Posted July 18, 2002
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Michelle's Story. “...A voice came from heaven, ’This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from the people and will live with the wild animals. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men...’ Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled.” -Daniel 4:31-33 NIV We know the rest of the story – the King was insane and lived like an animal for seven years, then his sanity was restored along with his tremendous kingdom, as he acknowledged and praised God. My name is Michelle Diekmeyer – some of you remember me as Michelle Kopkowski. I became a disciple in August of 1988, and I fell away seven years later in May of 1995. I was gone from the church for almost seven years, so this scripture has a lot of significance to me. Nebuchadnezzar’s pride caused God to take the King’s sanity for seven years. In the same way, because of my pride, I wandered in the world for seven years, hurting people, not caring about the consequences of my sin or how I hurt God. Pride can still make us insane today as it did back then. But, God can bring us back when we humble up and make him God of our life all over again. I wanted to share with you today about how God has significantly changed my life through this experience. Around 1994, I began to lose my faith. I stopped reading and praying consistently, although I was leading a group of 10 women. I was an incredible hypocrite. I was lonely and began a relationship outside of the church. I became sexually immoral and was not open about it. By Christmastime, I had broken off the relationship but was worse because I knew what I had done but didn’t have the humility to come clean. I decided to keep up my church façade and try to keep going. Christmas day my family and roommate were out of town and I was so depressed that I decided to kill myself. The only thought that saved me was that I wanted so badly to get a dog, and I knew I couldn’t have one if I was dead! So, my roommate came home a few days later and we went to the pound and got Amber, my doggie baby, who saved my life. However, spiritually, my conscience was seared and I continued acting like a Christian, but not living the life. A few months later, most of my friends moved away to Chicago or to start the Columbus church and I was even more alone. Shortly after that, I met Randy. We became friends at work and began communicating a lot about our lives. We were both lonely and became each other’s confidant. Within a few months, my life had become such a lie that I just stopped hiding anything. Randy and I became more and more involved and although he was married, we decided to get a place together. Randy knew very little about the church, and didn’t really understand what I was doing. I knew I was leaving more than a church, I was really leaving God. I hurt a lot of people when I left. Over the years while I was gone, God still moved. Often when I think back, I laugh, because God had a real method for affecting me. It seemed like everywhere I went, I would run into Christians from church. I would go to the local grocery and run into Linda Conley. I went to Kroger and had an argument in the paper towel aisle with Tom Galligan. Now, when you have left the church and are living an immoral lifestyle, the last thing you want to do is run into people who are Godly. However, God did this to help me realize where I truly stood. God used so many people to reach me over those years – each time it seemed like God was saying, “I’m still here”. It was obvious and irritating that running into these people was not a coincidence. Another thing God did was have me run into those who had left the church. Seeing their lives was a lesson in and of itself – they had often returned to the same sins of drunkenness and immorality that I had, and were depressed, self-focused and full of anger. Seeing them was a slap in the face for me. God kept calling me, but it took many years for me to respond. About a year ago, Randy and I had a very surreal conversation that made me think even more about my life and where it was going. I told him that if I died, I knew that I was going to hell. Randy turned to me with a look of realization and said ,”I am too”. That conversation was certainly no accident. From that point, I knew that I needed to get back. However, I also knew there was something deeply wrong with my heart. I couldn’t conceive of coming back to church if I wasn’t really going to live the life, and that scared me. I couldn’t see or feel any of my sin, I didn’t care who I hurt, I got drunk, I cared only about myself. I was filled with anger about abuse in my own family, and would often turn my anger toward Randy. Randy’s and my marriage at that time appeared “healthy” on the outside – but behind closed doors we dealt with resentment, lying, avoiding conflict, disrespect, pride, pornography and anger. Not long before this point I even asked Randy if he wanted a divorce. Around this time, my old roommate, Patti Kellett gave me a call. She invited me to a service for people who had left the church. I couldn’t go but thanked her for calling. Shortly after that, I had some surgery and Patti and Jan Davis came by to visit. Wouldn’t you know it – they brought the tape from that church service. In all honesty, I let that tape sit for months. I would move it around a lot, but couldn’t quite get to it. Finally, one day I listened to it and was amazed. The thing that affected me the most was a man (Steve Jacoby) who had left the church for many years came back and what he shared about his life. With all he had overcome, I finally had some hope to cling to. God had put people in my life over and over again, he had given my husband an innate spiritual sense about him, he led someone like Patti (who should have hated me) love me, and he sent me the exact message I needed to hear. How much more did I need? That was it – I finally got it. I came back shortly after that, and was restored in October of 2001. However, the greatest present, and the most inspiring part was that Randy became a disciple a month later. I used to think God only works in other people’s lives. But when I sat down and thought about it, if I only looked, God is and has been working powerfully in my life all along. Sometimes I think we don't see it, but sometimes I think we also don’t want to see it, because then we have to respond. I think that’s how I was for a long time. But now, I look for God to work in my life and am truly grateful for the way he has so powerfully moved, even for me. Randy's Story. When I started studying the Bible, the following passage from Luke 15 really struck me:
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after
the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' I say to
you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no
repentance.” As Michelle stated, our relationship started off deep in sin. We were engaged in sexual immorality, and I had left my wife and family to be with Michelle. By the standards of the world, we actually had a pretty good marriage, and my divorce was not that unusual. I was a real piece of work. I was extremely selfish, very critical of others, and one of the most negative people I have ever known. As I think back, I don't know how I kept any friends. My focus was on material things. Michelle's influence helped me see how selfish I was, and I did turn it around a little. When Michelle started talking about going to church, I was somewhat hesitant. I had been to different churches, and had joined an Apostolic church in high school. I did believe the Bible, but didn't read it, let alone follow it. Of all the churches I had attended, it never really felt like it was "right". Actually, I didn't trust this "Church of Christ" because of Michelle's negative attitude when she fell away. I did agree to come with her to church, and I was immediately caught up in the love and enthusiasm shown by the disciples. I studied the Bible with Tony Millet, and Rod Williams, and the sin study really hit me hard. I woke up in the middle of the night with a panic attack. I got out of bed and onto my knees, and that was when I felt God take control of my life. I was baptized on 18 November 2001. It is amazing how God can change one's outlook and character! I began to be joyful for each and every day. I looked at others with compassion rather than disdain. I began to be generous rather than selfish and stingy. We began to really work on modeling our marriage after God's covenant. One evening I looked up "marriage" in my concordance, and thought, "This should be good!" What a shock! Instead of being encouraging, as I expected, God showed me in His word how much I had sinned. It was a very humbling experience, and proved to me that God can take a deplorable situation and turn it into a situation that glorifies Him. |
Randy and Michelle Diekmeyer have been disciples as a couple for just over eight months. Michelle's experiences,
however, go back over 14 years. Last Sunday, they opened their heart's at the East Region's outdoor worship service and shared
their conversion stories to the congregation in attendance. They have graciously agreed to post their stories in full sight of the
church, and the world, as testimony of the power of God to overcome sin, and to send an often forgotten message, that there is
never a situation that God cannot forgive if you open your heart and repent.