I really have no great dramatic testimony to share. No life spent attempting to kick drugs, alcohol or smoking. No wretched stories about how the Lord delivered me from a life of crime. No struggles with giving up bad language, premarital sex or even a temper. Was I perfect? Far from it! But I've always tried to be the "perfect daughter", the "perfect sister", the "perfect friend". Mine is a story very similar to my brother Rick's had been -- a good, but lost person.

I work as a receptionist for my brother's company, and so we're very close. I see him every day of my life, at his best and at his worst. Being the "computer genious" he is and having as many clients as he does, his life is stressed and the opportunities to lose his temper is always looming on the horizon. But after Rick became a Christian, I noticed that things didn't bother him so much. He's always been the greatest "boss" in the world to work for -- very generous to his employees, patient and understanding with everyone. But there were times when the pressures mounted and I'd see that temper (not directed at people, but it was there nonetheless). Then when he got saved in July, even that left him!

And so, I began to watch my brother's life very closely. A real love and a compassion for others has always been the hallmark of his life, but now it went to new depths. And for the first time, he was never too busy to take a while to really listen when I (or anyone, really) just needed to talk. Rick, Kim and the kids started attending a church, and I mean they started attending! They NEVER missed for anything. And then he left the Masonic Lodge, which had always played a pivital part in our family's life.

Well, the more I watched Rick, the more I craved that peace and contentment in MY life. My fiancee Thane (now my husband) and I talked about this a lot. What was it that Rick had that made his life so much different now? And we finally hit on it! He was always good, kind, giving, loving ... but now he had total and absolute JOY! And that's what Thane and I wanted in our lives, too.

So one day at work (my husband works at Rick's company, too), we asked Rick if we could meet with him for awhile. We went to his office and told him that whatever the Lord had given him, we wanted it. We were ready to give up anything in our lives that was necessary in order to come to Jesus Christ and submit ourselves to Him. Rick explained the plan of Salvation to us and in a way that was so simple and so beautiful. And then he prayed with us. Right there in his office, Thane and I became first-time Christians!

I wish I could describe the feeling I have inside since that day. I can't. It's not something you CAN describe, it's just something you have to experience. I know I won't always be so "up". There are days when I'm pressured or I don't feel good or I open the mailbox and find yet one more bill! But whatever I face, Jesus is there with me and I know He's going to see me through it. We sing a song in church that I love. Amazing Grace. One of its lines is the best testimony I can give ... "I once was lost, but now I'm found". It's so true! There was a time when I felt that I was just one of "the seven Landers kids". Nothing special. No great potential. But when I found the Lord, I found myself. I'm special now BECAUSE I'M HIS. I'm happy now BECAUSE I'M HIS. I can face anything BECAUSE I'M HIS.

And you know, YOU can be His, too! I was blessed. I had a brother who loved me and prayed for me. A brother who was there to answer my questions and lead me to the Lord. But even if you're sitting there all alone, the Lord is right there with you and can become as real to you as He was and is to me. SEIZE HIM! Whatever your situation, whatever your life is right now -- don't let Him pass you by! He brings light and life to ANYONE. He's offering it to YOU right now.

Debi has done such a good job of telling our story, that there's really nothing I could add to it. We were searching, we were empty, we found EVERYTHING when we found the Lord.

All I can say is that since I've been a Christian, nothing is as important to me as finding God's will for my life. Before that, I was obsessed with achievement and success. The only thing that mattered was getting ahead and obtaining things that the world told me were important. Not anymore! I saw how my brother-in-law put Christ first, and in doing that, everything else just falls into place for him. That's an invaluable lesson. Keep Christ first, and after that, everything else just lines up. And if it falls through, then it wasn't in His plan for you anyway.

I've also learned that as a husband, it's my place to become the spiritual head of our family. I love Debi, and I love her strangth of character and her courage most of all. I know that if I weren't here, she'd go right on with her spiritual walk and would never stumble. But I am here! And it's my duty to lead our family on the path the Lord has set before us. I pray every day that I will be the husband Debi deserves, the man the Lord wants me to be.

And most importantly, I've learned that even if I lose everything I've worked for here on earth, my treasures aren't here in this world. I have a Heavenly account that never be overdrawn. And in Him, I am richer than I ever imagined I might be. The things I accumulate here in this life are gifts from God, but they are so temporary. I found a card that I bought and framed, and I keep it on my desk as a daily reminder of Who it is that provides for me, as well as what He expect of me. It reads:

Only one life,
'Twill soon be passed;
And only what's done
For Christ will last.

That's become my motto. I live by it. And I live for the day when I reach my goal and stand before God Himself, hearing the words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant ... Enter".

CLICK HERE to Read the Testimonies of Debi & Thane's Children

Click below to return to the Landers Testimony Site Map

Click below to return to the NJM Site Map