Impact!
It was icing to a cake
"First off, the Lord found me in mid- January of 2007. I had been a major alcoholic on the streets, getting in trouble with the law, and not really giving a care where I ended up in this life. I didn't care whether I was able to lay my head on a cold slab of cement in jail or under some bridge, not even knowing how I got there half the time. I lost all hopes of ever becoming the person I am today.
One day, sometime I believe in December of '06, I had been living in a motor-home with a couple of friends in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I had quit drinking (temporarily) and was trying to make something of myself. A couple of guys came up to the door and knocked, and lo and behold, one of them was a guy I ended up sharing a bridge with. He and a friend from Edgewater Christian Fellowship tracked me down, (I was kind of a hard guy to find sometimes) and they came to visit with me. After talking to them for awhile, letting them know what I was up to at the time, they handed me a backpack filled with some everyday things, mainly the Holy Bible and an invitation to go to church.
I promised I'd go... but things ended going south again. I got back into drinking in a heavy way and I was back in the cycle I was in before.
After they gave me the backpack, those guys hunted me down every Wednesday and Sunday. Every time they found me, I was either highly intoxicated or just not willing to go to church.
It was January 14th. I had just got done drinking some beers with a couple buddies (one of them ended up going to church with me that day). I had promised Shawn (the guy I lived under a bridge with) that I would go to church the day before that Sunday. I was dreading so hard about going. Walking down 6th Street in Grants Pass (where I live) I was spotted by Shawn. He pulled over and picked me up. So yeah, with Shawn and JP's (the other guy who gave me the backpack) diligence, and the Lord putting it really heavy on Shawn's heart to go out of his way to find me, I ended up going to church that day.
I can't remember exactly the message the pastor said, or either any of the songs that we sang that day, but I do remember this. I felt the Lord come upon me. Not in a "WHOA! I CAN FEEL YOU!!!!" way, but in a way that is was almost like a nudge to my heart. Something had changed inside me. Something was taken away. That something was my sorrow and self-shame I had put upon myself. I was born again. I was a new man.
From that day forward... ever since... I have not touched a drop of alcohol. I have taken care of all of my legal troubles. I found a place to live. I started working again. I'm involved with a Homeless Ministry now, which the Lord has allowed me to have the privilege of being able to share the Word with people I've known from the streets. Most of all, I'm able to serve my Father through Jesus Christ... being able to love one another, myself, and Him.
Kutless was kind of involved with another peak in my life. I had just got done seeing their show with Stellar Kart and the Newsboys in Central Point at the Jackson County Expo on March 26th of '07. It was the best concert I had ever been to. I actually pretty much came just to see Kutless, but Stellar Kart and Newsboys were just as amazing.
The next day, I was at Applegate Christian Fellowship doing some worship and spending some personal time with the Lord. Near the end, Ben Courson was touched by the Lord. He had us close our eyes and asked all of some questions. The first one was,"Has anyone ever been baptized here?" Then he asked,"Who of you have not been baptized?" I raised my hand.
This gets kind of crazy... he ended up asking us if anyone wanted to be baptized. As for myself, I was confused. It was still fairly chilly outside (around 8:45 pm) and the water that they used for baptizing was freezing cold. I figured he was going to tell us about how Jesus died on the cross and his flesh and blood was sacrificed for us, hence being baptized in his blood. I didn't raiseWell, guess what. He was serious about actually going to do a baptism out in that water. I instantly got out of my seat and ran to the the front.
Before all of this, my friend Shawn pointed something out to me right before we were going to take communion. He pointed to the front and said "Look." It was Jeff Gilbert. I got instant goosebumps.
Back to the baptism. As I was going out to go get baptized, I yelled to Jeff and said "ROCKIN' CONCERT MAN!" and was like, "ROCK ON!!!" Totally awesome. It was icing to a cake. I got to say something to the drummer of one of my favorite bands, right before I got baptized. Well, the icing came before the cake.
So, seeing Jeff and Lucky there, I went off and got baptized. It was the best feeling in the world. Although the water of freezing and the air was cold as well, I came out of that water a different man once again. This time, I was publicly announcing my proclamation of Jesus Christ. I came out of that water feeling better than I had ever felt before. I felt 100% complete. I was now saying,"Lord, I want you, and only you."
I wrote this testimony to those that have had struggles, addictions, and anything of this world seem to bring us down to our lowest. God will find you at rock bottom. As for some of us, it goes lower than that. God has to actually lift that rock from atop of us and set us upon it. You will only find that through the Grace of our Father, allowing himself to die on a cross for us.
I thank Kutless for their music. Not only is it music I can relate to, but it also glorifies God. I thank Kutless for their faith. You guys definitely have brought some joy into my life. I thank you with all my heart, with the same heart that thanks Jesus for what he did for us all. God bless you and keep on rocking for Jesus. "
Steven Kelley - Grants Pass, OR