Favorite Scripture
Matthew 6:33
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." |
Gary Galbraith
Position: Senior Pastor
Ministries: Preaching, Leadership, Shepherding
Birthdate:
Spouse: Lisa
Married Since: 1987
Number of Children: 2
Children's Names: Lindsey, Sidney
Grand Children: 0
Saved Since: 1982
On Staff Since: 1993
Previous Work Type: Grocery Clerk, Construction, Auto Detailing
Hobbies: Surfing, Basketball, Cross Training, Golf
Email Address:
Testimony:
Born and raised in Southern California
I was raised in a typical middle class family in the suburbs of Los Angeles. We didn’t go to church, but we did have a family picture Bible and my mother used to have me say my prayers to Jesus every night before I went to sleep.
It’s funny the things God uses to draw us to Himself. There was a picture in our Bible that stood out from the rest like an oasis in the desert. It was of Christ, hanging on the cross. The picture vividly showed the nails in Jesus’ hands and feet, the crown of thorns on His head, and yet, in the middle of such agony, there was a peace, a purity on the face of Jesus that looked more divine than anything I had ever seen. That picture was sacred to me. I would open up the Bible periodically and just stare at it. I didn’t know all of the theological ramifications of Christ’s death; I just knew this was a man like no other man.
Life takes an unexpected turn
Our family had its ups and downs as any family can. The deepest valley came when I was twelve years old. My parents announced that they were getting a divorce. My world suddenly became unstable. Both my parents loved me greatly and had always provided everything I expected of them, but my outlook on life was being challenged. Everything I knew was changing. My body was at the peak of puberty, my parents were divorcing, and my older brother and sister were close to moving out on their own. My hope of playing professional baseball was dashed as I threw out my arm for good. My mom, who had always cooked all my meals, sewed my soccer team’s banners, and made our little league mascots, was now taking the bus into downtown L.A. to work as a secretary. Everything was shifting.
Searching for Answers
As I grew into my teen-age years, I began to sense an emptiness in my life. I was asking myself the big questions:
- Where do I come from?
- Why am I here?
- Where am I going?
- What will happen to me after I die?
It was then that I met Paul. Paul was a guy in my architecture class at West Torrance High School. His fiery red hair was as explosive as his faith in God. He claimed that he talked with God and that God talked with him. Each day, as the class drew the building blocks of architecture, God, in His grand design, was constructing a new person in me, although I didn’t know it at the time.
The Power of God’s Word
My friend Paul gave me a Bible in the King James Version. I went home that day and opened to the beginning, the book of Genesis. It didn’t take long before the “Thee’s and Thous” cluttered my understanding. The next day, I told Paul I couldn’t understand the Bible. Maybe I wasn’t meant to. He assured me that the Bible was for everyone and not just religious leaders in the church. When Paul offered to get me another translation, I accepted. I was amazed by his zeal and follow through when he brought me a brand new Good News Bible the very next day. It was written in simple language for beginners, like me. It even had pictures!
That day I went home from school and again started reading Genesis. I read a couple of chapters each day after school. Then something amazing happened. The words seemed to leap off the page and into my soul. In Genesis 6:9, it says, “Noah walked with God”. Immediately I thought to myself, “If it is possible to walk and talk with God like my friend Paul says he does, and like the Bible says Noah did, then this has to be the greatest experience in life: better than being a millionaire, better than being a movie star, and even better than playing major league baseball."
Becoming a Christian
My mother didn’t seem to have the answers to my questions, so she suggested I go to church. Mom recommended Del Amo Christian church where she and Dad had sporadically attended years ago. Every Sunday morning and Wednesday night I would ride my bike to church in search of answers to life’s questions. After Bible study, I would ask the youth pastors question after question. May God reward them for their patience with me. Finally, I came to believe that Jesus was who He said He was: the Son of God. I asked Jesus to come into my heart and I became a Christian. The next Sunday, I was baptized before the entire congregation. My journey with Jesus had begun!
Disillusioned with Christianity
My enthusiasm would prove to be short lived. After about a year, I became disillusioned with my new found faith. I felt I was doing what I should be doing as a genuine believer, but it just didn’t seem real. I am an all or nothing type of individual. I felt that I was giving my all to this new life, and was getting virtually nothing in return. I had no angelic visions, no miracles, and I saw nothing like what I read in the Bible. I finally began to feel like a hypocrite for following something that seemed more theoretical than practical. I didn’t feel like I was walking with God like Noah or even like my friend, Paul. I proceeded to do the most foolish thing a person can do: I gave God an ultimatum. “God, I’m giving You one more chance. Tomorrow, when I go to school, if I don’t sense Your presence walking with me, it’s over. I won’t be a Christian any more.”
That was the day I renounced my faith in God and in Jesus.
Trying to Fill the Void
Soon, I would turn sixteen. With money I earned from bagging groceries at Albertson’s, and with my dad’s help, I purchased my first truck. Now I was in the driver’s seat of life. I began to give myself everything I desired. I became sexually involved with girls and I began to use drugs, such as alcohol, marijuana, magic mushrooms, and even LSD. I surfed every chance I got, going to the South Bay for the best waves. I was no longer waiting for God to fill my life; I was trying to fill it with everything I could find. In spite of living in the fast lane, I was still empty inside. I still longed to know God in a real and a personal way. I would think unspoken prayers asking God to make Himself real to me.
The Turning Point
One night I was at a party with some friends. There were about thirty of us there that night. My emptiness had reached rock bottom. For two years I had offered myself every available high, yet I was barely getting off the ground. Like the picture of Jesus in the family Bible, something sacred began to happen in me. God began to put His thoughts in my mind, right there, at that party. In that still, small voice in my mind, He asked me, “Gary, are you happy?” I thought back to God, “No, I’m not happy.” God, in His grace, spoke to my heart, “I want to be Your Father again. Do you want to be my child?” “Yes Lord!” I cried out in my mind. “I want to walk with You. I want to follow You, Jesus, wherever You may lead.” And then it hit me. My first attempt at Christianity failed because I was expecting God to walk with me. I was trying to add God to my life. This time it was just the opposite. Now I was going to walk with God and be added to His kingdom. Now He would be leading and I would be following. He would initiate and I would respond. This was a far cry from idealizing God and giving Him ultimatums. A major paradigm shift had taken place in my heart. I was back on board with Jesus, but He was the Captain of my salvation.
That night, I broke up with my girlfriend, got rid of all of my drugs, and began preparations to go to Bible college. That’s me, “All or nothing”. God had all of me. John 14:21 says, “ He who has My commands and keeps them, is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Finally, God was becoming real. Wave after wave of God’s blessings began to wash over my life. I received visions, I dreamed dreams, and I got answers. I no longer felt empty inside. My unstable heart was now secure in Jesus, the rock of my salvation.
Growing in Godliness
Since then, I have experienced many ups and downs in my spiritual life. With Jesus on the throne of my heart, He always leads in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Now I can honestly say I am walking with God. It has been the greatest experience of my life. That is why I have dedicated my life to serving Him.
May you taste and see that the Lord is good as you stop trying to get God to walk with you, and humbly start walking with God. As it says in Micah 6:8, “He has shown you O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God?”
Listed as: Pastor |
