About Me (Really)

I’ve been thinking about my About Me page. I wrote a bunch of teaching and writing experience in neatly ordered bullet lists. I’m telling myself, “That’s not what I’m about. That’s what I did in the work place for 40 years.”

So here’s another bullet list of stuff about me. I think you’d be more interested in this stuff than how many news stories I wrote or how many kids I taught to find verbs in a sentence.

• God blessed me with the gift of writing. Mom told me I wrote paragraphs in second grade when others were learning to write sentences. I spent more than three decades in professional writing gigs. For the past eight years I’ve combined my passion for writing with my love for the Lord. He and I write a Christ-centered, family-friendly blog to glorify God most Mondays-thru Fridays at https://stevensawyer.wordpress.com/. My s weet, love-of-my-life wife Marie and I have four grown children and two precious granddaughters we co-parent with their mom. I’m a Galatians 2:20 disciple of Christ seeking to allow Christ to live His life in me, through me, and as me.
• I came to salvation at the cross of Christ when I was ten.
• When I left high school I spent the next three decades back-slidden into some of the murkiest, disobedient, sinful cesspools imaginable. I was a prodigal son in spades.
• For many of those back-slidden years I played church. I taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, led Bible studies. Read the Bible. Prayed. Doing all the things I thought would gain me acceptance from God while continuing to be sucked into the world and its lusts.
• In 1985 God led me to Alanon (I grew up in an alcoholic home). Six months later I came to Step 1—Admitted I was powerless over my addiction and my life had become unmanageable. It was a milestone in my life. The next six years I learned true forgiveness. I also learned the only one I could control was me.
• In 1986 I found a wonderful church, Frazer UMC in Montgomery, Alabama. My awareness of God’s love for me and His grace in my life continued to grow and mature. I started to learn how much God really loves me.
• On August 11, 2000 in a Bible study class at First Baptist Church Atlanta, I learned my true identity in Christ.
• That epiphany changed my life forever. I consider that day the second most important day of my life after the day I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
• God has gifted me with a talent for writing. Today I use that gift to write devotionals to glorify God on my blog, For His Glory.
• My passion is my mission statement: to help us all know, understand, believe and live out of our true identity in Christ.

Here’s some mundane stuff: My favorite color is blue (sometimes green). I’m a Capricorn (December 23)—but the whole astrology thing is hogwash. I love animals. I prefer dogs; I do not like cats. My favorite book is the Bible. My favorite movie of all time is Princess Bride (Yes, I cry). My second favorite movie is a three-way tie–The Book of Eli, The Blind Side, and To Kill A Mocinnbird). The back of my head has been published in Life Magazine. My favorite sports team is the Alabama Crimson Tide (college football). I’m retired. I love chocolate, yellow corn on the cob, and fried chicken. I’ve been on short-term mission trips to Argentina twice and Ukraine.  I love Vacation Bible School. I have no use for politics or religion, but I will talk about Jesus all day. I don’t call myself a Christian because no one can define exactly what one is. I consider myself an authentic follower of, and a disciple of, Jesus. My spiritual gifts are knowledge, mercy, exhortation and teaching. I believe every word in the Bible is absolutely true. I had open heart surgery in January, 2011. I’m a Vietnam era veteran. I spent my military career at Craig Air Force Base in Selma, Alabama. My first car was a Nash Rambler. While in college I owned (and lived in for awhile) a 1954 Chevy with the original headliner. Ob December 20, 2013, my bride, Marie, and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. My favorite things to do are read and study the Bible and spend time with Marie. We have a blended family and four grown children between us and two beautiful granddaughters. I love classic rock and roll. My favorite musical groups are the (original) Doobie Brothers and the Beatles. Both my grown kids are successful in their perspective fields. I have no idea when Christ is coming to take me and the rest of His children home, but I’m ready when He comes. I am allergic to ragweed and onion grass. I despise beets and I gag when I eat boiled okra. I can not stand to see children or animals suffer. I’m left handed. In the last year I’ve cut my TV watching by about 80 percent. I was born and raised in Shenandoah, Iowa, a town of about 5,000.