It was a downward spiral; my life was a total disappointment. I was in a job that I hated, and showing horses, which was supposed to be fun, became a source of frustration. I had stopped finding any enjoyment from my family and friends. After all, in my mind, if I couldn’t make myself happy it was up to them to do it for me. After throwing vast amounts of money into my horse-hobby and vast amounts of alcohol into my body, I thought that perhaps increasing my personal wealth would solve the problems in my life.

So multi-level marketing was going to be the answer! I was introduced to a system by a friend, and I really thought the idea could make up for the debt I had created. My wife Kelly and I both decided to pursue this. We had gone to a conference in Kamloops for the group that we had bought into. There we saw all of the material possessions that the people who were part of this group had; the cars, buses and furs were very impressive.

But still we felt that there was something missing; it didn’t feel right in our hearts. On the Sunday of the conference they had a church service. Both Kelly and I had grown up in Catholic homes but hadn’t continued attending in our young adult lives. Well, during this service, without knowing it, both of us sensed that we were looking for the wrong things in life and that what we needed to look for was God.When we got home we actually spoke together about what impressed us most about the conference, and discovered that it was the same thing: the Sunday service. We felt God calling us, but we decided that it was no use going back to our old church where we felt there was nothing for us.

We determined at that point to ask other people about their churches. We had clients who we suspected were religious because on their dining room table they always had an open Bible. On a social visit we asked them about their faith. She told us that she and her husband were willing to come with us on our search for a church home.We had gone to three churches when we came to SouthSide.

We immediately knew that something was going to be different. It was like God was shining in that place. I felt God telling me to stop wandering and start seeking Him alone. The actual moment when it all made sense to me was when I was alone driving in my car.

I was filled with a feeling of love and peace that filled the void that had been in my life. It was this peace that God filled me with that changed my life.In Matthew 7:7, it says: “Ask, seek, knock and I will let you in."

When I was searching to fill the emptiness in my life, God heard me and answered. Now I know that the emptiness came from His absence in my life. I am so thankful that the door to God is never locked.