(Though written five years ago, my testimony has not changed. Since then, my family and I have seen the Lord perform many more miracles: our faith has grown even stronger. -K. Allen '08)

I have known the Lord all of my life. If there has been a day that I have lived on this earth without knowing Him then that’s a day that I have forgotten. To be honest with you, I know that that day does not exist. It may seem as an odd thing but I remember when I was about one year old and being in my room thinking about climbing a dresser that seemed huge (it was about three drawers high). After a quick thought, I reached up to start the climb when a man, dressed in white, was there standing behind me. I don’t know how he caught my attention, but I turned around to him and he said something that I cannot remember; the next thought I had was to climb under my crib to see if Mom could find me there! About two seconds later, she was there at the doorway…and she found me! Foiled! I remember to being about four and having the Lord’s picture on the wall of my room and knowing the One the artist had attempted to draw. There just has not been a day in my life that I have not known Jesus.

As years went by I went as well…and went…and went, but through it all I have always known that the Lord was with me. The Lord Himself had said, "Never will I leave you and never will I forsake you," and He meant it. He never said, "Never will I leave you unless…" or "Never will I forsake you until…"; He said, "Never will I leave you and never will I forsake you," period, end of sentence. I have seen the Lord raise the dead, heal the sick, cure those that have had incurable diseases, and perform so many signs and wonders that when He acts I concur with Peter when he proclaimed, "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you?" The Lord is the Lord and He changes not.

The goal of my life is to see to it that others know that the Lord is real (may the Lord pardon the expression) just as I have known all of my life. There is a cliché that goes something to the effect, "The only Jesus some may see is you," but if that’s the case then everyone is in a heap of trouble as far as I am concerned. If I, as a Christian but human, one who has a relationship with the Almighty God, have only myself to depend on conveying that Jesus is the Son of God, then everything that the Lord has said is null and void for He is the One Who said, "Apart from me you can do nothing.” The Spirit of God Himself is the only One that I know of here on this earth that is a Witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: "We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him," (Acts 5:32). I have a wife and children and I would not bet their souls on me alone, let me tell you; they must know the Lord Himself and it is my job to see to it that they do. To do less, or want less, for any other would be a crime against God Himself.

I wanted to share with you a few instances that mean the world to me; proof of my own faith as found in my wife and children. We are visiting relatives and my children want nothing more than to swim in their pool. Before they go outside they pray to the Lord for a nice day to swim…but by the time they get outside, the clouds are black and thunder is heard overhead. They want to swim; I need to mow my relative’s lawn. I see what they see and hear what they hear and due to my lack of desire to mow the lawn of my loved ones.... I start to the garage to put the lawnmower away. Just then my youngest son speaks up and says to his brother, "It’s going to rain! Now we can’t swim." My oldest speaks up and says, "What are you worried about? Don’t you remember we prayed?!?" What to do? So much joy filled my heart at my son’s faith that I pointed that mower to the lawn and started it up. Within two minutes the skies were as blue as could be.

Whenever anyone in the family is sick or injured, my children go directly to the person to put hands on them and pray. I have yet to know any instance of anyone walking away still sick or injured for long. The instances of my faith and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ being proven to my family and, therefore, becoming their own faith and relationship with Him has shown more than anything my own failings at times but that’s fine: The Lord has not called me to be perfect or not to be human; He has called me to be a witness.

K. Allen Cox