I am excited to announce that over time, I have invited some guests to post on this page. These are people that have influenced me over the years. Would you please welcome to the page Fire Chief David Burnette of Broadway FIre Department. David has been in the fire service for 27 years with 15 of those as Chief of Broadway FD of Anderson County. Take a moment and read David’s story in his own words.
I am a Christian. Have I always been? Well, I am, but at times, I’ve had my doubts. This is why. I was saved and baptized at a very early age. I’ll never forget that feeling I had sitting in my big sister’s bedroom, asking Jesus to come into my heart. Even that early in life I felt as if a burden had been removed from me. Little did I know what that burden was until later in life. You know, the burden of life itself.
Jesus has always been with me, even during the times that I wasn’t with him. I grew up in a good ol’ Baptist Mill Hill Church. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I’ve met some amazing people through this church. Then, I grew up. Life kicked in. For a while I tried to keep up and attend church, but I just wasn’t winning the battle with myself. I had a job that had me working a lot of weekends and I begin to feel that the Sundays that I didn’t have to work were my days to rest. Even when I did make it to church, I wasn’t there for the right reason. This went on for a couple of years. Then one day, God woke me up.
The job that was providing such a wonderful life was gone! I was devastated and couldn’t imagine what to do. I did what I was taught in my youth. I turned to God for guidance. Again, I was going through the motions, because this is what I was taught to do. Then, I was awakened again. Divorce hit me out of the blue. This time, I listened. I found a great church that was different from what I was used to. It was a little out of my Mill Hill church background. There’s nothing wrong with that church and it is still full of some awesome people. I just needed something to grab my attention. And boy did it ever. It was a culture shock.
The music, the attire, the time, and several other little things. I was used to dressing up, getting to Sunday school at 10 and preaching at 11, ending at 12 on the dot. We sang hymns from a book. Not now. Up tempo modern music, starting at 10 and ending somewhere between 11:00 and 12 (most of the time). I love it. Since that time God has shown me many things and has even given me back some things that were missing in my life. I’ve gone back to school and earned another Associates degree in hopes of finding another good job to help make life a little smoother. Also, I still can’t believe it, he sent this awesome woman to come into my life.
God is good. Relationships are better when God is in the middle of it. I see now that some things in my past, two of which are mentioned above, just didn’t have God in the middle of them. Heck, He wasn’t even invited. I thank Him for humbling me and showing me that. I had to be broken to be fixed. Now, I’m not the perfect Christian and I know it, but I’m trying. I’m not the best Christian, but is there a such of a thing? Was the late great Billy Graham a better Christian than I am? No, not in God’s eyes. He was better at it, but we’re both convinced in the FACT
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and died on the cross to forgive us for all our sins. That is what counts. If you are going through some things and have hit the wall like I did, take a look around. It might just be God trying to wake you up.
I’ve been in the position to save a life many times, sometimes I did and sometimes it just wasn’t meant to be. However, that wasn’t really saving anything. I was just preventing someone from going home because God wasn’t finished with them yet. If you feel yourself needing to be saved from your current life, give me a call. I can’t save you, but I know a guy that can. His name is Jesus. He can put you in touch with his Dad and save your eternal life!!! Please don’t wait to
long. Time is running out. God is sending His Son back soon to get the rest of His children and bring them home. You don’t want to miss out on that!! Every day is closer to that day!! I’m looking forward to it, and I hope to see you there.
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Thank you David for sharing your story with us. You truly live what you say! We all look forward to more content from you!
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