MY CONVERSION STORY

So many people who did not know me growing up in Mesquite, often assume I grew up in church. I did not. When I was a small boy, I attended Hickory Tree Baptist Church Nursery School and when I was a teenager, I attended Bruton Road Christian Church a handful of times with my best friend Andy--but that was about all the church I had. (On a side note, many years later I would preach for Bruton Road Christian Church in return for my young congregation getting to meet at their facility and eventually when Bruton Road CC disbanded, they gave us the facility).

Now, I had wonderful parents who lived Godly lives. My dad asked the blessing over the food at every meal and I remember my mom teaching me Bible stories as a child. I remember my dad always teaching us Godly values like fidelity between a husband and wife, honesty and integrity, love and compassion and so many other traits that would line up with what Paul would teach in Galatians 5 called the "Fruit of the Spirit." My dad always taught us the importance of what II Thesalonians teaches regarding that "A man who does not work should not eat." However, my parents did not attend a church during my lifetime. That is a story for another time.

So after my parents had both passed away by the time I was 23, I really had little moral compass in my life other than what stuck with me from their example. Fortunately or perhaps unfortunately depending on how you look at it--I knew enough of how to look Christian on the outside--but did not live a Christian lifestyle in my personal life. I was very politically ambitious in my teens and 20s, so I worked very hard to appear like a good Christian businessman. But again, that was not really who I was on the inside. Topless bars, pornography, fornication with every female I could get with (many who I did not treat so great), and a very foul mouth around my worldy friends was who I really was that the community did not see.

Then when I was 27 I went to work for a man who God has used to change my life and the lives of many, many people for the better. Mike Tolleson was the owner of CiCi's Pizza South Mesquite (he still is along with his partner Tom Grace) and I had worked for him part time several years before. At the time, Mike was the Deacon of Evangelism at Mesquite Church of Christ and had led many people to the Lord over the years, including several of his managers. Not long after going to work as a manager for Mike, I began to attend a Monday morning Bible study before our managers' meeting. Although I did not attend real often at first--because THEY MET AT 6 AM!!!! And most who know me know I was a night owl for years. I would attend the Bible studies here and there because I did not want to appear to be anti-Christian. Then after several weeks of attending, I began to hear some things about God's word I had never heard before. I began to listen to some things Mike and Tom and the other managers were sharing with me. One morning when Mike was out of town, I had heard some things about what Jesus said we need to do to attain salvation--and so Tom and I had a follow up study just he and I after our manager's meeting. After that discussion/study--I realized that I was not right with the Lord. So we left and went down the street to Mesquite Church of Christ where Mike and the other managers were members. Mike was out of town, so Tom took my confession--that Jesus is the Son of God, I committed to living a life of repentance, and Tom baptized me. I remember a brother and fellow manager Sean Maness being there along with Mike's mom Diane Tolleson and a couple of other witnesses and my older brother Johnny. That day was the day of my new birth in Jesus Christ!

For the first few months after that, I was on a spiritual high and was fully planning on staying pure until I found a wife and was going to live a new and up right life. I was at worship every Sunday when I was off, Wednesday night Bible class, and every Monday morning Bible study. Then the new wore off and the old Bruce began to want to come back. Satan knew my weaknesses and was angry that I had been taken out of his hold, so he began to make the old life look pretty good again. Soon I was back in sin or working hard to get into sin. And my ambition and career goals continued to be my main priority--not Jesus! A couple of years go by and I lived like many new Christians--some days warm, some days cool--but never really hot or cold. And I am so thankful Jesus did not spew me out of His mouth for being lukewarm!

So many times the other brothers I worked with would really try to hold my feet to the fire. When I would date different women, if one of the brothers thought there was some inappropriate relations, they'd just flat out ask me. Those guys would not let up on me. I kept trying to "play church" and live my own life--and those guys loved me enough to keep holding me accountable. I did not much care for it then, but I thank God today for them not giving up on me!

About 6 months before Christi and I started dating, I had finally started maturing some spiritually and got the "evangelism" itch from Mike and the other guys. I had watched Mike teach and baptize dozens of people and I had watched the other managers bring many of their friends and family to the Lord. So Mike taught me how to sit down with someone one on one and teach them the Gospel and prepare them to know what they needed to do to be born again. I began doing a lot of personal evangelism work. Then Christi and I got married in June of 02.

As a new husband and step-father of two small children, I did not know a lot--but I knew I needed to at least carry my family to worship each Sunday and try to live a good example of Christ. But that just was not enough. And after about 6 months of marraige and almost being ready to divorce, my wife and I realized we would have to get serious about our relationships with God and really get into His word. So both of us got involved in men's and women's Bible studies and we began to grow more. We began to study some together and pray together. Then I continued doing personal evangelism work with friends, people who came into CiCi's, teens who worked for me and others. I got more involved in teaching kids' classes at church and was given some opportunities to participate in worship services--like leading communion thoughts or leading prayers and such. Soon I was teaching individuals here and there and baptizing them. Christi and I had a handful of people we let live with us who were down on their luck--that we were able to lead to the Lord through that process.

As I was going through those early days of ministry, God put another great spiritual mentor in my life, a man named Kent Sutherland. Kent had been a preacher for many years and was at the time--an elder at Highland Oaks Church of Christ. Later, he would help plant New Hope Church of Christ and became an elder there. Kent taught me so much and was such a blessing to both me and my wife. He is still a blessing today. My wife looks at Kent like a daddy. And of course, there were other wonderful men as well who were great mentors and inspirations to me.

Eventually, I had a vision to start ministries and churches in places of poverty and hopelessness--where there would otherwise be no Christianity. Then I read the Book of Nehemiah and was moved by how Nehemiah was so upset at the plight of God's people back in Jerusalem--that he took action and with God's help--led the rebuilding of the walls and gates around Jerusalem. I began to wonder what could happen if Christians in my community saw the plight of what poor people and or people who did not have the Lord in their lives around my community--began to get out of their church buildings and go minister to people and share the hope and love of Jesus! So one day in January of 2005, I began to knock doors at Allenhurst Apartments and made friends and started sharing Jesus with them.

Within a few months, we had taught and baptized about 20 people and lives were changing. We called that new ministry, The Nehemiah Ministry. A few months later, I felt called to go into full time ministry. So my wife and I stepped out on faith and I started to school at Dallas Christian College working on a BS in Ministry and Leadership. While I was in school, I continued to lead the Nehemiah Ministry. Eventually we were able to get an apartment at Allenhurst and was having devotionals, Bible classes, and other activities with kids and a few adults. By the time I graduated DCC in May of 07--we had taught and baptized over 70 people and many of those new Christians were serving God and their lives were slowly being transformed. In June of 07, we transitioned the minsitry into a new congregation that would be called "At The Cross Church of Christ." My wife actually came up with the name--her thought was to keep the focus "On The Cross."

Over the last 5 years of being in full time ministry--I have watched God over and over do absolutely amazing and supernatural things in people's lives! I have been so priveliged to teach and baptize over 100 people! I'd love to say that they were all serving God faithfully--but for the ones that fell away--at least they had the seed planted in them and we know that God always has HIS "Welcome Back" mat out! But many of those new Christians are now serving God and sharing their faith with others and it has been so incredible to watch! I have had the opportunity to baptize and marry several couples at the same time. I have had the opportunity to help other men and women share their faith with others. I have also seen some pretty tough things and seen a lot of misery and pain and hurt in people. I have seen my family be hurt numerous times in ministry--and I have had to make a lot of changes in how I minister--and make sure my family is my first line of ministry!

I need to mention, that we could not have planted At The Cross or done many of the things that have been done for Jesus--were it not for Golf Course Road Church of Christ, Highland Oaks Church of Christ and Nexus Church Planting. Along with many Christians from various different congregations who have rolled up their sleeves to help us in the trenches!

My vision is that Lord willing, we will one day plant more low income apartment ministries and plant many new churches--including house churches. My vision is that from what the Lord started back at CiCi's Pizza--will continue to bless many, many people--and that MANY will come to know Jesus Christ and that generations will one day be in Heaven!

I am so humbled at God's confidence in me--although I have let HIM down sooooo many times! I am so honored to be a fellow worker in Christ and to serve as a servant leader in HIS church. Guys like me, really should not be preachers and doing what we are doing. But God has a plan for each of us. I am so happy to have been a apart of HIS plan! Its funny, for someone who used to be so ambitious--I can honestly say--that at 39 years of age--there is really nothing I could ever be apart of--that would top what I have already done in my service to the Lord! I have gotten to watch the hand of God work in people's lives--including my own. And like everyone else, I am still a piece of clay being molded and shaped and I have so much more growing and maturing to do. I am merely a messenger!

I am so thankful that I met Mike Tolleson many years ago!

And the mission of Jesus goes forward.

Bruce