A little about me and my personal testimony

I'm in my fifties with a worn out back. I'm a little rough around the edges and not much for small talk. Never have been. I'm married to an amazing, beautiful, God loving woman. I have 5 children and 8 grandchildren. I was born in Ottawa, raised in Nova Scotia, spent 13 years living on the west coast on Vancouver Island in the rain, and am coming up on 11 years here in Peterborough. Time is flying by!

I've worked in logging, manufacturing, retail, and mining and hold journeyman mechanic qualifications in heavy equipment.

I enjoy outdoor things like boating, camping, fishing and hunting on rare occasions. Not so much hunting anymore, but that could change! I like trucks, trips to Florida, the East and West coasts of Canada. I love dogs. We have two very "vicious" shih-tzu boys. They're our babies.

 In Peterborough, I work part time through a Community Care program in the city. The goal is to help seniors stay in their own homes by doing small jobs for them at reasonable rates. Jobs they can no longer do themselves. I've had a few vocations; this one has brought me the least money but the most satisfaction by far.

I am not a "religious" person. I have no use for religiosity. Religion seems to envelop anything and everything anyone can dream up today. I'm all for relationship though, relationship with Christ.

I believe in the one true God of creation. Revealed in Scripture as three persons: God the Father, God the Son(Jesus), God the Holy Spirit. I believe the Bible to be the infallible Word of God, true and perfect and needing nothing added to it, or taken from it. I believe it to be proven true through the perfect fulfillment of prophecy. Prophecy, not somewhat fulfilled, but perfectly fulfilled to the minutest detail. So, when the Bible says something, I believe it as revealed truth. I believe God's word changes us as He reveals it to us.We don't change His word through our enlightenment or theological education.

The Bible says every person is separated from God's Holy nature, by the sinful nature we're born with because of Adam and Eve's disobedience in the beginning. In order to be reconciled to Holy God, we need a sinless Savior. Sin must be paid for. God's Son Jesus Christ is that Savior. I believe in Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. I believe Jesus died, was buried and 3 days later rose from the dead, appearing to over 500 eye witnesses just as Scriptures say He did.
This gives me full assurance of my own resurrection to eternal life one day. I believe Jesus paid my sin debt in full with His death on the cross, and because of His sacrifice for me there, and the belief and trust that I have placed in Him, I have the forgiveness of sin He offers when we repent (turn away) of our sin. I have a glorious home awaiting me in heaven for all of eternity, and a growing relationship with Jesus right now. This does not make me a perfect person. It just makes me a forgiven one. I am still a work in progress.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son. That whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life". John 3:16

The "whosoever" includes you too! All that is needed is for you to acknowledge your need of a Savior. There is no other way for sinful man or woman to enter the presence of Holy God. We must be in Christ, hidden in His holiness and righteousness. If you plan to get into heaven some day, Jesus is your only ticket in. Nothing else will make it. Not your good works, not attending church, not being a good person, not religious activity, not being baptized, etc, etc. Invite Jesus into your heart to make the changes He needs to make in you. He'll do the work! He will meet you wherever you are. Doesn't matter what you've done. You don't need to "clean up" first. He'll take care of all that. He loves you and wants a relationship with you!

I attended a Christian school from kindergarten to grade 6 and was raised in a Christian home. I asked Jesus into my heart around the age of 11-12 and was baptized in the Annapolis River in Meadowvale Nova Scotia shortly after. I had a good start, but things didn't stay that way. Through lack of Christian fellowship in my teen years and generally just being disillusioned with church in general, I drifted far away from my faith for a period of 15 years, but I always felt the "tug" to come back. Jesus never gave up on me, despite my giving up on Him. That period of my life included a lot of drinking, and reckless living, and a 9 year marriage with 3 children, that ended in divorce. The divorce was enough to finally wake me up to the fact that I wasn't making wise decisions, and my life was really going nowhere.
To make a long story short, I got remarried to a wonderful Godly woman and my life started what has been a long process back to the Lord. I can't regain the years I wasted, but my hope and resolve now is to finish well.

In 2005 I had a very real and personal experience with God. It came after I followed His leading and made some wrongs in my life right again. It meant going to several people and asking their forgiveness. It was an experience I will never forget and I will never be the same again for having it.
I've had my share of alcohol and drugs in the past. I can honestly say, having had this encounter with God, there is no high like the ..... Most High!!

If you could harness the sun and stuff it inside your chest, that, in a small way, would begin to describe what I experienced. Only the sun's light wouldn't be as white as what I experienced! It was as if light was beaming out of every pore of my skin. I remember writing that I felt I had been completely transformed and reborn. Eight days into the experience I wrote, "I feel like I'm only 8 days old!" Everything seemed so new!
The energy level I experienced was amazing. I feel like a walking corpse today, by comparison. If you could stand under Niagara falls and feel the force of the water coming down on you, that would begin to describe in a small way the powerful love I felt poured out on me. The experience lasted for a couple of months. Years later I'm still processing it. I believe Jesus gave me a small sampling of what awaits all who trust in Him. We have a glorious future ahead of us!


Three years ago Jane and I got involved at the Trent Gathering here in Peterborough. A new church plant (from our main church, Auburn Bible Chapel), on the university campus. We're involved as Hub hosts. Which means opening our home one night a week to 20 or so students to come and build Christian community with each other, digging into the Scriptures, unpacking Sunday sermons and praying for and supporting one another which is so important. After three years we've been so encouraged to see so many young people growing in their faith and stepping up to take on leadership rolls. We've seen several come to Christ in our church and many baptized.

I know for certain that God exists. I've seen Him working and changing the lives of others and He's working in my own life as well. He's changing my desires to be His desires. He's an awesome, patient God who loves us, and has our best interests at heart! No one will ever convince me otherwise!

And... that's probably enough for now...
CliffWho?