Lawton White

How Jesus Changed My Life

“If you live under my roof, you're going to church!” My dad told me that more than once while I was growing up in Brunswick, Georgia. By church, he meant Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday. Looking back, I know being raised that way was a blessing. I avoided a lot of the mistakes and problems people outside the church experience as they grow up. I also realized something was missing from my childhood faith – a hunger and a thirst.

Both of my parents are committed Christians and have spent their lives serving God and others. They raised my sisters, my brother, and me to do the same. We faithfully attended church as well as a Christian high school. I never doubted God is God nor that He is in control of everything in this world. I had all the book knowledge and knew all the Bible stories, but I never really dug into the Bible. I made a profession of faith at a young age, but I didn't have a hunger and thirst for God. .It showed in college. If you asked me if I was a Christian, I would say yes, but I wandered from the things of God and oftentimes doubted my salvation. I never “went wild,” and I still loved God. Nevertheless, I was only going through the motions of being a Christian.

And then I met Whitney. We were both attending Valdosta State University. I was there getting a degree in Business Management. We were both Christians, and, once we got engaged, we started looking for a home church. This time, church was different. The teaching and preaching made me want to search the Scriptures more. I began to doubt the decision I made as a young man.

In May 1996, I got down on my knees and confessed - “God, I know who you are. I know what you did for me on the cross. I know I made a decision as a young man, but I have wandered. I am only going through the motions. I want you to be my Lord and Savior.

”From then on, I did hunger and thirst for God. I had a hunger for His Word and wanted to study my Bible more. I desired to go to church and be around my Christian brothers and sisters. I wanted to see His work done. My heart longed for the things of God. My life was not the same.

Over the years, Whitney and I had three kids – two daughters and a son. We raised them like my dad raised my siblings and me, and we've done our best to be sure they hunger for the Lord and His Word. Whitney and I both own our own businesses. She designs and makes custom draperies, and I own my insurance agency.

We began visiting Covenant Baptist Church in 2012, fell in love with the church, and joined soon thereafter. We liked their teaching because they really showed an understanding of grace and encouraged us to dig deep and not be satisfied with the surface story of the Gospel. The leaders and members have a true desire to spread the Gospel and disciple people.

My Prayer for Covenant

I pray Covenant continues to walk in Him as Colossians 2:6-7 says.

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” I pray we provide a platform to encourage individuals and families to be rooted in Jesus Christ and grow in their faith. I pray we all have a firm grasp of what it means to be a Christian and have a Christian world-view as we grow in our faith and become more Christ–like as individuals and together as one body.