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Lowell Brueckner

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The Story of my Life

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My sister, Phyllis, received this document from Ruby Gerner, a neighbor of ours, when I was growing up in Wisconsin in the 1950’s. It is typewritten on a page yellow with age. The Gerner’s had a farm next to our place and worked the land all around our home. They were Roman Catholics.

I’m sure that my dad gave them this document, not only so that they would know his story, but with the intention of sharing the gospel with them through it...a gospel that had nothing to do with the religion we profess My parents’ witness and the prayers for our neighbors that went up from our family altar every morning bore fruit. Ruby came to know the living Christ in her later years. I’m not sure of the details, but I have heard also that some, at least, of her children have also found the Lord and that her husband expressed hope in Christ on his death bed.

I have had an entire lifetime to observe the faithfulness of God in answering prayer and the sureness of the promises of His word. Read, then, this simple testimony of a simple country preacher, who only had the opportunity of going to grade school for six years. I have written his complete story in a book called, “What Our Hands Have Handled” and if you are interested in obtaining it, please let me know.


The Story of my Life

My mother told me that when I was born, I was nearly dead; then while a baby I had pneumonia three times, but God saw fit not to take me home. He had something for me to do.

As a boy I longed for God, but did not know how to find Him. I sought Him in secret for I was ashamed to have anyone know how I felt about the Lord, ashamed that people would laugh at me.

When I was confirmed, the boys from our church and another denomination would swear and say nasty things about one another and I thought surely this can’t be Christianity, but I kept this to myself.


When I was 17-years-old my hair came out in spots. I was ridiculed and laughed at. Many times I wondered what the use was in living. But I lived on and my hair came back.

After I was married the longing for God grew deeper. I began to read my Bible in secret. I hated myself for the way I lived, but had no power over sin, it seemed. I sinned worse than ever.

At that time I was playing my violin in taverns and dance halls, many times under the influence of liquor. When I was 23-year-old, I was awakened by a light from heaven. I woke my wife and said, “Alice, see that light?” She said, “Go to sleep, you’re dreaming.”

So I never mentioned this to anyone again, but from that time on, I sought the Lord more earnestly. No one knew this, because I was still ashamed of my Lord. I cried and asked God to show me the right religion. I thought maybe I didn’t have the right religion. I started to go to church more often, but saw that the people in the church didn’t live any different than I did. They smoked and drank, danced and gambled.

I could see no holiness in the people of my church. The Bible says, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” As I read my Bible, I kept praying, “Lord, show me the way.” But I continued to live in sin seven years more.

When I was 20-years-old, I found I could not be saved by works, no matter how good my works might be, for in Ephesians 2:8-9 it states, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourself it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” It wasn’t religion for there are many; religion scatters; Christ brings us together in one body. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” I had my eyes on religion, instead of on the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Gerners in front of our house (1952?) in Quinney, WI
Dear friend, get your eyes on Jesus, repent from your sin, and accept Him. His hands and His feet were pierced for you, and out of His side the blood flowed to wash you from your sins and to keep you from sinning against Him. But you must receive Him because in John 1:12-13, it states, “As many as received Him to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His name; who were born, not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.” Then in Romans 6:1: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

If it happens that you (as a Christian) sin, we have a Mediator. In 1 John 2:1 it states, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not, and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” God has made provision for you. He loves you and says, “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Come to Him, friend, right where you are; get on your knees and settle it once and forever. He loves you. Are you going to turn eternal life away for a few wicked years that you live here? Give your heart to Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17… “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.”

Now I can freely tell all people that I am not ashamed of my Lord. That is why the Lord called me in His ministry and by His grace, I can tell others.

                                                                       Erwin Brueckner

                                                           Pastor and missionary to the American Indians.


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