Grace Church San Diego

McFarland

In March 1996, two women (Ginger Cabaniss and Chris Dietrich) with baby strollers came to our home in Sabre Springs and knocked on our door. They told us that a new church called Grace was starting up at a nearby school. What they did not realize was how that knock would change our lives forever.

We were in a very desperate time in our lives. During the previous five we had experienced great financial loss. This was particularly devastating for us because at that point, our goal in life was to acquire as many possessions as possible. Although we didn't know it, our possessions were our gods.  We lived for them and thought they were our source of happiness. When we had to sell everything we owned, it seemed as though we were selling our only source of joy. Everything in our lives was greatly affected through this difficult time, including our marriage and even our health. In every area we were simply a mess. That knock on the door and invitation to church gave a lost family the opportunity to hear the gospel and to experience new life in Christ.

We put ‘the church invite' on the refrigerator and wondered if this invitation was what we needed to change our lives. The free lunch being offered was sure enticing too! When we decided to attend a service, only five other families were there, but they all treated us with unexpected kindness. After the service, much to our surprise, the pastor and his wife invited us to dinner. We wondered, "Why would they invite us? They didn't even know us." Again, even though the care and hospitality was simple, it was very meaningful to us.  

At first, it was not easy for us to attend church because we had so many spiritual struggles deep within us. Not only did we face the struggle of our financial debt, but our children were in full-time daycare situations, and we were in the midst of an unhappy marriage. But since we had so many questions about God and how to become a Christian and live the Christian life, we decided to join a small group right away.

It was in the small group that we encountered Christians who loved us and wanted to help us. We had the freedom to ask questions, worship in a friendly environment, pray (for the first time out loud), and experience godly fellowship. The small group environment was one of the greatest sources of growth and encouragement in our lives.

During the first six months, we were continually convicted by our sins. God, by His Holy Spirit, started to change our lives. As we were discovering the meaning of grace and forgiveness, the immense weight of our sin and guilt began to lift. Then, after six months of Christ-centered teaching and godly fellowship, we were the first ones to be baptized as we committed our life to the Lord. Week after week, we constantly felt the Lord tugging at our hearts and we found God's grace so amazing. Terri distinctly remembers singing ‘Amazing Grace', after hearing it for years, but for the first time the words, "... that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but know was found, was blind but now I see," jumped into her heart and she wept in thankfulness.

As time went on, Dave's dependence on the Lord increased. He realized that, in his self-employment,he had been living for himself. In fact, "self" was everything to him. He thought he was in control of everything, including his money, health, future and even his destiny. But God opened his eyes and revealed to him that Jesus, not himself, is everything. He continued to trust the Lord for provision of work and finances. Eventually, He was able to trust Him enough that to have Terri quit her job and stay home full time with the kids. In His kindness, God even provided a way for them to pay off debt and buy another house only three years later. 

As part of the body, we followed the godly people we were around and we learned to imitate their humble examples. We experienced true relationships. People sincerely cared and prayed for us when we struggled with sin. Because of the solid Christ-centered teaching, we were able to grow in truth and knowledge of the Lord. The Lord gave us freedom from the idols we had in the past. He did this by first taking away those idols that we thought were our only source of happiness. Now our happiness is not in ‘stuff', but in Him.

Although we are still a work in progress, this is how God is working in our lives through our conversion and life here at Grace Church. We have enjoyed serving at Grace Church through the years and our service is simply to demonstrate our gratitude for all God has done for us.  As we look back over the years, we see God's perfect plan to bring us into a relationship with Him. He then showed us our need for a Savior and gave us true joy in that Savior, Jesus Christ. We thank the Lord daily for saving us from the dark desperate world that we were trapped in. The Lord graciously reached down and pulled us out of the pit. We give Him all praise and glory.