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Testimonies
Read how a personal relationship with Jesus Christ has changed 1M4JC members' lives.
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The story of how i came to know God is the most powerful story of my life, and always will be. I wasn't raised in a christian home. I had no clue that there was a God until I was about 7 when I started going to church regularly with a friend. Up until I was about 13, I went through the motions of christianity but never understanding why I did it or what it meant. I had been to church camp before but none like the summer of my 8th grade year. I had been struggling with my family life and alcohol abuse that summer. My parents were fighting constantly to the point where my mom, brothers and myself moved out. My mom had turned to alcohol to deal with life. Honestly, so did I. When I went to camp I was really just searching for something bigger than me, anything that I could latch on to to give me hope for a better tomorrow. All week I listened to sermon after sermon feeling like that week was made just especially for me since my life related to everything the pastor was talking about. It was then that I realized that I LOVED God with everything in me. And He loves me back. I wanted to live for him and it was the friday of the next week that I got baptzied. Since then my life has been changed so much for the better. So many times in my life I feel like im alone, but then I remember im never alone....God is ALWAYS there for me. No matter how many times I mess up, stray off my path, wonder away from what is right or deny Him...He is always waiting with His arms wide open waiting for me to come back home. Of course my life is filled with struggle, but when I wake up in the morning I make the decision to have a good day and not to let anyone ruin it.
I was so lost, doing so many horrible things, disobeying God and disrespecting myself over and over. But, by the grace of God, I found him.
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Dope--prison-----God is in the midst
Justin’s Testimony
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I grew up and only had ever been to a catholic church that my parents went to, but they just went and never did anything outside of church. I did not want anything to do with it. I started doing my own thing as a teen partying, using drugs like marijuana, acid, shrooms, extacy.This continued on for several years. Also was selling different drugs. Had people trying to rob me and pulling guns on me. Then I got in a screwed up relationship that was drug centered. Eventually I got to the point I was putting needles in my arm to get high. Soon after I found myself in jail with 8 felonies. I ended up gettin 7 years and did 3. At first I wanted to get out and start using and selling again. But after a while I felt God was speaking in my heart, eventually I asked for a bible and started reading and a guy locked up for murder got me doing a bible correspondence course(just got a certificate in the mail for completing 36 units of study). Soon after I accepted Jesus in my heart. My faith continued to grow for the 3 yrs. Then right before I got out God directed me to a scripture in psalms I never noticed before. Ps 66:13,14 I will come..and fulfill my vows to you, vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble. This reminded me that I wasn't just using God while I was locked up but this is a forever relationship. I have been out a year as of 5/08 and have not fallen away and love God more than ever. It is a beautiful thing.
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Trial- The significant absence of my parents from my Christian walk, during my childhood, affected my belief in God far greater than I had once known. Not having a positive “father” image influenced the image I had of God. I believe God used trials and continues to use his word God to show me that he is a loving Father that never leaves or gives up on me. Our earthly parents are only human and need forgiveness for their mistakes as I do for mine. God has shown me that even as difficult as my life has seemed he has always provided safety, shelter, Godly people, loving grace, and most of all patience for a child(me)who simply questioned his existence. Now, I lean on and rely on God with much more intensity than I may have ever done before my trials.
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HE is the single driving influence in my life
Stephen’s Testimony
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I was raised in church. "Churchy" stuff has always come so easy for me. I was saved when I was 8 years old and I thought that meant that everything from there out would be peaches and cream. I was too young to realize that Jesus was serious when He said "Count it all joy when you suffer for My name's sake."
Well, life hasn't been all peaches and cream. It's been tough. But God has always brought me through. And now He has seen fit to bless me with a passion for teenagers. I am youth minister at my church and I truly feel that I am living out His purpose for my life.
HE is the single driving influence in my life. My purpose is to serve HIM, and I am striving to fulfill that purpose. Without HIM I would be nothing. I have no worth on my own, yet through HIM, I am made worthy.
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Coming to Christ
Beth’s Testimony
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Coming to Christ was a given for me. I grew up in a Christian home, and went to a Christian school. My dad was an elder of the church, and my mom was the treasurer. I basically grew up in the church; some would say I am a Preacher’s Kid. I came to know Christ at a young age. In November 2000 I was baptized into Christ. I knew how to be a Christian; I do not think I acted like one though. I tried to be a good daughter, I helped out at church in every way I could. However, I did not always act like an ideal Christian.
My faith has been really challenged through so many different things through deaths, lives, God, and prayer. Right before I turned fourteen my dad was in a near death motorcycle accident. This challenged me in prayer and in faith. I wanted to blame God for what had happen to my dad. I did not want to believe that something so bad could happen to a family that did not deserve it like ours. I came to realize that maybe this was a growing experience for me. Many other people including myself prayed for my dad and after many months of intense praying he was walking again. I had never believed so much in the power of prayer as right then and there, because my dad’s accident was so bad that in all reality my dad should have died.
After that I started my freshmen year I got into a relationship that I should not have been in because Christ was definitely not the center of that relationship. I was so determined that the relationship was going to last. Me and this boy did not believe in the same things we were both Christians but we both had very different views on life. Through that whole relationship I was very detached from God, and did not really care. The summer after my freshman year I decided that I was going to go to camp like I normally did, but this year I just went to have fun I did not go for God at all.
My sophomore year I decided that again I did not really care what God had in store for me I had already decided where I was going to college all I had to do was pass my classes and keep my parents happy. Again I got into a different relationship where this boy and I just decided that God was not going to be the center of our relationship. He also did not believe the same Christian beliefs that I did. The summer of my sophomore year I was a little bit more hit. I wanted God to forgive me for the things that I had done. I never took it seriously though, because the minute that we came off that mountain from camp life was back to normal within a week or so.
Junior year rolled around and I got into what would have been an actually ok relationship but again I do not think God was the center. The relationship was solely focused on me and I did not really care as to what he wanted I was the one who wanted to be in control. I had him wrapped so tightly around my finger I could do whatever I wanted with him. Summer camp came and went and still no big change, no praying, no reading the Bible and sometimes making excuses to not go to Church.
My Senior year rolled around, and over the summer right before it started my senior year I had gotten into a relationship with a man that was quite older than me, and I had gotten good at lying to my parents. I was always trying to get myself out of trouble by lying. I always managed to only break a few rules, in my rebellion. God was definitely not the center of that relationship, because this boy was not even a Christian, he knew who Christ was but he did not believe.
After the start of my senior year I got involved with a boy, who was a freshman. He and I went to the same church and we believe the same things but this was the worst relationship I had been in. The relationship got overly physical and this tore me very far away from God. I started to not care about what God’s thoughts were or if what I was doing was even morally right. I just wanted to do my own thing and not have anyone tell me I was right or wrong. This boy was very much ok with that. I went to winter camp that year and he told my two best guy friends. He was bragging about it after I had asked him not to talk about our relationship. I had my two best friends come and confront me with everything that was going on, and I knew they were right. I knew thing had to change or things in my life were going to get worse. This freshman boy and It end up just not working out; the relationship had become to overly physical.
Then this past summer has been my biggest summer as far as growing spiritually and emotionally. This past summer I was at camp and there was so much tension between everyone in our youth group that the first couple of days were just not enjoyable at all. Then the last full day came and at the end of the night our youth pastor made us sit and just talk about everything that was going on and made us stay there until everyone was ok. We talked for a few hours trying to solve different problems among our group. I had realized throughout the week that there were some girls who were following in the same path that I was once going down. I finally realized how far from Christ I had really gone. I had warned them to not follow in my footsteps I begged and pleaded with them to understand that I had been there. I know that some of them will just have to understand for themselves where I was coming from. I was overwhelmed with joy that I had the chance to help them through my personal experience.
Slowly but surely I have been giving God my burdens that I have been trying to keep a hold of, and trying to take control of instead of letting them go. I am so happy how far God had brought me in such a short time. I still have troubles reading my Bible and praying continuously. However, I am slowly growing to become a better Christian.
Now that I have been through all of this I really want to grow and help others to not make the same mistakes I made. I understand that I cannot control them or tell them what they can and cannot do. I hope that with what I have to say they can change their ways. I really would like to help teen girls understand that even though they may be judged that it is ok, as long as they are true to themselves. I also want to make sure that these girls know that they do not need a guy to complete them or make them feel secure. As girls they need to know that they can stand on their own two feet, a lesson I am still learning. I have found that this lesson is not a quick learned one; well it has not been for me anyway.
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My Testimony
Joy’s Testimony
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As a child of a minister, I grew up in the church. I always knew most Bible stories and I spent most of my time with my mother and father. I was homeschooled at a young age. I loved church, I loved the people, I loved the warm hearts that surrounded me. Even though I was young, I think around 10 if I am correct, one night after leaving Awana's I felt convicted, I knew I was a sinner and was overwhelmed with my sin, even at a young age. My father was driving me home that night and I expressed to him my desire to become a Christian and change my life. He pulled the little white Volkswagen bug over that night on the side of the road and we prayed together. That was my beginning.
I would have to say that there have been many slips and falls since then. Sometimes I am faithful to the Lord, but other times, I feel like I dont deserve to even call upon his name. I am now trying to build my faith back up and return to the Lord. Its been a journey. I have a wonderful family, a new promising career, but I lack a church family and some personal drive to stay on top of my devotions. I need to be prayerful more often and focus more on my faith then anything else, but so often, life seems to jump ahead of me or I just get lazy. I guess we all do, that is the nature of man. No one said being a Christian is easy, in fact, its hard.
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No matter where you are in life, God meets you there. Fans of Higher Ground say over and over again how strongly they feel God's presence at this event. It's true. God is at Higher Ground. In the amazing music, in campfire conversations, in the praise of thousands of voices and in the new friends you meet here.
Higher Ground Music Festival promises to be an amazing experience! Each year when August arrives, you feel summer slipping away. You start thinking of all the things you were going to do... concerts, camping, volleyball, late night talks under the stars... well, this year will be different, because you're headed to Higher Ground.
Imagine a Christian music festival that's close to everywhere and features everyone you want to hear. Best of all, you will meet some amazing people who are savoring summer's sundown, just like you.
Summertime is precious and sometimes a multi-day event just doesn't fit your plans. At Higher Ground, we offer a two-day getaway designed to renew and uplift your spirit. Forget the spreadsheet schedule and 300-acre map you need at other festivals. We believe getting lost in the music beats getting lost in the crowd. Higher Ground makes you feel closer to the music, because you are closer... to all the great bands. Enjoy a festival with the intimacy and simplicity of a classic outdoor concert. Think of it as hanging out with a few thousand friends instead of scrambling to find the right stage at a super-sized mega-show. At Higher Ground, we make it simple.
All tickets may be purchased at the gate.
Facilities
In the off-season, it’s an unassuming prairie, but during the festival, the Higher Ground Music Festival site bustles with activity. The venue’s stage is 100 feet long, providing a wide performance area and great views. Higher Ground offers several beverage and food tents, medical and handicapped facilities, 24-hour security, primitive camping, great merchandise, lawn sports and volleyball areas, plus a whole lot more! While camping is a great bargain, you can also check out our list of local hotels.
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I have had a couple of testimonies, from having hands laid on me to give up smoking and it has been 8 yrs without one. Also attending cleansing stream and being stripped away of rubbish.
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I grew up in a Christian home. There for I didn't like God that much. although when I was six I "became a Christian" there wasnt a change though. only a new title. as you can imagine everyone was very happy with me for becoming a "Christian" but I wasn't happy with myself. And nether was God I was to selfish and self absorbed to see that though. Honestly I thought it was all about ME.
It wasn't until Last year at High school camp that I actually wanted to FOLLOW God. That is the point in my life when the difficulties that I was facing didn't seem so big any more. I came to realize that our God is an awesome God also I began to meet people that shared the same beliefs and convictions that I do.
We do serve an awesome God and we need to remember to Share that belief with the Lost and dying world around us!!
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I grew up in a Christian home and accepted Jesus as my Saviour when I was a young child. I went to church and attended every church activity offered throughout my adolescent years, pretty much because it was expected of me by my parents. I could recite bible verses, sing all the Sunday School songs and I even invited friends to church, but as I got older, I was just going through the motions. I was living as if being a Christian was a decision I made one day and did not need to put much thought into anymore. In high school and college, I was definitly not living a Christian lifestyle, which eventually caught up to me.
During college, I decided to start going to church on my own, which was the first of many steps I would need to take throughout the next few years to acheive true happiness. I began to realize that every decision I make to put God first in my life and live according to His will, helps me to grow closer to God and that is a good place to be. I have also learned that being a Christian is a one time decision, however, following God and living according to His will is a daily decision, Luke 9:23 "...If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". It is a daily battle to live in this world and I am glad I do not have to face that battle alone.
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