August 30 - Carmine Posillico

I was born in Italy, immigrated to American in 1974 at the age of 14. I still remember clearly the culture shock that hit me noticing at the time the vast differences in foods, clothing, automobiles, sports, housing etc. But nothing had prepared me for what was the biggest surprise: finding out that there were other churches or denominations outside of the Catholic Church.

Being from a small town, I was not much aware of other denominations or religions. In my college years I had forgotten all about my religious observances. I was simply following my dream to play pro soccer. Once that was over, I had a couple experiences with people who read the Bible and told me about the Lord. But I continued in my futile search for fun with no specific direction.

Until one night at a Disco Club, as fate would have it, I met a young lady who, after a few dances and dates, began talking to me about a small church she had gone to where they read and taught out of the Bible. After we were together for a while, one day we decided to visit this small church. It had been many years that I had not attended even a Catholic Mass or considered God at all.

As we entered the small church, I quickly realized that this was completely different and even strange from anything I was used to. I stood at the back of the church watching this small group of people singing and raising hands. Once the so-called Pastor took the stage to teach, I was both perplexed and strangely amused as this short man would read and then shout out things from the Bible. Though I was not fully sure of what to make of it, I was nevertheless captivated from the actual reading of the Bible. After a few more visits, I was compelled to accept and to follow the Lord.

I remember vividly being baptized in a tub of some kind and feeling for the first time that I was truly cleansed and washed from who I was and my sins which I knew and hid well. There we met a couple who became extremely helpful and supportive in those tender days and with whom we have become life-long friends.

Sadly, it did not take long before I became unhappy and felt imprisoned in this new life. While reading the Gospels on my own were exciting and revolutionary, the little church experience was causing more depression instead of encouragement than it promised. I felt more trapped and miserable than ever before. But reading God's word kept me hanging on.

The relationship with my girlfriend became worse instead of better as we both tried to follow the Lord but disagreed on how to put it into practice. It caused much harm and division and problems in our relationship. After a year or so, I came across a radio program called A New Beginning. As I listened to it on my way to work early in the morning, the Lord started filling me with His Word of grace and mercy and my spirit started to come alive.

It wasn't until I came to find CCOB in 1987 that my spiritual life started to stabilize and truly a new beginning had dawned on both me and my girlfriend. Forever grateful to the Lord for Pastor Lloyd and Karen Pulley. Under his teaching here at CCOB is where I learned to love God's Word above all things and have come to know the greatest and most exhilarating truth and joy, that the living God desires fellowship and friendship with us. The Lord allows and waits for us to go into His presence anytime, anywhere, one-on-one, in the most intimate way possible, mind, soul and spirit.

That same young lady and I after many early years of ups-and-downs, have been together close to 40 years, married for 31 years and have been serving the Lord in various ministries for some time now. Passing on that which the Lord did for us to other people and especially couples. Now as the scripture in 3 John 1:4 says... I/We have not greater joy than to hear (or see) that my/our children walk in truth... be both biological and otherwise.

SOLI DEO GLORIA