Testimony
My name is Stephen R. Crawford Jr. I am 41 years old, married with 7 children. I grew up in New Jersey with my Mom and stepdad. From the age of 5 to about 18 I had been made to go to a Seventh Day Adventist church. When I became a teenager, I began to rebel against my parents. I decided to go into the U.S. Navy Seabees after graduating High School. I believed in God but I was lost. Looking back over my life, I thank the Lord for His protection through my childhood and during my military time.
After getting married my wife and I started attending a Southern Baptist church, where I made a profession of faith, and was baptized. The pastor told me to pray and repeat after him to be saved. Of course nothing changed in my life, I was still unsaved. I was miserable and had no peace in my life. I thought because I was serving the Lord and trying to change I was ok. It wasn't until October 29,1997 while living in Yorktown,VA. I trusted Christ as my Saviour. The week prior to trusting Him, I was convicted and miserable. I knew I needed to repent and trust Him. But my pride got in the way. I was embarassed of what people would think. I told the Lord I would go home and get saved that night. But from that night until the next Sunday morning God truly worked on me. I couldn't sleep, I had no peace, and I felt God didn't hear me. The following Sunday morning came, we started to sing "Saved, By The Blood" and I couldn't sing it, because I knew I wasn't saved. Bro. Coffey preached again on the Prodigal Son that morning, but with different points this time. All I knew was that the Lord wanted me to get saved and I went forward and told my pastor,"I'm living a lie, I need to get saved." And I knelt and told God I was sorry for living a lie and sinning against Him, and I trusted Christ that morning.
It'll be 15 years this October since I've been Born Again. I have had the blessing of serving Him in nursing home ministries, jail ministries, radio ministries, Sunday Schools, door to door, tract distribution and preaching. I have failed the Lord at times in my life, but I am thankful for His longsuffering and grace upon my life all these years. He has been so faithful. He has blessed me with the oppurtunity to pastor a church in Washington, Pa. As of December 2nd Keystone Baptist Church will be my new place of service. Praise the Lord!!
In Christ,
Bro.Steve Crawford
Hebrews 12:2
