To understand my walk to the saving grace and everlasting light of Jesus Christ, it is important to realize where God was working in my life when I least recognized it, let alone was willing to acknowledge his omnipresence.

I grew up early on in a house governed and controlled by the religion called "Jehovah's Witnesses" which used cult like controlling measures and early intensive indoctrination to intimidate and manipulate adults and children alike into submitting to the will of their "man-enhanced" views of God and their faith. Services were often very long and occurred 4 or more days a week. Young children like me all the way up to senior citizen members of the "church" were required to do long readings of the bible, often times in front of the entire congregation as well as listen to long interpretations from books written from senior elder's viewpoints of the Jehovah's Witnesses organization.

One of my earliest recollections of this religion was also one of the most negative. At the time, we lived at the base of the Smoky Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina and we were required to go door to door delivering Watchtowers and Awake magazine tracts trying to minister to the "mountain men" types that lived way back off the beaten roads in this part of the country. Keeping this as positive as possible, let's just say that these people were never very receptive to the message, nor our approach. Emphasizing it with shotgun blasts and "junkyard" dogs was pretty common as well as very terrifying for a youngster my age.

From experiences like this to watching an abusive "holier than thou" father be hypocritical as he drank and ran around on my mother – no wonder I ran from God and any aspect of religion that I saw. In my heart I believed I was justified and being a stubborn, self reliant child, no one was going to change my mind, but, like the message of one of my favorite poems, "Footprints in the Sand", even though I was forsaking God, he was still their "carrying" me through the tough times.

Looking back, the funny thing was as hard as I ran from religion and God; I still recall believing (or maybe just hoping) in prayer. Maybe it was the desperation to get out of a bad situation that drove my clinging to that or maybe it was just Gods way of leaving what I call a "nightlite" of optimism in my heart as I worked my way thru that lost time in my life.

In fact, my first experience with the saving grace of Jesus Christ's significance came as I worked with Al and Ron Lindner as a junior intern. They would run camp sessions for fathers and children to come to and on one occasion, as we sat around a big bonfire, all the dads hugging and loving up on their kids, I broke down and started to cry, thinking why me, why couldn't I have this – cursing God for my plight in life. Al took me aside the next day, took me musky fishing as I remember and introduced me to the message of what God was offering me and I can remember, get this, timing is everything, turning him down flat cold!

Can you believe it? But again, remember where I was coming from and that their was still much that I had to endure and overcome to really respect the gift that Al and God were offering me.

Because of being out on my own so early on in my teenage life, I was exposed to a lot of people and a lot of religious beliefs. There were the Amish who were always so good to me from my nightcrawler business days, simple people, simple life, to this day something still to be said for that. There was the Buddhist man who early on probably instilled more into me for my love of the outdoors than anyone. There was the Hindu boy who I was friends with even when no one else would be, just because he was different and smelled of Indian spices. There was the African American boy whose family was strict Pentecostals, something that seemed to always get in the way of us having fun. There was one of my best friends who came from a strong Protestant family, a family that I looked up to thinking they had it all together only to find out later in life how much they didn't. Nonetheless, you can probably understand the confusion that I had developed for secular religion, and how that confusion was a real hang-up to my spiritual growth. Today, I am no longer hung-up on religious denominations, I simply understand that we are all children of God and that as Christians, we are saved thru the grace of his son's sacrifice!

Getting out of school early and making the decision to forsake my blossoming fishing career to join the Army was definitely not a step in the right direction to finding my spiritual way, but, looking back again, the paths that God let me take, no matter how far and stray they were from him, always were punctuated with amazing examples of just how close he really was. From the womanizing to the partying to the dangerous risk taking duty to the "hustle" style gambling to the heavy drinking, I ran the gamete of transgressions. Secretly, I am sure many of those activities were just cries out but being a man's man and bound and determined not to need anyone or want for anything I kept right on at them until one night I got into a "shooting" contest with a fifth of gin and a much more experienced "player" and almost died of alcohol poisoning. Well, you know the saying about the snake that bit you, it is true and to this day, (despite one guest bar tending slip), I have remained sober and never touched another drop. The lesson from this is that despite two distinct life changing experiences I personally went through early on as a teenager, one seeing my best friends dad constantly drunk and beating on him and the other, watching an innocent family of four killed on the water by a "plastered" speed boater, I still chose, and almost succumbed to that same lifestyle. Scary how close God lets you come to the brink of destruction before he clutches you from the grips of hell!

As many of you know from my personal story, I opted to turn down a West Point Prepatory nomination and leave the military, recognizing that while it offered a great "stop gap" and the experience of traveling the world, over 26 countries in less than three years, it never really served the one true purpose for me doing it which was to "earn" my fathers respect and admiration, something that is still hard for me to face. And of course, never being graced with the highest level of "smarts", I jumped from the proverbial fire of combat to the frying pan of private business, all with no college education, no experience but a lot of what I would later learn to give credit to properly, God given "gutspa" and determination.

Looking back, I am sure God was preparing me. You see, I had experienced being poor with food stamps and welfare as a child, I had worked as early as eight years old to make "survival" money, I had seen real poverty in a number of third world countries and now, as my personal bio shows, God (or maybe Satan) allowed me to experience early and quick success after success with all the money and trappings to go with it. In the circles I was in, we called it "new rich" and it can be a horrible mistress. Constantly alluring and seducing you with the promises of the next sure deal reaping the next big payoff. Especially being so young in an industry dominated by men much older, the competitive desire to do whatever to stay on top drove me to 100 hour plus work weeks, constant "trying to keep up with the Jones" mentality and a willingness to skirt too close to the moral and ethical gray edge, all for the justification of business success and wealth.

Through all of these lessons learned, post hindsight of course, was that God knew in the "tutorials of life" that he was allowing me to experience would later come the compassion and understanding I would need to be a true and effective "fisher of men" in the great commission he would have me undertake! Of course, going through all these experiences at the time, I would have never dreamed of nor foreseen any of this.

It was at this point in time in my life that God knew the molding of who I was to become needed the artistic sculpting of a beautiful woman, let me clarify that, the right beautiful woman. Through only slight circumstances, odds defying timing and God directed positioning, came a young lady named Rita. At the time we met, she was a strong Catholic from a well to do family and although both her mother and father had passed away thru difficult situations, she remained vigilant to her faith, something I could not understand, coming from my background of despise for anything pomp and circumstance related to religion.

As we grew closer, I started to carve out time in my busy schedule to start attending church with her and to be honest, going thru the Catholic ritual was not easy at all. But it was a start, the first step down the right path, as they say.

I still can remember having to have them go all the way up to a Monsignor just to authorize a "heathen" like me to be married in a Catholic church. It was at this time that, due to the success that I was having in business, I was starting to hang around with men who were of the significant 1% of the 1% caliber. It was one of these men in particular who really set my world on its ear as he challenged me boldly and directly with where I was in my life with Jesus Christ. O.K., lets me honest – I was nowhere and in need of an asbestos suit bad and he knew, I just didn't.

Stubborn as I was, I didn't accept his invitation but it did get me thinking, in fact it even got my wife rethinking her Catholic beliefs. The saying that whom you associate with is who you become is very true. These men didn't give up on me, they didn't shove it down my throat, they just kept including me and mentoring me and letting me figure out that despite all the worldly things we had, Rita and I had nothing without the grace of God.

It was in the summer of 1996, I can remember it like it was yesterday, after a long night of business meetings that a gentlemen named Larry, someone who honestly I had had many negative confrontations with in the past, pulled me aside in a parking lot and really challenged me. It was that night that my world (and eternal life) changed forever; it was that night that I finally accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior!

Now, I would like to tell you that the heavens opened up, angels came down and horns blew, that my life became a perfect utopia and that I never incurred another challenge but that just would not be true….in fact, in all honesty, the challenges were just about to pile up.

Our best friends at the time, Scientologists by the way, ridiculed us. Our Mormon friends were happy for us but thought we ought to try it "their" way. Many of my business contacts abandoned me. I struggled in my new found faith as I watched what I thought were suppose to be good "Christian" people start to really do some bad things. I was really teetering on the balance beam of giving up, thinking this "Christian" thing was just too hard and inconvenient. It was at this time that Rita and I decided to start seeking the answers on our own, leaving the Catholic church to look for a place, a church where we felt God was really present and alive. After many tries, I mean many; we finally found a church in Timonium , Maryland called Grace Fellowship where we felt comfortable. We made an even bigger step of faith by going thru the "cleansing" process of getting baptized. The lesson learned for new Christians and those that lead them to that decision, make sure they get plugged into a support system and church alive with the spirit of Jesus Christ, forget the hang up of denominations, the holy spirit being present is the key!

Now, the stronger we seemed to grow in our faith, the more the challenges came at us. Constant up's and downs in business as I started to realize that I no longer wanted to sacrifice my reputation and ethics just for a buck, losing over $250,000 in one afternoon in a limited partnership where the general partner walked away with every dime and hasn't been found to this day. Almost dying in a car crash as I fell asleep at the wheel, almost losing my wife to a medical challenge when she was 7 months pregnant, the list goes on and on and on….

You see, by the year 2000, the tremendous toll and price being paid as owner of The Godwin Business Group with 100+ hour work weeks and all the stressful demands from the day-to-day hands-on management of the firm was, unbeknownst to everyone, including my wife, rearing its ugly head in the form of ever increasing spells with hypoglycemia, worsening challenges with ADD and the beginning tell tale signs of prostate problems. Secretly knowing that our own success was "literally" killing me, I began the process of selling off and closing divisions and in 2001 officially closed the doors of The Godwin Business Group. Financially, this meant giving up a tremendous amount, especially with nothing in the wings to fill in, faith wise it was an even bigger step because it meant that I was willing to trust in the Lord despite the obvious questions of how, what, where and when?

Most people would look at all of this as a great defeat, a sad commentary, maybe even as a disappointing win for Satan but the good news is this, God is an awesome God and he hasn't lost ONE SOUL yet. I can't tell you we didn't face tough circumstances (and that you might not too) after we accepted Jesus Christ as our savior but I can tell you this, we faced them with a different sense of peace and understanding that no matter what, as long as we maintained a steadfast, stalwart path of faith, God would always be there. Maybe not always coming through with what we thought should be the solution but ALWAYS with a greater plan to the real path of destiny we were to take.

That being said, where one window was closed, God opened a greater door of opportunity, a chance to combine my life long love for the sport of fishing with my love for serving my God. This time, vowing, with great support from my wife, that I would do it focused in ministry as well as an industry I had loved from my childhood, I started "Sport Fishing Ventures Unlimited", a company built on Christian principles and dedicated to supporting those wishing to support Christian manufacturers and opportunities within the sport fishing business community. An awesome serendipity to this whole re-birth was that not long after, a heaven sent opportunity was presented to me to volunteer as a director for a great organization that was dedicated to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through professionally run bass tournaments and today I actively run 5 divisions myself, personally seeing over 500 men, women and children come to know the light, the way and the truth!

Like I always like to tell everyone, "With Jesus Christ, ALL things are possible…."

Where does God have me going next?

I'm not really sure but am I ever open to the wondrous possibilities. I know that God has entrusted in each of us great and awesome spiritual gifts and one of mine is to simply use my life as an example and glorification to him, that no matter what you do, how far you run away, God will NEVER leave you. God has allowed me to lead a life that takes most everyone's excuses away and he has gifted me with the ability to speak and reach people at a core level. More and more, I find myself accepting pastoring assignments, working with children, working with businessman offering motivating messages of God's awesome endowment and plan for all of us!

I would ask that if you are reading this and you don't know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please consider this:

Everlasting life is just a decision away, not one made in your minds eye with all the questions of the universe answered but one stirred in your heart with nothing more than the desire to understand you aren't alone and you weren't meant to live this life here on Earth without the help and guidance of a higher power. You are deserving of an internal peace that gives you the power to face any challenge, you are released from the belief that you have to have all the answers, you need simply and humbly to ask for Jesus Christ to come into your life. The good news is that he died on the cross for YOU; I know it is hard to believe but he did, just for YOU. And when he did, he took on the burden of everyone of your sins, and I mean everyone of them, no matter how bad you think it is or how guilty you are for doing it, asking for forgiveness in Jesus' name washes the slate clean in Gods eyes. That is awesome!

If you really, really want this relationship, this gift of everlasting life, say this prayer below:

God, I come to you, asking for your help, understanding I don't have all the answers. I know I am a sinner, I am truly sorry and I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. I ask for your forgiveness and ask for your help to avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive and hears my prayers. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this moment forward. Please send the Holy Spirit to help guide me, to help me do your will for my life. I ask for this in your precious son's name, in Jesus' name, Amen!

I know you prayed this prayer of salvation with true conviction, from your heart and that you really meant it! If so, I welcome you to the family of God, to the everlasting love of Jesus Christ. No matter what happens, what anyone says, you are covered by the all powerful grace of Jesus Christ; your eternal salvation is forever!

But the story doesn't end there…..now you need to work at this, you need to find a bible believing Christian church and you need to start studying God's word so you too, can see all the wondrous plans he has detailed for your life, here as well as in heaven!

If you consider yourself a Christian but maybe have strayed a little (or a lot), God is just a step away, he never, ever left your side and all it takes is simply asking for forgiveness and expressing your desire to once again follow his path for your life. Nothing is ever that bad that we should walk away from the one power that can truly solve all problems and no matter where you are in your walk with God, he has ALREADY opened the door for your return!

Let me be clear on one important point, I am nobody special, I still have to work at my sinful imperfections, I still have my struggles and my doubts just like you will. But as someone who has been there, from both sides, of wanting nothing to do with God to wanting everything to do with God, if I can personally offer any assistance or if you have found my testimony of faith to inspire you or to raise some questions in your mind as to where you are in your personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then I would invite you to contact me. I am not a minister, I am no "holier than thou" all knowing, shove it down your throat, religious fanatic. I am simply a imperfect man grateful to have a relationship with a perfect God, fortunate enough to be able to share with anyone the good news that you, too, can have what I have.

May God Bless and keep you and yours from this day forward,

IAN