My Testimony, Pastor Michael McCartney:
I was raised in a nominal Catholic home which never went to church. My parents were not Christian and I was not taught about Jesus. I grew up in a home in Pittsburgh Penna. were my dad occasionally beat up my mother. My first fight was with my dad at age 11 to protect my mom. I ended up being beaten up and vowed to get back at him. After losing this fight I began body building and joined a Martial Arts club. Later on in High School I joined a gang and became the “Tough Guy.” My dad and I had many fights which led to stitches and broken bones. I became a young man driven by hate and anger.
Through a series of events I ended up in Minneapolis Minnesota. I had landed a job as a Carpenter Apprentice and was working on remodeling a school into apartments when God brought a former pimp and drug addict into my life. His name was Thomas and we called him the “Holy Roller.” Wow! Did he roll for Jesus! Thomas entered into our job site to the scene of swearing, gambling and pornography. Yet in the midst of these sins he shined brilliantly in the darkness. He developed relationships with the guys and gals on the job. I sat back and watched Thomas lead 6 people from here to eternity by modeling the character traits of Jesus and telling his testimony to everyone. He would develop relationships with people and then ask them to come to his church. They would go and come back the following Monday with a smile on their face and a glow in there eye and a new Bible under there arm. It was amazing! I watched as the break room changed from a place of debauchery to a Bible Study. I observed our conversations change from parties, fights, and women to Jesus, the end times and His amazing love.
I watched hard core construction workers change spiritually. One of them was my best friend Bear the ex-Vietnam Vet who had kept pictures of his kills from Nam. Bear was a person who could never sleep through the night from the nightmares. So he and I would party hard so we could both sleep. I also suffered from nightmares. I recall when he started talking to Thomas a lot about how he lacked peace in his heart. Bear had killed over 35+ people in the war and was considered a war hero. He discovered the butchered bodies of his 5 best friends one night along with the Viet Cong who were presently doing it. Bear came on the scene and then killed all the Viet-Cong soldiers in the bunker that night. He was awarded the Bronze Star. He then became a sniper and suffered mentally. Thomas told him that Jesus could set him free and forgive him for what he had done. Bear told me, “ I am going to try Jesus Mike.” I tried talking him out of it because I felt he would brain washed. But he went to church with Thomas that weekend. He came back to work on Monday morning with a smile and not a growl. He emerged on the job site with a light in his eyes and that hollow look in his eyes was gone. I could see he had encountered something real and genuine. I asked what happened and he said, “I meet Jesus and I slept last night for the first since Nam and did not have a nightmare!” He then quit drinking and doing drugs and he never had another nightmare. I know I kept asking him if he did! He didn’t! He just kept telling me “Jesus has set me free Mike and He can do the same for you!”
Then one day the attention of the new, “Holy Roller Gang” turned to tough hardcore Mike. They started asking me to go to church with them, I said “No.” They did not pressure me too much but they all encouraged me that peace was only found in Jesus. I watched and observed these 6 men, men who had been angry, mean and nasty. They now had smiles and laughter as they read their Bibles and talked about what they learned. Then one day an Atheist came to work at our job site. Grant made it plain that he did not believe in God. He even made fun of the group and mocked them. One day I had enough of Grant. He said “A belief in God is for the weak minded!” I turned around and looked him in the eyes and said, “Grant I believe in God and I am not weak, as a matter of fact if you don’t shut up I am going to punch you right in the mouth! I also added “Believe me I will knock you out because unlike these folks who are to nice to do it I’m not.” At that moment Thomas, looked at me and asked me a question, “Mike, if you believe in God why don’t you go to church?” I though a moment and said,” Well ….because I party Saturday night’s and I sleep in!” But then I added this phrase, “But if you had church tonight I would go.” I was blown away when he said “We have church tonight!” I thought no one has church on Wednesday night!
We went that night to his African American Pentecostal Church. All I can say is WOW! I did not accept Jesus that night but when I went home that night after the service the Pastor’s message recited in my mind over and over. By morning I was ready to make a decision for Jesus Christ. I wanted to be free. I wanted to have peace like Bear. I wanted to smile, and be happy. I did not want to be angry anymore. I went to work found Thomas and asked if he had church that night and he said “Yes!” I thought, “Man they have church every night.” We went that night to a new believer’s class and I had a personal encounter with the Living God. It changed my heart and my life. By the way Grant went too!
