I Was Guided by the Truth in the Bible
Marda Debnam: Being a member of the Baptist church, I never believed in trinity [doctrine]. A part of me felt that I had been cheated out of a lot of good years in my life because I did not know the truth.
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Stories of Faith
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Marda Debnam
Former Baptist
My name is Marda Debnam. I’m 58 years old and I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. I’m the sixth of seven [children]. My parents were very hard-working. We lived near my grandfather, who was a big farmer. So growing up, it was nice to play outside. My father’s father, we call him Daddy Fred, was actually a deacon in the Baptist church.
“I Never Believed In The Trinity”
Jesus spoke these words, life up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
[John 17:1&3 New King James Version]
Being a member of the Baptist church, I never believed in the trinity [doctrine]. The minister in the Baptist churches that I attended, did not preach from the Bible that much. They would take one or two verses and base their sermon on that. So they were talking more about what was going on in the world versus what the Bible says. So that was always a concern for me. I didn’t really consider looking for another place of worship, until I actually moved to Norfolk, Virginia to get ready for college. Whether it was Jehovah’s Witness, Methodist, other Baptist churches, it just didn’t feel right. I felt that a lot of it was very much like I had [experienced] before. The minister was just telling me what he thought, what was going on in the world, but not really preaching from the Bible, and that was a concern.
“Cheated Out Of Good Years”
I was a college student at Norfolk State University and had gone through my placement office, and had accepted a part time position at the Norfolk Naval Base. I was assigned to work with Kathlyn Gonzalez, who was a member of the Church Of Christ. As we were working together, without any pressure, she invited me to a Bible Exposition, as it was called at that time. And I was just really blown away [impressed me that the minister was just reading from the Bible. And the choir really blew me away. To see the choir members singing, to see brothers in the choir, crying. So to see a man willing to weep, because he’s so moved by the hymns, and not being concerned about what other people in the congregation are thinking, that was very impressive. After the tenth lesson, I knew that this was the true Church. And I definitely wanted to be a member.
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Marda Debnam
Former Baptist
You know, I’m one of these people that if you show me something, and you can prove it to me, I don’t resist. Everything that I was listening [to] was from the Bible, it was truth. The minister could explain it. And I was trying to apply what I was learning every time I had a Bible study lesson. A part of me felt that I had been cheated out of a lot of good years in my life because I did not know the truth. But I was just very thankful that at least I was still young enough to learn the truth and just change my life.
“Learning To Pray”
Marda Debnam: When I became a member of the Church, I was taught [that] there are certain things that we should pray for, and in [a] certain order, and I didn’t realize that. And so that’s why the Bible study lessons are so helpful. But when we know what we’re supposed to ask for, and in what order, and we do that, God is always there to answer our prayers.
“God Is Always With Me”
I’m single, I don’t have any children. And for the most part, I rarely feel lonely because I know that God is always with me. Every time you put God first, especially before man, before anything, any job, God will always, always, always take care of you. God has provided me with everything and more than an abundance of what I need.
