The Testimony of Michael Brothen

From what I can remember, everything was normal in my life until the age of six. My sister (who was 9 at the time) was hit by a truck while riding her bike. I still can recall that moment as if it was yesterday. She was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. The doctors didn't give up on her. They worked on her for hours and miraculously brought her back to life. She is now married with 3 children. The best part of the whole thing is that her entire family has given their lives to Christ.

In 1981, my parents made a decision to divorce. I never saw it coming! I never heard them fight (or I just can't remember ever hearing them fight). Such a blow at such a fragile age. No one should have to go through that. But I now know that divorces are as common these days as going to the store.

Anyways, my mother was awarded custody of my sister and me. Things were going good, I guess. My mom starting dating a man from England. You know the type, very proper and well mannered. The fact that he didn't like children made it obviously hard to get along. It got worse when he moved into the house. I really missed my dad.

In late September of 1982, my mom and her boyfriend decided to have a garage sale. She told my sister and I that we could sell any toy(s) that we had outgrown. And we could keep the money. I was in!

The day came and my sister and I had made some money. One thing though...not only was the garage empting out, but the house as well. I didn't question my mother because you're not supposed to question your mother. You just go with the flow.

By the time the sale was over, there was literally nothing left in the house. I mean NOTHING! The couch was gone. Our brand new 25" TV was gone. Everything in the kitchen went as well. I couldn't figure this out at all, so I just kept to myself.

Almost two weeks had passed. It was a Friday, and I was walking home from school. I approached the front door, put my key in the lock, and with the force of me putting the key into the lock, I inadvertently pushed the door open. My mother never left the door unlocked. I walked in to find the whole house empty. I mean completely gutted! I didnĄ Ąt know what to do. I ran upstairs to my mom's room. Nothing! It was empty! Our rooms were untouched. I ran back down the stairs to the kitchen and found a letter on the counter. It was addressed to my dad, but I read it anyway. It said, "Dear Jerry, I can't handle the responsibility that comes along with the children...Take good care of them." That's when I lost it! I was totally out of control. Crying and screaming as I ran out the front door. I got to the driveway and started screaming for my mom to come back home. Not more than a minute later I saw my sister round the corner of our street. I ran as fast as I could yelling, "Mommy's gone, mommy's gone!" She didn't believe me until she got a look for herself.

We knew that our dad was en route to pick us up for the week©end, so we just waited on the sidewalk crying uncontrollably. He pulled up about 1/2 hour later to see his children embracing one another. We had stopped crying by then because shock had set in. We told him what had happened as we rushed the car door. Well, to make a long story short...my dad, who had already re-married, moved back into the house two weeks later, and we tried to start over.

With a new family in an old house, my sister and I gave it a chance. My step mother tried so hard to comfort us, but we wouldn't let her in. We wanted our parents to get back together, but we knew that that would never happen.

We lasted about two more years in that home when my dad decided to move the family to the other side of the county. My sister had been running away so he thought that would stop it all together. He was wrong. By the time I turned 14, she had permanently run away. I was the only one left. Well, I had my step brother, but we were as close as Los Angeles is to New York.

Just prior to my 15th birthday, I fell very ill; to the point that I couldn't walk. My dad, probably thinking that I was faking my illness, forced me to go to school. By the second hour of school, I was in the nurse's office with two swollen ankles, two swollen knees, and a temperature of 103 degrees. The nurse called my father to come get me, and he did. As he picked me up to put me in the car, he tried to convince me that I had sprained both of my ankles at the same time!

That day I was in and out of the doctor's office. I had been prodded by needles ALL day, but I wasn't out of the woods yet. I had to stay awake and wait for the doctor to call with the test results.

It was 11:30PM when we got the call. My dad answered the phone and within 30 seconds, he dropped the phone, scooped me up off of the recliner, threw me in the car, and raced me to the hospital.

I was admitted to the hospital that night with Rheumatic Fever, which is a condition that affects the joints and can cause damage to the heart. For seven long days, I was in severe pain. My chest hurt so bad it felt like my heart was broken. But on that seventh night, the medical tables turned. It was about 11:30PM and I was turning in for the night. I shut the light and the TV off in my room. But right after I tried to settle in, a glow came over the room. It was like someone lit a candle. As I was shifting around in bed to see where the glow was coming from, an OVERWHELMING feeling came over me. It was the same exact feeling I got when my grandmother used to hold me in her arms. Love, security, reassurance, and healing, all wrapped up into one sensation. I knew at that moment, I was in the presence of God.

Well, the next day came and I felt TONS better. The doctors noticed that I had made a dramatic turn for the better. I was out of bed, walking the halls (with assistance), and smiling again. (Please understand that a child of 14 years of age, when stricken with this disease; the outcome is not always the way you would like it to be.) The doctors couldn't explain the pace of recovery. I could! I was healed that night.

Day 10 came...my birthday! What better birthday present to have than being released from the hospital, free to go home.

I was not allowed to play any sports for a year because it took that long for the body to completely heal. So during that year, I worked on the gift that God had given me...singing. I also explored the world of alcohol. Why not? I had plenty of time on my hands.

It got to the point that every morning I made sure that I had had a balanced breakfast. Cereal, banana, and orange juice mixed with Bacardi rum. I also figured out a way to transport my drink of choice to school for lunch time. It got out of control my senior year and my dad never suspected a thing.

PHOTO: Michael's boys, Dakota Michael and Kyler Alexander

I called my dad from the rehab that evening and told him where I was and why I was there. He didn't believe me for one second until I told him to check out the bottles underneath the wet bar. He found out real quick that the gallon jug of rum was now filled with water and the Jack Daniels bottle was filled with apple juice. The last thing he said to me was "You better be da.. thankful that this is covered on my insurance."

PHOTO: Michael and Jennifer in Washington, DC

I was released 42 days later and things would never be the same. My dad sat me down and told me if I screwed up one more time, I would be on my own. His promise came to pass two months later when I crashed my step-brother's car. Though still a minor, my father had to find me adequate housing. He did. I graduated high school in 1989, and received a scholarship for singing, which I accepted. My college days were brief because of my inability to stay committed. So for the next two years I moved from house to house and state to state, until I relocated back home to California in 1992.

That year I was invited to a Billy Graham crusade. Towards the end of the crusade, Rev. Graham gave everyone the opportunity to turn their lives over to Christ. As I looked around the stadium, I noticed that thousands of people were getting up to accept the invitation. So as they walked down to the stadium floor, I followed. I said the prayer, along with everyone else, and basically went on with my life.

As I continued my search for that one thing to "fill the void," I kept on with my normal lifestyle. Drinking, smoking, and relying on other people to tend to my past emotional wounds. I had no one in my life to tell me that what I was doing was displeasing to God. So I pressed on thinking I was saved, but showed no evidence to back my claim.

On January 16, 1994, I moved to Naples, Florida. Still claiming to be a "child of the King," I plugged myself into the church scene (still drinking and smoking, of course). That May I met Jennifer. We worked together at a restaurant, but never really got to know each other until a few months later. Her parents graciously opened their home to me that fall, but I didn't know how to react to the family bond that they possessed. The feelings Jenn had for me became stronger. I backed away in fear of failure. Everything else in my life had fallen apart, and I was scared to invite her into this life of broken pieces. She gave me some distance, but her feelings never changed. I knew that this person could possibly be the only one to ever show me unconditional love, so I submitted myself to her and we married May 20, 1995.

PHOTO: Dakota Michael, Kyler Alexander and Jennifer with a special friend

Dakota Michael arrived September 30, 1996 and his partner in crime, Kyler Alexander, followed his lead December 13, 1997. Words still can't describe watching my two boys take their first breath. And seeing the "motherly" glow coming from my wife made the family complete.

The company I worked for promoted me in March of 1998. With this promotion came relocation, 80 miles up the Gulf Coast to a city called North Port.

My wife and I had been on some rocky ground in our marriage up to this time. We agreed on seeking out counseling, and did receive guidance from a pastor who referred us to a church in our area. So we accepted his guidance and would visit the church he recommended.

The following Sunday we went to the church, and as we walked in through the front doors, the feeling of love and acceptance filled the room. My wife and I felt that healing and growth were possible through this ministry. So we joined the church a few weeks later. Now my wife and I brought a lot to the table. We both have the gift of singing and the love for children...so we dove right in.

In January of 1999, I received a phone call from the Director of Music at the church. He asked me to pray about joining the staff as an intern in the music department. I talked it over with my wife and accepted the position a few days later. But what happened the following month changed everything.

The church hosted a BIG three day event called "The Real Evangelism Tour." Dr. Bailey Smith (a nationally recognized evangelist) was the tour director. Dr. Smith had brought with him Liberty University Chancellor, Dr. Jerry Falwell and Comic Evangelist Jamey Ragle.

Now, Jamey took the platform on the final night. Once he got going, he had everyone in stitches (for the young readers, that means laughing a lot). I was in the choir loft (with the choir) that night and I really focused in on what Jamey had to say. Not only was he making me laugh, but every comic bit he spoke about, he tied it right back into reality and scripture. Then came the invitation to come to Christ. He asked us all to bow our heads and close our eyes.

As I closed my eyes and began to pray for the lost, I truly felt that my prayers never made it out of the room. Everything at that moment came to a screeching halt! And then Jamey said this, and I quote, "If you are 99% sure that you're saved, you are 100% lost!" I opened up my eyes, which were now full of tears, and noticed that Jamey was focusing on me.

He said, "How about it choir? are all hearts and minds clear?" My buddy Darryl Denson was sitting next to me and he knew that I was broken. He embraced me and held on to me as we walked to the front of the platform. With Darryl at my side, I gave my life to Christ. The search for "whatever" is over. The void is filled.

A week later my wife gave her life to Christ. What a week! We know now that Jesus loves us more than we could ever love each other. Though my wife is my soul mate, Jesus is the lover of my soul.

I hope and pray that what you have read has encouraged you. My journey through life has not been one that is desirable. But this I can tell you. Before the very foundation of the earth, I was on the mind of the Savior. While Christ hung on the cross, He never thought of getting down. In one shot, He could of pulled Himself off that cross, embrace His mother, and walk her home, but He didn't! With His arms stretched out as far as they would go, Jesus made it very clear how much He loves me.

If you haven't made the decision to give your life to Jesus, DO IT NOW! Don't waste another second of your life without the ultimate "Love of your life" guiding your every step. No drink or drug can EVER compare to the high of the Savior's love FOR YOU!

God's Blessings On You,

Michael Brothen