my spiritual journey

Charity, salt and risk, what in the world does this have to do with eternal life?
Hello let me introduce myself. My name is Brennan Cackett; come with me on an interesting journey into my Salvation experience.
It all started with the three words, charity, salt and risk. For my entire life, I was raised in a Christian home and was very familiar with children’s Bible stories. I am sure you remember your Mother reading you stories such as; Noah’s Ark, Joseph and his Multi-colored Coat and Daniel and the Lion’s Den. My Mother did everything she could to expose me to the Gospel at a young age. It all came together when I was four years old. For several years, I had liked the Children’s music group, Psalty the Singing Songbook & Friends. One evening my Mother took me to a Psalty concert at Melodyland Christian Center, through the course of the evening Psalty, his friend Charity church mouse and his nemesis Risky Rat entertained us with song and message. At the end of the evening Psalty inquired if anyone wanted to ask Jesus into his or her heart; I responded by raising my hand. My mother then asked me if I wanted to go forward and pray; my reply was, “yes I would!” Thus began my journey with God.
Over the years, I grew in my relationship with Jesus; I attended church, went to Harvest Crusades, and went on exciting mission trips. I was in my tween and teen years when difficult times began happening to my family. My Father was out of steady work for several years and during that time God did many, many miracles for our family. We rented our home because we could not afford anything else; I cannot tell you how the rent was paid every month but God always provided for us. We never went hungry during that time and I came to believe first hand that God is a God of miracles. Like the Psalmist David once said, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread” Psalm 37:25. During that time, my faith in a real and living God was cemented!
The great promises God gives of eternal life and salvation are thrilling ones. My favorite scriptures for these promises are, Romans 10:9, John 3:16, Titus 1:2, and 1John 2:25 The assurance of eternal life is an incentive to follow Jesus; I mean who doesn’t want to live forever but as you grow in your relationship with Christ it’s not just living forever that you want but to live with Him forever! I look to the Bible for my assurance of eternal life and salvation; reading these scriptures has been a comfort to me. I believe God’s promises not only because of the Bible but because I have witnessed first hand God keeping his promises to me. All in all God has made me what I am today. As the popular song by the group Mercy Me states, “You are to blame for everything that is good in my heart”.
Charity, salt and risk, those three words now mean something completely different to me as a young adult. Charity is the great Love of God shown to me through Jesus. Salt reminds me I am to be salt and light to a dying world, and lastly risk, that four-letter word that says it all, it is a huge risk not to follow Jesus!