TONY
From the beginning of our lives, my brother Tommy & I have done things
together. I guess it's pretty much that way for most same-sex twins. Tommy
and I were always each others best friend. We grew up playing together,
were always in the same classes together at school, got interested in girls
and music at the same time, and even went to the same college. As adults,
we've taken somewhat different roads, but we remain very close and enjoy
sharing our lives one with another.
So when our parents, Jerry & Joan, wanted us to move back to the West Coast
to be near the rest of the family, it was a decision we made together. We
returned to New York to begin the mammoth task of packing up our earthly
possessions and enjoying our last snowfall before moving to the sunny shores
of Southern California.
While we had been in San Diego visiting the family, we had been "witnessed
to" (a totally foreign word to us) by our parents and brothers. They shared
with us all the positives of living the Christian life and what it meant to
them to have a personal relationship with the very Son of God Himself. We
listened, sort of soaking it in, but it didn't seem to be a lifestyle I was
ready for. I mean, that sort of thing seemed, in my mind at least, a plus
for my ex-drug-and-alcohol-addicted brothers. But I'd never done anything
like that. So when they said I could be "saved" (another new term for me),
my thoughts were "saved exactly from WHAT? I've never done the things you
guys have done".
But once we were back in New York, I could tell that Tommy had something on
his mind. He's the "thinker" of the two of us, and I can always tell when
he's dealing with something. I had a pretty good idea what it might be, so
I tried to avoid the subject altogether.
But Tommy wouldn't let me off that easy. One night in the middle of boxing
our things, he just came right out with it. He said that everything the
family had shared with us was really pressing on his mind, and as soon as we
got back to San Diego, he was going to ask our brother David to pray with
him so that he could accept Christ as his Lord and Savior, too.
I have to admit, this put me in an uncomfortable position. I didn't want to
become Number-One-with-a-Bullet on everone's prayer list! But I wasn't sure
this "religion" thing was for me either. I wasn't into submitting to anyone
or anything, and I sure didn't want to give up anything in my life. I told
that to Tommy, and when I did, he looked at me for the first time in my life
as if he didn't even know me. He said, "Is that all you got out of what
they told us? It's not about religion, Tony. It's about God. It's not
about submitting, it's about surrending. It's not about giving up anything,
it's about receiving more than I've ever dreamed of". Then he added, "I
need this, and I'm going to do it. I've shared everything with you my entire
life, but I guess I'll have to go this one alone".
As soon as he said that, something really deep within me just melted, and I
knew that I needed the Lord to be Lord of my life, too.
As soon as our plane landed in San Diego, our brother David was the first
person we saw. We told him that we wanted for our lives what the Lord had
done for his and the others. David got some of our family together
immediately and they prayed for us until we knew that we were locked in to
the Lord's plan for us.
It's only been a few weeks, but it's been a great few weeks. An inflated
ego and thinking I knew what was best for me nearly stood in the way of all
the riches Christ had in mind for me. But thanks to my amazing family, who
didn't hesitate to "witness" to me, I'm now a part of an even more amazing
family -- the Family of God!
TOMMY
I think Tony has really told our story better than I could have. There's not
much that I can add to it. But I'd like to share what was on my heart when
we returned to New York after visiting our family.
There's no one who wasn't affected by September 11, 2001. Seeing the news
replay those tragic moments of impact, followed by the crumbling of the
towers, the work at Ground Zero during the aftermath, and hearing the
stories of tragic loss and amazing heroism, it made me look at the
preciousness of life more than I ever had before.
Any of us could go to work one morning and be plunged into eternity within
seconds. It doesn't have to be a terrorist attack -- it could be a sudden
heart attack, a freak car accident, a careless moment when an everyday
action becomes your final moment. 9-11 changed my life forever.
So when my brothers shared their new lives in Christ with me, they were
speaking to a heart that had been layed wide open, ready to receive it. It
started me to thinking about where I'd be had I been on the 10th, 15th, 20th
floor of one of those towers. And I had to be honest with myself, because
you can fool other people but you can't fool your own heart. I knew the
answer - I'd be in hell.
As soon as I admitted that to myself, I knew I couldn't let it just stop
with that admission. Admission requires action. I had to either accept
Jesus Christ or refuse Him. And in that instant, I accepted Him. Returning
to California was simply a formality. Having my family pray with me was a
mere confirmation of what had already taken place inside of my heart.
I think of those thousands of people who lost their lives that sad day in
September. Some are in Heaven now, some went into eternity totally lost.
But not one of them had been denied the chance to receive the Lord.
Somewhere in their lives, each soul had been given an opportunity, because
God promises that much to each of us. One chance to say "yes" or"no". I
hope that if we learn anything from these attacks, it will be that "TODAY is
the day of Salvation", and I pray that no one will wait until it's too late.
