Joe's Testimonies

You've probably heard many moving testimonies if your a Christian. If your not, than get ready to hear about God's amazing grace. Growing up I always found great enjoyment in seeing a rainbow. It wasn't often that I did, so for it to happen was a rare occurence. If I had known that a rainbow was G-d's way of reminding us of His grace to the earth and all who live on it, I think I would have been much more moved every time I saw one.

In 1974 I was burned in a fire, 3rd degree burns on both of my legs. I almost died, and for the next seven weeks I went through a living hell experience in the hospital recovering. For anyone this experience be it at age 5 or 50 would have a hard time coping, and adjusting. It was at this time in the hospital that I first had an encounter with G-d. I remember clearly a man coming over to my bed, he was dressed in white and his words to me were, "You are going to be ok!" Sure this was probably a doctor, but when I awoke three days later, (was put in a comatose state by doctors) I remember telling my Mom, "Jesus came to me and said I was going to be ok!." Was it Yeshua (Jesus)? or was it just my imagination?

At this time I had already met Frank Del Santo. Our mothers bowled together and we spent one or two days a week in the nursery together while they were bowling, do I remember our times playing together? No. But what I do remember is that we always were able to go over to the bar and have a glass of Chocolate milk and some saltine crackers... Those were the days, good fun with a good friend.

It was about two years later and struggling with and coping with the side effects of the burns, (mostly due to the cruelty of children in school) I told my mom I wished my legs were healed. She would pray with me every night, and even took me to a church where they were claiming people were being healed. (I will leave the name of the Church out for I do not want to slander them) I was 8 at the time and I remember going to a service there. I started to feel very uncomfortable, so much I told my mom I wanted to leave, because I thought what was going on was not real. (interesting discernment for an eight year old) That night I will never forget, my mom kneeled in the hall with me to pray, and she said something to this effect. "Lord, You have healed Joey already, you gave him his legs." That was comforting and I never forgot that, and was always thankful that G-d had given the wisdom to the doctors who treated me.

Later that year my mom was writing music. Being my moms little sidekick like I was, I told her that I wanted to write a song as well. She said, "you write the words, I will write the music." This is what I came up with.

"Jesus I believe in You,
and I know Your love is true.
He is my savior
and He wants to be yours too.

If Jesus is your savior
He'll always be in You
So just believe in Jesus
He came to take your sins from you."

I went through the next five years, attending Church with my dad, going to sunday school and growing up. It was when I entered High School and was talking about Jesus that I started to get my first real persecution. I remember I was nick named "Father Joe" because I would talk about Jesus. It started to wear on me, and honestly I didn't like the badge of honor and saw it more as a badge of shame. At this time in my life I started to walk away from all I had come to know and love. Within a little over two years I was done with Christianity, started questioning it, and just simply rebeling against G-d.

What became prominent in my life at that time was Music. I joined a band, and thought that I would one day be a famous Rock -n- Roll star. This dream lasted a little over 8 years and in that time I found myself inovled in the occult, drugs, alchol and sexual immorality. It was truly that one thing led to another and as each thing came into my life G-d was pushed out more and more. Deep down I believe I always had a fear of G-d and when I say fear I mean "reverance or respect" but I was being very disrespectful.

Deeply into Astrology, reading Tarot Cards, reading minds (E.S.P.) I found myself having experiences I couldn't explain. Weird dreams, night mares they would occur often. I remember a common theme was in my dreams that, "I was on the wrong path, I kept choosing the wrong path".

In 1991, I started a new heavy metal band. The guitar player was a very dark individual. I had never met anyone with as dark a spirit. (but he could play the hell out of his guitar) so I agreed to work with him. It was during this time that a man named John Baluvelt spoke to me about a relationship with G-d through Yeshua (Jesus). He said things to me like, "this band your in is not giving honor and glory to G-d" and, "its the devils music" of course I laughed those comments off, but one thing that always stood out to me was that John who was now in remission from cancer had a real relationship with this Yeshua, he spoke about Him like he was his friend down the street and this intrigued me.

For the next few years, I continued to try to make the rock star life a reality, but quickly I realized that it wasn't for me. In 1992 I erolled in SUNY Old Westbury American Music Dance and Theater program. At this time I met a man named Makanda "Ken" McIntyre. Most of us recogonize that when something special is about to happen in our lives, we never can see that from the inception, but looking back we are able to put the pieces together.

Ken was a unique man, he was a person who trully cared for others and wanted to challenge people at the level they were at, always expecting the person to strive for excellence. Ken and I didn't start off the best of friends, and through the first year of getting to know him, I truly thought he was a racist who couldn't stand white people or Asian people. Clearly I was wrong and over the next four years I came to love Makanda like a father. It was through this time in my life, through education, through growth, through relationships that I grew even further away from the simple truths of G-d and what I had come to believe as a child. To balance education and faith sometimes is a hard task.

Upon graduation of College, I ended up starting a small computer business that quickly became successful. In this time I started to worship money. Money was something I never had much of, and this job was affording me a lifestyle I could only have dreamed of. I was living it up, getting further and further away from a holy lifestyle and starting to worship things not the creator.

I can say this all now because I have come to recogonize G-d in my life in such a profound way, I can see how easily it is to get sidetracked.

Things were moving along, and although I wasn't a rock start, I certainly was trying to live like one. New cars, Motorcycles, partying with friends, out at the club nightly, and at the end of the night, it was always leaving me empty. The people I met, the relationships I formed, empty. Honestly what was it all about? I had no sense of community, I had lost touch with my moral standards, and I was doing things I never thought I would do.

One day in the summer of 1999 I was out on the bicycle getting exercise. I was driving in my old neighborhood and I saw a child hood friend mowing his lawn. I didn't think it was him at first because the last time I saw him he was almost 300lbs and this gentleman looked to be about 180. As he turned towards me I realized it was him and said, "Hey bro whats up?" The conversation went like this:

Joey, I wanted to tell you I quit smoking pot.
I replied, "That's great, I am glad to hear that"
He said, "Well I want to tell you how I quit!"
I said, "sure"
He said, "I found Jesus and He's changed my life"
(Again I was getting the feeling much like with Mr. Baluvelt that "Jesus" was his intimate friend.)
I said, "I'm happy for you man and I am really glad you gave up the pot"
He than said, "I heard your getting married?"
I replied "Yep"
He said, "I heard she is a muslim"
I replied "Yep"
He said, "Aren't you a Christian?"
I replied "Yep"
He said, "Then how can you marry a muslim?"
I immediately got fired up and said, "You see that's what's wrong with all you Christians, your a bunch of racist! and I ranted on for another few minutes" (He remained silent)
Than as I was getting ready to leave he said something to me I will never forget, and I know and will testify that it was G-d who spoke through him. (You see at this point in my life I was in an adultorous relationship no one knew about it and I was very certain no one would ever, there was no way he could know this)
He said, "I have to tell you something before you leave, I don't know why but I have to tell you"
I said, "What!"
He said, "When the end of the world comes (I said to myself oh boy, another Jesus freak talking about the end of the world) G-d is going to send a horesman (Avenger) for the adulterer. He hates the adulterer."
(I felt like a knife pierced my heart) and replied, "Why would you say that to me?"
He said "I don't know, I just had to tell you that"
I said, "I have to go" (so I got on my bicycle rode down the block, called up the lady that I was seeing for over a year and a half) and said, "I have to tell you that this is over, I am a Christian and I am not going to hell"
She replied, "Your'e crazy!"
I hung up the phone.

In August of 2001, I got a call from my client, who told me in little less than five minutes, "The money train was coming to an end". I tried to fight back but to no avail I was losing control. The very business I started was lost because of my greed and now I was in trouble. Debt was mounting, law suits about to ensue, and I just had no idea on how to handle it. So I did what most people would do, folded up shop and ran from my problems. At the time it seemed like the best thing to do, but I knew that I was in trouble, creditors were about to start knocking on my doors, or actually banging on them.

It was at this time that a childhood friend told me about my friend and how he gave his life to Christ. This was the same gentleman who gave me a warning two years earlier. My friend started making fun of him, saying, "He writes songs for Jesus, you should hear them, their kind of funny" and for a minute I started also making fun of him, but I also started to feel bad, so I said, Tell him that I would like to help him record those songs about Jesus, my friend said suprised, "Seriously!" I said, "Yes"

to be continued...

I also would like to hear your testimony, if you would like to share it with others who come to this site, post it on the message board, if not email it to me, I would love to hear it.