David

     Growing up, I lived in a Christian household that prioritized keeping traditions and doing your best to be perfect. I often felt empty in my prayer life and disconnected from the

people in the churches that I attended since we would only visit on Sundays. Throughout my elementary years, I experienced a lot of rejection and bullying in school. When my family and I moved to Tampa, my parents got divorced, and later my dad remarried and took on a new family. The chaos that ensued in my life made me resent a lot of things in my heart, which I wouldn’t even realize until later. When I reached high school, I entered into a relationship with my first girlfriend. This relationship soon became an idol, and when the relationship ended after I graduated high school, I was once again shattered by an experience of rejection. 

     During my first week of classes at USF, I ran into a Bible study leader from Cornerstone who invited me to a weekly Bible study. After attending the first two Bible studies, I realized that I was living without a purpose and holding onto my rejection from the past. I gave my life to Christ, realizing it was the most important decision I could make. Jesus saved me from a life of bondage to sin and condemnation. He fulfilled His promise of deliverance and acceptance, healing my past hurt. Since making this decision over a year ago, I have experienced peace that I had never felt before in my life. Cornerstone has provided me with both the opportunity to grow in my relationship with the Lord and a family of believers that I can count on through all life's ups and downs, the best part being that it’s eternal! A recent testimony is that the Lord has called me to become an officer in the United States Air Force when I graduate college. I believe His purpose for me is to protect and defend our nation and support our rights as followers of Christ to worship freely.                                      

-David