Ashley thought God didn't care and Josh thought God abandoned him.

03.01.16 | Stories of Life Change

    JOSH'S STORY

    I was very selfish, very about me. It came down to where I thought I was on my own doing everything. I was used to taking care of myself, by myself. I believed that God had abandoned me a long time ago and that He couldn’t care less about what I did or how I did it.

    LIKE A SWITCH WAS FLIPPED

    After Ashley fell in love with the positivity and warmth of the ladies at Village, we gave a Sunday service a try, and have attended regularly ever since. We were going to church quite a bit, but I was going more for Ashley. Then I found myself paying more and more attention to the words of the sermons and I found out that even though my past was my past, that Jesus died for all of our sins. I finally realized that having faith in Jesus didn't mean I was perfect or sinless. It was like a light switch was flipped on inside of my head.

    A LOT OF SUPPORT

    I really appreciate that the pastoral staff doesn’t sugar coat things. The sermons are encouraging while also keeping me accountable. Small Group has also been an encouragement to me and has offered a lot of support. They especially encouraged me when I was ready to give up going because bringing two small kids sometimes felt like a hassle.

    One special memory I have at Village happened when I was recently being baptized. It was a special moment, and I when walked out on stage, it was meaningful to hear my son call out “Daddy” from the pews.


    ASHLEY'S STORY

    I was a very negative person. I couldn’t see the bright side of things. When anything would go wrong, it was easy for me to blame God and believe that He didn’t care. But when things would go “right”, I still didn’t feel satisfied and I always wanted more. I was a very covetous person, and I tried to fill myself up with possessions in order to be happy.

    EVERYTHING I WAS RAISED NOT TO DO

    I grew up in a church-going family, and I always was taught about who Jesus is and what He did for me. I accepted Him in high school but I fell away when I went away to college. At 25, I found myself pregnant, newly married to an unbeliever, and scared. I had done everything I was raised not to do. When I felt least loveable, I was reminded of His grace and forgiveness. It was at that time that I rededicated my life to Him.

    POSITIVITY AND WARMTH

    I started to attend the MOPS outreach when our son was 4 months old. I fell in love with the positivity and warmth of the ladies, so we decided to give a Sunday Service a try. Since then, we’ve been regularly attending the services at the Sugar Grove Campus.

    I love the Bible-based teaching. It’s practical and truth-based. I feel like my relationship with Christ has grown stronger because of the things I’m learning and my understanding of His Word has definitely deepened. I get so excited to come to church and small group. I crave to learn more and more. I also love the genuine sense of community. People are there to help you through your sorrows, as well as to celebrate your triumphs.

    A HUGE ENCOURAGEMENT TO ME

    There have been a few ladies that God has used to impact my life. Kristina Walters was my table leader at MOPS last year, and she was the one who really encouraged us to attend Village for church. She has such a great attitude and is just filled with positivity. She always has a smile on her face and is excited to see us each Sunday. Heidi Inman and Kortnie Tesdall have shown me that it’s okay to not always be perfect and that just because we are followers of Christ doesn’t mean we have it all together all the time. I love their realness and authenticity. All of these women have been a huge encouragement to me, both in my walk with Christ and as a mom.

    I have a string of meaningful memories at Village. My husband coming to know the Lord and then making the decision to publicly acknowledge his faith through his baptism was such an emotional experience for me. It was an awesome answer to one of my biggest, most fervent prayers. It was truly amazing to see God move the way He did.