1984: December.10; I was born.
My parents expected a girl....and got me instead. My name was supposed to be Rachelle Beth MacFall, but God decided to exercise his divine sovereignty and turn me into a boy. That's why I trust Him....He knows what he's doing.
I was a normal boy with an older brother and eventually God gave me two sisters. I grew up in a moderate home moving a lot due to my dad's job as a grunt engineer on elevators.
1991: My dad was hurt on the job. He blew out a disk in his back and went through surgeries and therapy. He has never recovered and it has actually started a chain reaction of painful events for him. To date, each disk in his back has begun deteriorating and he is in pain 24/7. Needless to say...he cannot hold a job with so much pain. The accident was God's way of showing my dad grace. He was going down a self destructive path of narcissism. God began to passionately pursue my dad while he was flat on his back and had nothing else to do but look up. Dad continued to work even though he shouldn't have. He's the strongest man I know...as well as the most stubborn. God called dad to the ministry and thus my true church experience began.
My mom worked almost her whole life to keep us above poverty. There were years where she was the primary bread winner in the family. My dad did his best to lead us spiritually and my mom did her best to follow. Emotions were always a hard thing for my mom to control and my dad's unyielding patience began to fade. It was when they both began to inwardly grow as Christians when their outward actions began to change. There is not one statistical reason why my mother should not have left us a long time ago. When I was young I heard that 90% of women leave their husband after ANY back injury. They say the pain does something to people....it changes them. My mom has been diagnosed with a chemical imbalance and she historically struggles with some form of depression. I say these things not to dishonor my mother...but to honor her by explaining God's grace in her life. God gave her the gift of faith. She has been faithful to God and our Family even when she didn't want to be. She was faithful in one of the most feared statistical disadvantages known to Americans. "**American poverty**" in the midst of emotional and physical pain management is no easy task and cannot be done without God the Father and His true sanctification. God has graced her with a smile that melts the sadness from her eyes and a gracious heart that fuels her tired body. My mom is the strongest woman I know.
1996: A Summer to remember
July: Dad was at work and My mom took my sister to the pharmacy for an ear ache. My brother and I were left to clean the kitchen...which we had little intention of doing. We decided to ride our bike down to Grandmama's house instead. You know the state of half worried while your trying to play and forget what your worried about? I knew mom or dad would eventually call Grandmama's and we would eventually have to own up to our disobedience. It was long before the phone rang and my heart hit the floor. I immediately wished I had done what I was told to do and regretted the last hour of my life. I think it was my mom who called and I watched Grandmama's face turn from curious to pale and grave. She put the phone down and said, "You boys need to stay here for a while. Your house caught on fire and your momma wants you to stay..." by that point my brother and I were on our bikes riding down to watch our life go up in smoke. As most 11 year old boys are concerned, it wasn't that emotional for me. I thought it was kind of cool. It wasn't until later when I found out we didn't have insurance and were not going to get all new stuff. Bummer. But our church really chipped in and blessed us with more than we started with! It was a hard time for my parents.
AUGUST 22, 1996
I woke up with a really bad stomach ache. To this day, I'm not sure if I've ever been in as much pain as that night. I went to my parents room and laid with them for about an hour. My mom said it may be indigestion and suggested I go sit upright in a chair. When I got up, I couldn't put weight on my legs and fell down to the floor. My parents called the ambulance and they thought I was faking because school was starting soon. They didn't want to waste their time on a faker so they helped me to my parents car instead of the ambulance. I was in the emergency room 16 hours with steroids and who knows what else pumped in my body.
To make a long story short...
I was in the hospital for about 4 months, which is actually quite short considering what I was going through. I couldn't move my legs, but I could feel them. I couldn't feel hot, cold, pain, or differentiate between textures. The Dr.'s were stumped and eventually decided to call it something....even though it isn't the proper diagnoses. They called it Trans Verse Myelitis. It was a virus that ate the myelin sheath off my nerves and effected me from my diaphragm down. Since I've gained quite a bit of mobility back and quite a bit of feeling back as well. Hot, cold, and pain each have a unique feeling that differs greatly from the rest of my body.
These are the major events in my young life that have molded my perspective on life now.
I failed out of college a few times, and I'm listening to God for direction.
SPIRITUALITY
While this could easily be the longest portion of my story, I will try and make it my shortest on this biography. I hope you have a moment to listen to the podcast to get the most current representation of my spiritual walk.
I'm a Christian most closely defined by the Reformists Theology of Augustine and John Calvin. Most notable pieces of my theology have to do with The Depravity of Man and God's Divine Sovereignty when it comes to election.
The Bible is the infallible Word of God given to us through the writings of man in reaction to God's divine presence. Based on historical evidence and the incomprehensible cohesiveness of the Old Testament with the New Testament scriptures, I believe them to be paramount in understanding God's will for his loved ones. Based on personal research I have found that The Reformists collection of scriptures are to be the accurate Word of God. The additional books added by various other religious groups and denominations hold little no historical proof and are non-cohesive with the rest of Scripture.
I am currently a member of a church and serve there regularly.
**American Poverty**
I wanted to make a note about this phrase. I'm well aware that the American idea of poverty is still exceedingly above the standard compared to most of the world today. The "American Poverty" is still a stressful place to be...in a country where you MUST own a car, a college degree, and a home just to get a job, it can be detrimental to someone who has taken these responsibilities in order to work and can't find employment. Especially when you add kids to the mix.
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