BARB'S STORY

He First Chose Me

I grew up in the Methodist church in Eugene, Oregon and went to church with mom and my sister. I didn't meet Jesus there, however. Dad had left shortly before I was born.

My teacher in 5th grade was a mighty black man (I mean African-American) by the name of Clyde De Berry. He could run any red light in Eugene and no cop would touch him. He was head of CORE, that's Coalition On Racial Equality, I think. I learned to debate but not many math skills. He gave us an assignment to report on the origin of man, and I chose the biblical account, instead of the more accepted encyclopedia version. Every Monday morning Mr. DeBerry would ask me if I'd gone to church, so I refused to go so I didn't have to tell him I did.

When I was a junior in high school, I heard a rock band visiting our school's auditorium singing about Jesus. The Lord touched my heart and I gave my life to Him. My boyfriend Ross, who I married some ten years later, thought I was crazy. I went home and told my mom. She was happy for me, but didn't really relate to my excitement. I conveniently placed Christ in my pocket for emergencies and went on my merry way.

After graduation I lived in various less than healthy situations and managed to contact Hepatitis B from slicing my foot on broken glass up the river. Before anyone knew for sure what was wrong with me, they removed my shrunken gall bladder and discovered my hepatic liver. They couldn't medicate me for post-operative pain, and I went a bit crazy at that point. With stays in the psychiatric unit and Salem State Hospital, doctors told my mother that I would never leave the hospital. Our precious Savior had other plans for me. One afternoon as I was contemplating
my own death and that of my mother, Jesus spoke my name and said, "You know better than all that, and I am here." That truly was the beginning of my healing road with Jesus. He rescued me numerous times after that, and brought Ross back into my life after he'd found the Lord.

But that decade from age 18 was wrought with flesh and disobedience with me not yet appreciating just what God did for me through His Son. Having had no earthly father, I was determined to find out all I could about the male of the species. Could they all be like Clyde DeBerry? Being a child of the 60's and 70's. "Love the One You're With" was my anthem. I was putty in the hands of Planned Parenthood with their "just a mass of tissue" lie, and subsequently had three abortions, one of which they labeled a 'period inducement' and told me that I didn't want to know the result of the pregnancy test. When after marrying Ross I miscarried at the same 5 weeks that I'd aborted before, I just knew that was the end of babies for me. We now have four children. That's the kind of redeeming God we have.

I received phenomenal healing through working and counseling at the crisis pregnancy center when I was first married. Then one day some years later, God showed me my four babies on Jesus' lap. He loves us so much.

"Steel sharpens steel" surely describes our marriage. I'm grateful that Ross and I were baptized together when we were first married. God has been profoundly faithful in every way, but especially how He, or the Holy Spirit, has spoken to my heart just when I needed to hear Him. Fibromyalgia is a challenge, but causes me to be more dependant on the Lord. Probably had its beginnings when I knocked my front teeth out on a parked car from a sled when I was seven.

I cling to His Living Word, and remind myself that He said, "Fear Not," "My Grace is Sufficient", "Stay the Course" and "Wait upon Me". He's saved me from physical and spiritual death, and I will praise Him all the days of my life.