I attended several churches of various denominations with my parents as a child. It was largely some of those first church experiences and the unchristian behavior of people claiming to be people of God that caused me to avoid church and organized religion for more than 20 years. Many were often religiously rigid, judgmental and unforgiving people. I observed men serving as deacons and women who were active in children’s Sunday school, neglect and abuse their own children. I witnessed revered men such as pastors and deacons undermine and dishonor their positions of trust by having inappropriate relationships with members of their churches or community and exhibiting numerous other forms of un-Christ-like behavior. I saw youth and classmates affiliated with prominent community churches or groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and others, cuss, drink, use drugs and be as sexually promiscuous as people having no claims of religious affiliations or a relationship with Jesus.

After many years of observing the actions and deeds of fellow church members, including church leaders, and how they treated my family and others, I came to believe at a very young age that all denominations and most of their members were generally self-righteous hypocrites. I believed at that time that it was better for me to be a hardworking, honorable and a reasonably moral person living in the world, than to be part of an organized religious hypocrisy similar to those I experienced growing up. At age 15 I stopped attending church all together. The sin nature, actions and shortcomings of those claiming to be Christian or people of God, had left me apathetic and disillusioned about church and religion.

It took me a very long time to realize that men always fail and that believing in or clinging to the teachings of a particular denomination or person, who at best mimic some Christ-like characteristics now and then, is drastically different than grabbing hold of Jesus himself. Even though many of us have at one time or another used the actions of a pastor or church members as a broad-brush excuse to avoid church and God in general, I no longer believe it is fair to hold God accountable for the sinful actions of men or women, even those claiming they come in the name of the Lord.

Not all of my early religious experiences were bad. There is an eclectic smattering of events that influenced my childhood and people who were faithful to plant and water gospel seeds in my life. Many of these people and events were for the most part, so quiet and subtle that no one but me would really even know they made a difference in my life. Most were insignificant people in the eyes of the world who faithfully lived and demonstrated their beliefs through, often very small, but consistent acts and deeds of faith, kindness and love. These were small rudders that helped steer and guide me, largely by example, around many of the perils and pitfalls of life.

From my earliest childhood memory, I cannot recall a time when I did not believe in Jesus, but it took many years for me to make Jesus a priority and Lord of my life. There were numerous occasions throughout my youth when a pastor or Sunday school teacher touched me with the salvation message, but for whatever reason, I simply could not open my mouth or pry my feet from the floor to respond. I believed in Jesus, knew that I needed Christ in my life and wanted to ask Him to be my Savior, but I just couldn’t muster up the courage or resolve to go forward, publicly profess my faith and be baptized. I did not formally ask Christ into my life or make a public confession of faith until I was 35 years old.

Prior to asking Christ into my life, God began working on my heart and calling me to himself. I hadn’t set foot in a church for worship in 20 years but God and God things began to increasingly occupy my thoughts. I didn’t know then that my wife and other faithful Christians had begun praying for me and my salvation. Without anyone ever pressuring me or even talking to me about Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s faithfulness to answer the prayers of his people, I was eventually compelled to make Jesus my Lord and Savior. In March of 1991 I called Steve Pringle, a pastor at FBC that I had never met or spoken to, and asked him if he would come by and talk with me about being saved. A week or so latter in April of 1991 I made a public profession of faith and was baptized.

My conversion experience was a good and positive turning point in my life, but it was not some grandiose bigger-than-life event that instantaneously turned my world upside down or inside out overnight. It was not some euphoric feeling or unreal religious storybook experience either. While I firmly believe that Jesus can and does make radical changes in peoples lives, my conversion experience was not. I’ve witnessed a number of people in the past, especially newborn Christians, attempt to "feel" something they don’t really feel or "live" a superficial, fictional Christian life style beyond what their actual faith or spiritual maturity could sustain.

I cannot really explain it, but I am as certain of my salvation as I am of my own existence and have never really needed or relied on superficial feelings to affirm or reassure me that my salvation is secure. I wrote a song in February 1994 titled "I Knew I Knew", which talks about some of the ways God has worked in my life and when it comes to my salvation, I just know that I know. I regularly contemplate my lowly spiritual state and wonder why a being like God would bother or stoop or pause, even for a moment, to show mercy to someone like me, but I never doubt for even a moment that He has done so.

I wanted to share this part of my conversion experience so that others like me will know that God may just choose to work quietly and steadily in your life as He has in mine and does in the lives of many others. If you’ve never experienced the ocean parting before you, walked through a fiery furnace, spent a night in a lion’s den, or spoken in tongues, it’s OK. It doesn’t mean that you are any less saved or less important to God than people who have (or claim to have) such gifts or experiences.

Like many Christians, I enjoyed a one or two year honeymoon period where I gorged myself on scripture and "church." My faith was young, tender, innocent, optimistic and untested. I didn’t know then just how good God is or how often He draws people to himself in the midst of, or just prior to, times of adversity and tribulation. I was also naive about how much God will or may ask of his people.

The lyrics of a song by Amy Grant say: "We believe in God, and we all need Jesus, cause life is hard, and it might not get easier…" The truth is that life is quite often hard and being a Christian does not mean or guarantee that our lives will be easy or free of trials. In fact, being a Christian virtually guarantees that the fallen world we live in will hate and rise up against us just as it did Christ.

Shortly after becoming a Christian in 1991, I made a conscious effort to begin working with the youth at First Baptist Church. The church had a part time youth minister at that time and a total of maybe 10 to 15 high school and junior high youth. Youth did not seem to be a serious ministry priority for the church back then. As God began to work and the youth group grew, it became a more deliberate and vibrant part of the overall church ministry, eventually becoming something that both youth and adults wanted and enjoyed being a part of. The youth program has been a significant part of our church's growth and through their student’s involvement, many adults have also come to know Christ.

I’ve always had a soft place in my heart for the plight and spiritual condition of youth, and enjoy their honesty, energy, innocence and company more than many adults who have quite often been hardened and embittered by circumstances and life experiences. Next to my own family, memories of the youth I’ve been blessed to work with over the past 12 years are among my most cherished. Since 1991 I’ve been inspired to write approximately 50 Christian songs and had the privilege of serving through youth, church and other kingdom works. God has permitted me to witness to and helped many adults during my tenure as a Christian, but there is something even more special about showing Christ’s love to a child or youth. It has always been my prayer and goal to somehow intervene, change or make a real difference in the lives of at least some of the youth God blesses me to serve, before they are scarred by bad choices or the seeds of poor life decisions can take root and bear fruit. Knowing you are planting and watering seeds in the life of a young person while their spiritual soil is still tender and fertile, and the seeds have the best chance of growing and bearing beneficial lifelong fruit, brings with it a joy and sense of accomplishment like few other acts of Christian service.

With every passing day I care less about the world and long to be with Jesus more. I have struggled with severe depression, selfishness, hatred and numerous other shortcomings during my short and mediocre life. Like the Jews and Christians of old, I have often been stiff necked, prideful, rebellious, sluggish, resistant and outright disobedient in seeking, listening or doing the things that I know or believe God wants me to do. I have seen and experienced the power of prayer, but continually have to relearn or be reminded to talk with God and seek His involvement in all, not just some parts of my life. Time and time again God has shown me the importance and urgency of His message, but time and time again I have lost the resolve, passion and conviction necessary to make God things the most important things in my life; not doing bad, but far too often not doing what God wants and what is best.

Like Elijah (1 Kings Chapter 18), I have experienced great moments of power, conviction and faith leading to spiritual victories, only to find myself cowering in fear and doubt a short time later. I love talking with people about Christ but like many Christians, I am not nearly as bold or passionate about seeking out or seizing opportunities to share my faith like I should. I must continually thank Jesus for his endless grace and patience in the face of my persistent disobedience and failures.

When my life on earth is over, I hope and pray that it will be said of me in heaven, that God was not disappointed, but pleased that He breathed life into the few pounds of dirt known as Jim Dent and that God’s kingdom, was furthered in some way by Him choosing to do so. Until then, I will long for the time when I hear God say, "Welcome home, thy good and faithful servant" and my spirit will finally be at peace.

I pray that this testimony finds each person who reads it well and that it is in some way beneficial to your journey, ultimately edifying and strengthening the body of Christ to His glory.

A Christian Brother & Servant of God,

Jim Dent