Last weekend, people throughout our Watermark family publicly declared their faith in Christ through baptism. From lives freed from addiction to families becoming reconciled and restored, the power of God’s love was evident in the testimonies of life-change presented on every Watermark campus. This is just a handful of stories that were shared.
CHAZ BATES
“Early in life, I trusted Christ through the Young Life ministry, but without someone to show me what an obedient Christian looked like, I fell away quickly. After high school, I was consumed with drinking, drugs, and chasing women. To get away from that lifestyle I joined the Navy at 19 years old, but my drinking and partying continued.
“After two of my marriages ended in divorce, I realized I needed help. I heard about the Porch and started attending on Tuesday nights, and then started attending Watermark on the weekends. The more I heard about Jesus, the more joy I found. I eventually jumped into both Equipped Disciple and Summit Men’s Bible Study where I was surrounded by godly men. I became eager to learn more about the Lord and was finally being held accountable by other believers who helped strengthen my faith. I opened my Bible for the first time and began devoting myself daily to God’s Word, pursuing others relationally, and praying. For the first time I understand God’s Word and His great love for us.”
MONICA MULLINS
“Before I had a relationship with Christ, my life was full of anxiety, loneliness, and inappropriate relationships. I was introduced to Christ through a friend, and when I attended church with her, I realized how loving this God she talked about really was. I prayed and asked God to help me change, but I wrongly thought I was too far gone for God to love me.
“At first, I’d show up at church hung over and generally uninterested. But God began a shift in my heart. I was not the mother I wanted to be, and I yearned to know more about the Lord. Knowing Jesus loved me, and I was never alone was so freeing. Today, I am happily married, and I no longer have anxiety and sadness because I’m not filling the void in my heart with destructive behaviors. I have never been more fulfilled knowing how much Christ loves every single one of us.”
NANCY XU
“Earlier in my life, I did not care if there was a God or not. None of my friends were Christians, and after some bad experiences with Christians back in college, I thought believers were weird. Growing up, I thought I could control my own life, and I wanted everything to be perfect. Then not long after I got married, my husband and I went through separation and my mom was diagnosed with cancer. I fell into a severe depression and constantly had suicidal thoughts.
“I kept feeling like I should go to church, or listen to some sermon clips online, even though I didn’t believe in this ‘church thing.’ So, I visited Watermark and started listening to messages from The Porch. Then about a year ago, I met with Cathy McJunkin, who is on staff, and she shared the gospel with me. That is when I decided to trust Christ, and the Holy Spirit really began working on me.
“Today, I have a new life in Christ. I need God and cannot live without Him. I have discovered so much about God’s Word and still have endless learning to do. My mom also trusted Christ two days before she passed away. That gave me hope that I will be with her again one day.”
ERIC RUSSELL
“I did not grow up in a Christian home and turned to drinking, inappropriate relationships, and other worldly things to get people to like me. When I was 19, I met a girl and decided to do whatever it took to impress her. In her case, that meant going to church. I heard the gospel, and in July 1983, I trusted in Christ. But there was no Bible study or discipleship, so I continued to think of God as an angry judge looking to punish me.
“For the next 33 years, I drifted away from God, seeking approval instead in what my wife and others thought of me. Our marriage ended in 2017 – the rock bottom moment of my life. It was clear that I had never truly surrendered to Christ, so I decided to give up control and surrender my will to Jesus. I moved to Fort Worth and took part in re:generation, Watermark’s recovery ministry.
“Today, I want everyone to know that God loved us enough to send His own Son to die on a cross for our sins, even when we were still in rebellion. I finally know that God saves me only through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, not by my actions.”