The Lawson Family
Photo Album
| Our Family
Jennifer M. Lawson - God’s gift to me- A former school teacher and social worker. She is currently homeschooling our three children, loves time with her hubby and hospitality. - Married (April 25, 1998) - Graduate, State University of New York at Buffalo (May, 1997) Children - Daughter, Charis (May 6, 1999) Our Actress- Loves to read, knit and write stories. - Son, Micah (December 6, 2000) Our Athlete- Loves sports, running and reading. - Daughter, Kara (April 6, 2003) Our Comedian- Loves to laugh, eat and suck her thumb. |
Jennifer's Personal Testimony
Snapshots of Grace
There are no better words to summarize my life than “Snapshots of Grace.” Thinking back on my life is much like looking through a photo album. I can picture each stage like a photograph, and after closer examination, I notice that God’s invisible hand was extending His grace to me at every point.
Common Grace:
I thank God for giving me parents that were very loving towards me and my siblings, yet frequent parties, marijuana and alcohol were a part of our family's life. Looking back, it was only by God’s Common (non-salvific) Grace that my parents were very honest about their opposition to God, and because of their honesty I did not desire to imitate their inconsistencies. We only went to church once a year, on Easter Sunday, but I can distinctly remember being exposed to the gospel message. I was convinced that the message I heard was true, but did not have the courage to respond to the preacher’s plea to come forward. I would leave church feeling that my window of opportunity closed when the service did. Praise God that even though the preacher stopped calling, God did not.
God implanted a desire in me to know more and I can recall telling my parents that when I was 13 I would go to church on my own, with or without them. I knew I needed God but in my ignorance I tried everything but the Bible to reach Him. I would watch televangelists, read tracts from anyone who knocked at my door and even prayed to speak in tongues. Nothing brought me the peace with God that I wanted. By the time my 13th birthday came around, I had pretty much given up on my search and settled into life that was more concerned with pleasing men than God.
I began to measure myself by a broken measuring rod that told me I wasn’t that bad. After all I obeyed my parents, made A’s in school, and was well liked by my teachers as well as my peers. I was even heavily involved in organizations concerned with alleviating world suffering. Surely I couldn’t be an “enemy” of God; I was one of the kindest people I knew.
Saving Grace:
God’s Saving Grace was extended to me through two events that God used to shatter the confidence I had in myself. The first was my father’s conversion. When I was 15 my father surrendered his life to Christ and made some radical changes in our home. He stopped smoking marijuana, shut down the club that he ran in our basement, and the list goes on. I watched my father change right in front of my eyes. My earlier convictions of wanting to be right with God came back to the surface of my thinking. I immediately knew that I did not experience the transformation that took place in his life and I soon began attending church again, looking for answers.
For a while, attending church was enough to give me a false assurance of salvation, but about two years later God removed this as well. My outwardly moral lifestyle tricked me into thinking I had no real need to repent. I had no concept of my own depravity, until a series of sinful choices in a dating relationship opened my eyes. I was finally struck with the reality that I was a sinner under the wrath of a holy God and was ashamed of my hypocrisy. Sin was no longer everyone else’s problem, it was mine. I cried out to the Lord in my room, surrendering my life to Him. It was there that He resurrected my dead soul and embraced me as His child. I became a new creation and embraced Him as Lord.
Sanctifying Grace:
After my conversion I had a new desire to live for the Lord and God’s Sanctifying Grace was faithfully extended to me. God gave me a boldness to share with everyone I knew. I lost many friends and was forced to search the Scriptures to answer their questions. My hunger for the Bible grew and continued to convict me of my sin. I was like a sponge soaking up every bit of God’s Word as I could.
As I prepared for college, I prayed that God would help me grow spiritually, and He did. Not only did I find a church that encouraged my devotion to Christ, but I also met my husband-to-be, whom God used to sharpen my understanding of Him. After we were married and moved to Maryland, God sovereignly placed us with a graduate of The Master’s Seminary. We both grew tremendously under his teaching and I was given the opportunity to teach and serve the ladies of my church.
Sustaining Grace:
The final snapshot of God’s Grace is of me as a home-school mother of three adventure-filled children with a husband who is preparing for a life time of ministry, and a family that continues to be upheld by the Sustaining Grace of God. We will never out grow our need of God’s grace, and I am looking to His faithfulness in the future. My desire is to serve alongside my husband and use my gifts of hospitality and administration to help further the kingdom of Christ. I look forward with great anticipation to filling my album with the future snapshots of God’s grace in our lives.
· My Resolutions as wife
Resolved, to love my husband
Resolved, to make my husband a priority
Resolved, to be a helper and encourager
Resolved, to secure and maintain the confidence and trust of my husband
Resolved, to do my husband good and not evil all the days of my life
Resolved, to be a good representation of my husband
Resolved, to being a keeper of the home
· My Resolutions as Mother
Resolved, to share the gospel message often
Resolved, to be an example in word and conduct
Resolved, to be reverent in behavior
Resolved, to be a teacher of good things
Resolved, to train my children in the fear and admonition of the Lord
Resolved, to have faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination
Resolved, to love and enjoy my children
There are no better words to summarize my life than “Snapshots of Grace.” Thinking back on my life is much like looking through a photo album. I can picture each stage like a photograph, and after closer examination, I notice that God’s invisible hand was extending His grace to me at every point.
Common Grace:
I thank God for giving me parents that were very loving towards me and my siblings, yet frequent parties, marijuana and alcohol were a part of our family's life. Looking back, it was only by God’s Common (non-salvific) Grace that my parents were very honest about their opposition to God, and because of their honesty I did not desire to imitate their inconsistencies. We only went to church once a year, on Easter Sunday, but I can distinctly remember being exposed to the gospel message. I was convinced that the message I heard was true, but did not have the courage to respond to the preacher’s plea to come forward. I would leave church feeling that my window of opportunity closed when the service did. Praise God that even though the preacher stopped calling, God did not.
God implanted a desire in me to know more and I can recall telling my parents that when I was 13 I would go to church on my own, with or without them. I knew I needed God but in my ignorance I tried everything but the Bible to reach Him. I would watch televangelists, read tracts from anyone who knocked at my door and even prayed to speak in tongues. Nothing brought me the peace with God that I wanted. By the time my 13th birthday came around, I had pretty much given up on my search and settled into life that was more concerned with pleasing men than God.
I began to measure myself by a broken measuring rod that told me I wasn’t that bad. After all I obeyed my parents, made A’s in school, and was well liked by my teachers as well as my peers. I was even heavily involved in organizations concerned with alleviating world suffering. Surely I couldn’t be an “enemy” of God; I was one of the kindest people I knew.
Saving Grace:
God’s Saving Grace was extended to me through two events that God used to shatter the confidence I had in myself. The first was my father’s conversion. When I was 15 my father surrendered his life to Christ and made some radical changes in our home. He stopped smoking marijuana, shut down the club that he ran in our basement, and the list goes on. I watched my father change right in front of my eyes. My earlier convictions of wanting to be right with God came back to the surface of my thinking. I immediately knew that I did not experience the transformation that took place in his life and I soon began attending church again, looking for answers.
For a while, attending church was enough to give me a false assurance of salvation, but about two years later God removed this as well. My outwardly moral lifestyle tricked me into thinking I had no real need to repent. I had no concept of my own depravity, until a series of sinful choices in a dating relationship opened my eyes. I was finally struck with the reality that I was a sinner under the wrath of a holy God and was ashamed of my hypocrisy. Sin was no longer everyone else’s problem, it was mine. I cried out to the Lord in my room, surrendering my life to Him. It was there that He resurrected my dead soul and embraced me as His child. I became a new creation and embraced Him as Lord.
Sanctifying Grace:
After my conversion I had a new desire to live for the Lord and God’s Sanctifying Grace was faithfully extended to me. God gave me a boldness to share with everyone I knew. I lost many friends and was forced to search the Scriptures to answer their questions. My hunger for the Bible grew and continued to convict me of my sin. I was like a sponge soaking up every bit of God’s Word as I could.
As I prepared for college, I prayed that God would help me grow spiritually, and He did. Not only did I find a church that encouraged my devotion to Christ, but I also met my husband-to-be, whom God used to sharpen my understanding of Him. After we were married and moved to Maryland, God sovereignly placed us with a graduate of The Master’s Seminary. We both grew tremendously under his teaching and I was given the opportunity to teach and serve the ladies of my church.
Sustaining Grace:
The final snapshot of God’s Grace is of me as a home-school mother of three adventure-filled children with a husband who is preparing for a life time of ministry, and a family that continues to be upheld by the Sustaining Grace of God. We will never out grow our need of God’s grace, and I am looking to His faithfulness in the future. My desire is to serve alongside my husband and use my gifts of hospitality and administration to help further the kingdom of Christ. I look forward with great anticipation to filling my album with the future snapshots of God’s grace in our lives.
· My Resolutions as wife
Resolved, to love my husband
Resolved, to make my husband a priority
Resolved, to be a helper and encourager
Resolved, to secure and maintain the confidence and trust of my husband
Resolved, to do my husband good and not evil all the days of my life
Resolved, to be a good representation of my husband
Resolved, to being a keeper of the home
· My Resolutions as Mother
Resolved, to share the gospel message often
Resolved, to be an example in word and conduct
Resolved, to be reverent in behavior
Resolved, to be a teacher of good things
Resolved, to train my children in the fear and admonition of the Lord
Resolved, to have faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination
Resolved, to love and enjoy my children
