"Nicodemus"

Henry O. Tanner (1859-1937)

Bible (John 3:1-21)

 MY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

I grew up in a Christian home and had the greatest of parents, who took me to church every Sunday.  While in my teen years, we started to attend a new church.  In this church we were confronted with the Bible more directly, where the preaching and teaching were clear and relevant.  As a young man,  I believed the Bible was true, but I had things to do and would get serious with God later.  So I went my own way for several years.

As I began college, I started to encounter some real struggles in life and at the age of 20, I turned to the Bible, to read it with sincerity.  It was then that God removed the blinders from my eyes and for the first time in my life God became real to me. As I read the Bible, it became very personal to me.  It was like He was speaking directly to me.  I began to be involved in church.  Instead of being a church attendee, I became a participant, wanting to learn more and more about God.   I could then relate to Jesus' teaching to Nicodemus in the New Testament book of John chapter 3 about being “Born Again.”  God began to change me from the inside out, having a new heart, wanting to know God more instead of resisting Him.

After finishing college, I began a career as an airline pilot and married the most amazing young lady, Esther. We have 5 children.  At 38 years old I began painting again after leaving it at the age of 17. 

And the story continues, our children are grown now, and they are all active participants in church by their own choice. I continue to learn all that God shows me about being a better man, husband, father, pilot, and artist.

All of these blessings are not from my own  talent or intellect, but these blessings and countless more are from God’s Amazing Grace!

Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15