The Adventure of Knowing God Personally I was raised in a praying home. Every Sunday we would go to church, no matter what. I went to catechism classes and later to parochial school. I thought of my soul as a white sheet, sins made black spots and prayers of confession cleaned them off. God was very distant, more of an accountant counting up good deeds and bad. As I grew older, I tried to do just enough good to out weigh the bad. I was really trying to be as bad as possible without losing out on heaven. As I approached adulthood, I saw that this system didn't make sense. I grew less and less interested in traditional answers. Why were some people born with more talent, intelligence or financial resources? Could the answer be found in their past lives? I read more and more books and adopted this as my philosophy. My answer was in sincerely seeking truth, not in going to church. One thing still puzzled me, the books said that if you had above average abilities, you must be in a higher incarnation and were to seek to know god. Funny, but the books didn't explain how to find him! At about the same time, I met some people who called themselves "Christians." I had known Catholics, Protestants, Baptists and Episcopalians but had never met anyone who claimed to be a CHRISTIAN. "You mean you try to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ," I replied, "You don't mean that you have actually become something." One of them quickly replied, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW creation; the old is gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17) He told me that being a Christian wasn't something you tried or strived for, it was KNOWING JESUS as you personal Savior and Lord. Something about that struck a chord...the goal was to KNOW GOD... and these people claimed to know this person, the creator of the universe. They explained to me that the Bible promised that Jesus would come into my heart and have dinner with me, that He was standing at the door, waiting for me to ask Him in (Rev 3:20). I figured that I didn't have much to lose, it would have to be exciting, if it were possibly true, I would give it a try. A few weeks later, I asked Jesus to come into my heart. I can still remember feeling lighter, as if a load had been lifted off my shoulders. Unfortunately, I didn't know much about what I was getting into. I briefly renounced my use of alcohol and marijuana and read the New Testament through. I still didn't want God calling the shots in my life. I thought I could clean up my life on my own (now that I knew I was going to heaven). I enrolled in the University of Wisconsin. It can be pretty lonely with 40,000 other strangers so I found some friends to get high with. We smoked every night but we did even more on the weekends. Once I met someone who thought I looked familiar. She finally remembered seeing me three years ago (making a fool of myself) at the football games. She could still describe what I was wearing. At a Madison game, nearly all the students are drunk and rowdy so I must have been pretty memorable. Again, "coincidentally", I was found by other Christians. They said that Jesus couldn't be the Lord of my life with me still getting high. I wasn't very worried, I called myself a Christian and believed that I was going to heaven. Looking back, I'm not so sure where I was headed. My pot-head friends finally shook my confidence. They thought I was getting too high too often (imagine that). Suddenly, I realized how hooked I was. I cried out to God, "Lord help me!" I asked Jesus to take control of my life and straighten it out. I wanted to live God's way, on His terms. Within a matter of days, my life started to change. I hungered for both God's word and fellowship with other Christians. I got involved with campus ministries. I even had the privilege of leading others to Christ and training them. With my philosophy and ancient history degree I intended to go into seminary and onto full time ministry. Every option I had seemed to close. I took a few jobs, just to pass the time and kept praying for doors to open. A pastor and several others said that God needed Christians in business. That had never occurred to me! How could God call someone to get a job? Yet, after much prayer, I felt that I should commit myself to business. I gave the Lord five years in which I would not try to get into full time Christian work but go as far as I could in the business world. ...Within two weeks, I got laid off. I prayed for a miracle job, I had been giving to the Lord's work faithfully and felt it was time to ask for a dividend. Within three months, I was a marketing consultant. I was terribly insecure, I hadn't even taken a marketing course. I believed that what God called me to, He could equip me for. I seemed to have a knack, I could understand the concepts quickly. When the five years were over I had already presented two national seminars and spoken at two national conventions. I became Vice President of Marketing for a $15 million company. January 2, 1990 (on really a day's notice) God led me to start Miglautsch Marketing. Since starting, I have seen an almost unending stream of miracles, God's confirmation of his will. Just starting a business with one day's notice was interesting. Within the first three months, all revolving credit was paid off. However, in the next month we were down to our last $50 (simple cash flow). After almost a week of prayer and finally turning over all worry to the Lord....over $10,000 came in on one day! I have had the opportunity to publish several articles in direct marketing publications. I have also spoken regularly at major universities and conventions. The Lord has blessed me with a beautiful wife, three precious daughters and a wonderful son. I believe that all these things have been added because I have sought to put God's will completely first in my life (Mat 6:32). Praise God from whom all blessings flow! All this is exciting (to me) but none of it matters more than knowing my Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah! This present adventure is just the first tiny taste of the everlasting excitement of eternity. I believe that this unique Messiah, God become man, is shortly going to return to the earth (as he promised) to catch up his own and judge the world. His first visit was specifically to pay the price for your sins (and mine). "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4,5) If you were offered a free trip to the exotic tropics for even a few days, you would probably rearrange your whole schedule. Jesus came "that you might have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). This same abundant life (which I have experienced) is available for you. In exchange for your simple prayer of trust, Jesus the Messiah offers an adventure that will last forever. Below is a suggested prayer: Dear Jesus, I need you. I open my heart and receive you as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for dying to pay for my sins. Come into my heart, forgive my sins and make me the kind of person you want me to be. With your help, I will tell others about the wonderful life you have given me. Amen! If you would like more information on the adventure of knowing God personally, call or write: Miglautsch Marketing, 555 South Industrial Dr., Ste 5, Hartland, WI 53029 (262)369-3900.