I grew up in the untouched and unparalleled beauty of the Canadian North. Growing up in the vast subarctic boreal forest, the taiga marshlands, the great salt plains, the majestic tundra and underneath the glow of the midnight aurora. We were a missionary family, and my father pastored a local church that was part of a charismatic movement.
As a result, family life was immersed in ministry. Mission work in the isolation and cross-cultural context of the Canadian North during my adolescence was both a challenging and
a deeply formative experience. As a young man, I had many significant experiences with God in community, but
even if my relationship with God could be called personal, it was not devout.
After nearly a decade of mission work, my family returned to Alberta as my father began a lengthy sabbatical. In the city, I was enticed and entangled by my desires and the world. It wasn’t
until I was eighteen that God got a hold of my heart.
It was in a hospital bed that I stopped running from God. God met me on the edge of life and death after a long string of toxic relationships and intensive drug use. My body was shutting down, but God spoke to my soul. One night, alone in my hospital bed
and writhing in pain, God met with me. He spoke to me in thoughts and visions. He said,
“You know who you are supposed to be, so be who you are.”
Then He reached into my broken body and made me whole. The next day, my deteriorating condition came to a halt, and I began to make a remarkable recovery. Most noteworthy of all was my instant healing from drug dependence and a newfound sense of direction. I would do what I said I would never do – become a Pastor.
In the years following, God was faithful. Teaching me, providing, opening doors, and guiding my steps. By God’s grace, I met my wife and 5 years later, our family grew. I completed my undergraduate studies and had a career in social work. I was discipled in community while serving at the Crosspoint Church – growing in my gifts and abilities. I have started my graduate studies with excitement to learn more. I have seen many lives
transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ over the years. For all of this, I am grateful.
God is good.
micahemerson.ca 