Robert O. "Buggs" BUGNON

I never really thought of God in my growing up years. I knew there

was a God, I just took Him for granted.

As a boy, I went to Sunday School and church with my mother. Through

the years we tried out different churches. There was the church on the

corner, and the little nondenominational church in the New Jersey

woods, where my friends went. I remember a great Sunday School teacher

I had in my teens. He was always planning excursions and things for us

to do on Saturdays. In thinking back, he never once mentioned the

"Good News".

I was about 15 when my Dad first went to church with the family. We

all began to enjoy the Little Church In the Woods. I become more

involved. As an usher, I sang in the choir and attended Youth

Fellowship, but still no one ever told me the "Good News" of the

Gospel.

After Navy boot camp, I was stationed in Green Cove Springs,

Florida. There I met a fellow who was different from the other young

Navy men. He didn't swear, or drink, or run after women. I thought all

sailors did those things. I watched him. I wondered why he was so

different. One Sunday evening, after returning from church, he

explained the "Good News" to me. For the first time in my life I heard

that God loved me so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die

for me, and that if I believed on Him I would not perish, but have

everlasting life. He explained John 3:16 to me. I was soon transferred

and never heard from him again. It was to be over three years before I

heard any more about Jesus Christ.

I married Kathy, started a family, completed my Navy enlistment, got

a job with a major insurance company. Shortly after Kathy started

working, her boss invited me to a Christian Business Men's Committee

(CBMC) dinner meeting. After a splendid meal, I heard the "Good News"

again. It came in the form of a personal testimony from a very

successful business man, Stanley Tam, of Lima, Ohio. He shared what

Jesus Christ had done in his life and what Jesus would do for those of

us who were listening. Right there, I accepted Jesus Christ as my

personal Saviour. I confessed my sins to Jesus and asked Him to come

into my heart. I now had the "Good News" I was looking for. I called

on the Lord in faith. I was born again.

That evening was a turning point in my life. I started attending

church for fellowship with other Christians. I began reading my Bible

and praying every day. As I became aware of the power of sin in my

life, I tried to deal with it. Unfortunately, I tried to do it myself,

and not through the power of the Lord Jesus. As I watched other

Christians, I knew I should stop certain bad habits. I was glad to

stop them, but I know now that I stopped most of those things because

other people had done so and I was just following suit. As I look back

on my life I see that I was living on other peoples' convictions and

not on my personal walk with the Lord.

It is true, "old things passed away and all things became new",

except my mind. The Bible also says to the committed Christian, "be ye

transformed by the renewing of your mind." I let my mind stay as it

had always been, and that got me into lots of trouble. If I had only

asked Christ to change my mind through His Word and by hiding His Word

in my heart, I would not have turned my back on Him when my time of

testing came. Under heavy trials, I became discouraged and turned away

from the Lord. I lost a home, two good jobs and almost my family. God

was certainly doing His part. He was talking to me, but I was not

listening.

Amidst the turmoil I reenlisted in the Navy and we started attending

church on and off mostly off. Kathy and I put our marriage back

together and began to enjoy an excellent relationship. We made plans

to do a lot of things together, but within four months Kathy was killed

an automobile accident; she was hit by a drunk driver. I felt my life

had ended. God was speaking to me again; and again I did not listen. I

continued to turn my back on Him. I felt I now had a good reason not

to listen to God.

For the next fifteen years I continued to walk the way I wanted to

walk. Not long after the tragedy I married Ann, who like myself had

recently lost her mate. I had three daughters, ages six, five and four

and she had a three year old son. We needed each other. Again my life

was from day to day, making the best of what we had, never thinking of

spiritual things. Finally, although everything in our family appeared

to be normal, I informed Ann I was filing for divorce.

I told her I did not love her, and maybe I never did love her. We

were separated for almost four months when I received the divorce

papers in the mail. All I had to do was to sign them and mail them

back to my attorney, and in ten days I would be divorced. I started

thinking--there must be more to a marriage than getting married, having

someone raise your children and then getting a divorce. I called Ann

and asked to meet with her. We talked for almost the whole weekend.

After the second weekend together, we decided to try to put our

marriage back together.

In July '84 I had burned out as a drug and alcohol counselor for the

Navy and was sent to Jacksonville Alcohol Rehabilitation Center for

outpatient therapy. The senior counselor confronted me and wanted to

know what was going on in my life, what I needed, what I wanted and

what he could do for me. I was the counselee instead of the counselor,

and I was most uncomfortable. He reminded me of the third step in a

twelve step recovery program, "make a decision to turn our will and our

lives over to God as we understand Him."

That evening I made the second most important decision in my life.

I knew what God had wanted of me for a long time. I did it. I

confessed my long list of sins and dedicated my life to Jesus Christ.

I could have done that at any time those past fifteen years. What

trouble and pain I could have avoided. It was I who had turned my back

on Him. He was there, for me, all the time.

I am convinced that God worked with me through those trail years to

teach me to trust Him. What a blessing. I know now that He wants me to

share His "Good News" with family and friends and the entire world.

Ann and I and our whole family are happy in the Lord. We now have a

purpose in life, and it's exciting to see what new things each day may

bring.

Life gets better and better every day. I'm not saying I don't have

any more problems. I now have someone in my life I can talk to and

turn those problems over to. What a joy it is, knowing "My God shall

supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ

Jesus"(Philippians 4:19).

Robert O. "Buggs" Bugnon. Bob has been in the Navy for 26 years.

He is a Naval Aviation Ordnanceman and has served several years as a

drug and alcohol rehabilitation counselor. He is now a logistics

analyst for NADOC, NATC Patuxent River, MD. He is chairman of the

Lexington Park Christian Business Men's Committee (CBMC). He is very

active in his home church as a Sunday School teacher and a home Bible

Study Teacher.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and

death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have

sinned

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God

[is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we

were yet sinners, Christ died for us

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord

Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from

the dead, thou shalt be saved

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;

and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation

Romans 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him

shall not be ashamed

Romans 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the

Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord

shall be saved

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man

hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup

with him, and he with me


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