My name is Chad Scott Watson and I was physically born into the Watson home on December 25th, 1970... much to the dismay of my brother who might have enjoyed the life of a spoiled, only child had it not been for me. And I'm sure I unfairly took everyone's focus off of his Christmas that year… Sorry bro!

I grew up in church and was always a good kid. One Sunday morning my Sunday School teachers took me aside to pray to Jesus for my sins. Today, I look back and know they thought they were doing a good thing, but it confused me for many years. I thought I was saved, but I didn't understand what it meant to trust in Jesus for salvation and confess my sins at that time. Children CAN understand it… it's just that they didn't bother to explain it to me, or wait for the Holy Spirit to convict me. They just decided to force the issue. Bad idea.

But like I said, I was a good guy - moral, nice, etc., but it was only to be pleasing to my folks and those I went to church with. As I grew older, I started hanging out with other kids my age and quickly learned that I needed to change to fit in with this new crowd. By the time I was in my early twenties, I had mostly dropped out of church and was living without any care or worries and oblivious to any consequences to my lifestyle. That is, until I hit bottom emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

One night I got so drunk that I contemplated ending all the pain that my sin had brought me to. I can't tell you why, but I decided to visit the new pastor of the church. He had been kind to my family at my grandmother's funeral, and somehow I found myself in his office crying and asking a lot of questions. After helping me cope with my situation, he gave me some verses from the Bible to study and meditate on.

As I read the Bible, it "clicked"! it finally became clear that Jesus was the son of God and that he died on the cross for my sins. Sure, I had heard it growing up, but it didn't become real and personal to me until that moment. Jesus knew me by name the moment he sacrificed his life on the cross some 2,000 years ago. He had died for the whole world and me. Right there, I prayed and asked him to forgive me of my sins and trusted Him as my personal Savior. That day I became a new person because of Jesus Christ and a member of God's eternal family.

For several years after that I lived a modest Christian life… one foot in the world and one in God's kingdom… but only barely. I wasn't a bad person but I did not make Jesus Lord of my life. If I lived for others before I was saved… Now, I was living for me. But, God finally got my attention with the first book in the "Left Behind" series. It made me realize that being a Christian was more than just going through the paces and saying the right words. It was about living my life with Christ as the center of all I think, say and do. It was about living for Him and telling others of His love.

It has been a hard choice at times. It hasn't been easy because I know that I'm constantly being bombarded by the devil - trying to trip me up. But I know that the glory and tender mercies of God are more important than anything or anyone. 

I now find joy in my artwork - before there was nothing but shallow pride - followed by nagging guilt. For whatever reason, God saw fit to give me the ability to draw and express myself with pencil and paper. I want to use this for HIS glory and not my own.  If you like what you see.. then Praise the Lord!  

God is good and worthy of  praise!