The Story of my Life
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personal testimonies
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 |
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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