Life Changing Stories - "Born a Buddhist" - Woodbridge Community Church in Irvine, California

Life Changing Stories
Born a Buddhist
From Religion to a Relationship
God Bless America
Healed from the Pain
Miracle Healing from Leukemia
My God! They Hit Head-on!
My Search for the Messiah

Born a Buddhist . . . Born Again as a Christian!
by Al Yamashita

For fifty plus years, I was a member of the Buddhist religion. It was neither good nor bad ... it simply was. I was born into the religion because both my parents were and are Buddhists.

I was always a "good boy." My parents raised me with a strong sense of values and an understanding of right and wrong. I did well in school and stayed out of trouble. My father's direction to me was to study hard, work hard, and never do anything that would bring embarrassment to the family.

This was who I was when I met my wife, Sherri. We dated for six years before we married in 1971. The company I worked for in those days is still the company I work for today.

I worked hard and became successful through my own efforts, or so I believed. Our son, Brent, was born in 1973, and in 1976 our daughter, Wendy. However, my work became my number one priority. After all, I owed it my family to be successful didn't I? I worked six days a week and any spare time was consumed by alcohol, football on TV, and hanging out with the guys. Sherri and the kids took a distant second and third. The company I worked for was always the "other woman " in Sherri's life.

In 1992, our son, who was attending college, was led to the Lord by a fellow student in the dorm. He was the first in our family to give his life to Jesus. At first, I feared he had gotten mixed up in some sort of cult. After some deep discussions with Sherri he helped lead her to the Lord. Our daughter, Wendy, was next. I was the lone holdout.

Sherri started attending a local church and frequently asked me if I would like to go with her. Each Sunday, I simply said "no." I did not need religion. I had it together. I was successful, and I did it by my own efforts and hard work. Why did I need to go to church? In 1996, Sherri and I completed 25 years of marriage. She announced to me that she did not want to celebrate our 25th anniversary. I was stunned. She reflected that the first 10 years of our marriage were good, but the last 15 had not been so good. She felt she would be a hypocrite if we celebrated.

So ... we had a 25th non-anniversary. I was staggered .

About this same time our son (now 23 years old) was wondering aloud to me if he ever wanted to get married. He saw Sherri and I and said, "If this is what marriage is about, I'm not sure I want to get married." I was reeling.

He also said that he realized that I was a good, hard working man, but it occurred to him that he had no childhood memories of me as a father. I was brought to my knees.

Mostly out of a desperate attempt to salvage our marriage, I reluctantly started to attend church with Sherri. "OK, I'll go, but don't expect me to sing the hymns or any of that stuff." Brent then asked me to attend a Promise Keepers Conference with him in San Diego. I figured I would humor him, and anyway, it would be a good father-son bonding experience.

In those days, I always thought Christians were a little weird. It was my stereotyped image of "them." However, at Jack Murphy Stadium, I came to realize that the 50,000 men there looked just like . me! Some were older, some younger, some taller, some shorter, well, mostly taller . but they were average looking guys, not wild eyed or crazy.

I did not commit my life to the Lord at that conference, but when I saw 50,000 men praying aloud and praising and worshipping the Lord in song, I thought to myself, "There's something going on here." I now know the Lord was getting my attention. I started to ask questions: "What do those guys have that I don't have? Did I want what those guys had?"

I even agreed to attend a couple's Bible study with Sherri. I was the only non-believer in the group. The group was exactly the type of people I needed in my life at that point in time. What a coincidence, eh? They were non-judgmental, patient, non-intimidating, and answered all my questions with examples from their past experiences. They assured me that my skepticism was similar to where they had been.

My logical mind was an obstacle to surrender. With Sherri's gentle urging and my new friends' encouragement, it was that same logic that very quietly and without fanfare or lightning bolts brought me to the point where, "I got it." The light bulb went on, and I surrendered my life to Christ. I became a new creation in Christ as promised in 2 Cor. 5:17. My life changed, my priorities changed, my family life changed. On March 17th, 2001, Sherri and I renewed our vows to each other. The love, respect, and joy has been restored to our marriage. I now realize the offer of Christ when He said, ". I came to give life-life in all its fullness. John 10:10 (NCV).