Testimony of njakamarilyn (Norma Jean)

I grew up in a family who was not religious at all.  My Father was raised "Methodist" and my Mother was "Armenian".  Neither attended church when I was growing up except for weddings and funerals.  Once in awhile if we visited my Mom's parents we would go to church with my Grandma to the Armenian Church.  Our household was pretty normal.  My Father quit drinking when I was 7 cold turkey.  Otherwise our home appeared to be "normal". The only church I remember about is when I would go to my grandparent's (Mother's side) and attend the Armenian Church.  My Grandmother was a "pillar" of that church.  She oversaw the Sunday School.  I remember going to a Presbyterian church up until 6th grade.  I would either walk with my younger brother or my mom would pick and drop us off.  They may have attended our "youth programs".  I remember asking Jesus' into my heart at a young age and I was christened in the Armenian church but I did not have a clear understanding.  Once I started junior high school I did not go to church on a regular basis at all nor all through high school.  When Christmas came I reflected on Jesus' birth and Easter His death and resurrection.  I read my Bible on occasion but there always seem to be something missing.  In our family I was always labeled "the Nun" (Miss Goody Two-shoes", my one brother "Homo " (he came out as being Gay - moved out in his teens - 1970) and my youngest brother "Convict" (because he was always in trouble.  So our family wasn't as normal as I thought and a lot of things were "hidden" or just not talked about.  In my senior year, a neighborhood girlfriend became a "Jesus Freak".  In my days that's what they were called who had their little circles of Bible studies on campus and their prayer meetings.  When I was twenty, she invited me to church with her.  Each week I kept giving her excuses until she finally said to me - "Do you think they are going to laugh at you when you walk in the doors?".  I finally went with her and then went to a few "college age" activities.  I always thought I was a good person and I had moral standards but I was missing something in my life. May 5, 1974 I accepted Christ as my personal Savior.  I had a much clearer understanding and became a "Jesus Freak" (born again).  I became very active in a small church in Tarzana working alongside the youth pastor.  I loved being a counselor at camp and a leader.  I also sang in the church choir.  My family thought I was going through a phase and sort of distanced themselves from me.  I moved out with a girlfriend from church at age 22 - this only lasted for 1 year and half and I moved back home.  We would have the youth Bible studies in our home.  After I left the small church, I started attending Grace Community Church (John McArthur is the Pastor) around 1980 which was a large church. I had drifted away a little because I wanted to be married but the small church just did not have enough young men my age.  I was starting to play softball and getting involved with  the "party types" even though that was not my nature.  I just wanted to be accepted.  I remember at age 27 I was sitting across the table from another believer at a Pizza restaurant after a softball game.  I was drinking a beer and I just realized what kind of testimony am I giving?  The next day I asked him to meet me in the chapel at the hospital where I worked.  I confessed to him what my thoughts were and he answered how can I condemn you when I have my own sins.  This was another time my spirit was renewed. As I became involved at Grace Community Church with the Career Department - I became more and more grounded in the Word. I became involved with the high school department and participated for 5 years along with a youth group on Sunday evenings.  In 1986, an acquaintance Andy, came back into my life after a 2 year absence (a story in itself).  One day I just looked at him and knew he was the man I would marry and give myself to.  The only thing was he was not a believer.  I did not hide my Christianity from him and I share many things.  Unbeknown to me, in the quietness of his bedroom, he had got on his knees and asked Christ into his heart.  Andy was 40 years old.  He did not tell me this until a week later, when he had asked to go to church with me.  Well, the rest was history.  I was 32 and he was 40 when we married on November 1, 1986.  We attended Grace Community Church for a short period after that but the travelling was a distant and we wanted to attend a local church in our community.  I became pregnant right away (they say it only takes one time and I was pretty fertile!).  Unfortunately I miscarried  on 1-5-87, suffered another miscarry on 5-8-87.  This really devastated Andy the first time and the 2nd really affected me.  The Lord then blessed us with our son on 6-4-88.  I was in bed both my first and second trimester.  We kept searching for a home church.  We found one - Church at Rocky Peak - where I became very involved in women's ministries.  In August 1993 I lost my Father to Cancer.  The greatest joy after all the years of trying to witness to my family - my Father assured me two days before he died he would see Jesus before me.  In 1994, we had one of our "deepest valleys" and I could not understand.  We had started going to a smaller church - Simi Community. Once again I got involved in women's ministries and singing in the choir.  We went through a church split - the politics were pretty nasty.  Our personal lives had taken a turn which caused much embarrasment.  An interesting time for us - those who were not believer's were more supportive then those who were.  We found the Christian community being very judgmental more than supportive.  We have been through a lot but God has kept our family intake.  Once we moved from Simi Valley to Moorpark we finally found a church in Moorpark but then there were "politics"once again with a potential church split.  In 2005 I found myself taking Christ off the throne of my heart.  It was not until I started logging in on Calorie Count Plus and some other circumstances that truly brought me back to my knees.  My spirit has been renewed! Realizing that it is only Through Christ I Can Do All Things.  Norma Jean

Hey Norma Jean,  isn't that wonderful  how the Lord called to both of you at the same time! We were "Jesus Freaks" when it wasn't cool - and  I'm so glad God is still in the business of making new little "Jesus Freaks!"

Thank so much for sharing your story with us!  It is inspiring to hear how God works with all of us in so many different ways.....we all tend to start to stray off the beaten path from time to time, but, if we allow Him, He will gently guide us back.  Jesus is the only 'athelete' that has run this race perfectly, and that's why He is our example to follow.  It's comforting to me to know not only that He finished the journey perfectly, but that He is also cheering us on toward the finish line...He knows we are not perfect...but He continues to be with us, loving us for what we are...and yearning for us to be in His presence, His fellowship... Keep on keeping on!

(hugs)

Original Post by njakamarilyn:

Our personal lives had taken a turn which caused much embarrasment.  An interesting time for us - those who were not believer's were more supportive then those who were.  We found the Christian community being very judgmental more than supportive. 

Thank you for sharing.  I am so thankful that Christ is faithful and just.  Only HE has the right to judge us.  For it is HIS blood that was shed and washed us.

Your situation with the said "believers" reminded me of the story where the mob was going to stone the woman.  Nobody really knows what HE wrote in the dirt.  Maybe HE was listing the sins of the mob.  Maybe he was writing down what he wanted for lunch.  Who knows... 

But one thing is for certain, when HE said "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more", no one was there except for the woman and Jesus (John 8:11).  Sometimes we may feel alone during the worldly judgements, but Christ is always there with us during the trials.

\o/  Denna   

I am so happy to have been invited to this forum. I too was a "Jesus Freak" We were just coming out of the Hippy movement and I was 15. I did a bible study with David Wilkerson and read Purple Violet Squish....a very cool bible translation for us Jesus Freaks.

I wrote a poem when I was six years old called God's Way

"God's Way is the way to stay

Always going the right way

If you should go off the track

God's always there to bring you back"

Little did I know then how true those words would ring in my later years.

Hey. Wow, that's a great testimony. I'm sorry that you have had so much trouble with church recently. Our pastor made it a goal from the very first of the ministry to not have a church split, and we are going on strong twenty-two years now. I hope you can find a good church family. If you can't, our church in Durant, OK has live internet feed on dsheriff.org. You may be completely uninterested, but I know how hard it is to find a good church and while you're looking, you need something. :) Good luck!