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Jacob's CallingI had the most ordinary childhood. I grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I was always a Christian believer from the time I could keep memory. The Lord gave me an abundance of blessings throughout my childhood, such as friends, good movies, good times, good music. We saw the advancement of technology. In school I was very quiet, shy, and socially awkward at times. I figured out when I was 20 that this was part of man's fallen condition. I certainly knew God would not create people to live that way. I studied books, and eventually one day when I was in my room I opened the Holy Bible for the first time, and as I read some of the words of Jesus Christ, I could feel His presence move in my spirit. I felt a joy and a life I had never known before, and I believe I was born of the Spirit at that moment. I had never felt or experienced God's life before I was 20, even though I went to church a lot. I just knew God had been good to me in many areas, and had given me weakness too. Immediately after being born again, there were spiritual manifestations in my life. I learned that it is called "the anointing" of the Holy Spirit. Exactly 7 days after I had this first contact with Jesus, I went to Tama with my dad. I could sense God was calling me to do music in my spirit, and the anointing was upon me the entire night. The most amazing thing was as dad and I drove home, I could sense in my spirit something big was about to happen. As I came home, I sat on the couch, and mom opened a book, and started reading from it. And what I realized is that it was a prophecy from God, that He placed into the book, and was speaking to me as a live oracle. I was very afraid, and didn't know what to do, because I had never experienced God's personal connection like that before! He spoke some astonishing things to me, that I don't often tell people, but it's part of my testimony that God did speak to me, not once, not twice, but three times in early 2007, concluding with a prophecy given at my church on the day of my baptism. The Lord told me that day the importance of seeking His Face, gaining His power by the Spirit, to show forth His life to a lost and dying world. I realized over the years, as He enabled me to see and live in the Spirit, that wisdom, faith, prayer, and praise are all ways to show forth His life. The easiest way is to simply live for God's glory, and have a secret life of prayer and dedication where only my Father can see, and not men.
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