I have always enjoyed learning. Ever since I was a young boy my parents always encouraged me to learn of and try out new things. Being totally blind since birth made this quite interesting at times to say the least but those stories can wait for a later time. Looking back on everything that has led to this time in my life, I can honestly say that things have not been boring.
I was the only totally blind student in my school. This being the case, things were a little difficult at times. The teacher I grew up with had never taught blind students before so we were all walking in new territory, so to speak. On the whole, these were wonderful teachers and despite the challenge of teaching someone like me for the first time, they did remarkably well.
The same could be said of the folks that taught me the basics of Christianity. I went to church almost every Sunday when I was growing up. My family and I would go for an hour every Sunday. I especially remember a particular Sunday school teacher who did her best to make sure I would be involved in what was happening in the lessons.
I remember that sometimes she would throw questions about what we had been reading my way just to see that I was in fact paying attention to what was going on. I always had a great interest in the Bible and the various stories that it contained. I used to think of these as merely great stories, and in fact they are. However, what I didn’t realize at the time was that all of these, as incredible as they sounded to me, were for real in that they happened just as they were written.
My greatest lesson came early in the year 2000. I was getting ready for my second semester of college when my education truly began. Some of my family and I had gone shopping one day in a little city not too far from where I grew up in Vermont. We were on our way back when we were nearly involved in what would have been a fatal accident with a trailer truck. As it turned out, we were able to pull off the road to our right and just barely avoided the collision which, very possibly, would have killed all of us.
Even more amazing is the fact that if this had happened even a couple of seconds later than it did we would have been unable to avoid the collision by pulling off the road as there would have been a bank that we would have gone over that might have yielded the same results in the end. After a few minutes, the enormity of what had almost taken place hit me.
I had always believed that Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day just as the Bible taught. I had thought I was saved: that is what I had been told. Yet, for the first time in my life, I felt absolute fear: fear that went much deeper than any I had experienced before. I knew that I was not yet ready to meet Christ face to face, and that I never had been prepared for that appointment.
In that second semester, I had to take a class that I was not very happy about, this being an intro to literature course. I had taken so many English courses throughout the years that I, quite frankly, was tired of it. I felt this way until we started reading poetry based on the book of Revelation. Our professor had brought in a copy of the Bible and read some of Revelation to us in class and my attention was caught.
I wanted to go and read this, but I didn’t have an accessible copy of the Bible that I could use, or so I thought. Later that day, I remembered my classic literature CD-ROM that I had been given and wondered if there might be a copy that I could read on that disc. Praise be to God, there was a complete copy of the Bible included. Very excited now, I found Revelation and began reading.
The first few chapters seemed pretty straight forward. I didn’t understand all of it, but I was able to grasp the overall meaning of them. However, the more I read the more afraid I became. I got to the part where it described those who would have no part in the kingdom of God and discovered that I did fit into this group.
I remember I didn’t leave my dorm room where I had been reading until I had accepted Christ into my life as my Lord and Savior. It was on that occasion that I met the greatest teacher that one could ever hope to have. Thus began “The Ultimate Education.”
I have followed Christ now for 14 years and he has taught me things that I never would have believed before. He has been everything to me. He has helped me, first and foremost, in my daily walk in that He has been giving me an increase in my understanding of the Scriptures. He has also been helping me in aspects involving my career as a professional musician, and in various other areas of my life.
On top of having a music ministry, I have been blessed with the opportunity to speak in some churches where I was able to share what I have learned and am still learning. He has also blessed me with things that I never knew I would ever desire. As a young boy, I never wanted anything to do with girls.
Well, he has blessed me with a wonderful wife, who, like me, is also totally blind and is also a co-worker in my ministry and career. I never imagined myself as a parent. Well, he has blessed me with a wonderful child and, interestingly enough, she is also blind. These things I have mentioned are just a few examples of how the Lord has been involved in my life.
In closing, I wish to thank our Lord for all that he has done in my life and in the lives of those that also follow Him. I thank him for the ministry that I have been given the chance to undertake, and for the various other ministries (especially raptureready.com), that have helped me in my overall learning experience. I look forward, the Lord willing, to sharing all that I have learned with as many as would be willing to read and/or hear it providing I am blessed with the chance to share publically in the future. May the Lord be with all of you. Amen.
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