E.C. Henry's Public, Christian Testimony

A couple weeks ago a commenter on this blog asked me to shed some details on my attempted suicide.  Maybe that commenter thought that was something recent, but alas it wasn't.  I has now become part of my "testimony".

When I hear the word, "testimony", I think of telling the truth about you know about a specific occurrence.   In Christian circles this word is usually meant for what personal experience you've had with God and how He impacted your life.  Usually someone in Christian circles will ask you for your testimony if you're new to the group and they're checking you out.  When you give your testimony in this way that your time to glorify God, because you're doing what we were intended to do since the days Adam and Eve were in the garden of Eden, which is to recount how our time with the Lord went.  

Here are some of the meanings of that word "testimony" from Merriam-Webster:

1. a solemn declaration usually made orally by a witness under oath in response to interrogation by a lawyer or authorized public official
2. firsthand authentication of a fact: evidence
3. an outward sign
4. an open acknowledgment
5. a public profession of religious experience
6. the tablets inscribed with the Mosaic law
7. the ark containing the tablets
8. a divine decree attested in the Scriptures

For purpose of clarity let me specify that here I'm talking about usage #5: a public profession of religious experience.

So what is E.C. Henry's testimony?  Before I give that let me clarify one other thing: E.C. Henry is Eric Christopher Henrikson's pseudonym.  So when you can use the name's interchangeably, they are synonymous names for the same person, me!  Now that that's clarified here we go...

 

E.C. Henry's testimony:

E.C. Henry grew up "Christian".  I grew up with lots of exposure to the faith through the Catholic church, as that was the domination of choice through my mother, as my father wasn't an active church goer.   I was involved in some Catholic oriented activities outside of mass, but not much.  I stopped going to the Catholic church when my mom got "born again" in 1982, and suddenly it was so important that went to the Catholic church exclusively, but now went to more Christian and ALIVE churches. 

Why would I differentiate that?  Because not all churches are alike.  Catholic services are more regimented and stiff.  Later in life I grew to appreciate the Holy Spirit and His role in church especially in worship. 

As for me, though I was exposed to the Christianity for years I didn't make a profession of personal trust in Jesus until I was 21 after I nearly committed suicide in the fall of 1990 when I thought my life was falling apart.   I was several months off my time on a fisher processor boat in Alaska and hated the jobs I was doing back in Washington and thought I was going to run out of money, plus I was drinking a lot.  So one night I woke up and decided it was time to end my life.  I was going to take my 30-30 hunting rifle out and kill myself.  I remember driving to a place to do "it" which would have been about 20 miles south of my parents house.  But one night I woke up and decided to just go out in the woods.  I nearly did it too.  I was a very close decision.  But in the end, I woke my aunt: Denny; up in the middle of the night and told her I was in trouble.  She drove me to the hospital for an evaluation.

For the next couple of months I went to Christian rehab, and started attending church.  It was a charismatic and free church ran by Al Sholin and Bob Kaminsky: two of the finest Christians I've ever met.  Bob was especially instrumental in my development at a Christian, as he was also a project lead at the aerospace manufacturer, Boeing.  Bob also helped run an outreach to the street people in Tacoma where my mother frequented. I really respected Bob Kaminsky.  He had a joy about him.  Al Sholin was more of a loving people person.  He had outreaches to Mexicans, and traveled to Africa on the "Spirit Ship" where he delivered humanitarian aid and Lord's love to people. 

As for my life, I settled on a plan to go to college and get a degree in electronics.  So I attended Renton Technical College from 1991-1993 until I got a tech. certificate.  During this time I also continue to go to church, going to BSF at one point.  BSF stands for bible study fellowship, which met once a week to discuss and go through books in the bible.  Early on people used to marvel how well I understood the scriptures.  I remember early on I drew the correlation between Abraham willingness to sacrifice Isaac, his only son to the point to the Lord; and the Holy Father sacrificing His own son Jesus later in history.  I was baptized and born again in the Stuck River in a park in South Auburn, Washington.  To date I not spoken in tongues--though my mom does.  And have only received one God-inspired dream, and that was about Hollywood going in parade like procession down the street and sinking into the asphalt until at last all I could see was minor bumps in the asphalt from where they had been.  I stood aloof with an angelic being and witnessed that.  The only person I could make out in the procession was actor Jim Carrey, who looked to be in agony as he marched on with the procession making grotesque faces as he went. 

 

What E.C. Henry believes as a Christian believer:

1. That we are all called to have a relationship with the Lord, and to walk with Him in our lives like Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden.  God's original plan was to have communion and relationship with mankind on a one-on-one basis.
2. Jesus is the Son of God and the doorway to having a restored relationship to God.  I believe Jesus really did exist and that He is who He said He was, which is the Son of Man and salvation for all who believe.  If you want to get to Heaven Jesus is the way.  He is the exact representation of the Holy Father, and the example that all mankind is called to look to.  To reject or accept Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the most important decision of your life.  For He is the fulfillment of the Holy Father's plan to redeem mankind. 
3. That the bible is there so we can learn about God, and should be used as a shaping force for how we see the world, for it God's testimony about Himself in the way He chose to say it. 
4. God is Spirit and not seen but He exists and His kingdom is greater than the devil's influence.
5. Romans 8:28 "All things work together for the good, for those who love God and are called according to his purposes."  There's a key for life right there: Love God and He'll work things out for you. 
6.  I've always seen Christianity as a simple religion.  Love God, love others.  Do your best in his service.  Get baptized into the faith publically, then profess what you know and believe to others with a desire to honor the Lord as you do so. 
7. Yes, the devil does have a kingdom; but even the Lord dictates to the creature what's his.  When Jesus was being tempted in the desert, he didn't rebuke Satan and tell him, he was wrong to say a kingdom wasn't the devil's to give if Jesus would worship Satan.  Satan had control of a whole city and the Lord didn't refute that. 
8. Look to Jesus and His example to help form your character and the man or woman you are. 
9. Look to glorify the Lord in whatever you do.  Commit your works to Him and honor Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
10. God gifts us all differently.  We should always be humble because we don't know the gifting and callings the Lord has bestowed on other people.  Case and point: Aarron Caulderon.  Aarron Caulderon was a Mexican migrant worker who used to come to the state of Washington to work the fields.  Aarron spoke very little English, YET the Lord used him to give me a series of scriptures.  He is someone I came into contact with from Al Sholin and his ministry outreach to the Mexican community.  I laminated those scriptures from the early 1990s and still carry them in my bible today.  You never know God's intention towards your fellow man so treat him/her with respect.  So of the least likely people have been touched and gifted by the Lord in some truly amazing ways if you just stop and look.

I'll conclude this post with telling you what I think the secret to my storytelling and creativity is.  Back in 1977 or 1978 I watched the mini-series, Jesus of Nazareth on TV, while doing so I took clay and modeled things I saw.  I think the Lord saw that and blessed me because I took my gifts and acted out as my mind was engaged by the gospel being shown before me.  I don't know if my mom kept those clay renderings or not, but that's where I attribute my gift of creativity: from the Lord, from modeling clay figures while watching Jesus of Nazareth on TV as an 8 or 9 year old boy.  The Lord is good to Him be the glory for creative stories I've made to this point.  Amen.