Keith Anglin

Hi, I’m Keith Anglin. I’m here today to tell you a little bit about my story.

I was raised in a Christian home and I heard all the Bible stuff, you know that from Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” And also from Romans 6:23 “for the,” you know, “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” I knew all that but my family bounced from church to church and we never really got connected. I never knew what it was really like to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

As a result of that, in my early teens, I started running with the wrong crowd, hanging out with the wrong people and that led to drug and alcohol abuse. And which, at the same time, I learned how to play guitar and I learned how to sing. And God started developing a gift in me to play and to sing. Which led to me forming, you know, some music groups. And also I had the opportunity to play with some of the best musicians in Rock Hill. It was also at this time that I met Beth and we dated for five years while we were finishing college and, you know, we started a family. We got married and started a family.

In1992, Beth asked me to go to a revival service at a little church we were sort of off and on going to at that time. And I agreed. The message that night was directed directly to fathers. And there was a statement that the speaker told me, that spoke that night that I think changed my life forever. And that statement was this: He said, “Guys,” he said, “God is going to hold you responsible for pointing your family, your children, to Christ.” I don’t remember a whole lot about what else happened that night other than this: I knew that I was failing my family in the most important thing that I could give them. And that was leading them to a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and everlasting consequences.

That night I got home and I went in my bedroom and I fell down on my face before God and I asked Jesus to forgive me. And as a young father that night I truly gave my heart and life to Jesus Christ. And I turned from the direction I was going and I started chasing after Him. I put in my notice with the group I was playing with at that time. And then Beth and I, we joined a church and I got involved in music ministry. And that eventually led us to First Baptist Church where we’ve been serving for eighteen years. We’ve always felt at home here and it’s where we think God wanted us to grow and to serve. And through all these years this is the one important thing that I have learned: that the most important thing that you can give your family is a relationship with Jesus Christ, is to point them in the right direction for forgiveness of sin, for direction and purpose for their life, and how to live your life, and to draw others to Him, and for hope and peace for this changing and uncertain times in which we live.

Don’t run from Jesus, run to Him. He loves you.

Keith Anglin