Wes,

I'm not sure exactly why the pastor asked me to give my testimony. If I remember correctly, maybe it was to get to know me better. Sorry, the pastor caught me on the way out the door after church one day, so it's a little fuzzy in my mind.

The church I attend is rather small (20-30 people) and the members are from many cultures and backgrounds. In some ways, the diversity is good, but as you can imagine with people from so many backgrounds there is quite a range of beliefs there. Many of the theological errors I've been seen discussed on this board, I hear at church from different people. The pastor, who is fairly new, came from an Assembly of God background. As you may recall from some other posts I've had some disagreements with the pastor and I'm actually seeking another church to attend.

Thanks for the other advice. I do want to use a few verses from Scripture. I don't really remember any particular text that God used to "open my eyes", but there are some particular verses that have always impacted me more than others. In truth, I'm not really sure when I actually became a Christian. I grew up in a Christian family, so I was always exposed to the Bible. I thought I was a Christian as a child, but now that I am adult I'm not so sure that I was then. I think this is a common experience for people who grow up in Christian households.
You suggested the following (I need to learn how to use the quote function)

"I'd share that I now love God with all my heart because He first loved me and now I want to live the rest of my life to serve Him. I'd give all the praise and glory to my loving Savior Jesus Christ who loved me and gave His life for me to save me from my sin."

I think I know what you are saying here, but it's easy when saying this to give the wrong impression. Honestly, there is part of me that this is true for, but there is a part of me that this is not true for. I mean, I truly wish that "I loved God with all my heart ..., I want to live the rest of my life to serve him ... , etc", but this is not the case. Every day I'm confronted by the fact that, even though I am a Christian, I don't love God with all of my heart, and there are many many times that I don't want to serve God. I guess this is what we read about in Romans 7. That's why I'm so glad that Christ died for my sins. Of course, those things are true in my life to a degree now that I am a Christian, but they are not perfect (nowhere near). I don't want to give the impression (as Pilgrim suggested to be careful of) that after becoming a Christian all our problems are solved.

John