Share this article:

I was raised in a Christian home, attending church regularly and growing in knowledge of the Bible. As I grew into my teens and early twenties, I found myself straying from the truth, pursuing a lifestyle more in line with the culture. I had always felt I came up short in life when measured against others and had to work harder than those around me to succeed. When I did experience success, whether in athletics, at work, or in personal relationships, my sinful pride attributed it to my work ethic rather than as a blessing from God.

I continued to find my identity in those pursuits and relationships, and that caused me to spiral downward, chasing earthly gain and sinful desires to “succeed” culturally rather than pursuing righteousness as we are called to do. The more I chased these things, the emptier I felt. Finally, at the age of 28, I simply said “there has to be more than this.” I fell on my knees and prayed that God had not forsaken me, even though I had fled from Him. It was at that point that God stirred in me the desire to follow Him. Upon moving to the Arlington Heights area in the late 90’s, I started attending The Orchard. It was there I was filled by true and consistent teaching from the Bible. When I heard the words spoken by a visiting pastor, Ray Pritchard, say, “If every knee is going to bow, and every tongue is going to confess…why wait?” I knew I needed to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and invite him to be King of my life. I have continued to wage war against my sin and have at times fallen short. But God is ever faithful, and he has continued to lift me up and reset my course. I am reminded that while battles may continue to be fought, the war has already been gloriously won. One of these battles was with baptism. There was always a reason not to be baptized. I wanted my children to be older, travel for work, family obligations, etc. Satan continued to mount attacks on me, reminding me of my unworthiness and cajoling me to seek my identity once again in earthly measures; anywhere but in Christ Jesus, so that I would continually fall short. All things work together for good for those that believe, and my own sinful struggles led me to be humbled before our Great God and King. It was only through being humbled by my own that I understood I am indeed unworthy. Hebrews 4:15-16 assure me that I have a great High Priest who in every respect was tempted as I am; yet remained free from sin. I can, with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace in my time of need. It is with that knowledge I can, acknowledge Christ before men, so that He will acknowledge me before the Father. (Mathew 10:32) Pastor Colin has some of the best analogies. One that has influenced me is the analogy of a father teaching his child how to ride a bike when thinking of our spiritual walk. There are times along the way when we, “wipe out.” The disappointment the Father has in the crash is soon wiped clean by the joy experienced when He picks us up, puts us back on course, and sees us peddle forward making progress. I am not yet who I desire to be but Praise the Lord I am no longer what I once was.

Connect with Us:

August 5, 2025
Ninhursag Avakian from The Orchard North Shore shared the following testimony about how she has seen God work in her life by calling her to serve. I serve with the middle school girls and the young adults both at the North Shore campus and at the all church gatherings. I have been so blessed to be serving in all three ministries and have been able to grow in each role. With the middle school girls, I have been blessed to see a student give her life to the Lord and get the honor of walking alongside her in her journey with Christ as her leader.
July 8, 2025
The Staff at The Orchard Itasca shared the following testimony about how they have seen God work through the ministry of the Forest View Nursing and Rehab Center. We began this ministry last year and have set up quarterly visits to the facility. Each time, 15 people meet there at 2 pm. Some people just engage with those in the common areas, talking with them, praying with them. Others, including Pastor Ryan go door-to-door and visit with those who are in their rooms. We take gift bags each time to hand out to both residents and staff.
July 1, 2025
Pastor Shohei shared his testimony with the staff of The Orchard, and how he has seen God work through the ministry of the Welcome Desk. Every Saturday and Sunday, I stand by the Welcome Desk to greet new guests at our church. Over the past month, I’ve noticed more and more new faces attending. Since I’m always there, I can easily recognize who is new and make them feel welcome.