its still no bed of roses by any means , but it has improved I finally got a house of my own a newish truck and a raise at work , soon I will be able to buy a bike. Its amazing how God blesses those who do their best to serve him. I now read my bible twice a day and never miss one as compared to maybe following a long with the preacher on sunday. Try it out you ought to see what God and the bible have done for this hard headed guy.

I WAS RAISED IN CHURCH UNTIL I WAS ABOUT 8 YEARS OLD. FOR SOME REASON MY PARENTS STOPPED GOING. SO I KNEW THE BASICS OF THE BIBLE BUT THERE WAS NO CONNECTION TO LIVE THE WAY I WAS RAISED OTHER THAN MY PARENTS RULES. THERE WAS A POINT IN MY LIFE WHERE I FELT THE NEED TO FIT IN WITH OTHER KIDS. WHICH PROBABLY ALL OF US GO THREW. FROM THERE I GOT IN TO ALL KINDS OF THINGS WHICH LOOKING BACK I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE DONE. THINGS LIKE STEALING, A LOT OF GIRLFRIENDS (SEX),DRUGS, LYING CONSTANTLY, CHEATING FRIENDS. THERE WAS JUST SOMETHING MISSING DEEP DOWN INSIDE ME. I TRIED FITTING IN WITH ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE NOT REALLY BEING MYSELF. AT ONE POINT EXCEPTING THE FACT I WASN'T REALLY BEING ME, I THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO TURN OFF THE CHARADE. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL I MET PEOPLE WHO I CONSIDER TO BE MY FIRST TRUE FRIENDS. TO THIS DAY I LOVE THEM AND WOULD GIVE MY LIFE FOR THEM. THAT DIDN'T CHANGE WHO I HAD BECOME AND THE MORE I TRIED TO FILL THE HOLE IN MY HEART(SOUL) THE BIGGER IT GOT AND THE FARTHER I WAS FROM LIVING THE WAY I WAS RAISED AND THE WAY I KNEW WAS RIGHT. I WAS EVEN ASHAMED TO SEE MY MOM BECAUSE I KNEW I WAS NOT LIVING THE WAY SHE TAUGHT ME. IN THE MIDDLE OF LIVING THE DAILY GRIND OF WORKING I MET MY WIFE. TO MAKE IT SHORT WE GOT MARRIED AFTER TWO WEEKS. SOMETHING I HAD GOING OVER IN MY THOUGHTS WAS EVERYTHING WOULD BE GREAT IN MY LIFE IF I WAS NOT ALONE. BUT THE EMPTINESS WAS STILL THERE. A FEW YEARS LATER SHE HAD MY SON. THAT WAS THE POINT WHERE IT ALL CAME TOGETHER IN ONE BIG HEAVINESS. I WAS NOT READY TO BECOME A FATHER TO HAVE THAT KIND OF RESPONSIBILITY. TO GUIDE A CHILD WHEN I WAS SO EMPTY INSIDE. WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING INSIDE HOW COULD I GIVE TO HIM WHAT I DIDN'T HAVE ???? AT THAT POINT I WAS SMOKING A LOT OF POT TRYING TO NUMB REALITY CAUSE AT THAT POINT MY REALITY WAS OVER WELL MING. THAT WAS THE POINT WHERE I WAS NEEDING AN ANSWER. HAHAHA ON DECEMBER 9 2003 ABOUT 730PM I HAD JUST HAD SMOKED SOME POT AND WAS JUST ABOUT TO EAT A BARROS PIZZA WITH MY WIFE AND FRIEND TIM. THERE WAS A KNOCK ON THE DOOR IT WAS 3 PEOPLE FROM MY PARENTS CHURCH. THEY CAME OVER TO TELL US ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE. I LET THEM IN HAVING JUST MET ONE OF THEM THE WEEK BEFORE AT THE CHURCH PICNIC. SO THEY PROCEEDED TO ASK US THE MOST IMPORTANT 2 QUESTIONS I HAVE EVER BEEN ASKED HAVE YOU COME TO THE PLACE IN YOUR LIFE WHERE YOU KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT IF YOU WHERE TO DIE TODAY YOU WOULD GO TO HEAVEN OR IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WOULD SAY YOU'RE STILL WORKING ON? I ANSWERED THAT I WAS STILL WORKING ON THAT, KNOWING ALL THE BAD THINGS I HAD DONE. THEN THEY ASKED WELL IF YOU WERE TO DIE TODAY AND STAND BEFORE GOD AND HE ASKED YOU WHY SHOULD I LET YOU IN TO MY HEAVEN WHAT WOULD YOU SAY. I COULDN'T ANSWER THAT ONE AT ALL. THERE WAS NOTHING THAT I COULD THINK OF. THAT WAS A DEEP SHOT TO REALITY. THEN HE SAID WELL IN THAT CASE I HAVE THE BEST NEWS YOU HAVE EVER HEARD. HEAVEN IS AN ABSOLUTELY FREE GIFT! THIS IS WHAT CHANGE MY LIFE. THE MAIN THEME OF BIBLE (1 JOHN 5:13 I WRITE THESE THINGS SO YOU MAY KNOW YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE) THE BIBLE SAYS THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE (ROMANS6:23) BEING A GIFT IT IS NOT EARNED OR DESERVED NO AMOUNT OF PERSONAL EFFORT, GOOD WORKS, OR RELIGIOUS DEEDS CAN EARN YOU A PLACE IN HEAVEN. IT SAYS IN (EPHESIANS 2:8,9)FOR BY GRACE WE ARE SAVED THROUGH FAITH AND NOT OF YOURSELVES IT IS A GIFT OF GOD NOT OF WORKS SO NO MAN CAN BOAST. WHY IS IT THAT NO ONE CAN EARN ETERNAL LIFE? WELL THE BIBLE SAYS THAT WE ARE SINNERS. FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD (ROMANS 3:23). SIN IS NOT JUST BREAKING THE 10 COMMANDMENTS THERE ARE 3 DIFFERENT TYPES OF SIN. FIRST THERE IS THE SIN OF COMMISSION THINGS WE DO LYING, STEALING AND SO ON. THEN THERE IS THE SINS OF OMISSION THINGS GOD WHATS US TO DO BUT DON'T. LIKE LOVING A NEIGHBOR, FAILING TO READ THE BIBLE OR PRAY. THEN THEN THERE IS SINNING BY WORDS OR THOUGHTS CURSING, LUST ,PRIDE. BUT WE JUST DON'T UNDER STAND SOME TIMES HOW BAD AND HOW MUCH WE SIN. IF I ONLY SINNED 3 TIMES A DAY ONE OF EACH TYPE OF SIN. OVER A YEARS TIME THAT WOULD BE OVER 1000 TIMES OVER AN AVERAGE LIFE TIME SAYS 70 YEARS OLD THAT WOULD BE 70,000 SINS. STILL THE GOOD MIGHT OUT WEIGH THE BAD. WELL IF I WERE TO COOK US BREAKFAST AND I HAD FIVE GOOD EGGS AND ONE ROTTEN BUT I WENT A HEAD AND MIXED THEM ALL TOGETHER POURED IN JUST A LITTLE MILK TO FLUFF THEM UP AND THE MILK WAS LITTLE SOUR. I COULDN'T SERVE THAT TO YOU IN THE SAME WAY I COULDN'T SERVE MY LIFE TO GOD. EVEN IF THE GOOD OUT WEIGHED THE BAD. JUST ONE SIN SEPARATES US FROM GOD. THE BIBLES SAYS THERE ITS ONE WAY TO GET INTO HEAVEN ON YOUR OWN (MATTHEW 5:48)BE PERFECT AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT. WELL THAT LEFT ME OUT. SO YOU SEE WHY YOU CAN'T WORK YOUR WAY INTO HEAVEN.HOWEVER IN SPITE OF OUR SIN GOD IS MERCIFUL AND DOESN'T WANT TO PUNISH US. THE BIBLE SAYS"GOD IS LOVE" (1 JOHN 4:8) THE SAME BIBLE THAT TELLS US GOD IS LOVE ALSO SAYS GOD IS JUST , (EXODUS 34:7)"SAYS HE WILL BY NO M

Hey Nick! Thanks for the outlet.

My story is as follows: I was born and raised in a Christian home. My parents were both active in church, but my mother was by far the most vocal about her faith and about the way we should live our lives. My dad only really spoke when he felt he needed to, and it was usually with a loud voice!

I grew up knowing and loving God, and always trying to do what was best, and I eventually accepted Christ as my personal Savior when I was 11 years old.

I remember growing up with a lot of yelling in my house because my brother (who is almost 11 years older than me) was going through a rebellious stage in his high school years, and my older sister struggled with rebellion and drugs in her high school years, as well.

There were, at times, serious battles in my house that often resulted in everyone retreating to different parts of town just to get away from each other.

My brother moved out when he was 17 (I was 6 or 7), so that left my older sister (and she would tell you this) who fought with my parents on a near nightly basis. As I said, she struggled with drugs and other vices that contributed to the issues, and that made things all the more difficult.

From age 5 to about 17, this is mostly what I remember. The fights were often and loud. I saw my mom cry many nights, and my dad was not there a lot of the time because he worked at a community college and had evening classes. I think most of the time he was probably dreading coming home on those nights because he never knew what he would encounter when he arrived.

I tell you all of that to lay a foundation for the next part of my story.

You see, being a "peace keeper" by nature, I always felt it my responsibility to keep peace in the house. What that meant was that, at any cost, I would protect my mother and our "home" as much as I could. Even at the risk of my own well being.

This accomplished two things: One, it made my sister and I hate each other for many years, and two, it caused my heart to harden because of all the anger I both saw and exhibited in my own life growing up.

Just to add another piece to the puzzle, with the exception of my dad (who was born in Arkansas and moved to Cali when he was 18) all of my immediate family all grew up in California, but my grandparents were all "southerners". Since they were the generation that grew up with Civil War era parents and grandparents, I heard the word "nigger" a lot. I never felt that anyone in my family was racist. It was just a word they used because they didn't know any better, but I remember the rush that I got the first time I repeated that word. That's a small piece to the rest of my puzzle, but a key piece, nonetheless.

As a result of my pent up anger and frustration after years of turmoil and fighting in my house, I eventually turned to racism as a way to release my anger. Because of the Holy Spirit in my life, I never fully committed to any "groups", but I spent most of my time around "Peckerwoods" and skinheads. All the while diving deeper into my hatred.

I spent the better part of 10 years battling internally my demon of hatred and rage. Praise God I never got into any real trouble, and I stayed away from drugs and alcohol even though most of the people around me were deep in it. However, I let hatred become my drug. The rush of hating someone so badly that I felt I could wipe out their entire race to make the world a better place was something that I fed off of.

I spent years trying to build up the courage to join a skinhead "organization" just so I could be a part of the genocide that they were planning against anyone who is not white.

For some reason I could never work up the courage. I always had this voice in the back of my head telling me "This is not who you are, Jerad." I was often reminded by the Holy Spirit that I was always the one trying to keep the peace in my house, and that I had actually become the instigator of anger in my own life. No longer was it others who were making me angry, it was my belief that anger was my only choice that kept my hatred growing. I believed the Devil's lie that I had to be angry to protect myself and my family. I don't remember the exact moment, but I eventually started to understand that God's will for me was not for me to wipe out those who were different from me, but rather to reach out to those in need and help those who a suffering.

I never saw that my sister needed love and acceptance. I never saw that my parents were also hardened to a degree by their upbringings and the situations that we all encountered at home. All I saw was a family in turmoil, and I blamed my sister for being the cause of it, and I also blamed myself--the peace maker--for not being able to stop it.

It took me years to finally get to the point where I felt that God had really gotten to me. I had to forgive a lo

Well, finally found time to get this on here.
I grew up in a Christian home, at church every Sunday, all that. I guess trouble began to show its evil face just about when I started high school. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't like a perfect child till then. Like any teen/pre-teen, I was trying to be cool and all during jr high. But high school is where the big stuff started.

Throughout high school I found myself hanging around some of the "bad crowd". Not because I wanted to fit in, but because I always found something interesting about them. Maybe I just didn't wanna be bored, i dunno. Well my 'friends' were into drugs (mainly weed) and alcohol. I didn't handle the drugs well. They just weren't for me and never will be. But my "go-to" was the booze and cigarettes. It wasn't too bad. A pack of smokes lasted me a week. Got a little drunk on the weekends and at parties and such. Nothing outragious (Except the couple times I was drove home drunk.)

Now this is interesting. I was also very involved in my church still. i was playing music just about every week. I tried living two lives, and was successful for a while. Then the drunk me started overpowering the real me. I would show up to play and worship, still hungover from the night before. I started forgetting about commitments I made and started letting people down. I was never in a good, alert state of mind; even though I tried to hide it.

After high school, I fell deeper into alcohol abuse, as well as the smokes. I was around 2 packs a day now. My 'best friend' at the time was easily called an alcoholic. He would get trashed whenever he could. I'd be with him when he bought the stuff and he'd buy me a couple packs of my beer (MGD). Couldn't say no to free beer. I was drinking so much that it got to the point that after drinking a 6 pack, I would barely have a little buzz. I could do a 12 pack no problem.

Now I was driving around drunk constantly, night after night. Never hit me how STUPID and dangerous it was. That is until one morning when I woke up in my bed feeling like garbage, and not having a clue where I parked my truck (apartment complex). All i remembered was that there was a long walk between parking and getting to the front door. Not good. Thankfully I have a good little brother (he knew I was always drinking, but never turned his back on me or ratted me out) who was kind enough to take his bike and "hunt" for my truck. I didn't even know he left; he just came in and said he found it. I parked in a business parking lot on the other side of the apartments. And, get this, that just happened to be right in front of the police station. Now I know GOD was watching out for me, and kept me from getting busted the night before.

But the point is this; if I couldn't even remember where I parked, how would I remember if I hit someone and possibly killed them??? That was the last time I ever drove drunk. I also cut back on the drinking. I wouldn't let myself get DRUNK anymore. Just right there in the comfort zone. Then I would pace myself to maintain that throughout the night. They all wanted me to play drinking games and junk, but I always relaxed on the couch casually drinking my beer; later seeing them take turns to go puke. I also decided to quit smoking. It was starting to make me feel crummy all the time. The only way I could do it is cold-turkey; pure determination. Amazingly, it was extremely easy to give it up (Thank you Lord). I hardly had any withdrawals.

My big break that GOD brought me to started probably about a year ago. Not sure exactly. My friend Jerad moved to Phoenix recently and invited me over to visit. I was on a trip to see family in Chicago and thought it would be a good idea to get dropped off in Phoenix on the way back. So I was there for about a week. I met some awesome and supportive people and experienced much needed true worship at the church service. There were also great opportunities for my education goals there as well.

After some months of returning home and living this crappy lifestyle, I decided I was going to move to scorching Phoenix. I basically abandoned the old crowd, and changed my phone number. Total fresh start. I got involved in music right away at the church and love it. It took me a little while, but then I realized what had just happened. GOD delivered me from that lifestyle that I was stuck in, and led me here where I have real friends and an overwhelming joy for life! I have great interest in where GOD is taking me with my life. Everyday is an adventure now. I love it.
Believe me when I tell you: Anything is possible through Christ!

Hey gang...well, most of you don't know who I am because I just started going to Parkway about 4 weeks ago. I guess I won't feel so bad if my story is long, since there are some that have posted a part 2! :D

Anyways, where do I even begin? My name is Chris and I am 26 years old. I was raised in a christian home, but around 15/16 or so I started to hang around the wrong crowd. I was in 10th grade and I was having a hard time dealing with my mom...in fact, I didn't even like her. I would wish that my parents were seprated and I would wish that if they were I would live with my dad. My mom and I sure did not see things eye to eye. When I was a junior I was really rebellious...however, my mom just kept on praying for me and never gave up. It was so bad that I was at the point of wanting to run away. Aquire the Fire came around and I wanted to go just to get away from my folks. I even told my mom that I wanted to go just so I didn't have to deal with her over the weekend. She said, well that's fine...you get to pay for it. I just rolled my eyes...and left the room. She did end up paying for it...but it wasn't until just recently that my mom told me her side of the story. She told me that God told her that she was to pay for me to go. She said no. Of course, He won, and my mom paid for me to go. I was so excited...I even had it planned that I was going to run away after I got home. I had it all worked out that I was going to go to a friends house and stay with her for a couple of days. I was into swearing and just crappy things (I never did drink or smoke though, which is good on my part of course!). Well, my mom paid for me to go, and ended up fasting for me the whole weekend (Friday to Saturday). I never knew about any of this until a couple of years ago.

While at Aquire the Fire, I was just glad to be there and not around my folks. I was there just to hang with friends and whatever. I got the additude and I even said out loud to myself, "If God is going to change me He can do it there!" I was mad at life in general, and I had no reason for that. Well, for some reason, Ron Luce got my attention and was talking about dead branches. I was actually listening to what he said. He was talking about what dead branches are, and that every tree needs to be pruned...some more than others. He then turned toward my section and looked up (we were in the nose bleeds section) and I promise you this...it felt like his eyes came out of his head and was staring me down. He said, "You have dead branches when you are talking bad about your parents, swearing, hanging with the wrong crowd..." He paused and then continued, "You are even thinking about running away from home. If this is you, I want you to come down here and let's prune your tree." I grew wings that night...I flew down there, sobbing so hard...That Sunday my mom noticed that something was different, but she didn't know how long it was going to last. After a couple of months, my mom pulled me aside and we talked about the change in me, and how she thought it wasn't going to last (she's seen be like that before, so I could understand). My life was changed that Feb. 14th, 1998. I lost a lot of friends, but in the end it was so worth it.

About a year and a half later I had a dry time, but I met Steve (my husband) and we started to talk. Before we knew it, we were helping each other out in our walk with Christ. Iron sharpens iron, right? 2 years of dating, we got engaged...and then another 1 1/2 years later...we were married. We have been married for 4 1/2 years now and loving every minute of it.

Now it brings me to where I'm at now...I grew up and lived my whole 26 years in Michigan. I have been praying for a teaching job since 2005! Finally God opened a door for me here in Phoenix, AZ. However, I had to leave my husband behind in order for him to sell our house and for me to be able to start teaching here right away. It was the quickest 3 weeks...since I was hired while visiting my brother in Seattle, WA. Leaving my home church and my husband was the hardest time I ever had to do. When I got here, I looked for a church to call home. I tried 2 others before I was able to find Parkway...now I can say...I am home! The 4 weeks of Steve's message has helped me to rely on Christ to get me through this very tough time...not to mention the friends that I have been able to make here at Parkway. God is good....and that's just the beginning of my story...I have so much more to talk about....from losing a best friend, a miscarriage, and others. But I don't want to take up to much more room! :)

Thank you for your friendship and for caring! Parkway truely is the best place to call home!

I've gone through so much throughout my life. I might only be eighteen years (and ten months) old, but I've gone through some pretty unforgettable circumstances that most people haven't and hopefully won't ever go through their entire lives. The sad part is, it all happened before I even turned fifteen years old. It all started when I was just about one year old. I lived in a rough part of California where my uncles were in gangs. One of my uncles who was fourteen at the time was messing around with a gun and somehow it went off, killing my mom. From that moment on nothing went the way I, not only wanted it to, but needed it to go. Later on, my dad met my step-mom and I basically turned into a younger version of Cinderella. This went on until I was about eight years old and my dad divorced my step-mom. My dad and I moved in with his parents and I was not happy. During this time I roamed the streets doing whatever whenever I wanted until I turned twelve. Being very unhappy I finally moved in with my grandma (my mom's mom) and that's where I took a turn for the worst. She was a Jehovah's witness trying to force her ways upon me and I rebelled big time. I'm not ready to fully discuss what happened at that time, just know that I was bad until I reached high school. At that time I started moving towards a better life. I met a lot of new people and left my old crowds behind. I got involved with band and theatre to replace my former habits and that is where I met an unbelieveably gorgeous man who without I would be no one, Brandon Charette. We started dating July 11th of 2006. A lot happened before the actual day, but that doesn't matter, all that matters is that we got through it and God helped us see each other through the eyes of LOVE. Brandon realized I was tramatized by religion, so he eased me into Parkway starting with Fallapalooza. I was a little scared at first and was honestly only going so I could be with Brandon. However, after a wonderful experience at Winterfest I grew to love God. It has been a little over a year since the first time I stepped foot into Parkway and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. God has helped me get through my past and deal with a lot of skeletons I had in my closet. So, to close this hopefully helpful story I want to say, thank you God for everything. The End :-)

Those of you who don't know me, I'm Nick's Mom. I don't even know where to start but I guess, as close to the beginning as I can. I went to church when I was young but it was on a bus that picked up kids in the neighborhood on Sunday mornings. My parents never went to church or even talked about it with me. I guess they deserve some credit for at least introducing me to it and putting me on that bus. My mom died when I was 9 and that's when my Dad started asking me why I was going to church, what I was getting out of it, etc. It felt like he was discouraging me from going because when I couldn't give him an answer to his question, he pretty much, in so many words, told me it was a waste of time. I stopped riding the bus on Sundays. Later, I started going to church with my best friend and her parents. As a young girl, it was a little scary to me as the church was very different than I was used to. I had been going to a Baptist church and then started going to a Pentecostal church. I was baptized there and went for quite awhile. I also attended a Catholic church a few times with another friend. I was very confused about the whole "church and God" thing and it really made me steer away from church, I had no desire to attend at all. Later, I ended up marrying my husband who had been brought up Catholic but wasn't very devoted to it. He stopped attending church except on special holidays, which then we would both go. I wasn't comfortable in that church whatsoever and he knew it. He was open to trying a different church and really wanted to find one, but I was very leery of it. My mother-in-law is a very devout Catholic and she was always preaching to us about not getting married in a church, not baptizing our babies, etc. and what was going to happen to them because we didn't. That turned me even more away from wanting to attend church, especially the Catholic church. We did some searching for churches when our kids were young as we felt as though it was our duty as parents to at least introduce it to them. We sent our boys to Awana Cubbies and attended that church for a little while but left. Once we moved to North Carolina, my husband met a guy at work who bugged him to try his church. After a few months, we decided to give it a try. It felt very comfortable right away and the people were awesome. It was a Church of the Brethren which we had never even heard of. Anyway, we continued to go there the whole time that we lived in NC which was 3 years. That was when we really got close to the Lord, my husband got baptized and so did Nick, it was a really good time in our lives. We moved back to Glendale and had heard that there was a Church of the Brethren here and decided to attend there. It was totally different. The people were very "clickie" there and we just didn't fit in, as long as we tried and as hard as we tried. We tried to get involved in every way that we could. We eventually quit going as it just wasn't changing. We didn't search for a new church, we just quit going and strayed away from God. Nick started attending Parkway with a friend without us. It was amazing to see him change and grow in his faith. I watched him grow closer and closer to God and become this amazing person because of it. Then he got his brother and sister to attend the youth services and they were all so involved. Their friends started going, their girlfriends were going, it was a beautiful thing. All three of my kids were developing this amazing relationship with God and becoming these amazing people because of Him. Brandon and Ashley both got baptized which was an awesome day. We would attend the youth services when they were involved i.e. singing, preaching, drama, etc. I started becoming envious of what they had. I knew that I could have it, I just didn't seek it. After a while, I started praying and talking to God everyday and developing a close relationship with him again. It's amazing how your heart changes when you let him in! Even though I am so blessed with a great family and great friends, there was a hole, an emptiness. Now my heart is whole and it's just amazing! As close as I felt to God in NC, it's still different now. I know that I never truly gave it all up to Him, it's hard to give up the control. But when you realize that He is the only one that has the power, we are so much better off. I realized that, even though I thought I was in control of my life, I wasn't and that He is so much more powerful and knowing than I could ever be.
We have started attending Parkway and it's been awesome. Going to church helps to remind us of what our focus should be and praise and worship him with fellow Christians. Believe me when I say, without God, we are nothing. When you truly give yourself to him, all things are possible and he will never turn away from us no matter what. He is such a forgiving and awesome God, that's the beauty of it all, e

Sup' everybody! my name is Mark. Well My whole life changed when i met my older bro chris. I thought "ok cool i got an older brother and me n him are gonna hang out" and stuff like that. We do hang out and stuff like that but i never thought that meeting him and his family would change my life this dramatically. Now before i met them i wasnt really into the whole religion thing. i just beleived in god and jesus. i didnt have a real relationship with him. But now i have faith within him. And i have chris and his family to thank for that. They helped me and my family get a real relationship with him. Now i have been currently attending Parkway Community for about a year now. I'm happier than ever now. So for that i say thank you to all.