Stories Blog

The Hell in Being Separated from God

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:29:23 GMT

Gateway is a huge reason that I am not only alive today, but I am blessed with a peace I never imagined would be possible on this planet. It was a Saturday afternoon in 2001 that I desperately called Craig, an acquaintance that I had met in AA a few weeks earlier. He was sober and told me to call him if I ever needed help. Boy, did I ever need help. I had just finished a horrible two-day binge of alcohol and cocaine. It felt that if I continued the way I was going, I would soon kill myself. You see, I couldn’t live with alcohol and drugs and I couldn’t live without them. So I called and told him I would do whatever was required of me to stop this way of life. I could no longer do it my way.

He told me that he had been going to this church that had really helped him connect with God for the first time in a practical way. I had been trying to connect with God ever since praying a prayer to become a Christian in the eighth grade. But I had resigned that I would have to “endure” this hell on earth until I died, then I would be at peace in heaven. The more I failed, the more I felt uncomfortable in church. But Craig told me that Gateway’s policies were “Come as you are” and “No perfect people allowed.” That immediately put me at ease, because I definitely qualified: I had lost my car to a drug dealer, I had lost my fiancée, and I was about to lose my freedom to a possession charge. Most importantly, I had just about lost hope that I wanted to live.

Fast forward to today. Two years later, I have been sober since the first weekend I walked into Gateway (absolutely no coincidence). I realized that drugs and alcohol were just symptoms of my real dilemma…separation from God. And I have realized that I can enjoy this life rather than simply endure it. I thought that I needed to get well and then come to church. I had it backwards. I needed to come to church to get well.

–Trent

Opened Hearts, Despite Pain

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:29:23 GMT

When I came to Gateway I was on a search for something. I believed in God but knew little of Jesus or the Bible. Having done things the other way, I could see pretty readily how Christian principles were meant to give me a better life and draw me closer to God. It didn’t take long for me to open my heart to Jesus, and the decision to get baptized was an easy one. A few months later I joined a small group where I began to experience true community, and since then I have had the wonderful experience of discovering brothers and sisters in Christ. In essence, I was and still am becoming more deeply related to a family unlike any I have ever known or thought was possible. I am amazed to find so many others who, despite whatever pain or anguish they have suffered before in their lives, have opened their hearts to God and to one another. It is now through my relationships with others in the church that I am learning the truth about Jesus. An open heart, growing within my self, and apparent in others, is something I so did not expect to find, but underneath it all was something I was probably longing for all my life.

– Joy

Ending the Destructive Cycle by Entering into God’s Loving Arms

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:29:23 GMT

Generation after generation my family has self destructed in an endless cycle of pain, guilt, depression, and helplessness. With agnostic alcoholic parents, I found myself in my early teens looking for joy in all the wrong places. By the age of nineteen, I had become a battered girlfriend of a drug-addicted man and found myself pregnant. Love God - Love People was just the principle I needed to hear to start my journey back to God's loving arms. The process that I've been going through ever since has been painfully hard, and the burden of my past is sometimes too much to take. Gateway has taught me to stick with it because:

God's grace in Christ is the only source of security, worth, love and acceptance.
No matter where I've been or what I do he never leaves me, and he always loves me.
As I continue to develop my relationship with God, I will let go of the past and find new life.

– Karen

A New Family to Love Me

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:29:23 GMT

My parents got divorced when I was ten years old due to extramarital affairs my mother had throughout their marriage. Although I don’t remember them all, the last one that caused my dad to leave is something I have carried with me for a long time. I’ve gone to therapists and been put on antidepressants and none of those things helped me. My worries are not just the fact that my mother chose herself over my sister, my father, and me. What I carry with me is that she included my sister and me in the act. She would use us as a reason to get out of the house without any questions from my dad. Since my sister was so young, she made me in charge of making sure [sister] didn’t say anything to my dad. She told me to be extra careful because if my father found out, he would make my mom, my sister, and me leave without any clothes or toys. Needless to say, I was a very scared and stressed out ten-year-old who was sort of forced into an adult world when I wasn’t ready…I have been attending Gateway for six months, and I have felt this enormous change in my life since I’ve started. I was turned off by church and Christianity because of my mother and her never-ending biblical quotes and prayer-chain gossip about friends and family. Gateway has totally changed my mind about all that stuff as I am now seeing it in a completely honest and sincere manner.

–Adrian

Discover the Interactive God

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:29:23 GMT

The past three years have been just incredible. I don’t even feel like the same person I was six years ago…which is a good thing. In many ways, I feel more in touch with the ‘me’ I knew as a child, before all the junk with my parent’s divorce, before so many other things went wrong. I know that I can attribute this growth to allowing God’s unconditional love to reach me through knowing him and through opening up to others at church. I have found that when I let God be in charge of my life things work out so much better. I am constantly amazed that when I pray for guidance, he answers my prayers, by opening doors I didn’t know were there, or through a message at church, or in my Bible reading. I never knew that having a relationship with God could be such an active relationship…where we can both interact so fully with each other. I don’t even know if there are words to express how wonderful an experience knowing God in Jesus has been for me.

– Jennifer

In Pursuit of Non-judgemental Jesus

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:29:23 GMT

As an adult, I was never involved with church at all, except occasionally on holidays. I felt that religion was just a man-made belief system created by desperate people to fill some sort of void within. When I thought of Christianity, I thought of bigots and gay-bashers. My hometown of Topeka, Kansas is also the home of a nationally known street preacher. On every major intersection, he and his congregation held high their signs proclaiming, “God hates fags” in the name of Christianity. I knew I would never align myself with people like these.

My husband, Tucker, was raised in the church and wanted to look for one to attend when we moved to Austin. When friends invited us to Gateway, I figured this church would be like all the rest; I’d be uninspired and unimpressed. The first thing I always looked for when we visited a new church was what that church did for the community. I figured if I had to go to church, I might as well go to one that understood their responsibility to address social injustice. Right away, I noticed Gateway had an impressive Compassion Ministry. I needed to see that they cared about other people to give the church consideration.

After attending Gateway for over a year, asking questions openly, researching, and soul-searching my current beliefs, I was able to see Jesus and Christianity in a whole new light. Studying Jesus’ life and teachings at Gateway also helped me realize that Jesus modeled something totally different than what I saw modeled growing up. Jesus loved and served others. He is the ultimate servant. He is not judgmental; he is the greatest advocate for social justice! All people are welcome to come to Christ, no matter who they are or where they have been. I couldn’t believe the truth about Jesus had been so obscured. When I came to understand the nature and character of Jesus, I gave my heart to Christ and was baptized. I am so glad Gateway strives to be a safe place for people to discover the true Jesus, who is compassionate, serving, and loving, and who longs to bring even feminists and liberals into his love!

–Kylie

U2 Easter Service

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:29:22 GMT

I don’t go to Gateway, but my mom and step dad are members there. I live in Louisiana and have visited your church once or twice. Being a huge U2 fan, my mom told me what ya’ll were doing for Easter and my stepdad emailed me and told me to check it out on the website. I have always felt connected thru their music and your message really hit home with me. I felt as though you were talking directly to me. I can see what love has done for me! Wow what a wonderful feeling and powerful message! Thank you. Can you build a church in La??

Amy Dixon

Baton Rouge,La

Green Bay Mom

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:29:22 GMT

I'm in Wisconsin and enjoy the Sunday after-lunch calls from my son who tells me about the sermon he heard at your church. Newly married, he and his wife (she's comfortable at your church) are growing in the Lord through your ministry. We used to live on Covered Bridge Road in South Barrington, a stone's throw from Willow Creek Church, where we often visited despite being members at Community Church in Barrington. Now, he's in Austin; we're in Green Bay; but we're all connected by your ministry. Thanks for being a beacon in all of our lives! Carolyn Brown, mom of Aaron Brown.