Celeste Rinehart

I grew up in a Christian home and when I was 9 I committed my life to Christ. I was active in church as a child and teenager, but something changed during my late teens and twenties. I still attended church and did all the right things - but I was just going through the motions – I didn't feel anything in my relationship with Christ. I stopped reading my Bible and stopped praying. I distanced myself from Christians because they made me look within and know that I was moving farther away from Christ. I stopped "acting" like a Christian and In college, I lived the life of a non-believer and caused much pain for my family.

Tom and I married when I was 26. At this time I had convinced myself that the days of rebellion were in the past. But I still struggled with Bible reading and prayer. I was doing better, but not fully devoted to Christ. A terrible temper was damaging my relationship with our girls and Tom. I was becoming an outsider in my own family.

When we moved to Rock Hill and joined First Baptist, God started getting through all the barriers I had set up through the years. Christ touched me through the pastor’s sermons – He was speaking to me through them. Each time we left church I felt Christ moving through my life more and more. On a Sunday morning in 1990, Christ moved into my heart and soul forever. He took over my life and has been helping me grow ever since. The temper fits are replaced with looking at the circumstances from the other's perspective.

It has been a long process of asking forgiveness and receiving grace from Christ and my family. With Christ I now know with a certainty that "all things are possible".

Celeste Rinehart